Sellers that win big sales go over-and-above to win them. When the impact for you is potentially huge, you want to do everything possible to get the win. Anything less and you essentially serve up the win to your competition. When you need to win and win big, you need a Big Play. A Big Play is a bold, atypical action a seller can take to inspire buyer action, and set themselves apart from the competition.     Related StoriesEssentials of an Effective Account Planning ToolSocial Selling Tools: 5 Ways to Save Time, Stay Focused, and Generate More SalesSales Planning Tool for Maximizing Account Growth 

Training professionals are frequently asked, "What kind of return will I see on my investment?" when beginning a training project. While training is typically the last element in place before go live, it bears the brunt of ROI responsibility. However, careful planning must be in place to ensure that non-training related decisions that will impact ROI are considered in the earlier stages of the project. During the recent GP Strategies’ 20-minute webinar, ROI: What Investment Are You Really Measuring? I reviewed the INVEST model used to ask the right questions throughout the project life cycle to set your training initiatives up for success, including: Infrastructure: Consider how your INFRASTRUCTURE will affect your outcomes and overall project success. Networking: As you are changing your process ensure all parties are NETWORKING to manage the change. Voice of the Customer: The VOICE OF THE CUSTOMER includes your end customer and your employees. Their satisfaction is key. Engagement: Examine how your training constraints may be impacting learners’ ENGAGEMENT. Stability: Ensure you are planning for system or change STABILITY to prevent inaccuracies and frustrations. Training: Plan ahead for your TRAINING needs to ensure enough time and budget is allocated. After the presentation, a number of questions came up, and while we were able to address many of them, we weren’t able to get to all of them due to time. Below are those questions and my best answers. This is an ongoing conversation so I encourage you to keep the questions coming in via the comments section at the bottom of this page or join the conversation on LinkedIn and Twitter. Q: There was a lot of information presented. What is one tip that you have for getting the most out of ROI? A: Planning. It is all about planning in advance to make sure that you have considered your options from a training perspective. What can you get included as a package from a vendor so that you don’t have to develop training from scratch?  What can they provide you that is translated? Do they maintain their content? Answers to these questions can help you plan ahead for a successful training deployment. Q: What has been the biggest stumbling block for ROI? A: Maintenance of content and translations go hand in hand. If the content isn’t maintained and current, then it will be ineffective for learners. If they don’t speak English and the content isn’t translated you will not see the return you are looking for. Careful audience analysis and a maintenance place are secrets to your success.  Q: When should we start planning for training ROI? A: Now! All kidding aside, training should be considered at the project kick-off meeting. While training doesn’t need to participate in all meetings, they should have a seat at the key stakeholder table to ensure they are represented and can bring questions and concerns to the group while they can still be resolved.  Q: How can gaming be used for ROI? A: Gaming is a great activity to use at 30-60-90 days post deployment to gather feedback. This could be on satisfaction, comprehension and skill acquisition. It’s a great way to engage your audience, letting them know they are still supported while gathering your data at the same time.

