Which will it be? If you have been in the sales business 6 months or 25 years, the coming year is certain to have landmines for you and your clientele. You will need to be on offense and defense. Surveillance, intelligence and strategy are your mantras. Leadership as a given. Communication is vital. Sounds like a military position?
When our military is in a situation of protecting our interest, are they risking their lives for themselves or for a higher cause? A miscalculation would not be a simple mathematical error as with a financial projection. A bad decision could cost them their life. It’s a serious proposition. Do we feel the same weight of responsibility in working with our clients and other professionals?
Question: When you look at the year ahead, do you feel any higher sense of accountability, or will it be business as usual? Will you be a sales rep…or a change agent?
Some may believe that a “change agent” is the clone of a “rainmaker” (see ZDT post dated 10-14-2010). But, while the change agent is seeking effective/measurable change (not just the goal of change); the rainmaker is more concerned with production, achievement and accomplishment.
Note: These qualities can certainly be within the same person.
How various contributors view change agents:
“Being a change agent is as more about identity and character than it is about definitions.”
“A change agent looks as much to the future, as they do the present.” To a certain extent, a change agent is dissatisfied with what they see around them, in favor of a much better vision of the future.
“A change agent is fueled by passion, inspires passion in others and realizes that it will require hard work.” It takes a lot of energy.
“A change agent has a strong ability to self-motivate.” The change agent needs to find it within themselves to get up every day and go to work and risk being misunderstood and not appreciated, knowing that the real validation may be far in the future and could even be claimed by someone else.
“A change agent serves people.” This kind of change is about people. If you change everything but the people, you will be ineffective as a change agent. Change will really "stick" when people buy-in. In all, change is part sales, part counseling and part encouragement. It's all about the care and feeding of people.
And further, from the HBR authors:
As a change agent, do you see opportunities the competition doesn't see?
The most successful companies don't just out-compete their rivals.
They redefine the terms of competition by creating unique ideas in a world of “me-too” thinking.
Do you have new ideas about where to look for new ideas?
Ideas that are routine in one industry can be revolutionary when they move their template to another industry.
Are you the most of anything?
You can't be "pretty good" at everything anymore. You need to be the most of something: e.g. the most affordable, the most accessible, the most elegant, the most colorful, or the most transparent.
Can your customers live without you?
One of the make-or-break challenges for change agents is to become irreplaceable in the eyes of their customers.
Are you consistent in your commitment to be a change agent?
The problem with many organizations is that all they do is change. They lurch from one consulting firm to the next, from the most recent management fad to the newest. Your priorities and practices need to stay consistent in good times and bad to build trust.
Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?In a world that never stops transforming, change agents can never stop learning. How do you push yourself as an individual to keep growing and evolving, so that your audiences will do the same?
Credits and full article:
HBR Contributor: William C. Taylor is cofounder of Fast Company magazine.
http://blogs.hbr.org/taylor/2009/06/the_10_questions_every_change.html
ZDT Author’s comment:
In summary…will you begin this year seeing your role as a rep or an agent…or someone with a much higher calling, vision and mission…a change agent?
It could be a game changing decision for this New Year. And remember, this could apply to anyone since we are all selling something.
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Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
New Year’s Resolutions: Make a Plan not a Promise
Re-Posted with permission:
Peter J. Weiss, Wellness Evangelist, is an internal medicine physician and former health plan CEO. He is author of More Health Less Care and can be reached at More Health, Less Care: Building America’s Wellness System.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and we’re looking at New Year’s Eve coming up. It’s the middle of the holiday season, and I want you to have a happy new year. I’d like to talk to you about New Year’s resolutions today because hopefully you haven’t made any yet.
So many New Year’s resolutions fail. People say, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to lose twenty pounds. I’m going to eat differently. I’m going to start working out. I’m going to go to the gym. I’m going to do this, that or the other thing.”
They embark on this “new thing” on January first and by Valentine’s Day it’s all over. They haven’t made it and then they beat themselves up emotionally and say, “I’ve got low willpower. I’m a weak person. I can’t do it.” And that just makes it harder to change.
I don’t want you to repeat that cycle. I don’t want you to go through this cycle of making a promise to yourself that you can’t deliver on, not delivering on it, and then beating yourself up which makes it that much harder to change in the future. I’d like to see you change for the better.
There are two problems with most resolutions:
1) They don’t represent a commitment to most people
2) Most people don’t have a good enough plan to make it happen
Often a resolution is like a casual promise that “I’m going to do it,” but there’s not a lot of depth behind the promise. People haven’t put the same kind of commitment to it that they would put into other major decisions in life.
In my book, More Health Less Care, I talk about thinking about this like enlisting in the military, getting married or buying a house. Those are huge commitments. You can’t get out of them easily. You’re going forward, and there are consequences to commitments like those. So that’s the way I’d like you to think about your New Year’s resolution.
If you’re going to make one, make it at a serious level. This is going to require a lot of thought, a lot of reflection, maybe even meditation and prayer, and you might not even want to make it on New Year’s. You might want to wait a little bit to make sure you’re really ready to make the commitment.
And as you’re thinking about this, you can begin to think about, “What concrete steps am I actually going to take to build this into my life in such a way that it is going to work? That it’s not going to fail the way things have failed for me before?”
Then you can begin to build a plan, a plan to make it work and a plan to adjust if it’s not quite working the way you want as opposed to just quitting.
When you have a plan and a commitment, then you’re ready to move ahead. But until then, don’t make a resolution because it’s really not that helpful and could be harmful as we’ve talked about.
When you’re ready…go for it. You can do it.
Article and credits:
http://www.drpeterjweiss.com/2010/12/new-years-resolutions-make-a-plan-not-a-promise.html#
ZDT Author’s comments:
Excellent article, and to the point. Again, why even make a New Year’s resolution (decision) if there is no commitment to carry it out?
Peter J. Weiss, Wellness Evangelist, is an internal medicine physician and former health plan CEO. He is author of More Health Less Care and can be reached at More Health, Less Care: Building America’s Wellness System.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and we’re looking at New Year’s Eve coming up. It’s the middle of the holiday season, and I want you to have a happy new year. I’d like to talk to you about New Year’s resolutions today because hopefully you haven’t made any yet.
So many New Year’s resolutions fail. People say, “I’m going to do this. I’m going to lose twenty pounds. I’m going to eat differently. I’m going to start working out. I’m going to go to the gym. I’m going to do this, that or the other thing.”
They embark on this “new thing” on January first and by Valentine’s Day it’s all over. They haven’t made it and then they beat themselves up emotionally and say, “I’ve got low willpower. I’m a weak person. I can’t do it.” And that just makes it harder to change.
I don’t want you to repeat that cycle. I don’t want you to go through this cycle of making a promise to yourself that you can’t deliver on, not delivering on it, and then beating yourself up which makes it that much harder to change in the future. I’d like to see you change for the better.
There are two problems with most resolutions:
1) They don’t represent a commitment to most people
2) Most people don’t have a good enough plan to make it happen
Often a resolution is like a casual promise that “I’m going to do it,” but there’s not a lot of depth behind the promise. People haven’t put the same kind of commitment to it that they would put into other major decisions in life.
In my book, More Health Less Care, I talk about thinking about this like enlisting in the military, getting married or buying a house. Those are huge commitments. You can’t get out of them easily. You’re going forward, and there are consequences to commitments like those. So that’s the way I’d like you to think about your New Year’s resolution.
If you’re going to make one, make it at a serious level. This is going to require a lot of thought, a lot of reflection, maybe even meditation and prayer, and you might not even want to make it on New Year’s. You might want to wait a little bit to make sure you’re really ready to make the commitment.
And as you’re thinking about this, you can begin to think about, “What concrete steps am I actually going to take to build this into my life in such a way that it is going to work? That it’s not going to fail the way things have failed for me before?”
Then you can begin to build a plan, a plan to make it work and a plan to adjust if it’s not quite working the way you want as opposed to just quitting.
When you have a plan and a commitment, then you’re ready to move ahead. But until then, don’t make a resolution because it’s really not that helpful and could be harmful as we’ve talked about.
When you’re ready…go for it. You can do it.
Article and credits:
http://www.drpeterjweiss.com/2010/12/new-years-resolutions-make-a-plan-not-a-promise.html#
ZDT Author’s comments:
Excellent article, and to the point. Again, why even make a New Year’s resolution (decision) if there is no commitment to carry it out?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Best Decisions: Those We Must Live With
Re-posted by permission:
http://marxsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-decisions-are-those-we-must-live.html
We have all been the victims of others' poor decisions. This is especially painful when we, and not those making the decisions, are the victims. I have seen many times in my career a particularly bad idea was implemented because the person making the decision had no relevant experience to understand the consequences of his or her decision. These same people often do not have to implement the poor decision and therefore do not learn from their mistakes. In this post, I look at ways to reduce or avoid this cause/effect.
Most decision-makers (managers, leads, customers) want to succeed and try to make good decisions. The problem is that they may lack a full understanding of the total costs, risks, and the unintended consequences of a particular decision. It is sometimes sufficient to point out the total costs, the risks and the potential unintended consequences of the decision to head the poor decision off. Unfortunately, expressed risks, costs, and unintended consequences are often dismissed as overstated or not likely to be incurred.
Help or Allow the Decision Maker to Taste the Idea
A group of fellow developers and I stopped a particularly bad idea from being implemented when we helped the management team make the decision to visualize the true costs (time and schedule) of the decision. As they envisioned themselves implementing the onerous approach, they realized what we had been trying to tell them: their idea sounded good at first, but it was very inefficient when considering the realities of the tools we had at the time. Only when they pictured themselves waiting on this tool to run did they understand how inefficient their idea really was.
It is more effective when the decision maker has to personally experience the negative consequences of a particular idea…helping them imagine it is the next best thing. If imagining the consequences of the decision is not enough, it may be possible to implement a solution on a trial basis without a back out plan. This allows only minimal loss to be incurred until the decision maker realizes the downside. The actual experience or realistic imagining can help make the costs, risks, and unintended consequences more "real" or more concrete to the decision maker. It’s like a simulation exercise.
Enlist Recognized Experts
If the significance of a decision warrants it, it may be advisable to bring in a colleague who is a recognized authority or expert in the particular area to provide credibility to your argument. Such outside influence will be most effective if the person brought in has real life experience with something similar to the decision being made.
Recognize Your Own Deficiencies
It is also important to realize that everyone makes mistakes and everyone is limited based on lack of experience or knowledge in certain areas. Especially in the case where peers do not seem to agree with our position, we should ask ourselves, "Am I the one with the bad idea here?"
Leave the Situation
In the most severe cases of a pending poor decision, when all else fails, it may be advisable to remove oneself from the situation entirely. If the results of the decision are highly likely to lead to significant negative consequences that the decision maker does not have to deal with, it may be best for the potentially affected developer to make sure that he or she will not be the victim of the decision either. Removing oneself from the situation may be as easy as working on a different part of the project.
It's Easier to Choose Poorly When It Impacts Someone Else
The decisions that I have been most disappointed with and most frustrated with in my career have generally been made by people who don't have to live with the consequences of the decision. It's all too easy to avoid the effort involved in researching an issue and thinking about the wide range of choices and associated consequences (obvious and unintended) when one knows that he or she is not the one who suffers from being not putting in the requisite labor.
When we don't have to live with the consequences of our decisions, it changes what we think is the best decision. I contend that we will generally make the best decisions when we have a stake in the outcome. When we envision how we would implement a decision ourselves, we start to realize more fully how good or bad the decision is.
Conclusion
There are few things more frustrating to a software developer than being the victim of particularly poor decisions whose negative consequences are obvious to everyone but the decision maker. Assuming that the decision maker really has the organization's or client's best interests at heart, one important step to helping that person make a better decision is to help that person better understand how the organization or client is severely and negatively impacted by that decision. In cases where the decision maker only cares about himself or herself, it probably won't matter how bad the consequences are if he or she will not be affected by those consequences.
I think most people would agree that decisions and plans are best implemented when the people who must implement them take ownership of the decision. Therefore, it's fairly obvious that decision makers should get buy-in from the would-be owners of the decision's implementation. When decision makers don't get buy-in from those implementing the decision, the implementation may be found lacking. Getting buy-in from the implementers of a decision is also important because the very process of doing so may help the decision maker make a better, more informed decision.
Posted by Dustin Marx at 8:54 AM on Dec 27, 2010
ZDT Author’s Comments:
We have selected what we consider the key issues here to shorten the size of the post. For the full article, please see the credit line above.
A different POV.
http://marxsoftware.blogspot.com/2010/12/best-decisions-are-those-we-must-live.html
We have all been the victims of others' poor decisions. This is especially painful when we, and not those making the decisions, are the victims. I have seen many times in my career a particularly bad idea was implemented because the person making the decision had no relevant experience to understand the consequences of his or her decision. These same people often do not have to implement the poor decision and therefore do not learn from their mistakes. In this post, I look at ways to reduce or avoid this cause/effect.
Most decision-makers (managers, leads, customers) want to succeed and try to make good decisions. The problem is that they may lack a full understanding of the total costs, risks, and the unintended consequences of a particular decision. It is sometimes sufficient to point out the total costs, the risks and the potential unintended consequences of the decision to head the poor decision off. Unfortunately, expressed risks, costs, and unintended consequences are often dismissed as overstated or not likely to be incurred.
Help or Allow the Decision Maker to Taste the Idea
A group of fellow developers and I stopped a particularly bad idea from being implemented when we helped the management team make the decision to visualize the true costs (time and schedule) of the decision. As they envisioned themselves implementing the onerous approach, they realized what we had been trying to tell them: their idea sounded good at first, but it was very inefficient when considering the realities of the tools we had at the time. Only when they pictured themselves waiting on this tool to run did they understand how inefficient their idea really was.
It is more effective when the decision maker has to personally experience the negative consequences of a particular idea…helping them imagine it is the next best thing. If imagining the consequences of the decision is not enough, it may be possible to implement a solution on a trial basis without a back out plan. This allows only minimal loss to be incurred until the decision maker realizes the downside. The actual experience or realistic imagining can help make the costs, risks, and unintended consequences more "real" or more concrete to the decision maker. It’s like a simulation exercise.
