Colin Myles's Blog, page 23

6 Leadership Fails

" An army suffers from flight, rebellion, collapse, ruin, disorder, and rout, These six calamities are not attributable to natural causes. They are the fault of the general "  Sun Tzu

Let's take this quote and look at it from a business perspective.

Flight . . . When your business has a high turnover of staff. Do you just accept it and all the additional costs to your business ? Do you investigate why this is happening ? When was the last time you read the exit interviews ?

Rebellion . . . This occurs when trust disappears and  the workload is too much for the reward offered. New ideas don't take hold and are quietly sabotaged.

Collapse . . . Your market share is shrinking, yet all the KPI's you have in place are correct and all the boxes have been ticked. Rebellion feeds into collapse. Remember the old adage " what you measure will be gamed ".

Ruin . . . Your business reputation is going down the tube. Generally stem from employee's been pushed to the extremes. How your employee's treat your customers is a direct reflection on how you treat them. Give some serious thought to this one.

Disorder . . . Comes from favouritism and empire building. As your business has expanded, you have allowed departments to grow and take on mythical powers in relation to the business as a whole. No one department is more important than another. All their parts make the sum total of your business and it's value. Favouritism occurs when you allow your management team to follow The Peter Principal to the letter.

Rout . . . When all of the above five have taken hold within your business, all that is left is for your competitors to capitalise on your shortcomings and win business from your customers. Because they can no longer depend or trust yours to deliver.

When this happens . . . Game over.
Before you allow this to happen to your business, maybe just maybe, it might be time to look a little bit closer and deeper at your generals/leaders within your business.

Two thousand year old wisdom and we are still making the same mistakes.

Colin Myles Author 

P.S.
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Pushing The River

Pushing the river, is a Taoist concept. Have you ever tried so hard to find a solution, you felt as if your brain was about to explode ? Relentlessly chased a potential client, because you felt it was the contract that would move you into the big time and all you hit was a stone wall and silence.

This is pushing the river. When you reach this stage, get up and go do something else. Eat, sleep, drink, take a walk or read. As far as man has advanced, none of us as individuals can push a river. It is a futile exercise.

What does water do ? It flows, meanders, goes over, under and around to find it's way. People who attempt to force things through, end up meeting resistance. They seem to believe that pushing and pushing is the way to achieve. Action causes reaction.

The next time you wonder why you keep meeting resistance, remember you can't push the river. Instead meander, wander, go around, up and under your challenge, until you reach your solution.

Don't push ; Meander

Colin Myles Author

P.S.
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The Power of Music to Move your Sales

Yesterday, I popped into the city to run some errands. After finishing everything on my list, I decided coffee was deserved. I remembered reading about a new Italian deli/food shop that had opened up, selling produce from Italy, coffee, pasta, olive oil and other staples.

I headed for that part of the city and found the deli. Small and warm with well laid out products. I ordered a coffee and a cannolo siciliano [ to die for ]. As I was drinking my coffee and devouring the cannolo, I became aware that it was an Italian radio station playing in the background. Music sung in Italian and adverts in Italian. It reminded me of the Italian family restaurants I use to frequent in Soho London. The coffee was excellent and when finished I asked the assistant if their coffee was for sale, " yes " she replied and I purchased a kilo of the beans. In twenty minutes I spent $30.

On the way home I wondered why I had purchased a Kilo of coffee, when I had already bought some fresh speciality roasted coffee beans as part of my shopping list. Then it hit me. Having just finished reading Pre-Suasion by Robert Cialdini. There is a part of the book talking about studies that show when in a wine shop and they have an offer on for french wine and there is french music playing softly in the background, your mind gets pre-loaded with the thought of french music, french wine. Other studies have shown, that when supermarkets play slow soft classical music in the background, people spend longer browsing in the aisles and purchase more, than when the local radio station or muzak is on in the background.

So there I was alone in a warm Italian deli, sipping beautiful fresh coffee, eating an Italian desert and hearing music sung in Italian in the background. What else was my brain going to do, except tell me the mood was right for me to buy Italian coffee beans. Am pretty sure the Italian owners and staff who served me hadn't set this up. They were just doing what the normally do at work and home, listen to Italian music.

Now, when it comes to your business, what type of music is played in your store or outlet. Is it trash talking talk radio or the choice of your staff, both of which may bear no resemblance to your customer or what you are selling. Does your choice soothe your customers into staying longer or bash them over the head, so they  can't wait to get the hell out of your outlet ?