In the UK an estimated 5 million workplace and personal pensions are missing or unclaimed - these are worth around £3 billion. The Pension Tracing Service (PTS) provides people with the information they need so they can get in touch with the organisations holding these pensions. So far PTS  has helped 45,000 people do just that. The current service allows people to call a contact centre and speak to an agent. Alternatively, there is a complex, six-page web form to complete. Insight shows there is a clear user need for a simple, jargon-free online experience that will give instant results and provide a better user experience. Members of the Pensions Tracing Service team That’s why we’re developing a simple online service that allows anyone to access this information around the clock. Gathering user needs We’ve spoken to more than 300 citizens and around 200 supportive agencies about their requirements. Using these, we’ve created a prototype that we’ll continuously test and re-iterate. Prototype digital Pensions Tracing Service We've been working closely with the Future Pension Centre (FPC), pension project teams in DWP and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and the Pensions Regulator, to ensure there is consistency across the board. We've already undertaken laboratory testing with people who are trying to track down a pension. This research has shown us how people actually use the service, instead of us assuming how we think they would use it. We use the findings from these sessions to regularly develop and improve our service to make it as simple and easy to use as possible. Making the service accessible To make sure that our service can be used by as many users as possible, we have also worked with people who don't like using computers as well as those who aren’t experienced at using them. From working with these users, we have shown that it’s possible to create a service that meets users' needs. We’re also making provisions for anyone who doesn’t have internet access, whose literacy may prevent them from using the service or who are unable to use the necessary technology to access the digital service. The loudest voice in the room  Gathering all this insight shows just how important user research is in developing a new digital service. As a result, my team are actively engaged in my user research, and are always eager observers. The GDS tagline that ‘user research is a team sport’ is definitely a reality within PTS. Anna Khoury - user researcher, Pensions Tracing Service I’m relatively new to user research, having originally trained as a solicitor and worked in support and Private Office. But the user research community has facilitated the developing and honing of my research skills. Working alongside researchers from a range of backgrounds has shown this to be a career where self-development is a continuous and fun experience. What has struck me most from joining the User Research team is not just the wealth of knowledge and experience we have within the department, but how welcoming and supportive they have been, from GDS to the cross-government user research group. I have travelled around the UK spending time with experienced user researchers; working alongside them and developing my skills, to implement a wide range of research methodologies. Working in an agile environment has been a massive positive cultural shift for me and I can’t imagine working any other way. We each have an equal voice; truly working as one which is so much more effective and productive. As a result, it’s clear this role requires a lot of passion and commitment to make sure the user is heard above any internal assumptions. If it doesn’t work for our users, then it doesn’t work. I’m pleased to be part of a team creating a digital service where we make  sure the citizen’s voice is the loudest in the room.

Overview The Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2015 release has wide range of awesome new features which provides seamless experiences to the clients and better management of sales and lead. It’s difficult to pick the favorites from the great additions. I picked up 6 awesome features which I thought are really useful. 1. Improved navigation and user interface options: a. A new 3 step navigation menu is introduced in CRM 2015.  No more scrolling! In CRM 2013 you have to scroll through horizontal menus in the navigation bar to select a particular submenu. If there are  large number of options,then it becomes a very laborious process. In CRM 2015 Microsoft improved the navigation for the user and made it easier. Subarea menus under groups are no longer in a horizontal bar but   appearing in a drop down panel and also arranged in categories. No doubt this is an excellent improvement , at a glance you can see the menus in categories without scrolling! b. Recently Viewed Items On the nav bar click on the Recently Viewed Items to get back to your most recently viewed and pinned items. To access your recently viewed records or views this is an easy way. No need to click on the menu to access your pinned items!  Pin the items that are mostly accessed by you and move them to the top of the list. 2. Add your company logo or change the color scheme using themes Customize your CRM with your company logo and color scheme! Create a unique look and feel across all your OOTB & Custom applications with the use of themes. Click on  Settings and then customization. Go to themes. Create a new theme, upload the company logo & choose the color scheme. Now Preview and publish, the Dynamics CRM is now ready with new look & feel without any coding!   