Business Partner vs Vendor? Finding the balance...

Are you a business partner to your clients...or are you simply another one of their vendors or suppliers?  It's a tricky question...especially for those who have long time, large clients, where there is some level of a personal relationship that has been built up over the years.  The interesting thing is, in order to be really successful in direct sales, you need to be BOTH a partner AND a vendor.

The salespeople who are "relationship builders" out there are currently squirming while reading this.  It is completely true that the relationship is still important.  However, in this day and age of real time sales data and up to the minute ROI projections, the relationship can only get so much accomplished anymore.

The "hunter/killers" out there who sell on the features and benefits of their product and then turn clients over to account managers are also squirming.  Yes...they deliver the numbers, but without the personal interactions, there is no opportunity to capitalize on the all important #RonR (return on relationships).

The trick is having a good enough consultative relationship whereby you know all of the important stuff, while remaining detached enough to compartmentalize all of it into what's best for the business goal.  It's a fine line to walk, and the lines are often blurry on both sides of the equation.  It's especially difficult in instances where one client makes up the bulk of someone's whole book of business.  In that situation, the scales often get out of balance and tipped in entirely the wrong direction.

A few tips on how to strike this balance:

1.  Be memorable for the right reasons (be prompt, professional, courteous, relevant, informed, insightful, and...don't overdo it on any of these).

2.  Be personable, but not overly so.  This makes it easier to keep the necessary levels of detachment so that you can do the next thing on this list, which is...

3.  Embrace the horror that your clients are not always right.  If your client is about to do something which is absolutely not going to work, you have to call them out on it (yes...this even goes for those of us who have one huge client that we are always afraid of making angry...in fact...it ESPECIALLY goes for those of us who have one large client that we are afraid of making angry).

4.  Always bring some sort of value that is relatively measurable to every business interaction with your clients, no matter how small.

If you can focus on doing these 4 things consistently in all your direct selling relationships, you will have an excellent chance of striking the right balance between being a partner AND a vendor...and you will really be able to capitalize on your #RonR (return on relationships).

Leveraging #RonR with complete strangers

In an earlier blog, I referenced this concept that I found on Twitter (through Ted Rubin) about Return on Relationships (#RonR).  The theme of that blog post centered on balancing ROI and #RonR.  As I mentioned previously, #RonR is a fascinating concept that can fit in almost any context.  Followers of this blog know that my thing is all about balance.  So, to balance out my thoughts on #RonR, I'd like to shift from measuring it in a business sense, to measuring it as it relates to complete strangers.

My wife shared a fascinating story with me that other day about a DJ in LA who has tapped into a serious stream of #RonR and might not even know it.  This guy, DJ Wolfie, found himself in the unfortunate circumstance of having his cell phone number be 1 digit off the number of the Cancer Ward at the local hospital.  He told a story of how infuriating it was to get call after call from people trying to reach someone on that ward.  He freely admitted that he would lose his cool often and go off on people and challenge them to "learn to dial", "get their numbers right", etc.

One night, he mentioned getting a call about cancer that was not a wrong phone number.  A dear friend had been diagnosed with cancer and was reaching out to him for support.  This shifted his whole attitude.  He reflected back on all those people that had reached him in error, and how they must have felt so bad trying to call into the cancer ward to find out information about a friend or a loved one, who was certainly in some sort of distress.

He felt terrible for being rude to all of those people.  The next time he got one of those "wrong number" calls, he handled it much differently.  He explained the mix up, and wished the person the best of luck with their loved one.  He's made it a habit every time he gets one of those calls now.  Now, it's unlikely that he'll ever interact with any of these people ever again, but who cares?

Karma is real, and if anyone out there doesn't believe that, they are kidding themselves.  By treating these people differently, and showing some compassion, he is leveraging #RonR to build up GIGANTIC levels of good karma.  Go ahead and laugh...cue the music from John Lennon's "Dreamer"...I don't really care.  It's true.  #RonR is a very powerful concept in any situation...business, familial, social, or otherwise.  For me, it's ESPECIALLY powerful when leveraged with complete strangers.  There have been terrible news stories this year from elementary schools being shot up, to star athletes (allegedly) committing murder, and a host of others.  You have to wonder how much could have been different if any bit positive #RonR was leveraged in those situations.

