Successful Implementation of Kaizen Strategy - 7 Conditions

The Problem Addressed

One of the most difficult aspects of introducing and implementing Kaizen strategy is assuring its continuity.

When a company introduces something new, such as quality circles, or total quality management (TQM), it experiences some initial success, but soon such success disappear like fireworks on summer night and after a while nothing is left, and management keeps looking for a new flavor of the month.

This if because the company lacks the first three most important conditions for the successful introduction and implementation of Kaizen strategy.

Seven Conditions for Successful Implementation of Kaizen Strategy

Top management commitment

Top management commitment

Top management commitment

Setting up an organization dedicated to promote Kaizen

Appointing the best available personnel to manage the Kaizen process

Conducting training and education

Establishing a step-by-step process for Kaizen introduction.

All conditions are important. Without top management supporting every move, however, the trial will be short-lived regardless of other preconditions.

Top management may express commitment in many different ways, and it must take every opportunity to preach the message, become personally involved in following up the progress of Kaizen, and allocate resources for successful implementation.

STEPHANIE

STEPHANIE =

S eek
T o do the best!
E xcellence
P ursue!
H ave
A passion &
N ever ever quit!
I n God rejoice &
E xalt Him fore'er!

Sing to "Panjang Umurnya" tune

MAXKENT =

MAXKENT =

M ay
A ll your dreams come true
X pect God's rich blessings
K eep pursuing
E xcellence!
N ever quit
T o the end!

Sing to "Happy Birthday" tune

The Tao of Communication

Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” – Jimi Hendrix

Yin of Communication

“Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower



Good communication is not about clever techniques, it is about sincere understanding. Everyone needs a person to whom they can open up. Human beings are desperate to feel important and valued. This amazing quote from Mary Kay Ash "Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck. It says, 'Make Me Feel Important',“ is so true. That’s why great listeners are so popular everywhere.

The Tao of Effective Listening

Learn to listen. Show people that their thoughts and insights are important to you. Use silence to encourage other people to talk. Silence, listening and caring about the answers is a great conversation skill. Strive to understand others. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to see things through his or her eyes. Learn to listen to body language and emotions and to hear what isn't being said.

Finally, as Wilson Mizner put it, “A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.” You should always focus on learning. Learn from the best. Find people who are getting the results you want to achieve and ask them for advice. Always ask people around you for feedback... What mistakes are you making? How could you improve?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yang of Communication

"You can't not communicate. Everything you say and do or don't say and don't do sends a message to others." – John Woods

Learn how to communicate effectively your ideas to others. The two parts of a message – the content and the message – must complement each other. To speak effectively, avoid both too little and too much communication. Break complex messages into parts and explain the relationship of the parts.

Know what your body is saying. Communication is not just about the words you use. In fact, you communicate more with your gestures and expressions, your body language.

In communication circles, there's the Elevator Speech. You've got to be able to get your key point across in a matter of seconds, in the time you'd spend taking a short elevator ride. Focus is everything. Don't dilute your message. Don't cloud the main issue by insignificant information.

“One kind word can warm three winter months.” – Japanese proverb

When You Feel Abandoned by God, Worship Him Anyway

When You Feel Abandoned by God, Worship Him Anyway

By Rick Warren | Thursday, July 23, 2009 | 5:03 PM EDT


In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:

“Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TEV).

When you feel abandoned by God yet continue to trust Him in spite of your feelings, you worship Him in the deepest way.

Remember what God has already done for you. If God never did anything else for you, He would still deserve your continual praise for the rest of your life because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. God’s Son died for you! This is the greatest reason for worship.

Unfortunately, we forget the cruel details of the agonizing sacrifice God made on our behalf. Familiarity breeds complacency. Even before His crucifixion, the Son of God was stripped naked, beaten until almost unrecognizable, whipped, scorned and mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit on contemptuously. Abused and ridiculed by heartless men, He was treated worse than an animal.

Then, nearly unconscious from blood loss, he was forced to drag a cumbersome cross up a hill, was nailed to it, and was left to die the slow, excruciating torture of death by crucifixion. While His lifeblood drained out, hecklers stood by and shouted insults, making fun of His pain and challenging His claim to be God.

Next, as Jesus took all of mankind’s sin and guilt on himself, God looked away from that ugly sight, and Jesus cried out in total desperation, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus could have saved himself—but then He could not have saved you.

Words cannot describe the darkness of that moment. Why did God allow and endure such ghastly, evil mistreatment? Why? So you could be spared from eternity in hell, and so you could share in His glory forever! The Bible says, “Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made Him share our sin in order that in union with Him we might share the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TEV).

Jesus gave up everything so you could have everything. He died so you could live forever. That alone is worthy of your continual thanks and praise. Never again should you wonder what you have to be thankful for.