3. OneNote, and CRM Online Integrate your OneNote with CRM Online. Take note, directly from CRM Online while you are on the customer site. Capture photo, screenshots, voice notes and everything automatically is   linked with the CRM online record. You can also use mobile device . To enable one note in your entity, turn on server-based SharePoint integration first and then you can enable OneNote integration. When server-based SharePoint integration is turned on, OneNote integration is listed in Document Management. 1. Go to Settings > Document Management. 2. Choose OneNote Integration. Once you enable the onenote integration, it is available in your entity. 4. Great mobile experience Get the experience of "CRM for tablets "in your phone with new CRM phones app. If you have a Windows Phone, use Cortana voice commands to get access to your CRM data hands-free.  Work on your leads & opportunity at anywhere any time. CRM for phones express helps you stay connected and productive wherever you are. Stay up to date with your customer info—even when you’re on the go. Arrive prepared for every appointment, and update your notes, tasks, contacts, accounts, leads, and opportunities while the details are still fresh in your mind. You can do the following with the CRM for phones express app: See your CRM data quickly displayed and optimized for a mobile screen. Add and modify contacts, tasks, and notes as well as other relevant sales data. View activity feeds and see addresses on Bing Maps (Windows Phone only). Get back to recently viewed records even when you’re not connected (Windows Phone only). Dynamics Universal App CRM for Phone was redesigned to provide more functionality and a more similar experience to the other UI endpoints (e.g.: Web; CRM for Tablets, etc.).Now the app has same functionality as CRM for Tablet. 5. Excel Online from CRM Online Quickly analyze your data with excel online. Now you can use Microsoft Excel Online to do quick analysis, right from CRM Online. No need to export your data and then open in excel. Now you can directly open your opportunities from excel online, and do analysis of any scenario. Not only analysis but at the same time you can edit and submit the data to CRM online. 6. Calculated and rollup attributes Two new field type introduced in CRM 2015, Calculated and rollup. These 2 attributes help the user to perform calculations. Administrators can define a field type "calculated" to contain the value of some calculations based on other fields without involving a developer. Developers can use these fields to perform calculations rather than writing code. Calculated attributes Calculated attributes are calculated in real-time when they are retrieved. Calculated attributes can be composed using different data types. For example, an Integer calculated attribute may reference values from Decimal or Currency attributes. Create a field and select "calculated" from the data type and then click on "Edit" button. You can add conditions and actions to get the desired results. Rollup attributes Because rollup attributes persist in the database, they can be used for filtering or sorting just like regular attributes. Any kind of process or plug-in will use the most recently calculated value of the attribute. Rollup attribute values are calculated asynchronously by scheduled system jobs. For example, let’s create a rollup field in the Role entity of the HR module. Select the related entity "Employee" and in the aggregation select count. In the role entity view, this field will show the number of employee with this role real time. Enjoy the new features of Dynamics CRM 2015. Click here for a free CRM demo. And download the preview guide from here. Happy CRMing!

"How are you?" It is a question that is commonly answered with "fine," sometimes even "great." Although the question, on the surface, is not very probing or invasive, it is sometimes more accurately... Visit site for full story...

By Christine Schaefer Who are the folks who judge applications for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? In an ongoing blog series, we have been interviewing members of the 2015 Judges’ Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. In the interviews, they share their insights and perspectives on the award process, on their experiences, and on the Baldrige framework and approach to organizational improvement. Following is the interview of Dr. John C. Timmerman, a first-year judge. Dr. Timmerman is Chief Scientist in Customer Experience and Innovation at Gallup. He previously was Corporate Vice President of Quality and Operations at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, a two-time recipient of the Baldrige Award. What experiences led you to the role of Baldrige judge? I first became involved with the Baldrige program as an applicant [The Ritz-Carlton]. And it was the single-most impactful developmental experience in my career because it gave me a broader framework for evaluating and facilitating performance improvement. Then I became an examiner to further deepen my understanding of the [Baldrige Excellence] Framework and also to make a contribution back to the United States, to help other organizations in the United States improve performance. I’m privileged to be a judge to help other U.S. businesses become competitive. It’s a great service both to the [Baldrige] program as well as to my country. You have a great deal of experience in the business sector, particularly in service businesses. How do you see the Baldrige Excellence