Strive For Excellence

March 5, 2012 By


A friend sent me an amusing story about working for the “Average Company,” which she’d read in Simple Tools and thought it was worth passing on. Now I’m doing you the same favor, because if you are getting bored with striving for excellence or settling for just doing a pretty good job, you may want to apply for a job here.

At the Average Company, the corporate vision is:

“To be no worse than any other company.”

The value statement:

“The greatest labor-saving device of all is tomorrow.”

It gets better. The corporate motto:

“You don’t have to be really good to get by.”

And the sales goal:

“To match last year’s sales goals, if it works out.”

My favorite is the management philosophy:

“To not make a decision is to make a decision.”

The law of averages tells us that, eventually, everything evens out. You have a few good years, you’ll probably have a bad year here and there. Most companies, if well managed, can weather the storm and come back strong and healthy. Those that don’t survive probably just got a little lucky in the good years.

If you work for the Average Company, you know that sometimes things work out better than others. You try, but occasionally circumstances are out of your control… or are they? I’m of the opinion that you make your own luck.

“The harder I work the luckier I get.”–Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s

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Passion: The Prime Mover

February 27, 2012 By

I recently came across a terrific description of a salesperson…

and it’s from the 1940s. Aside from the sexist language, a sign of those times, I think it’s still right on.

During a convention of Chrysler sales managers in Los Angeles–back when Chrysler was an auto superpower–Harry G. Moock, a company vice president, issued this description of a salesman:

“He has the curiosity of a cat, the tenacity of a bulldog, the friendship of a little child, the diplomacy of a wayward husband, the patience of a self-sacrificing wife, the passion of a Sinatra fan, the assurance of a Harvard man, the good humor of a comedian, the simplicity of a jackass, and the tireless energy of a bill collector.”

What can I say…? I’ve always been a Sinatra fan.

A salesperson without passion is just an order taker.

If you’re in sales, you can have a great product, a tremendous territory and a fabulous marketing campaign, but if you don’t have passion, it’s hard to make a sale. When you have a passion, you speak with conviction, act with authority and present with zeal. When you are excited and passionate about a product–or anything for that matter–people notice. They want in on the action. They want to know what can be so good.

There is no substitute for passion.

If you don’t have an intense, burning desire for what you’re doing, there’s no way you’ll be able to endure the long, hard hours it takes to become successful. 

 

 

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There's No Education Like Adversity

February 21, 2012 By

Life is not a steady ascent.

It doesn’t go straight up… a lot of lumps and a lot of bumps… a lot of throttling up and a lot of throttling down. I have never yet met a single successful person who has not had to overcome a little or a lot of adversity in his or her life.

One school of business studied 400 executives who had made it to the top and compared them to 400 who fell by the wayside during their careers. The idea was to discover how those who became successful differed from those who didn’t.

Education was not the key factor, because some high school dropouts were running companies while some MBAs were slamming into dead ends. Experience? Then those at the top should have been older, but that wasn’t the case. Technical skills, social skills and dozens of other career-related variables were examined as well. Those factors didn’t provide the explanation either.

What was the only quality that consistently distinguished those who made it from those who did not?

They persevered.

Adversity will come to every person at some time. How you meet it, what you make of it, what you allow it to take from you and give to you, is determined by your mental habits. In short, you have to take the cards that are dealt to you in life–and make something of them.

You can train your mind to face life’s toughest challenges, and it is especially important to develop this habit before you actually need it. Adversity can actually be a positive thing, even though it certainly doesn’t feel that way when we are facing it. Adversity is what defines us. It is easy to have a great attitude, a strong work ethic and a positive outlook when things are going great. But how do we stand up during tough times?

Consider the following phenomenal achievements of famous people who experienced severe adversity:

  • When Bob Dylan performed at his high school talent show, classmates booed him off stage.
  • Walt Disney experienced both bankruptcy and a tragic nervous breakdown, but still made it to the top of the mountain.
  • Sir Walter Raleigh wrote the Hostorie of the World during a 13-year imprisonment.
  • Martin Luther translated the Bible while enduring confinement in the Wartburg Castle.
  • Dante wrote the Divine Comedy while under  a sentence of death and during 20 years in exile.
  • Handicapped by a crippling disease as a baby, Helen Keller was not able to see or hear during her long life, yet she became a famous author and activist known for her charm and wisdom.

Mackay’s Moral: Adversity causes some people to break and others to break records.

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter to hear more about some of my real world experiences and the lessons they’ve taught me.

 

 

 

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How To Spot A Winner

February 13, 2012 By

Vietnam is wars ago on the American landscape. Nobody associates it with winning, yet it offered one of the best and most perceptive stories about winning I’ve ever heard. It seems General William Westmoreland was once reviewing a platoon of paratroopers in Vietnam. As he went down the line, he asked them a question: “How do you like jumping, son?” “Love it, sir!” was the first answer. “How do you like jumping?” he asked the next. “The greatest experience in my life, sir!” exclaimed the paratrooper. “How do you like jumping?” he asked the third. “I hate it, sir,” he replied. “Then why do you do it?” “Because I wanted to be around guys who love to jump.”

