Fighting Life's Battles

Why is it that when a soldier is caught under unexpected enemy fire, he immediately falls to the nearest pavement?  First of all, the soldier wants to protect himself from enemy fire and secondly, prepare for his next move.  Have you ever felt as if your life was parked right in the middle of a fierce battle?  You may have been ambushed from different angles and your first reaction was to protect yourself and get out of the way.  Scripture teaches that we are in an intense battle with the powers of darkness.  The enemy wants you to give into your sinful nature and lay flat on the pavement in hopeless fear as he launches his attack on your life.  The good news is that God’s power is sufficient to help you win the battle.  Your job is to stand up, walk in the Spirit and let God fight: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:10-13).

The LORD is my strength and my shield (Psalm 28:7a).  He will not allow you to enter a battle that you cannot overcome in the power of His Spirit.  He will not let you get trapped by the enemy without providing a way of escape.  No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (1 Corinthians 10:13).  Don’t fall down, give in, or give up when you are spiritually attacked.  Don’t be discouraged when life knocks you off your feet—STAND UP; PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD, & LET GOD FIGHT THE BATTLE FOR YOU!

My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices,

and with my song I will praise Him (Psalm 28:7b).

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever (Psalm 73:26).

You have armed me with strength for the battle (Psalm 18:39).

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints (Ephesians 10:14-18).

EXAMINE- Read Ephesians 10:14-18.  What spiritual armor do you find lacking in your life this week?  How can you make this a priority today?

CONNECT- When was the last time you let your heart completely trust in the Lord to fight your battles?

CHANGE- Spend some time this morning thinking about God’s faithfulness and His provision in helping you overcome temptation.  Share a recent victory with someone who does not know Christ today.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.  All rights reserved.  Bible text from the New King James Version® is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica.

Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Leveraging the Internet to Grow Your Business

Connect:  This week I would like to share with you a great resource to connect you with more customers, Elance.  Elance is an innovative way to find work for your business and outsource projects to other business professionals.  Below is an overview of their business solution. 

How It Works:  Elance (www.Elance.com) delivers an immediate, cost-effective and flexible way to hire, manage and pay independent professionals and contractors online.                                                                                                          

Getting Great Results

The Elance Work System provides a standardized way to post jobs and receive proposals, hire, manage, and pay for results, and also enables collaboration, tracking progress and providing feedback.

Job Postings act as an RFP engine and help companies publish job descriptions and receive proposals from qualified professionals.

Proposals enable contractors to demonstrate their qualifications, expertise and compete for the work.
Digital Workrooms provide a shared space for work collaboration and a permanent record of all communications.

Milestones clearly define what needs to be done and when.

Status Reports provide visibility of progress, work performed, and next steps.

Time Tracking allows contractors to create journals and timesheets in real time to document their work activities.

Billing and Payment systems protect both parties and distribute payments worldwide.

Feedback and performance measurement maintains a track-record of results delivered and visibility into work performance.

Stand Out:  Developing a solid follow up plan is essential to differentiating yourself from your competition.  My good friend Jim Flood from the Jim Flood Group (www.theJimFloodgroup.com) encourages us to send a handwritten letter to our existing and potential customers.  What a great idea!  Don’t underestimate the power of a personalized letter or card.

Another effective approach is to utilize a web-based platform to manage your follow up campaigns.  Arden Halsey, one of our Sales Catalyst Workshop participants (www.Sendoutcards.com/Arden), can help you implement a web-based follow up plan for your customers without visiting a local card shop.

Close:  Summarizing your customers priorities can reduce last minute surprises.  Managing customer demands early will help you close more sales.  For this reason, make sure you clearly understand what your customer needs and what they really want out of your business solution before proposing a close.  Summarize their priorities throughout your discussions to make sure everyone is on the same page and moving in the same direction.  When you’re ready to close, this technique helps drastically reduce any spontaneous surprises.      