Framework as valuable to organizations in that sector? Baldrige is incredibly important for organizations that have a high degree of variation in their performance, and they have additional yields to drive performance results. There’s no other sector, in my opinion, that has a higher variation than … service industries that deal not just with technology but also with human technology—workforces and direct customers. [This variation] would be similar for service industries [such as] retail, health care, technology services, and so forth. And [in regard to] the changing appetite of consumers for higher and faster cycle times of innovation, the [Baldrige] performance excellence framework is the best way to identify those potential gaps or breakthroughs [in a business’s performance]. How do you apply Baldrige principles/concepts to your current work experience with Gallup? I use the framework in evaluating an organization with the most holistic set of criteria. And in particular, it complements the advisory work I do for clients as a scientist at Gallup. [The Baldrige framework] allows me to frame up the business opportunity in the broadest terms. Any time the systemic problem is well defined, the solutions readily make themselves evident. It’s holistic. It’s not just looking at human resources or marketing activities; it’s looking first at the context of the organization and its competitive environment, and then systematically evaluating all the critical components of the business model, to include leadership, customer, strategy, workforce, operations, organizational knowledge, and how these criteria drive bottom-line results. Specifically, I have used the Baldrige framework to help Gallup clients understand the mechanics of operationalizing their brand promise.  The nonprescriptive approach of the Baldrige framework is perfectly complemented by Gallup’s more defined benchmark data and repository of validated best practices. As a judge, what are your hopes for the judging process? First and foremost, I hope to qualify the high-performing organizations and recognize their performance excellence, to validate those applicants so they can provide best practices to help other U.S. businesses become more competitive. Second, while doing that, I hope to help develop, mentor, and support a team of world-class U.S. citizens [Baldrige examiners]. If you think about it, the program selects just 300-500 examiners [each year]. These individuals are the very best of the best—out of a U.S. population of over 300 million, they’re less than one in a million. So my other aspiration is that they receive the same excellent development experience that I did when I started with the program [as an examiner] over a decade ago. What encouragement or advice would you give Baldrige examiners who are reviewing award applications now? Three things: 1. First, plan your time to maintain timelines so you can provide a high-quality evaluation of the applicant you have been entrusted to review. 2. Gain a deep understanding of the applicant’ s Organizational Profile before stepping into the Baldrige Criteria because this context is the lens for the evaluation of the applicant in relation to the Criteria. 3. Feel proud that you’re representing one out of a million U.S. citizens to help make the U.S. economy stronger through your time and contribution. See other blogs on the 2015 Judges’ Panel: Laura Huston, Dr. Ken Davis, Michael Dockery, Miriam N. Kmetzo, Dr. Sharon L. Muret-Wagstaff, Dr. Mike R. Sather, Ken Schiller, Dr. Sunil K. Sinha, Roger M. Triplett, and Fonda Vera. Greg Gibson, a candidate for the 2015 panel, pending appointment, will also be interviewed for this series.      

Dear Crucial Skills, Over the past year, my wife has developed an unhealthy pattern of caring less and less about her physical appearance and is now considerably overweight. Whenever I try to discuss the potential impact on her quality of life, she becomes very defensive and says, "You don’t love me anymore." I counter and say, "Actually I do love you and am very concerned about your health." I’m concerned about her being overweight as well as her lack of sleep. She works various shifts in her job and continues to be an extremely devout mother to our twenty-three-year old daughter who suffers from a terrible disease. But I believe she is sacrificing her well-being. I even tried to explain that soon she will be unable to provide for our daughter if her health deteriorates. What can I do to better approach this topic? Regards, Frustrated Spouse Dear Frustrated Spouse, Your question provoked a question of my own: when does a crucial conversation become an influence challenge? Here is what I mean by that: with any crucial conversation, our goal should be dialogue—sharing our perspective and hearing and understanding others’ perspectives. If the goal of a crucial conversation is to convince or compel someone to see things our way or come to agreement with us, we will often do a great job of explaining our point of view and a poor job of understanding theirs. My guess is that your goal, like that of most concerned spouses, is to help your wife recognize the damage she is doing to her health and help her take steps to improve her health. In short, the goal is to have her see the situation as you see it. And this is the tricky part of a crucial conversation, because if that is your goal, it often doesn’t go as well. When we see a loved one traveling down a life path that we view as destructive or harmful, it is natural that we would want to talk to them and