Neither my wife Cathy, daughter Emily, nor I had ever been on an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), so we paid close attention to our adventure guide Sebastian, when he gave the rules of the road to us during our school vacation break in the hot sun and strong trade winds of Aruba.

He was very specific: everyone in our group would stay in a single line, and adhere to the rules of the road to which all vehicles adhere. There would be no ‘hot-dogging’, and each of us would respect the others in the group by keeping a safe distance between vehicles. Any violation would result in the immediate termination of the adventure. Sebastian was so serious when telling us that a young couple immediately left our group and went out on their own.

No Accidents

As we made our way across the sand toward the north shore of the Caribbean, Sebastian repositioned how we were riding. He decided that some individuals didn’t have the strength or confidence to make it over the treacherous route to get to the natural pool, so he changed course. He prolonged our route which resulted in a very enjoyable ride. Sebastian’s proactive management skills gave us all better results. Every one had a great adventure, there were no accidents, and the company created another success by satisfying several new customers.

Rush Hour Biking

Before last week, it had been 20 years to the month since I had ridden my bicycle in a group of people going 15 miles an hour. Back then, my friend Lynchie, who was new to riding in a peloton, was right in front of me and Tom (the experienced triathlete) when he suddenly yelled out TURTLE, while swerving sharply to avoid a large turtle. With just three inches separating my front wheel from his rear wheel, there wasn’t a lot of time for me to react.  As I fell into the asphalt, my right knee turned into a pile driver. Despite many weeks on crutches and through extended physical therapy, my knee wasn’t right for a very long time. I am now renewing my passion for biking.

As we set out on our 20 mile group bike ride last week from the Natick store of Landry’s Bicycles, (sponsor of the ride), our leader, Mark, reminded us to keep safe distances between each rider and to announce when they would be passing another. Bike riders always honor the rules of the road, as if they were driving a car. They stop at all intersections; they keep to the right; they respect all other drivers on bicycles and in cars, etc.

More than 15 of us enjoyed a trouble-free ride by following the rules of the road as the sun started to set in near perfect weather through the idyllic towns of Dover, Needham, Sherborn, and Wellesley. There were no accidents, and then several riders bought accessories and scheduled repairs at the store.

Magic Formula of Growing Sales

Having grown sales year after year after year, Sales Managers of Distinction (SMoD) are in a league of their own. They develop and manage their teams accordingly to their own rules of the road. Just like driving an ATV in Aruba or bike riding in the Boston area, the success of the team can be ensured when the rules of the road are followed by all.

Effective rules accomplish three things: Generate highest level of customer satisfaction possible, achieve defined corporate objectives, and fulfill the professional and personal needs of sales producers. Call it the proverbial win-win-win situation; it’s the magic formula of growing sales through any economic cycle.

Just like Sebastian and Mark, SMoDs clearly define the rules of the road their team members follow. Simple rules that are based on discipline and structure; this is what you will do; this is what you won’t do.

They don’t have many rules, but the rules they do have are strictly enforced.

When individual producers generate high customer satisfaction levels and achieve corporate objectives, they’re rewarded handsomely. But, when individual production falls outside the lines of expectations, overall team production suffers, and necessary adjustments are made in a timely fashion. Call it the dog wagging its tail.

These days, many companies have been shedding sales people left and right. Chalk it up to being a sign of the times, but SMoDs haven’t had to make sudden changes in this economy because their system, with its rules of the road, keeps team members getting better sales consistently.

When everyone clearly understands what’s needed to be done, and the manager provides the necessary resources in a timely fashion, nobody gets hurts, and everyone enjoys the ride.

How are your sales people adhering to your rules of the road?

It happened again last weekend. With snow remnants on the ground, many long distance runners starting preparing for the next running of the Boston Marathon on April 20th. My office sits on the starting line and for the past 16 years, I’ve witnessed this ritual.

I step across the starting line of the marathon almost every day, and reflect on the annual one-day spectacle when the world comes and celebrates our small town. Who will win this year? For the first time ever, every registered runner’s bib will have their name emblazoned on it this year.

