October 17, 2010
Question: Vince Lombardi the renowned former football coach of the Green Bay Packers once said, “When you get into the end zone and score a touchdown, act like you’ve been there before.” What do you think he really meant by that statement?
(Steve W., Entrepreneur, Madison, WI)
Response: As our economy continues with its recovery, this is the perfect time to get your “publicity” in gear. Just like Vince Lombardi coached his receivers, you need to; “act like you’ve been here before!” Lombardi’s philosophy was that the other team(s) would view his receivers capable of scoring a touchdown every time they handled the ball. In essence, the perceptions is to be that we are winners all of the time.
Coach Lombardi also said, “Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence!” When you have self confidence, you have a feeling of exhilaration that is usually hard to beat. This feeling can easily get you through unknown paths, uncomfortable situations and provide you with a self determination that almost makes you unstoppable in your quest for success.
Knowledge, familiarity and comfort can be a solid element of trust in the eye of the beholder. We don’t have to be really famous to get attention. Although in the absence of a full blown media campaign, we do need to identify at least one thing that allows us to be “slightly famous.”
How do we translate this, without a complex marketing plan, into a presence in our target industry? How can we use personal or self marketing to differentiate ourselves from others? How do we actually create brand loyalty and not just awareness?
Perception is reality and the more self confidence you “show” the more likely success will be yours. The old adage that people like to do business with successful people is as true today as it was years ago.
Look the part, back it with wisdom, caring, desire and determination and you’ll off to a great start. Carry yourself well with a good posture, heads up, eye contact and a spring in your step. In other words become a silent or subliminal personal billboard about YOU and the balance of your requirements will begin to fall into place. Every single day you step into the business world, look like a success, act like a success and everybody around you will believe that YOU HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE!
As always, please accept my wishes for a tremendous week. If I can assist you or your organization, please call or write and I will respond immediately! Your comments, concerns and/or questions are always confidentially welcome here.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
Nationally recognized Retained Executive Search and Employee Retention Specialist.
10/9/10
Be Genuine or Don't Bother
Q: I am a firm believer in saying what I'll do and doing what I say. However, I do want to provide whatever support for my employees and clients when possible. What are some ways to give that impression without being unpleasant about it?
A: You are right to be cautious. Clients are smart (they hired you, didn't they?) and keenly perceptive (they got their job, didn't they?) and employees are intelligent, intuitive and have probably already dialed into your persona, so be genuine or don't bother.
Here are a few combined thoughts for clients and employees alike:
• Purposely "beat" a promised deadline (e.g., something expected next week is given to them tomorrow).
• Periodically send over helpful information and notes about things you feel will benefit them.
• Send an informal note recommending articles of particular interest to them or their business with no other "strings" attached.
• Prepare a summary report of an event you just attended and send it to them without telling them in advance that you are going to do it.
• Provide friendly, unexpected reminders/acknowledgments of key dates, events, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Do not even consider these unless you have already talked about the event and share its significance.
The ultimate goal, is for employees and customers should always to get them to think "Wow, that was way more than I ever expected and I appreciate that." What you don't want them to think is "That's odd. I wonder why he or she did that." It has to be natural and something that occurs to you as a person, not in your role as a manager, sales person or business owner. Non-business items can many times be more appreciated than business items.
As always, please accept my wishes for a great and personally rewarding week. If I can be of assistance to you and/or your organization, please call or write and I will respond immediately!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
A: You are right to be cautious. Clients are smart (they hired you, didn't they?) and keenly perceptive (they got their job, didn't they?) and employees are intelligent, intuitive and have probably already dialed into your persona, so be genuine or don't bother.
Here are a few combined thoughts for clients and employees alike:
• Purposely "beat" a promised deadline (e.g., something expected next week is given to them tomorrow).
• Periodically send over helpful information and notes about things you feel will benefit them.
• Send an informal note recommending articles of particular interest to them or their business with no other "strings" attached.
• Prepare a summary report of an event you just attended and send it to them without telling them in advance that you are going to do it.
• Provide friendly, unexpected reminders/acknowledgments of key dates, events, anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Do not even consider these unless you have already talked about the event and share its significance.
The ultimate goal, is for employees and customers should always to get them to think "Wow, that was way more than I ever expected and I appreciate that." What you don't want them to think is "That's odd. I wonder why he or she did that." It has to be natural and something that occurs to you as a person, not in your role as a manager, sales person or business owner. Non-business items can many times be more appreciated than business items.
As always, please accept my wishes for a great and personally rewarding week. If I can be of assistance to you and/or your organization, please call or write and I will respond immediately!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
10/2/10
What Can You Learn From Sherlock Holmes?
Q: What can Sales and Management Professionals learn from the legendary Sherlock Holmes?A: Business professionals might want to learn how to play detective! We are often asked to solve a problem, figure out what caused a failure (or success), etc. Think of yourself as that famous London-based fictional sleuth of the late 19th/early 20th centuries who was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The next time you face a quandary, think "What would Sherlock Holmes do?"
He would:
1. Keep an open mind.
2. Employ deductive reasoning.
3. Investigate all possibilities thoroughly.
4. Look carefully at the details.
5. Look for connections, relationships, consistencies and inconsistencies.
6. Ask lots of questions.
7. Wear a disguise (OK-you might want to scratch that one!).
8. Be relentless in your pursuit of the solution.
The next time you are given a challenging question, remember to ask yourself the question, "What would Sherlock do?"
