“D” words…

I was chatting with a friend of mine a recently.  He’s a Vice President of Sales at Oracle Corporation.  Oracle, like many technology companies, found themselves in an “over-hired” position earlier this year and went through a “reduction in force”.  Now, he’s working to restore morale.  It’s a difficult job: 

As one IT Professional put it; “We've been reorganized, restructured, re-engineered, right-sized, down-sized, up-sized, TQM'ed, and MBO'ed, and if I hear the word empowered once more, I swear I'm gonna scream!" 

Geoffrey James 

Maybe his company referred to it as downsizing; in the sales profession it’s called “cutting heads”.  Too morbid?  (Not for those fired with rent coming due.)  My friend’s unit was not spared; over a dozen heads.  He said they were lucky; it could have been worse. (Probably not for the departed.) 

Thankfully, this wasn’t the main topic of our conversation; we were at the other end of the head count.  We discussed his interaction with two reps that had just completed a successful sales year.  They don’t report to my friend, but they approached him in the office because he is the only sales executive still coming into the office.  They wanted to express their displeasure. 

There he was, shortly after cutting heads and these two asked if they could “speak openly” with him.  They had achieved quota but didn’t receive a pay raise as in the previous years.  They felt disrespected.  (Ah yes, there’s a fashionable “D” word.) 

Well, from these sales reps’ perspective, they were in a job; exceeded quota; and therefore deserved a raise.  Ah, “deserve” another popular “D” word.  Even though the company had missed their revenue target; even though the company had just gone through a downsizing; even though this VP had just lost several sales reps from his group; these two felt disrespected and deserved more.  (Reminds me of the movie Unforgiven and Clint Eastwood’s line, “… deserves got nothin’ to do with it…”) 

He listened patiently and they vented for 30 minutes.  He didn’t try to cut them off.  He could have, but he didn’t.  Perhaps he employed John L. Beckley’s leadership advice: 

Leadership strategy: 

When you are presenting an idea and are outlining its benefits, if the person stops you and brings up an argument or shows resistance, let it ride.  Don't respond for a moment.  And even then, don’t respond directly. 

Too many people seem to be in a too big a hurry to answer questions and overcome resistances.  Instead of making a case, we shift our focus and lose momentum by directly answering objections.  We forget that we are there to give a coherent, complete presentation. 

But maybe if we weren't in such hurry to answer the questions, our audience would find that the full presentation of facts covers the objections and the question would not come up again. 

Of course, a time comes when you must handle the resistance, and handle it once and for all.  But that time is always the second time, never the first. 

Leadership entails lots of… well… another “D” word… dimensions.  One minute, you’re having the “tough conversation” with those who have to be fired.  The next, you’re patiently listening to, and encouraging those who you’re wanting to stay; trying to motivate; relying on to continue their success so more heads won’t be cut.

In a leadership career, dimensions are a necessity for success.  My friend is… my favorite “D” word… darn good at it. 

                                                            GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Credible, but…

I attended an SMM webinar recently, “The Secrets of Sales Credibility: The Trust Accelerator” by C. Lee Smith.  He is the CEO of Sales Fuel and author of SalesCred: How Buyers Qualify Sellers ©.  (If you’ve never attended, SMM is an excellent leading practices resource.) 

Much is said in sales circles these days about “qualifying the buyer”.  I liked Lee’s perspective on how buyers qualify the seller with an emphasis on credibility.  The first part of C. Lee Smith’s webinar title addressed this: 

In sales, credibility is being thought of as someone who knows what they’re talking about and knows how to help.

I love that phrase, “…knows what they’re talking about”.  I also appreciated the market research Lee offered from his company Sales Fuel.  Market research is always a good compliment to sales coaching; makes it more credible, true?  Here are two examples: 

Only 1 in 4 Americans views salespeople as credible in what they say and do [American State of Credibility]             

44% of millennials prefer no sales rep interaction at all in a B2B setting [Gartner] 

Those darn millennials; always looking for a mobile, on-demand, self-service solution, HaHa!  I describe this B2B buying phenomenon as, “Isn’t there an App for that?”  It’s not just the millennials, though.  Today’s Modern Buyer wants a salesperson who is easy to deal with; “knows how to help”.  That’s where credibility comes in: 

Sales Credibility: 

It’s what gets you through to high-level decision-makers that can transform your business.  Credible people want to do business with credible people. 

