Leadership

What Kind of Leader Are You?

“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts.
It is about one life influencing another.”
—John C. Maxwell

The Summit Leadership Model works like this. We start at the base of the mountain with our overarching mission—in the simplest of terms, our goal or summit. While we are at the base, we are defining our WHY, getting clear on our values and the values of the team, setting our rules and our code of honor, recruiting the best team members, and above all, training and preparing for the climb.

It is only after all these things are done, that we finally begin our execution, our journey to the summit. Some people like to rush through these steps, taking shortcuts, anxious to reach their goal. Ben and I were a bit like this on our first climb. We didn’t have enough time to adequately prepare for a hike as challenging as Kilimanjaro. And we didn’t make it.

As a leader, it’s your job to make sure that you and your team are fully prepared, motivated, and inspired to reach the summit, whatever that might be. So, I ask, what kind of leader are you?

Most people, when asked what kind of leader they are, immediately consider if they are “good” or “bad” leaders. Those aren’t the two categories that come to mind for me when I think about leaders, however. A good leader can have a bad day, week, or year. A bad leader can have a lucky streak and shine their way to the top… for the moment.

Some folks call themselves leaders if they have profile, persona, charisma, and inspiration, but they have no real team. They have admirers or even worshipers, but not folks who will make sacrifices and accept challenges. You’ll find these leaders in the world of social media and YouTube.

There are others who perhaps have none of the above, but have a loyal, committed following of team members who would go to the ends of the earth to achieve a mission.

This book is about this last group. Why? Because I am not that charismatic and not that smart. But what I observed on Kilimanjaro I can emulate. In looking at my life, any great thing I have ever done or any nasty predicament I got myself out of, was due to the team I had… not just me.

Let’s talk about teams for a moment, because today’s definition of a team may be different than it used to be. A team is a group of people who come together for a common purpose and mission. They play by a common set of rules and procedures to make that mission happen. They may dress a certain way, speak a certain way, and have a core set of values. Some of the team may be on the payroll and some may be volunteers. For example, in my organization some of our best salespeople are our customers who have become part of our team.

As an entrepreneur, you start by building a community out in the world, to a large extent through social media, by sharing what you’re trying to do, who you are, and why you are doing it. Some of the people in that community will ultimately become your customers. They’ll buy from you. And then a subset of those customers might become a part of your team. And what does that mean?

To read more order a copy of Summit Leadership: Taking Your Team to the Top

Building or running a business is more than a journey. It’s an adventure. Adventure assumes there is risk in the air. For many business owners, the adventure of building a business is a long one and there are many lessons to be learned over that extended period of time. That takes unwavering commitment, a serious dose of tenacity, and the ability to embrace adventure.

Using the experience of successfully summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro drives years of business building into a 7-day mountain leadership adventure where the pinnacle, as well as the sometimes harsh lessons of the mountain, track exactly with the building of a business. From the moment your spirit is engaged when you commit to the climb until you return home safe and successful, Summit Leadership mirrors the same trail of mission building and ultimate business team victory that entrepreneurs strive for.

The multi-faceted challenge we faced in scaling “Kili” was a microcosm of all that owning and growing a business entails. Those who have experienced the exhilaration and challenges of it have gone on to build amazing businesses and become legendary leaders. With each ascent in altitude with the author, this guidebook explores the critical lessons to lead you and your teams to the summit and beyond.

Connect and Contact

Have you become isolated because of the pandemic?

But I’m not really talking about social distancing here. 

What I mean is, have you stopped reaching out to your target audience?

I see way too many business owners doing so. But the truth is, the hiding that they’re doing is only risking the future of their businesses.

In the previous email, I described the first step in the selling cycle: you have to find people with money and a need that you can meet.

Once you do that, you must connect with them with the right message.

In the old days, there were two basic ways to do it. You could go door-to-door and pitch in person. Or you could do it over the phone through cold calling.

