Are You Authentic?

Recently, I sat through a national Sales Meeting and watched as a sales leader claimed to be authentic on more than 4 occasions during the opening remarks of the meeting.  I received a text from someone else who was auditing the call, and she shared this thought, "If you say your authentic 4 times during your portion of the opening remarks, you sound like you're trying to convince YOURSELF that you're authentic. And by the way, you're probably not authentic."

As the meeting continued virtually, I monitored the chat because this is really where you get feedback on the true nature of how people are feeling about the experience.  I saw the word "authentic" appear through the feed 25 times.  25 times!  And I'm sure the leader thought that their message got through to the team, but in reality, I think that most of those posts to the chat were meant to be sarcastic or funny.  How did I know?  

"Hey I'm authentic?"

"I'm authentic too?"

"Authentic...that's new?"

"We're all authentic."

"Authentic. Hey that's great..."

If you're a leader than lead by example, don't characterize yourself, just be authentic.  Whenever I have led a team, I believed it was more important to be there to support my employees, rather than tell my employees how I will support them.  Don't say you're authentic, just be authentic. Otherwise, you're just full of shit.     

"I Love Me Some Me"

I start with that infamous or famous quote from Terrell Owens because it reminded me of an interview I conducted years ago while working at Cintas. We were on campus recruiting for a management trainee position and we found a lot of great candidates.  However, one candidate stood out to me in particular.  He didn't go to one of the Ivy League schools or have the best grades.  He had worked all through college and put himself through by paying along the way and he had little to no debt.  He could barely make the interview time we set because of a work scheduling issue, and he wasn't wearing a fancy suit or an expensive watch.  I liked him best out of all the candidates.

We sat down to discuss which trainees we'd like the most and which would possibly "bleed blue". Which is what we would call devoted Cintas employees. Trainees had to work long hours and were on salary which was tough, but if they made it through the training, they were well on their way to earning a Cintas MBA.  Simply put, you learned as you earned how to run a business. 

"I know why you like this guy.", one of the Sales Manager piped in.  "He's you!"

"No he's not." , I responded a bit embarrassed.

"Yes he is!  Well spoken but not terribly well dressed or polished.  Working class back ground but seems pretty smart.  This guy is just like you.", she added and then looked down at my shoes which needed a polish.  She snickered. 

"He's nothing like me, and that's not why I like him.  He worked all the way through college and he paid for it himself.  No help from any one else.  He seems to know the value of a dollar."

"Yeah, just like you did." my boss added his two cents. "You like him because he's similar to you.  But that doesn't mean he's going to turn out like you."

"Why not?", I asked.

"When you interview candidates don't fall in love with yourself, because you're going to manage a lot of different personalities and not everyone is the same.  It's almost better if you don't hire some one just like you, because then you have some diversity of thought.", my boss added.  He was a pretty smart dude.

"Fine. But we can at least put him through to the next round of interviews and see if makes it through.", I said, secretly hoping my clone would make it as a trainee.

"Can we all agree to passing him along?", my boss asked, and the rest of the managers agreed.

Two weeks later our regional recruiter let us know that my candidate had not made it through the next round of interviews.  I asked why.

"Everyone agreed that he was like the 2.0 version of you, but he argued with nearly everyone who interviewed him.  We all agreed he would be a handful to try and manage and he would get frustrated as a trainee." 

"But I didn't argue with everyone, and I made it through the trainee program?"

"Exactly.  YOU made it through.  But he ISN'T you. That's why we passed."

As a manager it's best to look for the most qualified candidate and not a mini version of yourself.  You may "love me some me", but it might also come back to haunt you in the future. 

SFTD

The Two Californias : The Covid Crisis Is Different For The Working Class

Copyright: <a href='https://www.123rf.com/profile_ilexx'>Tatiana Shepeleva</a>

During this COVID crisis, many people have suffered financially.  No one more than bar and restaurant owners with a few exceptions.  It seems that national companies seem to be hanging in there but local owners are either struggling to stay afloat or sadly closing their doors.  There seems to be talk of layoffs all across America and over 20 million people have filed for unemployment, and the economic crisis seems to be impacting everyone, but no one more so than the working class.

California is a state which exhibits the glaring disparity between the working class or blue collar workers and the white collar workers who are able to work remotely from home.  I am one of those people who is fortunate enough to stay home for the most part and work via Zoom, phone, and email.  But I remember when I grew up working in warehouses, and as a driver when I wasn't able to stay home.  If I was out there in the middle of the COVID maelstrom, I most certainly would have been exposed to the virus.  I don't think enough of us appreciate our position and even worse we don't help out those who are really making a difference for us, the essential workers.  