I love this story of the DJ in LA, and his decision to invest in some #RonR with complete strangers.  I went through my own tragedy earlier this year, and wrote a blog about it that got much more attention than I would have thought.  Complete strangers reached out to me to tell me how much it helped them.  While it did not change my situation, I was immensely happy that it helped someone else.  I'm going to continue to make it a habit going forward.

Namaste!

Balancing Core Values with Disruptive Thinking

I had the pleasure once of hearing former NFL Head Coach Brian Billick talk about the effort it took for him to build a team capable of winning the Super Bowl.  He talked about needing a balanced squad.  His metaphor was simple, yet direct.  He said:

"In order to have a really delicious bacon and eggs breakfast, the chicken has to be involved...but the pig NEEDS to be committed".

Of course, he got the requisite laughter from the audience.  He also explained in a fascinating fashion how he never would've won that championship without the right balance.  Too many pigs....too many guys ultra committed and running out of gas down the stretch.  Too many chickens...to many guys involved but not committed enough to step up and give the extra effort when it's required at a crucial point in the game.

It's one of the best sports stories I've ever heard.  Corporate America loves it's sports comparisons, and it also has it's share of ex-athletes.  There are many companies at odds today over whether it's more important to protect core values, or to promote and engage disruptive and innovative thinking.

Let's quickly peruse a couple of case studies (we'll leave out actual company names, in order to protect the innocent).  Several years ago, a large national retailer stubbornly hung onto it's core values and insisted on continuing to mail out an absolute brick of a catalog.  Another retailer came into the space with more innovative ideas about store layouts and lower pricing concepts.  The mailer of the big brick of a catalog is still trying to play "catch up" to this very day.  Too many chickens.

In the other, a national provider of streaming video services decided to simply totally abandon it's core services...AND...raise the cost of the monthly service it provided it's loyal customer base.  Service cancellations sky rocketed...and, it was too late by the time they actually figured out they'd made a mistake and needed to apologize.  Too many pigs.

The obvious answer here is that organizations need to do both.  Core values must be protected while disruptive and innovative thinking is allowed to flourish.  The chickens and the pigs have to communicate though.  They need to understand where each other are coming from.  That way disruptive thinking and innovation can occur in DEFENSE OF and PROTECTION FOR the core values.

If this doesn't occur, there will be miscommunication, protection of "little kingdoms", silos, and a general atmosphere and culture that is not productive.  That doesn't win the game.  The right balance of chickens and pigs, and the right balance of communication between the two is the formula for success.

Namaste!

Balancing ROI and #RonR

About a year or so ago, my buddy Jim Buckley convinced me that I needed to start paying attention to the larger universe of social media (meaning stuff other than Facebook).  This discussion got me into Twitter.  One of the people I follow on Twitter is Ted Rubin.  Not everyone who reads this blog does so for business purposes, so, for those of you who may not know about him, you should Google him.  To quote Ron Burgundy..."he's kind of a big deal" (at least in the business that I'm in).

Anyway, I picked up a string of text in a recent tweet from him that said something to the effect of "the new ROI is measured in Return on Relationships (#RonR)".  This is an insanely interesting concept that could apply in multiple contexts.  For purposes of this discussion, I'm going to keep it centered on those of us who sell advertising services.

For nearly as long as I can remember, the most important acronym in the advertising field has been ROI.  Return on Investment is the Holy Grail.  The ROI of a campaign can make or break an advertising rep.  It can be the difference between being successful in this field or not.  There are so many ways to measure ROI now, it's hard to keep them all straight.  Cost per lead...cost per sale...ad to sales ratio...cost per click...etc...etc...etc.

One of the most important skills in any needs analysis situation is to determine how a potential customer will measure the ROI of your campaign.  It sets the expectations for the whole campaign, and often determines how an advertising rep will recommend for their client to go to market.

That's the numbers part...how do you balance the numbers with the time honored tradition of "building rapport"?  In my own humble opinion, trying to "build rapport" is still vitally important, but doing so in today's market place is a tricky path.  The convergence of so many different generational groups in one place makes it hard to do it the old fashioned way.  The baby boomers still may want to do "lunch and learns", but the millennials want you to text them the bullet points, and if they like them, they might meet you for a Starbucks (okay...I'm generalizing here, but you get the point).

This is where I'm starting to think that every needs analysis should start with the following question:

"How do you measure your Return on Relationships?"

