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?

I am not the originator of this list, but found it instructive as to the success and failure of companies and success. 1. A lost customer means lost feedback and the opportunity to improve. 2. A lost customer means lost sales and revenue that is lost forever! 3. A lost customer causes asking, "Why didn’t we recognize the problem before losing them?" 4. A lost customer means having lost a testimonial to use in selling to others. 5. A lost customer opens us up to potentially negative word-of-mouth that might affect our reputation with prospects, customers, suppliers and staff. 6. A lost customer means having lost all their possible future referrals. 7. A lost customer has a negative impact on the confidence of our entire staff. 8. A lost customer increases the urgency to prospect for new customers (and often at the worst time). 9. A lost customer and the resulting reduced revenue can slow or even halt plans to grow. 10. A lost customer means less money available for payroll, commissions and benefits for the work force. 11. A lost customer can demoralize the sales and marketing staff. 12. A lost customer may become an unexpected opportunity for the competition. 13. A lost customer means a distraction from other important issues. 14. A reputation for losing customers can hang a black cloud over the ability to find and hire the right personnel. 15. A lost customer can be the beginning of a reputation for losing customers that hangs like a black cloud over the ability to find and hire the right personnel. 16. A lost customer can degrade an image and reputation in the marketplace. 17. A lost customer forces undertaking tasks and changes that weren’t wanted or planned. 18. A lost customer can have a damaging impact on our sales projections, cash flow, receivables, and payables. 19. A lost customer can cut volume and prohibit meeting buying commitments with suppliers and vendors. 20. A lost customer can trigger the need to spend un-budgeted funds on marketing, research, new customer acquisition, etc. 21. A lost customer can disrupt inventory levels, inventory investments, ordering procedures and reorder frequency. 22. A lost customer may cause the need to refocus priorities and go in a totally different direction. 23. A lost customer can cause the need to focus attention on poor performance rather than growth opportunities. 24. A lost customer can cause doubt about the validity of service fulfillment and pricing strategies. 25. A lost customer causes hard work in an attempt to regain the business. 26. A lost customer can cause overreacting and even panic when confronted with similar situations with existing customers in the future. 27. A lost customer can discourage a prospective salesperson from ever trying the job. 28. A lost customer can lead to an accounting, collection or legal nightmare. 29. A lost customer can devalue the worth and saleability of a business. I did not create this list, I don’t know its origin, but I find the value in the message, and I hope you do to. Related Posts:The 29 Costly Implications of Losing CustomersTraining Needs 4: Career DevelopmentSales AnalyticsTraining Vision 3: What Are Your Best Customers Planning?Building a Corporate University: Obtaining Buy-in

There are three (3) things that are always included in the successful conclusion to a successful goal cycle. They are: commitment, completion and closure. Commitment. Unless the person making the goal is committed to working on and towards a particular goal, it is at best nothing more than a wish. Commitment is the spark that ignites the fire that moves a person. Completion. What is the use of working a on goal and stop when you are just feet from the finish line. Working towards 80-90 or even 95% of the objective is nothing more than falling short. We need to focus on completing the goal! 100% is only what can be acceptable. Closure. When you first establish a goal, you set your destination. Our commitment to working on the goal is our vehicle that will take us towards that horizon. Completion is insuring that our vehicle has sufficient gas to reach our destination. Closure is our reviewing our goal and enjoying the achievement that we have done. By employing the 3 C’s in every goal situation, we insure that our overall plan and actions are successful and our long-term direction is still where we are seeking. Related Posts:The Value of Writing Down Goals9 Motivational Quotes About GoalsPowerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!Realizing the Full Potential of Your GoalEngaging Participants 6: Development

Every single interaction is an opportunity to do marketing, not a chance to cut costs. Related Posts:Building a Corporate University: ResourcesSales Performance AnalysisBuilding a Corporate University: ReinventionWhich Social Media Website Do Digitals Prefer Most and Why?Building a Corporate University: Marketing and Promotion

