The 7 Reasons Why People BuyBy Nance Rosen, MBA Seven great motivators called "why-to-buys" make your products, services and brands extremely compelling to any audience. Communicate that one or more of these "why-to-buys" are at the core of your solution or recommendation. You'll immediately amplify your audience's interest and reduce their resistance. However you communicate: via advertising, brochures or sales' talk tracks, use the message to directly connect the solution you're selling with the reasons why people buy. In each example, I've highlighted content from the speakers' Library of Success, which is a collection of all the content they could use when these Speak Up Stars talk about their topic, product, service, brand or proposal. Be picky about what you use from your Library of Success – select only those that help you prove the why-to-buy that you're emphasizing. Why-To-Buy #1: CompatibilityShow how your offering or approach is aligned with the way your audience currently does business or functions. Reassure them that you are not asking them to take a leap of faith or risk going too far outside the box, but merely expanding or extending their current philosophy, approach or method. Example of Compatibility A software trainer presents a new order placement procedure. "At first glance, this new system seems very different from how we currently input orders. However, you'll find it is perfectly compatible with the way you naturally speak with customers, once you see the system demonstrated and get some hands-on time with it. The questions pop up on the screen: in the same order that they usually pop into our heads. In fact, we designed it to make you feel really comfortable on these calls." Why-to-Buy #2: Speed of BenefitShow the rapid payoff your audience will enjoy once they take action on your recommendation or request. If you're asking for approval, funds or cooperation for something that will arrive in the long-term, identify another benefit they get right away. This is the most critical why-to-buy when the commitment requires a significant commitment or hefty down payment. Don't give the impression that the only benefit comes when the finished product arrives. An example of Speed of Benefit An architect presents his bid for a new hospital building. Even if the audience signs his contract on the spot and hands over a check, it will be at least a year before the building is up and functioning. Notice the speed of the project's deliverables. Don't worry that you won't see results right away. Here's the project roadmap with a clear list of the results you'll get from the very start. Let me highlight when you'll have the initial drawings, renderings, model, permits and contractor profiles. We'll satisfy your desire for results from day one to the grand opening. Why-to-Buy #3: SimplicityShow your audience that no matter how grand the outcome and sophisticated your solution, your recommendation is easy to understand, approve, and set into motion and use. Whether you're discussing how to operate a machine, interact with technical support or make changes in the department, emphasize how simple and straight forward it all is. Example of Simplicity A business development executive discusses the acquisition of a small but up-and-coming competitor with her CEO. It's easy to see why Gentum is a good candidate for acquisition. Their product is simple to understand, given that its fundamentally the technology our designers have been working on: as you can see from these drawings. Simply put, our product development plans and their current product are virtually identical. The facts are straightforward. Their CEO is Gentum's founder and principal inventor. He's willing to stay on to make the transition easy, and he'll exit when we like. I've included his bio along with the rest of the key staff. Nothing complicated or unusual about this: just a small but solid company that needs our sized sales force to rapidly gain traction in the market. Why-to-Buy #4: Easy, Low-Risk TrialShow your audience that they can try out the product, service, or procedure with little risk of damage to their current operation or pocketbook. Oftentimes, your audience would like to get some hands-on experience or check out the internal response from potential users in their organization. The hurdle you must overcome is their fear of making a mistake, even just by sampling or experimenting. Your offer of an easy, low-risk trial trumps that fear. Example of Easy, Low-Risk Trial An employee in a firm's accounting department proposes a new collections procedure. I would not expect us to commit to a change in our collections procedure. There is a small pilot program we can trial for three months. We can try it with just a few accounts: just 1% of our outstanding debtors. That way, we won't jeopardize our current results: but we'll get a chance to see if we can improve them. Here are the step-by-step instructions. It calls for just two people to be released for two hours a week. In the handout, you'll find a comparison of the pilot system's procedures to our current system's procedures. And, your packet includes some credible endorsements and success stories about the ease of implementing the pilot program and the advantages of this approach. Why-to-Buy #5: VisibilityHelp your audience with examples or cases that allow them to observe, learn or otherwise sense that others, especially role models, are enthusiastically doing what you're recommending. Example of Visibility At a trade show booth, a sales representative sells her product to a competitor's customer. In case you have not seen installations of our product or been in contact with our customers, I'd like to show you our system in action. Two of the industries' market leaders have made video clips, as you observe on the screen behind me. The list of the rewards and results they enjoy are plainly visible, almost startling. In fact: I'll give you this packet with the comparison to competition as well as some applications write-ups. Let me log you into this workstation so you can have some hands-on experience, using your data to model how the system would work for you. It will produce an actual forecast of what you would see in your environment – and compare your results to our other customers' stellar performance. Why-to-Buy #6: Strategic AdvantageShow how your product, proposal or program gives your audience an edge. This advantage might give them a head start or leap over competition, or simply accelerate their progress toward a goal. Example of Strategic Advantage A performance coach gets buy-in from a mid-level executive who wants a promotion to top management. The first secret to being noticed by top management is to project a clear personal brand: which is a strategic advantage over other managers who all seem alike. Most employees are concerned they will be overlooked for promotions and special assignments. Yet they fail to take strategic measures that ensure their success. Sadly, they are qualified for advancement but they don't stand out from the pack. To meet the goals on your roadmap in an accelerated timeframe, you can easily take steps that get you noticed in a very positive way. It's smart to start with our proprietary assessment. The results will allow you to see how you compare to others. Without updating certain key competencies: you won't appear as qualified – or better qualified than your competition. Why-to-Buy #7: SymbolismShow that your recommended course of action, or your brand, product or service, is emblematic of your audience's values, mission, self-image or aspirations. Symbols communicate the image and value of brands. Symbols appear on packaging, metaphors are used in advertising copy and celebrities cast a halo by making endorsements. Evan location can be symbolic. Show a product being sold in a shop on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California and you instantly telegraph it's upscale. Consider that anything: even a work process or business recommendation can have symbolic meaning that goes beyond what the actual features and functions provide. Example of Symbolism An administrative assistant pitches her department on purchasing special logo polo shirts. Our company logo shirts symbolize our company spirit. I like them because we have lots of different styles that communicate our personalities. Logo wear can also symbolize our connection to each other. I'd like you to consider wearing these newly designed department logo shirts. Above the company logo on these samples, you see a special insignia, symbolizing our departments team spirit. Put these Why-to-Buys to WorkRemember, no matter what you have to sell or say, anchoring your solution to these seven reasons why people buy powerfully amplifies your point of view and creates a compelling case for your audience to buy or believe. Meeting Planners: One of Nance's most popular topics is "Why People Buy". She has a wealth of information and materials that can be customized for your next event. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE to book Nance or find out more about her availability. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE or E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. The Best Practices of the World's Most Successful Interactive BrandsBy Nance Rosen, MBA Microsoft reports it will be piling half a billion dollars into its interactive marketing war chest by 2010 – and where is that money coming from? The offline advertising budget. While not abandoning print, television, radio, outdoor and other conventional channels, even a behemoth like Microsoft needs to do the one thing that the Internet does best: personalize communications. The big M is not alone. Apparently, it's dawning on every good marketer that Mary Lou in Cincinnati wants Mary Lou-centric ads. She's only interested in hearing from companies that already know what's on her mind and her laptop. Hence, the perfected two-way communication model has been birthed. First, you learn about the customer. You get her attention by blogging, pod casting, posting on message boards, wiki-ing and YouTubing, until she reaches out and tells you exactly what she thinks – and more importantly, what and when she's buying in your category. Second, you tell her the only opinion that matters is hers, and deliver the bespoke solution that she can't resist, because it seemingly sprung from her own head, heart and ten typing digits. She's not buying the one size fits all at all. She wants whatever you got custom tailored with her name on the label. Oh, that Mary Lou would be more forthcoming about her unfulfilled desires. Oh, that she would complete an online registration form and give you all her pertinent data before your marketing conversation was begot. Forget about invading her privacy. She's not that kind of girl. Instead, you have to set a trap by loading the right words into your website content or buying the right search engine words that reflect how her personal discovery process lands her on your landing page. Then, you must decipher how she's moving around your website; where she lingers and where she gets lost. Plus, you must give away tasty morsels of intellectual property, freemiums and promotions to see what she bites. All the while learning what it will take to get the first purchase, much less the lifetime value of this singular relationship. And, even when you know what she wants, what she really, really wants – you must be subtle about your intentions. When you begin to message to her, you want her to think you're a giver. You care. Get out front with your commitment to her happiness, so she'll consider giving in and going for the goods you got. And, promise you'll do it all in a way that's compatible with how and why she buys; that it will be simple, speedy, and carry the lowest possible risk while giving her the greatest possible advantage as she pursues her ideal outcome. Throw in some metaphors and images that symbolize she's buying more than a feature set, she's buying empowerment, vitality, security, creativity and affirmation of her individuality. This brave, new way of romancing the consumer is anthropologically based in ancient cultural rituals, where a couple gets engaged before they can actually date. The suitor's intentions have to be established, his integrity checked, and a promise must be made about what's in store the day after the big day, which is when the relationship begins in earnest. So Microsoft and the other present tense marketers from great and small brands aren't acting on impulse anymore. The term's over for the "hey that headline's a riot: the young male urban segment will love it" school of marketing communications. True, these bursts of passion from creative teams often have had a happy ending: think, "Where's the beef?" and "Got milk?" But honestly, fifty years ago David Ogilvy knew the odds were 50-50 that this time-honored frat house approach to message making would be a complete waste of a company's treasure. So today, the smart refrain in the brains of the best marketers is from that 70's song, "I'd like to get to know you, yes I would. I'd like to get to know you, if I could." Only after you've profiled and measured what matters to Mary Lou, should you form your message, offer and outreach style. Because in the face of so many choices and enjoying all the control, she's only interested in herself and what she thinks you can do for her. Narrow the viewfinder. This is a segment of one. The only target in town, as far as Mary Lou is concerned, is Mary Lou. It's as if the whole world is now filled with only children who never learned to share and always got their favorite topping on the family pizza. Nearly seven billion segments of one and another birthed every second or less. Send a PC offer to a Mac user, and frankly you've ignited a crisis of confidence in your brand. Mary Lou's personal preferences, plans, and the way she like to purchase and use her products and services are what she wants reflected in your proposition. Your competitors may have a much better product, but they will surely lose to you if you know that 6.6 billion narcissists are impossible to please – unless each one is sure you're totally focused on the solitary image they see in the mirror. Then, give away enough information and stuff to prove that you're on the edge of seriously neglecting your own best interests in order to serve these greedy, needy segments of one. Rewire your communications strategy if you think today's consumers are being unreasonable or that you can continue doing it old-style. Think about it from Mary Lou's perspective. She'll be confronted by thousands of messages every day of her life.