Enlist Recognized Experts
If the significance of a decision warrants it, it may be advisable to bring in a colleague who is a recognized authority or expert in the particular area to provide credibility to your argument. Such outside influence will be most effective if the person brought in has real life experience with something similar to the decision being made.
Recognize Your Own Deficiencies
It is also important to realize that everyone makes mistakes and everyone is limited based on lack of experience or knowledge in certain areas. Especially in the case where peers do not seem to agree with our position, we should ask ourselves, "Am I the one with the bad idea here?"
Leave the Situation
In the most severe cases of a pending poor decision, when all else fails, it may be advisable to remove oneself from the situation entirely. If the results of the decision are highly likely to lead to significant negative consequences that the decision maker does not have to deal with, it may be best for the potentially affected developer to make sure that he or she will not be the victim of the decision either. Removing oneself from the situation may be as easy as working on a different part of the project.
It's Easier to Choose Poorly When It Impacts Someone Else
The decisions that I have been most disappointed with and most frustrated with in my career have generally been made by people who don't have to live with the consequences of the decision. It's all too easy to avoid the effort involved in researching an issue and thinking about the wide range of choices and associated consequences (obvious and unintended) when one knows that he or she is not the one who suffers from being not putting in the requisite labor.
When we don't have to live with the consequences of our decisions, it changes what we think is the best decision. I contend that we will generally make the best decisions when we have a stake in the outcome. When we envision how we would implement a decision ourselves, we start to realize more fully how good or bad the decision is.
Conclusion
There are few things more frustrating to a software developer than being the victim of particularly poor decisions whose negative consequences are obvious to everyone but the decision maker. Assuming that the decision maker really has the organization's or client's best interests at heart, one important step to helping that person make a better decision is to help that person better understand how the organization or client is severely and negatively impacted by that decision. In cases where the decision maker only cares about himself or herself, it probably won't matter how bad the consequences are if he or she will not be affected by those consequences.
I think most people would agree that decisions and plans are best implemented when the people who must implement them take ownership of the decision. Therefore, it's fairly obvious that decision makers should get buy-in from the would-be owners of the decision's implementation. When decision makers don't get buy-in from those implementing the decision, the implementation may be found lacking. Getting buy-in from the implementers of a decision is also important because the very process of doing so may help the decision maker make a better, more informed decision.
Posted by Dustin Marx at 8:54 AM on Dec 27, 2010
ZDT Author’s Comments:
We have selected what we consider the key issues here to shorten the size of the post. For the full article, please see the credit line above.
A different POV.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Debt Decisions
“If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep becomes your downfall.”
“Debt is related to greed. It becomes the opposite of giving. Debt is exhausting the future to fill the present. Giving is empting the present to fill up the future.”
“The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the honorable shows mercy and gives.”
“You shall lend to many Nations, but you shall not borrow.”
“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
“Asset values rise and fall, but the debt total remains the same.”
“A person in debt is the definition of a slave” (the same is true for nations).
“Debt is the curse of slavery of the free.”
“Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and to corrupt the people.”
“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing…yet excessive, a national catastrophe.”
“A small debt produces a debtor; a large one, a terrible enemy.”
ZDT Author’s Note: The above are only a few meaningful quotes that could be food for New Year resolutions for individuals, entities and governments for the coming year.
We are recording them to remind ourselves (and any readers) how the simple things still continue to confound the wise, and that the subject, consequences and principles of debt have not changed since the beginning.
“Debt is related to greed. It becomes the opposite of giving. Debt is exhausting the future to fill the present. Giving is empting the present to fill up the future.”
“The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the honorable shows mercy and gives.”
“You shall lend to many Nations, but you shall not borrow.”
“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.”
“Asset values rise and fall, but the debt total remains the same.”
“A person in debt is the definition of a slave” (the same is true for nations).
“Debt is the curse of slavery of the free.”
“Debt is the fatal disease of republics, the first thing and the mightiest to undermine governments and to corrupt the people.”
“A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing…yet excessive, a national catastrophe.”
“A small debt produces a debtor; a large one, a terrible enemy.”
ZDT Author’s Note: The above are only a few meaningful quotes that could be food for New Year resolutions for individuals, entities and governments for the coming year.
We are recording them to remind ourselves (and any readers) how the simple things still continue to confound the wise, and that the subject, consequences and principles of debt have not changed since the beginning.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Getting ready, to get ready, to get ready…
We all know people like this. They will circle the wagon endlessly. (Hey, it could be us?)
The telling signs:
A salesperson with educational plaques and certificates all over the wall who can’t meet minimum production requirements
A business owner without a written plan
Someone who simply will not discuss the subject of eternity
Someone who truly believes that a broken relationship will heal itself without serious self examination and adjustment
One who will not return calls or messages
One who avoids the decisioning process like its poison
You get the picture. It’s the problem of procrastination, evasion or escape. Hardly a mantle to be proud of.
After seeing these signs repeatedly over the years, the best response I’ve ever seen…is “fight or flight.”
Unfortunately on the flight side, when one gets to the point of decision, and simply will not rethink or make the effort to fight in any capacity…that generally results in a defeated or illusionary condition.
There are two types of fights. One is for show. The other is to win.
Not much has ever been achieved by avoidance of action. Today is an ominous environment. It takes fortitude to get out of any ditch. This one starts with acknowledgment and proactive effort to win this fight.
Why bring this up? Sadly, I have some friends who have, over the years, repeatedly used these excuses rather than to actually produce something. And now, it has lead to a life of catch up. They are engulfed in “get rich quick” schemes, pyramids and deals. So, unfortunately, they will have to be avoided.
Bottom line: Consider adopting a method or system to help you in the fight and confront decisions on a timely basis, rather than a life of flight, that could easily land you in the wrong place.
The telling signs:
A salesperson with educational plaques and certificates all over the wall who can’t meet minimum production requirements
A business owner without a written plan
Someone who simply will not discuss the subject of eternity
Someone who truly believes that a broken relationship will heal itself without serious self examination and adjustment
One who will not return calls or messages
One who avoids the decisioning process like its poison
You get the picture. It’s the problem of procrastination, evasion or escape. Hardly a mantle to be proud of.
After seeing these signs repeatedly over the years, the best response I’ve ever seen…is “fight or flight.”
Unfortunately on the flight side, when one gets to the point of decision, and simply will not rethink or make the effort to fight in any capacity…that generally results in a defeated or illusionary condition.
There are two types of fights. One is for show. The other is to win.
Not much has ever been achieved by avoidance of action. Today is an ominous environment. It takes fortitude to get out of any ditch. This one starts with acknowledgment and proactive effort to win this fight.
Why bring this up? Sadly, I have some friends who have, over the years, repeatedly used these excuses rather than to actually produce something. And now, it has lead to a life of catch up. They are engulfed in “get rich quick” schemes, pyramids and deals. So, unfortunately, they will have to be avoided.
Bottom line: Consider adopting a method or system to help you in the fight and confront decisions on a timely basis, rather than a life of flight, that could easily land you in the wrong place.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
It’s a Marketing War
It would seem that we are quoting the obvious, but today we can’t take anything for granted. We can look at various sectors of our government, industrial, social and religious organizations to find that many of these are not aware of or acknowledge that they are in a war for their very existence.
In Marketing Warfare, Al Ries and Jack Trout (marketing experts) argue that marketing is war and that the marketing concept’s customer-oriented philosophy is inadequate. Rather, firms would do better by becoming competitor-oriented. If the key to success were to introduce products closest to those wanted by customers, then the market leader simply would be the firm that performed the best market research. Clearly, much more is required.
There is much that marketers can learn from military strategy. Ries and Trout tell the story of several famous battles in history that illustrate lessons of warfare. These battles range from Marathon in 490 B.C. when the Greeks used the phalanx to defeat the more numerous Persian invaders, to the Normandy invasion of the Second World War.
The lessons from these famous battles illustrate the strategies of planning, maneuvering, and overpowering the opposing side. These principles are relevant not only to warfare, but also to marketing.
Considering this concept, there are valuable lessons, tactics and decisions that can help business owners weather the economic battlefield they are now facing.
What do many great leaders do when they realize they are going to war, or already in one? First, they determine to fight or flight. Then, if they fight, they have to make some hard decisions. Here are just a few strategic considerations and determinations:
Decide who will be the leader
(Or leaders)
Identify the enemy (or target)
(Have you correctly identified who, what and where they are)
Before you make the commitment…be sure you have counted the cost
(“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it”)
Decide if you will you go it alone or build a team (or an army)
(“There is wisdom in many counselors”)
Distinguish that the objective is either a game or a war
(One is for sport…the other is for keeps)
Consider if you will you seek guidance and/or help
(“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble”)
Establish and communicate written strategic plans (including the SWOT exam)
(The emphasis here is “strategic [offense-defense]” with the goal to win)
Include: Responsibilities-Accountabilities-Actions-Contingencies
In summary, (back to Ries and Trout) they believe in having relatively few people involved in the strategic process. They believe the organization needs a strong marketing “general” to formulate the strategy from the tactical realities. An effective marketing general should have the following characteristics:
Flexibility: To adjust the strategy to the situation
Courage: To make a decision and stand by it
Boldness: To act without hesitation when the time is right
Know the facts: In order to formulate strategy from the ground up
Know the rules: But internalizing them so they can be forgotten
ZDT Question: Is it better to know you are in a war, and plan to win, or to take an “a-kicking” and never realize you were ever in one?
In Marketing Warfare, Al Ries and Jack Trout (marketing experts) argue that marketing is war and that the marketing concept’s customer-oriented philosophy is inadequate. Rather, firms would do better by becoming competitor-oriented. If the key to success were to introduce products closest to those wanted by customers, then the market leader simply would be the firm that performed the best market research. Clearly, much more is required.
There is much that marketers can learn from military strategy. Ries and Trout tell the story of several famous battles in history that illustrate lessons of warfare. These battles range from Marathon in 490 B.C. when the Greeks used the phalanx to defeat the more numerous Persian invaders, to the Normandy invasion of the Second World War.
The lessons from these famous battles illustrate the strategies of planning, maneuvering, and overpowering the opposing side. These principles are relevant not only to warfare, but also to marketing.
Considering this concept, there are valuable lessons, tactics and decisions that can help business owners weather the economic battlefield they are now facing.
What do many great leaders do when they realize they are going to war, or already in one? First, they determine to fight or flight. Then, if they fight, they have to make some hard decisions. Here are just a few strategic considerations and determinations:
Decide who will be the leader
(Or leaders)
Identify the enemy (or target)
(Have you correctly identified who, what and where they are)
Before you make the commitment…be sure you have counted the cost
(“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it”)
Decide if you will you go it alone or build a team (or an army)
(“There is wisdom in many counselors”)
Distinguish that the objective is either a game or a war
(One is for sport…the other is for keeps)
Consider if you will you seek guidance and/or help
(“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble”)
Establish and communicate written strategic plans (including the SWOT exam)
(The emphasis here is “strategic [offense-defense]” with the goal to win)
Include: Responsibilities-Accountabilities-Actions-Contingencies
In summary, (back to Ries and Trout) they believe in having relatively few people involved in the strategic process. They believe the organization needs a strong marketing “general” to formulate the strategy from the tactical realities. An effective marketing general should have the following characteristics:
Flexibility: To adjust the strategy to the situation
Courage: To make a decision and stand by it
Boldness: To act without hesitation when the time is right
Know the facts: In order to formulate strategy from the ground up
Know the rules: But internalizing them so they can be forgotten
ZDT Question: Is it better to know you are in a war, and plan to win, or to take an “a-kicking” and never realize you were ever in one?
Monday, December 20, 2010
What If “All Sales Were Final?”
Why do we ever see these notices anyway? Is it…defective merchandise...loss leaders…inventory clearance…going out of business?
What if you are the buyer in this exaggeration? You would have different levels of response based on the cost or value of an item. Getting home with an ill fitting dress worth $59 is one thing, but driving home a malfunctioning car valued at $33,000 is quite another predicament. You would have no recourse in either situation.
In this case as a buyer, you would know that the minute you swiped that card, the product is yours for keeps. So, you would be apt to do more research, due diligence and reading buyer/consumer reports, etc. The bigger issue is that impulse buying would probably dry up, big purchases would slow down and the “returns” line would completely disappear. “Buyer’s remorse” would take on a whole new meaning, and Consumer Protection would become obsolete.
What if you are the seller, you would probably re-think everything you ever learned about selling. All you would need to do is to become the world’s best presenter and closer. Because once you handed over the item, your job is done. No loss to you over returns, lapses or disappointments.
A sale is a decision. The seller presents, and the buyer decides. There are several lessons that could be sited in this supposed situation, but let’s focus on just two.
The seller has an obligation to present the truth, and not deceive or misrepresent in order to make the sale, yet without some “limits,” it could be like driving a car at 120mph with no fear of a ticket. Today, we have clear guidlines, and lawyers to enforce them.
Conversely, the buyer has the responsibility to act in good faith. Example: At one electronics store, the clerk said they now have imposed a handsome restocking fee for buyers who purchase a $5000 TV to see the big game (as an example), and then bring it back the next day. Today, that trick could be replayed with most any product at any time.
The purpose of this exercise is to imagine what it might be like to have a “no fault” proposition in the world of selling, and to be thankful that we still have a free enterprise system with safeguards in these transactions.
So, this year during the season, when you see the long “returns” line beginning on 12-26-10…let’s be thankful for a free market system that still functions largely through responsible self governess…so far.
Just thinking.
What if you are the buyer in this exaggeration? You would have different levels of response based on the cost or value of an item. Getting home with an ill fitting dress worth $59 is one thing, but driving home a malfunctioning car valued at $33,000 is quite another predicament. You would have no recourse in either situation.
In this case as a buyer, you would know that the minute you swiped that card, the product is yours for keeps. So, you would be apt to do more research, due diligence and reading buyer/consumer reports, etc. The bigger issue is that impulse buying would probably dry up, big purchases would slow down and the “returns” line would completely disappear. “Buyer’s remorse” would take on a whole new meaning, and Consumer Protection would become obsolete.
