leadership ebook september 2012
TRANSCRIPT
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The Sales Leader in YOU!By Mark Hunter The Sales HunterMaking a D i f fe rence When I t Matters Most
Ourcustomersarebuying
confidence.
Itsuptoustoshowit.
Why Leadership?Noothertraithasawideraffect
onsalessuccessthanleadership.
Leadershipisnotreservedforthosein
officialpositions,butisfoundinanyone
whoenvisionsbiggoalsandhasthe
tenacityandintegritytoaccomplish
them.
ThiseBookhighlightssomeofthemost
vitalstepssomeonecantaketoward
becomingasalesleader.
WhetheryouareaCEO,asales
managerorsomeonejuststartingoutin
thesalesindustry,youcanstrengthen
yourskillsandmoveconfidentlytoward
moreinfluence,moresalesandmore
satisfaction.
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L.E.A.D.E.R.S.H.I.P
Listening:Leaderstakethetimetolistento
whatisbeingsaidandmoreimportantlytowhatisnotbeingsaid.Createanenvironmentthat
fostersdialogueatalllevels.Createan
environmentthatencouragespeopletoshare
theiropinions,insteadofcomplainingtoothers.
Empowerment:High-performingteamsmaketheirowndecisions.Theyknowtheorganizations
visionandgoals.Theyreencouragedand
supportedinmakingtheirowndecisions.
Attitude:Leadersunderstandhowattitudeimpactstheperformanceoftheteam.Theskills
ofateamwillneverbefullyrealizedunlessthe
teamhasasuccess-orientedattitude.
Organizationsadoptthestyleoftheleader.When
leadersfailtoembraceapeople-oriented,growth
attitude,theybecomemanagersofaprocess.
Driven:Leadersdonotallowsetbackstobecomepermanent.Rathertheyusesetbacksas
stepping-stonestoaccomplishgoals.Leaders
knowpeoplearewatchingthemduringdifficult
timestoseehowtheyshouldrespond.Itsduring
difficulttimeswhentheleaderstruespiritcomes
through,anditsthisspiritthatbecomespartof
theorganization.
Encourage:Leadersneverunderestimatethepoweroftheteam
andarealwaysdrawingoutthebestin
peoplethroughtheirencouragementandsupportinlargeandsmallthings.Encouragementisan
intangible,yetleaderswhovisiblyandverbally
encourageotherpeoplegenuinelyunderstand
thepowerofencouragement
Nunc cursus magna quis
Donec sit amet arcu.
Relate:Greatleadersunderstandthepersonal
andprofessionalsidesoftheirorganizationsandtheyunderstandhowbothinteractwitheach
other.Leadersallowthemselvestobecome
exposedontheirpersonalside.
Simplify:Nowadays,informationisoverloadingeverythingandeverybody.Leadersknowhowto
preventinformationfromcomplicatingtasksand
theyworktostreamlineprocesses.Justas
importantisthesimplificationofthetasksathand.Thisisachievedwheneveryoneknowsand
understandstheobjectivesoftheteam.
Helpful:Leadersarenevertoobusynottohelp,noraretheytooproudnottohelp.Trueleaders
helppeopleinallkindsofsituations.However,
leadersalsoknowwhennottohelpandallowthe
teamandtheindividualstoachievethesatisfaction
ofaccomplishingthetaskthemselves.
Imagination:Leadersdreamand,moreimportantly,theyallowotherstodreamwith
them.Throughthisprocess,theyallowthe
organizationtomovetoahigherlevelthroughthe
useandapplicationofimaginationasaleadership
tool.
Passion:Nothingdeterminesthelevelofoutputmorethanthepassionexhibitedbytheteam,and
thisstartswiththeleader.Withoutdemonstratedpassionfromtheleader,thereisnohopeofthe
teameverachievinggreatness.Thelevelofoutput
isdirectlyrelatedtothepassionoftheorganization
andeachmemberoftheteam.
10 Traits of Effective Leaders
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Sales is Leadership.
Leadership is Sales.
Thosewhodemonstrate
leadershipwillsucceedin
theircareersintangible
waysandintangibleways.
1.
2.
3.
Salesleadershipcannotbereducedtosimplybeing
thetopperforming
salespersonintermsof
numbers.
Salesleadershipisbeing
thetypeofsalesperson
andsalesteamthatisseenbynotonlyyour
customers,butalsoyour
competitors,asthesource
toturntoforanswers.
Salesleadershipisbeing
abletoaskcustomers
andprospectsquestions
thatbothyouandthe
customerarenotgoing
toknowtheanswerto.
