If you know and don't do...

If you know what should be done, but don't do it--then you don't know.

If you know you should check your work before it goes out, but you don't... Do you really know?

If you ignore your co-workers and realize you shouldn't, but do it anyway... Do you really know?

If you're highly educated but don't pay attention to what you know is right... Do you really know?

No new book, article, political candidate, customer or boss will change things for us. Unless we do.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

You Create What You Fear

Afraid that new product won't sell?
Concerned that the new customer won't be satisfied, ever?
Convinced that your boss is going to fire you?
Scared to speak up and share your feelings?

We create what we fear. Being fearless goes a long way. In fact, some people who are called clueless are actually pretty smart. They just blindly blow right through the situations that cause many of us to pause, stumble, stammer and tense up.

Why create a failure when there are enough of them out there already? Fearlessness goes a long, long way.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Thankful...

Thank you to the clients who:

Make it a pleasure and honor to work for them
Respect you and your ideas
Are happy to see you succeed
Show loyalty and appreciation for your efforts
Spend the time to ensure success
Look at cost as merely one of many factors, not as the deciding factor
Show us their human side and bring that out in us, as well

Thank you!

Less responsibility feels so good...

A buddy of mine decided to leave his position at a university. He was tired of the grind, the attitudes from the students, and the pressure from the administration. He said it was time to walk off and relax. He had some money squirreled away and felt he could take most of a year off if necessary.

As a friend, I wished him well. He said the one phrase you always hear at these times, "It's a relief to leave." I bet it is a relief. It's always a relief to have no responsibility, at first.

But I didn't share the whole story. This is the third time he's done this. He's felt relief each time. And a few months later, he's felt remorse and desperation. Then he finds his next position. And, he does not make more money or have a better job the next time, at least it hasn't happened yet.

Leaving your job is not a relief unless you're retiring.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Make it make sense

We face challenges and issues every day. Things are changing, tornadoes of activity swirl through our days, then we look up at the clock and it's time to go home. Some days end up feeling good, some neutral, others not so good.

The one consistent influence we feel through those days is control or lack of control. Is what we're doing making sense, is it getting us closer to the goal, is it the right way to go? If the answer is, to the best of your knowledge, a resounding "yes" then congrats, you're taking ownership of your life, your job and ultimately your happiness.

If the answer is "no" or "I'm not sure" then things are tough, you feel out of control and maybe are waiting to have it all come together. Sad truth: it probably won't all come together.

What can you do? Make sure everything--everything--makes sense to you. If it doesn't, find out what you need to make it make sense. And btw, you can be pleasant about it. You don't have to be ugly or difficult. And btw, you can be the newest or lowest-level person at your company and still you need to make it all make sense to you.

And either right away or eventually, you will be thanked and recognized for making it all make sense.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Sit back and enjoy the salesmanship

About once every two or three months, I get a call from a wine saleslady from California. She represents a winery that offers some great wine. But so do a lot of other wineries. Also, within a few miles of my home, I can buy some of her wines as well as thousands of others at a good price. But I buy from her.

I buy from her because:
She has passion for the product
She has great knowledge about the industry and product
She is honest and will recommend against some of her offerings based on her taste
She is empathetic to my mood and will offer to call back when I have more time
She gives me a good price, good enough that I can't rationalize going elsewhere
She fixes things when they've gone wrong (i.e. a shipment didn't arrive)

I buy from her because I like her salesmanship. I'm happy to see her do well and profit. What a great example of being a salesperson--she profits and I do as well. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Follow-up still missing

Despite the need for more sales, more business and more profit, follow-up is missing in action far too often.

Dealerships that sell products seldom follow up after the sale for more business. Sure, they call to make sure the product works, so they can get a good score on their customer satisfaction survey, but other than that, nothing.

Until the customer yells "leave me alone" we must reach out and offer our services and products. Or someone else will.

Barry LaBov
www.labov.com
LaBov & Beyond

Time Machine

I don't have time to do this until after the first of the year.
I can't think about it until two weeks from now.
I couldn't ask for help because she's been busy for the last four weeks.

We all want a time machine to make our lives easy. It would be great. You could freeze time, go into the future to check things out, come back and lose no time. It'd be great. But we're stuck with reality.

I may say and show I'm too busy to answer a question for you, but yet I can sit and talk sports with a co-worker for 20 minutes.
I may indeed have a huge presentation in a month that I'm prepping for, but still I stop and read personal emails or shop online during work instead of reaching out to a client on a new idea--I'll save that for next year to do.

One minute of time spent helping a co-worker could yield great results. One dial of a phone to call a client with an idea could reassure them that you care.

It doesn't take a lot of time. It doesn't require a time machine.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Exhale

In the middle of all the activity going on, there's a spring of emotions flying about--hurry up, make this great, get this done, ship this out, make sure it got there, etc. It can be very exciting. But after the high of performing, there comes the letdown. This is normal. This is when your mind re-fills. Sometimes it fills up with thoughts of the next task to tackle. Sometimes it fills with less positive thoughts such as-am I being appreciated, is it really worth the hassle, or what about my life?

One thought. After the good performance, why not a momentary exhale? A little celebration. Something to say, like thanks, nice work.

Many leaders, like myself, don't do this often because we're achievers and we're ready to jump into the next battle. And some of us are perfectionists--we think a celebration or reward needs to be fantastic, so if we can't do it right, why do it? Wrong. A little thank you and take a breath time will be sufficient--certainly a lot better than nothing.