What if you are the seller, you would probably re-think everything you ever learned about selling. All you would need to do is to become the world’s best presenter and closer. Because once you handed over the item, your job is done. No loss to you over returns, lapses or disappointments.
Question: Why would we pose such a scenario?
A sale is a decision. The seller presents, and the buyer decides. There are several lessons that could be sited in this supposed situation, but let’s focus on just two.
The seller has an obligation to present the truth, and not deceive or misrepresent in order to make the sale, yet without some “limits,” it could be like driving a car at 120mph with no fear of a ticket. Today, we have clear guidlines, and lawyers to enforce them.
Conversely, the buyer has the responsibility to act in good faith. Example: At one electronics store, the clerk said they now have imposed a handsome restocking fee for buyers who purchase a $5000 TV to see the big game (as an example), and then bring it back the next day. Today, that trick could be replayed with most any product at any time.
The purpose of this exercise is to imagine what it might be like to have a “no fault” proposition in the world of selling, and to be thankful that we still have a free enterprise system with safeguards in these transactions.
So, this year during the season, when you see the long “returns” line beginning on 12-26-10…let’s be thankful for a free market system that still functions largely through responsible self governess…so far.
Just thinking.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
“I’m just not feeling it”
That statement can go in several directions. But, in the world of decisioning, it has a special meaning. When you look at the numerical stats from an extensive search on the net of how people decide, you will probably come to the same conclusion we did.
It’s right down the middle. Decisions made by gut feeling, instinct or emotion (subjective) versus decisions made by logic, facts or rationality (objective) are about 50/50.
Questions: Is one better than the other? Is one for one kind of decision and the other for another? Do guys versus dolls use one over the other? Can they be equally important? Left brain/right brain, and a zillion others?
In all, this is probably an unanswerable question as to absolutes. So, here is a practical suggestion: If you are prone to be heavy on one side or the other…borrow from the opposite side. In other words, if you tend to rely almost exclusively on your gut feelings in deciding on highly important issues…toss a good measure of logic and objectivity into the equation for a more balanced response…preferably using a proven model or system.
Remember, the goal here is not the right or wrong technique. The goal is the best possible decision.
If this seems too simple, it must be…you decide?
It’s right down the middle. Decisions made by gut feeling, instinct or emotion (subjective) versus decisions made by logic, facts or rationality (objective) are about 50/50.
Questions: Is one better than the other? Is one for one kind of decision and the other for another? Do guys versus dolls use one over the other? Can they be equally important? Left brain/right brain, and a zillion others?
In all, this is probably an unanswerable question as to absolutes. So, here is a practical suggestion: If you are prone to be heavy on one side or the other…borrow from the opposite side. In other words, if you tend to rely almost exclusively on your gut feelings in deciding on highly important issues…toss a good measure of logic and objectivity into the equation for a more balanced response…preferably using a proven model or system.
Remember, the goal here is not the right or wrong technique. The goal is the best possible decision.
If this seems too simple, it must be…you decide?
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Zillion Dollar Thought
Americans eat 18,000,000,000 hot dogs a year…since the first dog (worldwide)…Zillions.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
How to Increase Your Readership
The Decision to Read and Write
We all know folks who are top salespeople, professionals, business owners, parents and notable others. Although successful, many of them will not even read an email from top to bottom, let alone a full article, a book, a manual or a prospectus. There are several legitimate (and other) reasons to avoid real reading…such as:
I’m too busy
It’s boring
It takes me away from selling (or sleeping) time
The facts are confusing
I lost my concentration
My dog ate the email
The print was too small
I had other priorities
My computer crashed
Point is that today many of us are manufacturing reasons not to read. Just think, back in the day: No TV, radio, phone, computers…nothing but reading to get the point or message. Today, we have all the digital apps that allow us the best excuse yet; “just let technology solve it for us.” Not the ideal solution.
Congress gave us the best reading example this year with: “let’s pass the bill first, and then we can read it.” That is really scary when we consider that it probably will never be read, and now its law. What kind of a top down statement is that sending to us and our kids? There must be a better approach.
Maybe there is a mysterious connection to reading, and it could be writing? Consider that when you read, it’s tempting to stop short, skim, skip and/or read ahead. But, when you write, you have to cover it all from top to bottom and not skip any steps.
When you write, you create, connect, edit, stylize, organize and on and on. You are interactive with your subject. You are connecting. You are communicating. You are growing. You are thinking (more about what you are reading).
Consider reading with a more critical attitude, maybe with the idea that you will need to respond to or summarize what you are processing. The product could be that you become a better reader simply by approaching this subject from the writer’s perspective (left brain/right brain).
One up-shot of today’s networking communication is that we have to think through our comments and statements, and condense them into a relatively few words (e.g. Twitter). But, the longer version of authoring a blog, website or commenting on other blogs or articles is a great place to start developing your craft. It could lead to newsletters, columns, hard books, e-books and any number of other opportunities. Write-Read…Read-Write…
Summary: Writing could potentially make us better readers.
Worked for me…you decide.
We all know folks who are top salespeople, professionals, business owners, parents and notable others. Although successful, many of them will not even read an email from top to bottom, let alone a full article, a book, a manual or a prospectus. There are several legitimate (and other) reasons to avoid real reading…such as:
I’m too busy
It’s boring
It takes me away from selling (or sleeping) time
The facts are confusing
I lost my concentration
My dog ate the email
The print was too small
I had other priorities
My computer crashed
Point is that today many of us are manufacturing reasons not to read. Just think, back in the day: No TV, radio, phone, computers…nothing but reading to get the point or message. Today, we have all the digital apps that allow us the best excuse yet; “just let technology solve it for us.” Not the ideal solution.
Congress gave us the best reading example this year with: “let’s pass the bill first, and then we can read it.” That is really scary when we consider that it probably will never be read, and now its law. What kind of a top down statement is that sending to us and our kids? There must be a better approach.
Maybe there is a mysterious connection to reading, and it could be writing? Consider that when you read, it’s tempting to stop short, skim, skip and/or read ahead. But, when you write, you have to cover it all from top to bottom and not skip any steps.
When you write, you create, connect, edit, stylize, organize and on and on. You are interactive with your subject. You are connecting. You are communicating. You are growing. You are thinking (more about what you are reading).
Try this: “Read to the point of writing.”
Consider reading with a more critical attitude, maybe with the idea that you will need to respond to or summarize what you are processing. The product could be that you become a better reader simply by approaching this subject from the writer’s perspective (left brain/right brain).
One up-shot of today’s networking communication is that we have to think through our comments and statements, and condense them into a relatively few words (e.g. Twitter). But, the longer version of authoring a blog, website or commenting on other blogs or articles is a great place to start developing your craft. It could lead to newsletters, columns, hard books, e-books and any number of other opportunities. Write-Read…Read-Write…
Summary: Writing could potentially make us better readers.
Worked for me…you decide.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
A Model Decision
Practice Management
If you are a start up, new to the business (in business years), or you are still uncertain about the order and structure of your business…maybe a simple template could help?
We hate to repeatedly acknowledge that the Internet is rapidly becoming a tool for information overload. But, in many cases it’s true. That fact, added to all the other responsibilities a business owner maintains, can be overwhelming.
Point is, the bones of a basic business structure can get lost or shelved in the heat of battle. So, if that condition is real to you, consider the skeleton of this outline:
Your:
Mission: Maybe a verse about service (“Well done my good and faithful servant”)
Vision: A motivational statement (“Where there is no vision…people perish”)
Values: Develop a “Believability Quotient” (see last *ZDT post dated 12-06-10)
Goals: Short and long term (3-5 max…can’t spin too many dishes)
USP: Only you can make this claim (requires some research)
Meme: Your buy-in line of deliverables (funny name…but becoming a standard)
Expertise: Write articles, blogs and/or e-books (at the least…make comments)
Brand: Enduring, valuable, drivable and memorable (develops over years)
Worth considering?
Dollarize all of the above. Keep in your pocket.
* http://www.zilliondollarthinking.com/
If you are a start up, new to the business (in business years), or you are still uncertain about the order and structure of your business…maybe a simple template could help?
We hate to repeatedly acknowledge that the Internet is rapidly becoming a tool for information overload. But, in many cases it’s true. That fact, added to all the other responsibilities a business owner maintains, can be overwhelming.
Point is, the bones of a basic business structure can get lost or shelved in the heat of battle. So, if that condition is real to you, consider the skeleton of this outline:
Your:
Mission: Maybe a verse about service (“Well done my good and faithful servant”)
Vision: A motivational statement (“Where there is no vision…people perish”)
Values: Develop a “Believability Quotient” (see last *ZDT post dated 12-06-10)
Goals: Short and long term (3-5 max…can’t spin too many dishes)
USP: Only you can make this claim (requires some research)
Meme: Your buy-in line of deliverables (funny name…but becoming a standard)
Expertise: Write articles, blogs and/or e-books (at the least…make comments)
Brand: Enduring, valuable, drivable and memorable (develops over years)
Worth considering?
Dollarize all of the above. Keep in your pocket.
* http://www.zilliondollarthinking.com/
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Value of a Believability Quotient
If we are being presented to, we intuitively and rapidly calculate a believability category of the seller or presenter. Our buy-in response has much to do with that opinion, rather than the product or service. That can be good or bad.
Coming to a conclusion too quickly, or not quickly enough, can have unintended consequences. The dilemma is whether to rely on an immediate gut feeling or a more objective factual process. Time permitting, how about both?
Normally, the due diligence phase covers most of the sins of this stage. But, how many times has that step stopped short? The subtleties of urgency, feelings, motives, internal and external pressures, timing, and many other intangibles are seldom considered.
Point is, why not set up your own believability matrix? This single page idea could keep you, your friends and/or clients and their decisioning in a safe harbor mode in a variety of issues. Below is one example of a tangible chart:
Studying this example shows that using quadrants is a symbolic method to peg a credibility/believability level. In this graph, a “D4” rating immediately comes to mean that the subject is both objective and believable. If you are a manager, teacher or even a parent, could the efficiency and visualization of a single symbolic icon help you describe what the ideal person or solution should be?
As you consider adopting this methodology, see that this is simply a structure. You can re-design any quadrant according to what they represent to you as believability issues from your POV.
Question: Is this effort better than a pure gut feeling?
You decide.
Coming to a conclusion too quickly, or not quickly enough, can have unintended consequences. The dilemma is whether to rely on an immediate gut feeling or a more objective factual process. Time permitting, how about both?
Normally, the due diligence phase covers most of the sins of this stage. But, how many times has that step stopped short? The subtleties of urgency, feelings, motives, internal and external pressures, timing, and many other intangibles are seldom considered.
Point is, why not set up your own believability matrix? This single page idea could keep you, your friends and/or clients and their decisioning in a safe harbor mode in a variety of issues. Below is one example of a tangible chart:
As you consider adopting this methodology, see that this is simply a structure. You can re-design any quadrant according to what they represent to you as believability issues from your POV.
Question: Is this effort better than a pure gut feeling?
You decide.
We welcome any of your individual designs or comments.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
“Before we get started…May I ask you a question?”
The Seller begins by saying:
“We are likely to cover a lot of ground in our meeting today or in subsequent meetings, and at some point we will get to the place where a decision or decisions will need to be made.” Here’s the question:
Then the Buyer responds:
“Say what?”
As a seller...how many interviews have you initiated using this introduction? Based on market research, probably not many. But, considering the entire sales process, what could be more important than to have a decision track?
If the buyer has no basis or methodology for which they make a decision, how can the seller align their presentation and/or offering to gain an accurate decision? And, if the seller is not prepared with their own alternative model to introduce to the buyer, then maybe there is some homework to do.
By asking this question, the seller has plowed the fertile ground of decisioning with the buyer which should take the focus off of products and services and placing it squarely on the decision process.
There are scores of methods and techniques that anyone could snatch off the Internet. But, many are like the following:
Pareto Analysis
Paired Comparison
Analysis Grid PMI
Force Field Analysis
Six Thinking Hats
Starbursting
Stepladder Technique
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Decision Trees
These examples (and countless others) are obviously complicated and confusing simply by judging the titles. A more universal approach would be to adopt a model or system that most anyone could understand. That model could include (among others):
A tested and successfully proven system over several years
Works with both big and small issues and events...a universal system
Requires interactivity, agreement, effective and decisive communication
Ideally it would include a simple and transferable graphic element
It is logical, “easily and quickly” communicated and it develops trust
It is consultative rather than “hard selling” in delivery and presentation
It serves as a very early and continuing qualifier or eliminator
It works across most any industry market, product or service
It is a transferable model and can be understood at most ages
The added benefit of a model is that it will be much easier to track and break down any sales, presentation problem or issue by analyzing each step and their progressive requirements.
On the other hand, if by chance the buyer does have some form of methodology to guide them, you as the seller can get on the same page very quickly and both parties will realize that the entire sales process has been professionally elevated in that situation.
Even with the extra effort to execute and monitor this process, the goal in all of this should be more accurate and rewarding decisioning for both the buyer and the seller. That’s good for everyone.
“We are likely to cover a lot of ground in our meeting today or in subsequent meetings, and at some point we will get to the place where a decision or decisions will need to be made.” Here’s the question:
“When we come to that point, what system
or method will you use to help you make that decision?”
Then the Buyer responds:
“Say what?”
As a seller...how many interviews have you initiated using this introduction? Based on market research, probably not many. But, considering the entire sales process, what could be more important than to have a decision track?
If the buyer has no basis or methodology for which they make a decision, how can the seller align their presentation and/or offering to gain an accurate decision? And, if the seller is not prepared with their own alternative model to introduce to the buyer, then maybe there is some homework to do.
By asking this question, the seller has plowed the fertile ground of decisioning with the buyer which should take the focus off of products and services and placing it squarely on the decision process.