Your Real Life Is Not About What You Own

Your Real Life Is Not About What You Own

By Rick Warren | Thursday, July 23, 2009 | 5:04 PM EDT

In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:

“Your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be” (Luke 12:15 TEV).

The Bible has a lot of great advice on money management. Over half of Jesus’ parables deal with handling material possessions. In fact, Jesus spoke more about money than He did about either heaven or hell.

There are two common myths about money:

Myth #1: Money is evil. Actually money is neither good nor bad. It’s neutral. What the Bible actually says is “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV).

Here’s the point: we are to use things and love people. When we get that reversed we get ourselves into trouble. If we love things, we will end up using people. God says people are always more important than possessions.

Myth #2: Money is the key to happiness. Obviously, that isn't true either. If money guaranteed happiness then those with the most would be the most happy. All you have to do is read the newspaper to explode that idea. Jesus said, “A man’s real life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be” (Luke 12:15 PH/TEV).

Think about this: “It is better—much better—to have wisdom and knowledge than gold and silver” (Proverbs 16:16 TEV).

Your Real Life Is Not About What You Own

Your Real Life Is Not About What You Own

By Rick Warren | Thursday, July 23, 2009 | 5:04 PM EDT

In our Devotionals series, Pastor Rick Warren discusses the Bible passages that inspire him the most. Today's Devotional is based on this passage:

“Your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be” (Luke 12:15 TEV).

The Bible has a lot of great advice on money management. Over half of Jesus’ parables deal with handling material possessions. In fact, Jesus spoke more about money than He did about either heaven or hell.

There are two common myths about money:

Myth #1: Money is evil. Actually money is neither good nor bad. It’s neutral. What the Bible actually says is “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV).

Here’s the point: we are to use things and love people. When we get that reversed we get ourselves into trouble. If we love things, we will end up using people. God says people are always more important than possessions.

Myth #2: Money is the key to happiness. Obviously, that isn't true either. If money guaranteed happiness then those with the most would be the most happy. All you have to do is read the newspaper to explode that idea. Jesus said, “A man’s real life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be” (Luke 12:15 PH/TEV).

Think about this: “It is better—much better—to have wisdom and knowledge than gold and silver” (Proverbs 16:16 TEV).

The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Communication

The Top Ten Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Communication

Article Theme: communicating effectively
An article by Keith Rosen about communicating effectively


It's fascinating that the activity which occupies approximately 70% of our waking hours is what we have difficulty with most. The fact is, most of us were never taught how to communicate in a way that produces desired results, so we continue to experience frustration, resistance, conflicts, or breakdowns. Take a look at some of the obstacles that may prevent you from reaching certain objectives during the communication process.

· We want to be heard and listened to but don't always concentrate on the quality of our message or give the gift of our own listening.
· We want to be understood, yet often fail to check if our communication was successful.
· We want acceptance and agreement from others, so much that we often become consumed with having to be right or to prove our point, instead of co-creating a greater outcome together.
· We want some kind of action or response from another person, without letting them know what we really want, or how to achieve it.
· We want to understand the message the other person is communicating to us, yet our ability to listen is tainted by our perceptions of the person speaking or the outcome we are looking to achieve. So, we often pass judgment on the speaker, evaluating the messenger rather than fully accepting the entire message.

Evolving your communication requires taking full responsibility for the outcome of each conversation; not only for what you are saying but also for the message the other person is hearing.

Since we all listen and process information differently, it is crucial to uncover and become sensitized to the other person's style of communication in order to align it with your own.

To strengthen your communication, here are ten questions to ask yourself to determine how effectively you communicate.

1. Am I taking full responsibility for the message being heard by the other person? (Remember, it doesn't matter what you say, it only matters what the other person hears.)
2. Did I respect the other person's point of view? Did I have a reaction to what they were saying that prevented me from listening to their full message?
3. Did the other person feel heard and understood? (Did I acknowledge them?)
4. If I was asking someone to take a specific action, did I make my request clear?
5. Am I speaking in a way the other person can understand? (Am I communicating in a way the other person will listen? (I.e., Speaking in their "language"/communication style.)
6. Am I checking to see if the conversation worked/was successful?
7. Was I communicating openly, without prejudices, expectations and judgment? (Was I focused on having to be right, or have my point of view be accepted?)
8. Did I leave the conversation with some value? (Did I allow the other person to contribute to me?)
9. Did I give the person the gift of my listening?
10. If the outcome of the conversation did not meet my expectations, did I learn what I could improve upon to better communicate with that particular person? (Did I open up a new and greater possibility that I didn't notice before?)


Take your life and career to the next level.