Tradition-boundsalespeople
wouldneverthinkofaskinga
customeraquestiontheywouldntbeabletoanswer.
Leadershipinsalesisjustthe
opposite.Itsbeing
comfortableandpersonally
confidentenoughtoask
toughquestions.
Themoreyougrowinyour
abilitytodothis,themore
likelyyouwilluncoverthe
typeofcrucialinformation
thatwillequipyoutoclose
theprofitablesalesthatother
salespeopleregularlymiss.
Askingt
heRightQues
tions
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20 Must Have Leadership Traits for Success
1.Althoughmanagersare
concerned
aboutaresult,
leadersarealso
concernedaboutwhya
resultoccurred.
2.Beliefandattitudemodificationareasmuch
ofaconcerntoaleaderas
skillsmodification.
3.Short-termresultscanbedrivenbya
managers
words.Long-term
resultsaredrivenbyaleadersactions.
4.Leadersunderstandthatvaluesandethicsplayamuchlargerroleintheeffectivenessof
along-termrelationshipthanmostpeople
typicallythink.
5.Successfulleadersrealizetheimportanceofnotjustthemajormovestheymake,but
alsothesmallones.
6.Successfulleadershaveteamsthatareunifiedinknowingboththegoalsofthe
organizationandhoweachpersonsactions
affecttheachievementofthosegoals.
7.Strongleadersareabletoimpactperformanceasmuchbywhattheydonot
sayasbywhattheydosay.
8.Leaderscreatebothformalandinformalcommunicationnetworkswithintheir
organization.
9.Leadersrecognizethatestablishingandnurturingmentoringnetworksisessentialin
high-performingorganization.
10.Leadersutilizetheinformalnetworkofanorganizationto
receivefeedbackandmonitorthe
healthoftheteam.
11.Successful
leaderscreate
organizationscomprised
ofindividualswhohavea
desiretocontinuously
improve.
12.Leadersworkto
createanenvironmentamongtheentire
organizationthat
encouragesdialogue
amongpeersinanefforttoimprove
themselves.
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20 Must Have Leadership Traits for Success13.Leadersarecomfortablewithcommunicationflowingbackuptothemand
howtodealwithitonceitsreceived.
14.Leaderskeepthefocusoftheorganizationonthetrueobjectivesanddonot
allowtheenergyoftheorganizationtobe
spent.
15.Leaderscontinuouslyreviewthewaythingsarebeingdoneandworktoimprove
thembyfosteringwithintheorganizationa
spiritthatisnotthreatenedbychange.
16.Successfulleadersrealizethepersonalimpacttheymakeonthepeopletheycomein
contactwitheveryday.Byunderstandingthe
sacredroletheyplayinthelivesofpeople,
theyaremorecognizantofhowtheychoose
tointeractwiththem.
17.Successfulleadersrealizeyoucannottotallyseparateapersonsworklifefrom
theirpersonallife.18.High-performingleadersareoneswhodonotmerelypassalong
information.Rather,theyfilterthe
informationtoensureitswhatthe
organizationneedstoknowandthatits
communicatedinanappropriate
manner.Thisdoesnotmeanleaderskeep
theirteamsinthedark.Agoodleaderwill
analyzetheinformationtodetermine
whetherornotithelpstheorganization
achieveitsgoals.
19.Leadersaccomplishtheirtasksthroughotherpeople,notthemselves.
20.Leadersunderstandhowapersonsoutputisimpactedbytheirattitude.
With each personwe meet, our goal
is to earn the right,privilege, honorand respect tomeet with thatperson again.
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Oneaspectwithregardtosalesleadershipistopaycloseattention
toyoure-reputation.
Iranacrossthisphraseandwasstruckbyit.Youre-reputationiswhatothersmay
findoutaboutyouandyourcompanyviatheweb.
Maintainingareputablestatusonthewebisaworthyendeavor.
WithGoogle,itseasytoseewhatpeoplearesayingaboutyouoryourcompany.All
greatleaderswillalwayshavepeoplewhoareindisagreementwiththem.Takethe
timetoseewhatisouttheresoyoucanthenrespondshouldsomethingnegative
comeupinaconversation.
Iknowplentyofwarningshavebeengiventhatyoushouldbeconscientiousofwhatyou
sharepersonallyonsocialnetworkingsites.
Surprisingly,somepeoplestilldonotheed
thesewarnings.
Theysharequestionablecommentsorphotos
onFacebookorTwitter,forgettingwhois
connectedtothemonthosesitesorsimplyforgettingthatitsnottoodifficultfor
anyonetocomeacrosstheinformation.