The answer to this will tell you so much more than just what the ROI is.  Think about it this way...most advertisers want to either attain new customers, engage in competitive blunting, build loyalty with current customers, launch a new product, or all of the above.  Most of us can build campaigns around these things with our eyes closed.

Its a gutsy move to open with that question, but imagine the payoff.  You meet someone for the first time and you have no idea what their buying style is.  Are they a thinker, actor, friend, or partner?  Are they a visual person or do numbers tell them the story they need to hear?  Do they need to see you face to face every time, or do they prefer a webex every now and then.  These are the questions that will unlock the answer to how Return on Relationships (#RonR) is measured.  When you add the intrinsic benefit of knowing how to calculate #RonR and ROI together, you have a pretty powerful story, and one that can drive profitable relationships for a very long time.  Reps pride themselves on being consultative...this seems to be the new (or maybe old) way to get there!

I'm going to make this suggestion to my reps.  I want them to open up needs analyses with this question.  Not all of them will, but I know one or two who'll do it.  I'll be very interested to see how it pans out for them.  Stay tuned!

Namaste

Thank you to my wife for providing balance

So...with all my musings lately of maintaining balance, it is now time for me to share the foundation of all of this new found zen and yin and yang.  My lovely and beautiful wife deserves all the credit for me even attempting to maintain an even keel lately.

I came home the other day to see this miniature buddha on my desk:

Seems trivial, but this little guy has helped keep some things in perspective for me today, and I'm thankful that my wife knows me so well, that she knew to bring this home for me.

I've been through some tough times.  I was very fortunate a few years ago to reconnect (via Facebook, of all things) with a girl I went to High School with.  We'd lost touch for over 20 years, but there, in my inbox, was the now ubiquitous "friend request"...which I'm happy I accepted.  She didn't even live in the same city as me, but we would chat from time to time about life, music, people we knew, and stuff like that.

She decided to come into town for Christmas a few years ago, so we decided to meet for drinks.  Fast forward to today...we are married, she has a great relationship with my son, we have a beautiful daughter together, there's a crazy ass boxer running around the house, I have a mini buddha statue, and life is good again!

It's so much deeper than that though!  She helped me rediscover my love for music, surfing, and playing soccer with my friends.  She helped me get physically and mentally healthy again.  My other personal relationships are much better now, and I can guarantee you I'm more focused when I'm at work.  All of these things helped me regain my balance, and I'm enormously grateful to my wife for helping me make that happen.

So...thanks, babe!  We definitely should've gone to the prom!  ;)  I love you!

Namaste

Maintaining Balance in a difficult time

I ran into a good friend of mine recently.  What should have been a happier discussion quickly turned south when he told me he was going through a divorce.  My heart goes out to him, because what he's getting ready to go through is absolutely going to suck.  There is simply no other way to say it.

He's already going to go through some emotional and financial anguish.  If he's not careful, he's going to be able to add mental, physical, and spiritual anguish to that list as well.

At this point, I'd like to revisit some points made in an earlier post.  I'd like to give my buddy some tips to consider...straight from my other friend named Buddha.  Those are:

1.  There is suffering
2.  There is a reason for the suffering
3.  The suffering ends
4.  There is a path that leads to the end of the suffering

Right now...he's in stage 1.  That dude is suffering.  Here is what he needs to focus on next:

He needs to realize the reason for the suffering is down to somebody else's problem.  Once he does that, the suffering will end.  Here's the tricky part...the path that leads to this is a tricky one.

I've been through this.  It blows.  What he needs to do is strike the appropriate balance between taking care of himself right now, and making sure his daughters are okay.  Sounds easy, and, if he can stay on that path and keep that balance in focus, he'll be feeling better in about 30 days.

That's just simply unrealistic.  He's going to question everything that caused this, wonder what could have been done differently, wish that it could be worked out, and harbor levels of bitterness he didn't realize were possible.  Of course, this is all normal, and he should allow himself a certain period to work through all of this.  He can't have true balance and rebirth until he does.  He's got to walk on the dark side just a little bit to better appreciate his time in the light.  He can't allow it to go on too long though.

His ability to strike balance will be critical here.  Again, all he needs to do is take care of himself, and his kids.  When his kids aren't with him, he needs to go be a dude.  He needs to drink beers, watch sports with the fellas, flirt with women, rinse...and repeat.  When he's got his kids, he needs to be an attentive Dad, and help them work through the tough things they are going to deal with too.  He cannot let the two overlap.  He'll get out of balance, and things will go south quickly.

