This seems like the obvious choice for the third key to growth, however, it can be a problem for many organizations. The key point is alignment between Sales and Marketing. Alignment seems to be missing in action in many of the organizations that we have seen.

A common theme is – there is the Sales Department and there is the Marketing Department – and they take this split to be meaningful. That’s the biggest mistake an organization can have within its walls! Sales and Marketing should be an integrated unit – both speaking from the same book.

Here are the pitfalls for non-alignment and reasons for alignment for sales and marketing. Continue reading ‘Sales & Marketing – the Third Key to Growth’ »

The second key in the world of creating a steady, consistent and profitable growth organization is Technology. Old technology does not count. The key word with technology is emerging. New and cutting edge technology is the focus for breakthroughs in productivity and growth. Examples are numerous as to what technology has done to and for organizations.

Some old technology examples that created productivity increases include things like telephone systems
(now referred to as communication systems due to complex coordination of technology.) which reduced the need for operators; fax machines that allow for immediate transfer of people documents including invoices; personal computers on desktops leading to easier creation of documents and spreadsheets allowing for instant analysis of data point changes due to strategy or investments. Databases and information became portable for sales people, managers and team members.

So what is emergent technology and how does it impact growth opportunities? Continue reading ‘Technology – the Second Key to Growth’ »

Leadership is the first step on the pathway of steady, consistent and profitable growth. The leadership of an organization is the most critical step. In my opinion, it is the starting point to attain a growth orientation. There are several ways leadership impacts the growth opportunities of an organization. Yet, the operative descriptor is Entrepreneurial Leadership.

There are leaders and then there are entrepreneurial leaders! The difference is significant in both actions and results. The mistake some people make when thinking about entrepreneurial leaders is limiting them to only small companies. An example would be Jack Welch when he was leading GE. He was an entrepreneurial leader of a top 10 organization. Let me explain what I mean… Continue reading ‘Leadership – the First Step to Growth’ »

During these time of downturn, it is not acceptable to stop thinking and acting on growth opportunities. The time is ripe for Growth. And, Growth Opportunities are all around us. It is a time to focus on the three things that create steady, consistent and profitable growth. There are three keys to these type of growth.

1. Leadership – the ability to focus on the future and relate it to present day action plans; clarify the vision with everyone in the organization, motivate a culture for growth and make the right (and tough) decisions to ensure the success of the whole.
2. Technology – the ability to maximize productivity; to have reporting systems that alert you to potential issues; to allow people to use their minds for higher level results; and to create a customer experience that exceeds all expectations of service and contact.
3. Sales & Marketing – the ability to coordinate two diverse units into one representing the best interests of the company and the customer; to develop an ongoing lead generation system; to sell using the same message or intent across the company; and enable the company to grow faster than the competition – as well as helping their customers grow.

Each of these three keys for growth will need to be discussed individually. Check back over the next three days and read more about each key. This information was compiled through research and actual experience of working with companies over the past three decades.

Finally one last thought. While the focus of this post is on companies and organizations – it also applies to individuals who want to grow and develop. It is easy to see the correlation of each key and how the three steps can be applied at the individual level. There will be a future post outlining these traits for individuals.

Listening to President Obama’s speech, one sentence rang out loud and true. “You have to earn it!” And, he connected to dots of this statement with Greatness. He is right, you cannot be given greatness – you have to earn it. This goes for business people and individuals as well as nations.

I have gotten tired of so many expecting something while giving so little. The greedy executive, union rep, sales person, manager, consultant or stockholder. You do have to earn it or at some point pay the piper! There are a few types that I believe need to re-think their positions. Let me explain. Continue reading ‘You Have to Earn It!’ »

I’m asking this question about Performance Management because of a disturbing research item I found this week. While doing some keyword and trend research on Google, I found that U.S. managers searching for Performance Management were not in the top ten countries for this keyword combination. What is the reason for this?

While English speaking countries were leading the list – India, South Africa and U.K. – the USA was no where to be found. Do the US Managers, Leaders and Executives already know everything about Performance Management?

Well, not based upon what I have seen, heard and read about for the past decade. Performance Management is one of the most important processes that can be used by companies today. Yet, the execution of strategic goals and objectives continue to be a hit and miss exercise – with little thought about how can we execute the plan consistently? Enter Performance Management. Continue reading ‘What’s happening to Performance Management?’ »

Knowing how to use your software technology improves your productivity – immediately! Sounds simple and it is. As complex and sophisticated as software is today, how many of you actually know how to use it effectively? When doing my research on what makes companies consistently grow and profit I discovered the true value of technology. Technology has a purpose to make things simpler for people – which feels counter-initiative based upon the lack of training and support for most software.

Remember this statement:

“Technology is designed to automatic and simplify the routine.”

Is your software doing the automatic and simplifying the routine for you today? If you are one of the lucky ones that has been trained on the software that you use everyday, then great – stop reading. If you are not one of the lucky ones, how can you move to those ranks?

There are many technology/software training companies located in the bigger cities. However, the best system for me provides flexibility to learn about my software anytime and anywhere. To select specific topics or techniques that I need immediately or a reminder for seldom used functions or actual software – you need flexible. While it is not usually to discuss business issues to name a specific resource is different for me.

You need to check out Lynda.com and test drive the learning. If you like it, you can sign up for what works for you. Personally, I have used this system for the past six months with outstanding results. I have learned how to use or should I say – properly or fully use my everyday software collection. I have also learned how to use some new software collections and have actually learned how to build a website, use certain code effectively, question my webmaster more acurately, and most importantly get things done much faster and simpler that in the past.

I’m not selling this and there is no hidden link or cookie from my site. Only an open testimonial to a system that I find working for me. Enjoy and learn some new things about that software on your computer!

Today I’m touching on an issue that seems to be at the center of many things going on today. Such things as poor customer service (hot personal topic!), social behavior, leadership, and sales people with little knowledge about their profession, customer or products! A lack of learning and developing a bank of knowledge is very disheartening.

Some examples include leaders or managers have no clue about their people’s performance or no clue about how to deal with people who differ from the manager or leader. A leader or manager should be trained or knowledgeable about personal traits in order to lead and motivate them effectively. In addition, there needs to be interaction to observe and review performance – then train, coach or mentor people for improvement.

Continue reading ‘Ignorance is Not an Excuse’ »

This is the final step in becoming a sales superstar. Actually, the real question is: “Is Confidence really the First step rather than tenth?” There are several reason for Confidence being the first step and like wise there are several reasons it is the tenth. No matter which side of the debate you are on – Confidence is the lead element in your ultimate success. Continue reading ‘Becoming a Sales Superstar – Step 10 – Confidence’ »

This ninth step is a bit different from the first eight, however, no less important. The actual step is:

“Practice, Practice and Practice some more.”

Most sales people look at this statement and say things like – “That’s not important.” ; “Situations never go the way a role play does!” or “I don’t have time to practice – I need to sell more!” DUH! These people don’t get it and it’s a terrible mistake. Practice makes things better, smoother and more natural. Let me discuss a few advantages and methods for getting sure fired results from PRACTICE.

Continue reading ‘Becoming a Sales SuperStar – Step 9 – Practice’ »