Skills To Becoming The Most Effective Listener

Skills To Becoming The Most Effective Listener

Article Theme: communication and listening
An article by Keith Rosen about communication and listening

Selling is the most advanced form of communication. It requires the utilization of all of our senses. Although you may feel the greatest barriers to your selling performance may be attributed to having the wrong product, closing techniques, presentation tools or even the wrong prospects, consider that the foundation of successful selling is based on how well you listen.

The ability to actively listen has been proven to dramatically improve the capabilities of a professional salesperson. Ironically, listening is the least developed skill amongst salespeople.

Think about when you were formally trained on how to listen? Chances are you weren't. Very few of us were formally taught effective listening skills. Most of the time we believe listening is simply hearing the words coming out of the client's mouth. Now if we know that effective listening makes a dramatic difference, why don't we listen better? Well, probably because it takes concentration, hard work, patience, the ability to interpret other people's ideas and recap them, as well as the ability to identify non verbal communication such as body language. Listening is a very complex process as well as a learned skill, which requires conscious effort, our intellect as well as our emotions.

Listening affects the quality of the relationships you have with people, whether they are your clients, friends, co-workers or family members. Ineffective listening can damage relationships as well as deteriorate the level of trust between you and your clients. The price of poor listening is many lost selling opportunities.

It is said that more than 60% of all problems that exist among people, and within businesses is a result of faulty communication. During the communication process there is always a point where a failure to actively listen can result in mistakes and misunderstanding. Take a look at the following questions and ask yourself if any of them apply to you or how you are listening.

Eight Ways That Limit Our Ability To Fully Listen

1. Are you doing something else while the client is talking? Are you thinking about the next call, how much money you will make if you sell, what you will be eating for dinner?
2. During your conversation with a client, do you wait for a pause, so you can spit something out?
3. How difficult is it for you to stay quiet? Do you say something without thinking first?
4. Are you faking your listening to the client just so you can get in your comments?
5. Do you practice selective listening? Do you only hear the things you want to hear?
6. Are you aware of the message the person is sending other than the words through body language such as facial expressions, eye contact, and vocal intonation?
7. Do you allow background noise or your environment to hinder your ability to listen?
8. Do you listen through filters? When you listen through a filter, you are listening based on a past experience or belief. When you pass judgment on people by their age, success, how they look; when you invalidate people based on what you see or based on a similar situation with another client, you build the wall between yourself and the other person that prevents clear and unrestricted communication and understanding of the message being received.

If any of these behaviors seem familiar, you are creating a barrier that limits your ability to fully listen. As a result, you’re probably not maximizing your sales effort-or your income. Here are a few tips to become a more effective listener:


Eight Ways To Become The Most Effective Listener

1. Encourage silence to show you are actively listening.
Many salespeople only wait a split second to respond to a client's comments or questions. Instead, get in the habit of waiting a minimum of three to four seconds before responding. Even count to yourself to ensure that enough time has elapsed. This conscious pause will make the person feel heard and comfortable enough to talk more, since you are demonstrating that you have a sincere interest in what they are saying. Although many salespeople find it challenging to stay quiet since it takes a conscious effort, silence creates the space that will motivate your client to share additional information. It also gives you enough time to respond thoughtfully and intelligently to your client's specific needs. Besides, look at the words: SILENT and LISTEN. Notice each word shares the exact same letters.

2. Never interrupt while the client is speaking.
Obviously what we were taught as children still applies. Enough said.

3. Be present
Listen with an open mind without filters or judgment. Focus on what the client is saying (or trying to say) instead of being concerned with whether or not your are going to sell. This shows you have a genuine interest in helping them, not just yourself. Otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on subtle nuances or inferences that the client is sending which could make or stall the sale.

4. Make the client feel heard.
This goes beyond simply becoming a better listener. It makes sure that the person you are listening to actually feels heard. Feeling heard is a level beyond just being listened to and few of us, especially in the selling profession ever cause the other person to feel as if they were truly heard. To make someone feel heard, respond to what the client had said during the conversation by using clarifiers. Rephrase in your own words what they had said to ensure the client that you not only understood but heard them. If you need to extract more information to get more of a background and a fuller picture, a clarifier can sound like, "For my own understanding what you are truly saying is or "To further clarify this ....." or "What I am hearing is..." Other clarifiers can sound like this. "Help me understand....." "Say more ...." "Tell me more..." Asking questions that clarify what the client had said demonstrates your concern or interest in finding a solution for the client's specific situation.

Tip From The Coach: Paraphrase listening works on a similar principal. For example, a client says, "I am spending too much time recruiting and training. Unfortunately, I have to do this every few weeks." You can reply, "Yes, trying to find the right employees to help the long term growth of your business can be very challenging as well as time consuming."