If you’re like most, you have probably made a few resolutions for the upcoming year. And if you’re like most, you’re probably wondering what went wrong with all those wonderful intentions. You may be asking yourself, ‘Why can’t I stick to a diet,’ or ‘I just don’t understand it; I promised myself that I’d go to the gym,’ or "Why am I so weak." It seems like such a puzzle to try to figure out why all of this different resolutions seemed to fail. Unfortunately, despite our best intentions, the ability to change our habits is only as good as your motivation to start to change yourself. The main reason for failing to fulfill these objectives is an inability to realize the full benefit of a goal. When trying to get off the couch to go for a run, you may find it difficult and start to rationalize with yourself that, "loosing an extra 10 pounds won’t be that big of a difference," or say ‘I am fine with my appearance just the way I am.’ Due to our inability to realize the full potential of our goal, we ultimately give up and fail. The same is true for goals in our professional life. Because we fail to realize the full potential of a goal in our professional life, we simple let opportunities fall by the way side. However, with the help of Bryant Nielson and ‘Lengthen your Stride’ you will be able to better realize your long-term personal and professional goals by realizing your full potential. After realizing the full potential of all your goals, you will be increasingly motivated and extremely more likely to complete your goals and become more of a success in both personal and professional avenues of your life. Related Posts:Powerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!The Value of Writing Down Goals9 Motivational Quotes About GoalsUsing Simulations in Corporate Training7-Steps to Creating a Coaching and Mentoring Program Four: Measurement

One of the most important aspects to the process of goal settings is to first establish and define your goal. The truth of this evident in a statement made by Lee Iacocca: "The discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen." For one reason or another, when we write something down it seems to be more permanent. It is rarely forgotten and we are constantly reminded of it. To help illustrate this, think about why we write down a grocery list every week. We do this so nothing is forgotten or skipped over. We make this list so every necessary item and component is purchased. If you have ever gone grocery shopping without a list, you know how confusing of an experience it can be. You seem to be all over the store, only to get home and realize things you had forgotten to buy. It is quite one thing to say you want to accomplish something, but without a clear and defined plan; few goal settings are rarely accomplished. It is too easy to get sidetracked without a plan to keep you on the path to your goal. The first step in your goal settings plan to set a goal is to write the plan! Commit the goal and yourself to paper and you are more invested in the process and therefore much more likely to succeed. Related Posts:Powerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!3 C’s for SuccessRealizing the Full Potential of Your Goal7-Steps to Creating a Mentor / Coaching Program - Step One: What Are Your Goals?9 Motivational Quotes About Goals

Napoleon Hill "A goal is a dream with a deadline." Zig Ziglar "Goals are dreams we convert to plans and take action to fulfill." Unknown author "Goals that are not written down are just wishes." Jim Rohn "Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them." Mark Victor Hansen "Big goals get big results. No goals get no results or somebody else’s results." Seneca "If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable." Norman Vincent Peale "All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do." Author unknown "If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time." Milton Berle "I’d rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I’d rather be a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might have-been has never been, but a has-been was once an are." Related Posts:Realizing the Full Potential of Your GoalPowerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!Tithing TimeThe Value of Writing Down Goals7-Steps to Creating a Mentor / Coaching Program - Step One: What Are Your Goals?

We are all looking for more time. We all claim that there is insufficient time in our days to accomplish anything, let alone something we actually want to accomplish. My solution to this is the biblical concept of tithing. Take 10 percent of anything you are currently doing and dedicate it towards your real goals, and aspirations. If you are watching 3 hours of television a day, then take 30 minutes for yourself and your dreams. You still get 2 1/2 hours of television but you also get 30 minutes closer to achieving your dreams. That 30 minutes a day, over the course of a year is equal to 5.21 weeks of work. What could you accomplish if you had over 5 weeks of work to concentrate on a project? What could you achieve with that amount of time dedicated to your dreams. Google allow for their people to work 1/2 of a day per week on projects that are interesting to them. Many of their ‘new’ products are directly related to that freedom of ideas, expression and the necessary time to develop those ideas. Tithing of time, allow for you to accomplish so much with nominal loss of those habits we have created over a life time. So, what excuse do you have about not having sufficient time to work on your goals? Related Posts:9 Motivational Quotes About GoalsPowerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!7-Steps to Creating a Mentor / Coaching Program - Step One: What Are Your Goals?Dare to be DifferentCreating Your Training Vision 2011: Organizational Strategy

