My Weblog

Your "In" Network

Lately the issue of one's circle of influence has been coming up  in my conversations.  A great example is taking business advice from people who have never run a business before.  You know the old saying "success creates success."  It's true for so many other areas as well.  A lot of times we go searching for the answers to lifes problems from people who have never walked the road we are travelling.

 With the election of Barack Obama I have been hearing a lot about his associations and beliefs.  Like him or hate him, the truth about his character will come out in the next few months or years and to see whether or not it will help or hurt our country one have only to look at his most close associations. 

On the flip side, McCain was hurt by his associations.  Being too closely tied to President Bush may have caused him a healthy stack of votes.  The sad truth is that we are judged by our associations whether we like it or not.  So choose wisely who you surround yourself with, it says a lot about who you are and will make a large impact on your future.

Mikhail Hutton

www.thehilgroup.com

The Danger of Influence

Recently I sat down with a group of College Pastors to follow up on their results for the past few months of ministry.  I worked with them a few months back to help provide some guidance for their 1 year goals of the ministry.  I was trying to work with them to figure out how to tackle some of their tough problems.  It was in this group of meetings that I began to identify the different types of killers who are involved in meetings.  So as a quick reference here it is.

For lack of creativity in naming I made them very strait forward [edit: I now have names ].  In the future I'll find a catchy name for the groups.  But I realized how important it is to identify these people because meetings are the place that teams and organizations come to either thrive or die.  A bad or tense-filled meeting will typically mean a sort of death by personality.  But here they are.

Killer 1:  (Typically the main culprit) The NCO's aka Sergeants

This is great if they can bring people together and get ideas going which Sergeants typically do. The danger is when they are unable or incapable of pushing the organization in a positive way.  Could be a result of pride or simply could be a result of lack of training.  I'm idealistic and like to think most times it comes down to lack of experience and training in this area.  They are hard workers but need outside instruction or leadership if they can't handle the responsibility of making decisions for everyone. It's very important to stifle their control in meetings unless they are truly equipped to make the bulk of your decisions.

 
Killer 2: The Assassin

This person may or may not have good ideas but we can never know without them opening up.  A lot of the time they provide some of the best ideas considering their careful, well thought out analysis.  It's up to the rest of the leadership/team to draw the opinions and beliefs of this type of person out to get their input in the decision making process.  It's also important to stifle the assertive types so that they fee like they can contribute.  The killer here is the lost ideas that never get put on the table.  They may feel like a part of the team but functionally they are not performing at their best.
 
Killer 3: The "I dont know's" (Still no name here, Ideas anyone?)

This type of person doesn't feel like they are eye to eye with everyone else.  Typically comes from being new or having a lack of confidence.  Understanding their roll and directing them towards tasks will typically help keep them involved.  This group is best dealt with be giving them confidence in their credibility.  They will need to hear it frequently and will typically turn into one of the above once they get comfortable.  The death here is that often what happens is they will begin to feel resentful or out of place.  Over time they begin to question whether they are actually contributing to the team and never get the chance to open up and confidently contribute.

So where does the danger come? It comes when these people begin to interact with other members of the group who aren't leaders.  When this happens the people they impact will pick up the same problems/habits as they do and can work as a slow poison to your growth.

Another way it hurts is that the organization never gets the benefit of having all ideas out on the table.  It kills innovation and momentum and can create big problems without having them dealt with as soon as possible.

That's it for now.  Be good kids ;)

Mikhail

theHILgroup

Leading From the Family

 

This might be stretching it for most people but I think it’s a common thing today to see our business lives control how we run our personal lives.  I truly believe that if we want overall success the formula needs to be reversed. So how does this work?

 

People who know how to manage their personal lives well often build the best businesses.

Consider the skills involved in a strong family life.  Negotiating a win/win with the husband/wife in tough situations, setting standards and goals for the kids so they can produce top results, and building a team environment where you lead from the front and set the example.

 

This person would probably be much better at handling conflict, speaking with their team,  and will more often than not be honest and up front with their managers as well as their clients.  This type of leader generates a bigger sense of community where everyone understands their role and feel like a part of the team. 

 

Who are some of the top business leaders that you know?  Are they building lasting organizations?  And are they putting their family first to ensure peace, joy, and success in all areas of their lives?

Mikhail
the HIL group

Finding a way to win

If you have ever read any of my stuff you know that I'm a big fan of sales.  There are few arenas where you can actually be paid the full value of what you're worth as well as sales.  The reason being it's the lowest paying or highest paying job a person can have if they put in the right amount of work.  But with it comes certain expectations and skills that you MUST have. 

