The sixth foundation of leadership is Persuasion and Influence. Let’s find out what each of these critical actions is - and then talk about why they are so important. Persuasion is a combination of actions that can help people agree to or at least see a new viewpoint. First, persuasion is about communicating ideas clearly. As a leader, you’ve probably got a big vision in mind for the organization, and most likely some smaller "milestone" visions, as well. It’s a hard leap from your mind to an articulated thought - and some leaders fail to make the leap. You’ve got to know your vision inside and out, but you’ve also got to express it in terms that are understood by the entire organization. When it comes to communicating your ideas, you’ll soon learn when it’s time to talk - and when it’s time to listen. That doesn’t necessarily refer to one conversation or interaction - it could amount to months of listening and months of talking - or longer. The key is to use just the right amount of persistence to keep the idea going, to keep people thinking, and to keep the idea’s momentum going. David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, was known for discussing opposing points of view repeatedly until the people involved saw the other side of the story. He used just the right amount of persistence to get this done. When you’re communicating, talk benefits - not how you can help or what you can do. Paint a picture of what the other person, team, or organization will look like once they’ve accepted a new point of view. Don’t forget to base your benefits on fact. But what about influence? Influence is the act of crafting your ideas and asserting them through persuasion. Persuasion may be a series of conversations, but influence is bigger. To gain influence, you may need to organize or mobilize a group to prepare for or take action. The process of gaining influence involves gaining support and commitment to your ideas or vision. This is the "politicking" that’s involved in persuasion. You should always be on the lookout for appropriate ways and means to gain influence. Lyndon Johnson was one of the world’s most well known influencers, slipping in mentions of his projects and gaining support from Congressional leaders at parties, on the dance floor with an official’s wife, or in every day conversation. While you’re doing this, you must prove your organizational and business savvy - understand what’s on the table for the other person or group and balance that with your own needs. To gain commitment, you may also have to promise commitment. Another way to gain influence is to step in and manage disagreement, especially when no one else is doing it. Being a conflict negotiator can help you see both sides of an issue and can help you determine the give and take in each situation. Overall, in both persuasion and influence, the effective keys to communication in leadership, which we’ve already discussed, will serve you well. What are the benefits of persuading and gaining influence? On a personal level, influence builds your own strength - and your interpersonal relationships. You never know when you may need the assistance of someone you meet along the way, so those relationships you make are extremely valuable. The process of influencing naturally gets people to follow your lead and creates a "party" that can move ideas and visions forward. Persuasion, on the other hand, helps you win "followers", people that trust you as a leader and will advance with you. But more than this, persuasion through influence convinces the "naysayers" and helps people to see the vision more accurately. Think about persuasion on a family level. Many parents act as authoritarians, and sometimes this may be necessary. But think about the benefits of persuading your children to see another point of view. You’ll educate them in the process instead of using the proverbial "because I said so." Influence in a community situation is extremely important, so each time you have the opportunity to persuade, you should. Think about influence in communities - what starts out as settling a disagreement between neighbors could lead to wider influence when more important issues are at stake. The corporate world is in desperate need of real persuasion and influence - too often, the person who spouts the most buzzwords is the one who wins influence. If you take the time and have the patience to persuade and influence in any situations, you and your organization will end up better off in the long run. Copyright 2009 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved. Related Posts:Leadership Amidst ChaosFinding Leadership Amidst ChaosRSDR 7: Leadership RetentionGetting Past the GatekeeperLeadership Tools for Small Business

Creating a leadership bench takes the skill of a coach and the precision of an engineer. But there are five distinct steps you can take to build your leadership bench - and keep it moving. First, and most obvious, you must create and maintain a leadership development program. This isn’t simply an order to the training department to create leadership courses. You must obtain buy-in from your management team by showing the benefits: the leadership bench, succession planning, talent management, and career pathing. Your program should begin with classroom training -at all levels, if possible. Everyone in your organization should know what your definition of a leader is - and how to get there. But as you move up the ranks, leadership development should be ongoing, challenging, and not necessarily a sure thing. The program should include real-time projects, seminars, assessment, and evaluation. Program participants who slip should be coached back up - or out. Once someone is in the leadership program, he or she should continue to improve in all aspects. Second, create a succession plan. Many organizational leaders have a succession plan that resides in their heads. This is not the best place for a succession plan - and you must have the input of the rest of the management team. From your leadership program participants, identify where strengths and opportunities