I love that phrase; “Credible people want to do business with credible people”.  The “you” in the “transform your business” part is referring to the salesperson’s business.  Credibility increases sales performance – I’m in total alignment with that perspective. 

OK then, so why did I include the “but” in the title of my post?  Because it was the second half of Lee’s webinar title that I’m not in alignment with; “The Trust Accelerator”.  In my opinion, that’s an overreach.  He suggests: 

The goal of most professional salespeople is to become a ‘trusted advisor’ to their customer. 

Ah yes, the old “Trusted Advisor” status.  Spoken of often – by salespeople!  I can’t remember a single time in my entire selling career when a prospect said to me, “Gary, what I’m looking for is a trusted advisor”.  Not once. 

I’ve researched, written about, and continue to coach salespeople on “Credibility” vs. “Trusted Advisor”.  In The Speed of Trust © written by Stephen M.R. Covey he offers research and coaching on how to attain a trust status.  I particularly enjoyed this research example: 

I don’t think you have a full trusting relationship until you are actually at the point that you deliver success repeatedly.  When one of my major suppliers says we want to have a trusting relationship, I think, “What a lot of rubbish that is!”  I turn around and say, “I don’t trust you.  I am not going to trust you until you repeatedly deliver success to me.” 

Peter Lowe 

I love this anecdote.  The reality is prospective customers don’t trust us – yet.   For me; I’m satisfied with being perceived by the Modern Buyer as credible; knowing what I’m talking about; knowing how to get things done for them.

However, if we insist on earning a position of “Trusted Advisor” then we must produce “…until you repeatedly deliver success to me”.  Trust doesn’t beget results for us or our customers – it’s just the opposite. 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

How’s your day been?

It was six years ago yesterday.  I was in an earthquake in Mexico City; a 7.1.  How do you work that into casual conversation? 

September 19, 2017 at 1:15 pm local time, a powerful earthquake shook the bejeezus out of my training class; our lunch break; my colleagues; and me!  Thankfully, no one in our group was hurt. 

Unfortunately, there were many in Mexico City and surrounding states that did get hurt; over 200 people killed; hundreds perhaps thousands injured.  According to The Guardian ©; 

It was the second major earthquake to hit Mexico in two weeks and came on the anniversary of the 1985 quake that devastated Mexico City, killing 5,000 people and destroying 10,000 homes. 

In fact, because of that 32^nd anniversary; commemorating the devastation; we actually had an emergency evacuation drill at 11am in 2017; about 2 hours before the real thing hit again! 

During the episode, I was conscious of the fact I was experiencing an earthquake – on the 19^th floor of a hotel no less.  What started out feeling like a freight train passing by causing the table to vibrate, quickly erupted into what seemed like a prolonged period of ferocious shaking.  I could not keep my feet. 

Those much braver than I were calling out; directing us towards the archway leading into the room.  Firmly they instructed us to move away from the windows; calmly, they reassured us that we will be alright.  Ultimately, we filed out onto the streets joining tens of thousands of others.

I remember looking out the window and seeing the glass buildings across the plaza actually swaying.  It was surreal.  It reminded me of the scene in movie The Matrix where a helicopter crash caused the façade of a glass office tower to ripple. 

So many had invested so much before the earthquake hit – and after.  Gustavo Moussalli, our Latin American Division Director and the executive sponsor for the class had made a huge commitment to his local partners; coordinating a 3-day enablement class to support their success. 

Gerardo Diez Martinez, our local Channel Manager arranged the meeting rooms and set-up; AV equipment; food and beverage; Gerardo spared no expense to insure we had everything we needed for his partners. 

My colleague Susanna Lagtapon sacrificed time away from her daughter’s 13^th birthday; traveling instead to join us for the class.  Our colleague, Tony Caporal, with cooler head and bravery, prevailed following the earthquake.  He helped us retrieve our laptops and luggage.  (Even stopping at the lobby bar to grab a free beer on his way out of the hotel.) 

