Understanding The Customer

Who can survive without a customer? Well…

This is is why it is imperative for organizations to find ways to
delight and continuously satisfy their customers.

In our past article, Service That Sells, we saw that customer care
is key to building customer loyalty. Here, we will discuss the
customers’ changing values and attitudes to be effectively give
them that care.

First, we have to understand that values are not quantities of
something; nor are they advantages or disadvantages of
alternatives. Values are not tastes and preferences of customers,
instead, it’s their values that form customers’ opinions, influence
their decisions, and motivate their actions – to purchase your
product or not.

So, what are these factors that affect customers’ values?

FAMILY AND CHILDHOOD. Let’s face it, from the time we were
born to our teens, our parents tried to mold us according to what
they perceive as good for us. Thus, we are no longer a “blank”
slate but thinking human beings, judging mostly according to how
we were brought up.

CULTURE. If a human being is molded by his family, a family is
molded by culture among others. As to be socially accepted, as
the saying goes, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

RELIGION. This is one aspect where people in society takes a
turn. Each religion has various practices. Say, some sectors
forbid the human consumption of pork; therefore, their decisions
in purchasing are also affected.

NORMS AND TRADITIONS. If you examine each country, notice
the differences in holidays? This is part of tradition. Each country
has their own kind of celebration and reverence. So if we align
our campaigns with consideration to their “norms” then we would
be able to maximize our gains.

PEER PRESSURE. Be it at school or at work, peer pressure
contribute to customers values. If you say no when everybody
says yes, you will be left out in the cold. To be part of a group,
you need to wear the same colors.

MASS MEDIA. Technology has contributed a great deal to
influence people. Many times, mass media dictates on what is
fashionable and acceptable. So, imagine if your business is
strategically supported by this element?!


Almost everybody knows multiplication, but only few could
multiply without using tools. The point is, once you get to
understand your customers’ values, you have taken that valuable
first step in pumping blood to your business.

“You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotion
and get all kinds of press… but if you don’t deliver the goods,
people will eventually catch on.” - Donald Trump

Take note... "To effectively understand the customer, be unselfish."

Core Management Skills II

Here now are the last two core management skills...

TECHNICAL SKILLS. These are your specialized skills, which
are useful to you in understanding various types of jobs that are
done under you and why things operate as they do.

While your employees need these skills in order to successfully
do their job and complete their tasks, you need these skills in
order to guide, assist, and coach your people in doing their job.

Technical skills are particularly important in supervising
employees who are unfamiliar with their job or present assignment.
Yet superior or above average technical skills can sometimes
become a disadvantage for managers. It might make them set
unrealistic standards for their people (i.e., "asking if I can do it,
why can't they", "forgetting the preparation time and experience
they have had", etc.), be impatient with their people, or focus on
"doing" instead of managing.

Nevertheless, if you are in transition, make sure you learn the
ropes and understand the process the soonest. Remember?
Experience is just repetition. Familiarity is a matter of exposure.
It's high learning ability that really counts.

ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS. The skills involved here are the
functional abilities of a manager: planning, organizing, and
controlling work in one's unit, section or division. It also includes
skills in problem analysis and decision making.

Your ability to use your administrative skills effectively is based
on your knowledge about the organization as a whole and how
the different units are related to and depend on each other.

A manager who has administrative skills has the ability to
achieve his goals within the bounds of organizational constraints
and its policies and procedures. This means that the manager...
understands his job, understands his subordinates' jobs, takes
immediate action... does not ignore problems, follows up on
promises, gets tough when necessary, and assures that the next
in command knows his role and has the authority to act.


In all these, even if your core management skills are tops, if you
do not have the guts to disengage from the status quo... you can
not be that great power.

"A public opinion poll is no substitute for thought."
- Warren Buffet

Take note... "There's no end to learning... and in this case,
courage, proactiveness, and high learning ability is what really
matters specially for managers."

Core Management Skills

Do you have what it takes to manage effectively? Well, why such
a question? Because still many are in positions they do not really
deserve but are seated just because of how one's resume was
traditionally perceived.

