Ask Excellent Questions

Following up on last week’s post on how to Be an Excellent Listener, I thought I might address how to Ask Excellent Questions. 

Time is valuable for both you and your customers  . So when you are able to get in front of them make sure you don’t waste it. 

Being an Excellent Listener works best when you Ask Excellent Questions. 

All questions are not created equal. 

If you want to get more useful information from your customer, you have to ask the right questions.

Here are some ideas on how to elicit that information so that you and your customer get the most out of your valuable meeting time.

Ask Excellent Questions that:

• Show that you've done you homework. Before your call, make sure you do some research. Most people appreciate it when they believe you have an interest in them.
• Are asked one at a time. Don’t ask a barrage of questions in one breathe. Ask them individually. It’s easier for a customer to respond to a single question than it is to a set of sequential questions.
• Are to the point. Avoid the long preambles. Get to the question so that your customer doesn’t have to try to discern what you’re really trying to ask.
• Are customer-focused. Ask your questions in a way the makes them feel you are not there for your own benefit, but to help them. Questions that start with “I” are probably not customer-focused.
• Are not leading. Ask overhead question when able. Try to get them to talk openly. Avoid leading question to get a desired response.
• Elicit useful information. You want to probe for the information that helps identify their issues and needs. You also want to understand the issues and needs behind them.

In the sales training courses I have taken we are taught that every answer should lead to another question. 

It’s not true for every question but the real point is to follow up answers with additional questions to seek clarification or to probe deeper into that issue. 

And when you aren't sure you have a complete answer to your question, keep probing.

Now go Ask Excellent Questions.

For more information about how The Cobalt Group can help you with any business or leadership challenges you are facing, Contact us.

We want to hear what you think. Leave a comment and let’s start a discussion.

Copyright © 2014 The Cobalt Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Be an Excellent Listener

We live in a world where there are many demands on our time. That is true not only for you, but for your customers and colleagues, too. 

These time demands mean that it can be harder to get meetings with customers. 

So when you do get in front of your customers (or colleagues) it is important not to waste their time, or yours. There is a reason for the meeting so have a plan on how to accomplish those objectives. 

In any meeting there is ideally an information exchange. And hopefully that goes both ways. 

To make sure you get the information you need from the meeting you must learn to be an Excellent Listener.

Some meetings are really product or service presentations. For those meetings you will be talking more than listening. 

In those cases I recommend allowing 25-30% of the allotted time for discussion. 

You want to make sure the customer understands what you’ve presented and be able to address any questions.

Most meetings, however, are about gathering information from a customer or potential customer. You are listening for a customer to express their needs and/or issues. 

For these types of meetings, and for the discussion part of a presentation, here are some recommendations on how to be an Excellent Listener:

•    Be prepared. Not knowing what you want to get or a plan on how to get it will not be helpful, and it will waste everyone’s time. Have a call plan and use it.
•    Remove distractions. Turn off your phones or put them on silent. Give them your full attention. Make them feel like you value their time.
•    Don’t talk too much to make a point. Make the point, look for acknowledgement, and move on. Learn to be comfortable with silence too.
•    Get confirmation on what the customer says. It reinforces your memory and lets them know you’re listening.
•    Unless you’re giving a presentation, you shouldn’t provide more than 60% of the data exchanged. But in most instances I prefer to think of it another way: you have two ears and one mouth so use them in that proportion in the meeting. 
•    The more you let the customer talk, the more you will learn.
•    And lastly, follow up. Whether it is to confirm the meeting outcome or to ask for additional information/clarification, follow up with them.

Being an Excellent Listener makes your customer feel like they are more than just a sale. It makes them feel like there is more of a partnership. 

And being an Excellent Listener may also lead to the following:

•     Better customer satisfaction
•     More effective information sharing
•     Better understanding
•     Better results

For more information about how The Cobalt Group can help you with any business or leadership challenges you are facing, Contact us.

We want to hear what you think. Leave a comment and let’s start a discussion.

Copyright © 2014 The Cobalt Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Build Long Term Client Relationships

It really doesn’t matter if you’re business is more transactional or has a longer opportunity cycle, building a long term relationship with your client is important. Why? Because the relationship is not just about the current deal you’re trying to close, it’s about a lifetime.