I'll be there for him, and I know others will be too.  Like I said, I've been through this.  By some stroke of unbelievable luck, I somehow kept my balance, came out on the other side a better person, and am now married to an amazing woman who is a much better match for me...and...is the woman I was supposed to be with in the first place.  I hope my friend will find the same, and I'll do everything I can to help him get there.  If any of you know of someone who may be going through this, please share these thoughts, if you think they will help.  If it does help someone maintain balance in a difficult time, it'll definitely be worth it!

Namaste

Left Brain/Right Brain - Balancing Your Mind

I've spent the last few days at my company's National Convention.  I had the privilege of seeing our keynote speaker yesterday, Erik Wahl, talk about unlocking different areas of the brain, in order to not only embrace change, but to champion it through creative thinking.  It's actually the second time I've seen him, and it was no less entertaining than the first time.  For anyone who's interested, you should check him out (www.theartofvision.com, or on twitter @ErikWahl).  He has a very relevant and timely message, which he delivers with humor, cool music, cool videos, and an amazing aptitude/talent for art.  It's very cool...I'm a big fan.

While his message was tailored for my company and its future direction, much of it resonated with me in a different way.  To paraphrase Erik's keynote message...we grow up, get into the business world, become more logical and numbers driven, and shut off the creative sides of our brain.  Unlocking the creative sides of our brains allows us to be intuitive, creative, and to see different ways of tackling issues and understanding that change is not only good...it's often necessary.

Followers of this little blog will know that my thing is all about finding and maintaining balance.  After listening to Erik's message yesterday, I realized its impossible to be balanced without tapping into both sides of your brain.

Think about it...we all know somebody who is totally dominated by one side or the other.  Everyone has a friend who has 1,000 great ideas a minute, but cannot focus for even 10 seconds on the logical steps required to execute one of those ideas.  On the the flip side, we all know somebody who is so logical that they have no sense of humor, and cannot tolerate anything "outside the lines" of that part of their brain.  For me, whether this is in a professional, emotional, spiritual, physical or financial context, both of these scenarios represent imbalance...and...unfulfilled potential.

For those of us dominated by the logical side, Erik spoke of how the smell of a crayon can actually reduce blood pressure in adults by 10 points.  Sniff the crayon, people!  I know I will be...every day...from now on!  For those in the "1,000 ideas a minute" crew, take 25 deep breaths after one of those ideas.  Focus on how to implement one of them, because I'm sure it will benefit all of us in the long run.

In closing...there's two halves to our brains.  There can be no proper balance when one half totally dominates the other.  Open up both sides.  Explore your full potential!

Namaste

Sales Tips...From Buddha

A recent meeting with my CFO got me thinking about different ways of looking at things.  We are having a challenging year, and (rightfully so) our CFO is concerned about our numbers.  As I was recapping what had gone on so far, I was struck at how similar the conversation was to some other things that are prevalent in my life.

For example, Buddhist teachings on the 4 Noble Truths tell us the following:

1. The truth of suffering, anxiety, or dissatisfaction
2. The truth of the origin of this suffering
3. The truth that suffering will end
4. The truth of the path that leads to the end of the suffering

So...for my meeting with my CFO, I pretty much could've easily gotten away with burning some incense and chanting, because:

1. The truth of suffering this year is that our numbers are down
2. The origin of this suffering is that advertisers are not doing as much print as they used to and are not embracing our digital offerings as emphatically as we would like them to
3. The truth is that the suffering WILL end at some point...because...advertising runs in cycles and it will switch back to our core products soon enough
4. The truth of the path that leads to the end of this suffering includes having our reps be as visible and accessible to their current clients and new prospects as possible, so they are top of mind when advertisers start to consider us for larger shares of their budget spend

Sticking with Buddha...karma is the thing drives the cycle of suffering and rebirth for each of us.  The etymology of the word "karma" comes from Sanskrit and generally translates to either "work" or "action".

Hmmm.  So, the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering from poor numbers lies in me helping my reps to develop good karma in the marketplace?  Right on!  Sign me up!