See, management is not a fashion show. To be deserving, you
got to earn your wings by having the courage to bend rules when
necessary; by having the the fire to improve yourself; and by
having the guts to set a trend... all in a diplomatic way.

Here now is the first of three core management skills...

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS. Through your interpersonal skills,
you are able to better understand and relate with people.

You treat people as individuals who are different from one
another. You are sensitive to each person's unique needs,
desires, problems, interests, preferences and ideas. You don't
think of your people as just a means to achieve the goals that
you want to achieve.

You treat each individual as a person of worth in his own right.

Interpersonal skills help you to build a working team who can
achieve the task and who have the passion and commitment
to do a good job.

One who is possessed with good interpersonal skills has the
ability to relate to people in a considerate and effective way. This
means that he has the 3 C's... Care, Communicate and Challenge.

Interpersonal skills also help you build good inter and intra
personal relations in the work place and outside of it. Good
interpersonal relations with your peers and top management
contribute to your effectiveness.

Having such skill, you should see each of them as an ally and
as a partner. You should treat them as people who have a stake
in your career. This means, you must assume that your allies
are competent and smart; second, that they will not take any
action that will purposely intend to hurt you.

Viewing peers as allies and partners involves seeking areas of
mutual benefit and interest. Plan every move so that it is
mutually advantageous. See, you can't expect to agree about
everything with your ally but you have to work harder to find
common ground.

You must exhibit openness. Work at building mutual trust
and respect. Talk straight to your allies. Remember, it isn't
possible for any one of them to know everything, so give them
the information they need to know... to help you better.

You should treat your boss or your superiors as your partners...
senior partners. Partners who contribute to the achievement
of your goals, as true partners would.

When you think as a partner, you should not just silently stand
by when other partners (no matter how senior) are about to
make a huge mistake, overlook opportunities, or miss vital
information that could affect performance and success.

Again, you can not expect your boss to know everything; hence,
it would be good for all if you would know some things your
boss does not know about. Thinking like a partner means
sharing knowledge, even when the boss doesn't know and
therefore can not ask for it.

The underlying factor here is cooperation.

Bear in mind that every person is created uniquely yet with
good interpersonal skills... we can move mountains.

"If you do not believe in cooperation, look what happens to a
wagon that loses a wheel." - The Law Of Success

Let's join hands... together, WE WILL MAKE IT.

Take note... "People need people... just know where to tickle."

Seven Rights You Lose... The Second Half

Here now is the second half of the seven rights you lose.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO HAVE FAVORITES.
You have to avoid being perceived as "too close" to anyone as
this would lead to perceptions of favoritism. While you may
share similar interests or hobbies with some of your people, this
should not be used as an excuse to constantly be with that
employee. You have to have equal time for all or at the very
least create a perception that it is so.

Part of the transition that you experience in your journey to
becoming a manager, is a difference in perspective and a shift
in focus.

As an employee, you were responsible only for what you did.
Your focus is on your own performance. For you, what counts
the most is achieving your career goals and your personal and
work-related concerns.

As a manager, you are responsible not just for your work. You
have become responsible for the work of others. If they don't do
well, you are accountable, you have failed.

You no longer do the job by yourself. You are a working leader.
You work with and through a team.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO LOSE YOUR TEMPER.
You can be firm without being emotional and argumentative.
Keeping your cool contributes to your thinking straight. Emotions
can cloud your judgment and hamper your effectiveness.

As a manager, you need to master your emotions completely.
If you can not control your temper, you will have difficulty in
controlling others. In fact, you may also experience difficulty in
gaining the loyalty or respect of those who are under you. They
will never know for sure what your reactions are going to be,
specially if they bring a difficult problem to you... hence, you must
be both calm and consistent if you want their trust and respect.

It is therefore important to keep calm and cool, most specailly
during busy times when everyone is under pressure. When you
calmly communicate and do not get upset, you help get the job
done. Otherwise, you will be unduly adding to the pressure and
increasing your staff anxiety and tension.

Never let your emotions enter the picture when you are
correcting someone. Always focus on the action or behaviour,
never criticize the person specially in public, but point to him
what needs to be improved. The moment you become angry in
your attempt to correct someone's actions, the issue becomes
cloudy and obscure. The result will be nothing more than a
shouting match between two combatants.

