Growth Dynamics Get Down

Mark your calendar! Our last Coffee and Coaching is set for Nov. 12 and you shouldn't miss it. 

Monday Morning Manager

Symptoms:

Marcus found himself sitting in his car, in his driveway but still felt lost. For some reason, this feeling was a more regular occurrence for Marcus at the end each day.  It was as if the one or two things he was supposed to remember to accomplish would come to him if he just didn't turn off the engine and open his car door. So there Marcus sat. Worried. Confused. Afraid. What if the missing item that never made it to his To Do List cost him a big opportunity, or even worse, cost him his job? Being so busy was a good thing in most cases, but Marcus also found himself feeling overwhelmed and out of control when his memory failed him in moments like this. And even a quick check of his To Do List offered no help.

Monday Morning Manager

Symptoms:

Roy and his boss were going through the usual year end gyrations that required them to get out the crystal ball and "forecast" what sales would look like for next year. Despite the fact that a large portion of Roy's sales came from repeat (evergreen) clients, he still had to figure out where the growth would come from. Worse yet, he's scared to death that something unforeseen might cause the loss of a key account that would completely derail his plans. Management has given him some target accounts, and also asked him to focus on certain offerings, but he was still nervous about how he could make all this happen. He knew he had to get out to a fast start but just wasn't sure on how to go about it.

Monday Morning Manager

Symptoms:

Having earned a small commission check last month from her sales job, Marta was doing her best to replace her old refrigerator and had already hit the local appliance stores, as well as a few of the Big Box outlets. After leaving the third stop, it became apparent she would have to go back to the first store to get the best price and the color she wanted. After finally approaching the floor rep with her true intentions, she was then surprised at a delivery charge that she had not discussed on her first visit. Not knowing what to do now, she returned home to look at the ads in the Sunday paper and to talk it over with her husband.

If you are near my age 60+ that line might remind you of the classic television show “Dragnet.” Sgt. Joe Friday, the lead detective, was constantly reminding the people (suspects, witnesses, victims) that he interviewed to just give him the facts, nothing but the facts while he interviewed them. Friday didn’t want any of the emotional debris these people would try to add to their account of what happened. “Just the facts” was all Friday could work with, and none of the emotions could change those facts.

Fish, rafts, kayaks, canoes, sailboats and swimmers all find much more success when they are moving with the wind or the current rather than going against it.

I am annoyed, but there is an upside to this annoyance. They are constructing a natural gas pipeline right outside my office, and I mean right outside my office, like 20 yards from my window. The noise is constant, and despite all the sound barriers they’ve constructed the noise is still annoying. And to make things worse, they don’t know when it will end. So, yes, I am annoyed.

Symptoms:

In as much as 95% of the cases, buyers control the buying process (at the seller’s expense). They’re calling all the shots, and most salespeople are simply along for the ride. Buyer’s instinctively maintain control of the process in order to protect themselves, in case they’re dealing with the stereotypical salesperson (that everybody hates). They’ve created these tactics to protect their leverage, maximize their discount, and control the situation to their advantage.

I have always found it interesting how many different seasons there are once you become an adult. As a child you tend to believe in four seasons- spring, summer, fall, winter- or maybe two seasons- school season and summer season.