Remember I only went in for a coffee and ended up spending an extra $23

Colin Myles Author

P.S.
Music moves sales

Effort & Consequences

I was sad to hear of the passing of Leonard Cohen, as his latest album is an outstanding piece of music. Watching an interview yesterday where he was talking about the writing of Hallelujah, I heard the line " you put in your best effort, but you can't command the consequences ".

This was in relation to the fact that his record company didn't release the album with Hallelujah on it. It was released independently and took on a life of its own.

The quote is poignant for business as well. You can produce something special, yet you can't command what your customers think about it. Sometimes you may be ahead of the curve and finding the early adopters to evangelise is elusive. Other times it may get lumped into the middle, among the millions screaming for attention.

This can be challenging to contend with, when you are struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table. You can't control the consequences, but you can and must put in your best effort. Because this will be the difference between failure and your product or idea laying down strong roots, that will enable it to grow and blossom, when the environment is right.

Remember, just because the committee of they, may reject, it only takes the love of one for something to bloom.

Colin Myles Author

P.S.
" I'm wanted at the traffic jam, they're saving me a seat " Leonard Cohen

Move Beyond

At weekends I am slowly reading The Story of Philosophy. Recently I came across the phrase PLUS ULTRA, which translates as " Move Beyond ".

Now imagine you are standing at the edge of the sidewalk. You want to cross the road to see your friend. To do so, you have to move beyond where you are, to cross the road to reach them.

If you want to achieve more, do more or be more, you must move beyond  where you currently stand. There is nothing else. You can read books, listen to motivational audios and speakers. You can take classes for the next four years, but unless you are willing to move beyond where you are, you will just be standing still.

You have two choices
Stand still and stagnate
Move beyond and achieve

Take the first step and move beyond.

Colin Myles Author

P.S.
Stand still and stagnate or move beyond and achieve . . . you choose

The Dying Art of Upselling

In the past month of I have being up sold successfully three times. At no other times was an upsell attempted. All three were in the hospitality sector.

Even though I have been in other hospitality outlets and purchased some clothing and other retail items, where a small upsell could have been attempted, not one sales person did so.

The best of the three, was at a motorway rest stop. I went to order an espresso and immediately the sales assistant said " Double ", "Yes " I replied. Elmer Wheeler would have been proud. There was no long spiel, no attempt to justify, simply one word " Double ". Now imagine the sales increase this bright and switched on sales assistant is gaining by using one word " Double ".

The key here is the use of one word. No long script of hot words and buttons for the sales person to memorise and fret over. The paradox is, the longer the upsell script, the bigger and longer the rejection felt by the sales person.

For upselling to gain traction amongst your sales team, simplify and shorten. One thing that turns your customer off is a long and winding script, that comes across as mechanical, memorised and pushy. The simpler and easier you make it for your customer to say " Yes ", the happier and confident your sales team become. When your staff are happy upselling, your sales go up. When they hate it, your sales go down.

If you have never read Elmer Wheeler, I would encourage you to do so, because he was the true master of the simple upsell.

Colin Myles ; Author

P.S.
" Simplify your sales process, your customer will thank you "

Manners Increase Sales

A couple of days ago I read a great article about how saying " Please " and " Thank You " can increase your sales [ Read Here ]

What some might find extraordinary in the article, is the difference in store sales. As a 22 year veteran of the hospitality industry, it didn't surprise me.

Often it is the small incidentals that make the difference between good sales figures and super sales figures. It costs nothing to say please and thank you. But the difference in your customers perspective of your business gets magnified. If manners are lacking in your business and part of the culture in your business competitors, the customers will notice and spend accordingly.

You have three choices in business, low prices and high volume, middle range prices and good volume or high end prices and low volume. Most businesses are in the middle range. One of the hardest to distinguish yourself from your competitors and the easiest to be overtaken by a new entrant.

Why one succeeds and one fails in this middle range, is down to the subtle differences. One place is happy to see and serve you, the other is indifferent. One you get greeted with a smile, the other has the grinch grump persona. One thanks you for your business, the other takes your money and pushes you out the door.

It is here where the perception of your business becomes good, bad or indifferent. If the perception of your business falls into the latter two, then you may need to look at and address the small differences like " Please " and " Thank You ".

Indifference loses Sales

Manners increases Sales

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
A couple of hours before I sat down to write this article, I happened to be in a large electronic store purchasing and item worth $70. About three quarters way through the sales process with an excellent and helpful sales assistant, their supervisor with sidekick interrupted us and said " go over to  X area there is someone looking to buy XYZ product [ $400 value ] , . . . .
when you have finished here " Now what perception do you believe I left with ?

P.S.S.