I will give you a perfect example of how this has impacted me directly.  I have an old acquaintance who was working in the music industry for years as a stage hand and set designer.  He had a great career working in this field but when all the music venues stopped conducting shows he was out of a job.  No more Coachella, no more Stage Coach, and no more work.  He went back to work as a foreman in construction, because believe it or not, people apparently still need luxury homes built during this crisis.  It's important to have priorities...right? 

He was thankful for the work, but many of his fellow workers were not following the company protocol regarding COVID on the job.  Some would remove their masks, some would show up to work sick, because they needed the money, and low and behold there was a break out on the job sight.  My former friend contracted COVID and after a month in the hospital he died. A terrible tragedy, especially since it could have been avoided if he hadn't needed to work.  There are so many people who contact the disease because they work out of necessity and many of them get sick and unfortunately some of them have passed away.  

Everyone sees California as a land of fruits and nuts, but really this state was founded on the backs of the working class and it still is run by those types of people.  The rest of the country sees a bunch of rich Silicon Valley billionaires and think that people here don't work, but I'm here to tell you that is simply not true.  Most of the people living, working, and dying are hard working Californians who must leave home out of necessity to provide for their families.  That is the real California, and they support the rest of us.

In contrast, where I live, you wouldn't think that the COVID crisis has affected anyone.  It's seriously a bunch of wealthy assholes and fortunately or unfortunately I am in the middle of them.  I guess that makes me an asshole too.  However this crisis has really brought the difference in the two Californias home to me.  My neighbor, while being very nice and sweet to my family, is more concerned that she hasn't been able to shop or get her nails done, or a massage once a week,  When my wife told me that's what she's upset about, her lack of amenities, I nearly lost it and went over to berate her about what really matters.  But I stopped myself because she was my wife's friend, but also because I felt like my tirade would fall on deaf ears.  People do not want to hear about other people's problems.  They are more concerned about their own.  I get it...but then again I don't.  

I asked my wife, "Why doesn't she take that money for massages and donate to a relief fund for people out of work?"  

My wife, taking the lead, did ask her that exact question, and the response she received, "Well that money would just be wasted on some homeless bum or something."

"As opposed to a massage which is putting it to good use?" was my wife's response.

"Touche honey, touche!", I thought. 

Two different economic states within one state.  The real California. 

10 Sales Tips During The Pandemic

Photo courtesy of 123rf.com

 

All of us are running around our houses trying to sell remotely and it's difficult. Zoom calls, Microsoft Teams calls, and conference calls. Our kids are in our faces daily asking for help with school work, or needing help with wi-fi connections. How the hell are we supposed to sell? Remote selling?  Virtual Sales? Selling PPE out of our garage? 

It's all very confusing, and now it seems that all of us are on the phone or conducting meetings via a computer.  Suddenly we are a different breed of sales reps.  For many of you inside sales reps this is nothing new, but many of us are used to being directly in front of people.  And not being there is driving us crazy.  Here are a few tips on how to manage this ever changing world of sales, and guess what? It's really not that much different. 

1. Go Old School: "To Do" List - Since the pandemic started, I have been getting asked a lot about how to manage a sales team that's sitting at home.  People are so used to being out at appointments, or traveling to appointments, but that's completely changed for a great many people.  So what are reps supposed to do with their days? Start by making a list of things to do each morning, just like you would if you were going to conduct a day in the field.  A simple to do list will get you started at least and then you can plan your day around your list. Stay focused on a list that makes you money, not one that makes you eat, like a grocery list. 

2. Get Acquainted With Technology - I have many older friends who have no idea how to handle a Zoom meeting or can even conduct a FaceTime call.  They're what I call "technology deniers".  I speak to them about how they need to get more familiar with the new ways of communicating and I hear the same thing over and over. "I do best when I'm in front of a customer!"  Well that's not going to happen very often during this pandemic...UNLESS you learn how to use technology to get in front of your customers. The virus isn't going away for quite a while so we had all better learn to use the latest apps to communicate our message otherwise you won't be selling very much. 

3. Keep Your Pants On - If you're conducting online meetings, it's real easy to get comfortable, and forget to put on your clothes.  A lot of people conduct calls in their pajamas and for me this is a bit too informal, considering that your laptop camera could be working and you don't even know it.  Yes we're all dealing with kids, dogs, and daily chores but let's keep it at least a little bit professional.  Get dressed up like you're conducting a meeting in person. Besides, no one wants to see your underwear during a Teams meeting. . 