lie. Find out what makes these people tick - it’s possible you have an operations manager whose first love is marketing. The idea here is that you should know who your talent is and what motivates each one of them. But more importantly is the fact that your succession plan, drawing on the strength of your leadership bench, will help determine where people go in the event of planned or unplanned losses of leadership. You won’t have to worry about who would take your place or the places of other seniors or executives, just in case. With this plan in place, you’re building your leadership bench. Third, conduct regular talent review. This step is twofold: you should be conducting regular talent review both outside and inside your leadership development program. The outside review and assessment should be your tool for identifying potential leaders - and grooming them for the leadership bench. The inside review and assessment, as we’ve mentioned, should focus on maintaining the standards your organization requires of its leaders. Identify high professional and high potential leaders as well - high professionals can be counted on to lead within their field of expertise while high potentials can probably be moved from one area of expertise to another if necessary. With this evaluation and assessment, you’ll be able to fill your bench with "A" level players and coach "B" level players into the "A" position. The beneficial side effect of this approach is that "C" or "D" players will either strive to achieve a higher level or self-select themselves out of your organization. By conducting regular review, you’re keeping your leadership bench ready and always manned. Fourth, consider rotational assignment within your leadership bench. Some organizations see merit in moving high potential leaders into temporary positions - to expose them to other areas of specialization within the organization. Doing this will also help you separate your high potential leaders from your high professional leaders - and also to focus on creating succession planning for both areas. Once a leader comes off of a rotational assignment, he or she adds further strength to your leadership bench. Finally, meet with your leadership team regularly to assess the bench, make changes to standards, or to consider how quickly (or slowly) you need to add to talent to the bench. This ensures continued buy-in and weigh-in on the leadership bench and its members. As we mentioned earlier, building a leadership bench takes coaching and precision. In the precision category, you and your team have to manage the bench to make sure it’s not too big or too small. If you have a huge bench with too many members, they’ll start to look for opportunity elsewhere. After all, as you move up in the organization, there are only so many slots available for potential leaders. But if your bench is too small, you could find yourself in trouble if the business expands or changes rapidly. Focusing on these steps will help you build your leadership bench and ensure leadership continuation for years to come. Related Posts:GLD 3: Creating a Global BenchCreating a Culture of LeadershipTraining Needs 5: Leadership, Talent Management, and Succession Planning NeedsChallenging the Leadership Bench in Tough TimesRSDR 7: Leadership Retention

Many organizational managers assume that by adding leadership training or a leadership development program that they are able to create a culture that accepts leadership. The move from non-existent leadership to a leadership culture takes time - and a few steps in between. Let’s look at how you can create a culture of leadership. First, you, as the organizational leader, must acknowledge the existence of leadership potential. It sounds simple, but many leaders do not want to admit that they are replaceable - that someone or more than one person would be capable of taking the reins once they’re gone. Don’t be that leader - seek out and recognize that the organization has talent. Acknowledge that the talent will one day be capable of taking over your vision and moving the organization forward. By making this acknowledgment, you’re telling your mid- and senior-level leaders that a path exists. And you’re telling new hires that the sky is the limit in your organization. Next, clearly outline what a leader in your organization "looks like" - and hold people to the standard. The list of leadership competencies is a long one. You’ll never find one leader who executes all competencies perfectly. So, you must determine the competencies that mesh well with your organization and its climate. Don’t forget to decide which competencies lend themselves to your vision for the organization and where you see the organization in the future - even after you’ve gone. You should also consider the functional leadership competencies that go along with your organization’s line of business. If you choose too widely, you’ll end up with a picture of a leader who doesn’t exist. Once you’ve determined the competencies, lay them out for the organization. Simply put, you can say that a leader in your organization has these competencies and displays these behaviors. As people move into leadership roles, hold them to the standard. We’ve already mentioned the fact that organizations do create leadership training and development programs - and you should do that to build a leadership culture. The program should be ongoing and consist of various levels - from "beginning" leadership to the advanced. In fact, your leadership program should begin reaching down into the lowest levels of the organization right away. For example, offer a leadership program to new-hires that details what your leader "looks like". It’s the seed that will keep leadership growing through all levels. Your program should include seminars, networking, and even real-time project management at the higher levels. By creating a multi-level program, you’re keeping the leadership machinery in motion - and giving the organization a sense that anyone can move up to the leadership ranks. Now that you’ve got your program, put your mid- and senior-level