convince them to change. That is appropriate and loving. But, it is also not within our control. We can raise the issue with caring and candor, but then we must acknowledge that others have a different perspective and may not want to change. This is when a crucial conversation becomes an influence challenge. While I imagine how disappointed you must be that your wife does not see the situation as you do, that doesn’t mean you are left without resources with which to help her. The reality is you are influencing her right now. People are social animals and we are all influenced by the social and structural forces around us. Right now, there is a huge force influencing your wife’s behavior—her commitment to caring for your daughter. There are other forces as well, including you. This means you can choose to look at your own behavior and consider ways in which you can be an influence force for good in her life. Let me give you an example. Brian Wansink, author of Mindless Eating and Slim By Design (and good friend of VitalSmarts), has shown in his research that 72 percent of the eating decisions made in a home are made by what he calls the nutritional gatekeeper. This is the person in the home who purchases the food and plans and prepares the meals. Consider what would happen if you became the nutritional gatekeeper in your home. What a blessing that would be in your wife’s life as she struggles to care for your daughter and balance the other stressors in her life. Imagine coming to her and saying, "Sweetheart, I will take this burden off your shoulders and handle of all our food needs." Then, it would be up to you to plan and prepare nutritious and delicious meals that your wife will enjoy and that will lead to her improved health. This is just one of the many ways you could help change and redirect the sources of influence in your wife’s life. The point is not that this is the magic bullet answer for you in your situation. You will need to figure that out for yourself. The big idea is that too often we have a crucial conversation with someone and think that the goal is to get them to recognize the problem so that they will change their behavior. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, it is up to us to allow them their agency and decide what kind of an influence we want to be in their lives. Best of luck, Emily

Bosses and their employees alike fear the dreaded performance review. While it is an extremely useful tool for corporate managers and employees, any criticism delivered incorrectly can easily backfire and cause a loss of motivation. The main purpose of a review is to give your employees feedback, offering them advice on their weak points and praise for their strengths. If you are feeling anxious about giving your employees a review, here are a few tips that will help mitigate the stress for both parties. Create a Balance Between Formal and Informal While an annual formal review is your designated time to give detailed and individualized feedback to an employee, it should not be the only time you offer critiques. One formal review per year can hang over an employee’s head like a cloud. Instead, offer casual reviews throughout the year. Check in with your employees regularly and let them know what they are doing right and where there is room for improvement. This is particularly helpful for new employees, who appreciate a bit of structure. If your employees are accustomed to getting your feedback in a casual setting, an annual formal review will not seem so stressful. Make It Into a Conversation A performance review should not be one-sided because this may leave your employee feeling berated. Keep conversation lines open throughout the review. It should be a mutual process to grow and learn. You have valuable information to give to them, and they might have some to give to you, as well. A performance review lets your employees learn how to be better workers, but it also might give you insight into ways to streamline workflow or job duties. Consider holding the review in a low-key environment, like a coffee shop or a quiet corner of the office. It can be much easier to get a message across when you have broken the formality barrier. Address What Your Employee Is Doing Right, Too If your employee is lacking in some areas and thriving in others, make sure to outline both. Of course, a performance review is about how employees can improve, but most people are motivated by praise. Tell your employee what his or her strong points are in addition to pointing out areas that need improvement. The added praise will give him or her the boost needed to do better in other ways. Build a Performance Improvement Plan  If your employee is not performing to expectations, he or she may benefit from a performance improvement plan. Simply handing a plan over to your employee may make him or her feel punished. Instead, create one together. Identify key areas where your employee needs to show improvement, and then identify concrete ways for him or her to achieve it. If you develop the plan together, your employee will be more engaged, have a better handle on expectations, and be much more motivated to improve.   Sources: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5366-performance-review-tips-for-bosses.html http://www.hrmorning.com/dos-and-donts-to-make-performance-reviews-actually-mean-something/ http://www.greatplacetowork.com/publications-and-events/blogs-and-news/2374-5-tips-for-giving-performance-reviews