4. Buy A Camera - The first thing I did when I couldn't visit with customers was buy an HD camera for my laptop.  It was great for filming webinars and conducting calls because I could switch between my laptop camera to my HD pretty seamlessly.   If you have to do product demos this little tool is invaluable.  It helps bring clarity and professionalism to your presentations.  And it you have your pants on then you won't have to worry about switching to different camera angles. 

5. Learn Phone Techniques - If you're not comfortable on the phone, than you're not going to be successful during the pandemic.  And by comfortable, I don't mean you can multi-task using apps and texting, or that you're proficient at playing games on your mobile device.  You need to actually speak to people.  What?  You mean I have to talk to someone.  Yep! There are a number of free webinars on YouTube that talk about call reluctance and phone blocking.  Watch them and pick up some tips to improve your skills on the phone.

6. If Meeting In Person: Wear A Mask - I was recently at an appointment with 7 people in a conference room and everyone was wearing a mask.  However as the meeting wore on, one of the participants said he was going to take his off, so he could speak.  Oh boy was that a mistake! The person running the meeting nearly lost it.  She told him that if he wanted to take it off he should excuse himself from the meeting and think about the message it was sending to everyone else in the room.  He was another vendor so I didn't care if he left the meeting, or that he was reprimanded. He was sending more business my way! 

7. Keep Setting Appointments - It is very easy to get out of your routine during this pandemic.  Try your level best not to get sucked into watching television, the news is terrifying right now and it can be very depressing.  Modify your day but keep trying to set appointments.  It's difficult, but if you attempt to inject some normalcy into your day it will go a lot faster and you'll feel much better about yourself and your job. 

8. Try And Stay Sane - If you're a sales person staying in lock down is probably driving you nuts..  In fact, even if you're not a sales person it's probably driving you crazy.  It's difficult because most of us are social animals.  We want to be interacting with people on a regular basis, so being cooped up inside our houses is extremely taxing.  Do anything you can to try and stay sane.  I find myself reading a lot of books right now and the first thing I did when we went into lock down was reorganize my garage.  It took a while but it kept my minding off of the pandemic and kept me out of harms way.  Find anything and everything to keep your attitude positive and your outlook bright. 

9. Stay In Touch With Friends - The most difficult thing about this pandemic is that it has put many friendships at risk.  My family is very cautious about interacting with other people because many of them work in healthcare.  As a result, it is very difficult to interact, so it puts a strain on relationships.  We all want to be safe, so maybe FaceTime, or phone calls are better options to keep your friends in touch without actually touching them. 

10. Focus On Your Goals - I remember when all this started, a few partners immediately told me, "We're screwed!  We can't visit our customers so we're going to lose a lot business."  My first thoughts were the opposite.  I thought that our competitors were dealing with the same issues, so this was an opportunity to show our customers we could deliver our services even in the face of a pandemic.  We stayed focus on our sales goals for the year and it helped keep everyone on the right track.  Unfortunately, many people have lost their jobs and the lock down didn't help, but if you're still in business try to stay focused on your goals.

I know we are all going through a terrible time, but I hope that all of you are staying sane and staying safe. 

SFTD

The Wrong Corona Virus Message

Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending an online meeting, where the President of Sales for a healthcare organization announced that he wanted reps to stay home unless it was absolutely necessary for them to enter a hospital.  A great message during these difficult times.  He explained the rational, that unless it was a life or death situation, it wasn't worth the rep endangering themselves, or the hospital personnel by being in the hospital.  A very clear and simple message, which was a compliment to the same message being put forth by hospitals to their vendors.  Clear, concise, and to the point.  Excellent!

However, 1 hour later his VP of Sales sent an email stating that there were only 12 days left in the quarter and that the reps needed to be in their accounts trying to promote products and services.  That the goal in the first quarter was to grow 10% and the team was very close to achieving their goal.  I saw the email and I was a bit shocked.  Had he not received the message an hour earlier?  Or was he just an idiot, who was more concerned about the money in his pocket rather than the safety of his employees.

It is difficult enough having to deal with the panic, the fear, and the potential dangers of the COVID-19 virus, but to have your employer ask you to go into a "hot zone" for an extra buck is unforgivable.

Be safe out there and take care of one another.

SFTD

What Your Manager Doesn't Know...

After being a manager for some 20 plus years in business I realized one thing...we don't know a damn thing about what our sales reps are doing.  Everyone else in the organization seems to know if a rep is slacking, being lazy, or generally not working, but we have NO CLUE.