5. Become a solution-oriented listener.
Spend more time on listening for a solution than you would on the problem.

6. Listen for what is not being said.
What is implied is often more important than what is being spoken. If you sense that the client may be sending conflicting messages, ask a question to explore the meaning behind the words and the message that you think the client is trying to communicate.

7. Resist the temptation to rebut.
As human beings we have a natural tendency to resist any new information that conflicts with what we believe. Often enough, when we hear someone saying something with which we might disagree, we immediately begin formulating a rebuttal in our mind which can obscure the message we are receiving. And if we are focused on creating a rebuttal, we can't be listening. Remember that you can always rebut later, after you have heard the whole message and had time to think about it.

8. Listen for Information
Consider that most of the time we spend listening TO information in the course of a conversation with our clients. Simply, this is when we hear the noise coming out of the client's mouth called words.

However, when you listen FOR information, you are looking under the words to explore the implied meaning behind them. This prevents you from wrongly prejudging or misinterpreting the message that the client is communicating to you. There are four main things we listen for when speaking with a client:

· Listen for what is missing.
· Listen for concerns the client may have or what is important to them.
· Listen for what they value.
· Listen for what they want and need in order to fill in the gap between what they have now and what they want.

Listening is a learned and practiced skill that will open up new selling opportunities you may have never noticed before. It allows you to receive and process valuable information that might have been missed or neglected otherwise. So, invest the time needed to sharpen your listening skills.

Remember, when speaking with a client, you certainly don't learn anything from listening to yourself talk. Besides, all people ever want in a conversation is to be listened to and acknowledged. Notice what happens when you give someone the gift of your attention, the gift of your listening. They want to reciprocate. This is a great time to begin giving a gift to others that costs nothing to give.

The Secret to Building the Confidence of A Champion

The Secret to Building the Confidence of A Champion

Article Theme: building confidence, healthy thinking, career coaching, life coaching, and thinking like a champion
An article by Keith Rosen about building confidence, healthy thinking, career coaching, life coaching, and thinking like a champion

Excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Closing the Sale by Keith Rosen (http://www.guidetoclosingthesale.com.). Reprinted with permission by Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Lacking some confidence? Do you suffer from low self-esteem? As you can imagine, there’s no room at the champion roundtable for doubt or anything less than a winning attitude. So, how do these top producers do it? How do so many of them go from initially lacking the confidence to sell or close a deal to an extreme abundance of self worth?

Here’s the secret to boosting your confidence today; make confidence a choice. Wait, I know what you may be thinking; it sounds too easy. It has to be more difficult than this. Well, it depends upon the foundation and the strategy in which you’re using to build your confidence. Here’s one story that will introduce you to a whole new set of tools to do so; starting with choice.

“So, I guess you could sense a change in the tone of my prep form that I sent you for our sales coaching call today?”

It was Denise calling in for her 7 A.M. coaching call. Prior to each coaching call, clients email me their objectives for the call and their week in review. This way, they stay focused, accountable to their commitments and have the opportunity to celebrate their wins each week.

She was right. “If you are referring to the sentence where you wrote, ‘I feel like getting out of sales completely and getting a mindless job somewhere else, maybe the government,’ or the sentence, ‘maybe I’m not cut out for this’ then yes, I do sense something else may be off here.”

Denise and I have been working together for about seven months now. She’s made incredible breakthroughs in both her performance and her attitude. As a result, she was offered a promotion from Regional Sales Manager to National Account Manager. With this promotion came a territory change as well as a new type of prospect. Where her average sale used to be about $10,000 - $20,000, now her average sale was approximately $250,000.

“What caused this sudden change in attitude?” I inquired.

“Well, you know how we’ve been talking about the prospects that I’ve been filling in my pipeline? At this point in time, many of those prospects should be converting into sales. So, I started making my follow up calls as scheduled. Nothing but “Call me next week” or “Now’s not a good time” or “If you would like to leave a message…”

“I guess you could say that I’m getting a bit antsy. I want some of these deals to close already so that I can post some positive sales numbers towards my quota. As you can probably hear, I’m a little nervous. What if these deals don’t close?”

“You tell me, Denise. What if these deals don’t close?”

“I can tell you this, Keith. It won’t be a good thing! Maybe I never should have taken this national account position. I knew it was going to be a big change from regional sales but I didn’t anticipate such a change in the length of my sales cycle.”

“Maybe?” Am I sensing some doubt in you?” I asked curiously?

“Oh, absolutely,” Denise exclaimed.

“And what, may I ask, are you doubting?” I responded.

“Myself,” Denise said quietly in a deflated voice. I could hear her confidence waning. It was as if someone reached inside her soul and ripped all of the self worth out of her.

She continued, “And I know it’s just a matter of time until Lewis, you know, my boss, calls me with some bad news like, ‘Denise. We really expected a lot more out of you. We thought you’d be much further along than you are. Denise, your fired’!”

I always find it amazing how creative our minds can be when it comes to visualizing our consequences and fears.

I shifted gears. “Denise, I’m curious about something. Didn’t you recently start this position?”

“Yes, about 4 months ago.”

“And isn’t it true that you’ve already closed and up-sold some big accounts?

Well, yeah but that was like a month ago and I haven’t sold anything since. Besides it…

Before the next excuse came out, I interrupted with, “And isn’t it also true that you’ve gotten at least two deliberate and intentional accolades from both your new boss and his boss about how thrilled they are with what you have done so far?”

Silence.

“I’m sorry, Denise, but can you speak up a bit. I wasn’t able to hear you,” I said sarcastically, yet in a way that still made Denise feel empowered and supported.

“Denise, what are you hearing in what I’ve just shared with you?” I asked.

“That maybe I’m being a bit too hard on myself,” she reluctantly admitted.

“Does that feel true for you?” I reconfirmed.

“No, Keith, this is right on the money.”

“Well, are you ready to hear a little more that may also be right on the money but just a bigger pile of money?”

“Hit me!” She exclaimed. “I’m ready for it.”

Fueling Self Doubt
I continued. “You had mentioned that you confidence, your self worth, your self esteem, however you want to refer to it has been deflated as a result of what you perceive as low productivity. Because you haven’t brought in any new sales recently, you doubt yourself and your abilities. Is that accurate so far?”

“Yup.”

“So, can I then conclude that you measure your self worth by what you produce? That is, if you are closing new business practically each week, then your confidence would skyrocket to an all time high.”

“That is for sure!” Denise exclaimed.

“Conversely, where you feel like you are now, where you haven’t sold, it’s affecting your confidence and the faith you have in yourself.”

“No question there.”

“Denise, what does the word ‘confidence’ mean to you?”

I could hear her thinking. “I don’t know. I guess confidence means being in control. It’s when I have control over something. It’s a feeling of control and a belief in what I can do,” she replied.

“So, in essence you are only worth as much as you’ve sold recently? Wow! That must be an interesting roller coaster ride of emotion you’re on.”

“You can say that again, Keith!”

I continued. “So basically, if you sell, you’re feeling great. You’re in a positive state of mind. You are in a good mood and feeling a strong sense of worth about yourself. Conversely, if you don’t sell or don’t get the appointment or get in touch with a certain prospect that you’ve been attempting to connect with, you’re feeling pretty lousy about the day and about yourself. Denise, is this strategy of yours working for you?”

“Well,” Denise began, “I don’t know if it would necessarily say this is working for me. After all, it’s certainly causing way too much stress, anxiety and overwhelm. And it also keeps me from enjoying my family and maintaining my peace of mind.”

“So, would you be open to hearing what I’m seeing and a new way of thinking that would remove your self doubt as well as the stress that follows, permanently so that you can start enjoying your life more?” I inquired, getting permission to continue our conversation and share some truths with her that I see.

“C’mon, Keith. We’ve been down this road before. Just lay it on me. I’m open to another way of thinking if it’s going to keep me sane, happy and employed.”

“Of course. Consider this; do not allow external situations to dictate your internal condition.”

“Wow, that’s heavy. Is this another Keithism?”

I smiled, “Let me explain. You mentioned earlier that confidence is a belief in yourself. Where do we adopt these beliefs we have about ourselves? From our experiences and from other people. At some point during our life we learned the wrong lesson based on an experience we had. And the lesson was, if you want to be successful you need to acquire things. You need to prove yourself and your self worth. And those things you can acquire can be anything from money, cars, homes, toys, clothes, and in this case, sales because if we acquire these things, if we create these things or work hard to achieve them, then we will be successful based on our current definition of success. And if we’re successful we’ve proven ourselves. And if we’ve proven ourselves then boy won’t our level of confidence continue to rise.

Tip From Your Executive Sales Coach:
Let your peace of mind, happiness, confidence and self worth be a choice you make consciously, rather than surrendering your power by allowing external situations to dictate your internal condition for you.

Now, keep in mind, based on this model, your level of self worth and confidence has become conditional. That is, it goes up and down depending upon on what you’ve achieved or produced rather than what is truly important; who you are.”

“That’s pretty much true for me.” Denise said.

Make Confidence a Choice
Conversely, what if we don’t allow external situations to dictate our internal condition? What if your confidence is, simply just a choice you make about yourself? A belief in yourself?

Let me say this in a different way. What if you could choose to be confident, choose to have faith in yourself and adopt an unwavering belief in your abilities, regardless of the outcomes of each day? Consider for a moment that you have already proven yourself and all of your future accomplishments are achieved as an expression of what you value or the value you want to deliver to others.

If you can believe in this, your confidence now becomes unconditional as it is now based on who you are and the quality of the person you are, not simply what you do or what you produce.

The value you deliver isn’t only reflected in the number of sales you make. Your value isn’t what you do, but who you are and the quality of person you have become and are continually evolving into. Who you are is consistent, who you are is a choice, who you are is something you control 100 percent. That’s why who you are is always more important than what you do.

That’s why the true definition of confidence is having an unwavering faith or belief not only in yourself but in each experience you have. And that belief is this; regardless of the situation, regardless of how bleak it may look or difficult it may be, it will all work out in the end without the evidence to support it. It’s trusting in yourself without any proof to back up your conviction.”

“Hmm, interesting,” Denise said after a few moments. “I can see how this makes sense but you can’t sit there and tell me that your attitude doesn’t change when you’re making sales each week!”

“I can certainly understand that Denise, and you are right. For most salespeople, meeting or exceeding your sales goals has a very clear and measurable effect on their attitude. However, like most people would agree, the feeling of satisfaction you experience from closing the sale does not last. Conversely, it is fleeting until the next sale.”

And, doesn’t this support your old model of thinking? You’re putting yourself back into the confidence trap, surrendering your ability to control your level of self worth by choice and instead, allowing your experiences to dictate how you feel about yourself.”

Challenge your way of thinking and let your confidence be a choice based on an unwavering belief in yourself and in your abilities without needing the evidence to support it.

Take your life and career to the next level.
Email:




Keith Rosen, MCC - The Executive Sales Coach

Keith Rosen is the preferred, authentic coach that top executives and sales professionals in many of the world's leading companies call first. As a prominent, engaging speaker, Master Coach and well-known author of many books and articles, Keith is one of the foremost authorities on assisting people in achieving positive, measurable change in their attitude, in their behavior and in their results. Keith's articles can be found in Selling Power Magazine and has appeared in feature stories in The New York Times, The Washington Times, Inc. Magazine, Sales and Marketing Management's Ultimate Motivation Guide with Stephen Covey and The Wall Street Journal. For his work as a pioneer in the coaching profession, Inc. magazine and Fast Company named Keith one of the five most respected and influential executive coaches in the country.

To speak with Keith about personalized, one to one or team coaching or training or to receive his free ezine,
call 1-888- 262-2450, e-mail info(at)ProfitBuilders.com or visit www.ProfitBuilders.com.


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Liputan SWA

In June's SWA no.12, Pak Paulus Bambang, as he'd promised he would, has written on "Total Solution" & our Waiki Lapis Legit was mentioned....
Thank you very much pak Paulus!

10 Principles of Great Sales Leaders

10 Principles of Great Sales Leaders

By Keith Rosen, MCC

The 2005 Top 500 companies share its sales principles

Congratulations to those companies listed in this year's Qualified Remodeler Magazine Top 500 Industry Leaders. While the ability to generate such high volume is a tremendous accomplishment, what can we learn from them? What about their selling strategy and the efforts that made their companies so successful?

After all, bigger isn't always better and more volume doesn't always equate to more profitability. However, they must be doing something better than the rest to be able to post these numbers.

I've had the privilege and fortunate opportunity to talk to some of these leaders of high-volume companies; the owners, CEOs and vice presidents of sales. Many of them were gracious enough to open up the hood of their finely tuned engine so that I can see what makes them perform at optimum efficiency and potential.

Granted, I hit a few interesting bumps during my interviewing process. Several wanted to remain anonymous. Some would only provide limited information in fear of giving away their "trade secrets." A couple of them even beat on their competition, suggesting they ‘fudge’ their numbers.

However, I'm happy to say that most of the companies I spoke with were more than willing to open up and share their insights with the rest of our remodeling community as to what has put them on the map; not because they post big numbers but what they've done differently or better than everyone else and the strategies they've used to secure their position as a top player.

Here's a rare opportunity to look into their world: what they are doing, some pitfalls to avoid, common standards they adhere to and how these innovative leaders think that has driven their success around the area of professional selling.

The following characteristics and strategies are shared by each of these Top Guns what makes them great regardless of volume.

1) Selling Philosophy
The one call close is alive and well.

Each of the companies I spoke with confirmed this. Now, I'm not referring to the old "model home tin man" pitch but more of the consultative approach that still gives the same result (a decision that dramatically shortens their selling cycle which saves time and money) without the manipulation or pressure that's often associated with this approach to selling.

George Dunning, vice president and co-owner of Homefix Corporation is a strong advocate of this. "Our philosophy is that we'll take a 'no' as graciously as a 'yes,' but there's no better time to decide than when the facts are presented on the table and fresh in the mind of the customer." With six office locations spanning from northern Virginia to northern New Jersey, they have a solid position at No. 18 with an impressive volume of $30,062,000.