I recently was in the grocery store.  Looking for my favorite coffee.  When I found the isle I was presented with a wall of choices.  38 different varieties of coffee were on the racks with another set of choices as to the volume of coffee.  In a simple walk through the rest of the store, I began to realize that consumers are presented with a Tsunami of choices in all categories. We all become overwhelmed with these choices and often then gravitate to the best known brand or make some other criteria that will provide the consumer with a method to make their purchase.  The lack of true analysis based on the choices translates into consumers sometimes buying the product that is not the highest quality or the best product, but the product that they know best. This lesson of choice is important to each of us individually or as a corporation.  When given a choice, why would a consumer seek to choose you?  What makes you remarkable?  Are you packaged differently so that you and your product stand out?  What features of your product is extraordinary?  In service industries, it is close to impossible to change our products.  But our presentation of our products can provide the differentiation that will allow for us to stand out.  Design or experience or features, they all are ways to different products.   Apple computers uses a design and simplicity as the hallmark of their product.  They have the most elegant designs and the simplicity of their user interface is years ahead of the competition’s.   Bank of New York has long emphasized the ‘history’ and ‘experience’ of the bank and its bankers as their distinguishing marks.  They don’t sell checking or saving accounts, they sell the value of their advise in the financial arena.  It is what sets them apart.  Trader Joe’s, a grocery store, long ago determined that they could provide high quality private label products to their consumers.  They choose to eliminate the big national brands in lieu of their own labeled products.  Many grocery stores do this also, but Trader Joe’s did it with panache, a unique sales experience, and the quality of their products made them highly successful. Commidization of products and services can negatively impact many industries and products.  If they fail to make their products and services extraordinary, they will die.   What can you do to set yourself apart in this tsunami of choices? Related Posts:Account PlanningSales AnalyticsThe Value of Writing Down GoalsSales ForecastingBuilding Long-Term Relationships

I believe it is possible for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. For me, the difference between an "ordinary" and an "extraordinary" person is not the title that person might have, but what they do to make the world a better place for us all. Related Posts:Ordinary EffortsTraining Alchemy: How the Military Takes Ordinary to ExtraordinaryFinding Leadership Amidst ChaosDare to be DifferentRelevance of Learning versus Relevance of Training and Development

The U.S. Military uses typical training techniques and modifies their delivery in order to turn an ordinary person into an extraordinary leader. When we think of military training, sometimes we think of a drill sergeant screaming in the face of a new recruit. Although this does happen, the branches of the U.S. Military utilize some of the same techniques we use in corporate training - except the delivery is different. This delivery creates the extraordinary members of the U.S. military. Many corporate organizations refer to their new hire programs as "boot camps" - it’s an appropriate nickname, but in theory only. A military boot camp, as well as a corporate one, uses accelerated learning techniques. A great deal of knowledge is crunched into a short period of time, but that’s where the similarities end. Military boot camps use shock value and "break down" techniques as a way to mold a recruit into someone else, while leaving the best characteristics of the person intact. According to one former member of the U.S. Navy, the boot camp formula is break down, instruction, and reinforcement - both negative and positive. The other element of training is adaptation - the military consistently adapts the training recruits receive in step with changes in the world. Perhaps that’s a page corporate training can take to heart. There is a classroom element to military training in addition to simulation. In the classroom, recruits learn decision making, change management, and even history. The idea behind formal classrooms is to enforce decision making after knowledge. In fact, recruits are subjected to decision making simulations in which they must make the decision within a given time limit, taking into account what they already know, the needs of the team, and the needs of the individual. If we civilians look at this, we can see that knowledge is viewed as a potential weapon - another aspect that corporate training departments could put into use. Decision making is also enforced with trial and error through simulation. The drill sergeant in boot camp, for example, takes recruits through an obstacle course to explain it and set expectations. It’s then up to the recruits to figure out how to overcome their obstacles - and failure may occur more than once. As a person makes his or her way through the ranks, commanding officers look for natural leaders and leaders that step up to say "I’m capable". Leadership training is conducted in various combination’s, including basic, tactical, and developmental. All military training comes with a combination of lecture, proficiency testing, simulation, and evaluation. Many of these techniques are used in corporate environments, but how does the military produce such extraordinary members? Consider the method in which training is delivered - through a shock and break down technique. Participants are given an explanation of what can happen to them in the real world if they don’t follow particular procedures - and punishments for being caught outside of procedures in training. Boot camp training adapts to constantly changing world conditions - do we adapt our training regularly as our businesses change? Decision making is a great skill, but the military puts it into a time frame - you must make a decision, hopefully the right one, within a very short time period. Only if you prove your willingness and ability to lead are you tapped for advanced leadership study. The U.S. military takes normal training tactics and adapts them in order to squeeze out a person’s marginal qualities and leave the person’s best characteristics. Through constant simulation, evaluation, and testing, the military takes people and turns them into extraordinary soldiers - and leaders. Related Posts:Using Simulations in Corporate TrainingBenefits of Using SimulationsSimulation ComponentsSimulations EvaluationDecision Making Strategies