leaders through the program. You should even include yourself. This way, the message goes out loud and clear that your organization expects the same standard of leadership from everyone - executives included. Any cultural shift should start from the top. If they don’t buy in, how do you expect the lower levels to buy in? It may be an unpopular decision with your executive team, but you’ll be taking big strides in creating the culture of leadership. At this point, it’s important to explain why you’re making the shift to leadership. The explanation shouldn’t just be afforded to executives and managers but to all levels of the organization. Explain that you’re looking to give everyone an opportunity to advance - and to learn what it takes to do so. Outline the fact that you’re looking for bench strength for all leadership positions - including your own. Not only this, a leadership orientation prepares you for succession planning at all levels, as well as talent management. The benefits to the organization are numerous and it’s your job to explain them. Finally, focus on the success of the program. When you have a successful advancement due to the leadership program, highlight it publicly. Or, let’s say one of your leadership teams "in training" solve a business problem in their project assignment. Showcase this development as related to the culture of leadership at your organization. When the members of your organization see that the program and its culture are successful, you’ll have no trouble keeping your talent pipeline full. There are many ways to move to a leadership culture. Follow these steps in the beginning and you’ll find that the transition is simple and beneficial. Related Posts:Developing a Leadership BenchTraining Needs 5: Leadership, Talent Management, and Succession Planning NeedsGLD 3: Creating a Global BenchGLD 2: Defining Leadership Across CulturesMeasuring Leadership Effectiveness

We all know that our workforces are changing. But we do have the ability to reach out to all generations with our training and development. The Baby Boomers are not accepting retirement, Generation X is in full swing, and Generation Y is just entering the workforce. Before we talk about how to effectively train each group, let’s determine who’s who. Baby Boomers were generally born between 1946 and 1965 - in many organizations they are the executives. But many Boomers may have taken early retirement and want to reenter the workforce. Generation X comprises the group that was born between 1966 and 1982 - they are now creeping into the senior and executive levels in some organizations, but as we’ll discuss, Gen Xers are not the ones who stay in one place for life. Finally, Generation Y’s members were born from 1983 and going forward. What are their learning styles, and more importantly, how can you reach these three major groups? The Baby Boomers have been shackled to their desks for many years - the common worry among them is that the company may drop of the face of the earth if they are not around. This group has had to learn and unlearn many things over the years, but they never stop learning. Boomers are networkers and transformers who are adept at taking in new technology and using it effectively. In the classroom, Boomers will be attracted to group activities where they can practice networking. But don’t stray away from using technology in the classroom because of the presence of the Boomers - with a little direction, they will be able to apply technology just as their children (and grandchildren) do. Generation X, in direct opposition to the Boomers, does not want to stay at a company for a lifetime. Gen Xer’s careers are fluid - they are motivated by their own satisfaction with the job and have no problem leaving if they don’t find that satisfaction. Generation X loves technology and wants to learn new things while expanding in their current positions. Members of this generation like to practice what they’ve learned in a friendly work environment - where feedback is a constant. For training, Gen Xers can use a combination of online and classroom learning, as well as self-directed learning. Since they look for career satisfaction, tie their learning to a well-defined career path. And don’t forget to provide feedback on their performance. Generation Y was born with technology - most members of this generation don’t remember what it was like to make phone calls on a land line at all times. But, Gen Yers are group-oriented, even socially. They are able to multitask but expect you to provide a structure and the resources to get the job done. This group expects respect for opinions and knowledge, but will give it freely in the right circumstances. When you train this group, anything technical is a plus, since this generation is the most highly technically proficient. Consider online training as a good way to reach Generation Y. But since they are group oriented and collaborative, this generation can come into the classroom and will react well to team exercises and more than one assignment at a time - as long as the structure is there. Discussion is also big for this group provided that individuals’ contributions are acknowledged. Obviously the perfect training world would be the one where each generation is in its own learning environment. Since that will never happen, we have to approach training in a way that will accommodate all generations without alienating them. In general terms, a mixed training approach will work. For example, approach online learning as a supplement or addition to a classroom piece. Short, self-directed content can be solely online - as long as there is a live resource to go to if learners have a problem. All three of these generations will enjoy being in a room together to learn - and your organization can benefit from the cross-generational collaboration. Since our training worlds are far from perfect, mix your development across media and always keep in mind that the workforce is now comprised of different generations. When you move forward with this mindset, you’ll be able to effectively reach and train Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Generation Y. Related Posts:Training the GenerationsIdeal Job Roles for Digitals - The Person-Technology FitEngaging Participants 3: Classroom EngagementSimulations in Online LearningUsing Simulations in Corporate Training

