IM@CS
Are You Good Enough?
Are you good enough? The answer, of course is NO! No one is actually as good as they could be. I believe that every one, in every profession, has room for improvement. Think of the best of the best in any profession you choose, and I can assure you they have room or improvement. It may seem like they have some god given talent and are as good as it gets, and they may be the best, but they still could be better.
Let’s use sports as an example. Name the best player in your favorite sport (always a start to a great argument) and I assure you they have room for improvement. Better yet, how did they become the “best”? In any sport you can almost certainly contribute their success to work ethic. They outworked their competition to get to where they are, and more importantly continue to outwork their competition to stay the best. They still practice nearly every day of their lives to remain the best and continue to grow!
Are you the best?
Actually, that is not as important as the following question.
Are you getting better?
If your not working EVERY DAY to improve your craft you are losing ground to someone that is out-working you. Even if you improve yourself in something not related to your industry you will stay sharp and it will help you continue to grow, regardless of what you do. If the best of the best still practice every day to improve their craft, why in the world wouldn’t you.
There are countless methods to growing and learning. The internet is a very powerful medium to educate. Here are some examples of things you could be doing to continue to grow.
- Subscribe to a YouTube channel of industry/business leaders.
- Follow a blog of your industry or business leaders.
- Join a forum that is related to your field.
- Subscribe to a email newsletter related to what you do.
- Follow your mentors on Social Media. (Don’t be afraid to ask them questions, they may just answer them).
- Read a book! (any book, I promise you will learn something).
In our industry, I have seen multiple situations of very talented salespeople who have some very good months, but always seem to fall into mediocrity due to the inconsistency from month to month due to a lack of practice. If you don’t continue to work at what you do it is almost a guarantee that you will struggle from time to time. I have fallen into his trap myself, and it did not turn out good. It never does.
In a world that changes at a warp speed pace, if you don’t work to keep up and stay ahead of the game, you will certainly be left behind.
IM@CS
Habits Create Culture
I was discussing this topic Monday in our Sales Meeting and it has really got me thinking.
How is your workplace culture?
If it's good, can it be great?
In any workplace, habits; good or bad will determine the overall culture of your business.
It starts with the employees and how they treat or take care of each other. Is "teamwork" prominent in your workplace? I believe that a teamwork atmosphere is the start to a great culture. The numerous positive reactions that come form teamwork will then transfer to the consumer. This all comes from developing and maintaining the correct habits. It may be something as simple as the way your voice sounds when your on the phone with a client. Do you come across that you are busy and they are interrupting you, or do you sound like you are sincerely interested in helping them out. I'm sure we all have good intentions and intend on helping them, but sometimes we fall into bad "habits" of taking the call for granted and having something else occupy our mind other than the customer's best interest. I watch people all the time, in all different types of businesses and witness they same thing; people not paying attention to the details! So much, that when someone actually does it right, and gives you as the consumer the attention you deserve that it stands out like a sore thumb. It's the "small things"! It doesn't take that much more work to develop the simple habits that can create a positive culture, it just takes doing the small things and recognizing the habits that are keeping your company from having a "great culture".
Simply put, do you do things every day that make the customers that visit your place of business feel special, and do those habits set you apart from any other business that your consumer is visiting? If not, you have some changes to make.
3 Comments
DrivingSales, LLC
Excellent, excellent post, Jake. My old soccer coach used to have a saying in a similar light, "Do the little things perfectly." The same stands true here. I like your example on the phone and the same could be true in person-to-person meetings as well. Are you checking your email when someone is talking to you in your office? No respect. I'm sure I've done it myself and I recently recognize the rudeness and lack of interest in portrays. This can extend up through the leadership, too. If someone is giving a presentation, are people playing/working on their computers? Trust me, someone's work might not be as high status as another's but their job is just as important to the functionality of the company. Paying respect and attention to others formally speaking or just asking a simple questions, whether a customer or a teammate, can go a long way in instituting a successful culture.
Dealer Inspire
Short, sweet, and to the point! It's all about taking everything from "good to great." A lot of dealers came off a good year of increases, but now to take it up another level and make it a great year!
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