Monthly Archives: May 2014

As a leader, there will inevitably be times when you must handle a delicate situation with an employee or customer. These are never easy, and can strike fear in the heart of even the most seasoned leader. However, when you follow a few simple preparation steps, you can lessen your own trepidation about the situation and help ensure that the news you’ll be communicating is received in the most positive way possible. These steps can help you do a better job at delivering bad news, as well as helping you to feel less stressed about this part of the job.

1.   Keep your cool. Don’t have a difficult conversation when you’re angry. It is better to put the conversation off until you have a cooler head. First of all, you are more likely to put the situation in perspective if you have a little time. By the time you’re ready to have the conversation you may have realized that the situation isn’t as dire as you originally thought. Plus, when you have a conversation with a cool head, you will look far more credible to the person you’re talking with. In particular, do not discuss bad news with a customer when you are emotional about the situation.

2.   Put the good with the bad. Never deliver all bad news. This is particularly important when you are coaching an employee regarding poor job performance. No employee is all bad, and it is important to reiterate the good things an employee does when you are delivering bad news. Otherwise, you risk morale decreasing and an employee become paralyzed and unable to continue to perform.

3.   Have the facts. Be sure you have documentation to support your case. This gives you credibility and helps decrease the chances that you look like a “hothead”.

4.   Offer a solution. When you can say “we can do this instead” to a customer, or “you should try this” to an employee, you are able to end your conversation on a positive note. Giving concrete ways that the bad situation can be improved or reversed helps the other party see a way of handling the problem, rather than leaving them feeling as though the situation is an impossible one.

Difficult discussions are often the most dreaded part of a leadership job. But, unfortunately, these are inescapable. Being prepared, being cool headed and offering a solution to the problem can help you turn a bad situation into one that creates significant improvement in your organization.

Today’s business environment is likely the most stressful in decades. The poor economy of the last few years has led to companies needing to do less with more. This is especially true when it comes to manpower. Those employees left after cuts and layoffs often are doing the work of two or three people. With so many things going on, it can be difficult to keep all the balls in the air. Today’s employee must be a master at managing priorities. Though it may seem like the amount of work is overwhelming, it is important to prioritize it to keep the workload under control. Here are some tips to manage the many tasks at hand.

1. Determine which items can wait. When you’re overwhelmed, it seems like everything is a priority. However, some items are definitely more important than others. The tasks that contribute to the bottom line generally should be handled with more urgency than other items. If necessary, enlist the help of your boss, or a colleague who effectively manages his or her tasks to help you sort out which items are “must do’s”, and which items are not. This will help you focus your day on the most important goals.
2. Block out time on your calendar. Schedule your day out for different types of activities. Give your most important tasks the most hours during the day, but block out some time to take care of those less important items, too. By blocking out just one hour per day to focus on administrative items that are less deadline driven than your more important tasks, you will find that you do get those less important items accomplished eventually.
3. Be proactive rather than reactive. When you spend your day putting out fires, you may leave feeling as though you’ve accomplished nothing. Being proactive in what you work on, rather than jumping from task to task as people call on you, will help you to accomplish more.
4. Don’t take calls all day. As you’re blocking out your day on your calendar, it may be wise to set aside some time to stay off the phone, if incoming calls distract you from finishing what you start. Even one hour of not taking calls or responding to email may help you make a significant dent in the pile of work that overwhelms you.

All of these tips can not only help you manage your priorities more effectively, but help you relax and be less stressed at work, as well. By working with intention rather than reacting to many different tasks and people vying for your attention, you’ll accomplish more in a day than you ever thought possible.

Our ability to communicate is comprised of many things besides the words we speak and the way we speak them. As most of us are aware, body language plays an extremely important role in how we are perceived by others. Though most of us may have learned the most basic rules of making eye contact and focusing on those we are talking to, there are other simple body language tweaks we can make that help us be more well received by those we seek to influence. Here are three simple tips you can try.

1. Take up a bit more space. A wider stance with the legs and an open position with the arms make you appear more confident. We are all aware that standing with arms folded across the chest makes us appear unapproachable, but many of us fail to recognize the difference a wide stance can make. Making your body appear more open makes people more trusting of you and more likely to accept you as an expert in your field. When you shrink away physically, people don’t believe you have as much knowledge to offer.
2. Relax those shoulders. Most people carry tension in their shoulders. This tension is more obvious to others than it is to you. Take the time to think about how you’re carrying your shoulders throughout the day, especially in the workplace. You will look more confident as a result of this relaxed posture. The bonus is that you will likely sleep better, and have less muscle tension and pain, as well.
3. Gesture. People who use their arms to gesture, and who tend to talk with their hands are perceived as more likeable. When you pair a wider stance and relaxed shoulders with enough gestures to make you likeable, you come across as having the powerful combination of being confident, knowledgeable and likeable.

Our body language habits are well ingrained in our everyday behavior. The first step to changing these habits is to recognize your current body language. Once you have a good handle on the things you may need to change, tackle on of these suggestions at a time. As you begin to hold one posture naturally and without thought, you can move on to adding the next one to your repertoire. You may be amazed at how your inner confidence improves as people begin to see more confidence in your body positions.

Every good sales person has lots of tricks up his or her sleeve, using different selling tools to meet different sales situations. As sales people hone their skills, they learn more and more ways to bring the right customers to the door. One of the most successful current selling trends is social selling. This technique is not only a great way to bring in new customers, but, because of the relationships it builds, it is also a great way to ensure that you retain the customers you sell.

 Social selling is all about building a relationship with a customer through social avenues. Social selling brings customers who want to buy from you,

regardless of the product you’re selling. This type of selling helps set you apart from your competition when you’re selling a product that most people need or want. It also helps to increase sales of products that are not necessities. People will choose to buy these products because of their relationship with you.

 Avenues for Social Selling

 There are many avenues for social selling. The first, and most important, is through your personal life. As a sales person, your personal life and work life are completely intertwined, particularly if you sell something that the general public needs or wants. As you go about your personal life, you should look at everyone as a potential customer, and be sure all of your friends and acquaintances know what you do for a living.

 There is a technique for in person social selling that is very important to learn, if you want to be successful. You don’t want to be the sales person that everyone wants to avoid at the cocktail party because they don’t want to be sold something. Good social selling requires you to let people know what you do, and make sure that people enjoy being around you. If you can accomplish these things, the people in your life will think of you automatically when they need or want your product. Strive for nothing more than to be the “expert” in your field for them, whether or not they are buying. Not all of your friends will buy from you at first, but if you manage your sales persona successfully, all of them will buy from you eventually, assuming you sell something they need or want.

 Social media is also a great avenue for social selling. Use LinkedIn, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter accounts to send out helpful advice or snippets of info, but do not use it to solicit sales directly. Use these tools as a way to keep your name fresh in people’s minds, not as a way to close the deal.

 Finally, remember professional networking. These events are great ways to make connections with other people. Again, this avenue is not necessarily about selling directly to the people you meet at these events. The goal is for you to pop up in their mind when someone they know needs your products. Professional networking is more about referrals than about selling directly to your network. You can probably only sell those in your network once, but if you manage the relationship correctly, you can sell to people they know indefinitely.

 Social selling is not only one of the best skills a salesperson can have, it’s also one of the most fun. When you begin to take advantage of this avenue, you’ll find that you make great friends and have a renewed fervor for your career.