The goal of every successful salesman is to turn leads into customers and customers into long-term relationships. This may come naturally to some, but to most, it is an ongoing effort. The key is in the baby steps. Give your customers multiple opportunities to "win" along the way. Throughout the customer lifecycle, make sure you appreciate and engage your customers every step of the way. If you can make your customers feel special and appreciated from the beginning, they will continue to reward you with their loyalty. Make Them Feel Like They Are Winning From the Start Everyone wants to feel like they are "winning" something, especially in sales. Whether it is a good deal, inside information, or a product that can solve their problems, customers want to feel like they have come out on top. You can provide them with winning situations right from the first pitch. Do this by leading with how your product or service benefits them, instead of leading with information about your company. Your customers are probably busy; they will be more interested in hearing how your product makes them the winner, right from the beginning. Let Them Win During the Sell One of the easiest ways to let your customers know they are appreciated is to offer them free perks. If they buy your product, can you offer free shipping? How about discounted upgrades? Send them a "care package" of product samples; this is good for marketing and building relationships. If you give your customers little free perks like this every time they do business with you, they are likely to continue to buy from you in the future. Let Them Win Upon Fulfillment Now that you have made the pitch and closed the sale, you can stop worrying about all this "winning" stuff, right? Well, not if you want to build a long-term relationship. Details are essential. Why not hand-deliver the product they ordered? Or make personalized thank you cards to send along with the package? Use your personality and creativity to come up with unique ways to say thank you for every order. Get to Know Your Customers for a Winning Relationship  Your customers want to feel special. Pay attention to their likes and dislikes. Know their family’s names. Send them a card or gift at Christmastime or a welcome package if they move to a new home. Invite your favorite customers to industry inside events, like a luncheon at your office or a company baseball game. Basically, treat your customers like you would a friend. These little efforts to get to know them will make them feel greatly appreciated. And when customers feel appreciated and close with you, they will be loyal to your company.   Sources: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/248275 http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/246505 http://www.fortunegroup.com.au/creating-value-for-customers

In the sales world, there are several types of negotiators, each with their own approach, habits, and tools. Negotiations with different companies usually call for different types of negotiators. The "people pleaser" tactic might not work on someone who wants to play hardball. Therefore, the key to understanding how to customize your negotiation skills is to first determine the type of negotiator you naturally are. Find out which negotiator type you are, and hone your skills. The Competitor Competitors are assertive and in it to win. In fact, winning is the main goal and motivator for this negotiator type. They have no qualms letting you know when you are wrong and they are right, and they know their decisions are the best ones. These types of negotiators work best in "quick, on your feet" scenarios where a fast decision is paramount. They are also helpful to have in a tough situation, where they may need to defend themselves or protect against others who might try to take advantage. If you are negotiating with a competitive type, use specific language and "tricks" to make them feel like they are winning, even if they are not. The Pleaser Pleasers love to feel liked and want to make others happy, too. They are unassertive and very cooperative. They thrive off of solving other people’s problems, often at the expense of their own needs. They know how to admit when they are wrong and will do so if it is important to the other person. The pleaser is a great asset to have when negotiations start to go sour; they are experts at mitigating disruption. However, it is important to not get too emotional, as this can lead to an assertive negotiator taking advantage of the situation. The Teammate  The teammate loves to work in conjunction with others to find a creative solution that benefits everyone. These negotiators are confident in their assertiveness and the epitome of cooperation. Teammates look at a disagreement as a challenge to learn something new and find a resolution. They are great for negotiations involving opposing viewpoints or when merging two perspectives together is critical. The Analyst Analysts like to sit back and drink in all the details before coming to a decision. At times, their unassertiveness and uncooperativeness can come across as aloof. They tend to avoid negotiations or will withdraw if a situation starts to heat up. If you are entering into a negotiation where you want to get more details, the analyst is a handy person to have. His or her perceived aloofness will get the other side to divulge information, so you can make an informed decision.   Sources: http://abovemag.remax.com/buffini-understand-the-7-types-of-negotiators/ http://www.ambulatoryadvisor.com/breakdown-five-types-negotiators-outlined/ http://www.managersdoor.com/topic/top-5-have-you-got-a-style-negotiating-style/