Dennis Connor, the man who put the blocks to Australia and won back the America’s Cup in four straight races, explained in a few words how he did it: “I surround myself with quality people that make me look good.” Winners also know how to bounce back after a hard hit. Connor’s crewman John Grant put it this way: “Dennis likes to know he has people who will make the right moves when things go wrong.” And that’s the right management instinct if you’re at the helm of a twelve-meter yacht or a billion dollar business.

Winners surround themselves with other winners.

A winner knows he’s a winner. He doesn’t need second-raters and yes-men around to feed his ego. He knows he’ll win more, and go farther, with associates who not only can keep up with him but who also are capable of teaching him something.

If you’re about to form a new business connection, whether it’s a job or a joint venture, don’t just look at your opposite number. Look at his subordinates.

Does he trust them? Does he delegate to them? Do they complement his talents by being strong managers while he’s an entrepreneur?

Or are they just his clones? If they’re weak, you have a problem. You’ll not only have your hands full getting anything done your way, you’ll also be completely dependent on your new associate’s personal capabilities and energy. There won’t be quality staff backup. Not a good situation in which to find yourself.

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You Can’t Escape Rejection…But

February 6, 2012 By

You can’t escape rejection, But you can let it go.

That requires reprogramming your mind-set. Here are some exercises that paid big dividends for me:

  • Dissect thoughts under the microscope. When faced with a challenge, what do you tell yourself? “I’m no good…” “This is too hard…” “I’ll never make it…” Don’t let negative self-talk sabotage your attitude. Size up the evidence objectively. Chances are you’ll realize your worries aren’t accurate or realistic. Drain the power out of irrational fears.
  • Identify realistic fears. Whom do you fear? What might go wrong? Knowledge is power, so clarify the facts: Who has the power to reject you? Why would that person say no? The answers will help you prepare your best offer, and facing them will help you keep your composure. [Read more...]
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He Who Burns Bridges Better Be A Damn Good Swimmer

January 30, 2012 By

Real-estate operators are legendary for slow-pay practices, but I know one who hangs them all out to dry. This gentleman–we’ll call him “Bob”–was the son of a milkman. He made a fortune in the trucking business and wound up owning major-league sports franchises on both coasts. To give you an idea of how nimble he was, after he bought his first sports franchise in the Midwest, he also bought– quietly and cheaply–an obscure FM radio station on the West Coast. In a big surprise move, he then shifted the franchise to the Coast and scheduled the game broadcasts exclusively on his new station. Moving not only revived the failing franchise, it also multiplied the value of the station. One move. Two profits.

Bob also owned a chain of hotels. A large, sophisticated New York insurance company held the mortgage on his flagship hotel. One Friday, the insurance company n question, exasperated over years of delayed payments or no payments, sent their man to see Bob. The intrepid rep marched into Bob’s office, threw down a sheaf of legal papers, and announced that as of Monday, the insurance company would take over and operate the hotel.

“That’s fine,” said Bob, “but where will you park the guest’ cars?”

“Why, in the parking lot behind the hotel,” said the insurance company’s man.

“No,” said he, “you won’t be parking them there. I own that parking lot. The minute you take over the hotel, an eight-foot chain-link fence goes around that lot, and in case you haven’t noticed, there isn’t another adequate parking facility you can use within a three-block radius.”

The New York insurance company decided it could live with Bob’s payment practices.
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You Can't Solve A Problem Unless You First Admit You Have One

January 23, 2012 By

The Same Goes For Business Problems

Alcoholics Anonymous has used that principle as a starting point to reclaim thousands and thousands of lives. Thousands more are never reclaimed because it’s so hard to change.

Sheer stubbornness has destroyed a lot more bottom lines than new technologies.

There were just as many mean spirited jibes at Coca-Cola for abandoning its original formulas as there were at Ford when it unveiled the Edsel. The difference was that Ford decided it was going to prove the marketplace was wrong and stuck with its mistake far too long. Coca-Cola realized early that while humiliation was inescapable, horrendous losses need not be. It cut its losses, and its mistake cost it a lot less money than stubborn pride cost Ford.

Campbell’s spent years developing a new offering in what’s called the “functional food” category. Named Intelligent Quisine (IQ), marketing consultant Sangita Joshi describes it as ” a frozen food line that would help older Americans” needing to modify their diets. It had “great endorsements from the medical fraternity; many trials…and yet it bombed due to poor taste.” Campbell’s acted quickly and regrouped.

Product withdrawals these days don’t have to be just timely. Sometimes they are real time. Bill Gates was demonstrating the introduction of an improved Windows 98 program in front of a slew of journalists and live TV cameras. As the demonstrator touted the program’s virtues, Windows crashed in front of GOD… and Gates! On the monitor appeared the infamous “blue screen of death” and its white-typed error message. The ever quick-witted Bill intervened in a nanosecond with: “That must be why we’re not shipping Windows 98 yet.”