Our VP, Brian Enright, was our “home base”; coordinating flights out of town; hotel reservations; and anything else he could do to support us from afar. 

And especially Hector Garcia from our long-time partner NetSoft.  Hector insisted on personally driving us to the airport; would not hear of us taking a taxi or a bus.  He would navigate us through the city streets; on constant vigil for our safety.  Three hours to drive us 12 kilometers.  Three hours in the opposite direction from his own home and family – taking us in his care. 

As with all disasters, there were many heroes – named and unnamed.  But that was 2017; Mexico City; and an earthquake.  Today, it’s another crisis; another natural disaster; another conflict. 

We are all thankful for so many first responders and other heroes – named and unnamed.  May God bless them all. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Dates never forgotten…

This is the week September 11, 2001 comes up - we remember.  What dates are never forgotten for you?  

In the novel, A Tale of Two Cities © is the contrast, “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…” both occurring at the same time.  For many Americans, 9/11/2001 seems like a demarcation point between the best of times before that morning and the worst of times after.  That’s when terrorism literally collided into freedom.

Do you remember where you were when news and the images of the planes crashing into the World Trade Centers in New York City were broadcast?  I always will.  In a flash Americans were once again going to be tested on what we can endure during the worst of times. 

December 7, 1945 tested my parent’s generation; October 29, 1929 tested my grandparents’.  On a more personal level April 20, 1999 was the worst of times in my town. 

It’s amazing what we can accomplish during the best of times; and what we must endure during the worst of times.  And “must” we must.  The bad times help us appreciate and enjoy the good times.  Here’s what Ernest Hemingway said: 

Life breaks us.  And when we heal, we’re stronger on the broken parts. 

Our ability to gain strength from adversity should come as no surprise, though.  Our ancestry is made of up generations who were broken; endured; and then grew stronger. Is today’s adversity caused by gun violence, racial injustice, and other calamities akin? 

For those who did not suffer a direct loss of loved ones from the recent Covid pandemic, our hardships still come in the form of inconvenience and economics.  It’s more arduous today to keep up; we continue to hear "supply chain disruptions"; housing prices are almost unreachable.  Things we once dreamed of seem further from our grasp than ever.  Our available resources are nearing the breaking point. 

But for America, that’s nothing new.  Our country has been near the breaking point; on the brink; and healed back stronger for as long as we have been a country.  Was the suffering from the Revolution; Civil War; Korea; Viet Nam; the Civil Rights Movement, or any other national, local, family, or personal crisis less hard? 

We are again facing threats to our way of life; and indeed many of our life’s ways need to change.  We are strong enough to face these threats because we come from generations of strength - families who struggled to make for this country, for their loved ones, and for themselves the best of times.  Like past generations, Americans today will have to re-earn the better things in life.  Perhaps we should start by re-learning what those better things are: 

To really enjoy the better things in life, one must first have experienced the things they are better than. 

Oscar Holmolka 

We’re better off remembering the better things like the day an American walked on the moon, or the night the men's Olympic hockey team won the gold medal to Al Michaels’ famous words, “Do you believe in miracles?”  Our favorite Unknown Sage reminds us: 

The First Rule of Life: 

The best things in life aren't things.                    

America endured and grew stronger by overcoming those life-changing events known as 9/11; Black Tuesday; Pearl Harbor; Columbine; and others.  Today once again American must endeavor to endure; overcome; and re-unite. 

We will succeed, too… because we have never forgotten.                               

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Technology; past, present and future…

I attended a seminar recently co-sponsored by EPAM and Appian entitled, “Navigating Economic Uncertainty: AI, Robotics & Automation”.  It was a very interesting discussion with a big emphasis on Artificial Intelligence.  

We see a great deal of emphasis on A.I. these days, true?  (Or is it AI with no periods?  Confusing to us humans.)  There are lots of descriptions bandied about; “Generative AI”, “Responsible AI”, “Last Invention”, “Terminal”, “Cool”. 

All this reminds me of a presentation by David Smith, a futurist, who was putting then-present technology in perspective – I guess – way back in April of 2012.  I know, the Dark Ages! 