For any other sales reps from a different company or industry who may read this, this goes for you too. Positive karma is a set of appropriate actions, put into the world to generate a good outcome.  So, focusing on finding the right balance of understanding needs, communicating potential solutions, and following up on what you put in place to make sure it's working...is the only path to overcome the suffering of poor numbers.

This sounds like a gross oversimplification, but it really is true.  Think about the reverse.  You are having a challenging year, you start to lose faith in your own abilities and your own products, and you start a cycle of the self fulfilling prophecy where people aren't just not interested in buying from you...they don't even want to talk to you.  When there is bad karma, the path to the end of suffering usually takes the form of a performance improvement (manage someone out) plan.  Nobody wants that.

Karma also leads to rebirth...good and bad.  Think about this in the sales environment.  I have a rep who has been struggling to close new business.  We got together and discussed changing karma.  We got back to the basics of understanding needs and communicating solutions.  This rep embraced this, put a bunch of good feelers out in the marketplace, and is about to close a $100K deal (which includes print AND digital).  Would this have been the outcome if we had gotten on the bad karma path of simply checking weekly activity reports?  I highly doubt it.  This rep's rebirth would've probably come in a different role at a different company.  That would have been a shame.

Who knew that Buddha was also such an enlightened Sales Leader?  I certainly didn't...but I do now.  I'll be paying MUCH closer attention to this moving forward.  I hope all of you will as well!

Namaste

Balance at home...Balance at Work

Recently, I lived through an event which has inspired me to change the focus of this blog to be entirely on finding and maintaining balance.  This week I returned to work after taking a week off to deal with a very sad personal matter.  It's been a fascinating week.

While it was probably too soon for me to come back and "jump right in", I did have a pretty productive week.  This was largely due to the fact that certain work issues just did not grab my attention like they normally would have.  Things that were infinitely more important even just 2 weeks ago seemed much less vitally important now.

This is not to say that I blew the whole week off.  Not even close.  I simply forced myself to find the appropriate BALANCE in my work life this week to pay closer attention to the things that REALLY were important, and did not sweat the small stuff.  Upon further review...it turns out that this was probably one of the more productive weeks I've had in a long time.

I also made a better effort this week to not let my work life and my personal life overlap.  This is something I feel is pretty important and will continue to work on, and encourage others to do the same. I realized this week that, negative energy that emanates from one source does not stop emanating when you move from one realm of your life to another.

Consider this...my wife teaches Pilates and Yoga for her career.  You can imagine how thrilled she is when I bring negative work energy into the house.  To say it brings her down is an understatement.  I also can't even imagine how many times I've snapped at my poor son for something minor, just because I was frustrated by something at work (which in the grand scheme of things wasn't a big deal anyway).

It's just as important on the other side of the equation.  My company deserves my full attention (on the things that REALLY matter).  It's not cool to allow some stupidity from an ex wife, an annoying neighbor, or a dufus of a teenage son take me off my game during work issues.

This really sounds so basic, but it is actually really hard to find the right balance in these situations.  I am thankful I was able to do it this week, otherwise, I wouldn't have made it through.  For me, things like Yoga, Surfing, Meditating, putting the electronic devices away and playing with my kids, were all instrumental in finding the right balance.  These things may not work for everyone, but each person has something they can do to help keep the balance.  Family and work are huge parts of all of our lives...do all that you can to keep them in balance so everything flows at a pace that is right for you!

Ohm......
Namaste!

Yin and Yang (Healing and Closure)

On Sunday, July 14, 2013, I lost my father to suicide.  An earlier entry on this blog entitled Yin and Yang (Revisited) was dedicated to my father, his decision to take his own life, and it also included a plea to any and all who happened to read my little blog to do everything they can to help anyone they might know who is suffering from depression (up to and including themselves).

This entry is geared towards those of us who have lost a loved one in any sudden and unexpected fashion.  Any loss of a loved one is tough.  I have had friends who have lost relatives after lengthy illnesses.  Almost universally, they speak of relief at the end, of being grateful for having a chance to say goodbye, and of being thankful that their loved one is in a better place.

Sadly, I think that those of us in the unfortunate fraternity of losing someone in a sudden or unexpected fashion have a much different experience.  The prevailing feelings seem to consist of sadness, anger, confusion, numbness, and a general desire to simply disconnect for awhile.