Never yell at a person unless he's so far away you have to shout to
make him hear you. And even then, make sure he understands
the reason why you are shouting at him. Shouting or yelling at a
person only creates trouble.

Being cool specially in hot situations will earn you the respect,
understanding, and support of your people. If you lose your cool
and make a scene, what your people will remember is not what
you said but how you said it.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO BUCKPASS.
You take responsibility for what happens in your department and
assume full accountability. You do not blame or point a finger at
others. Blaming is for the weak and incompetent; analyzing then
correcting is for the goal-oriented.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO RESIST CHANGE.
As a manager, you are a facilitator of change. You must be
"change friendly". You need to be supportive and open to change.

If you constantly resist change, you and your department will be
at a stand still or will most likely find yourselves behind the times
and unable to catch up with changes specially in technology.

As a manager, one of your concerns is to help create and shape
the future of your organization. So remember, "if you are not
moving forward, you are most likely... moving backwards".


"Your position is nothing more than your opportunity to show
what sort of ability you have. You will get out of it exactly what
you put into it... no more and no less. A 'big' position is but the
sum total of numerous 'little' positions well-filled.." - TLOS

Leaders, readers... we only have one life to live and we are all in
this world together. Let not pride affect your ability to serve. Let
not selfishness cloud your heart to share. We don't need to see
people crawling in pain first, just to help.

As we all know, we should not judge a book by it's cover; hence,
give opportunity to those who seek opportunity. Take time to
have a long look into one's eyes and what you exactly require...
Only then will you realize that anything is, indeed, possible.

Take note... "With great power comes, not just,
great responsibility... but great sacrifice."

Seven Rights You Lose

So, you are a manager. Does this mean you could hold most
anyone in your organization by the throat? Certain not, in fact,
you got to be even more responsible and accountable with your
words and actions.

"Set it down to thyself, as well to create good precedents
as to follow them." - Francis Bacon

Be that example.

As a person of authority comes some rights you lose. Yes,
everything has a price even those in management.

Here now are the first three of the seven rights you lose.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO A 9 TO 5 JOB.
Management is a 24 hour job. Your regular office hours are no
longer confined to 9 to 5. You come to the office early or leave
late whenever necessary.

Your focus is on results, not just hours worked. As they say,
"It is easy to be busy, it is more difficult to be effective."
Even when you are not in your office, your actions and
behaviour still has to be congruent with the desired standards of
your position and with what your organization stands for.

Once you become part of management, your family name is
no longer just your family name. You now carry the name of
your organization. Whatever you say or do will have
implications and will impact on others perception of your
organization.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO BE ONE OF THE GUYS.
While you still maintain friendship and camaraderie with your
officemates and your team; you have to avoid being too intimate
or revealing of too much personal information. Doing so puts you
at risk, since your position involves making decisions that maybe
unpopular.

This does not mean, however, that you are going to keep your
distance. You can be friendly, without being intimate.

YOU LOSE THE RIGHT TO SPEAK FREELY.
This does not mean that you become a "yes" man. What this
means is that you use your discretion. You don't tell your people
everything particularly matters that are classified as still
"confidential". You tell them only what they need to know or
have the right to know.

As part of management, you are expected to support the decisions
of your superiors and top management. If you have any differing
opinions or ideas, you must raise these before the decision is
finalized.

Your support of the decisions of your superiors does not mean
you are pro-management. Rather, you are being pro-organization.
Once the decision is final, you are expected to be its spokesperson,
regardless of your own personal feelings. You are not supposed to
share your objections or reservations with your people. If you do,
you will most likely contribute to demotivating them.

Once they are demotivated, you have a problem.

As a spokesperson, you are also expected to explain management
directions and policies with enthusiasm and conviction.
You should always disseminate and explain all written directives,
memorandums, and circulars. You are not supposed to just
disseminate it or route it and ask for signatures, without any
explanations. You can not simlpy assume that if people have
read it in the bulletin board, they have understood.


Values, culture, and rights has to be set... as before we play a
game, we should know the rules; yet, sacrifices also have to be
made as responsibilities grow... and so, we have discussed for
this article the rights one loses as a manager.