There are scores of methods and techniques that anyone could snatch off the Internet. But, many are like the following:
Pareto Analysis
Paired Comparison
Analysis Grid PMI
Force Field Analysis
Six Thinking Hats
Starbursting
Stepladder Technique
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Decision Trees
These examples (and countless others) are obviously complicated and confusing simply by judging the titles. A more universal approach would be to adopt a model or system that most anyone could understand. That model could include (among others):
A tested and successfully proven system over several years
Works with both big and small issues and events...a universal system
Requires interactivity, agreement, effective and decisive communication
Ideally it would include a simple and transferable graphic element
It is logical, “easily and quickly” communicated and it develops trust
It is consultative rather than “hard selling” in delivery and presentation
It serves as a very early and continuing qualifier or eliminator
It works across most any industry market, product or service
It is a transferable model and can be understood at most ages
The added benefit of a model is that it will be much easier to track and break down any sales, presentation problem or issue by analyzing each step and their progressive requirements.
On the other hand, if by chance the buyer does have some form of methodology to guide them, you as the seller can get on the same page very quickly and both parties will realize that the entire sales process has been professionally elevated in that situation.
Even with the extra effort to execute and monitor this process, the goal in all of this should be more accurate and rewarding decisioning for both the buyer and the seller. That’s good for everyone.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Subjective Decisioning Techniques
The short list:
Instincts and Gut Feelings
(Intuition, Abstraction, Baseless, Intangible, Feelings, Hunches)
Herd Thinking
(Crowd Mentality, Blind faith, Parties, Non-objective, Rushing)
Pure Chance
(Cards, Dice, Coins, Eight-Ball, Roulette, Devices)
Astrology
(Charts, Zodiac Signs, Readings, Interpretations, Visions)
Various Traditions
(Calendars, Ceremonies, Celebrations, Holidays)
Social and Fraternal Influences
(Codes, Signs, Symbols, Handshakes, Rituals, Secrets)
Cultural Ideologies
(Sacrifices, Rituals, Customs)
Technological Influences
(Mobile Connections, Social Networks, Chat Rooms, Blogs)
Gadgets and Apps
(Computers, Smart Phones, Programs, Media Players, Digitals)
Clairvoyance-Psychics-Readings
(Visions, Readings, Signs, Symbols)
Family, Friends and Business Influences
(Bias, Prejudice, Tradition, Influence, Habit, Rituals)
Other Beliefs and Cults
(Evolution, Scientology, Church of the XXX, Zen Buddhism)
Churches, Denominations and Organizations
(Countless)
And then there is this:
How People Avoid Making Serious Decisions
http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/opre640/partXIII.htm#rhowtoavoid
Recourse to someone or something else:
Examples are astrology, palm readings, star gazing, 1-900 psychic friends, telepathy, telekinesis, aura, crystals, dreams, colors, Feng Shui, numerology, fortune-tellers, etc.
“In all these popular avoidance strategies, you are better off taking advice from Kermit the Frog. A New York City detective said, I've gone into hundreds of fortune-tellers, and have been told thousands of things, but nobody ever told me I was a policewoman getting ready to arrest them."
Fortune befriends the bold who make good (objective) decisions.
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself (based on your own research).
Do not think about it:
The decision makers who are waiting for something to just turn up, might start with their own shirt sleeves. You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are completely unpredictable.
Failure to reflect on the problem:
Reflection before action is often resisted by some managers. They often feel that reflection takes too much time, requires too much work, or they do not know much about decision problem or opportunity.
Be over-confident:
This makes you optimistic and then you make high risk decisions. As Henri Poincare said, "Doubt everything or believe everything: these are two equally convenient strategies. With either, we dispense with the need to think for ourselves."
Be too prudent:
Be over curious long enough to delay the decision. If you are too careful, you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over what you are going to decide. Indecision is debilitating; it feeds upon itself; it is, one might almost say, habit-forming. Not only that, but it is contagious; it transmits itself to others who depend on you.
Pass the buck:
Pass off responsibility of making the decision to someone else. Do not make decisions by yourself. Bring in someone to blame if things go wrong.
Instincts and Gut Feelings
(Intuition, Abstraction, Baseless, Intangible, Feelings, Hunches)
Herd Thinking
(Crowd Mentality, Blind faith, Parties, Non-objective, Rushing)
Pure Chance
(Cards, Dice, Coins, Eight-Ball, Roulette, Devices)
Astrology
(Charts, Zodiac Signs, Readings, Interpretations, Visions)
Various Traditions
(Calendars, Ceremonies, Celebrations, Holidays)
Social and Fraternal Influences
(Codes, Signs, Symbols, Handshakes, Rituals, Secrets)
Cultural Ideologies
(Sacrifices, Rituals, Customs)
Technological Influences
(Mobile Connections, Social Networks, Chat Rooms, Blogs)
Gadgets and Apps
(Computers, Smart Phones, Programs, Media Players, Digitals)
Clairvoyance-Psychics-Readings
(Visions, Readings, Signs, Symbols)
Family, Friends and Business Influences
(Bias, Prejudice, Tradition, Influence, Habit, Rituals)
Other Beliefs and Cults
(Evolution, Scientology, Church of the XXX, Zen Buddhism)
Churches, Denominations and Organizations
(Countless)
And then there is this:
How People Avoid Making Serious Decisions
http://home.ubalt.edu/ntsbarsh/opre640/partXIII.htm#rhowtoavoid
Recourse to someone or something else:
Examples are astrology, palm readings, star gazing, 1-900 psychic friends, telepathy, telekinesis, aura, crystals, dreams, colors, Feng Shui, numerology, fortune-tellers, etc.
“In all these popular avoidance strategies, you are better off taking advice from Kermit the Frog. A New York City detective said, I've gone into hundreds of fortune-tellers, and have been told thousands of things, but nobody ever told me I was a policewoman getting ready to arrest them."
Fortune befriends the bold who make good (objective) decisions.
Nobody can give you wiser advice than yourself (based on your own research).
Do not think about it:
The decision makers who are waiting for something to just turn up, might start with their own shirt sleeves. You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are completely unpredictable.
Failure to reflect on the problem:
Reflection before action is often resisted by some managers. They often feel that reflection takes too much time, requires too much work, or they do not know much about decision problem or opportunity.
Be over-confident:
This makes you optimistic and then you make high risk decisions. As Henri Poincare said, "Doubt everything or believe everything: these are two equally convenient strategies. With either, we dispense with the need to think for ourselves."
Be too prudent:
Be over curious long enough to delay the decision. If you are too careful, you are so occupied in being careful that you are sure to stumble over what you are going to decide. Indecision is debilitating; it feeds upon itself; it is, one might almost say, habit-forming. Not only that, but it is contagious; it transmits itself to others who depend on you.
Pass the buck:
Pass off responsibility of making the decision to someone else. Do not make decisions by yourself. Bring in someone to blame if things go wrong.
“In all, decisioning subjectivity (of any kind) is the path of least resistance.”
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
“I got this here camera…”
Yes, we are right there. Cameras are now built into just about everything. Even the good ol’ boys in small remote towns can record your sales pitch.
Question: Have you decided to be camera ready?
Back when there was little threat of your production being on the world stage (www), you probably did little to organize, sanitize and homogenize your pitch. Now, you not only must re-think this dilemma, but you may want to make it a top priority. The cameras are rolling.
We could liken this scenario to a divorce. You can live and work with your spouse for most of your life. Then something happens and the marriage is broken. All that you have accumulated is now divided (usually starting at 50%). It’s gone.
In your business, a similar divorce can happen when the re-play of a misleading, misinformed, mismarketed, misspoken or misadvised presentation is played before a judge. And, what you have worked so hard to accumulate can also be gone, including your reputation.
Yes, we will all make unintentional mistakes, and they should be easy to defend. But, in this economy (highly litigious), we had better have our facts, agreements and recommendations as solid as steel.
The issue here is not so much a threat as it is practice management.
So, what if you reversed this camera exposure? You could record (with your own camera) your three minute infomercial to be played anytime or anywhere. Like most, you could not get all the features and benefits of all your products and services in this vignette, but you could get your unique core message on the table.
The easiest and most efficient facts to project would be in the model of how you operate. That would quickly and efficiently get your position and differentiation (USP) in front of your prospect with little room for a mistake. So, instead of them initiating the camera idea, you can precede that request with your own delivery.
Point is, when you are willing to commit your position to a recorded message (of most any form), it goes a long way in building a bridge of trust. Broken trust is often the basis of many forms of litigation.
If you struggle with what a model may include, here’s a suggestion:
Due Diligence/Suitability
Commitments
Solutions that Answer the Problem
Actionable Plans
Agreements
What you do not see are products and services. The main thing in any working model is that it is what you can definitely deliver and execute every time and without doubt. That is the primary issue of what will mitigate legal exposure.
Question: Have you decided to be camera ready?
Back when there was little threat of your production being on the world stage (www), you probably did little to organize, sanitize and homogenize your pitch. Now, you not only must re-think this dilemma, but you may want to make it a top priority. The cameras are rolling.
We could liken this scenario to a divorce. You can live and work with your spouse for most of your life. Then something happens and the marriage is broken. All that you have accumulated is now divided (usually starting at 50%). It’s gone.
In your business, a similar divorce can happen when the re-play of a misleading, misinformed, mismarketed, misspoken or misadvised presentation is played before a judge. And, what you have worked so hard to accumulate can also be gone, including your reputation.
Yes, we will all make unintentional mistakes, and they should be easy to defend. But, in this economy (highly litigious), we had better have our facts, agreements and recommendations as solid as steel.
The issue here is not so much a threat as it is practice management.
So, what if you reversed this camera exposure? You could record (with your own camera) your three minute infomercial to be played anytime or anywhere. Like most, you could not get all the features and benefits of all your products and services in this vignette, but you could get your unique core message on the table.
The easiest and most efficient facts to project would be in the model of how you operate. That would quickly and efficiently get your position and differentiation (USP) in front of your prospect with little room for a mistake. So, instead of them initiating the camera idea, you can precede that request with your own delivery.
Point is, when you are willing to commit your position to a recorded message (of most any form), it goes a long way in building a bridge of trust. Broken trust is often the basis of many forms of litigation.
If you struggle with what a model may include, here’s a suggestion:
Due Diligence/Suitability
Commitments
Solutions that Answer the Problem
Actionable Plans
Agreements
What you do not see are products and services. The main thing in any working model is that it is what you can definitely deliver and execute every time and without doubt. That is the primary issue of what will mitigate legal exposure.
Lights, camera…action?
Friday, November 19, 2010
Traits of Decisioning Professionals
Business people who are successful have to be exceptional decision makers. This is actually related to their leadership capacity. Their sense of due diligence, commitment, solutions and action is generally better than others. This gives them an edge over others in the rarely found commodities of risk taking and execution.
If we could establish our minimum traits list, it could begin like this:
They look for and find opportunities (not just problems)
They are solution focused (beginning with the end in mind)
They are fearful (like most) but not controlled, limited or stagnated by fear
They ask the right questions (at the right time)
They align themselves with like-minded people (with success track records)
They innovate rather than imitate (with a value proposition)
They are life-long learners (constantly educating themselves)
They are more interested in effectiveness (than with an easy answer)
They finish what they start (they complete their model)
They practice what they preach (not hypocritical)
ZDT Author’s Note:
Add to this list from your own experience…and please share back with us.
If we could establish our minimum traits list, it could begin like this:
They look for and find opportunities (not just problems)
They are solution focused (beginning with the end in mind)
They are fearful (like most) but not controlled, limited or stagnated by fear
They ask the right questions (at the right time)
They align themselves with like-minded people (with success track records)
They innovate rather than imitate (with a value proposition)
They are life-long learners (constantly educating themselves)
They are more interested in effectiveness (than with an easy answer)
They finish what they start (they complete their model)
They practice what they preach (not hypocritical)
ZDT Author’s Note:
Add to this list from your own experience…and please share back with us.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
BP Made Bad Decisions Says Panel
Please refer to our Zillion Dollar Thinking Blog Post:
“A Sticky Situation: BP Forensic Decisioning”
Dated: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Conclusions from a technical panel found that BP responded poorly to circumstances as they unfolded, leading to the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig it was operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The report stated there was a “lack of operating discipline” concerning the signs of potential risk to the rig and operations, which were apparently ignored.
Findings from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council:
Failures indicate the lack of a suitable approach for anticipating and managing the inherent risks, uncertainties, and dangers associated with deepwater drilling operations.
The accident was precipitated by a decision to proceed to temporarily abandon the well, despite indications from negative pressure tests that indicated problems with the well’s integrity
BP, its contractors, and the government did not identify or correct their critical mistakes
The decision to move ahead with completing the project was compounded by delays in realizing natural gas was flowing in the well and riser and the failure to take timely well-control actions
Proceeding to remove drilling mud from the well without installing a lockdown sleeve on the production casing wellhead seals may have also contributed to accident
The decisions to move ahead despite all the warning signs indicate an "insufficient consideration of risk and a lack of operating discipline"
There were insufficient checks and balances for decisions regarding schedule and procedures for well abandonment and considerations for well safety.
Other factors that may have contributed to this accident include BP's decision to use long string well design…the use of only six centralizers on casing and not running a bond log to assess cement integrity in the well
Credits and Links:
Posted by Thomas at 12:52 PM
Labels: BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Oil Spill
http://everythinggold.blogspot.com/
ZDT Author’s Note:
This was/is a decision debacle at the highest levels that started smoldering early on…see our post dated 6/30/10.
Where was the model?
Would/Could Forensic Decisioning help those who seem bent on defying reason?
“A Sticky Situation: BP Forensic Decisioning”
Dated: Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Conclusions from a technical panel found that BP responded poorly to circumstances as they unfolded, leading to the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig it was operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The report stated there was a “lack of operating discipline” concerning the signs of potential risk to the rig and operations, which were apparently ignored.
Findings from the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council:
Failures indicate the lack of a suitable approach for anticipating and managing the inherent risks, uncertainties, and dangers associated with deepwater drilling operations.
