Abdication Versus Delegation

So many times when we work with clients in our coaching programs, we start to move the owner to a higher level of management - getting them away from all the day to day issues. This means more and more decision making and responsibility gets shifted to the team. This works great every time, except when we start to ask the newly time-rich owner details about where things are at. It normally starts to sound like this - "So how are sales this week?" "I'm not sure, I don't generate the sales reports anymore." "How are your largest two accounts and their project launch dates?" "I am not sure, I haven't heard back from the team."

You get the idea that instantly, through leveraging your management team, your distribution of responsibility and decision making can be lost. It is key to delegate those responsibilities and roles but still retain a feedback loop so you are in the know. Delegation ensures there is reporting and updates regularly so you know what is happening - without having to do it. Abdication is the hand-off of responsibility without any feedback or response - someone else now handles it and you don't know what is happening.

So often the next step of business owners and managers that abdicate is to realize they have lost all information flow and to take it all back. All the decisions, all the responsibility and all the long hours. Don't do it! Delegate everything you can to others with strong training and a regular reporting method so you know what is happening but don't need to be doing it.

Sales Tip: Forget "Closing"

The idea of "closing" a sale has both a positive and negative meaning for most people in sales. First, nothing feels as good as closing a sale and gaining a new client, being able to work with a new organization and, of course, collecting a commission! On the other hand, closing is also that build up of pressure, anxiety and the moment everything has been building to!

What if we told you that closing doesn't work? Most successful sales people know that getting the contract/agreement or go-ahead is only a small step in the process. When you LEAD a prospect through a good selling process, they will follow you easily through the step of going ahead, getting the nod and moving forward. Step to the decision and let them know what the steps after that will be.

If you guide them through each step, most prospects follow and your sales increase.

Leadership Tip: Lead In All Areas of Your Life

Often great leadership is demonstrated to your team in how you manage your whole life. Many business leaders think it's only about how they operate in the office and how they lead in meetings, campaigns or with staff. Your team is gauging your leadership in your management of your health, your family, your marriage, your personal finances, your car care, your hours, etc. All of this happens in addition to how you lead in the office.

Make sure that leadership development is holistic in your life and watch your results within the office improve too.

Service Tip: Ask Your Clients For Their Definition of Service

So often we ask our clients, "what makes for great service for your clients?" They often start to answer the question with "I think..." and "we think...". Then the next question becomes obvious, "well, what do your clients think?" Most companies and most service/sales people don’t take time to ask clients what the best service steps can be. Start asking your clients, what other things can we fix, do better, upgrade, make special? The answers will surprise you. Another way to ask is, "if we were going to provide our service and absolutely wow you, what would we change?"

Get clients involved in the process of building your service program and it will create loyalty, create value AND create an ideal program for them.

Service Tip: Stop Cutting Corners in Conversation

We had a staff lunch a few weeks ago. Our hostess had so much experience she was able to take the whole interaction down to three words. "For Four? Menus? Coffee?" And she was gone. Sure, we got the meaning of each question but, "For four?" is not the same as “Hi, how are you today? Are there four people in your party?”. By shortening the interaction and the number of words it may not lose the meaning (it does to some) but it certainly loses the hospitality.

Make sure that everyone in your call center, service center or client relations has the ability to use full sentences to clearly outline a question, an answer and a solution. It is a way to create better clarity but also more hospitality.

Sales Tip: Invite Old Clients Back

Have you ever been in a conversation about a past or old client and suddenly thought or said, "I wonder what happened to them?" Apathy or perceived apathy is still the number one reason people leave a supplier. Beyond price or service. The easiest way to overcome this is to constantly invite old clients back. Make them feel welcome over and over. Your past clients should become your base of VIP’s and should be the easiest sales in the world. Too often we take those past relationships for granted or forget about them all together.

If you are doing a decent job then most of your clients will be willing to purchase again … so invite them back to the table to work with you over and over. Introduce new products to them first and have a circle of people that always buy and continue to refer you year after year.

Leadership Tip: How Are You Today - Your Thermostat for Success

Many times leaders and managers want to get a sense of where their team is operating and how they are feeling. People have an easy way they project their level of energy, enthusiasm and optimism. It is when they answer, how are you today?

Choose people for your team that are “great today” or “excellent this morning”. Stay away from hires and people that are “okay”, “not bad”, “I’m not bleeding” (one of my favorites). When someone answers that question you know their whole approach to their job, their project and their life in an instant. Get your team thinking about how they are setting their bar for the day – fine, good, great, fantastic or beyond. It shapes the way people feel and how they perform for their leader and team.