We all need a little time to shut it down and to re-load, why not make it fun?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Pour a bucket of logic on the situation

It's sooooo easy to get fired-up on an issue in business:
The customer was unreasonable, they don't value us
The new product is no good, nobody will like it
The pricing is too high, it's out of reach
The dealers don't care
Nobody at the company understands me
They're only in it for the money
The employee doesn't feel like doing a good job

It goes on and on... It adds fuel to the fire to spout these sound bytes and you might even get some head nods to go with them, too.

The problem is, they just aren't accurate as a rule. No company, no employee, no product is entirely bad. But boy, can the paranoia run rampant when we hear people say these things.

My experience is that if someone is saying things like this, they have the problem, not the employee, product or company they're attacking. They are projecting their fears and weaknesses and are trying to gain support and sympathy and most probably trying to create chaos.

The simplest thing to do is pour some logic on the situation. If the product is really bad, then why are people buying it? If the employee or company is totally bad how can that really be possible, how could they have survived this long?

A little logic can make a big difference.

Barry LaBov
www.labov.com
LaBov & Beyond

Throwing Money at a Problem

It's easy to avoid issues, especially if you can throw money and/or people at them. That way, you can feel you're making progress or at least doing something. But...

Throwing money and people at problems is no guarantee or indicator of future success. In fact, doing so can make things worse.

If your product launch is falling flat on its face, spending more on advertising may not be the answer. Maybe the product is weak, wrong or in need of a tweak.

If your customers aren't buying your dealership's products, throwing in discounts or other perks may not do the trick. Maybe your sales staff is untrained, maybe the product is weak, maybe your customer experience stinks.

Facing those tough questions costs little in terms of people or discounts and it is painful. But it's the best way to solve the problem.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Bullish or Bearish?

Ok, the economy tanked a couple years ago and it was tough. But, it has been two years or so. Either we understand what's going on or we don't. It's time to commit or pack up the tents.

Tentative thinking and playing it ultra-safe will not produce results, they will lose opportunities.

So, the time is now. Crank up up the machine, focus on the where it needs to go and get going!

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Get Back to your roots

In rock and roll music, it's often that you hear a guitarist talking about getting back to their roots. What that means is the guitarist is stepping back and looking at where rock music began and then building on it. It's smart to do because it gives you an appreciation for what you have and how far you've come, and it influences where you go in the future.

In business, we have to do the same. Look back on your roots--where did you start, what salary were you originally paid, what knowledge did you begin with?

Look at your company. Where did you start, how much business did you have, what client base and what scope of work did you do?

Maybe as you look back you see little progress. More likely, you'll realize what has been given to you and what opportunities there may be for the future.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Does it Really Matter?

It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day craziness of business. Everything seems like life and death. But what really matters? Things do matter--but not always the things we're focusing on.

Ethics are incredibly important. Working with one more customer, especially if they are not particularly ethical, is not important.
Sales growth is important. But not if it comes with a loss of profit.
Hiring the right employee is important, but quickly hiring the wrong one is a disaster.

If your company had one more sale, what would you do with it? Would it make a big difference or would it quickly become part of the craziness and get lost?

It's easy to lose focus on the most important things because there are millions of other things flying around. What matters and what doesn't matter?

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Follow-Up

Want to be rewarded? Follow up.
Want to stand out? Follow up.
Want to feel better? Follow up.
Want to reduce stress? Follow up.

Follow-up is an option for most of us:

Sure, I said I'd give you an update, but I got busy.
Yes, I promised to call you before noon, but things got in the way.
True, we're supposed to update our spreadsheet daily, but that's a hassle.

What's the follow-up "batting average" of the people you work with? And how often do you live up to promises?

Want to stand out? Follow up.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Stay in the Ring

We battle monsters every day. Some are real--and some are imaginary. Unfortunately, we're tempted to run from each of them.

What's a good way to determine how real a monster is? Stay in the Ring.

If you stay in the ring and face it, the monster may just disappear or reveal itself as something not so scary. But you'll never know if you run away.

Sure, there are formidable monsters that we face, but they are few and far between. More often, it's imaginary fears that we battle. Stay in the Ring.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Make Me Happy

A supplier sits down with a customer and tells the customer how best to work with them.
An employee tells the boss to figure out a better compensation plan for him.
A partner at a firm says he wants more opportunity and stares at the other partners in the board meeting.

All of these things are happening daily. We want more and would like someone to figure it out for us. We don't want to step on toes. We just know we want things a little different or better.

Wanting things to be better is good. Expecting someone else to solve it is not the best plan. Ideally we need to bring our best recommendation or solution to customers, bosses and partners. Otherwise, we wait and wait.

Bringing your recommendation is smart because it doesn't have to be perfect, it shows ownership and it doesn't rob others of their energy. And you just may get what you want...

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Invest versus divest

After such a tough two years or so in this economy, many businesses have chopped, sliced and diced their way to profitability. And much, if not all, of that slicing and dicing was smart. But what do you do after you've cut and snipped away most of the fat and waste?

That's the question, or maybe better put, that's the challenge that many businesses are facing. Dealerships that have cut sales staff and inventory to survive now must face the fact that customers are entering their stores expecting a decent selection of product and they're expecting a human (salesperson) to spend time with them.

I was excited about purchasing a product recently and traveled to a dealership only to find a semi-empty store with very little product--certainly no product I was interested in. No sale happened there.

It's now time to consider investment as seriously as divestment.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter