SALESUnlock Superstar Potential
When you have someone on staff who is a natural salesperson, put away the rule book and stash the scripts, say marketers Rich Baker and Gary Levitt in a column at Marketingprofs. “Encourage creativity, boldness, and authenticity. Tell them you have made a choice to embrace the soft science of human interaction over the hard science of metrics — come hell or high water,” they write. “With this lofty mindset in place, every customer interaction will be a slam-dunk and crackle with the intangibles you need to transform customers into loyal friends.”
MARKETINGCelebrate Fifth Saturday
August is the only month without an official holiday — but this year at least it does have an extra Saturday, perfect for a Fifth Saturday Sale. Start planning! Everyone has seen the summer blockbusters; they’ve been away on holiday and are back again … they are ready for some excitement.
MANAGEMENTExploration VS Exploitation
At a restaurant do you order what you know is great, or do you try something new? At work, do you stick to the tried and tested or try new things? According to technology writer Kevin Kelly, the optimal balance for exploring new things versus exploiting them once found is: 1:3. Spend one-third of your time on exploring and two thirds on deepening. “It is harder to devote time to exploring as you age because it seems unproductive, but aim for 1:3,” he says.
Advertisement
MOTIVATIONReframe Awkwardness
It was commencement season recently and among the outpouring of advice offered, we liked this one from business author Dan Pink: Reframe the way you view awkwardness. “Awkwardness is not an excuse. It’s an opportunity. It’s a signal from your brain that you’re about to learn, grow, and experience something novel. So, talk to new people. Try an unusual sport. Awkwardness is a paper tiger easily slayed.”
PROBLEM-SOLVINGWhat Could You Do?
Faced with a problem and not sure what to do? Instead of asking yourself “What should I do?” ask “What could I do?” According to a study by researchers at Harvard Business School, the “could” question widens the possibilities, generating more and better potential solutions, whereas “should” tends to limit the possibilities to what comes to mind first and what has been tried before.
MANAGEMENT“How Do You Like to Be Managed?”
As a boss or manager, you may have wondered why your staff hasn’t figured out the way you like to work — how you like to receive information, your best hours, what small things are important to you, your values, and so on. The reason is likely because you never told them. And the same applies to your employees. They too have their own way of getting things done, their own values, strengths and performance modes. If you haven’t yet, ask them at their next review or during onboarding. Peter Drucker, the OG of management studies, called taking responsibility for relationships in this manner an “absolute necessity” to achieving an effective workplace.
COMMUNICATIONHelp Long Emails Go Down
Writing a long email? Break it into two parts, says leadership expert Erica Dhawan. “Start with a quick summary at the top and then go into the details.” It helps people digest the message, she writes in Digital Body Language: How To Build Trust And Connection, No Matter The Distance.
Advertisement
ONLINEGo Rogue on Social
The quality of your ideas has a direct correlation to the information you’re exposed to, so choose your inputs carefully — nowhere more so than social media. In this area, it helps to be both purposeful and random. Spend what may feel is an inordinate amount of time curating your Instagram feed — it is an amazing resource when used well, and a terrible, potentially divisive distraction when not controlled. And second, throw in some random searches on Google occasionally to prevent its algorithms from stereotyping you and choking off your access to the wilder ideas out there.
CREATIVITYA Great Ideas Process
Don’t think you have great ideas? Thiago Forte, author of Building a Second Brain, recommends a 30-day test. “For 30 days, once or twice a day, when you have an insight or idea … write it down … at the end of 30 days … look at this treasure trove of knowledge and try and tell me that some of the … information is not going to be valuable for your future projects,” he said on a recent podcast.