"Service, sacrifice and self-control are three words which must
be well understood by the person who succeeds in doing
something that is of help to the world." - TLOS

Take note... "Greater responsibility would be entrusted to you
if you show you can be trusted."

Service That Sells

Customer Service has become one of the most important issues
facing businesses in every market. Customer Service programmes
come under a number of different titles... "customer service",
"customer satisfaction", "customer focus", "customer-oriented".
Their common theme is meeting the customers' requirements
and ensuring that all aspects of the business contribute to
customer satisfaction. The intention is to build repeat business.
If customers are satisfied with the product and the standard of
service they receive, they will return to the same company again
and again... for major or minor purchases.

Customer care has two aspects:

• The physical means of delivering customer service
• The attitude of the staff
  

A company wishing to improve its standards of customer care
could set up a customer care hotline to handle queries or
complaints... that would be the physical part of the equation;
but if the attitude of the staff who manned the hotline was
unsympathetic, the customer care benefit could be lost. Anyone
who wishes to implement an effective customer care strategy
should look for a balance between two. It is also important to
recognize that management and staff at every level affect
customer care and loyalty. Programmes that build a customer
care attitude must operate at every level.

Customer care can operate in a variety of ways:

• Offering customers the products and services that reflect their real needs;
• Offering greater levels of convenience which make iteasier for customers to buy from you;
• Providing a customer service centre where customers can make enquiries or complain;
• Improving the overall quality of service so that customers recognize a change in performance.
  

The most important aspect of any programme is to focus people's
attention on customer care and this can be achieved in a number
of ways:

• Running customer focus panels to identify customer needs and discuss their views on the quality of service;
• Issuing customer focus standards to ensure consistent standards;
• Introducing customer care programmes which give a high profile to the whole process of customer care;
• Running customer care programmes to ensure that all staff understand the importance of customer care;
• Introducing customer satisfaction ratings to measurehow well staff or departments are performing;
• Operating customer satisfaction incentive schemes to reward staff who have achieved the highest levels of customer satisfaction;
• Integrating customer care activities into business and marketing programmes to ensure that the whole business is driven by customer needs, and;
• Using customer care to build customer loyalty.
  

"The trick is to make sure you don't be waiting
for prosperity to come." - Lee Iacocca

Take note... "Treat your customers like family...
indulge but never overdo... then you'll see."

The Ideal Sales Department

I. Should know the direction the Company wants to take,;

II. Must have properly trained personnel to promote and sell
the Company's image and products,;

III. Must have the personnel who believes in the Company's
philosophy and products,;

IV. Should have a system that yields to cost optimization, profit
maximization, and customer satisfaction,;

V. Must have a working atmosphere that is pleasant to both
personnel and clientele,;

VI. Recognizes that the customer is the most important aspect
of a business,;

VII. Must be responsive to the demands of the clients,;

VIII. Must be conscious and responsive to the ever changing
conditions of the business environment, and;

IX. Must have the personnel that would go the extra mile in
meeting the client's needs.


Discipline is key to staying on track...
it's just a matter of keeping that fire burning.

Take note... "Make it a point to include your Creeds in your
quarterly meetings and you will never get lost."

What Buyers Dislike About Salespeople

From what buyers like in our last discussion, we now go to what
buyers dislike; still, for those who would think that this is just the
opposite of the previous, well, think again. There's more to the
human mind than just blood.

Here now are the Ten (10) Buyers Dislikes.

KNOW-IT-ALL ATTITUDE. Well, you know, how would you
feel if you talk to somebody who is just a show off? Or someone
who does not give you that chance to be heard? Indeed, this is
some communication problem, even in sales.

WHINES. This is about being a complainer which is no different
from being a quitter. These are people who makes alibis for their
shortcomings. And sad to say, if a person is such then he would
never really develop his own potential, much more, help others
like his customers in their needs.

NEVER MAKES APPOINTMENTS. The point here is that you
should not waste people's time specially those of whom that could
make or break you. Remember, one valuable way to build that
connection is by staying true to your word as success is really just
a matter of relationship building.