Marc Leen, vice president of Mark Four Enterprises, Inc. based in Fairfield, N.J., also adheres to this philosophy. "It's more of a consultative sales approach without any high pressure. My salespeople spend the time with our customers (a minimum of one to two hours) uncovering their problems, wants and desires. This systematic approach builds value as they demonstrate our products, share company history and why they would want to do business with us." With a sales volume of $36,857,978 and a No. 9 ranking, achieving this volume of sales can't be done in a 10-minute meeting with each customer.

Process Driven
Think Ray Kroc, founder of McDonalds who gave new meaning to the word consistency.

Constant monitoring, improvement, refinement and duplication have been the building block of their success. When you have a process and you keep refining your process it rings out waste and inefficiency.

"The most important part of our selling process is the inherent structured nature of it. If you follow our program, you'll be successful," says Mark Four's Marc Leen. "We have found time and time again, that those [salespeople] who stray [from the program] are not going to be successful. It continually gets better as we revamp, revise and refine it in relation to the current conditions of the marketplace."

3) Value Proposition
These sales leaders realize that to be successful, you need to sell on value not on price.

As such, they are willing to walk away from a sale if it's not in everyone's best interest. They know the costs incurred to "taking whatever sale they can get." Murray Gross, president of U.S. Home Systems, Inc. based in Lewisville, Texas, generated an incredible $87,497,527 in sales making him No. 3 on QR's list.

When I asked him what makes him different than the rest? "We're lucky," he said and then continued, "Of course, our affiliation as an SFI (sell, furnish, install) with Home Depot doesn't hurt." With 36 branches, luck is only a small part of Mr. Gross' success equation. This relationship, combined with an intensive four-week training program for both management and salespeople has given U.S. Home Systems the edge they need that has secured their position as a leader.

Dunning agrees. "We follow a philosophy that we are better off selling a high-end product and walking away from some jobs where the customer is set on spending less, than to have to deal with service issues far into the future. [We found that] most companies do not know the difference between the various window and siding products in the market and follow the old philosophy that "a vinyl window's a vinyl window!"

4) Cultures of Success
Remodelers that think they're in the remodeling business are typically the ones who are left behind.

Sure they do great work, but great work is a given. It is a basic assumption that has to be met in order to ensure some level of success. The fact is, the top players know they are really in the business of training, selling and marketing. A quality project or product is simply the end result of their initial efforts.

Jim Franklin, president and COO of Har-Bro based in Signal Hill, Calif., promotes a culture of consistency. "Not only are our technicians trained with all necessary certification as well as being the cream of the crop, but we also only use the best equipment available. They show up at a customer's location not only being a professional but also looking like a professional."

Each of Har-bro's 120 vehicles are identical, proudly displaying their company logo. Franklin is a hands-on guy whose work ethic drives him to be involved and an active owner, sending a clear and powerful message to his team which supports the culture he's created. "We're constantly working on our process and developing a great working environment of people who want to be here," he continues. "It's a delicate balance of being hands-on, delegating and holding key people accountable while allowing them the flexibly to make their own decisions." Keeping his people involved in the day to day decisions that drive the growth of his organization has clearly paid off. With annual sales of $46 million Har-Bro is holding strong at Number 6.

At Mark Four Enterprises, Mr. Leen builds a culture of independence and entrepreneurship amongst his sales team. "While always a struggle, one of the most important things we've done to develop and motivate our salespeople is that we give them a unique opportunity to practically run their own business with virtually no risk. We provide them with opportunities each day to visit with homeowners who are interested in buying a great product." Mr. Leen "sets them up in business" and provides additional ways for them to bring in more sales through self-generated leads, canvassed leads and referrals.

Additionally, his sales staff needs to get in touch and visit each jobsite with an emphasis to seek out new selling opportunities. "It's a great way to build a stronger relationship with our customers. We've found that the more successful the salesperson, the more often they are doing it."

Homefix raises the bar of accountability to another level. "Our sales reps are responsible for visiting every jobsite and must collect five referrals or they do not receive their paycheck on Friday."

5) Unique Offering
What do you offer to stand out above the rest?

Saying you offer a great product or service isn't enough. What do you do that give you the edge? Chris Cardillo is one of the 3 partners at Castle, "The Window People", Inc., based in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. When asked, "What do you feel you do better or different than everyone else?" Mr. Cardillo had a strong response; "Customer service and installation. We guarantee our products forever; no questions asked. It's a true lifetime warranty on all parts and labor." With an impressive $37,592,578 you can't argue that it works.

HomeFix's George Dunning also attests to this commitment to over-delivering on value. In an industry plagued by poor workmanship, Homefix strives for 100 percent customer satisfaction through professional quality service. "We warrantee our products as well as our labor for a lifetime. This is a warranty that bypasses the manufacturer and comes directly from us."

