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DISC – Compliance Style

I use DISC as a core competence for sales professionals. Last week I focused on the Steady style. This week I'm focusing on the Compliant style.

Compliance style people have a strong commitment to accuracy and specifics, which is surpassed only by their high level of detail and precision. They value information and trust facts, especially from credible sources. They will avoid conflict, prefer to not make eye contact, and their communication will include a lot of factual information, delivere…

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DISC – Steadiness Style

I use DISC as a core competence for sales professionals. Last week I focused on the Influencer style. This week I'm focusing on the Steady style.

Steadies are accommodating and conforming and find the opinions of others important in their decision making. They smile when you look at them, have gentle expressions, and will not usually initiate conversations. Comfort matters to them – both physical and emotional - as evidenced by their casual dress and their use of words like “feeling, understa…

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DISC – Influencer Style

I use DISC as a core competence for sales professionals. Last week I focused on the Dominant style. this week I'm focusing on the Influencer style.

Influencers are also fast paced, and are expressive, outgoing and engaging. They motivate and encourage others to accomplish and produce results. As performers, they may produce up and down results, as they tend to shoot from the hip rather than follow a process. They have a unique and individual presentation and may have a ‘signature look’. Expec…

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DISC – Dominant Style

If we have worked together in the past, then you know that I consider the behavioral preference model DISC as a core competence for sales professionals in every sales role: seller, sales support, manager, leader. 

This month we are going to focus on the four DISC styles in their most classic embodiment: To identify them by audio visual clues and to adapt to them so that you can create the experience THEY want… and to practice EMOTIONAL OBJECTIVITY and BEHAVIORAL FLEXIBILITY in the process. 

Do…

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Observe the Calendars of Your Sales Team Members

Now that your calendar is set with recurring actions and appointments, you can start connecting the dots (for yourself) of how that level of organization is contributing to the results you are achieving. 

And you can be the example for your team to follow.
Your example and expertise will allow you to coach your team on HOW to organize their time and HOW to plan for appointments so that they can begin to experience that level of organization for themselves and connect their own dots of struct…

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Sell it or Schedule it: Your Operating System

To recap: The flrst level of Sell it or Schedule it as a sales manager is to be able to demonstrate the process and to produce a sale or an appointment.
The second level is to be able to train and coach the process with the sales team to improve results.
The last level is to use Sell it or Schedule it as your operating system with the sales team. This puts the understanding and execution of the process in a full circle.

Let me explain by asking a few questions…
How are you using voice and bod…

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Sell it or Schedule it: Train it and Coach it.

Now that you know the elements of Sell it or Schedule it, what are the skills to develop to train it or to coach your sales associates?

If you need to increase the team close ratio, what are the actions in the sales process that will accomplish that? Which steps in Sell it or Schedule it will raise their success rate? How are you going to do that?

And once you train a selling skill, how are going to coach it - formally and Informally?
How will you structure your observations on the floor to wa…

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Procrastination

As well as we can plan our time and be vigilant in protecting our time from being unnecessarily taken up by others, there is still a sneaky little gremlin called Procrastination.

Procrastination is sneaky because it looks like taking a break. It looks like being productive when we shift our attention to something that needs attention, but maybe not as much or not right now…especially if it is less important to achieving our goals than what we are currently working on.

It’s good to LOOK for…

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Opportunities for Growth

Imperfections exist, and acknowledging and accepting that fact is helpful in order to move with them and through them. 
When we accept them as part of the package, we can own them without defending, excusing, or avoiding…they just are.

From that point, we can expand our view and ask: How is this habit and behavior affecting me? How does it impact others? What do I gain from it and what does it cost me?

And we can choose new actions. 

If you are in a sales leadership role, and you have …

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Leadership: Your Team Is a Reflection Of You

Team

For all leaders, everywhere

I recently had an impromptu conversation with one of my favorite leaders. She was talking, with frustration, about a couple of people on her leadership team who had not produced their most important deliverables for this time, this year.

As I listened intently, I asked myself – what is in the way of this happening? Where are the obstacles – tangible or intangible? I asked her if I could ask a couple of questions, which she agreed to – after a deep sigh. I asked if th…

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