When I share my location with new acquaintances, they all ask the same question; have you ever done it? In fact, I had my own epic adventure in 1991. Even though I had trained for many months, I posed no real threat to any runners. I promised myself I would not come in last, so I started three hours early! My adventure took me six hours and forty minutes, but I finished in the middle of the pack. It was humbling when the elite runners passed by me just after I passed the halfway mark, but I’ll always be able to say I ran the Boston marathon.

This week marks the end of Q1 in most sales organizations. How is your team holding up in this economy compared to last year? Are you ‘on target’, lapsing behind, or surging ahead? What are your plans for the next three quarters and how can/will you get your team there? There are many businesses busy growing sales in this economy.

Along with Mass High Tech, The New England Technology Sales Executives Association (NETSEA) surveyed more than 170 companies to reveal business expectations for Q1, and plans for 2009. You may be surprised to learn the results. Almost 70% expect revenue to be steady or grow over 2008 in Q1, with 18% expecting more than 20% growth. 30% of those asked expect to hire new sales people! Take a look and compare notes with your own plan. Mass High Tech provides more commentary.

Q2 stands as a new starting line. Sit down individually with every sales producer and review year to date progress and compare it with last year’s performance. Make necessary changes, equip each of them with necessary tools, and support them to higher performance. Like every runner, it’s one step at a time from stepping across the starting line of every sales opportunity, and enduring to the finish line .

I finally gave up drinking coffee. I can’t say I really miss the gurgling in my stomach, the jitters in my voice, or the extra calories in the cream and sugar. I don’t even pine for the acidity left over in my throat.

I traded in my coffee cup for the mystical elixir of loose leaf tea, and that has made all the difference. I figure the Chinese (and other cultures) have been enjoying different teas for more than 5,000 years, there has to be some kind of magic in those leaves. And, it comes in so many different types and flavors.

There are white teas and black teas. There are green and red teas. Flavored and scented, oolong, mate, and herbal. And, it is prepared using a variety of techniques: withering, steaming, rolling, shaking, pan frying, fermented, firing, and drying. I’m convinced there has to be a way I can healthfully benefit from this all natural, calorie-free, fat-free, delicious beverage with little to no caffeine.

Since I’ve made the trade, I’ve become somewhat of a connoisseur. I’ve come to realize the mystical elixir comes with a simple formula; the brewing process is all about time and temperature. There are basically three temperatures at which to brew tea: 208, 195, and 175 degrees. The high numbers are for herbals, rooibos (red), and black teas. The low numbers are for the green and the white teas. It really does make a difference to the level of enjoyment.

The teas brewed at 208 degrees are steeped/infused for 5-6 minutes. Those brewed at 195 are infused for 3 minutes; those at 175 degrees for just 1-2 minutes. Each has its own range of flavor and level of health benefits. 

I never knew that when you strictly follow the time and temperature brewing process, you never need to add cream and sugar. That’s why they don’t offer cream and sugar for the tea with your fried rice in Chinese restaurants; they only serve tea that’s been brewed properly.

Sales pipelines work the same way. While most managers drive sales people to ‘make their numbers’ every month and quarter as measured by the selling cycle, little to no attention is paid to the buying cycle of the prospect. I’ve always said that every sales opportunity has its own personality, separate and distinct from quota deadlines. And, that’s because the buying cycle makes up fully one-half of every sold opportunity. It’s the prospect’s need that your widget is addressing. It’s their money. There’s only one decision maker who ultimately signs the check, and they do that on their own timetable. The deal isn’t really closed until their check clears your bank.

When you don’t brew your tea for the right amount of time or at the right temperature, it will be bitter and in need of cream and sugar. The same thing happens to sale quality when strong pushes are made at the end of the month and quarter; discounts are given that curb profits. Kind of like the acidity left in the throat from coffee.

It’s a simple formula to enjoying great tea: time and temperature according to type. It’s a simple formula to closing sales: align selling cycles to buying cycles while matching needs to solutions. High performing sales people with the healthiest pipelines consistently have multiple opportunities at every sales stage that close at the intersection of the buying and the selling cycles.