I suspect one of the reasons why presentations by futurists are so popular is they are provocative.  Part of their “WOW Factor” is all the speculation and prognostications they make.  Here are a few examples the state of the then-current and future of technology David made 11 years ago: 

• Today’s technology, we can record everything – and everything is a lot!
• Among the 5 most appreciated technologies of the past 100 years – the microwave oven topped the list (followed very closely by - the garage door opener). 
• 90% of the computer chips manufactured today don’t go into computers; automobiles and household appliances are common chip destinations. 
• 70% of the Internet traffic does not involve a person; it’s machines “talking to” machines, posing as humans. 

(How do we know if those Tweets or Xs are coming from a person or a toaster-oven?)

David Smith concluded his presentation with “shock and awe” statements about the future impacts of technology on mankind. 

I wonder how many of the provocative statements made today about AI will hold true eleven years from now?  That’s 2034.  Will that be the rise of the machines; the end of Social Security?  Will “X” still be “X”?  Will we still love our microwave ovens and garage door openers? 

As the person who trademarked, Dark Ages Computing ® in the 1990’s, it won’t come as a surprise that I’m a bit cynical about today’s continual hype on technology, technology, TECHNOLOGY!  I mean sliced bread was one thing back in the day; but today: 

Just because something is technically feasible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. 

                   Gary A. Pokorn 

I’d like to argue with futurists and AI but I know 3 reasons why it would be futile: 

1. The machines and futurists don’t have the same sense of humor when it comes to the over-hype of technology as I do.  Futurists gets paid to prognosticate about what will happen “someday” (with a fair bit of vagueness on the “when”, I might add).  The end game for AI is still a bit vague.  Me?  I actually have to make a living selling this stuff.   Yet, I’m the one with the sense of humor!
2. Then it dawned on me that you really can’t argue with a futurist – his position is based on events that haven’t taken place yet, so we don’t know if he is accurate.  (Although our Sales Managers still argue about the accuracy of our sales forecasts, true?)  As for AI, do you set up ChatGBT to argue with yourself?  Hmmm
3. The idea of arguing with technologists, futurists, machines, or AI reminds me of our favorite, Unknown Sage: 

Arguing with an engineer is like wrestling a pig in the mud. After a few hours you realize, the pig likes it.             

OK, I have to go now – my refrigerator texted me. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Meditation required?

I attended the South Jeffco Business Alliance Meeting recently.  One of the presenters was Lisa Moore.  The other was Dr. James G. Wellborn from Children’s Hospital of Colorado.  The theme was “Work-Life Balance”.  The top half of Lisa’s handout reflects positive moods; the bottom half… well… we already know those, true?  

Both presenters discussed how stress at work and stress in our personal lives are so intertwined that each impacts the other and both impact our mood.  Each presenter emphasized what happens to us is less important than how we react to what happens to us.  As Charles Swindell put it: 

I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. 

I was reminded of such a reaction recently when my wife, obviously frustrated and exasperated said, “I have to call Amazon support.”  A simple situation?  Calling support?  Well, it definitely put her mood in the bottom half of Lisa’s card. 

My wife sells personalized dog and horse products on Amazon (Thriving Pets International).  She qualified several years ago for their special program supporting small businesses called Amazon Handmade.  It has been great for her business, but it comes with a price. 

Of course, lots of companies sell on Amazon.  According to Wikipedia: 

Amazon is the world's largest online retailer and marketplace, earning the moniker “The Everything Store”. 

Selling on “The Everything Store” for those other companies comes with a price, too.  Oh, it’s not just the Amazon fees; their price is not merely monetary.  The price I’m referring to today pertains to accessing service and support.  Amazon is big and it shows, LOL!  (I wonder if they sell medication to help before we call their support?) 

My wife’s grim mood made me wonder instead of medication she might do a little meditation before calling Amazon support.  What do you think?  Do you hate calling a vendor’s support line?  Of course, vendors have been constantly changing their support lines; from on-shore to off-shore; from telephone to online; from humans to chat bots.  I can’t wait to see what Artificial Intelligence has in store for us all!  Can you spell Rx? 