POOR LISTENER. Listening is not merely about not talking.
Listening is about understanding what the speaker is saying; it is
not about being a "yes" man; it is about putting yourself in the
other person's shoes. When you learn to listen, you would know
the right words to say; and this would bring in more profits for
your company and more opportunities for you.

GETS PERSONAL. Actually, in some cases, we need to get
personal to deepen understanding however this should not
happen at the first jump. And mind you, getting personal has it's
limits which varies from personality to personality. If you are
unaware of the subtleties then better be safe than sorry. Yet,
on the other side of the coin, this is also about reacting negatively
to unfavorable situations which you should be conscious of.

NO FOLLOW UP. What is the significance of follow-ups anyway?
Interest, clarity, importance... If you do follow-ups then you make
the person feel important which is vital to building loyalty. Aside
from that, follow-ups gives you that opportunity for feedback
which would prove crucial to the business.

DOES NOT ASK ABOUT NEEDS. Unfortunately, in many
instances, when salespeople do follow-ups... they only ask about
product performance. Here, needs is more than just product
performance, needs is about knowing "what else can be done?";
hence, understanding the needs is about going the extra mile.

LACKS PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. This is one "mortal" sin,
after all, why are you with the company? Why are you dealing
with buyers? If you lack product knowledge then how could you
completely convince your listeners? Therefore, make it a point
to learn your craft well and soon. Do your homework.

WASTES TIME. As mentioned earlier, never waste time
specially that of your allies. As we know, time lost can never be
brought back... thus, make proper use of your time and you will
notice that you spend the time of others with more consideration
and profitably. Courtesy is good business.

PUSHY. Do you like to be coerced into doing something you do
not like or are even doubtful of? Of course not. Same goes with
other people. When you learn to listen, you learn to respect. When
you learn to respect, you learn what makes a person tick. When
you learn what makes a person tick, you understand his needs
and understanding your customers needs is like pouring coals
that keeps the flame up.

"No man achieves great success who is unwilling to make
personal sacrifice." - THE LAW OF SUCCESS

Take note... "When you do your homework, you enhance your
strengths while working on your weaknesses."

What Buyers Like About Salespeople

Last week, we talked about the qualities of salespeople that you
should hire. For this issue, we shall go into what your buyers
"hoped" the salespeople they meet to be.

Well, of course, we all have our "hopes" on what a salesperson
should be; however, this article would specially be useful to the
organization's training and development of sales personnel...
which inevitably benefits the company.

Here are the Ten (10) things that Buyers Like.

HONESTY. Who would want to deal with somebody who is
dishonest? Nobody, not even fellow dishonest people. Honesty
is a pillar in one's credibility and specially in dealings involving
money.

LOSES GRACEFULLY. This happens when products are pitted
against each other... that when features are compared or when
some sort of contest is held and the salesperson loses, he loses
gracefully.

ADMITS MISTAKES. This is quite similar to the previous "like"
we just tackled; however, in this case, it may not be the pitting of
products but the unperceived shortcomings on the part of the
salesperson himself... which he admits and resolves to make up
for.

ADEPT AT PROBLEM SOLVING. We are not in a perfect
world, hence, problems arise in every area even on what is
thought to be a perfect product. Being with or in this case, dealing
with a salesperson who is good in problem-solving will give you
that peace that everything will be fine.

FRIENDLY BUT PROFESSIONAL. Being friendly makes the
person you interact with at ease. It makes the person open up
more which is good for the salesperson as he could get an honest,
first-hand feedback for the products he carry. However, this
friendliness should not trample upon professionalism, after all
the salesperson represents the company and it's ideals.

DEPENDABILITY. One way to show this is "you walk the talk"
or do everything reasonable for customer satisfaction. If the
product needs needs repair then do not delay, if it needs
replacement then replace. And of course, never be late for
appointments if you can help it, otherwise, inform.

ADAPTABILITY. Whenever we hear this, it specifically
pertains to the environment that one is in or could be in. He
should be able to adjust to the nuances and all of this
environment including the customer's attitude and his
environment's physical make up, like what's available and
what's not.

KNOWLEDGE OF BUSINESS. Certainly, customers would
not want to deal with people who does not know what they are
talking about. As a salesperson, he should understand the
existence of his company and specially the line of his work
including the products, of course.