Engage each consumer so organically and systematically that he or she believes the world does not revolve around the sun or Sun Microsystems – but in fact, orbits around the needs and desires of the one who hits the buy button on your shopping cart. Meeting Planners: For more information on Nance's keynote and seminars on the best practices of the world's most successful interactive brands, call 1-888-GO-NANCE. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE or E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. The 5 Keys to Sales SuccessBy Nance Rosen, MBA Sales should not come at any price. They should come at the best possible price for you and your organization, ensuring you meet both your revenue and profit goals. They should come in a compressed purchasing cycle. That means you have pitched, provided user training (if appropriate), signed the deal, collected payment – and gotten the order for the next upgrade and add-ons, plus got referrals – in a time period that's as close to "instant" as humanly possible. Sales should come easily and predictably, without stressing your internal staff, suppliers and others who support you. Your Ideal OutcomeYour ideal outcome is profitable, high volume, low maintenance customers who see you as a unique resource, trusted advisor and someone who makes them look good. They gladly exchange their money and loyalty for your commitment to the relationship, which is dependent on what you bring above and beyond your solution. When you have so much to give, they can't wait to tell others about you. Lifetime relationships are made when, like soul mates, you and your prospects meet and feel a match that no competitors can put asunder. You are "customer and sales representative" for life. Doesn't that give you a new take on the word proposal? Get the EdgeA unique price-value relationship gives you an unbeatable competitive edge over alternatives. No, that doesn't mean you should be the low price leader – in fact, just the opposite. Relationships cannot be established on price, or just on the features and benefits of your products or services. When it comes to price, you don't want to accompany your competitors as they race to the bottom. And, when it comes to feature sets, anyone can add a .1 to your 2.0 version. You can't be vulnerable to the right hand side of a decimal point. What is Your Edge?Your edge is what you uniquely bring to the customer – that no one else can – something that loads in value. So while your desired outcome is to make a very profitable deal for you and your company, you want it to have equal appeal for your customer, too. Providing Unique Value is More than SellingYou have to promise and deliver, and over-deliver, on more than the solution you are selling. By adding unique value, you tip the Relationship Scale, like a teeter-totter out of balance. Your side should be so obviously weighted down with rare and important extras, that your customer is light by comparison (because they're just paying for the product or service). Only then are you guaranteed that human nature will compel your prospects to give you their first orders and your customers to give you their business for life. What's the Cost of These Rare and Important Extras?Typically nothing, or close to it – yet these unique extras filled are invaluable to others who don't have access – or don't have the motivation to get access – to a wealth of free resources. Remember, to a man dying of thirst, a glass of tap water is worth his life. But, as you draw water from your tap to give it to him, it costs you nearly nothing. Yet, he feels that he owes you his life. Where are Your Rare and Important Extras?They're all around you – in the office, on the Internet, among your samples, in the white papers your technical department writes, in every friendship and throughout your personal and business network. Everything you have and know, and everyone you meet or can reach out to, belong in your Library of Success. As you go through life and your career, you connect with people, information and resources. Right now, that's what's stored in your Library of Success. But, if you haven't been paying attention to your Library, it's probably pretty messy and so it's hard to see what you have. Now's your opportunity to organize the contents, and research what you need to add, so you can deliver more, unique value to your prospects and customers. Building Your Library of SuccessStock your Library with examples, success stories, testimonials, talk tracks, budgets, timelines, tips and techniques, step-by-step instructions, props, premiums, FAQs, technical drawings, total cost and use analysis, profiles of experts and analysts, and your network of professional contacts, even your friends and family members. Now, you have a lot to offer prospects and customers! You can offer just one of the many resources from your Library, and suddenly you save your prospect time and trouble with research or you have just the right person or article to answer a difficult question. Just creating your Library will help you realize the riches you can deliver to prospects and customers, and the majority of these unique and valuable assets will cost you nothing. Where's Your Library?Your Library of Success may reside on your server so that the entire sales force has access to it. It might just be a file in your computer or a shelf in your office. It should contain everything you need to amplify your unique value and swiftly approach, persuade, train, and sign up the accounts that will make your job financially and personally satisfying. The best Library annex is the one in your brain. Now that you have found, organized and reflected on the contents, you'll be deeply confident about your facts, perspective and standing in the industry. Most importantly, your Library of Success insulates you against the forces that may now be defeating you. You now are a trusted advisor and valued resource with a wealth of information, assistance, things of interest and things in common with your prospects and customers. 5 Key Sections for SalesWhile there are many ways to organize a library, you may choose to create sections that correspond to the 5 Keys To Sales Success:
The 5 Keys to Sales SuccessFocus on finding resources and material that will improve your mastery in these five key areas and may be re-purposed to provide unique value to your prospects and customers. 1. Knowledge
2. Analysis
3. Decision-making
4. Communication
5. Management
Sales Managers: Whether you manage a sales force of 5,000 representatives – or you are the entire sales force of one, Nance provides sales training and coaching that helps you reach these goals:
Nance has a wealth of information and materials that can be customized for your sales training and sales coaching needs, including a program to help you build your Library of Success. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE to book Nance or find out more about her availability. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE or E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Speak Up! & Succeed™ "The Speak Up! System" is the Backbone of Your SuccessBy Nance Rosen, MBA You and I face resistance in almost every area of our lives. I often joke that if I did not have resistance, my life would be empty. I'm the daughter of a milkman and a homemaker who raised our family on $400 a month and a lot of ingenuity. I left home at sixteen to put myself through UCLA by working full time in the emergency room, taking class notes for pay and at the same time, doing research for a professor studying crime and prostitution in the 1920s. Oh yes, I also went to class, so I must not have slept. I don't remember much of those years, as you can imagine. What I did learn for sure, is that embracing resistance – knowing the odds may be against you – is a great place to start a wonderfully satisfying, self-directed life. If you are willing to see others' negativity as simply the starting point of long and rich relationships, you have the greatest chance of finding your true calling and living up to your potential. I also learned at an early age that the only way to successfully deal with people who say "no" or "you can't" or "call me back at a better time" is to embrace their resistance with one magical word. My word is "great!" That instantly lowers the other person's resistance and gives me some space to begin their transformation to embracing my point-of-view. Among the tens of thousands of people who use my system, this one technique is almost universally cherished. Not everyone responds with "great." If I am constantly interrupted with negativity, I change from "great!" to "thank you!" Some folks in the UK use "brilliant!" An ad agency executive in Michigan uses "genius!" An engineer in Malaysia says "super!" The only rule for this magical word is that it must be positive and said with confidence and enthusiasm. What this word gets you is time and the opportunity to get attention. You have shocked Mr. No-I-Won't-Give-You-What-You-Want into silence. That's your opportunity to slip him into the Transformation Channel and change his negative mindset into an enthusiastic, positive one that's in agreement with your proposal, plan or point-of-view. The Transformation ChannelThere are five stages of transformation that you must lead your audience (Mr. No) through: 1. Attention You can take your audience through this channel in as little as 30 seconds. Radio commercials do it all the time. The 30-second TransformationCommercials may be a great place for you to experience the power of transformation, and see how quickly it can take place, and how irresistible it is. Here's an example. The other day, I was driving to work and listening to a talk radio show. After getting an update on news and politics, I was about to change the channel. At that moment, the host began pitching a sponsor's product and changed my intention. I stayed with him. How did he do it? He used the Transformation Channel. Remember, I'm a communications expert – and even though I knew what was happening – and I know he was simply delivering a commercial, I couldn't resist the urge to stay tuned and listen to him. Admittedly, I was driving while I heard it, so the actual script may be a bit different, but it's close. Here's what he said: 50% of all divorces involve custody of a pet. Madge and I could never divorce, because we both love Fluffy so much. That's why we feed her Petina brand cat food, our vet says it's healthier for her and she likes it more than other brands we've tried. I know that if you love your cat, you'll want to start her on a healthier, happier life today. Go up to the Petina website and download the coupon for a free bag – then get to the store. Fluffy will love you for it. In this instance, like many audiences you face – I was Ms. Negative or at least Ms. Indifferent. I'm driving and listening to a talk show to hear news and politics. That was my priority. No, I didn't want to hear a commercial. Cat or No Cat – I Couldn't Stop ListeningI couldn't shut it off – in fact I listened raptly (and I don't even have a cat!). Then, it dawned on me. In 30 seconds the writer took his audience through the complete Transformation Channel! Here's the same commercial as seen through its five stages. Stage One: Attention"50% of all divorces involve custody of a pet."
Stage Two: Knowledge"Madge and I could never divorce, because we both love Fluffy so much."
Stage Three: Preference"That why we feed her Petina brand cat food, our vet says it's healthier for her and she likes it more than other brands we've tried."
Stage Four: Conviction"I know that if you love your cat, you'll want to start her on a healthier, happier life today."
Stage Five: Action"Go up to the Petina cat food website and download the coupon for a free bag – then get to the store. Fluffy will love you for it."