Capturing the Big Picture

Capturing the Big Picture

Everyone has dreams.  Some dreams are BIG and others are small.  Some dreams are for a short period of time and others extend across multiple generations.  Some dreams are attainable and others are not.  We don’t use the word “dream” too often within the context of business.  It may be imply a level of abstract thinking that leaves too many unanswered questions and unchartered realities ahead. 

Everyone has dreams.

 But when we take a close look at the word vision we find many similarities, although the container may be look noticeably different on the outside.  Every business has a dream wrapped up in a container called vision.  Vision is the gateway to the future.  Vision answers the question, “Where do I need to be and what does that look like?” 

In the business world, vision is a picture of how things could be and should be in the near future.  In short, vision is a picture of the future potential of a business.  Vision is the ideal reality for a particular business.  Vision is the conceptualization of what the future should look like through the lens of creation, planning and execution.  Securing your customer’s vision secures your future within their business. 

Vision is a picture of how things could be and should be in the near future.

As a business professional, your job is to know and understand the vision of your customer explicitly.  When a business has a clear vision, they carry the ability to look beyond what has to get done today and forecast what needs to be done tomorrow to make their ideal future a reality.  To find lasting success in the battleground of sales, you must think like your customer, put yourself in their shoes and dream of what could be and should be for their business. 

As a business professional, your job is to know and

understand the vision of your customer explicitly.

In sales, painting on the same canvas with your customer is a win-win scenario.  This relationship is active not passive.  It takes work, but in the end, you will blend in with the portrait of your customer’s dream and become part of a beautiful work of art.  Establishing a customer focused approach involves aligning your business solution to match strategically with the customer’s vision for their ideal future.  This approach is one of the most powerful ways to characterize yourself as a solutions provider, differentiate yourself from the competition and connect with your customer at a visionary level. 

One of the best ways to establish a customer centered approach to sales is dedicating time for whiteboard visioneering sessions with your customer.  Whiteboard visioneering sessions are simply the collaborative process of creating a synchronized future with your customer.  It’s an exploratory session of how your business solutions can seamlessly integrate in multiple points within their business.  Interactive sessions to connect with your customer at a visionary level can be very fruitful for your long-term success within their business.  Make the effort to thoroughly explore their vision and understand their unique dream for their business.  When it’s time to close the sale, you’ll be better prepared to manage unexpected customer objections.

Establishing a customer focused approach involves aligning your business

solution to match strategically with the customer’s vision for their ideal future.

Sales Catalyst Workshop - June 11, 2009, Speakers and Expert Panel Members

Sales Catalyst Workshop

Value Every Contact

One of the greatest mistakes we make as business professionals is not fully understanding the value of every contact we make on a daily basis.  We’ve all made the mistake at one time or another.  We walk right into the lobby of a potential customer and speedily demand to speak with the “decision-maker.”  In the process, we can neglect and overlook those who are not only valuable to the company, but also very valuable in the eyes of their creator.  Transforming sales performance involves demonstrating value to every contact we meet.    

A great example of this is actually found in the Bible.  Jesus instructed his disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).  In the Gospel of Mark, He gives us a great example of how we are supposed to love and value others.  Jesus had a conversation with a young professional who was rich in possessions but poor in spirituality.  As with many of our customers, this man had all of the right answers to account for his present condition.  He was very sharp and quick to respond.  What he neglected however, was the reality of his spiritual condition in light of God’s Word.

Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”  So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”  And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”  But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  (Mark 10:17-22)

In this story we find three helpful principles to help us demonstrate value to those we meet throughout our day:

1.    Look – Although Jesus did not agree with the conclusion of this young professional, he still gave him His undivided attention.  He focused on one of the simplest ways to demonstrate value to others; look them right in the eyes and give them our full attention.  This communicates a healthy respect for the individual and provides a solid foundation for continued conversation.  When our eyes begin to wander, value is diminished and progress takes a detour.

2.    Listen – Becoming an active listener is essential to valuing people and transforming sales performance.  We need to regularly summarize what a person is communicating to make sure we are on target.  Never assume two customers are alike.  An active listener will ask open-ended questions to make sure they have a thorough understanding of the customer’s circumstances, problems, needs and potential solutions.