Aligning performance with results can be achieved with a few overarching steps. By doing this, each person will be clear what his or her role is - and you can truly measure and adjust the organization’s performance at regular intervals. The first, and most obvious step you must take when aligning performance with results is to determine concrete results measurement. For some organizations, this is a "done deal", but for others, this is a necessary step. Does your organization measure success based on production, sales, operational efficiency, net income, or a combination of all factors? Would each job have a direct responsibility to these measurements, or are some more appropriate to certain measurements than others? In order to align correctly, you must determine what your measurements are. Once you know how the organization measures success or failure, you can move on. Next, step into the role of human resources. What are the current performance measurements for individuals in the organization? If this aspect of HR hasn’t been evaluated in a while, you may be surprised at how associates are evaluated - and paid increases. Look at the performance standards and determine if they are competency based or based on random criteria. Do the performance standards take results measurement into account? As you answer these questions, you’ll get a good picture of the current state of performance measurement and evaluation. You may have to slightly tweak performance standards or you may have to start over. But once you know what your organization’s measurements are and how individuals are currently evaluated, you can take a firm step to align performance with results. The best way to clearly and concretely make the alignment is to create performance agreements for all members of the organization. The agreement should outline expected results and should "contract" each individual to the successful completion of each result. To create this type of system, your HR area may have to drill down to each job or job group, based on the results to which they can contribute. The most successful performance agreements are competency based, so you’ll have to determine what competencies best support certain results. For example, sales people may contribute to net sales, income, production, and possibly expense management. How does each of those measurements break down into a competency? You may end up with Sales Savvy, Operational Efficiency, and Customer Service as broad competency categories. When you’ve created your agreements, you must use them properly to make your alignment complete. Performance agreements, even with all of the work of creating competencies and aligning them to results, are no good if they are not executed properly. To start, every individual should have a performance agreement that they work on with their manager. Let’s say you have a new sales person. His or her goals can be less than the other sales people in the unit, but proportioned so that they help the entire unit meet the goal. Whatever the setup, each individual must agree, with his or her manager, to meeting or exceeding each goal - at the beginning of the evaluation period. When the evaluation period is over, let’s say from year to year, the manager must sit down with the organization’s results in hand and compare them to the individual’s performance. The results of this evaluation should determine pay increases and future movement. As your organization’s metrics change, make appropriate changes to performance agreements. For example, if you know that you’ll have to increase production next year, make the adjustment to the expected results - and to the performance agreements of the jobs or job groups that are affected. Try not to make changes during the evaluation period. If you do have to make changes during that period, be sure to find an equitable way to adjust performance agreements. Aligning performance with results does not need to be a complicated process - as long as you know how the organization measures success and how to translate that to an individual or groups’ performance expectations. Take the time to figure this out and you’ll put your organization into the fast track as a high performer. Related Posts:Sales Pipeline: Fact or FictionSales Performance AnalysisMeasuring Leadership EffectivenessMeasuring Leadership EffectivenessLeading High Performance Teams

Sales Performance Analysis closes the gap on your entire Sales Cycle. Essentially, performance analysis is a deep look back over certain elements of your sales cycle, from Opportunity Management to Account Planning. Looking at the numbers, ratios, and time frames of your sales cycle provides many useful benefits. To begin with, analysis allows you to question the entire cycle - and adjust it accordingly. You can determine if sales goals are too high or too low. Analysis gives you an accurate picture of your forecast - is it realistic or does it need to be adjusted? You can also decide if the time and money spent on clients in Opportunity Management was worthwhile - as opposed to the profit gained from the sale. But consider the effects of analysis from the human resources point of view: a thorough analysis gives you hard data that can be used to coach and train the workforce more effectively. Let’s look at how to use sales analysis to close the gap on SCM. First, you must know the close rate. Out of all of the probable clients in Opportunity Management over a particular time period, which ones actually ended up with a closed sale? Can you convert the number into a ratio? Once you’ve taken a good look at the close rate, go further and look at each sale. How much time was spent on each sale, through each point in the cycle? You can break this down into key milestones, such as presentation to proposal to contract to signed contract. When