The accident was precipitated by a decision to proceed to temporarily abandon the well, despite indications from negative pressure tests that indicated problems with the well’s integrity
BP, its contractors, and the government did not identify or correct their critical mistakes
The decision to move ahead with completing the project was compounded by delays in realizing natural gas was flowing in the well and riser and the failure to take timely well-control actions
Proceeding to remove drilling mud from the well without installing a lockdown sleeve on the production casing wellhead seals may have also contributed to accident
The decisions to move ahead despite all the warning signs indicate an "insufficient consideration of risk and a lack of operating discipline"
There were insufficient checks and balances for decisions regarding schedule and procedures for well abandonment and considerations for well safety.
Other factors that may have contributed to this accident include BP's decision to use long string well design…the use of only six centralizers on casing and not running a bond log to assess cement integrity in the well
Credits and Links:
Posted by Thomas at 12:52 PM
Labels: BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Oil Spill
http://everythinggold.blogspot.com/
ZDT Author’s Note:
This was/is a decision debacle at the highest levels that started smoldering early on…see our post dated 6/30/10.
Where was the model?
Would/Could Forensic Decisioning help those who seem bent on defying reason?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Case for the Niche Specialist
Today, as businesspeople, we must be aware of sales and marketing minefields that have the potential to explode the status quo. The "head in the sand" or "we are so busy doing the day to day" or "if it aint broke" syndromes will not find a happy end in today's environment.
We reviewed an archived article comparing 1903 to today. It is remarkable. Consider these facts:
-In 1903 the average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47)
-Only 14 percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub
-Only 8% of our homes had a telephone...and a three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars
-Only 8000 cars were on the road with the maximum limit of 10 mph
-Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee each had a greater population than California
-No Mother's Day or Father's Day
-One in ten US adults could not read or write
-Only 6% of all Americans graduated from high school
The reason these small examples are important is to illustrate the fascinating progress we have made since then and the time span it took with relatively limited technology. Now fast forward.
With our current and future technology, this picture will change dramatically. As businesspeople in the middle of all this compounding change, we will all be challenged to stay competitive and cognizant of what it will take to succeed in our new frontier.
In the world of communication, a remarkable transition is taking place daily...hourly…instantly. It will change the way marketing is conducted forever. The future of much of our marketing and communication will be from the position of universal portability and instant accessibility. A Universal Communication Device (UCD) * today called a "smart device" will eventually be our constant companion.
Question:
Niche specialists will be entering the new marketing landscape. Because of instantly emerging technology, this new arena will be transformed and rapidly create a level playing field both for the new and the established. As such, these niche specialists are not only aware of the emerging frontier, but are already re-engineering and are re-designing their sales and marketing communications methodologies with laser focus and speed.
These niche specialists are for hire to anyone at large. As a part of their assignment, they will use all the new tools to increase their market share [while diminishing the competition's market share...maybe yours]. And, as we can witness today, clients are less and less faithful in their business relationships and will jump-ship quickly...which will create a thunderous shake-up by these aggressive innovators.
Today, clients and customers are more and more "value-proposition" driven. We can expect them to be even more charged because the value-added bar will continue to be raised by...you guessed it...the niche specialists.
Point. If a business owner or management team would apply the last 100 years as a backboard, and today, develop strategic alliances with niche specialists whose sole purpose is to "help guide them and their business through this emerging minefield," their chances of success will be greatly enhanced.
Major Point. Niche specialists will come from a myriad of industries, but one of the most vital will be the sales and marketing niche specialist in specific sectors. That specialty will dictate the plan of execution over which most of the others will follow. So, in the case for the niche specialist, the marketplace will ultimately be the judge and jury, but from where we sit, we would not bet against their leadership and innovation.
Questions: Going forward, will it be status quo for you? Will you partner with a niche specialist? Will you become a niche specialist in your field of expertise?
Author’s Note:
This article was written in 2005 as a part of a Marketing Series. Has the prediction proven to be true? Do you still have an opportunity?
You decide.
* Broadband in Our Pockets by David Cohen August 4, 2004 www.clickz.com/experts/brand/emkt_strat/article.php/3389361
We reviewed an archived article comparing 1903 to today. It is remarkable. Consider these facts:
-In 1903 the average life expectancy in the US was forty-seven (47)
-Only 14 percent of the homes in the US had a bathtub
-Only 8% of our homes had a telephone...and a three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars
-Only 8000 cars were on the road with the maximum limit of 10 mph
-Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee each had a greater population than California
-No Mother's Day or Father's Day
-One in ten US adults could not read or write
-Only 6% of all Americans graduated from high school
The reason these small examples are important is to illustrate the fascinating progress we have made since then and the time span it took with relatively limited technology. Now fast forward.
With our current and future technology, this picture will change dramatically. As businesspeople in the middle of all this compounding change, we will all be challenged to stay competitive and cognizant of what it will take to succeed in our new frontier.
In the world of communication, a remarkable transition is taking place daily...hourly…instantly. It will change the way marketing is conducted forever. The future of much of our marketing and communication will be from the position of universal portability and instant accessibility. A Universal Communication Device (UCD) * today called a "smart device" will eventually be our constant companion.
Question:
Are you, in your business or company, prepared for this revolution?
Niche specialists will be entering the new marketing landscape. Because of instantly emerging technology, this new arena will be transformed and rapidly create a level playing field both for the new and the established. As such, these niche specialists are not only aware of the emerging frontier, but are already re-engineering and are re-designing their sales and marketing communications methodologies with laser focus and speed.
These niche specialists are for hire to anyone at large. As a part of their assignment, they will use all the new tools to increase their market share [while diminishing the competition's market share...maybe yours]. And, as we can witness today, clients are less and less faithful in their business relationships and will jump-ship quickly...which will create a thunderous shake-up by these aggressive innovators.
Today, clients and customers are more and more "value-proposition" driven. We can expect them to be even more charged because the value-added bar will continue to be raised by...you guessed it...the niche specialists.
Point. If a business owner or management team would apply the last 100 years as a backboard, and today, develop strategic alliances with niche specialists whose sole purpose is to "help guide them and their business through this emerging minefield," their chances of success will be greatly enhanced.
Major Point. Niche specialists will come from a myriad of industries, but one of the most vital will be the sales and marketing niche specialist in specific sectors. That specialty will dictate the plan of execution over which most of the others will follow. So, in the case for the niche specialist, the marketplace will ultimately be the judge and jury, but from where we sit, we would not bet against their leadership and innovation.
Questions: Going forward, will it be status quo for you? Will you partner with a niche specialist? Will you become a niche specialist in your field of expertise?
Author’s Note:
This article was written in 2005 as a part of a Marketing Series. Has the prediction proven to be true? Do you still have an opportunity?
You decide.
* Broadband in Our Pockets by David Cohen August 4, 2004 www.clickz.com/experts/brand/emkt_strat/article.php/3389361
Monday, November 15, 2010
Zillion Dollar Thought
“Is the speed of light the same as the speed of dark?” What about the speed of light times (X) the speed of dark = Zillions per hour.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Nothing is More Important [Three]
Importance of Problem Solving and Decision Making
[An exhaustive study by Norman W. Edmund named Decision Making]
Earlier, Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon was quoted on the importance of problem solving and decision making. While he covered a wide area, there are many other instances in which it is of supreme importance. Just a very few are preserving the earth, preventing wars, human health, and improving government in all areas.
What’s Being Taught about Decision Making
Problem solving and decision making are taught to a limited extent in many schools and colleges. Various formulas for the stages are sometimes included and other times not. Many reports call for students to be proficient in problem solving and decision making. The need for teaching critical thinking is often mentioned without the realization that critical thinking is really problem solving and decision making.
Not much action results from these reports to improve problem solving and decision making. Many businesses have various training courses for their employees. Government agencies have hurt rather than helped. To make a long story short, the teaching and use of today’s body of decision making is very poor. There is little or no recognition of the need for a standard model. As a result we are, as a nation, doing a very inadequate job of problem solving and decision making.
What We Need to Do
(To name a few)
• Individuals should become life long students of the subject. They should encourage their children and friends to do the same.
• Those in the teaching profession should do everything they can to teach problem solving and decision making following a model.
• Employers should institute training courses. Organizations should promote problem solving and decision making.
• There should be a national plan to improve problem solving and decision making for teaching in our schools and for the education of those already working. And further, there should be seeded foundations that sponsor scholarships and incentives for achievement.
ZDT Author’s Comments:
How can we add to…or take away from this?
[An exhaustive study by Norman W. Edmund named Decision Making]
Earlier, Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon was quoted on the importance of problem solving and decision making. While he covered a wide area, there are many other instances in which it is of supreme importance. Just a very few are preserving the earth, preventing wars, human health, and improving government in all areas.
What’s Being Taught about Decision Making
Problem solving and decision making are taught to a limited extent in many schools and colleges. Various formulas for the stages are sometimes included and other times not. Many reports call for students to be proficient in problem solving and decision making. The need for teaching critical thinking is often mentioned without the realization that critical thinking is really problem solving and decision making.
Not much action results from these reports to improve problem solving and decision making. Many businesses have various training courses for their employees. Government agencies have hurt rather than helped. To make a long story short, the teaching and use of today’s body of decision making is very poor. There is little or no recognition of the need for a standard model. As a result we are, as a nation, doing a very inadequate job of problem solving and decision making.
What We Need to Do
(To name a few)
• Individuals should become life long students of the subject. They should encourage their children and friends to do the same.
• Those in the teaching profession should do everything they can to teach problem solving and decision making following a model.
• Employers should institute training courses. Organizations should promote problem solving and decision making.
• There should be a national plan to improve problem solving and decision making for teaching in our schools and for the education of those already working. And further, there should be seeded foundations that sponsor scholarships and incentives for achievement.
ZDT Author’s Comments:
How can we add to…or take away from this?
“Decisioning" is the new "decision making”
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Nothing is More Important [Two]
In the Professional Decision Thinker (1983), Ben Heirs states:
“The same logic of decision making, I believe, applies to our managers and leaders. We can no longer afford to depend upon their natural thinking talents (gut response) alone.”
Since this is correct, here is a well-researched way that decision makers should proceed on certain aspects of decision making.
Decision makers should understand the “stage principle.”
Centuries ago it was recognized that there were basic mental activity stages to decision making. These stages are subject neutral. They will, of themselves, solve nothing. They are a guide. These stages also have been called steps, phases, processes, elements, ingredients, set of operations, elementary constituents, and others. It is desirable to standardize on one name, such as stages.
The value of the "stage" method
Without a method, we are left with chance and aimless wandering. Because there are basic stages to problem solving and decision making, we should have a method or model to follow. Over the years, thousands of model formulas have been offered for these mental activity stages.
The categories that need application
Critical thinking
This term is constantly used. If you research its real meaning, you find it is actually decision making and problem solving thinking.
Public policy and Government
Every day at all levels of government public policy decisions are being made. Because of inadequate teaching of decision making, there are often wrong decisions made.
Management in all organizations
It is self-evident that better problem solving and decision making by managers can greatly improve an organization’s profits and goals. A number of studies have shown that managers do not achieve much over 50% correct results in their decision making and problem solving. Remember that managers are also managers of the decision making of personnel under their supervision.
In recent years decision making is being pushed further and further down the ranks of employees. So, if our management leaders improve their decision making knowledge and skills, the benefit would be multiplied and widespread.
[To be continued]
“The same logic of decision making, I believe, applies to our managers and leaders. We can no longer afford to depend upon their natural thinking talents (gut response) alone.”
Since this is correct, here is a well-researched way that decision makers should proceed on certain aspects of decision making.
Decision makers should understand the “stage principle.”
Centuries ago it was recognized that there were basic mental activity stages to decision making. These stages are subject neutral. They will, of themselves, solve nothing. They are a guide. These stages also have been called steps, phases, processes, elements, ingredients, set of operations, elementary constituents, and others. It is desirable to standardize on one name, such as stages.
The value of the "stage" method
Without a method, we are left with chance and aimless wandering. Because there are basic stages to problem solving and decision making, we should have a method or model to follow. Over the years, thousands of model formulas have been offered for these mental activity stages.
The categories that need application
Critical thinking
This term is constantly used. If you research its real meaning, you find it is actually decision making and problem solving thinking.
Public policy and Government
Every day at all levels of government public policy decisions are being made. Because of inadequate teaching of decision making, there are often wrong decisions made.
Management in all organizations
It is self-evident that better problem solving and decision making by managers can greatly improve an organization’s profits and goals. A number of studies have shown that managers do not achieve much over 50% correct results in their decision making and problem solving. Remember that managers are also managers of the decision making of personnel under their supervision.
In recent years decision making is being pushed further and further down the ranks of employees. So, if our management leaders improve their decision making knowledge and skills, the benefit would be multiplied and widespread.
[To be continued]
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Nothing is More Important
From: The Importance of and Need for Complete
Problem Solving and Decision Making
In Research Briefings (1986), Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon (father of Artificial Intelligence) stated:
“The work of managers, of scientists, of engineers, of lawyers…the work that steers the course of society and its economic and government organizations…is largely work of making decisions and solving problems…Nothing is more important.”
“It is the work of choosing issues that require attention, setting goals, finding or designing suitable courses of action, and evaluating and choosing among alternative actions. The first three of these activities (fixing agendas, setting goals, and designing actions) are usually called problem solving, the last, evaluating and choosing, is usually called decision making.
Nothing is more important for the well being of society than this work being performed effectively, that we address successfully the many problems requiring attention at the national level (the budget and trade deficits, AIDS, national security, the mitigation of earthquake damage), at the level of business organizations (product improvement, production efficiency, investment choices), and at the level of our individual lives (choosing a career or a school, buying a house).”
More on the Importance and the Need
In Complex Problem Solving (1991), Wagner states: “Mintzberg’s (1973) influential studies of what managers actually do, as opposed to what they are supposed to do, or what they say they do, provides unwelcome news to proponents of rational approaches to managerial problem solving.
Mintzberg found that even successful managers rarely, if ever, employed rational approaches. Rather than following a step-by-step sequence from problem definition to problem solution, managers typically groped along with only vague impressions about the nature of the problems they were dealing with, and with little idea of what the ultimate solution would be until they believed they found it (Mintzberg, Raisinghani, and Theorel, 1976).
Isenberg (1984) reached a similar conclusion in his analysis of how senior managers solve problems. The senior managers he studied did not follow the rational model of first defining problems, next assessing possible causes, and only then taking action to solve the problem. Instead they worked from general overriding concerns, and they worked simultaneously at a number of problems (fragmentation/confusion).”