Simple formulas: better tasting teas, stronger profits.

The lessons I learned years ago teaching deaf and blind kids how to cook at Perkins School for the Blind remain with me to this day. Teaching in teams, our objective was to prepare each student to live productively and independently in society.

To avoid spilling milk, I watched them hook their finger over the top of the glass while pouring. When baking a cake, they would carefully measure each ingredient twice, while checking the recipe many times. They could feel when the dishwasher was done and went about putting each utensil, each plate back in its designated space. All they had to do was following the system we had put in place for them.

And, yes, it was funny seeing so many different sized pieces after they had cut up the cake. Don’t we all have our own strengths and weaknesses?

Perkins has had a long history in the transformation of many lives. Helen Keller attended in 1880 and later graduated from Radcliffe College. Several kids graduated from our teaching kitchen into independent living; some as prep cooks, some as dishwashers. You can only imagine how fulfilling that experience was for me.

When I reflect on the career challenges of both professional chefs and sales managers, I see several similarities. In the kitchen, it’s all about keeping food and labor costs down while producing the highest quality product at a fair price. The stronger the system is and the tighter the execution; the higher the profits will be.

During my ten years in professional kitchens, my signature was to leave very few leftovers. After coordinating a team effort that fed more than a 1,000 people at a formal dinner, there were only be a couple of plates left over. Planning, preparation, and team execution served us well.

A couple of days ago, I sat down with a new prospect and winced when he told me he had hired 11 sales people and burned through 8 of them in the the past two plus years. 8 sales people came and went in a matter of months, taking more than $150,000.00 in operating capital out the door with them.

He had used his own intuition, relied on recommendations of those he’s trusted, and even paid for the services of a staffing firm. Still, he has little to show for his pain today. Obviously, he needs to stop being blind when hiring new talent.

Because I have become a Target Teams Business Partner,  I can now shine a bright light with our new Employee Engagement Solutions on the age-old challenge of successfully hiring candidates. Together, we can now reverse my prospect’s fortunes.

These Employee Engagement Solutions set realistic expectations for both the new employee, and you, the hiring manager. They equip both parties with an effective communications road map, and outline plans for successful working relationships by identifying mutual expectations. As the old saying goes about relationships: as the start, so they go.

Instead of blindly hiring hopefuls, the prospect will be able to gauge how each new candidate will meet the expectations of the job while minimizing his investment. Sort of like hooking his finger over the top of the glass before the milk spills uselessly out on the floor.

Combined with my proprietary Individual Performance Objectives module, this prospect’s chances for greater success have just increased exponentially. His plan is now perfectly positioned in this economy. While many businesses are hunkering down, he’s aggressively pursuing sustainable growth.

Not only do these tools describe how people work in different situations, the detail how each person prioritizes the individual drivers we all have. Each will be able to more effectively communicate and work with the other because they better understand what motivates each.

Now you can stop being blind, stop taking needless chances when hiring new people.

Discover how this incredible tool works by investing just 24 uninterrupted minutes answering simple questions. Yes, it’s free, and I promise you’ll better understand how and why you do the things you do both inside and outside of work.

When you finish, we’ll set a time to review your results. It’s insightful. It’s free. It’s private and confidential. Get your results here.

My next interactive workshop, ‘How Much Money Has Been Wasted on Sales Automation and What Can You Do About It Now?’ will reveal the reasons why a majority of sales automation projects fail to work as planned; they fail to make sales teams more successful.

Those who attend this session will learn how to make their businesses more profitable immediately. They’ll understand how my system helped Xerox grow sales year after year after year since 2001 when 100% of their sales people used their system every day.

This interactive workshop is for business owners and sales managers in companies with annual sales between $8-50 Million, and at least three dedicated sales people. Chances are, not all sales people are using their system, and people are upset with such a poor investment. 

It doesn’t matter what system they’ve bought or what industry they’re in, I’ll show them a better way. Reserve your seat now; these programs always sell out because the seats are limited to the first 12. See the flyer HERE and Register NOW