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If The Cart is Too Heavy

"If the carrot is too far away and the cart too heavy, the mule don't move " Appalachian Saying

I was reminded of this quote by the recent goings on at Wells Fargo and an excellent article by Matt Levine [ read here ]

Back when I was more involved in direct sales, the above quote was something I was taught when evaluating a compensation plan. It may be simple, but all the fundamentals of sales incentives are there.

If a target is so far away it would take a miracle to reach, people will give up. If you load people with excessive form filling, they will throw their hands up in the air and say " why bother, it's not worth it ". People do not want extra hassle.

Has the person or committee setting up the targets got skin in the game, or just running the numbers through a computer model ? A model which doesn't take into account the unpredictability of human beings. Look what happened in the 2008 banking crisis when the models were followed to a tee.

Now the last thing your firm needs, is to be investigated for shady sales practices. And yes, the desire to maintain and increase sales is a must for any business. However you need to come up with a plan and incentive scheme, that doesn't ruin your good name or put your people under so much pressure, that they decide to game the system, just so they can put food on the table for their kids.

This is your aim, something that is fair but encourages people to stretch to reach. Anything else and you run the danger of disillusioned staff and the temptation to game the system.

Remember, fair and achievable, not far and heavy.

Colin Myles
Author

E + P + E = Sales

Ethos + Persuasion + Emotion = Sales

Aristotle referred to ethos " as the impression of personal character ". Persuasion occurs through emotion. Emotion is what the other person sees in your eyes and body language.

Now once the impression of personal character has stuck in the other person's mind, it is almost impossible to undo. Is your character good and enthusiastic or someone who moans about the weather, the traffic or politicians upon first meeting someone. Personal dogma is best left for family and friends.

Persuasion and emotion are linked by what the other person sees, hears and believes. If you are expounding on the benefits of your product or service, but your body language is conveying boredom, all the other person will see is boredom. If your eyes are scanning left and right and not focused on the other person, they will feel that you don't want them there.

No matter how good you are at talking about benefits, the scarcity, how quickly the deal ends or how the majority of their neighbours or competitors use your product or service, they will not be persuaded if your body language and eyes are out of sync with your words. They won't feel emotion, just an empty hollowness.

Here is the piece of the puzzle a lot of people miss in sales. The other person must believe that you believe in what you are recommending. The wallet is controlled by the heart. To persuade, you must connect with the emotions that open the heart which controls the wallet.

Is your personal character, eyes and body language aligned to persuade the emotions of another ? If not, your sales may be slow.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
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Kind, Quiet & Rude

Today I popped into the city to buy a gift for my niece, who will be one soon. It had being about six weeks since I last ventured in on a Saturday morning.

Going to one of the car parks with a flat all day rate, I got out to buy my ticket. Didn't have enough coins, so I opted for the credit card payment. As my card was processing [very slow machine ], the lady at the next machine commented " the credit card option was handy ", " as long as it works " I replied as the machine decided today was not a day to accept cards. She asked if I had enough change, I was short 50% of price, she gave me the remaining 50% and simply said " please pass on your ticket to someone else ". Never met the lady before, but what a genuine act of kindness.

After purchasing a couple of gift for my niece, a good cup of coffee was in order. I strolled off to a place with great coffee. When I got there the place was nearly empty, just four other customers. Six weeks previously at roughly the same time, I was lucky to find a stool at the counter. Now this intrigues me, because I am always curious as to why a business can go from standing room only to being as quiet as a rock in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. I will go back in about four weeks time. [ there was one change to their operation ].

Then I popped into the pharmacy to buy some toothpaste. Picked my item and went to the till, lady scanned it and said " oh you get one free when you buy one " and off she went to retrieve my free item before taking my money. Outstanding customer service.

As it was time to head home, I headed for the car park. It was full with cars waiting for a space. There was a lady and child waiting for a space, close to where I had parked. I told her I was leaving and she could have my space and handed her the all day parking ticket I had and she thanked me for my little act of kindness. Just as I was pulling out and the lady was indicating to move into my space, a person in a flash car [ why is it always a flash car ? ] tried to speed in on her inside to take the space. I stopped and indicated the space was the lady's, thankfully they stopped and let her in. But the look on their faces of sheepish entitlement was confusing to me. Have we stooped so low as stealing car parking spaces from mother's and toddlers, because we don't have the patience to wait anymore ?

After today, I believe that we probably receive more small acts of kindness on a daily basis, than rude ones. However as humans we re - tell bad experiences seven times more than we tell good experiences. Today I hope I have tilted the balance back to the good side.

Colin Myles
Author

P.S.
No act of kindness is ever wasted
Aesop