Once again, I don't have a cat. But when I got to work, I downloaded the coupon and forwarded the link to my friend who has three cats. The sponsor couldn't get me as a customer, but the transformation worked anyway – I became a referral source. Your Meetings, Presentations and ConversationsHopefully, you get more than 30 seconds to speak with your audience (your prospects, customers, top management, direct boss, co-workers, trainees, investors and suppliers). And, you're probably going after bigger fish than selling a bag of cat food (sorry, that's almost a pun). Your Transformation Channel must contain the ideal: Stage One: Attention
Stage Two: Knowledge
Stage Three: Preference
Stage Four: Conviction
Stage Five: Action
Outcome-MindObviously, you can only guide people through a transformation if you have outcomes in mind for 1) Yourself With these outcomes-in-mind, make sure you know what you want to accomplish in a particular time period, and specifically what you want your audience to do and commit to by the end of your time together in each interaction. Any one meeting, presentation and conversation may be among several links that lead to your ideal relationship with an audience. Be prepared to guide them through the five stages each time, so every interaction is a milestone along the way to your getting everything you want. The 3-Act Speak Up SystemBecause you need to engage your audience (and not just broadcast to them), the Speak Up System organizes their transformation into three acts. In Act One, you capture their attention and wipe their minds clean of competing thoughts (like what else they could be doing with the time – or what they're having for lunch). In Act Two, you share content but also get their input, feedback, questions, perspectives and, if possible, some hands-on practice or involvement with your solution. In Act Three, you take control back and lead them to take action as you desire. Act One: Your Great Opening (Attention)This is the attention-getting time. You introduce your self, your topic and make promises about what your audience will have by the end of your time together. As he opens his show with a teaser, Larry King on CNN captures your attention and wins your commitment to stay tuned. So do Oprah, Jon Stewart and every other seasoned host. It's called a tease – and it makes you stay tuned. If Larry King had Elvis on his show, he wouldn't just start talking with Elvis. Instead, he would introduce himself, the topic and make promises about what you're about to see. Larry's Great Opening might be: "Tonight on Larry King Live: An exclusive! Elvis is alive! Stay with us and you'll hear for the first time, never-before-revealed details that you won't want to miss! Did Elvis fake his death, was he cryogenically frozen or did a mysterious relationship force him to drop out of sight? Is the king of rock and roll fat or thin? How does he feel about American Idol – does he think he would win if he had been a contestant years ago? Is he going on Dancing with the Stars? Plus, what are Elvis' plans to reunite in song with his daughter Lisa Marie? All this and more tonight, plus your calls, exclusively on Larry King Live!" Act Two: Your Streamlined Content (Knowledge-Preference-Conviction)This is where you win the minds and hearts of your audience, and get them eager to buy what you are selling. Knowledge: You give them information and demonstrations that fill their brains. Preference: You compare your solution or proposal to the competition and alternatives you audience might consider. This involves them more emotionally – they are "picking sides." Conviction: You ignite their belief that they must act now! You amplify the benefits or concerns so they're thoroughly convinced, and they wait for your instructions about how to take action. Act Three: Your Great Closing (Action)This is the time when you tell your audience what to do, (write the check, approve your plan, use your training, hire you and the like), and see them take action. You also get them to make future commitments (such as scheduling the next meeting, providing data you so you can prepare a proposal, or completing their work on deadline and the like). You give clear instructions and where possible, use the "would-because" sequence. This raises the odds of your getting instant response by 80%. One of my coaching clients uses the "would-because" sequence in combination with an irresistible sweetener, to get contracts signed on-the-spot. "Would you take this commemorative pen that I have engraved with your name, because I want this contract signing to be a moment we'll all remember? Sign right here on this line. Then, keep the pen as a memento of my commitment to you and your organization." Focus on PlayersUse the Speak Up System whenever you have the opportunity to interact with anyone who can provide something that accelerates your progress on the road to success. I call these people "players," because they play a big role in your life. These are the people who can say yes, and move you along quickly. Or, they can say no, and stop you in your tracks. Players even include those people who just by delaying or dragging their heels on a project can get you off track. Key Concepts of the Speak Up System:
Training Directors: Would your employees' productivity and job satisfaction rise with training in the Speak Up System, because they'll be able to communicate in a clear, crisp and compelling manner? Engineers, technical and administrative personnel who represent your organization may benefit greatly. This personal development program attracts and retains the best people. Nance provides on-ground and on-line training in the Speak Up System. A modular training program typically consists of 8-12 sessions, or it can be customized for your specific needs. Contact Nance at 1-888-GO-NANCE or to check her availability, E-mail her at Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Sales Managers: Would you like all your representatives saying the most powerful things in the most powerful way because that would compress sales cycles and deliver more revenue at a lower cost? Sales training can be done in just two hours a day for 8-12 consecutive weeks, or it may be delivered in an accelerated time frame over 1-2 days. Materials and training may be customized to directly address your products, services and target customers. Contact Nance at 1-888-GO-NANCE or to check her availability, E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Need Coaching? Would you like to explore becoming one of my coaching clients, because you're focused on creating the career of your dreams – starting today. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE or E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Coaching Yourself to Success™ "The New You Program": How to Win a Promotion in Your CompanyBy Nance Rosen, MBA Like the planet, you are 360 degrees of potential greatness. You are constantly evolving, sometimes because a single event creates a tidal wave of change. Other times, change occurs at what seems like a glacial pace as you incrementally face and overcome challenges that come your way. But, no matter how it happens, you are ever changing. You might believe that your boss, co-workers, subordinates and suppliers have noticed and appreciated the changes you've made, especially if you've dramatically improved on your past performance. Perhaps by taking courses or finding a mentor, you updated your skills and changed your outlook. However, like the outdated images of the world we see on Google Maps, your image is probably outdated as well. Most people get stuck in the past, and when others think about you, they may mistakenly believe that you are not much different from the person they met when you first came aboard. The New You This is especially important if you are seeking a promotion or a different job in your current company. And, the "New You Program" is a great personal project to take on before your performance review comes up. You must assemble the pertinent facts about yourself and communicate that you are the picture perfect candidate for the job you desire. Achievements-In-Brief For example: In the first six months of a new product introduction for a major healthcare manufacturer, I led the marketing team that produced $17 million in revenue. During that time, 3,400 physicians took the training program that I prepared based on the input from five key clinicians and company scientists, which led to 50% adoption of this product in surgery for gastrointestinal blockages. Make your Achievements-in-Brief about the things that matter most. You should focus on the additional productivity, revenue, profit, and savings on time and costs associated with your strategies, tactics and performance. This may include increased visibility, safety records, brand awareness, employee compliance, faster conversions, customer satisfaction, click-throughs, inquiries, leads, greater distribution, better supplier agreements – even lower turnover, and a wealth of other good news for your organization. Create More Than a Resume Whether you put together a new resume that includes this material or simply organize this information in another way, you have re-packaged yourself and are now ready to market the new you to your company. Where is Your Ideal Job in Your Company? If there not a new spot being advertised, but you get the feeling you're underutilized, then consider creating your ideal job. You may be able to develop a new job within your company – and fill it yourself. Just do the homework to back up your proposal, such as learning why other companies have that position and how your company would benefit from having you in that role. You've Identified Your Ideal Job, Now How Do You Get It?
Of course, if you've created your ideal job description, you'll be sharing that with your superiors and then engaging in a conversation about who would be perfect for the job: the new you! Business Coaching Questions If you don't have all the answers, reach out to someone in-the-know, perhaps a person who once held the job or a recruiter who is familiar with the position. You may also ask colleagues for their valuable insight on who's doing the interviewing, and what they know about that individual's special interests or priorities. Ask them to brief you on the people and the process involved in your being recruited, interviewed and awarded the job. 8 Key Questions that Lead to Internal Job Promotions1. What is the process – interviewing or other activities – that you face as you pursue this opportunity?
To be perfectly prepared, you may need answers to these three additional questions. a. What will be the style of the interview?
b. How many times might you be called back until a decision is made, and when could you expect the decision? Calendar the key dates you're given and help the decision-makers stay on track. Because your decision-makers probably do more than hiring, you may need to politely remind them that you are really looking forward to the opportunity to discuss the position. After the first interview in a multiple-stage process, a good strategy is to call to confirm if the next meeting will take place on schedule, or if there's been a change. Have your calendar open. c. What is the ideal way to interact with decision-makers during the process, especially in-between interviews?
2. What questions do you anticipate you will need to answer?Along with job-specific questions, here may be general questions, such as:
The company website is a great place to help you update yourself on the current situation and future plans. Competitors' websites, trade associations and journals, business journals, technical journals, blogs, wikis, and financial analysis websites are good resources as well. Speaking with the marketing team or a top sales representative will yield a wealth of information. Just make sure to double check facts so you have accurate data. 3. What obstacles do you face – externally such as competitors for the job – and personally – such as a reluctance to take on more responsibility and time away from home?Scouting opposing players is part of what makes a great game strategy. Consider who might be up for the same spot. Then, crystallize your strategic advantage. You might have more experience, more recent training or better relationships with co-workers, customers or suppliers. In the interview, never say, "I'm better than Joe because..." However, as you get the opportunity to speak up about yourself, stress your best competitive features. Let your decision-makers draw the comparison by themselves. Sometimes, the most unexpected competitor is you. Everyone has some internal conflict about moving from a comfortable spot where the work is routine to an unfamiliar one with greater responsibilities. Spend time reflecting on what may be stopping you from being proactive. Unexamined doubts may seep through an otherwise perfectly planned presentation of your interest and readiness for the move up. You might have an aging parent or young children, an engaging hobby or club, or even just downtime that will have to be juggled. Visualize how you would handle both your business and personal life's demands. You want to feel confident that you won't you're your balance as you move up the ladder. 