The Salesby5 Blog

My first real job during and after college was working for Candy. Candy is an amazing leader. From time to time, I’d blow it. I would fill out an application incorrectly for a client, miss an overnight shipment drop by mistake because I put it in the FedEx box instead of UPS or I broke the refrigerator. Each time as I would sheepishly approach her about it, she would respond, “If that’s the worst thing that happened today, you’re doing great! Most people can’t even say that.” She knew that I gave her my best. Some of these mistakes could have had significant impacts on the business, but she always maintained an amazing attitude. Of all the things she taught me over the seven years I worked for her, and there were many, her amazing attitude was the most powerful.

Now, working with the fantastic SalesBy5, I have an amazing team surrounding me, with another great leader. Sometimes, things don’t always go the way I need them to. Hey, mistakes happen. Every time, I think about how Candy would respond. I try my best to always issue the same response, and then help my team get back on their feet to get the situation resolved. For me, an amazing attitude is easy when things are great. When the amazing attitude remains even when circumstances aren’t great is when you see a true leader. Remember, leadership has nothing to do with your title; it’s an attitude. I hope I can live up to the examples set for me.

What do you think it takes to be a great leader? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

As seen on MySA.com

Being involved in about twenty political campaigns, the biggest being the mayoral campaign of San Antonio, something has come to my attention—the candidate matters! Their brand, their words regarding the benefit they offer, how they will offer that benefit, and of course, their dramatic difference. What is most amazing to me is how their team can help sell or un-sell them! Poor communication, lack of understanding regarding technology, communication etiquette and lack of personable skills all matter to an extreme. One person that does not fit the brand of the candidate can make all the difference in having people want to support with cash or time. One person has the ability to de-motivate a team of people that would do almost anything for someone. This is not just in politics of course! It is life.  If you or the people that work for you are leading other people, you are selling! When they are de-motivating, giving orders, throwing assumptions out and not living the values you preach, they are un-selling, therefore making it easy to compete against you.  Are you setting your team up for success, secondary leaders and a the ability to lead tribes of their own?

The newest issue of Fortune Small Business Magazine interviewed Tom Peters. “The 4 most important words a manager or a leader can say: What do you think?”

It is easy to get bogged down in what you think, but developing teams is not about you, it’s about what you do together.

The recent news of Steve Jobs stepping down from Apple until June has analysts, customers and reporters on the edge of their seats.  Leander Kahney, who wrote Inside Steve’s Brain, speaks of Jobs as being the one whose hand is figuratively on designer Johnathan Ive’s hand in designing Apple products and being the mastermind behind the company.  That combined with the shrouding of Apple’s succession plan in secrecy is leaving everyone nervous.  Will the interim management team be able to move forward knowing that Jobs might come back in June?  Will they be paralyzed in fear of his return?  When a company is heavily based on an individual’s capabilities, it can mean the end of the company when that leader departs, as showcased by Jim Collins’s book, Good to Great.  Have you made plans for your departure?  Have you shared these plans with your team to minimize infighting, maintain continuity in your product/service and provide a level of stability?

photo by diamondrefractionindex

This post was about selling your vision. The greatest leaders know they have succeeded when their teams excel without their presence.

My father-in-law, Bob McEntire, passed away Saturday after his long fight with multiple cancers. He went in peace. He left us with a strong message to stay together as a family and see each other often. I feel that being told he had three months to live and then living 12+ months longer fit as his parting gift.  It was a great reason for all of us to see more of each other as a family. The bar was raised and everyone made more trips to see him and be together. The cousins have had a great time together, the family has been together so much more and we have pulled together in so many ways! Why did we make such efforts? Because this one man made so much happen! Now the great lady who took care of his every need, his last wishes and his last breath needs our love; his wife, Beverly.

Can you look at your team and see the legacy that you’re going to leave?  What changes would you need to make to ensure that the proper legacy remains?

Does your company maintain a culture open enough to lead upward?  Leading upward means that the people above you, whether in actual or perceived rank, allow you to lead them as well.  Not only does your culture need to be in proper form to allow this, but the leaders above you need to be at a stable enough level to allow you to speak freely.  This can often be a scary proposition, but if it is done with respect and compassion, both parties get stretched to a higher leadership level overall.  What would it take for this to be acceptable in your organization?  If you are at the top, are you allowing this type of leadership?  What is stopping you?  Please share with us in the comments.

photo by timabbott

Today, I read a great article in the San Antonio Express News. We watch “The Dog Whisperer” at our house, due to two small young dogs we have that are out of control most of the time. Mary Rauch wrote this article for the paper:  “‘Dog Whisperer’ is a Leadership Primer.”

The article summed up some great points about leadership! I like the way she made it easy to understand, as studies have proven that communication at a 5th grade reading level is best understood by the masses. My biggest takeaway was how much it has to do with sales. At the beginning of the article, she mentions that “fear of public speaking is nothing but an old habit.” For some in the sales industry, the fear of not getting the sale or the fear of dead air (no talking) can kill the deal. As much as this article was useful to leadership and sales, I also learned what the dogs do, and how they win over our hearts! Even though my two micro dogs have eaten or damaged thousands of dollars in carpets and items in the house, I love them. What kind of sales and leadership lessons can we learn from these sweet canines who are unconditionally dedicated to us, always happy to see us, and offer us forgiveness fast?

photo from wopico.blogspot.com

There are too many meeting facilitators that claim a meeting is all about the participants and not about them. I recently had a small group meeting with an expensive hired facilitator that told us it was all about us, the participants. He then went on for over four hours of stories about himself before any benefit to the audience was presented, and continued referencing himself during the following hours. I now know more about this person than I did about the U.S. Presidential candidates and none of the content was of any value to me. This leader did not know how to offer a benefit to the meeting’s participants, and ultimately wasted our time. Many influencers of sales, marketing and other industries sell when there are no buyers or prospective buyers. Knowing what to sell and to whom, or knowing when to sell can separate you from the sales people and the sales winners.

A few tips:

If it is “not about you”, make no references to yourself.

If it is a great service, how will it benefit me?

If it is a great product, what will it do to relieve my pains?

Core values serve the purpose of defining who we hire, fire, promote, de-mote, etc. They are behaviors and tell your employees, managers, and leaders how to behave.

When we are unsure about what next steps to take, looking to our core values leads us in the right path. A few of ours are:

• Always deal with fact. Never assume.

• Do what is best for the customer.

• If you do not know, ask.

• Follow your heart, but… if you are ever in doubt, shout it out.

• Deliver more than what is promised.

These values guide any of us in the right direction with clients and each other. They are the guide – a roadmap for action that lives every day in your organization. If your company has not identified your core values, let us know. We can help you identify them and bring them to life in your company.