Ifyouwanttokeepahighlevelofprofitsandsalesmotivationandifyouwantto
haveampletimetofocusonyoursellingskillsthenbesureyouareviewedasa
leader.Carryyourselfwithintegrityandconfidencewhereveryoupresentyourself,
includingoutincyberspace.
Howisyoure-Reputation?
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Itsthemeetingforwhichyouvebeenwaiting.
Finally,youvebeenabletosecureameetingwiththeCEOofthecompanyyouknowyou
canhelp.Forthepastyear,youvebeenresearchingthecompanyanddeveloping
relationshipswithasmanypeopleaspossible.
Inparticular,youhavegottentoknowthetwogatekeeperswhohavebeenuptonow
blockingyourwaytotheCEO.Lastweekyourcalltotheadministrativeassistantfinallyhit
homeandyoureontheCEOscalendarinthreeweeks.
Nowisthetimetomakesureyourleadershipskillsareashonedaspossibleandtoget
readyforthisimportantmeeting.
Thedegreetowhichyoupreparewilldirectlyimpactthesuccessofyourmeeting.
Beloware6keythingsyouneedtodobeforeyourmeeting:
1. SetupGoogleAlertstoreceiveanyupdates
thatmayappearontheinternetforthe
company,thepersonyouregoingtomeet
andtheothertoppeopleinthecompany
withwhomtheCEOinteracts.
2. Ifthecompanyispublicallytraded,readtheirannualreportsandtheirquarterly
filings,andlistentotheoftheirquarterly
investorcalls.
3. Benchmarkthecompanywiththeirmajor
competitorstodeterminehowtheycompare.
Are You Readyto Meet withthe CEO?
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4. Identifythestrategicobjectivesonwhichthecompanyisworking.Inparticular,
learnallyoucanaboutthekeyinitiativeswithwhichyouhavereasontobelievethe
CEOismostconcerned.
5. Monitorthenewstodetermineifthereareanypoliticalornewsworthyevents
thatcouldimpacteithertheCEOorthecompany.Monitorthetradejournalsand
industrywebsitesthatpertaintothecompanysindustry.
6. KnowtheeducationalbackgroundoftheCEOandidentifyanykeyalumniand
schooleventswithwhichtheCEOmaybeconnected.
Usetheinformationyouobtainfromthe
activitieslistedabovetohelpyoudevelopa
listofpeercomment/questionsyoucan
sharewiththegatekeeperorCEOifthe
opportunityarises.
Peercomments/questionsarethosethings
youcansharebrieflywiththeCEOor
gatekeeperthatallowthemtoseethatyou
areawareoftheenvironmentinwhichthey
operateandthatyouarecomfortable
talkingaboutthosethings.
Bypositioningyourpeercommentasa
question,younotonlyhavetheabilityto
sharesomethingwiththem,butyoualsowill
engagetheminconversation.Makingapeer
comment/questionpartofyouropening
dialoguewiththeCEOwillreassuretheCEO
thattheyarenotwastingtheirtimewith
someonewhodoesnotunderstandhowvaluabletheCEOstimeis.Italsodemonstrates
thatyoucomprehendtheirlevelofdecision-makingresponsibility.
Rememberyourpeercomment/questionisnottheopportunityforyoutoshareyour
5,000wordopiniononatopic.Yourcomment/questionshouldbebriefandframedasan
openingtogettheCEOtosharetheiropinion.
Itisnotnecessaryforthepeerquestion/commenttorelatedirectlytoyourmeetingtopic.
Infact,isbetterifitisonacompletelydifferenttopic.YouwillshowtheCEOthatyoudo
nothavetunnelvisionandyouhaveabroaderunderstandingoftheworldinwhichthey
operate.
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IfyourewonderingwhyIusethetermpeer,itisbecausethetopicyourebringingupis
designedtobeatopictheCEOmayverywellbediscussingwiththeirpeers.Thisallowsthe
CEOtonaturallybegintoseeyouasoneoftheirpeers,thusincreasingtheircomfortin
sharinginformationwithyou.
Earlierinthisarticle,Imentionedthatyoushouldnthesitatetoshareyourpeercomments/questionswiththegatekeeperaswell.Thegatekeeperisreallyanextensionof
theCEO.Whenyoumakerelevantcommentsorposepeerquestions,youincreasethe
gatekeeperscomfortlevel.Ifthegatekeeperfeelscomfortablewithyou,thiscontributesto
theCEOfeelingcomfortable.
Ifyouhavemanagedtolandthatall-importantmeetingwithaCEO,dontdelayinyour
preparation.Investtheeffortandtimenowsoyoucanexperiencethevaluabledividends
later.Betheleaderyouarecapableofbeing.BetheleadertheCEOwillremember.
We influence each
person we meet.Our goal is toinfluence them
positively.
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Whatdoyoureyesandhandshavetodo
withsalesleadership?
Youreyescommunicateconfidence.Yourhandsdemonstrateleadership.
Salespeoplelosecontrolofmanysalescallsandtheir
ownsalesmotivationduetotheirlackofeyecontact
andhowtheyusetheirhands.Itsimportanttonote,
though,thattheeyesandhandsservedifferentpurposes.
Youreyescommunicateconfidence.
Ifthesalespersoncantgivethecustomereyecontact,
thenclearlythesalespersonisnotconfidentaboutwhattheyretalkingaboutorworseyet,thecustomer
intimidatesthem.
Ineithercase,thesalespersonsabilitytoclosethe
saleisgoingtobeseverelyjeopardized.Thisis
especiallytruewhencommunicatingpriceordealing
withobjectionsraisedbythecustomer,asitsat
thesecriticalpointsofasalescallwhereeyecontact
isabsolutelyessential.
Yourhandshelpyouconveyleadershipin
severalways.
First,itswithyourhandshake.Thefirmnessofyour
handshakeisgoingtogoalongwayin
communicatingyourconfidenceandinessenceyour
abilitytolead.ThemainreasonIbelieveyourhands
helpdemonstrateleadershipisinhowtheyreused
asacommunicationtool.
Leadersusetheirhandmotionstomoveatapaceconsistentwiththewordsperminute
theyspeakat.
Overlyfastandjerkymovementscommunicateasenseofpanic.Incontrast,deliberate
handmovementsthatflowinsyncwithwhatisbeingsaiddemonstratethesalespersonis
incontrolandhasanabilitytolead.
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Anotherwayyourhandsdemonstrateleadershipishowtheyreheldinrelation
tothebody.
Thefurtherthehandsareextendedfromthebody,themoreitshowsleadership,due
tothespacethepersonislookingtocontrol.
Finally,thehandsdemonstrateleadershipbecausetheycanshowsomeonethat
youarelistening.
Whenthehandsarestillwhiletheotherpersonistalking,itconveysyouare
listening.Obviously,listeningiscrucialtoleadership.Trueleadersshowthisnotjust
withtheirears,butalsowiththeirpostureandwiththeirhands.Whenyouhold
yourhandsstillwhiletheotherpersonistalking,itisaveryvisiblecontrasttoyour
handmovementswhenyouretalking.
Youreyesandyourhandstwocommunicationtoolsthathelpdemonstrateconfidenceandleadership.Beintentionalandconscientiousinhowyouuseyour
eyesandyourhands.Theyaresayingmorethanyourealize.
The level of prof it youmake on a sale wil l reflect
the level of confidence youhad going into the call.
The level of trust you buildtoday will determine the
level of profi t you achievetomorrow.
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Sales leaders learn how to get thebest and most useful informationout of customers.
Theresnobetterwaytoimprovethequalityof
informationyoureceivefromapotentialcustomerthan
byaskingshortquestions.
Weallcanrecallfartoomanytimeswhenwevesat
acrossthetablefromacustomerweretryingtohelpandweknowwecanhelp,iftheywouldjustprovideus
informationabouttheirneedsandgoals.
Ourproblemindealingwiththistypeofcustomeriswe
needtofindabetterwaytoengagethemandtoget
themtothinkaboutwhattheywantandneedand
thensharethatinformationwithus.
The answer to this dilemma?Short questions.
Ibelievethatshortquestionsgetyoulonganswers(whilelongquestionsgetyoushortanswers).
Whattoooftenhappensiswearetalkingtoacustomerandaskingthemwhatwebelieveare
simplequestions,butinreality,thosequestionsaresimpleonlytous.Tosomeoneunfamiliar
withourproductandservices,thequestionsarecomplex.
Forexample,weaskaquestionthathasacoupleoffactswrappedupinit.Asaresult,itwinds
upbeingmoreofastatementforwhichwearesimplylookingforfeedbackoragreement.No
wondercustomerscangiveusthecoldshoulderandtheblankstare.
Whatwewanttodoisaskshortquestions.Intheirsimplestform,theyarequestionslikewhy
andhow.Orpossiblytheylooklikethesequestions:
Couldyougivemeanexample?Couldyouexplainthatagaintome?
Best Information Comes
from SHORT Questions
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The shorter the question,the more likely we are to geta long answer.
The next step is to ask themanother short question,following up on what theyjust said.
Thebeautyaboutthisisitallowsthe
customertodoallthetalking.Bydoingthe
talking,theylltellyoutheirneedsanddesiredbenefits.
Theylltellyoutheirgoalsandwillrevealalevelofinformationyouneedtodeterminehowto
bestservethem.
Whenusingtheshortquestionapproach,thereareonlytwothingsyouneedto
remember:
First,askthecustomerasofteasyquestiontowhichyouknowtheyll
respond.
Second,aftertheyhavegivenyouaresponse,continuewiththeshortquestioningapproachby
asking,Couldyougivemeanotherexample?
Youthenpauseandallowtheclienttogiveyoumoreinformation,uponwhichyoufollowup
againwithanothershortquestionsuchas,How?orWhy?
Basically,youwanttodowhateveryoucantogetthemtalkingmore.
Second,dontkeepaskingthesameshortquestions.
Ifyoudo,youllcomeacrossasaninquisitive3-year-oldratherthantheprofessional
salespersonyouknowyouare.Youcanavoidthisbestbypickinguponasingleitemtheysharedwithyouanddrillingdownonjustthatoneitem.Whenyoudrilldownonasingleitem,
youdemonstrateyourlisteningskillsandyourabilitytotrulydiscerninformation.
Thebeautyofthisapproachiswhenitworks,thecustomerwillmanytimessharewithyou
exactlywhattheywantandwillbeginaskingyouquestionsaboutfeaturesandbenefits.
Shortquestionsgetyoulonganswers.Longquestionsgetyoushortanswers.Itisuptoyouas
totheapproachyouwanttotake.
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DoYouTalkAboutYour
Products?OrDoYou
TalkAboutYourCustomersBusiness?
Salesleadersknowthatthelimitedtimetheyhavewithacustomershould
bespenttalkingaboutwhatthecustomerismostinterestedin.
Ifyouarespendingtimediscussingwith
yourcustomerstheirbusiness,then
yourebehavinginawaythatmost
salespeoplefailtocomprehend.
Itsnotthatyoudonttalkatallabout
whatyousell.
Whatitmeansisyoureplacingthe
interestsofthecustomeraheadof
yours,andwhenyoudotalkabout
whatitisyousell,youredoingsoina
waythatwrapsitaroundhowitis
goingtohelpthecustomersbusiness.
ToomanysalespeoplewhosellintheB2B(businessto
business)sectorseemtoforgetaboutthefactthatifthe
customertheyresellingtoisnotsuccessful,thereisno
waytheyasasalespersonwillbesuccessfulsellingto
them.
Asasalesleader,youhavetorecognizeandembracethat
yourcustomershavetobestrongandhealthy.Thelast
thingyouwanttodoistoselltoacustomerwhocantpay
you.
Takeafewminutestoaskyourselfwhatyouknowabout
yourcustomersbusiness.Askyourself,Whenwasthe
lasttimeIhadasoliddiscussionabouttheirbusiness?
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Imafirmbelieverthat
unlessyourehaving
seriousdiscussionswith
yourcustomerabouttheir
businessandhowtheycan
improveit,thereislittle
chanceyouwilleverbea
greatsalesperson,letalone
asalesleader.
Thebeautyinhavingthistypeof
discussionwithyourcustomers
istheinformationyoull
learn.Veryquicklyyoulllearninsightsandstrategiesthatwillhelpyoumaximize
opportunities,notonlywiththecustomertowhomyouaretalking,butalsowithothercustomers.
Thisknowledgewillquicklyworkitswayintoallofyourdiscussions,whichinturnwillhave
customerssharingwithyouevenmoreinformation.
Theendresultissimpleyoullbeseenassomebodyvaluable,andtheymay
actuallylookforwardtomeetingwithyou.
Youwillstandapartfromother
salespeople,whothetypicalcustomercanusuallydowithout.
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Sales Leadership is possib le for anyonededicated to the profession of sales andthe goals of their customers.
Decide today to walk with conf idence,integrity and a life-long commitment tocontinual learning.
You wont regret where that decision will take you!
For a Free Weekly Sales Tip andother resources, visit
www.TheSalesHunter.com
MarkHunter
(402)445-2110
www.Facebook.com/TheSalesHunter
www.Twitter.com/TheSalesHunter
www.YouTube.com/TheSalesHunter
www.Linkedin.com/in/MarkHunter