I was at a recent dinner following a meeting and everyone was having a great time when one of the sales reps starting talking about her former husband.  She had a few too many cocktails and decided to describe certain parts of his anatomy when her regional manager cut her off.

"That's not appropriate. You need to stop."

The rep laughed, "You don't know what's appropriate.  Half your reps are being inappropriate, but you're not paying attention!  I'm outta here!"  And she excused herself and went up to her room.

It was a weird end to a very good evening but I couldn't figure out what had transpired, so the next morning I found the regional manager and sat down with him at breakfast before the meeting started.

"What the heck happened with your rep last night.  Too much to drink?"

"Not really.  I talked to her this morning, and she explained that she feels like I'm harder on her than some of the other reps.  She says that I'm always on her, but I told her I try to be consistent with how I treat everyone. And then she started to explain why she felt that way."

"What did she say?"

"She was upset because I have been very sympathetic towards ______ who has been ill during this meeting, and that it turned out _____ was just upstairs ordering room service and watching television. That rep isn't even sick. In addition, another rep was sick but it was really a hangover."

"My response was simple.  How would I know that?  I can't discipline them because I don't know what's going on. She knew because obviously the reps shared things with her, but I had know idea they were flaking on the meeting."

"So she was mad at you for playing favorites when you had no clue what the other reps were doing when they were supposedly sick?", I restated the obvious as a question.

"Exactly!  How can I discipline someone, when I have know idea what they're doing and I can't prove it?"

"And everyone on your team knows these people were lying?"

"Apparently.  And they all resent me for it!"

"That's tough."

"No shit."

It's difficult to manage people in the first place, but if you don't have a clue what they're doing it's even more difficult.  So as a manager, how do you avoid this problem?  You try to hire the right people to begin with, and hope they're being honest with both you and themselves.  Otherwise, you end up with a group of sales reps who don't trust anyone, including you.  And that in business terms is called, a "clusterf#$k". 

Good luck and good selling.

5 Holiday Gifts You Won't Like...

During this holiday season, it's important for bosses, managers, supervisors, and alike to recognize their employees, especially those who have made them successful.  Some people give home made gifts like cookies, or sweaters.  Yes, I heard of a woman who knitted sweaters for her small team, and by small I mean just 3 people.  Still, that's a lot of knitting!  Have you ever knitted a sweater before?  It's a lot of work!

The holidays is a great time to show your appreciation for one another, but please if you're an employee or a manager make sure the gift is thoughtful and appropriate.  In the past, I have received some awful gifts and I listed just five of those below:

5. Company Products - I once worked for a company in college, and my manager would wrap up company products and give them to his employees.  Granted some of us liked the products but that didn't mean we wanted them for a present!  Nothing says "Happy Holidays" better than a free T Shirt which you've been wrapping and shipping to customers all year long.  Not to mention it cost him exactly $0 to give to us. Seriously?  Put a little thought into it boss.

4. Gag Gifts/White Elephants - It's okay for the office to have a White Elephant party, but if you're the boss and you give out gag gifts or white elephants, than you're clueless. I remember one year while I was working in the service industry one service manager gave out joke gifts to all his drivers.  Happy holidays here's your dribble glass and wax teeth.  He must have thought they were all 6 years old.  Wtf dude!  Grow up!

3. Scratchers or Lottery Tickets - A lot of bosses like these gifts because they're cheap, and the pay off for the recipient could be amazing!  But keep in mind the first part of the sentence, they're CHEAP.  Just like the boss who gave them to you.  I had a boss give each of his 10 employees 3 scratchers from the California lottery.  He was making about $200,000 a year, and he spent $30 TOTAL, on all his employees who probably earned him a bonus of $25,000.  "
Yeah that's so thoughtful boss that you went to the convenience store at lunch time and bought us these... I think I would rather you brought me a six pack of beer."

2. Coffee Mugs - I don't know about you, but I have at least a dozen coffee mugs from various companies that I have worked for or worked with, and I never use them....ever.  What happens is they end up in the garage and then we sell them or give them away to charity.  Yes, even the fancy coffee mugs from YETI and other brand names, still tell your employees, "I didn't think a whole lot about this gift, but I hope you like it!"  The worst are the ones that have company logos or a picture of your boss on the mug.  Seriously, do I want to look at my boss in the morning while sipping on coffee.  Hell no!

1. NOTHING - I have received this gift many times over the years and I have always resented my boss.  It costs little, and takes no time to send to your employees.  It also tells everyone that you're a complete a##hole of a manager.  Thanks for nothing boss!  Crappy Holidays!

SFTD