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For Women in Business who want to take Scary Big Risks and anyone who wants to be a better Leader this afternoon

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What is a “Brand” Exactly?

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It’s very useful and challenging that the word “brand” has taken on so much meaning lately. It hasn’t been that long ago that “the brand” was thought of as only the item’s logo and slogan. “Brand” is now centered exclusively on the customer and her needs.

The Definitions of “Brand”

I like to go over the definitions of “brand” with my clients because there are layers of meaning in each definition, and the meanings make us think. Here are some:

“A brand is the memory of a valuable experience or outcome.”
“A brand is a promise of value.”
“A brand is a promise of the company’s values.”
“A brand promises the same valuable experience as last time.”
“A brand promises an emotional experience tied to personal benefit.”

And one of my favorites: “A brand is the evidence that the company knows and understands the customer’s deepest needs and the customer’s journey.”

What we have to do

Do you see the work that’s cut out for us?  Can you see in these statements what we as business leaders, project managers, or marketers can do that will lead directly to the customer’s happiness, and thereby the success of our brand?  Inside every one of those statements are ways to increase customer happiness and engagement, whether you’re a candy maker or an engineering firm.

Which one of the definitions will be most useful to your brand’s success?  Or do you have another favorite definition?  Please click “comment” above!

The Fastest Way To Lose the Loyalty Of Your Teams

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The fastest way to lose anyone’s loyalty is to break your word.  Related to that, you can lose loyalty by failing to follow though on what the two of you have worked so hard on perfecting.

When was the last time you lost your glasses or your keys?  Maddening, isn’t it?

If I’d Only Used The System

The last time I lost my glasses I found them 15 minutes later in their new holder, exactly where they were supposed to be.  The “me” who doesn’t put things away never thought of following my new system and looking in the holder.  I didn’t follow though.

Message:  Follow-Through Is Everything

When you and others have worked so hard to devise new systems – new sales systems, new customer relationship systems, new team systems – don’t be like me and not follow through.  Keep working until you use them consistently.  Be the model for your team.  Certainly don’t fail to use the systems while you’re expecting everyone else to use them.  You’re the leader (or you’re trying to be).  Please show that you are careful and consistent with systems.

It’s One Way To Lose The Loyalty Of Your Team

Just like when I had a system for my glasses and didn’t use it, I used to ignore some systems at my old engineering firm.  As a Senior Program Manager, I had my little list of reasons:  “I’m too busy…this major sale is heating up and it’s way more important…besides these projects are my responsibility; if my timesheet is a little late, it doesn’t matter, I can keep track…no one notices…”

Except everyone noticed, and the loyalty I counted on from these folks suffered.  They knew I’d made myself exempt from the systems we’d all put in place.

When you are involved in high-stakes, high-risk projects and sales, and need the loyalty of your team, everything counts.  As a matter of fact, even when you’re not involved in those things, everything counts.  Everything.  Counts.

Isn’t it maddening when the managers around you don’t comply with the company systems?  What system do you wish you used more consistently?  Please “comment” and let me know.

Are You Taking a Big Risk? Calculate The Risk. Part 2

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I was watching a movie about gymnasts.  The coach said, “We take risks in gymnastics, but only calculated risks.  We obey the rules, the rules about training and discipline.  Only by obeying the rules can we calculate and choose our risks.”

Selling and business development are like that.

We take calculated risks according to ranking systems, and only by obeying the systems can we calculate the risks.  Selling is not a seat-of-the-pants activity, nor a do-it-differently-every-time activity.

Selling is a process and procedure with systems.  Follow the system, judge the results, decide what to change.  It’s some risk, but it’s more of a calculation.

Do you agree?

 

 

Scary Big Sales: Calculate The Risks. Part 1

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I always thought I was a risk-taker, which was convenient since people in business development and scary big sales have to be risk-takers.  Now I wonder if I am a big risk-taker.

Years ago, during my team’s years-long pursuit of a scary-big multi-million-dollar Air Force contract, I never for one second doubted my firm would win.  I knew I would be fired from my six-figure job if we lost, since I’d spent a large overhead budget and hadn’t billed even one hour of billable time in close to a year.  So you could say it was a scary-big risk.