4. Who are the people in charge of making this decision?How do they now perceive you now – and what gaps are there between your real skills/abilities/experience and their current perception of you? Consider each player (the people who play a role in your success) involved. Note where you've had the opportunity to interact with them, and where they've seen you in action. If it's your current boss, you probably have more contact and may simply need to share your achievements-in-brief to get him/her up to speed. If you're meeting someone new, prepare for the interaction as if this was your first job with the company. Plan to highlight your complete package: achievement-in-brief, letters of appreciation, training and other material that gives him/her the complete 360 degrees of who you are and what you are capable of contributing to the organization. Who's Who in Decision-Making For example: One of my coaching clients was getting ready to make a proposal for a new position in his company, which he would ideally fill. My client, Jack, thought the new vice-president would be the perfect person to pitch. Jack visited the VP's office and noticed a special training certification on the wall. When Jack got back to his own office, he researched the program and signed up online. He prepared a timeline for his progress and posted it prominently. As Jack began the training in earnest, he realized he had a lot in common with the VP – the training was extremely valuable. Plus, Jack could bring up the training's key learnings during the interview. 5. What makes you qualified for the position – why are you the ideal candidate?Most companies are seeking to fulfill a mission. How would your taking on this new position, uniquely benefit the organization? All great brands have a clear and unique selling proposition. Coke is the real thing. Volvo is safety. Apple is creativity. What is your personal brand? It may be your set of skills, your personal drive, the way you lead teams, your attention to detail, or another attribute that defines you as the perfect person for this job. 6. What work product, examples, success stories and achievements can you document and crisply communicate?Now that you have put together your skills, experience, achievements-in-brief and letters of appreciation, make sure you can articulate the most important facts, plus how you envision your contributing in the future. If you're familiar with the Speak Up System, you know you need a great opening, streamlined content and a great closing for every interaction. 7. How do your current responsibilities and performance translate to the ones you will be engaged in or held accountable for in this new position?For example: One of my coaching clients works for a major studio in the accounting department. As she sets her cap for a position in marketing, Olivia has to show how her experience managing the financial arrangements with distributors translates to managing the promotions and co-marketing arrangements with the same outlets. Her premise: she has a deep understanding of these accounts and knows how they make decisions, including how and why they buy. 8. What single accomplishment shows right away that you are ready, willing and able to take on this new responsibility and authority?Each one of us should have a number of heroic achievement stories, which are covered in detail in my book Speak Up! & Succeed. In these stories you describe a challenge you face and how you overcame it. Choose the story that reflects the qualities or abilities that will show you're ready for this new position. Ready Set Go! Need Coaching? Meeting Planners: Would your association or organization like to know more about Nance's seminars and keynotes on employee development? She has a wealth of information and topics that amplify productivity and job satisfaction, and include successful strategies for the attraction and retention of great employees. Topics and materials may be customized to suit your needs. Call 1-888-GO-NANCE to book Nance or find out more about her availability. Develop Great Employees: Put the "Me" in Team Create Your Corporate Team Guidebook + Team Member TrainingBy Nance Rosen, MBA Provide a guidebook to great teamwork and identify a meaningful role for each employee participating in teams. Every company depends on people working together. As you grow, this is the seminal challenge your organization faces. If you don't have a codified corporate guide to teamwork, and a corresponding training module that shows employees how to find and act in meaningful roles, teams could be your last challenge. Most employees have no training when it comes to working in teams, and so at best, they use common sense and their good natures to try to get along with others. At worst, your human capital is self-centered and repeats patterns of behavior that annoy, irritate and de-motivate others. Team Role TrainingTeam Role Training is not the same as team building. It's not about falling backwards with your eyes closed and learning that co-workers will catch you before you hit the ground. It's not about a group getting a bunch of Lego™ pieces and attempting to build a spaceship in 20 minutes. Team Role Training is about ownership. It teaches people to define the work, cooperatively build a roadmap and timeline, self-assign tasks, stay closely connected with teammates, and take responsibility for the whole project – which means supporting weaker players and helping them grow to become more valuable, plus as an individual and team: produce the best deliverable. Principles Over PersonalitiesIf you don't take the time to provide a guide and training program, you're putting your organization at-risk for big mistakes, such as missed deadlines, poor product portfolio development and bad customer relations. Without an institutionalized program for teamwork, you are dependent on personalities and not governed by the principles that produce positive, predictable and productive behavior. It's akin to failing to provide an ethics code or fair labor practices policy. Alternatively, you'll be fine if you only hire perfect people: about .1% of the labor pool. These ideal employees are innovative, hard working, generous and loyal. Everyone in that group is already group-goal oriented. But if you have even one spoiler – the maverick, the slacker, the data-crazed woodpecker or the imperious faux-leader, even the hardiest group will produce less and less. Most companies have a mix of personalities. Probably, you are like the rest of us, hiring the best people you can and learning that once they are on the job, they are utterly human. Even your most personally productive employee is not a fully formed team member; in fact, you should consider almost everyone to be a teammate-in-training. Like technical skills, successful teamwork requires re-wiring brains and creating new connections. It's a process that starts by learning the rules, practicing them in a setting that allows expert feedback, and then using them in real-life situations until mastery sets in. How Do You Foster a Group-Goal Orientation?Experts in human resources (HR) need to manage the company's portfolio of human capital, and enrich these assets so they perform optimally. Working with corporate, division and department management, HR or business owners who lack formal HR, need to take on these tasks: I Believe in ManagementErrant gurus argue that change must start organically or from the bottom in order to be successfully ingrained in the corporate culture and be executed by the people who work at all levels. That's akin to holding a contest where employees try their hand at writing your company's advertising tagline, instead of relying on people who are trained to do that! You are only setting up people to fail, because they don't see all the forces that shape your organization's future. Top management must be involved in creating the corporate Team Guidebook, just as they should be involved in creating your mission statement, brand promise and ethics policy. Top management includes the people who see the total picture: the company, competitors, suppliers, distributors, buyers, cash flow, R&D requirements, shareholders, exit or acquisition plans and the infrastructure as it exists today and will need to change in the future. How to Get it Right