All things being equal, most people buy from someone they feel that they like. They buy from someone that makes them feel like more than the next sale. I have seen the sales and business developers that have been interested in the customer only up until the point that they sign on the dotted line, and I have seen the ones that developed and cultivated the long term relationships with their clients. Both can be successful in the short term, but my observation and professional experience has shown me that the business person (owner, sales, BD, etc.) that builds relationships with their customers will do better in the long term. Let me ask you this. When you’re the buyer, do you want to feel as though the only interest in you is getting you to buy? Like most people, I am social. So when someone develops a relationship with me I am way more likely to return to them for the next purchase. And it’s not just about the social aspect. There is the familiarity and the trust that develops too.

A growing client relationship is important. That person you’re doing business with now will not always be in that position. There is often turnover and people move to new jobs within the company, or to new companies. Just like you have a career progression in mind, so do they. Follow them. One day, perhaps, they will be in a role of greater responsibility that will enable you to provide a greater degree of support. They will remember who built a relationship on being a valued partner vice being there only to profit, and it’s always easier to do business with someone you know.

It will take work. And frankly, it won’t apply to everyone with whom you do business. But for those with whom you choose to choose to build a relationship, it will take a dedicated effort to cultivate it and maintain it. The good news is that today’s technologies make it much easier than in the past. There are a lot of social media options like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc., that enable you to follow your clients as you both progress in your careers. Use them. But not exclusively.

And that leads me to a couple of other suggestions. Every now and then pick up the phone and call. Meet them for lunch, coffee, a drink, or whatever. The social media thing makes it easy to have a relationship in short comments and ‘likes’, but that person will value it more if you take the time to personally reach out to them. Personal interaction goes much further than a ‘like’ on a social media site. There is no hard and fast rule because each person is different but my recommendation is to try to have physical contact (voice or in person) with them about 3-4 times a year at a minimum, depending upon your relationship with them. They will appreciate the effort you’re making to stay in touch. Wouldn't you?

The Zero Defect Mentality

How many of you work in an environment that is not tolerant of any mistake? It’s the one and done culture. Make an error and you’re gone.The Zero Defect Mentality occurs in places where the leadership, the culture, or the prevailing belief is that mistakes will not be tolerated. This can be in the military or in the corporate world. I have been in them and they are not fun places to work.

No one really wants to fail or make a mistake. But the truth is that we do both. Often. Most of us fear failure. That fear often makes us cautious, hesitant, and indecisive, among other things. Those behaviors can lead to no decision being made, or bad decisions being made in the hope of minimizing the risk of failing and looking bad. And it is not just the failure that people fear, it’s also the consequences of it: getting fired, getting demoted, being humiliated, getting passed over for that promotion, and so on.

I believe the good leader will make sure his/her people understand that no one is perfect and mistakes can and will happen. And when those mistakes do occur they will be addressed but not in a Zero Defect Mentality sort of way. In my Navy career in aviation, the price of a mistake could be fatal. That is way less likely to be the case in the corporate world,. So a good leader will foster an environment that lets people know that making a mistake can be turned into a good learning opportunity and hopefully preventing a repeat of that mistake. Don’t get me wrong, there is a difference between and honest mistake and gross negligence, and the latter should have a bigger consequence.

History is full of people that made what would have been career ending mistakes were they in a Zero Defect Mentality organization but went on to do great things. Take a look at Chester Nimitz. As an ensign he ran a destroyer into a sand bar. I am sure he was the butt of a lot of jokes but he later went on to be the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet in WWII. How might that war have ended if his naval career had been cut short over that mistake?

I leave you with this thought. Failure is always an option. Do all you can to mitigate the risk of failure but don’t make the mistake of NOT addressing the possibility of failure. Even in the things in life where I succeeded I made many mistakes along the way. I am grateful for the leaders that made those mistakes into great lessons learned and didn’t foster the Zero Defect Mentality culture.

Attributes of a Good Leader

What attributes does a good leader have/need? As I was asked that question again recently I started jotting a few things down. This list is not all inclusive but does cover a good portion of the attributes I believe make a good leader. If you’re in a leadership role, and most of you are in some way or another regardless of your title, how many of these describe you? Honestly?