Keeping with the thread of Yin and Yang, I IMPLORE anyone in my now unwanted, but still very special fraternity, to focus on some balance.  Here's why:

Anyone that knows me well...knows that I'm a surfer.  My father loved the ocean and he bought me my first surfboard when I was 10 years old.  Two days after losing my dad, I paddled out for a surf.  In the middle of a particularly fun session, 3 dolphins (my father's favorite number was 3) rode in on a set wave, and put on a SPECTACULAR air show right in the middle of the lineup.  This went on for no longer than a minute, and then they were gone.  I wasn't the only guy surfing that morning, so I wasn't the only one that saw it...but I was the only guy who understood what it was.  My father was letting me know that he is okay now.

Let me be very clear here...I'm still furious with my father for making the decision to take his own life.  I still think that suicide is a terrible way to go, and that there are much better ways to deal with pain and suffering than to take one's own life.  However, I still love my dad very much.  There's the balance...the Yin and Yang...the anger and the love.  Without that balance, there is simply no way I would have seen that message from him nor understood what it meant.  I'm thankful that I wasn't so focused on my anger that I missed it.  It has helped me start the healing process.  I shared that story with my wife and my son when I got home.  That very same night, my wife was walking the dog and looked up and saw a cloud pattern that looked exactly like 2 dolphins swimming next to each other.  The next day, my son came surfing with me, and 1 dolphin jumped out of the water right in front of him.  The healing process has started for us all.

As for closure, that possibility seems laughable right now.  My father was infinitely smarter than me.  If he couldn't figure this all out...there's no way that I will.  This is where the Yin and Yang kicks in for me though, albeit in a skewed way.  For me, the acceptance that I may never find proper closure is, in fact, a form of closure in itself.

The response to Yin and Yang (Revisited) was amazing, and I have received several notes that it has in fact stirred some people into action in trying to help someone with depression.  Mission accomplished on that one.  I sincerely hope these words on healing and closure may help someone as well.  If they help anybody in any way...then it will have been worth it.

Namaste

Yin and Yang (Revisited)

Recently, I wrote a blog about the importance of balance in work and life, and how well received such a simple message was at a recent sales meeting that I facilitated.  I had no idea how prophetic this little blog would be.

On July 14, 2013, my father passed away.  He is survived by my mother, me and my wife, my sister and brother in law, four grandchildren between me and my sister, and a host of friends from way way way back.  On a beautiful Sunday around lunchtime, he went out in his backyard on the intracoastal waterway, and shot and killed himself.

My father had recently battled some health issues and was struggling to heal from a triple bypass procedure that he underwent in March.  Depression, addiction, and self destructive behaviors run deep in the grooves of my family tree.  He overcame all of these demons in his life to become a good husband, father, grandfather, employee, boss, friend, and human being.

In the end, however, the depression won out.  Why?  My father lost his balance.  He lost his Yin and Yang.  Too much focus on the darkness...too little focus on the light.  He had so many things to be thankful for and to live for, but without that balance, he lost out to the demons.

I'm under no delusions of grandeur here.  I believe this blog will probably get read by 9 people or so, all of whom know me.  On the odd chance it does circulate beyond that, I am hopeful that it may make somebody think differently about a few things.

I have no intention of turning this into a 2nd Amendment discussion.  I hate guns and think they have no place in residential neighborhoods.  I hate them even more now.  However, my father was a proud gun owner and simply exercised his right to do so.  He made a decision to use that gun in a fashion I will never fully understand, but it was his decision to make.

This is no indictment of the health system either.  Although, the one brief commentary I will offer is that the anti depressant medication was clearly NOT making him any better, and I would have preferred that his doctors would have tried anything else besides upping his dosage.

This is a simple plea to anyone who has a family member, friend, or anyone close to them suffering from depression...or to anyone who is suffering from depression themselves.  PLEASE exhaust every opportunity to find balance.

I cannot fathom how much pain my father must've been in and why he decided this was his only option.  I found him in the backyard.  That image will haunt me until the end of my life for sure.  He left a note in which he described the pain he was in and his embarrassment at being a burden to everyone.  I wish my father could see that his decision did not have the intended effect he was after.  Quite the contrary.  None of us are relieved.  We are all some version of sad, angry, pissed, hurt, confused, and heartbroken.  We will be for some time.

If anyone out there thinks that this is a good way to go, I can promise you, it isn't.  Find balance.  Help a loved one or a friend find balance.  There are better ways to stop suffering.