There is an African proverb that counsels: "If you are going to make a mistake, make it early." If today, you start working on your new rules for teams and begin providing teamwork training, that's earlier than if you start tomorrow. How to Use the Company Guide To Teamwork
Now Let's Put the "Me-Work" in Team WorkWhen gurus repeat the myth that there is no "I" in team, they are just parsing a word. There certainly is a "Me" in team – or to get the complete value from the word – an "At Me" in team, which how you want employees to see your focus. Successful "team-work" evolves from satisfying "me-work." Smart companies know this: the success of a team is totally dependent on each person's engagement in the group goal. Guide your trained team members to find themselves in the work taken on by their team. A team should produce the roadmap, timelines, division of work, collaborative process and performance metrics for management's review and approval. Management's Role Once Plans Are FormulatedWith changes, additions and deletions to the team plan, management must present the revised plan, briefing the team on the reasons associated with the revision. Typically, management needs to bring in the bigger picture, so the team isn't made wrong – it's the plan being made right. Small Rewards = Great GainsThe team needs to draw up the results and rewards list that will keep them moving to each milestone, until the final deliverable is met. Whenever possible, let team members choose from an array of awards. Teams may choose to go bowling, have a movie night, hold a friends and family potluck, or otherwise use a small reward fund that they allocate. I've seen teams use their funds to buy special logo shirts or make a donation to a good cause. I've seen the fund go to baby-sitting while the adults enjoy karaoke in someone's finished basement. I've even seen teams so tight that they've used the funds to pay for one member's plane ticket to visit an ailing parent. Small rewards along the road to success lead to motivation and key learnings throughout a successful project. Reward Includes LearningOne of my clients in the mortgage industry had a cross-functional team that was mostly cross and not very functional. After team training, we created a giant thermometer so as their quota for deals (submitted, processed and approved or rejected) would be highly visible. During each month, they enjoyed successively more valuable prizes, if they met each week's goal. The revenue poured in, and the prizes didn't make a noticeable dent in the client's profitability. We changed the rewards every month, so there was always a new challenge to re-energize the team. Most importantly, we found the turf war that once embittered these people and stalled the deal flow, was replaced by sales representatives figuring out how to do their paperwork so processors could more rapidly do their scrutiny and provide approvals or denials. The result was an ideal pipeline of qualified deals - since everyone was bent on learning exactly what to put in the funnel to streamline deals' approval. The processors became educators for the sales force, which increased their standing and self-image as contributors, where they were previously seen only as gatekeepers. What to Tell Your TeamsSuccess is defined by three measures being met. Each project must be completed:
This goes for all team projects, whether they result in greater revenue, profitability, productivity, innovation, customer retention and attraction of new business, or reduced costs of doing business, employee injuries, defects and the like. Plus: before, during or after the team's work on setting the milestones, work assignments, collaboration process and rewards, each team member is charged with preparing a short document on how he or she will benefit from working on the project and completing it. Personal benefits typically involve:
For example, working on a new product launch that has the potential to revolutionize the industry.
For example, the opportunity to learn how to take a current design and re-interpret it to satisfy the needs of a different customer.
For example, interacting with customers and becoming adept at making presentations for the first time See the Amazing Results for Your Company and YourselfWhen you are structured to guide teams professional and you have a method to facilitate each employee to find the "Me" in every team situation, you have surmounted the greatest challenge of a growing organization. You not only optimize the value of your company's human capital, you become a most trusted resource and role-model for people at every level of your enterprise. Training Directors: Would your management like to see the highest level of productivity from your company's teams, because business depends on employees being group goal oriented? Nance provides support for creating your Corporate Team Guidebook and Team Member Training. While using proven templates, your guidebook and training can be customized for your company's specific sector, size and solutions. Contact Nance at 1-888-GO-NANCE or to check her availability, E-mail her at Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Sales Managers: Would you like all your representatives working optimally with the people inside your company, because that would streamline order processing and help bring in the best qualified deals? Cross-functional team materials and training may be customized to directly address your products, services, internal processes and target customers. Contact Nance at 1-888-GO-NANCE or to check her availability, E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. Need Coaching? Would you like to explore becoming one of my coaching clients on teams and team leadership, because you know great team players rise to the top of an organization? Call 1-888-GO-NANCE or E-mail Nance@NanceSpeaks.com. |