Now that 2012 is here, it’s the obvious time to do what we all do – think about the coming year and the past year, and then think about what we want to do different to make a greater or more significant impact in the upcoming year. It’s the natural thoughts we all have.
Do you see yourself as talk-show host? Are you the next Oprah or Dr. Phil? You’re probably a little confused, so let me explain. I recently attended a conference of other professional speakers, and one individual asked us “Are you hosting a talk show or a listening show?” His point was that the best talk-show hosts are very good at listening to their guests and engaging them in a way that’s meaningful.
I was recently privy to a conversation where a manager was telling his employee how to do something. The reason I overheard it was not because I was in the same room but because he was so loud that everyone in a close radius heard him! After the manager was done, he happened to wander to my desk and mentioned how he had had a “big successful coaching session” with this person and that he felt it had gone very well. I found this interesting because what I heard was not coaching but telling.
Thought leaders earn respect. It’s because as a thought leader you are passionate and able to help people see a new idea or get clarification on existing ones. Sales professionals who distinguish themselves as being a thought leader are more likely to earn respect AND get the deal closed. Read the entire article as published in the Philadelphia Business Journal on August 20th, 2011.
Voicemail. Email. More voicemail. A few more emails. Wondering what is going on. Making excuses in your mind why the prospect is not calling you back. Talking with your manager about all the possible scenarios as to why the deal you have been working on (and forecasting) has not closed. More email. Maybe another voicemail. Complete exasperation. Staring at your CRM and pipeline wondering, Will you ever be able to mark this deal as closed?
I hope you will take an moment and enjoy my cover article: “Sales and HR: Perfect Together” that has been published in the July issue of HR Keystones, the Pennsylvania SHRM magazine!
Thought leaders earn respect. Sales professionals who distinguish themselves as being thought leaders are more likely to earn respect and get the deal closed. I believe this passionately and completely. Sales professionals as thought leaders? Is that an oxymoron? No! You heard it here first!