You must always find a way to win.
You must be great with people.
You must be a great communicator.
You must not let your success define who you are.

And of course there are other fringe variables as well.  But these "must's" are tough to come by.  Many people are given an incorrect expectation about sales and what it takes to build a life around it.  Considering that only 10% of people produce well over 75% of the volume for most companies it leaves a person to wonder why so many people flock towards such a brutal profession 

What are some other musts that a person should ahve to succeed?  And why do so many people want a career in sales?  Post your response and see what others say.

The Company You Keep

I recently sat down to lunch with some budding entrepreneurs.  They  were a very bright bunch, well educated, informed, and personable.  Somewhere along the  line we got into a  conversation about the purpose of networking.  What's its use and how is it properly used.  So I wanted to take the time to express some personal thoughts on why networking is so important. 

First, when I use the word Network I mean a system of interrelated beings providing mutual assistance.  This takes many forms in our lives.  Churches are a network of Christ followers who come together for support, teaching, and accountability.  Telephone agencies are groups of people who have a common interest in that particular telephone provider.  A chamber of Commerce is a network of local business owners.  I could go on and on but  I think you get the point. 

So as it pertains to business what is a network's purpose.  Well, depending on what you want out of life your personal network should contain a group of people who can help one another create a win/win in business through exchanging, products, ideas, or advice.  The quality of this group is a reflection of you and your ability to climb the ladder of personal success.  A group that cares about the latest soaps probably won't help you make a million bux. 

Many people think the network is like a marketplace and this is actually dead wrong.  The purpose of the network is to have a pool of wise counsel and help.  It's a group of inter-related professionals who's goals at some point match up with yours.  Its quality and focused diversity can certainly help you reach your goals but it's simply a people pool, nothing more.  The rest of your personal success will come from how well you follow the other personal principles and habits which rule your life.

Mikhail

the HIL group

Why Can't I Make a Decision?

Decisions! Decisions, decisions, decisions! People are afraid to do it, and leaders are afraid to make the wrong types of it. How does that work? I recently heard a Pastor make a passing statement about people today and the way they make decisions. It was a very powerful and simple statement. As I Christian I trust that I have what it takes through God to make both right decisions and make decisions right.

 

In other words I have faith that through my faith and belief system I can either make smart decisions or trust in my ability to fix an incorrect decision so that it can be for everyone’s benefit. What about the person who doesn’t believe in God? I’m sure some of you reading this may not. How then do you make smart decisions and better still how do you fix the bad ones. 

 

Here is an observation and 2 tips to help you figure this out. 

 

Observation 1

The average person is afraid to make a decision. How do I know? Think about what you do when a salesman comes knocking at your door whether it’s for the latest Insurance Policy or Kirby (not sure you spell it) vacuum. The husband looks at the wife and the wife fidgets before she looks back at the husband. The other outcome is that the wife looks at the husband who stutters and thinks before he says “I don’t know.” You then provide an excuse that is most likely false. Such as “I have plenty of vacuums,” or “I’ll think about it.”

 

Tip 1

If you suffer from this common fear of making a bad choice then you must first decide not to be average. Average people don’t know how to commit, so learn to commit and trust yourself to do what’s best given all the available information.

 

Tip 2

If others are involved get their feedback quickly and efficiently. The longer your wait to make a decision the more likely you are not to make one. If you make a habit of gathering information as quickly as possible you will make a habit of committing to a choice.

 

Scary as it seems, it’s actually not the worse thing in the world. So learn to do it and learn to do it well. Happy hunting.

 

Mikhail
www.thehilgroup.com

 

India's B-Schools

I read in Businessweek a while ago about the trouble many Indian institutions are having in keeping up with how many students are getting an MBA.  Consider this, there are more than 1600 Institutions offering undergraduate Business Programs and MBA's.  Many Indian students are doing their best to take advantage of explosive economic growth in their home country by getting a higher level degree.  In the United States alone most MBA programs are seeing double-digit increases in the amount of Indian Students who apply for their programs.

With the large growth of forward looking students trying to take advantage of a hot growth period I wonder how many professors are actually equipped to be teaching this next generation of businesspeople to be leaders in the Indian Market.  I recently wrote an article about the various types of authors that we learn from who have either have very bad experience, no experience, or excellent experience in the marketplace.  Obviously the biggest danger is in having a negative person influence what we put in our minds.

Of the other two forms of teachers however, I am worried that too many teachers will come from the "no experience" category giving this country a high number of theoretically intelligent people who have little concept of how to actively work in the field.  Strong decisions making and problem solving skills are important.  A person who has no experience and personal insights should play a very limited roll in how much influence they have over future leaders.  What do the masses think?

