Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com March 23, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 45 Biz BookS Creating urgency and growth in a fast-changing biz culture "T he High-Speed Company: Cre- ating Urgency and Growth in a Nanosecond Culture" by Jason Jennings with Laurence Haugh- ton (Portfolio/Penguin, $27.95). Three words are missing from many cor- porate vision and guiding principles state- ments: Adapt, Improvise, Overcome. Without those words to remind all employees of cre- ativity and speed, organiza- tions subject themselves to Methodism (n. "the unthink- ing application of the same routine(s) to every situation"). Methodism keeps the blinders on. Examples: 1. Blockbuster was blown away by Netflix. It thought its com- petition was other video rental chains. It didn't respond to the new market DVD-by-mail paradigm that Netflix offered. Blockbuster went bankrupt. To its credit, Netflix did continue adapting to consumer trends. By quickly entering the video streaming busi- ness, it stayed on the cutting edge of customer satisfaction. With the advent of Smart TVs, it remains well-positioned to hone that edge. 2. Kodak had the technology for digi- tal photography well before "digital" was thought about by its competitors. It put the technology on the shelf because it thought it would cannibalize its film business. By the time Kodak realized that digital photography was "the next big thing," it was behind the competitive eight-ball. It went bankrupt. Some of the actions that help employees forget Methodism: "Keep it simple." Don't muddy communication with fuzzy words, buzzwords and jar- gon because they lead to misun- derstood expectations. Clearly communicate what; let them figure out the creative how. "Make it okay to make mistakes." By penalizing those who make mistakes, you're creating a culture of cover-up and finger-point- ing. People become more risk averse, which halts the learning experience of creativity and exploration. "Keep people motivated." Zig Ziglar, the motivational guru said, "They say motiva- tion doesn't last long, and I agree. Shower- ing doesn't last either which is why it's rec- ommended every day." If you want people to think about opportunities and possibilities, there can never be too many motivational messages communicated. The bottom line: The answer to "What's next?" should never involve repeating what's been done. In a business world where change fuels growth, a product's life cycle reaches the maturity and decline phases quickly. • • • "Captivology — The Science of Cap- turing People's Attention" by Ben Parr (HarperOne, $27.99). While one might think that grabbing and holding another's attention may be more art than science, Parr's "Seven triggers" show that hardwired consciousness makes us look for different things of interest. Here's a look at what triggers base-level attention: Automaticity — Things that stand out grab our attention because of association and contrast. Research confirms color as the most powerful attention grabber. When you see red, there's a different associative response than blue because red indicates certain things (i.e. danger, anxiety, and romance). But contrast plays a role, too. If you see red against a back- ground of other shades of red and any shade of blue against a white background, the blue would stand out. From a product stand- point, colors "pop" when they have the right con- trast. They also "pop" when they're different from those of competitors' products. When you enter Costco, you'll see TV set boxes with pictures on white back- grounds. What if a manufacturer used a neon green background? Would that grab your attention? What if the background was light pink? Symbols are another visual cue. A pair of squiggly lines on a traffic sign means something totally different than one squig- gly line. Similarly, logos are symbols that garner attention. Not only because of their shape, but also because of the meaning associated with their brand. The iconic logos of Apple, FedEx, Pepsi, etc. create consumers' expectations. Sound also has an effect on attention. Imagine a pick- up truck commercial with a waltz versus a pulse-pound- ing soundtrack. Which one evokes images of a truck hard at work? Playing off automaticity's sensory cues, Parr sets the table for the other six attention- keeping triggers. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak ▶ ▶ In a business world where change fuels growth, a product's life cycle reaches the maturity and decline phases quickly. tHe rainmaker Keys to building a great sales team: part II Editor's Note: This is the second of a three- part series on building a great sales team. By Ken Cook I n the first installment we talked about the type of individuals who are most success- ful in today's sales environment. Great can- didates today are ones pre-disposed to com- fortably connecting, building trust, and building strong rela- tionships. Why? You can teach product knowledge and indus- try expertise. You will struggle to teach peo- ple how to connect and build trust. Once you know who will be on the sales team, you want to focus on how they will interact with custom- ers. After all, they will be the face of the compa- ny with each and every customer and prospect. What do you want those interactions to look like? How do you want customers to feel when they interact with a team member? To help in figuring this out, consider this pair of hypothetical questions you could ask customers. Do you want to buy when the opportunity is right for you, with no overt sell- ing from us? — or — Do you want us to sell to you, proposing solutions we know are the best answers for your problems and needs? In reality, the ideal answer in today's world is a more collaborative approach that resides somewhere between the extremes of those two questions. Today's informed C-level cus- tomer would most likely say: "I would like to be given the opportunity to explain my needs and wants to a salesperson who listens, asks questions based on what I say, and comes to an understanding of how to fulfill those needs." Customers today are well informed. They know the products and services of their ven- dors almost as well as the vendors do (and in some cases even better than the vendors). The value today for customers is the authen- ticity of the interaction itself. Can the custom- er get information and collaboration focused on them and their issues, rather than a sales pitch on the vendor's products and services? The answer lies in how one approaches a customer interaction. As an example, on a recent trip I was sitting in the airport termi- nal next to two co-workers who were rehears- ing a slide presentation for a customer. The majority of their conversation focused on the products they were proposing, and the benefits the customer would get from them. This got me thinking about the essence of a business relationship in the context of a sale. Consider four statements that encap- sulate that relationship and sales situation. • This is the solution and what it does. • These are the benefits of the solution. • From a business perspective, this is why the solution is valuable. • We're the best at this, and you should trust us to deliver. Most salespeople sell in the exact order presented; this is what the co-workers at the airport were rehearsing to do. "This is what we're proposing. These are the benefits you'll receive. The payback on the solution is less than two years. We commit to delivery and installation by June 1." C-level executives, however, usually buy in the exact opposite order; they're looking for that authentic interaction focused on their business. "I need to trust you. I need to have a clear value for my business before I consider doing this. What are the benefits associated with your solution? Okay, tell me how it works." If C-level executives focus on trust first, great sales people need to do the same. Establishing trust enables collaboration on the business. If you've built a sales team of individuals comfortable with connecting, building trust, and building relationships, unleash them to do just that. That's what the C-level executive is looking for and values first and foremost. The final installment on building a great sales team will deal with leadership of the team. n Ken Cook is the co-founder of How to Who and co-author of "How to WHO: Selling Personified," a book and program on build- ing business through relationships. Learn more at www.howtowho.com. Ken Cook ▶ ▶ If C-level executives focus on trust first, great sales people need to do the same.

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