I can only imagine what the mood is for those human client support people still providing the best service they can.  We clients are demanding:

After exhausting every possible way to assist an irate client for the past 45 minutes, and then concluding her phone conversation in the professional manner she had been trained for, the client service representative was heard to let out a pent-up, rhetorical question of frustration, 

“What does this customer want me to do about their problem, perform magic”??? 

Gary A. Pokorn 

We have many daily opportunities for a spoiled mood.  Self-control; now that seems to be the ticket.  Others we listen to can make self-control sound so simple.  It must be me; I must be a slow learner because I struggle heeding their straightforward advice : 

            If things go wrong, don’t go with them. 

                        Roger Babson 

During the meeting Dr. James G. Wellborn presented this questionnaire about hassles and uplifts.  The Top 10 hassles for middle-aged people wasn’t a real surprise.  However, it does seem to indicate that for all the negative talk we have about our jobs; our workload; our boss… calling customer support… its what’s happening outside of our occupation that’s dominating our mood. 

Maybe Lisa has it right – meditation (vs. medication) is a salvo to ease our mood. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.

Often overlooked…

I enjoyed reading about sales enablement on LinkedIn recently.  Did you see Cassandra Mingus’ article? 

There are 3 reasons why I enjoyed it.  First, I happen to know Mike Demmert (always great to read about our friends’ success).  Second, the topic is near and dear to me because I’ve been in the sales enablement field for over a decade.  Third, Cassandra Mingus did an excellent job of covering the “levels of success” required for effective sales enablement.  Especially the “often overlooked” level. 

In the book, Sales Enablement 3.0 ©, Roderick Jefferson offers examples of leading practices in the sales enablement field from his long and experienced career.  To be successful Roderick says  sales enablement leadership needs to get all constituents to come to agreement on a unified, strategic definition of the sales enablement function.  Cassandra writes that Mike does this well. 

Mr. Jefferson continues that once the strategic level is established, the tactical level of sales enablement (e.g. tools, documentation, metrics, etc.) will fall into place.  Well OK, but... 

            A little experience upsets a lot of theory. 

S. Parkes Cadman 

I noticed in his book, Roderick overlooked the “often overlooked” level of successful sales enablement.  Thankfully, Cassandra did not. 

I believe the “often overlooked” level may be THE level that determines the success (or failure) of a company's entire sales enablement program. It is the "street level" aka "street credibility" aka “street cred”.  IMHO, who delivers the content is more important than what the content is.  Mike Demmert being who Mike Demmert is, makes THE difference at Signifyd. 

We all know that clients and prospects are a tough and demanding audience.  Ultimately, they have the final word.  Yet, many companies have sales enablement content delivered by those who have not been “on the street” very long; have limited experience; overly reliant on theory. 

Beyond tough clients and prospects, young salespeople are also a tough audience because they have limited practical experience to relate sales enablement to (along with a limited attention span, LOL!). 

Senior, experienced salespeople are the toughest and perhaps even the most cynical audience.  They have been hardened against “sales theory” and company “party lines”.  They’ve been burned too many times trying to apply content directly from a sales enablement program without additional directions about what to expect once on the street. 

The opening to my slogan, “When life gets tough we could get a helmet…”  comes from street  experience.  Our Unknown Sage put it this way: 

     Good judgment comes from experience. 

          Experience comes from bad judgment. 

Mike and I were both “on the street” before moving into sales enablement roles.  When I work with salespeople (young and old) I find myself adding directions that can stray a bit from a company’s “party line”.  You know it’s coming when I say, “Now if I were you what I would do…”  and then I offer additional directions based on my experience. 

This “street cred” level is not a guarantee of sales enablement success.  Skilled sales enablement professionals must be careful not to assume just because they know the tools, tactics, and techniques; just because they have experience; that their enablement efforts have been properly absorbed. 

Afterall, we have all been in this situation: 

Winfield's Dictum of Direction-Giving: 

The possibility of getting lost is directly proportional to the number of times the direction-giver says, “You can't miss it." 

Unknown Sage 

Yes, even with street cred, we have to be mindful.  I know Mike is. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.