Have you every thought to yourself why do need to live such a long life?
Maybe in our previous lives we were all animals and 'God' wants to punish us for the mistakes we have done as animals?So we are doomed to live a longer life?
Take for an example,a life of a cat.So simple.Yet they,unlike humans do not have habits that will harm themselves?In the wild they just search for food and basically mind their own business.
As humans we need to work,think about this that.Be aware of this and that.
So which life is better?A human or an animal?
Maybe humans should be at the bottom of the chain because they are the only wants that do not learn from their mistakes,takes risk and are bad habitual animals.
Yes habitual.We just like having habits.
Maybe that is why we are here?To serve our sentence.To prove to greater powers that we can actually change from the bad habits we have?
Maybe that is why 'he/she' gives us such a long time to live knowing that not even 1 of us can redeem ourselves.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Back to my homeland.
Going back to Thailand gives me mixed feeling.
1) They are gonna be shocked on how much i have grown.
2) They are gonna start matchmaking me.
3) They are gonna be shocked to see me smoke.
4) They are gonna get me drunk.
5) They are gonna be disappointed that i still cannot speak Thai.
And the thing is they are still gonna treat me like a king coz i am the eldest son of the youngest kid which is my mum.
The last time i went there was Sec 2.So its been a good damn long time.
Well they are super nice people but i rather they treat me normal.
Had to be the center of attraction.
Anyway i am gonna go shopping and get me some decent clothes hoho.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Three Greatest Traits Of A Sales Manager
Three Greatest Traits Of A Sales Manager
Today’s Sales Manager is part trainer, part motivator and part communicator. Managers are under constant pressure to bring in the sales number and develop the sales staff.
I have been under that pressure in my selling career. Whether I developed a new sales staff for a start up company or managed a group of seasoned professionals; training and motivation are the key arrows in my quiver.
Training and motivation are the twin sails that launch sales numbers and sales careers. Without these sails, the manager is faced with a rudderless ship or worse, a sales team than does not produce, has no direction, and is faced with constant turn over.
Sales Manager as Trainer
The key elements in training a sales force are creativity and repetition. We all learn in various ways. The three most effective methods of learning are:
Visual – Learning that involves the eyes.
Auditory – Learning that involves the ears.
Kinesthetic – Learning that involves the feelings and emotions.
Sales managers who are good at training will know the learning styles of their team. They will use a creative process along with their team’s learning method to introduce new selling techniques. Phone based selling requires a high degree of auditory expertise. One sales manager recorded his teams phone conversations and used them in training sessions. As his team heard themselves, they began to understand tone, inflection, and how their message sounded as part of the selling process.
Another sales manager videotaped sessions where sales people interacted with other reps as prospects and customers. Areas such as initial contact, value presentation and closing were played out. This was a strong visual training tool to show where improvements could be made with the ultimate goal of increased sales.
The creative process is unlimited. Audio and video recording are two examples. Outside consultants, surveys, personality profiles, and on-line communication tests such as www.straight-talk-now.com are additional tools that sales managers can use to assist them in training. Why not enlist the help of the sales team and have them develop part of the training program? This adds another level of creative thought and brings increased credibility based on them successful selling techniques already in use by your team.
Along with creativity comes repetition. I have found that presenting a training concept once does not have the lasting impact that I desire. I will present techniques and selling methods at least 5 times before they become part of the team’s tools. The reason repetition is required is that sales professionals are on information overload. We get information from television, Email, Voicemail, the Internet, other departments in the company, competitive data, features and benefits comparisons, and documentation from Marketing. With all this demand on our time and our minds, the only way for a sales manager to produce long term results in their training sessions is with repetition. Again, I appeal to the creative process. Once you get a great new training idea, use different ways to deliver the message so that your sales team does not get frustrated with "the same old thing."
Sales Manager as Motivator
The sales manager as motivator is a blend of cheerleader, counselor, and coach. As a motivator, you can be on the sidelines of the deal, cheering your sales professional on as they close that key deal. You can be the one listening as they tell you how the "big deal" was lost. And, as the coach, you are the one providing guidance and direction when you see your star sales professional stray off course. Your perspective on the selling process allows you a higher vantage point so your coaching leads them back to the basics within the process to win the next deal.
One of my biggest challenges as a sales manager is knowing how to motivate the veteran sales professional differently than the new recruit, fresh with enthusiasm yet limited experience. This challenge grows in proportion to the size of your sales team. Susan Larkin, Human Resources Manager at Unilearn gave me a great analogy. When motivating sales professionals, you have to figure out the combination that unlocks their potential. This brings to mind the old movies where someone was trying to crack a safe. Once the right combination to numbers were dialed into the lock, the operator would place their hand on the lever, hold their breath, and turn. When the sales manager finds the right combination, the lock opens and you have insight as to what motivates that individual sales pro. Note, not all people are motivated by the same thing, it takes the discovery process to find each individuals combination.
What about new recruits vs. the seasoned professional? What about the plateau syndrome where sales reps are not growing and the moral inside your team begins to deteriorate? What really motivates a team of sales professionals? As I said before, this challenge grows in proportion to size of your sales team.