Why be just one of the crowd? Why suffer in silence because your voice is unable to be heard? Following the herd is the most sure fire way to be lost. Why is it then, that most of us are trapped in the herd of mediocrity. Why do we continue to conform to being average. Is there something that causes us to cluster toward the average, instead of stepping out into greatness? I believe that many of us, individually and corporate, just don’t know how to break out and distinguish ourselves. Most of us are also fearful that if we do ‘dare to be different’ that we will appear to be foolish or weird. What steps, both small and large, can you take to breakout and start out on the path less traveled. Here are a few steps that you can take that can point you in a new direction: 1. Dream a little. Most often, people have dreams and aspirations that we fail to act on. There was an credit card advertisement that once ran a list of dozen of things that people should do in their life. Why not extend that ideal to us personally. If you had the opportunity to be or do something different, what would you be or do if money, time, and all constraints were removed. Take the time to dream and write down what you want deep down. For the corporate citizens, you can do this too. If you could move your company in to new directions, without fear of failure or cost or loss, what business or product would you wish to be in or produce. 2. Stop doing things that you don’t want to do. If you find that you are unhappy working at what you do, or are in a job or situation that is not leading you to personal fulfillment, just stop it. Change it. Do everything to eliminate this millstone around your neck. 3. Decide what is important. Does being accepted by others or stepping out into new light motivate you? This could be the most difficult thing. Deciding what’s important, really important, could be what you need to do to making a spectacular life vs. an ordinary life. 4. Take Action. Once you have dreamed of a life that you desire, eliminated efforts that are preventing your success, focusing on what is really important, execute your plan! Purposeful action is all that is usually required. It is not an overnight solution, but it will make your life the life you have envisioned. Related Posts:Dare to be Different3 C’s for Success100% ResponsibilityPowerful Written Goals In 7 Easy Steps!Realizing the Full Potential of Your Goal