PREPAREDNESS. Would you go to war without a gun? Or
without whatever device that could give you victory? Yet, going
to war is not just about having a gun, it's about having a plan
and all the necessary things to win specially if it's going to be a
protracted one. Same goes with business, with sales... you have
to learn to anticipate the needs before they come.

PATIENCE. As a salesperson, your products is not only your
business. And to get that order, you have to consider your
customer's behaviour and situation. You got to develop empathy,
flexibility, and patience to nurture customer loyalty. As the
saying goes, "good things come to those who wait."

"Render more service than that for which you are paid and
you will soon be paid for more than you render. The law of
increasing returns takes care of this." - THE LAW OF SUCCESS

Take note...
"It's not really what you say, but how you say it that gets the attention."

Qualities Of Salespeople

Whether you are a headhunter or what, hiring should not be the
sole responsibility of human resources; but instead, the greatest
weight to the final decision should come from the division or
department head who would be utilizing the new acquisition.

Since for this article we would be talking about salespeople, then
the most influence in hiring such should come from the Sales
Manager with some valuable touch from the Sales Director
among others.

For whatever manpower needs the organization requires, human
resources should only be there to provide assistance to the
division or department that would utilize such talent. As in such
case, there are many instances where only a mix of gut instinct,
experience, and foresight in one’s area of expertise can an
organization get hold of “real” talent.

Let us now take a quick look at the eight qualities of salespeople
that we should consider when recruiting.

Remember, when hiring, one’s professional experience should not
be everything but a small part of the final decision… as we know,
experience is a matter of exposure, everything can be learned.
So, as an employer… do not be traditional but give opportunities,
this will give you the hand to “spot” real talents.

CREDIBILITY. This is about being reliable or having the
integrity. Can a resume speak of one’s integrity? We can only
tell through gut instinct, experience, and foresight…
by talking to the person himself.

PROFESSIONALISM. This is about one’s attitude and work
ethics. Again, can a resume speak of one’s professionalism? Well,
except if headhunters or employers confuses it for the resume’s
layout. Talk to the candidate himself, that’s it.

PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE. If the candidate has real interest in
your company, he would do research or at the very least ask you
more about your company products. And you would only know
about the candidate’s interest and learning ability if you give him
that chance.

PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS. Most anyone can hire a
professional to make a resume look as if the candidate has brought
value to his company; but if you do not talk to the candidate and
give him situationers, you will never know of his problem-solving
skills.

PRESENTATION SKILLS. Again, a resume layout does not
answer one’s presentation skills, while the experience he has
jotted on his paper is nothing but crap… what you need to know
is the candidate’s voice. Not necessarily of one’s vocal cords but
persuasive ability. See, there are voices that puts one to sleep,
there are those that scares, others authoritative… while there are
those voices that simply takes the heart of the listener.

NEGOTIATING SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE OF BUYER’S
BUSINESS. Learn about your candidate’s values, sense of
service, and learning ability… talk to him, even chat with him…
give him the opportunity, only then will you know of his real
abilities.

KNOWLEDGE OF COMPETITOR’S PRODUCTS.

KNOWLEDGE OF MARKET DATA.

The last two qualities are guaranteed in a salesperson when you
have hired the right candidate as it is inevitable that he would
possess such knowledge very soon.

“Personnel selection is decisive.
People are our most valuable capital.” - Joseph Stalin

Take note...
"The more flexible you are, the greater your chances for quality people.”

The Sins In Sales Communication

Communication, as in most every human activity, plays the key
role in bridging interests, cooperation, and yes, reconciliation.

And for that matter, any miscommunication specially with lack
of consideration results in misunderstandings that could greatly
affect relationships; and thereby, business sales in this case.

Ok, business sales. Yet to have a better grip, let us first define
“salesmanship.” Certainly, most everybody has his own definition
for this; however, one striking definition of salesmanship is
“the art of building value in your customer’s mind up to the point
when value becomes greater than price.”

So, for this issue, let us briefly look into what makes a
communication failure in sales.

The Eight Sins.