ZDT Authors Note:
In all, these few paragraphs are an accurate reflection of an exhaustive study by Norman W. Edmund named Decision Making. This fellow was 91 at this publication and his discoveries were after a lifetime of study and research on the subject of decisioning. He further states that his research, grants and subsidies were backed by millions of dollars of investment.
Because his approach was so well funded, and his conclusions are so highly detailed, we will devote a couple of additional posts to his research and findings. His conclusions mirror our ZDT and MODELTM System very closely (with way less cost).
Problem Solving and Decision Making
In Research Briefings (1986), Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon (father of Artificial Intelligence) stated:
“The work of managers, of scientists, of engineers, of lawyers…the work that steers the course of society and its economic and government organizations…is largely work of making decisions and solving problems…Nothing is more important.”
“It is the work of choosing issues that require attention, setting goals, finding or designing suitable courses of action, and evaluating and choosing among alternative actions. The first three of these activities (fixing agendas, setting goals, and designing actions) are usually called problem solving, the last, evaluating and choosing, is usually called decision making.
Nothing is more important for the well being of society than this work being performed effectively, that we address successfully the many problems requiring attention at the national level (the budget and trade deficits, AIDS, national security, the mitigation of earthquake damage), at the level of business organizations (product improvement, production efficiency, investment choices), and at the level of our individual lives (choosing a career or a school, buying a house).”
More on the Importance and the Need
In Complex Problem Solving (1991), Wagner states: “Mintzberg’s (1973) influential studies of what managers actually do, as opposed to what they are supposed to do, or what they say they do, provides unwelcome news to proponents of rational approaches to managerial problem solving.
Mintzberg found that even successful managers rarely, if ever, employed rational approaches. Rather than following a step-by-step sequence from problem definition to problem solution, managers typically groped along with only vague impressions about the nature of the problems they were dealing with, and with little idea of what the ultimate solution would be until they believed they found it (Mintzberg, Raisinghani, and Theorel, 1976).
Isenberg (1984) reached a similar conclusion in his analysis of how senior managers solve problems. The senior managers he studied did not follow the rational model of first defining problems, next assessing possible causes, and only then taking action to solve the problem. Instead they worked from general overriding concerns, and they worked simultaneously at a number of problems (fragmentation/confusion).”
ZDT Authors Note:
In all, these few paragraphs are an accurate reflection of an exhaustive study by Norman W. Edmund named Decision Making. This fellow was 91 at this publication and his discoveries were after a lifetime of study and research on the subject of decisioning. He further states that his research, grants and subsidies were backed by millions of dollars of investment.
Because his approach was so well funded, and his conclusions are so highly detailed, we will devote a couple of additional posts to his research and findings. His conclusions mirror our ZDT and MODELTM System very closely (with way less cost).
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Show Them How You Think and Decide
As a Man Thinketh by James Allen has sold millions for over a hundred years. It is a short and efficient book with a timeless message. The adage, *As a man thinketh in his heart so is he, not only embraces the whole of a person’s being, but it also reaches out to every condition and circumstance of a person’s life.
He further states that a person literally becomes what they think about, and their character becomes the complete sum of all their thoughts [decisions].
With that as the premise, what would be the benefit to your clientele, friends and family to know how you think and decide (especially about them and their problems)?
The benefits:
They will see how important decisioning has become in your life and that it is a part of your character (a reinforcement of the above book and our human condition).
They will realize you have a concrete path that you can rely on in making important decisions for yourself (or for them).
They will see that you have a built-in accountability step in your process that creates transparency (you cannot have too much accountability).
They can see how you are able to separate levels and hierarchies of decisions and can direct valuable time more efficiently to the important issues of life decisioning.
They can see that you are in a very unique (USP) and exclusive category as a bright example of critical thinking and deciding.
Note: You can add to this list from your own experiences.
Of course, there are a zillion factors to consider in developing your own path. But again, if you boil it down to the minimums, you will need a transparent system, standard or model that is transferable to others. The keys to transferability will be making it simple, memorable and repeatable.
We would welcome your feedback and any results that you are willing to share.
* Proverbs 23: 7
He further states that a person literally becomes what they think about, and their character becomes the complete sum of all their thoughts [decisions].
With that as the premise, what would be the benefit to your clientele, friends and family to know how you think and decide (especially about them and their problems)?
The benefits:
They will see how important decisioning has become in your life and that it is a part of your character (a reinforcement of the above book and our human condition).
They will realize you have a concrete path that you can rely on in making important decisions for yourself (or for them).
They will see that you have a built-in accountability step in your process that creates transparency (you cannot have too much accountability).
They can see how you are able to separate levels and hierarchies of decisions and can direct valuable time more efficiently to the important issues of life decisioning.
They can see that you are in a very unique (USP) and exclusive category as a bright example of critical thinking and deciding.
Note: You can add to this list from your own experiences.
Of course, there are a zillion factors to consider in developing your own path. But again, if you boil it down to the minimums, you will need a transparent system, standard or model that is transferable to others. The keys to transferability will be making it simple, memorable and repeatable.
We would welcome your feedback and any results that you are willing to share.
* Proverbs 23: 7
Thursday, November 4, 2010
How to Feed a Decision
Growth
All growth comes from some form of feeding…even decisions.
Food Sources
One source could come from: Fear…Doubt…Negativity
Another could come from: Love…Power…Positive Thought
There are a multitude of other sources.
Point is; the source of food has much to do with the final product e.g. “garbage in-garbage out.” As with any care-taking responsibility, if the object is not properly and consistently nourished and maintained, a fatality can be expected. That’s why many important decisions end up in the bone pile.
There are at least four types of sources that it takes to properly nourish a needed decision.
Feed the Facts (Due Diligence)
Today, there are few excuses for not feeding from this source. We have every possible resource (digital-electronic-wireless) to gather facts, information and intelligence to find/discover exactly what is needed. This is today’s Superfood that is available for a very low cost.
Feed the Commitment
Let’s call this source the secret component. It’s much like in a family recipe where the ingredients are well guarded, but that is the very reason that the end product is a prize winner. This secret formula should be included in every receipt, and with a heavy dose.
Feed the Solution
This is the recipe. This is where you select the right dish to fit the meal, taste and occasion. Be it Appetizers, Salads, Sides, Mains, Desserts…the right solution is no less important. The original facts and discovery should always support the appropriate solution. The right solution is vital to the right decision.
Feed the Action
None of the above (care and feeding) will cook without the right activities. Timing, stirring, shaking, mixing, temperatures and cooking are all activities that will make the dish a product of reality. This analogy may seem a bit abstract. But like any knowledgeable chef, they know that certain steps are vital and cannot be left out. They also know that a proven process will make the end product more predictable and exceptional. The preparation steps, ingredients and expertise are all irreplaceable to them.
The same is true in decisioning.
Food for thought?
All growth comes from some form of feeding…even decisions.
Food Sources
One source could come from: Fear…Doubt…Negativity
Another could come from: Love…Power…Positive Thought
There are a multitude of other sources.
Point is; the source of food has much to do with the final product e.g. “garbage in-garbage out.” As with any care-taking responsibility, if the object is not properly and consistently nourished and maintained, a fatality can be expected. That’s why many important decisions end up in the bone pile.
There are at least four types of sources that it takes to properly nourish a needed decision.
Feed the Facts (Due Diligence)
Today, there are few excuses for not feeding from this source. We have every possible resource (digital-electronic-wireless) to gather facts, information and intelligence to find/discover exactly what is needed. This is today’s Superfood that is available for a very low cost.
Feed the Commitment
Let’s call this source the secret component. It’s much like in a family recipe where the ingredients are well guarded, but that is the very reason that the end product is a prize winner. This secret formula should be included in every receipt, and with a heavy dose.
Feed the Solution
This is the recipe. This is where you select the right dish to fit the meal, taste and occasion. Be it Appetizers, Salads, Sides, Mains, Desserts…the right solution is no less important. The original facts and discovery should always support the appropriate solution. The right solution is vital to the right decision.
Feed the Action
None of the above (care and feeding) will cook without the right activities. Timing, stirring, shaking, mixing, temperatures and cooking are all activities that will make the dish a product of reality. This analogy may seem a bit abstract. But like any knowledgeable chef, they know that certain steps are vital and cannot be left out. They also know that a proven process will make the end product more predictable and exceptional. The preparation steps, ingredients and expertise are all irreplaceable to them.
The same is true in decisioning.
Food for thought?
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
How Will the Buyer and Seller Decide?
Q. If the buyer and the seller could definitively agree on the true objective between them, would that motivate both parties to work toward a more professional and agreeable process?
Forever, we have treated the buyer and seller roles as players in the “sale.” When in reality, the objective of this relationship is the goal of a decision. One path develops in the world of selling…the other, in the universe of decisioning.
The sales track says: Probe, Promote, Push, Close…
The decisioning model says: Discover, Commit, Solve, Act…
Going forward, which direction looks like a fit? As we are getting more technologically oriented (via smart digital apparatuses), our decisioning intelligence is automatically strengthening.
We will have an increasingly resistant attitude toward the cold, hard selling of yesterday. We do not want to be sold, but we will welcome the ones who can help us decide as long as they represent our best interest. The evidence of this recent election is real-time proof of what happens when selling is forced. Through voting (deciding) we demonstrated that, as Americans, we are smarter than that (“burned once...burned twice”).
As a by-product, we will get ever more critical and demanding (of the proof supported by facts) as we are developing our decisions. It’s true that hucksters will always be a part of our society; it’s just that we the people are continuing to resist that deception. Is this a one time assertion? No. We have to be vigilant, diligent and consistent in all of our efforts.
Again, our dilemma is cold selling or warm decisioning. The reason this is so important is that we are now living with a product of the former. I believe that in order for us to graduate to our next level of potential; we will all need to become better at decisioning as buyers and sellers in all commodities, governments and peoples. We really have no choice.
This election could serve as a wake up call in the form of wholesale resistance, or maybe this is the turning point where a more modeled approach to decisioning becomes the norm.
You decide.
Forever, we have treated the buyer and seller roles as players in the “sale.” When in reality, the objective of this relationship is the goal of a decision. One path develops in the world of selling…the other, in the universe of decisioning.
The sales track says: Probe, Promote, Push, Close…
The decisioning model says: Discover, Commit, Solve, Act…
Going forward, which direction looks like a fit? As we are getting more technologically oriented (via smart digital apparatuses), our decisioning intelligence is automatically strengthening.
We will have an increasingly resistant attitude toward the cold, hard selling of yesterday. We do not want to be sold, but we will welcome the ones who can help us decide as long as they represent our best interest. The evidence of this recent election is real-time proof of what happens when selling is forced. Through voting (deciding) we demonstrated that, as Americans, we are smarter than that (“burned once...burned twice”).
As a by-product, we will get ever more critical and demanding (of the proof supported by facts) as we are developing our decisions. It’s true that hucksters will always be a part of our society; it’s just that we the people are continuing to resist that deception. Is this a one time assertion? No. We have to be vigilant, diligent and consistent in all of our efforts.
Again, our dilemma is cold selling or warm decisioning. The reason this is so important is that we are now living with a product of the former. I believe that in order for us to graduate to our next level of potential; we will all need to become better at decisioning as buyers and sellers in all commodities, governments and peoples. We really have no choice.
This election could serve as a wake up call in the form of wholesale resistance, or maybe this is the turning point where a more modeled approach to decisioning becomes the norm.
You decide.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Your Vote is Your Decision
Your vote is:
Your belief
Your number
Your representation
Your affiliation
Your legacy
Your responsibility
Your right
Your privilege
Your ability
In all, it’s your decision.
History has shown us that the vote, as a number, plays a vital role in politics. Here are five examples of how one vote really did make a difference in elections to the U.S. House of Representatives:
In 1829 in Kentucky, Nicholas Coleman defeated Adam Beatty 2,520 to 2,519.
In 1847 in Indiana, George G. Dunn defeated David M. Dobson 7,455 to 7,454.
In 1847 in Virginia, Thomas S. Flournoy defeated his opponent 650 to 649.
In 1854 in Illinois, James C. Allen defeated William B. Archer 8,452 to 8,451.
In 1882 in Virginia, Robert M. Mayo defeated George T. Garrison 10,505 to 10,504.
As a decision, your vote is your opportunity to exercise all of the above (and more). It is your commitment to your country and its governess. It is the solution to dictatorship or authoritarian rule. It requires that we participate in an active (vs. passive) role.
Please vote responsibility.
Your belief
Your number
Your representation
Your affiliation
Your legacy
Your responsibility
Your right
Your privilege
Your ability
In all, it’s your decision.
History has shown us that the vote, as a number, plays a vital role in politics. Here are five examples of how one vote really did make a difference in elections to the U.S. House of Representatives:
In 1829 in Kentucky, Nicholas Coleman defeated Adam Beatty 2,520 to 2,519.
In 1847 in Indiana, George G. Dunn defeated David M. Dobson 7,455 to 7,454.
In 1847 in Virginia, Thomas S. Flournoy defeated his opponent 650 to 649.
In 1854 in Illinois, James C. Allen defeated William B. Archer 8,452 to 8,451.
In 1882 in Virginia, Robert M. Mayo defeated George T. Garrison 10,505 to 10,504.
As a decision, your vote is your opportunity to exercise all of the above (and more). It is your commitment to your country and its governess. It is the solution to dictatorship or authoritarian rule. It requires that we participate in an active (vs. passive) role.
Please vote responsibility.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Zillion Dollar Thought
A square foot of lawn has 3,000 blades of grass. A square foot of fairway has 4,500. A putting green has about 8,000. All grass everywhere…Zillions!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Will You Decide on Herd Mentality?
With less than a week, we will have a national election. Here’s today’s headline:
And, of course this has come on the heels of several weeks (in succession) of similar such good news. Overall, this is a dismal picture that we are supposed to embrace as progress [herd mentality] because it was not as bad as expected. But, this could be any news that is fed to us by some media chain that has its own particular reporting agenda.
