Susanne Biro

THE RIGHT WAY


T o be a Success - do the RIGHT WAY AROUND!
H ave integrity in all that we do!
E xpress our care &

R eal concern for others!
I nspiring trust,
G ain others' confidence!
*H uman element focus, do not ignore,
T reat others

W ith dignity and respect!
A promise kept - a commitment uphold,
Y es! Together we can! - let's motivate!

Tune to "You Raise Me UP" by Josh Groban

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Sales Success: The Right Way Around.

November 25, 2007 by susannebiro

For several years now (seven to be exact) I have been toying with an idea I call the right way around. Let me explain.

Many of us, in our desire to achieve something in business (or in life), drive straight towards our desired target, afraid that if we do not control every aspect of the situation, we will not reach our goal. This is the Type A approach, with which I must say I am intimately familiar.

Whether our goal is to achieve a specific sale or reach an overall business objective, the tendency is to focus on it and direct all our thoughts and efforts toward achieving that exact result.

This method, however, does not necessarily lead to the results we seek, and in my experience, I have often found it to be counterproductive to doing so.


In studying what I believe to be truly successful individuals and organizations, I have discovered that they actually employ a radically different approach - an approach I call, the right way around.


Instead of driving straight towards results, these individuals and organizations focus their thoughts and efforts in an entirely different way. They focus on what it is others want to achieve, placing their attention on their people and their customers!

By focusing solely on others, they achieve the success so many of us seek as a natural by-product of caring more about others.

“I want you to listen to what your conscious commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long run – in the long run, I say! – success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think of it.” – Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Of course, this is not a new idea. It is the one espoused by such greats as Dale Carnegie, Victor Frankel, and Tim Sanders. More recently, it has been expressed by Dov Seidman in his book, HOW: Why HOW we do anything means everything … in business (and in Life), and even by Bill Clinton in his recent Giving: How each of us can change the world. However, what can be new is your, and your organization’s, ability to live it.

How do you do this?

Consider this: the thoughts you think matter!

People usually have a pretty good idea of what we really think of them. They can feel it. They know when we care about them and their success – and, they know it when we do not. It is difficult to fake our true intention towards others. We either genuinely think well of our colleagues and clients and care about their success, or we do not. Either way, they know.

“We can sense how others are feeling towards us. Given a little time, we can always tell when we’re being coped with, manipulated, beneath veneers of niceness. And we typically resent it.” Leadership and Self Deception by The Arbinger Institute.

When you approach others with thoughts of what you want to get from them, they know it and will typically resent you for it. They will resist you, avoid you and find ways to not work with you.

Perhaps you have noticed this in your business development efforts?

Equally, when you think well of others and genuinely care about their success (regardless of what it may mean for you), they also know this. They respond by liking and trusting you, and whenever possible, will seek out ways in which they can work with you.

Ah, the beauty of the human element in business! People will always find a way to do business with those with whom they most want to work.


Questions to consider:
Are you in the business of sales or in the business of service?
What would you do this week if your only goal was to make the people with whom you work more successful?


Recommended reading:
The Trusted Advisor: An invaluable road map to all those who seek to develop truly special relationships with their clients – David H. Maister, Charles H. Green & Robert M. Galford

HOW. Why HOW we do anything means everything … in business (and in Life) – Dov Seidman

Unleashed! Expecting Greatness and Other Secrets to Coaching for Exceptional Performance – Gregg Thompson with Susanne Biro (Based upon the program Sales Leader as Coach)