LACK OF STRUCTURE IN THE PRESENTATION. See,
when we try to persuade people to pleasurably and permanently
purchase our products… “sales presentation” is crucial,
everything should be in place, organized and not messy.

UNEXPLAINED ABBREVIATIONS, TERMS, ACRONYMS,
ETC.. Now here, when we speak to our prospects, we have to keep
in mind the special terms that our products and company uses
need to be explained clearly to better reach an understanding with
our listeners.

TOO MUCH OR NOT ENOUGH DETAIL. Being wordy could
at times be irritating and so is lacking in details. It does not make
your prospect want more, but more often than not, it makes them
seek alternatives. Remember, they do not need scientific
explanations, all they need is enough detail to realize your products.

LACK OF DEFINED GOAL. In any worthwhile conversation,
there is a worthwhile agenda. But with no or lack of defined goal,
the conversation becomes something like gossiping… and
gossiping, as we know, brings down reliability.
Focus on your agenda.

LACK OF SUFFICIENT PROOF, EXAMPLES OR
ANALOGIES. You have to accept it, most customers are
“doubting Thomases”, they need proof that your product works…
proof that your product could satisfy their needs.

FAILURE TO CONTROL TIME. As we know “time is gold”,
therefore, plan ahead on what to say and do. Proper use of time
actually strengthens the points you want to make; while “time
mismanagement” only leads to greater costs for your company
and an inevitable disinterested customer.

OVERUSE OR POOR USE OF AUDIO-VISUAL AIDS.
As closely linked to presentation, audio-visual aids create that
necessary impact for your product resulting in longer “retention”
on the minds of your target customers necessary for purchasing.

FAILURE TO HANDLE QUESTIONS WELL. To simply put
it, if you can not handle questions well, then this puts a question
mark on your product knowledge. Well, who wants to buy
something they are not sure of? This inability, then, affects your
customer’s decision making in a negative way.

“You do not need to glamorize addiction to sell clothes.”
- Bill Clinton

Take note…
“To Communicate Effectively… LISTEN before you Speak.”

The Busy Manager

For our initial offering, let us get into the perspective of
being "busy". By simple definition, "busy" is doing something;
however, "busy" can not be simply tagged to someone employed
while "lazy" attached to the unemployed or underemployed.

Well, before we go any further, what's all this crap about
being "busy" or not? So, what if one is "busy" or not?

Ok, point taken.

See, again, we can be employed but we may not necessarily
be "busy" but just a busybody.

Being truly busy implies three (3) aspects...

BUSY: Responsible. As the word tells us, busy is about doing
what you are tasked to do on time and to the best of your abilities.

"If you want a thing done well, call on some busy person to do it.
Busy people are generally painstaking and thorough in all they
do." - THE LAW OF SUCCESS

A busy manager is responsible. He knows he is a vital part of the
machine... whether he is in charge of marketing, operations,
finance, human resources or what; he knows his accountability
to the organization regardless of his mood.

BUSY: Productive. When you are responsible, you are generally
productive. As we know, productivity is about input and output.
However for this matter, productivity suggests going that extra
mile. Taking on more responsibility. This means, not because you
have accomplished your task, you could now sleep.

"Your employer does not control the sort of service you render.
You control that, and it is the thing that makes or breaks you."
- THE LAW OF SUCCESS

A busy manager is good in time management. He is excellent in
planning, consequently, he actively seeks ways to improve his
department's methodologies. Once work methods are improved,
productivity increases, hence, he can take on more
responsibilities.

This now brings us to the third aspect of being "busy".

BUSY: Growth. Because our productivity increased, growth
is inevitable. Yet again, for this article, growth is about gaining
more knowledge and/or skills. And so, growth is the laurel of
being truly busy; and this is seen not by simply being employed
but by knowing one's plans and activities.

"I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill,
one only finds that there are many more hills to climb."
- Nelson Mandela

A busy manager knows he can not sit on his laurels. He knows
that technical competence or professional knowledge is a key
strand in his authority; as a result, he constantly looks out for
trends and developments in his field of activity.

For the coming issues, we would be going into the different areas
of management such as marketing, operations... to name a few.

Take note... "If you know how to prioritize well...
... then you are that manager we can depend on."