Today, however, we have so many new opportunities. In fact, it’s never been easier to reach the right people with your offer.

Social media is one of the most obvious channels to use, and for a good reason. Done right, it can be the most effective. Posting on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube can help you amass a large audience and keep them entertained in these tough times.

Trust me, the returns are going to be high if you can make this happen. 

People welcome any opportunity to take their minds off the doom and gloom. If you give them a chance to do this, they’ll want to engage with you. This will almost inevitably result in more sales.

Now, social media is not the only way to connect and contact your audience. You can go on speaking engagements, send out emails, blog, and do a whole bunch of other things.

If you haven’t been reaching out enough, it’s time to step up your game. 

Just be careful not to dilute your attention on too many channels. Find out where your audience is so you can meet them there and build relationships for growing your customer base.

Ask Questions to Close

I used to be in your shoes. A long time ago, I struggled with closing. I had a little voice telling me all the reasons why I couldn’t do it.

But you know what?

I found that if you lay down the proper foundation, closing is a natural end to a conversation.

Let me tell you what I mean by that…

There are certain basic elements that must be in place in order to close a deal. If you have these basics down, closing is more like arranging to deliver goods than closing.

Why is that?

Because if you’re laying down the basics correctly, you’re priming your customer for closing.

Here’s a breakdown of what it should look like:

Assess Needs Accurately

First, you need to show an understanding of where they’re at in their world. You do this by restating their problem.

Why is this step necessary if the client told you their problems?

Restating the problem helps both you and the client to focus.

The person you’re talking to has a million other things going on in their life. But when you articulate the problem you bring the focus back to you. It also helps you focus as well.

Ask Question to Close

All of your conversations with the prospect should set you up for closing. And that includes the questions you ask.

So, it’s not enough to state a problem. Follow it up with a question like, “Do you recognize this as being a problem in your business?”

The prospect’s response may be something along the lines of, “Yeah, Of course.”

You can also ask questions like:

Is there anything you’d like to say about that?

Does this make sense to you?

These are trial close questions. They get the person to start saying yes and agreeing with you. But, that’s not all.

The questions also allow you to see if you’re on track.

Solution or WIIFM (What Is In If For Me)

After all that, it’s time for the solution you have configured for them. But don’t stop there.

Try framing the solution in two parts: feature and benefit.

The feature may include creating metrics and understanding where the numbers come from. But the value or benefit comes from maximizing the areas they’re already good at and coaching them in the weak areas.

Take these basic, but necessary steps and closing is just a matter of delivering the goods. With your trial close questions, they’re already saying yes.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

What’s your selling personality?

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I like to talk about different sales personalities. I don’t believe that one size fits all molds for success.

What you really need to tap into is your individual sales personality.

What’s your selling personality?

You may say that your business’ selling protocol involves XYZ, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Each member of your sales team has a different sales personality. If you’re not playing to their strengths, you’re not utilizing them properly.

In my book, SalesDogs, I talk more in-depth about the different personalities and strengths you may encounter on your sales team.

Do any of these types sound familiar?

  1. Pit Bull
    This is the stereotypical attack dog. These salespeople never take no for an answer and are very aggressive. All they need is a cuff to latch onto and they’ll never let go.
  2. Poodle
    This type of dog is charming and loves to be the center of attention. They’re the life of the party and always look good. Poodle salespeople know how to present well and how to get in front of people.

    They’re great networkers and make sales based on that networking skill, not cold calling.

  3. Chihuahua
    The chihuahua sales member is a data freak.

    If you google everything and are constantly on YouTube to gather data, you are a chihuahua personality. These people love the bits and bytes about competition. And, they’re the go-to person when you have questions about the ingredients of a product or the tech of a service.

  4. Golden Retriever
    On the other hand, if you have someone who loves doing things for people, you have a golden retriever on your hands. They’re out there doing favors and taking clients to lunch. They operate on the Law of Reciprocity… If you give, then you shall receive.