We all instinctively know that learning and development within the corporate space is ‘supposed to’ make a difference. Yet, far too often the programs (not necessary the people) fail due to the following reasons. Some of these reasons are structural, but too many times it is just poor project management. A primary reason many programs and courses fail is because there is no "Accountability". Learning and Development departments think that they provide accountability by counting the number of seats in the program, or talking about how and why this program is valuable. But they fail in the correlation of the program to the participant job or position. If accountability exists, then the second most prevalent reason programs fail would be evident. Most programs lack any type of "Monitoring". I see many programs that do not have any requirements on monitoring the participants. Monitoring is not just watching the student sit in the program, and do some exercise. Monitoring is an actively engaging effort that is time-consuming, yet highly valuable. Monitoring is done by everyone involved: it involves the student, the direct supervisor and the HR department. The work is hard in this arena and yet the payoff is highest. It is a shame that far too many Learning & Development groups miss this. Monitoring is more than just happy sheets. It needs to include pre, mid or post program testing and a 30-60-90 day post program implementation of the concepts taught in a course and/or program. "Implementation" is the third area in which many programs fail. HR departments create comprehensive programs that no one seems to ever complete. Learning paths are not just something to create, but HR departments need to insure that staff follow-up to completion. What use is having staff take the introductory programs and then ‘get too busy’ to complete the balance of the curriculum? The value to the program creation and completion is to shorten the time that it takes for an employee with limited knowledge to evolve into a fully functional member of the team. The fourth reason many programs fail is that they allow the employee to ‘lose focus’ and effectiveness. Courses, learning paths and programs need to be highly coordinated, delivered in a meaningful way, and continued in a reasonable time frame. I have seen way too many courses cram too much information into a short period of time. Even the best of us can only effectively absorb new information for only certain periods of time. Seeing staff subjected to nine-hour programs for multiple days is catastrophic. Learning levels drop off so quickly in the late period that they become useless. Repeated days of long learning hours make many programs non-effective for both the participants as well as the energy level of the instructor. The converses of a lengthy delivery are programs that are so short that no material can be delivered. It takes time for participants to get into the groove of a program. Unless the participant is fully prepared, offering an extremely short program is ineffective for anything but a procedural program. The fifth reason many programs fail is the ‘short term feel good’ aspect of too many programs. Since when does a company offer programs that do little for the effectiveness of an employee? Who approves these programs anyway? Corporate learning and development is exactly that: ‘Learning and Development’. The programs offered should meet those basic criteria at the development stage. Why waste your development resources on programs that offer nothing towards the corporate goals? Feel good programs are for the summer picnic and winter party. Aside from those events, all of the training programs should have a specific objective and criteria for delivery and value to the firm. This brings us to the sixth reason why many programs fail. I am cheekily going to refer to this as the ‘what then’ part of many programs. Program manager, line managers, stake-holders too often have a ‘what then’ approach to corporate training. All these stakeholders know that they need programs, but have no foresight as to how to continue and elevate the programs that their staff attends. Once the staff have taken the introduction programs, where do they go next to develop deeper and more meaningful skills in various areas. Ideally, all training programs should be completely aligned with the corporate objective. This alignment and high correlation provides the biggest return on corporate training, insuring that what is delivered has relevancy, value and effectiveness to both the employee as well as to the company. By providing and developing programs that not only support the corporate objectives, but continuing these programs by delving deeper skills with the company’s staff, most companies and their employees will see a greater return on both the personal and corporate investments. This list of six constraints is often the reason many corporate training programs fail. This is not an indictment of the programs, but more of a roadmap to the bumps, potholes and log jams that many programs encounter in their development and delivery. Avoiding these issues can only make many programs better and more valuable. Related Posts:Corporate Training Programs ConstraintsTraining for a "New Face"RSDR 4: Development7-Steps to Creating a Coaching and Mentoring Program Four: MeasurementEngaging Participants 7: Evaluating for Engagement

"My great-grandfather use to say to his wife, my great-grandmother, who  in turn told her daughter, my grandmother, who repeated it to her  daughter, my mother, who used to reminder her daughter, my own sister,  that to talk well and eloquently was a very great art, but that an  equally great one was to know the right  moment to stop."  - Mozart Related Posts:Risks of LeadershipBuilding a Corporate University: Marketing and PromotionRisks of LeadershipPersuasion and Influence Are Part of Foundations of Leadership7-Steps to Creating a Coaching and Mentoring Program Four: Measurement