6) Training and Support
You can't learn to play great golf in a day.

Sure, you may be able to learn the basics, but those basics then need to be practiced and refined if you want to improve your game. The same rules hold true for professional selling. HomeFix's Dunning states, "Structured training must precede a structured sales process." These sales leaders are training their salespeople anywhere from three weeks to four months before they even get a chance to go out and sell on their own.

Gross has his salespeople go through an initial training of two weeks or more. Then another four weeks they ride along with another seasoned salesperson before they are let out on their own. They train using a planned presentation.

Starting with a detailed needs analysis, his salespeople take the time to find out what each customer's unique problems and objectives are before offering the best solution. Only then do they uncover their needs do the salespeople demonstrate how their products can satisfy them.

Over time, Gross has revised his training process and have successfully been able to shorten their presentation so that the salespeople are, "Spending less time in what was used to be called "the pitch" and more time in trying to find what customers are really looking for, respecting how they like to buy. And this is done through better use of questions.

To ensure they are giving their salespeople the support they need to maximize each selling opportunity, Cardillo's managers at Castle, "The Window People", Inc. make certain that managers are available 24 hours a day anytime a salesperson needs help in the home.

Leen added, "We focus heavily on our people and the process they use to sell, not just our customers. The reason why our salespeople are successful in our organization is because they follow our policies, programs and systems. Sure, some newly recruited salespeople come in and say, "I can do it using my approach." If they were successful using their approach and what they were doing, then they wouldn't be working with us.

The ones who are successful follow our system that's delivered and practiced throughout our training, and our system works. Shortcuts lead to failure."

7) Top Talent
The product is the salesperson.

After all, what are your customers really buying? Bob Schneider, president of Patio Enclosures, Inc. based in Macedonia, Ohio, maintains a solid position at No. 2 on QR's list with a whopping $103,561,841 in sales. "Ninety percent is the salesperson not the product, nor the pitch book or a piece of paper," says Schneider. "That [the product] comes after."

Chris Cardillo takes the following approach to securing top talent. "As far as our employees, we offer the best [qualified] leads, hire the best people and pay the most."

Jim Franklin of Har-Bro believes strongly that he has the best talent in industry. "The quality of people we have is priceless. I'm fortunate and blessed to work for them. With a solid core of branch managers, Franklin states, "We wouldn't have the success we've experienced if it wasn't for my people and I appreciate them each day."

8) Lifelong Learning
At Homefix, Dunning believes that learning doesn't stop once the initial training is over.

Most of the top producers would agree. "Upon passing the 'final' exam, the rep is ready to run and starts earning," says Dunning. "Each and every day we hold sales meetings at every location to follow up on their performance, which also includes role playing and background training on things not necessary for their first lead but required for success in the long haul." Where the industry average closing percentage is 21 percent, Homefix is running at close to 50 percent at some locations year to date.

Bob Schneider of Patio Enclosures, Inc. is constantly holding meetings - observing and gauging feedback from both his team and his customers. Marc Leen is another advocate of continued education. "No one is beyond training. It's getting them [salespeople] to embrace getting better on a daily basis, honing in on the aspects of what they are doing that's working and what they're not doing that they need to do in order to get to the next level of achievement."

Leen utilizes a variety of methods to continually develop his people including video monitoring and role playing. This is done during their sales meetings, which are not only required but mandatory. These meetings are used as a forum for constant training, retraining and reviewing daily results.

9) Technology
"Those companies that turn their back on the Internet will be left in our dust," says Dunning.

Homefix pulls leads from Internet sources as well as search engines for our own site. "This is the future. Most people do not want to be called on the phone but would rather be able to use e-mail as a form of communication. It's less intrusive and bothersome," he believes.

10) Execution
How many books, ideas and resources are in your office collecting dust?

The fact is, there is no magic bullet, no "trade secrets," and no earth-shattering epiphanies.

While we can certainly benefit from the valuable ideas and strategies that these leaders have shared, the one core characteristic that has made them an "A Player" and well entrenched in the industry is this: taking action, sticking to the basics and following through. It's their drive for consistency, not only in action but in their approach and philosophy. So, kudos to these leaders.

One of my favorite articles appeared in Fortune magazine several years ago. The cover story was titled, "Why CEOs Fail." It wasn't due to not having the right people, product, strategy, sales process, marketing campaign or service. It came down to execution, implementation and follow-through.

So, what are you going to do with this valuable information shared directly by the sales leaders in remodeling? Here's a riddle. There are five frogs sitting on a log. One decides to jump off. How many are left? Five; because there's a difference between deciding, knowing what to do and then doing it.

While success leaves footprints, so does failure. Maybe execution really is the magic bullet. Choose your path.