you’ve got this number for each sale, take an average and determine if that number is realistic for the next sales cycle. While you’re examining the numbers of your cycle, think about ways you can shorten the time frame from lead to closed sale. Take the time to analyze where lags occur and determine if you’ve got a problem in the sales force, the process, manufacturing, or delivery. Next, examine the leads that come in to the sales force. Technically, leads are not part of SCM, but they comprise what eventually comes to Opportunity Management. Where do leads come from? Do you have external leads generated by marketing, or is the sales force responsible for finding their own leads? Perhaps you find the leads yourself. Consider grouping leads by common denominators, such as product needs, industry type, or organization size. When you have your groups, take the time to determine which groups had higher close rates, shorter time cycles, or better cost. Another good way to look at leads is to define a lead for each product and service on offer. When you’ve invested in the investigation of your leads, you can make judgments about their quality - and adjust as necessary. Now it’s time to take a look at the salespeople. Analyzing the performance of the sales force may be one of the most important components of sales performance analysis. First, you must look at actual performance versus goal. You’ve already taken a close look at other aspects of the sale - when you examine the productivity of the salespeople, you can make a final determination about goals. Look at the close rates per product and break this down by sales person. Do some salespeople have lower close rates than others? Not only can you get a good picture of the sales force, you can also discover who the high performers are. The high performers can help you create a profile to use in coaching and training. Investigate the salespeople’s record keeping and reporting, as well. You may find they are spending unnecessary time on certain points in the cycle. The good thing about analyzing a salesperson’s performance is that it can be done regularly, during routine sales meetings, and not all at once. Correction can be made as you go along. Finally, analyze the profit margin for each sale - and communicate the profit margin to the sales force. Look at the time and money spent on each sale as compared to the actual profit, keeping in mind the opportunity costs associated with each sale. Are there extra activities, expenses, or even personnel on each sale? Is there a way to increase efficiency and lower cost in order to raise the profit margin? Whatever the results, be sure to communicate them to the sales force. Each salesperson should know the average cost of the sale versus profit. Diving into your numbers may take time, but you’ll find that the results of sales performance analysis help you to manage and target your entire sales cycle. Related Posts:Sales Pipeline: Fact or FictionOpportunity ManagementAccount PlanningSales ForecastingSales Analytics

You’ve spent time in Opportunity Management and Sales Forecasting. You know which clients are the "top ten" probable sales - and you know how many sales you need to make to be profitable. Without account planning, your hard work may go to waste. Account planning is simply the act of applying a precise, project management approach to the individual client - and the sale. What are the benefits of a well-built account plan? As we’ve briefly discussed, account planning brings your Opportunity Management activities full circle. You’ve got your top possibilities and now you’re going to create a specific plan to make the sale - and keep the client. Account planning allows salespeople and sales managers to closely analyze the sales process - and readjust as necessary. Because you create a detailed plan, sales can be transitioned into a relationship, client-based orientation, versus a hard sell. Here are some steps to take to create your account plan. Remember that you’re going to create a plan that’s for the salesperson only - not for the client. Some organizations do move to a joint account plan, with the client, but let’s concentrate on the basics of account planning for right now. First, you must determine the clients’ benefits from the future sale. Think about the clients’ "language" and put your benefits statements into that. What are the things that get your client excited? What are their "hot buttons"? Address these in your benefits presentation. Don’t forget to use numbers - determine the cost/benefit of your product and service. How are you going to save your client money, time, and stress? Next, find out who makes decisions. In the past, sales had us looking for the gatekeeper. Now, you’ve got to get past a gatekeeper and do some additional investigation. Look at the clients’ management team - which groups have power to make decisions? Are there individual decision-makers, and, if so, what are their areas of responsibility and monetary approval limits? This may take time, but by finding out who the decision makers are, you can tailor your presentation and your contacts to specific needs. This is an area where your client may realize you’ve done your homework. The third step is simply to plan ahead of your contact with the client. Determine to whom you’re presenting - is it the decision maker group, or are there add-ons? Look at the clients’ specific needs, again by the group to whom you’re presenting. You’ll be able to plan your call based on those needs, as a way to hit the "hot buttons" of the group. Another big part of planning ahead is to think about what objections the client may have - and plan your response accordingly. There’s nothing worse than being caught empty-handed at objection time, or formulating a response that doesn’t take the clients’ specific needs into consideration. As you move forward into the sale, you should always give your client choices. What are the three best products and services for the client? This again takes some investigation on the salesperson’s part, but the time spent will be worthwhile. Think