Herds
Many of these news outlets are the venues for herd mentality. Their goal: to move the masses. It worked beautifully in the last general election, but with the above results…millions out of work and millions losing their homes. Will it happen again?
We will know next Wednesday. One thing is certain. We will have some changing of the guard at several levels (big and small). With that in mind, what do we do regardless of how it all turns out?
Keys
First time politicians [many times] are like teenagers who have just been handed the keys to the car. You hope all those years of wisdom, trust and promises will not suddenly dissolve as you see them backing down the driveway. It leaves you with a sinking feeling. After this election, you may get the same feeling. So, what do you do with your teenager and your politician as they move forward?
Antidote
Stay vigilant, consistent and responsive. Watch for the signs: votes, citations, grades, health, habits, news, relationships/associations, communications, respect for all the related authorities, attitudes…on and on. What better antidote to herd mentality could you employ than factual accountability for those you hired to work for you?
Another key to this methodology is to lay this all down in a written expectation to your teen and your politician. Since anything can go e-viral today, the threat to any politician is that if they go their own way, the world can witness it instantly.
Teen exception: There are more creative ways to amend behavior.
The Goal: Freedom
Since we cannot predict or command how these (and subsequent) elections will go, how should we respond? Easy, we respond as if this is a continuing event…because it is! To elect them is one phase; to live under a product of their vote and influence is something else. It’s not a one shot deal.
We have read repeatedly that the death of a blog is to target religion or politics. So, maybe I’m taking a risk? The bigger risk is that we lose the freedom to even have a voice (or a blog). This election could well be a turning point for political parties, but more importantly, for freedom itself.
Decide responsibility.
“This week unemployment has dropped from
450,000 to 434,000
…and that’s the good news.”
Herds
Many of these news outlets are the venues for herd mentality. Their goal: to move the masses. It worked beautifully in the last general election, but with the above results…millions out of work and millions losing their homes. Will it happen again?
We will know next Wednesday. One thing is certain. We will have some changing of the guard at several levels (big and small). With that in mind, what do we do regardless of how it all turns out?
Keys
First time politicians [many times] are like teenagers who have just been handed the keys to the car. You hope all those years of wisdom, trust and promises will not suddenly dissolve as you see them backing down the driveway. It leaves you with a sinking feeling. After this election, you may get the same feeling. So, what do you do with your teenager and your politician as they move forward?
Antidote
Stay vigilant, consistent and responsive. Watch for the signs: votes, citations, grades, health, habits, news, relationships/associations, communications, respect for all the related authorities, attitudes…on and on. What better antidote to herd mentality could you employ than factual accountability for those you hired to work for you?
Another key to this methodology is to lay this all down in a written expectation to your teen and your politician. Since anything can go e-viral today, the threat to any politician is that if they go their own way, the world can witness it instantly.
Teen exception: There are more creative ways to amend behavior.
The Goal: Freedom
Since we cannot predict or command how these (and subsequent) elections will go, how should we respond? Easy, we respond as if this is a continuing event…because it is! To elect them is one phase; to live under a product of their vote and influence is something else. It’s not a one shot deal.
We have read repeatedly that the death of a blog is to target religion or politics. So, maybe I’m taking a risk? The bigger risk is that we lose the freedom to even have a voice (or a blog). This election could well be a turning point for political parties, but more importantly, for freedom itself.
Decide responsibility.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
The Most Important Word in Recruiting (Anyone)
If you are a part of any form of recruiting, or you are involved as a link in a recruiting program, there is only one word that will determine your success. Now, just think of all the categories that require recruiting…for example:
Teams/Coaches
Players
Churches
Salespeople/All Categories
Clients
Professors
Students
Voters/Party Members
Military
All Others
As you have probably already concluded, the key word in recruiting is “commitment.” But, what many do not tend to think about is when the word is delivered and why that is important.
The important timing of a commitment is that it generally is a pre-agreement and not a post-agreement. Consider the marriage ceremony (still a recruiting issue), and the fact that the presiding official will always ask the obligating question (commitment) “do you take this man/woman to be your lawfully wedded…” before they are pronounced married.
Some commitments are more costly than others. Consider the military commitment…that agreement is often pledged with the ultimate cost on the line, and is generally accepted before any assignments are delivered. Point is, no commitment should be taken lightly, and they should be planned for very carefully.
If you live in the sales world, and you are recruiting clients, the same is also true. You will want to solicit all the valuable commitments you can get, just like a coach who is recruiting for the team.
With that as your goal, what is often missing in many selling presentations to buyers (or anyone else) is to formally target commitments. They work best when they are sequential. In the selling cycle, the order can go as follows:
Are they committed to the interview…the fact finding process…your USP…your product or service…working with you…going through all the requirements to complete a transaction…to name a few?
In other words, without timely commitments along your presenting and/or selling path, you can find yourself suddenly lost in the process and beyond repair. Of course, the best kept commitments are the ones that are sealed in writing. These are best suited to high value/costly issues (again, like the military), but they can be critical in a sales transaction where a large sum is at stake.
In all, there really is no substitute for a well positioned commitment. We are all selling something, and from this exercise, it seems that we may also be in the recruiting business. There is a verse that says:
If we substitute “commitment” for “word,” the weight and value of this premise becomes more reasonable.
Teams/Coaches
Players
Churches
Salespeople/All Categories
Clients
Professors
Students
Voters/Party Members
Military
All Others
As you have probably already concluded, the key word in recruiting is “commitment.” But, what many do not tend to think about is when the word is delivered and why that is important.
The important timing of a commitment is that it generally is a pre-agreement and not a post-agreement. Consider the marriage ceremony (still a recruiting issue), and the fact that the presiding official will always ask the obligating question (commitment) “do you take this man/woman to be your lawfully wedded…” before they are pronounced married.
Some commitments are more costly than others. Consider the military commitment…that agreement is often pledged with the ultimate cost on the line, and is generally accepted before any assignments are delivered. Point is, no commitment should be taken lightly, and they should be planned for very carefully.
If you live in the sales world, and you are recruiting clients, the same is also true. You will want to solicit all the valuable commitments you can get, just like a coach who is recruiting for the team.
With that as your goal, what is often missing in many selling presentations to buyers (or anyone else) is to formally target commitments. They work best when they are sequential. In the selling cycle, the order can go as follows:
Are they committed to the interview…the fact finding process…your USP…your product or service…working with you…going through all the requirements to complete a transaction…to name a few?
In other words, without timely commitments along your presenting and/or selling path, you can find yourself suddenly lost in the process and beyond repair. Of course, the best kept commitments are the ones that are sealed in writing. These are best suited to high value/costly issues (again, like the military), but they can be critical in a sales transaction where a large sum is at stake.
In all, there really is no substitute for a well positioned commitment. We are all selling something, and from this exercise, it seems that we may also be in the recruiting business. There is a verse that says:
“A fitly spoken word is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
If we substitute “commitment” for “word,” the weight and value of this premise becomes more reasonable.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Your First and Last Decision
What was your first decision?
What will be your last decision?
Like many, you probably cannot answer either of these two questions. One is a matter of memory while the other is an issue of timing. The more interesting question is that if you could answer both of those questions with certainty, how would that change your approach to decisioning…and even life?
Decisioning in the Now
The definitive position about decisioning is what is being made in-between these two questions…in the now. What is your effectiveness? How important is it to you? What are you doing to get better at it? Do you use any systems, techniques or guidelines? How do you measure your progress? What are you trends?
This subject is white hot for obvious reasons. You can use any search engine to find that millions of results will emerge from the subject word of “decisions or decisioning.” That is the rub. To much information causes overload, and with overload comes the tendency to become confused and then paralyzed about the subject.
Again, the reason and purpose of our ZDT Blog is to inform, motivate and encourage you to become activated and energized about decisioning where you are [in the now], and to transfer the same challenge to those around you.
Insert from the article:
How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason
“The first and most important component of decision-making is self confidence. The second element is the ability to be analytical. The value of analysis cannot be overstated because it allows a person to systematically break down a situation and see its individual parts. Thirdly, a major part of decision-making is the ability to think critically. The great value of critical thought can be traced all the way back to the philosopher Socrates (b.399 B.C.) of Athens, who advocated that critical thought and self-reflection are major components of what it is to be human.
The last two attributes of being a decisive person is the understanding of the value of research (due diligence) and the ability to manage conflict, within yourself and your belief structure. All these components make up decisive behavior techniques and flow out of an overall orientation toward action, and an assumption of risk. These components do encourage individual development through self-awareness, as well as skill acquisition and improved competence.
Possessing the right set of attributes and having the courage to make a decision, does not mean the work is all done. You should have your own decision-making process which must take your communication network, your staff, and your stakeholders into consideration.
There must be a set of steps to incorporate the above elements into a process. Of course, this can be tailored differently for each scenario, but it might work something like this: Research a situation thoroughly -- analyze all the components -- think of all the people who will be effected by your decision -- think everything through using innovative and strategic thought processes -- have the self-confidence to make a short or long term decision and the commitment to stand by it -- communicate it to your staff -- and have the ability to overcome the conflict that may arise from the decision. Never forget evaluation.”
ZDT Author’s Note:
At the end, when all you can do is to look back, you may confess that your first real decision may well have set the course of your entire life (for the good or bad), and your last decision may have had something to do with why you are now getting to look back.
Point is, decisioning is a critical function in everyone’s life and for all of their life. Hopefully, and with all of our new technologies, how you are deciding now is getting more effective than it was in the past.
We never know when a particular decision will be our last one.
*How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason
Full article and credits:
http://www.moyak.com/papers/leadership-qualities.html
What will be your last decision?
Like many, you probably cannot answer either of these two questions. One is a matter of memory while the other is an issue of timing. The more interesting question is that if you could answer both of those questions with certainty, how would that change your approach to decisioning…and even life?
Decisioning in the Now
The definitive position about decisioning is what is being made in-between these two questions…in the now. What is your effectiveness? How important is it to you? What are you doing to get better at it? Do you use any systems, techniques or guidelines? How do you measure your progress? What are you trends?
This subject is white hot for obvious reasons. You can use any search engine to find that millions of results will emerge from the subject word of “decisions or decisioning.” That is the rub. To much information causes overload, and with overload comes the tendency to become confused and then paralyzed about the subject.
Again, the reason and purpose of our ZDT Blog is to inform, motivate and encourage you to become activated and energized about decisioning where you are [in the now], and to transfer the same challenge to those around you.
Insert from the article:
How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason
“The first and most important component of decision-making is self confidence. The second element is the ability to be analytical. The value of analysis cannot be overstated because it allows a person to systematically break down a situation and see its individual parts. Thirdly, a major part of decision-making is the ability to think critically. The great value of critical thought can be traced all the way back to the philosopher Socrates (b.399 B.C.) of Athens, who advocated that critical thought and self-reflection are major components of what it is to be human.
The last two attributes of being a decisive person is the understanding of the value of research (due diligence) and the ability to manage conflict, within yourself and your belief structure. All these components make up decisive behavior techniques and flow out of an overall orientation toward action, and an assumption of risk. These components do encourage individual development through self-awareness, as well as skill acquisition and improved competence.
Possessing the right set of attributes and having the courage to make a decision, does not mean the work is all done. You should have your own decision-making process which must take your communication network, your staff, and your stakeholders into consideration.
There must be a set of steps to incorporate the above elements into a process. Of course, this can be tailored differently for each scenario, but it might work something like this: Research a situation thoroughly -- analyze all the components -- think of all the people who will be effected by your decision -- think everything through using innovative and strategic thought processes -- have the self-confidence to make a short or long term decision and the commitment to stand by it -- communicate it to your staff -- and have the ability to overcome the conflict that may arise from the decision. Never forget evaluation.”
ZDT Author’s Note:
At the end, when all you can do is to look back, you may confess that your first real decision may well have set the course of your entire life (for the good or bad), and your last decision may have had something to do with why you are now getting to look back.
Point is, decisioning is a critical function in everyone’s life and for all of their life. Hopefully, and with all of our new technologies, how you are deciding now is getting more effective than it was in the past.
We never know when a particular decision will be our last one.
*How Important is Decision-Making?
by Moya K. Mason
Full article and credits:
http://www.moyak.com/papers/leadership-qualities.html
Friday, October 22, 2010
No Selling in the U.S.A.?
Selling is one of the ultimate freedoms in America. We are all selling something. “Mom, I need this dress…and shoes. Dad, I need some money to go to…Baby, we need a vacation…We need cars, homes, businesses…on and on.” We must have sellers and buyers.
Selling is the genesis of entrepreneurship, capitalism and free market enterprise. It’s how we got here.
It is true that nothing happens until somebody sells something. So, let’s look around to see who’s selling what?
Politicians (and street walkers) are selling themselves. Glen Beck is selling information and gold. George Soros is selling currencies. BP is selling oil (and bad decisions). W. is selling books. NPR is selling out. Fox is selling “fair and balanced.” CBS is selling commercials. Everybody is selling something in our free society.
The opposite is also true. If we have no atmosphere for buying and selling, what do we have? Question: How could that happen?
Let’s look around again…The more we need these markets, the more it seems that they are being crushed…housing, cars, small business, travel and airlines…and more to come. Our manufacturing has gone to China, our decisions are going to the government, and our dollar is going to hell.
Some of the above is provable and some may be speculative, but I don’t think that there will be much push back about the potential for a melt down. So, what are we to do?
Here’s the opportunity: Sell logic…Sell solutions…Sell freedom…Sell constitutionality…Sell inalienable rights…Sell truth…Sell facts …Sell a positive and hopeful future…Sell responsible decisioning.
Don’t sell: fear…spin…lies…misspeaking…misinformation…miscalculations…speculations...wrong headed personalities...herd mentality… political correctness...lame thinking…misdirection…anti principles…anti business…anti states rights…thoughtless responses or intimidation.
As long as there is a sliver of freedom left in this country, we need to keep selling. Point is, let’s sell and engage on purpose…not by coercion or by accident.
Freedom is not free.
Selling is the genesis of entrepreneurship, capitalism and free market enterprise. It’s how we got here.