What makes a Good Seller?

In most businesses the products are basically the same. If you are a broker then most of your competition will have access to the same types of discounts that you do. It’s very rare that a salesman’s relationships with their wholesalers are so good they can get an additional break. Usually if it's that good they are spending more time in the field instead of reading my blog. The industries that come to mind most often are stock brokers, insurance agents, and mortgage brokers. The same can be true for

MLM

where everyone thinks/knows/believes their products are “special.”  Very rarely will there be an enormous difference from what you are selling as compared to someone else.

The truth is, whether our products are relatively the same or not, in a buyers eyes they are.  This gives the prospective salesman two choices. 

The first is to go right into your pitch using every form of jargon possible under the Earth.  This will have your prospects quickly running for the hills just to be "unique."  Leaving you hurt, confused, or both

The second is to be a smart communicator and if appropriate close the deal.

So then how do you get the sale?  A buyer has a problem and you, the professional, have a potential solution to the problem.  People who normally get the account (or the sale) for prospective clients are people who listen closely to their prospects needs, wants, and don’t wants, are credible and experienced, and have our best interest at hand instead of theirs.  Anyone able to tie these together typically gets my business.  Unfortunately that leaves a very short list of people today who can meet these requirements.

But just think, what if everyone thought this way?  We would then have fewer unethical, unskilled salespeople running all over the place.  Everyone wants the big bucks, rarely to they want the hard work that goes with it.

Mikhail
the HIL group

 

Remember your School Fund raisers

Remember your school fund raisers?  The ones where you would sell cookie dough or frozen baked goods.  I was recently writing an article that talked about my ten year old selling experience and realized how poor of a job many sales types do in presenting their product or service to clients.  Here is how I see it, at age ten I would walk up and down my block talking to all my neighbors, and their neighbors, and their neighbors neighbors, and their friends. 

I would say "Hi, how are you?"  If they didn't know me I would give my name and then I would tell them in 3 sentences or less what I was doing.   I never did any sales training, didn't have a workshop to help me stumble all over myself and make my job harder.   I simply gave accurate information up front and asked if they would like to see what I had to offer.  Those who were interested would take a look, some would buy, and a few would tell some of their friends, their friends would buy, the process would keep going, and I would walk away.  At the end of the month my "income" if you could call it that was a direct reflection of how many homes I spoke with.  There was little thought behind the process and very little advanced skill.

I say that to ask this question.  Why is it that many sales types today go through and learn the latest on posturing, closing, opening, opening and closing, opening and closing while posturing when it has very little affect on results?  Some would argue that they do, but are any of the above a reason that people buy from us?  Why don't we focus on being excellent at communicating with people so that everything is natural and we can simply build trust, answer questions, and help prospects come to a decision?  I decided the reason for this isn't because it doesn't work but because it's too simple.  But that's just my opinion.  What do you think?

Mikhail

the HIL group

The State of Traveling Today

For those of you who do not travel very often you may or may not be aware that the airlines are now charging you for a second bag.  Depending on the airline you travel most frequently the price can vary anywhere from $3/pound to $25/bag.  As I have recently been spending more time around the State College area it was a pleasant surprise to me when I flew down to Florida a few days ago that I would be spending an extra $25 for a second bag on US Air. 

Consider this, after flying about 50,000 miles on this airline in the past 2 to 3 years it would be safe to say that I send them considerable business. There was very little advanced notice sent to me by email at the time that they began to charge and very little notice at the airport.  I'm sure if I had taken a look at the confirmation email I may have seen something (to be fair).  But as it stands here is the interesting thing to note.  After emailing customer service about this and another related issue I was told this is being done to save me, the consumer, money. 

I took 3 minutes  to pull up a flight from around the same time last year to the same destination and found very little difference in the price.  With that being said it was a very clever way to raise prices and charge you for what used to be norm (the now additional second bag).  For a person who normally travels with one bag this doesn't change much but for many people who use two they now have to spend extra and must reconsider the cost of using an airline and what to bring. 

Considering the state of the Airline industry today I wonder if clearly communicating the reason for the hike would have been a better way to go.  In business is it worth the loss of a customer and their circle of influence to come up with a "your call is important" to us statement if their actions show the opposite?  Are you doing that in your own organization or marketing?  What would be the price of having simple, honest, clearly communicated statements that finds the correct people.  A thinking customer will likely find out sooner or later and their nonthinking friends would soon follow.  So what do you think, is honestly the best policy?

Mikhail

the HIL group