One thing professional stock and commodity traders learn early is that they don’t give away medals for courage in the marketplace. There is only one reward the marketplace has to offer: money.If you’re not making any, bail out. Quickly

Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter to hear more about some of my real world experiences and the lessons they’ve taught me.

 

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Trust Your Hunches

January 16, 2012 By

My favorite Peanuts character, Charlie Brown, is on the pitcher’s mound psyching himself up: “It’s the last of the ninth. The bases are loaded. there are two outs, and the count is three and two on the batter. If I get him out, we win!” At this point, Charlie is surrounded by his friends and teammates who are shouting, “Throw him a fastball! Throw him a curve!” And so on.

All alone on the pitcher’s mound, Charlie thinks to himself, “The world is filled with people who are anxious to serve in an advisory capacity.”

Decision making is jungle warfare at its worst. Choose well, and you are a hero. Make a bad choice, and your career could be over. Sometimes the choices are so dicey, the options all look alike. Or as Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

After you’ve done all your homework, when making decisions, I’ve found that you have to trust your gut. Deep down, your gut is likely to know what’s right. Keep track of what instinct tells you to do. It’s amazing how often expert advice sides with your gut.

Psychologist Joyce Brothers advises, “Trust your hunches…They are usually based on facts filed away just below the conscious level.”

Mackay’s Moral: Don’t be afraid to make a decision. Be afraid not to make a decision. 

Learn more about my new book, The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World

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Rain Can Make Your Parade

January 9, 2012 By

Retired Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy is a master of helping those around him visualize victory. He’s been that way ever since his high school playing days, which is one reason I worked so hard to help recruit him for the Minnesota Gophers, where he was a college gridiron star. In fact, I was extremely proud when Tony wrote in his blockbuster 2007 book, Quiet Strength, “Harvey, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.”

It’s no surprise that his quarterback Peyton Manning is a big believer in practice and preparation. You might recall the constant, relentless, sidewinding rain at the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami between Indianapolis and the Chicago bears. The terrible weather was ideal for the Bears’ running game, but the conditions looked bad for Indianapolis, which plays in a 60-degree indoor stadium.

However, just the opposite happened.The Bears turned the ball over five times and quarterback Rex Grossman bobbled two snaps, losing 10 yards on one to kill a scoring drive. Indianapolis recovered the other fumble. Manning encountered no such game-changing calamities. Why? Every season Manning practices the “wet-ball drill” with the starting center, currently Jeff Saturday. Manning fills a bucket full of water, grabs a football and heads out to the field. He dips the ball into the bucket and practices snap after snap.

Manning said his center hates the wet-ball drill, and he admitted getting a little bored with it himself. But they still do it every year. When asked about the infamous wet-ball drill in the raucous Colts locker room after their Super Bowl win, Saturday laughed and said, “Not my favorite drill. But it paid dividends tonight.

When you visualize, anticipate negatives and how you will overcome them. Then create a practice plan that makes your response instantaneous. At every meeting I hold with my managers, we end with the same exercise. We go around the room, and I ask, what are you going to do to fix the problem? What matters isn’t that a customer pounces on you with an overwhelming objection, for instance. What matters is that you’ll deliver an unbeatable answer with utter confidence when that objection comes sailing at you.

Mackay’s Moral: Anticipating catastrophe is the surest way to avert it.

Learn more about my new book, The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World

Click here to help me spread the word about my new book.

If you already bought my new book, make sure you download or request the hard copy of my new Network Builder for FREE Here.

Filed Under: Best Business Book, best sales book, How to Be Successful In Business, How to get more sales leads, How To Improve Sales, Rain Can Make Your Parade, Sales, The Mackay MBA, Top Business Book, Top Sales Book Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So You Aren't Johnny Depp...

January 3, 2012 By

Do you lack the dazzle of Angelina Jolie’s lagoon-blue eyes or the regal command of Meryl Streep’s screen poise? Come up short on George Clooney’s suave or Daniel Craig’s rippling abs?

Well, you don’t have to rate first billing to be billing first.Call attention to your strengths, recognize where you fit in the team, and you’re guaranteed to shine.

When actor Karl Malden, born Malden Sekulovich, dies in 2009, the New York Times hailed him as “the uncommon everyman.” Malden frequently shared credits with the likes of Marlon Brando and George C. Scott. With an epic schnoz, Malden knew he could never command center stage, but he swore he would run the last mile “to be #1 in the #2 parts I was destined to get.”

So it was in On the Waterfront and Patton… and he was second to no one in a string of high-credibility endorsement ads for American Express

Decide where your psyche fits in the cast and shine. That may mean:

  • Be known for your reliability and steadiness of vision.
  • Remain the unflappable source of judgment in crisis and turmoil.
  • Execute the impossible when logistics degenerate into spaghetti.
James Mason, another stellar silver-screen #2, once said, “how do I wish to be remembered, if at all? I think perhaps just as a fairly desirable sort of character actor.” Hollywood and the critics remembered him their way when his colleagues nominated him for three Oscars and three golden Globes.

 

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