It is true that nothing happens until somebody sells something. So, let’s look around to see who’s selling what?
Politicians (and street walkers) are selling themselves. Glen Beck is selling information and gold. George Soros is selling currencies. BP is selling oil (and bad decisions). W. is selling books. NPR is selling out. Fox is selling “fair and balanced.” CBS is selling commercials. Everybody is selling something in our free society.
The opposite is also true. If we have no atmosphere for buying and selling, what do we have? Question: How could that happen?
Let’s look around again…The more we need these markets, the more it seems that they are being crushed…housing, cars, small business, travel and airlines…and more to come. Our manufacturing has gone to China, our decisions are going to the government, and our dollar is going to hell.
Some of the above is provable and some may be speculative, but I don’t think that there will be much push back about the potential for a melt down. So, what are we to do?
Here’s the opportunity: Sell logic…Sell solutions…Sell freedom…Sell constitutionality…Sell inalienable rights…Sell truth…Sell facts …Sell a positive and hopeful future…Sell responsible decisioning.
Don’t sell: fear…spin…lies…misspeaking…misinformation…miscalculations…speculations...wrong headed personalities...herd mentality… political correctness...lame thinking…misdirection…anti principles…anti business…anti states rights…thoughtless responses or intimidation.
As long as there is a sliver of freedom left in this country, we need to keep selling. Point is, let’s sell and engage on purpose…not by coercion or by accident.
Freedom is not free.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Your Digital Challenge
The little booklet The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E.N. Gray has been given away by agents, general agents and recruiting managers for years with the distribution easily in the millions. It plainly describes what traits an agent needs to have to be successful in the insurance business. It was razor edge sharp in delivery and description.
The secrets?
Simple message (designed for short delivery time and/or buy in)
Compact physical booklet (like a small gift)
Laser focused on key points to identify or eliminate a prospect
Ideal prospecting tool for the specific market of insurance agents
Transferable concept even to other issues and industries
The message stands the test of time (concept from a 1940 speech)
Challenge of a paradigm shift and habit change commitment
A call to action
These secrets, among others, are identifiable and career changing if adopted and exercised repeatedly over time. I would never challenge the impact and influence this one concept has had over the years. I personally handed out hundreds of them.
But now, measured from my own experience, and as great as this message is, I realize the absence of the purposeful decision that precedes and preempts this concept. And, here is the resulting mantra:
“Success is Relative…Decisions are Definable”
I too have recruited and trained scores of insurance agents over the years to learn that the decision comes before the habit change or paradigm shift.
Point is, in order to become successful (in any business) we need to pay strict attention to our methodology and the patterns/models that we used to arrive at life or career changing decisions. The bigger pay off is to continue to make sound decisions in all areas of our lives.
If we can define that model and transfer it, we can then influence others (clients, relatives and friends) to make difficult and challenging decisions in all the other areas of their lives (perhaps the decision to buy a product/service solution that had previously been stuck in “IWTTAI” (I Want to Think about It) land.
Here’s the challenge…In this digital community, it will be simple for you to publish your own (USP) digital booklet of what you believe to be the Common Denominator of Success in today’s economy and society. It will be revealing and insightful, especially to your own audience.
We have written one titled:
“The Common Denominator of Decisioning”
We will be glad to share it.
The secrets?
Simple message (designed for short delivery time and/or buy in)
Compact physical booklet (like a small gift)
Laser focused on key points to identify or eliminate a prospect
Ideal prospecting tool for the specific market of insurance agents
Transferable concept even to other issues and industries
The message stands the test of time (concept from a 1940 speech)
Challenge of a paradigm shift and habit change commitment
A call to action
These secrets, among others, are identifiable and career changing if adopted and exercised repeatedly over time. I would never challenge the impact and influence this one concept has had over the years. I personally handed out hundreds of them.
But now, measured from my own experience, and as great as this message is, I realize the absence of the purposeful decision that precedes and preempts this concept. And, here is the resulting mantra:
“Success is Relative…Decisions are Definable”
I too have recruited and trained scores of insurance agents over the years to learn that the decision comes before the habit change or paradigm shift.
Point is, in order to become successful (in any business) we need to pay strict attention to our methodology and the patterns/models that we used to arrive at life or career changing decisions. The bigger pay off is to continue to make sound decisions in all areas of our lives.
If we can define that model and transfer it, we can then influence others (clients, relatives and friends) to make difficult and challenging decisions in all the other areas of their lives (perhaps the decision to buy a product/service solution that had previously been stuck in “IWTTAI” (I Want to Think about It) land.
Here’s the challenge…In this digital community, it will be simple for you to publish your own (USP) digital booklet of what you believe to be the Common Denominator of Success in today’s economy and society. It will be revealing and insightful, especially to your own audience.
We have written one titled:
“The Common Denominator of Decisioning”
We will be glad to share it.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Your Decisioning Journal
Why not? Digital calendars, iPad forms, SmartPhone apps are everywhere. We could use them to find out something revolutionary…our decisioning trends.
Recorded on a frequent and consistent basis, charting decision results can yield you some valuable intelligence. We post and track appointments, errands, birthdays, occasions of every kind. Why not decisions? In reality, there is little that is more important than the collective decisions that you make.
One of my old sales managers famously quoted: “if they could do without what you are offering for 30 days…they could do without it forever.” In my selling career, that maxim has rendered essentially true. Once the buyer states…
So, 30 days should be a good unit of time for this exercise. What you choose to track in this time frame is the key to making this an effective methodology.
For the next 30 days record these:
(Include any others that you feel are important keys for you)
Focus on only those decisions that involve money (measurable)
Outline circumstances, objectives and importance (big or small issue)
The time frame to make the decision (30 day window or under)
Outside pressures, other influences and obstacles (ownership)
Others:
Wait 30 more days and review the list to see what happened (consequences)
Permanently record any trends, models and/or revelations (paradigm shift)
ZDT Questions:
Will any new habits, models or systems be adopted as a consequence?
Was it a useful/effective test?
Will you share it with others?
We would welcome your feedback and experiences.
Recorded on a frequent and consistent basis, charting decision results can yield you some valuable intelligence. We post and track appointments, errands, birthdays, occasions of every kind. Why not decisions? In reality, there is little that is more important than the collective decisions that you make.
One of my old sales managers famously quoted: “if they could do without what you are offering for 30 days…they could do without it forever.” In my selling career, that maxim has rendered essentially true. Once the buyer states…
“I want to think about it”
For a salesperson, the clock begins to tick, and you have less than 30 days to close the deal. In reality, the opportunity drops about 25% for each remaining week. We believe the same time frame is true regarding personal decisioning. So, 30 days should be a good unit of time for this exercise. What you choose to track in this time frame is the key to making this an effective methodology.
For the next 30 days record these:
(Include any others that you feel are important keys for you)
Focus on only those decisions that involve money (measurable)
Outline circumstances, objectives and importance (big or small issue)
The time frame to make the decision (30 day window or under)
Outside pressures, other influences and obstacles (ownership)
Others:
Wait 30 more days and review the list to see what happened (consequences)
Permanently record any trends, models and/or revelations (paradigm shift)
ZDT Questions:
Will any new habits, models or systems be adopted as a consequence?
Was it a useful/effective test?
Will you share it with others?
We would welcome your feedback and experiences.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Art of Decisioning
From the artistic side, I’ve probably rendered a few thousand paintings, drawings and graphic images over the years. What did all those impressions teach me about decisioning?
Art and Decisioning
Lesson: Deciding before you paint dictates what you decide while you paint. For example: Will the theme be Abstract or Realistic…Still Life or Portrait…Watercolor or Oil…Canvas or Board…Large or Small?
You can clearly see how this develops. If you start with a still life of a barn in a pasture, and then haphazardly change your thoughts and designs to portraiture, the confusion of messages will not lead to a successful painting.
Those thought patterns applied to decisioning should follow the same path. But, if you narrow your focus, categorize your thinking and stay consistent with your basic theme…that will keep you own track as you get deeper into the process. Oil painting will have one characteristic while watercolor will have completely different traits. So the decision of one over the other will tend to dictate the entire process that follows.
Point is that if you define and stay true to your basic beliefs, decisioning can and will be a much more efficient process.
ZDT Notes:
The objective (the painting or the decision) will be dictated by your POV (point of view). If you are agnostic, you will not frame your decision around Godly principles, and visa versa. If you are young, you will tend to decide with more limited experience because of age over the older “been there done that” POV.
Who would ever think about the artistic side of decisioning…ZDT.
Art and Decisioning
Lesson: Deciding before you paint dictates what you decide while you paint. For example: Will the theme be Abstract or Realistic…Still Life or Portrait…Watercolor or Oil…Canvas or Board…Large or Small?
You can clearly see how this develops. If you start with a still life of a barn in a pasture, and then haphazardly change your thoughts and designs to portraiture, the confusion of messages will not lead to a successful painting.
Those thought patterns applied to decisioning should follow the same path. But, if you narrow your focus, categorize your thinking and stay consistent with your basic theme…that will keep you own track as you get deeper into the process. Oil painting will have one characteristic while watercolor will have completely different traits. So the decision of one over the other will tend to dictate the entire process that follows.
Point is that if you define and stay true to your basic beliefs, decisioning can and will be a much more efficient process.
ZDT Notes:
The objective (the painting or the decision) will be dictated by your POV (point of view). If you are agnostic, you will not frame your decision around Godly principles, and visa versa. If you are young, you will tend to decide with more limited experience because of age over the older “been there done that” POV.
Who would ever think about the artistic side of decisioning…ZDT.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thank You Management
Some decisions in management do not have to be complicated. It was a few years ago, but this management principle still works in any economy (principles usually stand the test of time). Let’s start with a question:
A few years ago, in a managers meeting, I laid down a challenge to the others that I could manage our sales group and the entire sales effort by monitoring just one category. I did not say at the time what that category would be, but I did get a few to take the bait with their own methods. We shook hands to return a month later and compare results.
The method was simple. I asked the salespeople to make a copy of each handwritten thank you note they were sending to clients and prospects, and drop it in my mail box. Again, considering the sales cycle, the note was the result of a completed transaction. Several transactions…several notes. No transactions…no notes, and everything in between.
I did tell them that I would make calls within the month to follow up on some of the notes, at random, to gauge client satisfaction (just in case). Of course they could see the method behind the madness, but I got to repeatedly use a favorite slogan from our Regional Director at the time:
There is nothing more sobering in sales than to realistically face the fact that nothing happens until somebody sells something…especially when its you. And, this simple method puts the onus right were it has to be…Ouch!
So, at the next manager’s meeting, my job was easy…I simply held up a stack of thank you notes that told the entire story….winner.
There is a verse that says:
Here’s the really tough question: How many handwritten thank you notes are you sending out? The answer can be revolutionary to your practice.
“When was the last time you got a handwritten
thank you note from a salesperson?”
Consider the sales cycle: It begins with questions, is cemented by solutions and then sealed by signatures…lastly; it should be wrapped by a personalized thank you note. But, how often does that happen?
A few years ago, in a managers meeting, I laid down a challenge to the others that I could manage our sales group and the entire sales effort by monitoring just one category. I did not say at the time what that category would be, but I did get a few to take the bait with their own methods. We shook hands to return a month later and compare results.
The method was simple. I asked the salespeople to make a copy of each handwritten thank you note they were sending to clients and prospects, and drop it in my mail box. Again, considering the sales cycle, the note was the result of a completed transaction. Several transactions…several notes. No transactions…no notes, and everything in between.
I did tell them that I would make calls within the month to follow up on some of the notes, at random, to gauge client satisfaction (just in case). Of course they could see the method behind the madness, but I got to repeatedly use a favorite slogan from our Regional Director at the time:
“Don’t tell me about the labor pains…
just show me the baby.”
So, at the next manager’s meeting, my job was easy…I simply held up a stack of thank you notes that told the entire story….winner.
There is a verse that says:
“The simple shall confound the wise.”
Here’s the really tough question: How many handwritten thank you notes are you sending out? The answer can be revolutionary to your practice.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
How Rainmakers Make Rain
Definition of Rainmaker: An employee, producer or entrepreneur who creates a remarkable amount of new business for a company or institution. This term is often used in the context of the financial services, marketing/ advertising, and various other industries.
The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.
Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.
Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.
1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).
2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”
3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?
4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.
In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand. Their results are their resume.
Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:
They know that it universally costs $450 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will invert profitability.
They dollarize everything.
They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”
They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).
The decision to become a rainmaker is one of choice and not made by accident. Today, that decision can be timely and important given the climate of the economy and the hungry need of business for new sales. The list could be long as to why one would want to (or not) consider this road.
Clearly, the rewards outnumber the liabilities, but rainmakers know nothing in life is achieved without sacrifice [a price] to achieve extraordinary results.
Simply put, rainmakers generally have the following four traits in common.
1. They identify the problems. That means the buyer’s problems, the market’s problems, the economic climate problems, the product and service problems, the competition’s problems…in all; they are keenly sensitive and driven by the need of the problems and what it will take to solve them (even their own).
2. They are world class examples of commitment. In every sense of the word, they are committed to a solid work ethic, committed to integrity, committed to service, committed to excellence, committed to deliver results (even when excuses are common). In all, they are committed to “whatever it takes.”
3. They sell solutions. Products, services, plans, guides, webinars, graphics, books, magazines, mailings, digital apps…etc. are not stand alone objects. They are solutions to a problem. The rainmaker knows how to match the right solution to fit the correctly identified problem (due diligence and suitability). It is truly that simple, but how many really qualify for this rare membership?
4. They are driven into action. They realize that all the fantasies of success in this or any other field will not happen without specific, dedicated and focused action. They know the difference between the activity of the clown with the spinning plates versus closing the deal, collecting the money and leveraging that success to the next one.
In this economy, rainmakers are in hot demand. Their results are their resume.
Additional “Zillion Dollar Thoughts” of Rainmakers:
They know that it universally costs $450 to make a selling call. They know how many attempts (based on their product/service costs) that will invert profitability.
They dollarize everything.
They understand the maxim of “penny wise and pound foolish.”
They are married to a model (a transferable, repeatable and pre-planned format or system).
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