• Knows that he/she cannot do it all by themselves. If so, you would not need people to lead.
• Is honest and trustworthy. If your people can’t/don’t trust you, you’re in trouble.
• Speaks directly. That doesn’t mean to insult or give someone unfiltered opinions, it means that you address the issue head in a direct manner and not try to talk around it.
• Is consistent. One of the worst things a person in a leadership position can be is vacillating. If your people don’t know what to expect from you then they won’t know what to give you.
• Is decisive. Indecision is a terrible thing. Or is it?  Lead, follow, or get out of the way is an expression I heard often in the Navy. It is never a good thing when a leader cannot do the main part of his/her job…make a decision and move forward. Decision paralysis benefits no one.
• Sets clear expectations, and follows through. Your people need to know what is expected of them or, just like in the fourth bullet, they won’t know what to give you. Following through is just as important as the set expectation.
• Seeks input from his/her people. When your people feel like they have a contribution to the goals they will take more ownership in achieving them.
• Doesn’t have all the answers. But he/she does know what questions to ask to get those answers and to lead his/her people to the answers.
• Empowers people. Give your people room, define the boundaries, and give them ownership of their job. You’ll be amazed at how many will rise to, and exceed, the expectations you set for them.
• Supports his/her people. If you want to bring out the best in your people they need to know that you will support them. When they know you have their backs they will do their best to have yours too.
• Praises publically. Disciplines privately. Self-explanatory.
• Focuses on the strengths of his/her people, not their faults. Too often the only time some leaders engage their people is when it is time for a correction. No one wants to only talk with their boss(es) when things are going wrong. And don’t be afraid to move a person into a role that is more suited to their strengths. They will be happier and more productive.
• And lastly for this blog post, a good leader is coachable. A good leader doesn't know everything. They haven’t faced every challenge they are going to meet. But if they are humble enough to be coachable then they will become better at what they are asked to do. LEAD.

So, as I asked at the beginning, how many of these traits describe you? And, since I am coachable too, what traits did I not list here that you think a good leader should possess?

Leadership and Being Visionary

One of the traits of a great leader is to be a visionary. Or is it? Throughout the various phases of my career I have often heard that this person or that person is a visionary. Most of the time I would have to agree. But not all of those people were in leadership roles. Some of them would never be in leadership roles. So, do you have to have vision to be a leader? Or, do you have to be a leader to have vision?

The answer to both questions is NO. That may be heresy to some people but here is what my experience has taught me. I have worked with great leaders. Some of them were visionary and were able to get us to make that vision a reality, and some were not. They inspired and led us to great successes. That ties in with what I say is my basic definition of leadership -- the ability to get a group of people to work together to achieve a common goal. But, a person with vision but no leadership ability is not likely to see their vision become a reality without a good leader.

On the other hand, a leader that does not have a vision can be just as effective as one with vision. That leader may recognize or inspire someone else’s vision and make it a reality. As I said above, not all people with vision are in leadership roles, nor are all meant to be leaders. A good leader does not worry about where the vision comes from, he/she only cares how to make it happen. Good ideas come from all quadrants of an organization and a good leader will recognize that and will be able to get everyone to work together to make the vision a reality.

So as I see it, one need not be a visionary to lead. It doesn’t hurt to have that ability but it is not required. And, one need not be a leader to be a visionary. What that means is that good leaders will either be visionary or inspire that in the people they lead.

When to Start Grooming Your Leaders

As a leadership consultant/coach I have often said (and blogged) that leadership begins with the most junior persons in your organization. If they are taught to do their job correctly and are given the tools needed to perform their roles then they can begin to experience what good leadership looks like and gives them something to model. I truly believe that.

Some organizations even take the next step and assign each employee a mentor. This is a good thing for the junior employee. In theory, this gives that junior employee a senior person that can help them navigate the organization, their career path, and allow them to voice concerns and other issues in a friendly environment. In my experience, though, I have rarely seen this work as it was intended. The person that is assigned as the mentor has his/her own issues and they are more often than not too busy, and either intentionally or unintentionally soon forget that they are supposed to be mentoring someone. That junior person often times doesn’t want to feel like pest so they don’t approach their mentor and the great idea fizzles.

The usual next step occurs when a person might receive some sort of coaching is after being moved into a VP or other “C” level role. Those that are fortunate are sometimes provided an executive coach to help them transition into the next level of the leadership food chain. This occurs in organizations that invest in their people and their businesses.

But I submit that there is a better time to invest in your future leaders (aside from when they start). I believe that when a person is moved up into their first supervisory role as a Senior Manager (there’s that word again), Project/Project Manager, or the Director level is the time to invest in them by providing them a coach.

Leadership is leadership, but the type of work a consultant/coach would do for an entry level supervisor/Director would focus, in part, on separate areas of this transition into leadership than it would for a VP or higher. This is their first foray into the leadership arena. This is where it is critical for that person to have guidance as they shift the types of responsibilities they bear. And in this first transition, an investment into the success of the new leader will have a more positive effect on the success of the organization.

So when should we start grooming our leaders? We should be grooming them from their first day on the job. But the time for more investment into them should come when they are moved into their first leadership role, not the one two to three levels up.