I wasn’t worried

It was a calculated risk and my calculations showed we would win.  Most importantly, I had good evidence that we knew the client’s deepest real need for the project and our solution was the best in the client’s eyes.  Our engineering team was the strongest.  I had good evidence we had a winning price.  Now all I had to do was rely on the world’s best proposal team, a marvel of quality and team spirit  (thanks, Wayne and Joy).  I knew the risk of that marvelous team letting me down was zero.

The risk was almost zero

I am a risk-taker, but the largest win in my career was low risk, because I had calculated what we had to do to win, and the team made it come true.  Always calculate your risks.  When your risk comes out high, plan and do what it will take to win anyway.  Now your risk is lower.  Go win it.

The Single Best Way to Discover Your Client’s Deepest Real Need

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Are you ready to make scary-big sales?  Would you like it to be easier to take scary-big risks?

To make scary-big sales, you have to discover – and prove you can solve – your client’s deepest real need.  To make the discovery, you have to be in fairly frequent, friendly communication with your client.  “Fairly frequent and friendly communication” tells us that relationship selling is a process that requires first that you grow a relationship.

There has to be intimacy

In my opinion, electronic communication alone won’t generate the kind of customer relationship and intimacy that makes the client want to trust you and tell you what he/she really needs this project or product to achieve.  You have to know the deeper need that is beyond the stated requirements in the RFP/RFQ/bid package.

The best way to start and maintain a client relationship that proves you are there to solve real needs:

Be there (physically).

Be sincerely interested.

Be absolutely credible.

Be prepared with two or three good honest questions.

Ask one question, then…

Be quiet.

Believe me.  This works.

Do you think this could work for you?  Are you willing to try?   Please click “Comment” and let me know.

 

 

 

Does It “Scale”? Here’s Exactly What That Means

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We should all be eternally grateful to Seth Godin for his constant emphasis on “Does it scale?”  I won’t repeat all his advice, but this is what I’m reminding myself of today.

Successful, Repeatable, Teachable

If you’re selling or taking risks, you want a set of skills that’s successful, repeatable, and teachable. In other words, a system that scales, that makes your results larger and more predictable.  Ditto if you’re working for yourself.

Skills That Are Systems

Plus, if you’re working for yourself, you should get really good at turning all your tasks into systems. Scale up your work life and work flow into a system.  We’ll be successful when we discover a way to make what we do scalable.

Entrepreneurs and salespeople are wise to always be watching for patterns in what they do, because it is the pattern that is scalable and will generate the most revenue.   So ask yourself, “What is it about what I know and what I do that is a pattern, a system that can be scaled?”

Thanks, Seth.

How To Sell What’s Not Unique

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An article in the November 2013 issue of Customer Relationship Management compliments GEICO for its short, strong benefit statement: “15 minutes could save you 15% on your car insurance.”  The statement hasn’t gotten old and hasn’t been changed in 20 years.

Get the benefit right and state it plainly

With car insurance there isn’t much they can show in a commercial to prove GEICO’s better, so they plainly and strongly state the one thing the customer is looking for: savings.  That’s how they sell something that’s hard to sell and that isn’t even unique.

Do you have the discriminator right?

You may also be selling something that’s hard to sell and not unique.   So do everything you can to discover your customer’s deepest need, the customer’s discriminator – the one thing the customer uses to discriminate between suppliers. The discriminator isn’t always what you think it is.  Be frank about whether your firm satisfies the customer’s discriminator, and if it does, say so, in a short, strong benefit statement.

Do you know what your customer’s discriminator is?

Do This If You Want Your Boss To Have Your Back

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Do you want the support of your boss?  Want him or her to have your back?  We all want that, don’t we?

Rick the Boss used to tell me, “I don’t care if you take risks as long as your paperwork’s done.”  He meant that as long as my timesheets and expense reports were in and approved (which meant that rules had been obeyed and minimum billed hours met), as long as I was clear on which critical rules to follow and was following them, I was free to take big risks.

Support for Big Scary Risks

As long as I wasn’t asking him to excuse me or cover for me on the fundamentals he expected me to respect, he was saying he’d have my back and support me on the scary-big sales opportunities I was good at.  As long as my paperwork was done.

It’s A Transaction

I came to understand that it wasn’t a matter of Rick trusting me, trusting that I could succeed at scary-big sales; it was a transaction between us.  Are you taking care of your boss on the fundamentals so he can have your back on the scary-big stuff?

Are you?  In what ways could you cover the fundamentals better so that your boss can have your back?   Please Comment.

 

 

 

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