First, let me say there are no easy answers and each team is different. Second, let me provide you some suggestions that I’ve used that have proven successful. These suggestions come from years of both direct selling and sales management. People new in sales bring energy and enthusiasm to your sales team. They are willing to try all of your suggestions because there is no negative history or point of reference where these suggestions did not work.
As the sales manager for Unilearn, an Oregon based start up, I hired four new sales reps and created a network of (50) independent "knowledge agents." Since we were launching a fresh new approach to developing educational courseware, we started from a clean slate. The key motivator was the sharing of information that was accumulated from introducing this new product into the market. I shared both wins and losses and the prospect feedback (good and bad.) We celebrated the wins, the positive press Unilearn got, and the comments from Fortune 200 companies we focused on. This gave the sales team and knowledge agents the "big picture" of being part of the winning team. My point: new sales reps need to celebrate wins early and often in the sales process. As the sales manager you are responsible for these victory points in the development of their career.
As the VP of Sales for a computer integration company, the sales team was more mixed, with a strong blend of sales professionals who I respected as experts. Motivating them took more than celebrating the wins and positive customer feedback. After spending time with these people, both on sales calls and away from the office I began to see they were motivated by giving back to the sales process what they’ve learned along the way. So, I empowered them to become mentors to the junior sales reps on the team. The seasoned professionals began teaching their craft to others. When the less experienced sales reps won, the celebration was due to the training from the mentors. The whole team won, and I, as the manager, just facilitated that process to that it ran smoothly and the sales numbers were still hit.
Sales Manager as Communicator
Every sales manager has faced something called a plateau syndrome where sales are off and there seems to be no energy inside the team. What can we do as managers to break this? Some managers resort to shouting, lashing out with threats, or even firing some of the sales reps to drive the point home and raise the energy. Personally, that method might bring short-term results, yet leaves the root cause untouched.
I’ve faced this syndrome several times. It takes everyone on the team to help break out of this downward spiral. Recently I took a survey asking the two questions:
What are the Top 2 things that motivate you as part of the selling team?
What are the Top 2 things that de-motivate you as part of the selling team?
Although my survey was limited to 25 sales professionals, the results have proven true across other selling organizations. The top two motivators were identical to the top two de-motivators.
Motivators
De-motivators
Well Defined Goals Ambiguous / unrealistic goals
Clear / constant communication Inconsistent communication
Setting well-defined goals takes creativity and repetition. Similar to the sales manager as trainer, the goals you set need to be well defined and understood by each member’s learning methodology. At Jones Business Systems, we needed to have a month bigger than any month in the history of the company. To drive the point home visually, I had a 6-foot thermometer made where we could post our daily numbers. Everyone in the company knew the goal. It was well defined, visual, and attracted a great deal of attention. We went on to have the greatest month in the company’s 5-year history. If your goals are set too high or so clouded nobody can understand them, think of the frustration that is causing your sales team. Perhaps that is why they’ve hit a plateau.
The sales manager as a communicator is a critical component to their success. Training and motivating requires communication. As it relates to a team’s motivational success, communication must make its desired mark on the team. Communication must be clear, no hidden agendas, no playing favorites or sending a message that means one thing to one person and something different to another. Your team will stagnate trying to determine what the message means. Constant communication can take the form of visual media, audio tapes or exercises that the team participates in. Make sure the message has repetition via sight, sound and feeling to attack all the learning styles.
Part trainer, part motivator, and part communicator, the sales manager’s role is both necessary and complex. By striving for better training, we get the byproduct of increased motivation. By concentrating on better communication we stand a greater chance our sales team will not hit many plateaus. And by finding the combinations that unlock our selling professional’s potential, our teams will be ready for anything.
Curt Tueffert is the president of Brick Wall Motivation. His web site is www.tueffert.com. He can be contacted for speaking engagements and sales seminars at tueffert@aol.com or 281-798-8973.
Today’s Sales Manager is part trainer, part motivator and part communicator. Managers are under constant pressure to bring in the sales number and develop the sales staff.
I have been under that pressure in my selling career. Whether I developed a new sales staff for a start up company or managed a group of seasoned professionals; training and motivation are the key arrows in my quiver.
Training and motivation are the twin sails that launch sales numbers and sales careers. Without these sails, the manager is faced with a rudderless ship or worse, a sales team than does not produce, has no direction, and is faced with constant turn over.
Sales Manager as Trainer
The key elements in training a sales force are creativity and repetition. We all learn in various ways. The three most effective methods of learning are:
Visual – Learning that involves the eyes.
Auditory – Learning that involves the ears.
Kinesthetic – Learning that involves the feelings and emotions.
Sales managers who are good at training will know the learning styles of their team. They will use a creative process along with their team’s learning method to introduce new selling techniques. Phone based selling requires a high degree of auditory expertise. One sales manager recorded his teams phone conversations and used them in training sessions. As his team heard themselves, they began to understand tone, inflection, and how their message sounded as part of the selling process.