P.S. Did you know that Holmes never actually uttered that famous line "Elementary, my dear Watson" in any of Conan Doyle's four novels or 56 short stories featuring the character? Holmes does say "Elementary" in the book The Adventure of the Crooked Man, but the famous line does not appear in its entirety in any of Conan Doyle's stories. The full phrase seems to have originated in either a subsequent film or theater play (the actual source has been long debated) based on Conan Doyle's original work.
I hope your week in another outstanding one especially because we’ve just entered the 4th Quarter of 2010. Just 3 months left to accomplish all of your 2010 goals. If I can be of any assistance to you or your organization, please call or write and I will respond immediately!
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
9/26/10
What is the Secret of Recruiting More Women into our Organization?
Q: What is the Secret to Recruiting Women For Jobs Traditionally Occupied by Men? We are attempting to recruit more women for jobs as outside sales representatives with our firm. This is a position that has been predominantly occupied at our company by men. In the interest of diversity, we are eager to interest more women in these roles. Thus far, job boards and women-focused job sites have been little help. How else can we publicize these positions and reasonably assure ourselves that we will be able to recruit good candidates? (Margaret H., President; Dallas, TX)
A: Many employers recognize the advantages of forming a gender-balanced workforce. A diverse group of employees, composed of both women and men, can create a more effective, productive and cohesive organization and deliver a wide range of capabilities at multiple service levels. Recruiting women for nontraditional positions may pose challenges but can be accomplished with some creative ideas.
The first step is to analyze the position, along with your recruitment process. Review the job description and job postings. Make sure the functions and responsibilities are neutral and geared to attract to both women and men. Then, partner with the hiring department to develop clear goals to recruit more women. Make workforce diversity a corporate priority and market any prominent roles played by women in the organization.
Involve women in every step of recruitment. During the interview process, give potential women candidates the opportunity to meet women in the organization who can share their views and experiences.
Blend traditional and new recruitment methods. Continue to advertise on gender-specific job boards and to search posted resumes, and use online career centers to attract candidates from your targeted audience. Invite current women employees to accompany human resources to trade expos that attract large numbers of women. Market "women-encouraged" messaging at various events; and showcasing women in a variety of roles at all levels of the organization. You can also launch a creative "ambassador" or employee referral program, encouraging staff to recommend women candidates for your sales jobs.
Use company newsletters, press releases and your corporate Web site to profile the extraordinary work of women at your firm, including promotions and other success stories. Partner with educational institutions, trade associations, women-focused organizations and bloggers to identify potential women candidates.
Streamline recruitment by moving the application process online. Resumes of people that match the job criteria can be quickly identified through algorithms that help you select the most qualified candidates.
Implementing these strategies will help your company fill the roles traditionally dominated by men and cultivate a more diverse and representative workforce. Women are out there and eager to work, especially for organizations that support and reward their efforts.
Please accept my wish for your week to be an outstanding one. If I can help your organization or you personally, please write or call and I will respond immediately.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso
9/18/10
Does your intrepidity (fearlessness) shine through every day?
Q: Does your intrepidity shine through?
A: One of my all time favorite movies was the Hollywood Epic, The Magnificent Seven staring Yul Brenner and a fabulous cast in a great western. It was true (in this movie) that the Magnificent Seven were very willing and able to fight tirelessly for a cause. But in this case, their intentions were to create an ideal situation without bloodshed. A situation that included giving the villagers the inner and morale strength to stand up for themselves and send the bad guys a message that this village just might not be a push over to their nefarious ways.When it comes to sales or managing a business, if your inner person is “right” then your confidence, knowledge and fearless level will shine through in the way you carry yourself and approach any given situation and/or competition. Your confidence level, when shinning through, puts people around you on notice that you are a force to be dealt with.
The solution meets the problem when you offer a “demo” whether with props or verbalization. I firmly believe when I personally am in this mode, it is a test of my ability. And failing tests in not an option for me nor should it be for you.
When you sell a service, your prospect has to visualize the service and its impact or positive results on him/her. And if a picture or even a mental image is worth a thousand words, then a live demonstration is probably worth 10,000 words because our brains act a hundred times faster on what we see than the image our imagination portrays.
My message today is that your confidence level can act as the perceived problem solver for increased productivity, providing happiness, minimizing negativity and improving lives to name just a few areas. Make the problem areas come alive, then create a sense of urgency by not only identifying the problem(s) but the effect the problem has on the other person or company.
For an example, an ordinary sales person is so interested in “the pitch” that he/she isn’t aware that the buyer has gotten accustomed to living in a pan of water that’s steadily getting warmer and warmer. A consummate sales professional has a “fire raging through his/her hair” and infects the prospect with that urgency of solving his/her problem.
Don’t try to convince the prospect with rhetorical nonsense, self centered rationale, features and benefits. Paint a picture of how hot that water is going to get and what the ultimate outcome will be if they don’t react if something isn’t done.
So here is my self evaluating question to you; “Does your intrepidity (fearlessness) shine through every day?”
As always I wish you an absolute tremendous week all good and no evil. Your questions and/or comments are always welcome here. And of course, if I can ever be of assistance to you and/or your organization, please call or write and I will respond immediately.
Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
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