about the choices from a graded standpoint, like digital photographs: what’s the best product, what’s the good product, and what’s the standard product? Every salesperson knows that the client may not always know what they want, so by presenting more than one choice you may be advancing the quality of the sale. Again, the client will see that you’ve done your homework. Finally, you must create this plan, even before you engage with the client - before the potential client becomes a sale. As you take the previous four steps and map them out, you may see that your timeframe needs to be adjusted. Or you may find that your expense may be more than you’d first estimated. The plan will set expectations for salespeople and sales managers, and will show the client that their time and energy is valuable. What it boils down to is a project plan for how the sale is going to be closed. With these steps in your account planning process, you can start closing sales. Later, you’ll need to move to the last step in Sales Cycle Management, Sales Performance Analysis. Related Posts:Opportunity ManagementSales Pipeline: Fact or FictionSales Performance AnalysisSales ForecastingSales Analytics

The first component of Sales Cycle Management (SCM) is Opportunity Management. In traditional sales pipelines, salespeople and managers do not spend enough time focusing their efforts on the most promising sales. Instead, effort seems to be misplaced or spread evenly over all possible sales, even the ones that will probably not close. To counteract this, Opportunity Management is the process of tracking the work done before the sale, and adjusting resources and effort accordingly. It may seem at first to be more work than it’s worth, so let’s take a look at the benefits of OM. First, tracking the work before the sale allows you to focus on the most promising sales. In traditional pipelines, even the "maybe" sales or the ones that may never close seem to stay in the pipeline. By focusing on the most promising, the effort goes full steam into closing and creating a relationship. Along these lines, OM allows sales managers to create a budget based on the expected return and expense on the client. Since you’re tracking the work the salespeople are doing, sales managers can look at that work and specifically coach to it. This specialized coaching will lead to improved results for the entire organization. But how can you go about creating an OM system? The first step is to take the time to accurately identify the opportunities. Salespeople should initially come up with their own top ten list of promising clients. Each person should analyze the current pipeline and determine which potential sales should fall out of the top ten based on future possibility. Next, salespeople need to explain what’s happening with each of the top ten. This is where salespeople have to spend some time recording their activities accurately. In order to identify opportunities, they should record what’s being done on the sale at the current time: is a site visit scheduled, does the salesperson still have to get past a gatekeeper, has a presentation been made? To bring the identification full circle, they should go back and record past activity. Once this initial listing occurs, the top ten clients will be current and accurate. With this first step, you’re honing in on the most probable sales - and moving the "maybe’s" further down the line. Next, it’s time to prioritize the top ten list itself. The first question is usually, "how do we record and prioritize?" A simple spreadsheet is the best way to start. There are full SCM software systems that require input from salespeople and sales managers - if your organization is ready for that step then the groundwork is done for you. If not, sales managers should impress on the sales force that the spreadsheet is like a golden scroll and should be updated and discussed at every sales meeting. Sales managers should hold the sales force accountable for what’s happening on their OM top ten list. If someone shows advancement on a particular client that suddenly stops, the salesperson should be able to give an explanation - and the sales manager can intervene or coach as necessary. The third step is to analyze the results based on the OM list. During the sales cycle, determine what the expected expense and expected return will be for each client on the top ten list. Determine if a relationship is possible with the clients, and, if so, what is the next product or service up? Sales managers can look at the big picture of what activity has occurred and determine if those can be better managed in the future. The analysis of the OM list prepares the sales force for what’s to come - and helps sales managers and salespeople carry out the last step of the OM process, which is allocating resources. A sales manager can finally make the determination of where resources go in order to drive potential sales to close. Does the salesperson need a senior person with them? Are there other obstacles that need to be cleared in order to move the sale forward? From the salesperson’s perspective, proper allocation of resources can help them from being overwhelmed by the process - and can help them learn the budget, expense, and income formulas, as well. Opportunity Management is only the first step in a full SCM system, but this step alone can point the way for the sales force and its managers. The next step in SCM is Sales Forecasting, and we’ll discuss that next. Related Posts:Sales Pipeline: Fact or FictionAccount PlanningSales Performance AnalysisSales ForecastingSales Analytics

Too often we find that we blame others for issues that impact us and our lives. We suggest that our life is the result of what others have done or are doing and we eliminate our responsibility towards those events. My suggestion to any possible resolution is to take 100% responsibility. Take responsibility for what you are contributing. Take responsibility for what you are acting upon. Take responsibility for what direction events are taking you. This reminds me of a merry-go-round. As a child, the charm of the merry-go-round was that it did not go far, you could see your parents every 15 seconds or so and that there was reassurance in their support as you went round and round. The problem with the ride is that it did not do much else. Too often, we find our life, both personally and professionally, not much different than that merry-go-round. We just continue going in circles and are afraid to get off the ride. Taking responsibility for everything is our first step towards getting off this ride. So, what are you doing to get off the ride? Are you happy with your life? Your marriage? Your family? Your spirituality? Your health? How about your professional life? You cannot expect any other outcome without changing your ride! Related Posts:Micro Leadership: How to Lead When You’re Not the LeaderHow to Lead When You’re Not the LeaderRealizing the Full Potential of Your GoalDare to be DifferentLeadership Amidst Chaos

Your bags are packed and you’re ready to go, your first overseas trip. From the Midwest town of Chicago to the rolling hills of Rome Italy, you’re going to see it all. You throw your bags into a cab and your off to the airport. A little while into the trip you you encounter some huge public works program that had blocked all of the traditional routes to the airport. You ask the driver to check the map because you’ve reached an intersection you’re not familiar with. You panic for a moment because you realize he does not have a map. But you say the heck with it because you know where you’re going. You take a right, change the radio station and keep on going. Unfortunately, you never reach the airport prior to your plane leaving! Too many of us treat goal setting the same way. We dream about where we want to go, but we don’t have a map to get there. Or fail to plan for obstacles that we may encounter along the way. What is a map? In essence, the written word. What is the difference between a dream and a goal? Once again, the written word. Goal setting however is more than simply scribbling down some ideas on a piece of paper. Our goals need to be complete and focused, much like a road map, and that is the purpose behind the rest of this article. If you follow the 7 goal setting steps I’ve outlined in this article you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in building the road maps to your goals. 1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good. When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values. My 15 year old son has a goal to be a Ninga. He is unsure how that will help him in life, but he LOVES the sound of it. 2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals. Non-integrated thinking can also hamper your everyday thoughts as well. We should continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from our thinking. 3. Develop goals for balance in life: Setting goals in all areas of life will ensure a more balanced life as you begin to examine and change the fundamentals of everyday living. Setting goals in each area of life also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking. 4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative. Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It’s only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get. Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don’t limit it to goal setting. 5. Write your goal out in complete detail. Instead of writing something generically like: "A new home," try to be more specific, something that you can visualize, such as: "A 4,000 square foot contemporary with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the ocean. Once again we are giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become. Can you close your eyes and visualize the home I described above? Walk around the house. Stand on the porch off the master bedroom and see the fog lifting off the ocean. Look down at the garden full of flowers and other flora. And off to the right is the other garden full of a mums, carnations and roses. Can you see it? So can your subconscious mind. 6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough. Shoot for the moon, if you miss you’ll still be in the stars. Shoot for the moon! 7. Most importantly, write down your goals. Writing down your goals creates the road-map to your success. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them. Sometimes we realize we have to revise a goal as circumstances and other goals change, such as falling in love and starting a family. If you need to change a goal do not consider it a failure, consider it a victory as you had the insight to realize something was different. So your goals are written down. Now what? First of all, unless someone is critical to helping you achieve your goal(s), do not freely share your goals with others. The negative attitude from friends, family and neighbors can drag you down quickly. It’s very important that your self-talk (the thoughts in your head) are positive. Reviewing your goals daily is a crucial part of your success and must become part of your routine. Each morning when you wake up read your list of goals that are written in the positive. Visualize the completed goal, see the new home, smell the leather seats in your new car, feel the cold hard cash in your hands. Then each night, right before you go to bed, repeat the process. This process will start both your subconscious and conscious mind on working towards the goal. This will also begin to replace any of the negative self-talk you may have and replace it with positive self-talk. Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal." If the answer is "closer to," then you’ve made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do. If you follow this process everyday you will be on your way to achieving unlimited success in every aspect of your life. The difference between a goal and a dream is the written word. -Gene Donohue Related Posts:The Value of Writing Down GoalsRealizing the Full Potential of Your Goal9 Motivational Quotes About Goals3 C’s for Success7-Steps to Creating a Mentor / Coaching Program - Step One: What Are Your Goals?