3.    Love – The way you value a potential customer is by demonstrating love in a variety of ways.  In our story, Jesus demonstrated love by speaking the truth about his present spiritual condition.  Although very self-righteous, this young professional did not have a clue about his lack of spiritual life.  Since Jesus loved him, he asked him to sell the very things that were keeping him from finding true spiritual life, his money and his possessions.

You value others by telling them the truth in love and leading them in the right direction.  Jesus looked beyond the shallow responses of this young professional and led him to honestly reevaluate his present spiritual shortfall. 

Value every contact.  If you don’t, someone else will.  Give them your full attention and listen to what they are saying.  Develop the courage to tell them the truth about their present condition and lead them to reevaluate the reality of their business.

Creating an Enviroment for Growth

Growth is not optional.  As a small business owner it’s critical for you to create an environment for growth.  Creating the right environment will produce the right results.  Imagine if your organization hired a guy like Gerry Gomez.  Gerry Gomez is not a real person but he does represent the struggle many people find themselves in today.  Gerry was your typical Operations Manager.  He was driven, decisive, and fully engaged in his work.  Gerry was a natural leader.  He influenced cross-functional support from other departments and regularly created solutions to synchronize organizational shortfalls. 

As a small business owner, it’s critical for you to create an environment for growth.

Gerry loved his company and always maintained a positive spirit with those around him.  He was committed to the organization and ready to make whatever adjustments were needed to get the job done.  When sales dropped by more than 40% in a period of six months, the organization was forced to reduce their staff and Gerry’s department was no exception to this reduction.  In a heated meeting with top organizational leaders, Gerry voiced his frustration, “What do I have to do to help us grow and stay in business?”  It was a great question and the answer was sure to surprise our friend Gerry.  

Creating the right environment will produce the right results.

The VP of Sales looked Gerry right in the eyes and said, “Gerry, we need you and your people to sell!”  He continued, “We need your people to network with vendors, family, and friends to serve as an extension of our sales force.”  With a thunderstruck look on his face Gerry replied, “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t know how to sell and I don’t even like it, but if this is what we need to do to get the job done, I’ll do it…just show me how?”  Imagine if earlier today, your largest competitor hired a guy like Gerry Gomez.

Have you ever asked, “Why do some organizations consistently grow and acquire new customers while many others stop growing and eventually lose their momentum?”  Consider the world of professional sports for just a minute.  Why do some teams find themselves at the top of their division year after year and other teams never even come close?  Think about a restaurant, a department store, or some other business where you’ve consistently experienced great service.  What’s driving their people? 

Creating an environment for growth is what moves your organization forward!

As you interview business owners and organizational leaders here in South Florida, you’ll find at least one common denominator—a strong desire to grow and expand their organization both domestically and internationally.  These leaders are highly driven and very passionate about growth.  However, when you speak to their employees and some of their staff about growth here’s what you’ll hear:

·         “Growth equals more work and I already have plenty.”

·         “There’s not much I can do right now to help our business grow.”

·         “Our sales team is underperforming.”

·         “We need to give our customers deeper discounts.”

·         “I do my job well, that’s all that matters to me.”

·         “I’m not supposed to do sales.”

·         “I’m just a _____________________________, I really can’t impact whether we grow or not.”

You may be asking, “If that describes some of my people, what can I do to change this mindset?”  In short, “How can I create an environment that hungers for growth?”  Let me suggest six factors that serve as pillars for creating an environment for growth within your organization. 

6 Environmental Growth Factors

1.  Generate – As a small business owner, you’re the initiator and creator.  You must create and reproduce your vision for growth in the minds and hearts of your people.  Generating a vision for growth is absolutely essential to the long-term health of your organization.  Without vision, your people will lose focus and shift their efforts to internal problems rather than external opportunities.  Here are a few questions to help you generate your vision for growth:

·         What is my dream for my customers?

·         Today, what 2-3 problems do we help them solve?   

·         How do we help them grow and capture more customers?

·         What problems will they face within the next 2-10 years and how can we position ourselves to help them overcome these obstacles?

·         How can summarize my dream for our customers in one concise statement?