In the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, an Italian economist and sociologist, Vilfredo Pareto, noted that 80% of Italy’s money was held by 20% of its population. More study concluded that other countries had the same imbalance in wealth distribution. The Pareto Principle became widely used to explain and motivate in other areas, such as sales, marketing, personal development, and human resources. When you look at the 80/20 rule mathematically, the distribution can change. What do today’s mathematics say about the Pareto Principle? Is the 80/20 rule still accurate or has a shift occurred? In general terms, we can say that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. In marketing, Pareto is used to say that you have to expend 80% effort, including manpower and money, to gain 20% in sales. From the sales angle, we can say that 20% of our customers carry the majority of our worth. In Human Resources, the Pareto Principle is assigned to dreamers versus achievers - where the 20% are the ones who actually get the work done. With that understanding, let’s look at what numbers tell us about our work in the 21st Century. In online communities, the Pareto Principle doesn’t come close to being accurate. Web 2.0 wisdom says that 90% of online community members are lurkers, the people who watch and never say anything. 9% of the community contributes a very small amount of the discussion, while 1% are usually the ones carrying the entire community. This shifts the mathematics to 99/1! Consider sports purses and salaries: in a golf tournament, the first place purse can be double that of the second place finisher. If you had 100 golfers, it’s reasonable to say that the top 5 finishers would receive up to 95% of the total prize money. In the big four sports leagues in the U.S. (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB), the smallest salaries for a backup bench player are around $300,000 - but the biggest stars can command annual salaries of up to $20 million! In business, the average household income is around $48,000 annually, while the average CEO racks up about $10 million during the same time period. What about taxes? The GAO can show you that the top 10% of income earners pay nearly 90% of federal taxes. So if we look at the Pareto Principle today, has 80/20 shifted to 90/10 or even 95/5? In any situation, we can expend 80% effort to obtain 20% reward, but is the effort enough in relation to the reward? If the shift has occurred, we need to be looking for value in the top 10 or top 5 percentiles for whatever reward we’re seeking. Think about your organization and what it spends its time doing. If you’re ready to take it to the next level, to really succeed, think about today’s numbers. Your new goal is not 20% but more like 5 or 10%. You must examine every action you take and adjust it to the smaller success margin. The same principle applies to the choices you make - a choice based on the new success margin must be more well planned and executed than ever before. You’ll still gain success, but it will only come with higher standards and more targeted actions. Related Posts:Is the Pareto Principle Still 80/20?Pareto Rule: 80/20Sales Performance AnalysisOpportunity ManagementSales Pipeline: Fact or Fiction

"Technology on its own isn’t strategic. But technology combined with the business idea is more strategic than ever. In fact, the ubiquity of technology is what makes it strategic." — Jim Champy (Re-engineering Guru) Related Posts:NSA NYC Speaker March 18, 2011Corporate University:Include TechnologyCreating Your Training Vision 2011: Organizational StrategyTraining Alchemy: 5 Disruptive Training TechnologiesDeveloping Internally vs. Licensing Externally : a Combined Approach

In 1897, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, in his study of the patterns of wealth and income, observed that the distribution of wealth was predictably unbalanced. He first discovered this pattern in 19th-century England and found it to be the same for every country and time period he studied. Over the years, Pareto’s observation has become known as the 80/20 principle. The principle is simple, but counter-intuitive: Nature creates imbalances. This is true for money (20% of people have 80% of the wealth), crime (20% of criminals commit 80% of crimes), energy usage (15% of population uses 85% of energy), competition (20% of suppliers have 80% of market share)and even carpet (20% gets 80% wear and tear). Pareto’s findings have touched a great many students of business and economics. In fact, every MBA graduate at one time or another has heard of the "80/20 Principle". The "80/20 Principle", also know as Pareto’s law, simply states that approximately 80% of the output is a result of just 20% of the input. In Pareto’s case, he found that 80% of the world’s resources/wealth was under the control of just 20% of the population. Please note that the use of the term 80/20 is used loosely and is not to be taken literally. The disproportionate relationship could easily be 90/10, 65/25, 70/10, etc. The basic idea behind Pareto’s law is that the relationship between input and output is rarely if ever balanced. The key then is to isolate what input is causing the most output. This law can apply to an infinite number of disciplines and can be used to increase productivity on the micro and macro level. The list of relationships goes on and on, but here are just a few examples: 1) Business: Customers-to-Sales, Product Lines-to-Sales, Items-to-Sales, Raw Material-to-Finished Product. 2) Sociological: Automobile Type-to-Number of Accidents. 3) Personal: Hours Worked-to-Productivity, Types of Investments-to-Investment Returns, Scheduled Tasks-to-Personal Happiness. In a non-linear world: 1) Celebrate exceptional productivity, look for the short cut. Be selective, only do what you do best. 2) Keep it simple. Size often creates complexity - which in turn creates inefficiency. Pour your effort into the 20% that makes a difference. Sometimes it is better to lose unprofitable customers to competitors 3) Hold on to your good customers and employees forever! 4) The key to 80/20 is not time-management. Don’t try to do more. Just do more of the right things. 5) Do what you enjoy because enthusiasm and success is a complementary cycle. Related Posts:Is the Pareto Principle Still 80/20?Is the Pareto Principle Still 80/20?Sales AnalyticsBuilding Long-Term RelationshipsThe 29 Costly Implications of Losing Customers