    Golden retrievers love the interaction and make great teachers.

  5. Basset Hound
    Lastly, you have the basset hound personality. These salespeople have the natural ability to build instant rapport. Clients naturally trust them. This type really gets where you’re coming from.

    If you have one on your team or you’re one yourself, you should focus on one-on-one deals. Basset hounds are really good at that.

    So, the point of these personality types isn’t to pick the best one. It’s to get you to play to your team’s strengths.

    Find out which personality types are in your kennel and coach them accordingly.

    #blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

Being your Authentic Self

I’ve been doing this for a long time. And, in my nearly 30 years of experience, there were many people that modelled me.

That’s okay if you’re new to the game. But, when it comes down to it, you need to be you.

Have you ever heard that you need to be like somebody else in order to be successful in your life?

You know, I’m a big advocate of modelling certain behaviors in order to learn something new. But, only to a certain extent. When you don’t know anything, modelling is not a bad strategy.

But at the end of the day, the secret to being able to make a lot of money in sales or in business is being your authentic self.

Now, I know that may sound trite to you. However, there’s one thing that I’ve found out after working with thousands of people all over the world.

There’s still a belief out there that, “I’m not good enough,” and “I have to be like somebody else in order to be successful.” This is true particularly when it comes to sales.

On the other side of the argument are the sales managers and business owners that believe that everybody on their team has to be just like them.

And you know, in my experience, that’s just not true.

Think about the famous basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. This guy was a seven-foot 300-pound center in the NBA. And, he was great at it!

But, imagine if all of a sudden he decided he wanted to be a horse jockey.

What’s going to happen?

The poor horse is going to die for one thing. And, he’ll never be competitive.

Being a jockey isn’t playing to his authentic self.

Is that any better or different than you trying to be somebody you’re not?

You need to play to your strengths.

Think about all those diagnostics and review programs that give you your strengths and weaknesses. Once you get the analysis, what does the coaching team normally say?

They tell you what you need to work on your weaknesses. But, I’m telling you right now that is a colossal waste of time.

Why in the world would you try to improve something you’re not designed to do?

The key in business is to play to your strengths based on what you’re good at. Don’t try to fix something that’s not fixable.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

Call a Timeout and Create a List of Goals

In my over 30 years of helping people and being on stage, there’s one thing that holds true. You may very well be your worst enemy.

Do you ever wonder how to tackle income limitations in your business?

I tell clients all the time that the problem isn’t your marketing strategy or sales team. It isn’t any of the usual suspects at all.

It may surprise you to learn that the biggest limitation on your income is you.

That’s right.

The hardest sale you’ll ever have is selling … to you.

Especially on days when your confidence levels are low, and you just don’t feel like getting out of bed. But, if you manufacture a positive mood and attitude, you can turn that around.

So, the next time you’re in a slump here are a couple of ways to give your attitude a positive boost:

#1 – Call a Timeout

Try doing jumping jacks, running around the block, or even standing up where you are. Just do something that allows you to change your physical state. This, in turn, automatically unlocks your mental and emotional state.

Are you or your team feeling a little sluggish?

Maybe you’re upset that the team is not doing so well?

Take a page out of my son’s football coach’s book – call a timeout.

Bring everyone together. Get the team jumping up and down, chant, or give each other high fives. Change their physical state to impact their mood and attitude.

#2 – Create a List of Goals

There are some days when you wake up and wonder why you’re doing all of this.

Why go through the pain and the stress? Why not curl up in bed and forget about everything?

If you’re just having one of those days, it’s time to come up with your list. This list includes all the compelling reasons why you want that goal.

Because I …

Want to provide for my family.

Want my parents to be proud of me.

Want to prove to myself that I can accomplish this.

Whatever your reasons, it’s your motivation to get out and work at your goal. So, pull the list out whenever you feel your drive taking a dip. Remind yourself why you get out and do the things you do each day.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management