October Productivity Newsletter 2018
Included in this month’s issue are Two Killer Sales Tips and One Phenomenal Culture Tip. Put these to work today!
Sales Tip: Sandler Rule #1
You Have To Learn To Fail, To Win
If you look at sales failures as opportunities to grow and develop, to hone your sales craft and step-up your sales game, you set yourself up for sales wins. Here are 4 questions to ask yourself when you fail:
- What happened?
- What caused it to happen the way it did? What else? And?
- What can I learn from this experience?
- What can I do differently next time?
Sales Tip: Sandler Rule #2
Don’t Spill Your Candy In The Lobby
Are you like me when you go to the movies? You buy popcorn and snacks. Whoppers are my favorite! You get settled in your seat and start munching away. By the time the movie comes you reach in for more popcorn or candy and to your dismay – it’s all gone! Sandler says with prospects, “your job is to GET information, not give it. Save your goodies for later.”
Culture Tip: Carnegie Principle #1
Don’t Criticize, Condemn, or Complain
Perhaps the most challenging guiding principle of leadership. These three behaviors are the near kiss-of-death to any person with whom you are interacting. The psychologist Gottman refers to these three behaviors as “Horsemen.” Like of the apocalypse! You must take these seriously and pay attention to their infiltration into your company. These Horsemen sound like this:
- Criticism – You phrases: “You” this or that, “Why do you always/never…”
- Condemn – Biting words: “stupid”, “lazy”, “good for nothing”
- Complain – Woe-is-me phrases: “What am I going to do with you?”, “You’re hopeless”, “I always have to correct your mistakes”
The reason these Horsemen are so toxic is that they often appear together. It’s very hard for people to criticize without condemning and complaining at the same time. It’s nearly impossible to condemn without complaining and criticizing. It’s unlikely to complain and not also criticize or condemn.
The greatest gift you can give your team is to follow this principle yourself and demand your team do the same with you and their peers.
Resources
The Sandler Rules, David Mattson
How To Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie