Responsible For/Accountable To

Friday night I stumbled across a blog post from one of my favorite authors, Jeffrey Gitomer titled, "What Are You Really Asking Of "Your People?". Of course, it really started me thinking about my leadership style.

Most of you know my passion for ongoing, life-long learning. For 20 years I've studied selling on a daily basis. If you're not learning, you're going to get left behind (and the competition will kick your tail). Logic would tell you that I have been studying leadership on a daily basis as well - and your logic would be right.

Which leads me to this idea of "responsible for" vs. "accountable to".

I'm responsible for creating a daily, personal mindset of:

• Responsible for my leadership skills
• Responsible for my attitude (Hint: I study it daily)
• Responsible for my sales team
• Responsible for my actions (How easy it is to want to avoid this one)
• Responsible for sales results

If I take my responsibilities seriously, learn to share them strategically, and role model them daily, my sales team will follow naturally. They will be:

• Responsible for customers
• Responsible for their individual results
• Responsible for daily actions (planning/organization/the sales process, etc.)
• Responsible for their daily attitude
• Responsible for achieving President's Club Goal
• Responsible for their sales skills
• Responsible for working on all Five Pillars

Gitomer says it best, "If a salesperson takes responsibility for his or her knowledge, pipeline, customers, sales, income, and success, your job as a leader shifts from a paranoid accountability manager to an encouraging, supportive leader."

Simply stated: I'm responsible for AND accountable to... myself! The same holds true for you.

Reading Made Me

It's confession time. Not going to college to earn a degree has bothered me for years. Don't get me wrong, marrying my beautiful wife, Sarah, a month after she graduated from high school was the best life choice I've ever made. However, lingering in the back of my brain has been this slight regret of not securing a piece of paper - a degree. At times this "slight regret" bothered me more than at other times. Most often it is just a malingering thought in the dark corners of my mind.

Finally, at age 46, I've been able to let go of that slight regret. I've put it to rest. For years I've known that my love of reading has been my slight edge for success in life, in my jobs, and sales career. It's a fact, without my love of books, my mind and life would not be what it is today.

The love of reading was the one gift that I so wanted to give to our daughter, Mallory. I took matters into my own hands. I started reading to her even before she was born. Among others, I read Tolkien's classics The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'm convinced she heard my voice.

After she was born, as she slept in her bouncer or rocked in her baby swing, I read The Hobbit and the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy to her again. Even though her eyes were closed, her ears were open and I know she absorbed every nuance and inflection of my spoken words. I know she felt the tears stream down my face as Frodo and Sam reflected on their lives and pending deaths on Mount Doom after successfully destroying the One Ring.

Mallory is now 19. She is finishing her sophomore year at Northern Michigan University. She's changing the Huizenga bloodline. She will be the first to secure a college degree. As parents, we couldn't be more proud! She's a smart kid. The gift was received!

Mallory loves to read. It started young and continues to this day. Her love of books has already impacted her life. As she creates her own path, I know she is prepared for success and failure. After all, doesn't a good book teach you how to overcome, believe, persist, and succeed?

It's not too late for you to discover your love of reading. It will change your life!

Are You Dancing Like Elaine Benes?

George: "It’s more like a full-body dry heave set to music" (Seinfeld)

http://seinfeldtv.tumblr.com/post/45997377403/its-more-like-a-full-body-dry-heave-set-to-music

As a sales professional, are your customer interactions like a "full-body dry heave"? If you recall, Elaine was convinced she was a great dancer. My guess is that you too are confident in your sales "dancing". But are you truly dancing or simply stepping on toes?

Chris Caird, my esteemed Sales Leader partner, and I were commiserating and pontificating over a beer last Friday evening. As you can imagine, we were discussing sales skills and what makes a great sales rep. Chris is famous for describing customer interactions as "the dance" and, unlike Elaine Benes, Chris is a great dancer! The best sales reps know how to dance. Good reps know how to dance, but only seem to be able to dance with one or two customer types. Poor reps have no idea how to dance. They talk too much and have no idea how to listen. They have no idea how to be a chameleon - and the best reps are truly chameleons.

Here are the top 5 skills you will need to know to "dance":

1. Likeability: You have to be able to build instant rapport and be likeable. When you're likeable, the customer becomes comfortable with you. Comfortable is extremely important!
2. Listen Intently: Pay attention. If all you can do, while the customer is talking, is think about your next statement, you're NOT listening. The customer will notice and soon they will not like you (See #1)
3. Quick On Your Feet: As you're listening you must be able to discern, develop, and dance
1. Discern: What the customer is really saying
2. Develop: A response or statement based upon what the customer said.
3. Dance: As your conversation continues, you will repeat the steps above. Sometimes you will lead. Other times you will follow - just like a dance!
4. Ask For the Next Dance: Never walk away from a customer conversation without a next action.
5. Be a Dance Student: Practice, practice, practice.

Stop being ignorant about your dancing skills. Like Elaine, you probably think your dancing skills are just fine. Stop dancing like Elaine Benes.

Master of Your Craft

On Saturday night, thanks to a wonderful customer, Corporate Cleaning, Sarah and I, along with our friends Jane and Cal, attended our first Pin Drop Concert in Spring Lake, MI. Pin Drop Concerts is one of three premier listening rooms in the United States. From what I understand the other two are located in Detroit and Chicago. Check out the Pin Drop Experience. My friends, just Shut Your Pie Hole!

We were there to see Michael Pearsall, the front man for the Washington DC band, Honor By August.

During the show Michael made a comment that resonated with me all day as I patiently raked my front yard. He said that he took a year off from college to "master my craft".

The question begs to be asked: What are you doing to master your craft?

From my experience, people fall into two distinct camps - and it's pretty much cut and dry - and the majority of people take the easy path.

Easy Path Camp:

• "I already know everything I need to know. I am good enough"

Path Less Traveled Camp:

• "I'm a life-long student. There's always more to learn and skills to hone"

Here's my quiet little shout out to those taking the Easy Path:

Easy Path people, in the world of distribution sales, make my day. They are the ones who exemplify my saying, "In the world of distribution sales you don't have to be great, you only have to be good because most distribution sales representatatives suck".

Choose your path wisely.

Master Your Craft!