Namaste, Dad.  I love you.

Turning a Sales Team around...Yin and Yang

I recently had my 12 sales reps come in from around the country for one of those proverbial "sales summits".  You know the ones I'm talking about...you bring people in from out of the field, you talk about the numbers, you talk about year end goals, you talk about new products...blah...blah...blah...

These people invariably leave these meetings thinking it has been a colossal waste of time, and often provide feedback that says so.  That has certainly been the case with my team, over the years.  You can hardly blame them.  Two years ago, our VP of Sales opened up the meeting by showing these people a picture of a burning oil platform and told them that this is what their future was!  Last year, our new (different VP of Sales) put a bunch of spreadsheets up on the screen and walked through them cell by cell, column by column...and...his numbers were wrong.

This year, we tried to change it up.  Our year is a struggle and its going to go right down to the wire as to whether we will make the number or not.  Much of this is not my team's fault.  Market conditions, franchise agreements, corporate restructures, and a variety of other issues have conspired against my squad.  They've heard all the bad news already.

While the "burning oil platform" might have been a good fit...I decided to go the other way.  I prepared one slide of content for the whole 2 day session.  It was the famous representation of yin and yang.  You know the one...a circle with one black and white swoosh and one white a black swoosh?

My team know I'm a surfer and into yoga, but this was a business meeting.  They all thought "surely he's got something else"?

Not really.  I spoke of the need for them to go through this conference with yin and yang as their guide.  I asked them to think in terms of balance, and relate them to:

~ Work and home life
~ Print advertising and Digital Advertising
~ Time spent on existing accounts and time spent prospecting new accounts
~ Sales and Marketing
~ Corporate Sales and Franchisee Sales

After asking them to focus on this balance, I got out of the way and let a bunch of smarter people deliver the real content.  The feedback has been amazing.  This crew went out in the first week after and put $500k of new sales on the board.  It's represented our best collective week in a long time.  More is coming.  What was truly amazing was how much specific feedback I got about how much they appreciated the message.

Moral of the story...sometimes you have to throw the numbers out.  Sometimes it's good to refocus on balance.  It certainly was with this team, and it'll be a message I consistently preach from now on...

Changing up your workout routine

As we head into the 4th week of the new year, I've been thinking about all of our friends out there who "resolved" to get back in shape.  You know the ones I'm talking about...the ones who suddenly remember where their local gym is...the ones who get back in and try to force themselves back into shape by grinding through the same workouts they've done for years...the ones who've already found several excuses to stop going.

I humbly suggest to these folks that they freshen up their routines by mixing in the disciplines of Yoga and Pilates.  Yoga, is a no brainer.  You don't need a gym membership nor do you need to be an athletic superstar to enjoy the benefits of Yoga.  There's some excellent smart phone apps which can (often for FREE) guide you through a very useful workout.  The core workout, stretching, and mind cleansing that comes with a Yoga session are well worth the effort.

As a surfer, I had been dabbling around with yoga for years.  It has only been in the last few years that I've been introduced to Pilates.  I didn't even really think there was much difference to Yoga.  I got married a few years ago, and my wife is a Certified Pilates Instructor.  She kept inviting me to a class, and one day I finally gave in.  As a "free weight/runner/surfer/cross trainer", I didn't think it would be much of a workout.  After about 5 to 10 minutes of my wife's basic Reformer workout, (I hope it was that long...in truth it may have been 3 minutes!) I was pretty sure Pilates was the hardest thing I'd ever done, and gave me the most difficult workout ever.

This is not quite as easy to do on your own, but still worth checking out.  Pilates studios are becoming more and more popular.  My wife now owns her own studio in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL called Pila-Te-Dah.  She hasn't even advertised and her classes fill up...with people who come back again and again.  I still go, and find myself currently in the best shape of my life, and am surfing better at age 43 than I did at age 23 (thanks, babe)!

For any of you who want to try something different to freshen up your training program, I highly encourage you to try Pilates!  Here's a few tips:

- Find a nice studio with good equipment
- Make sure the studio offers at least Reformer classes and Barre classes are good too
- Make sure the instructors are certified
- Take a free initial class (they all offer them)
- Check your ego at the door (especially if you are a "free weight snob"!)
- Don't push it or try to do more than what the instructor says
- Have fun and enjoy a great workout!