Another sales manager videotaped sessions where sales people interacted with other reps as prospects and customers. Areas such as initial contact, value presentation and closing were played out. This was a strong visual training tool to show where improvements could be made with the ultimate goal of increased sales.
The creative process is unlimited. Audio and video recording are two examples. Outside consultants, surveys, personality profiles, and on-line communication tests such as www.straight-talk-now.com are additional tools that sales managers can use to assist them in training. Why not enlist the help of the sales team and have them develop part of the training program? This adds another level of creative thought and brings increased credibility based on them successful selling techniques already in use by your team.
Along with creativity comes repetition. I have found that presenting a training concept once does not have the lasting impact that I desire. I will present techniques and selling methods at least 5 times before they become part of the team’s tools. The reason repetition is required is that sales professionals are on information overload. We get information from television, Email, Voicemail, the Internet, other departments in the company, competitive data, features and benefits comparisons, and documentation from Marketing. With all this demand on our time and our minds, the only way for a sales manager to produce long term results in their training sessions is with repetition. Again, I appeal to the creative process. Once you get a great new training idea, use different ways to deliver the message so that your sales team does not get frustrated with "the same old thing."
Sales Manager as Motivator
The sales manager as motivator is a blend of cheerleader, counselor, and coach. As a motivator, you can be on the sidelines of the deal, cheering your sales professional on as they close that key deal. You can be the one listening as they tell you how the "big deal" was lost. And, as the coach, you are the one providing guidance and direction when you see your star sales professional stray off course. Your perspective on the selling process allows you a higher vantage point so your coaching leads them back to the basics within the process to win the next deal.
One of my biggest challenges as a sales manager is knowing how to motivate the veteran sales professional differently than the new recruit, fresh with enthusiasm yet limited experience. This challenge grows in proportion to the size of your sales team. Susan Larkin, Human Resources Manager at Unilearn gave me a great analogy. When motivating sales professionals, you have to figure out the combination that unlocks their potential. This brings to mind the old movies where someone was trying to crack a safe. Once the right combination to numbers were dialed into the lock, the operator would place their hand on the lever, hold their breath, and turn. When the sales manager finds the right combination, the lock opens and you have insight as to what motivates that individual sales pro. Note, not all people are motivated by the same thing, it takes the discovery process to find each individuals combination.
What about new recruits vs. the seasoned professional? What about the plateau syndrome where sales reps are not growing and the moral inside your team begins to deteriorate? What really motivates a team of sales professionals? As I said before, this challenge grows in proportion to size of your sales team.
First, let me say there are no easy answers and each team is different. Second, let me provide you some suggestions that I’ve used that have proven successful. These suggestions come from years of both direct selling and sales management. People new in sales bring energy and enthusiasm to your sales team. They are willing to try all of your suggestions because there is no negative history or point of reference where these suggestions did not work.
As the sales manager for Unilearn, an Oregon based start up, I hired four new sales reps and created a network of (50) independent "knowledge agents." Since we were launching a fresh new approach to developing educational courseware, we started from a clean slate. The key motivator was the sharing of information that was accumulated from introducing this new product into the market. I shared both wins and losses and the prospect feedback (good and bad.) We celebrated the wins, the positive press Unilearn got, and the comments from Fortune 200 companies we focused on. This gave the sales team and knowledge agents the "big picture" of being part of the winning team. My point: new sales reps need to celebrate wins early and often in the sales process. As the sales manager you are responsible for these victory points in the development of their career.
As the VP of Sales for a computer integration company, the sales team was more mixed, with a strong blend of sales professionals who I respected as experts. Motivating them took more than celebrating the wins and positive customer feedback. After spending time with these people, both on sales calls and away from the office I began to see they were motivated by giving back to the sales process what they’ve learned along the way. So, I empowered them to become mentors to the junior sales reps on the team. The seasoned professionals began teaching their craft to others. When the less experienced sales reps won, the celebration was due to the training from the mentors. The whole team won, and I, as the manager, just facilitated that process to that it ran smoothly and the sales numbers were still hit.
Sales Manager as Communicator
Every sales manager has faced something called a plateau syndrome where sales are off and there seems to be no energy inside the team. What can we do as managers to break this? Some managers resort to shouting, lashing out with threats, or even firing some of the sales reps to drive the point home and raise the energy. Personally, that method might bring short-term results, yet leaves the root cause untouched.
I’ve faced this syndrome several times. It takes everyone on the team to help break out of this downward spiral. Recently I took a survey asking the two questions:
What are the Top 2 things that motivate you as part of the selling team?
What are the Top 2 things that de-motivate you as part of the selling team?
Although my survey was limited to 25 sales professionals, the results have proven true across other selling organizations. The top two motivators were identical to the top two de-motivators.
Motivators
De-motivators
Well Defined Goals Ambiguous / unrealistic goals
Clear / constant communication Inconsistent communication
Setting well-defined goals takes creativity and repetition. Similar to the sales manager as trainer, the goals you set need to be well defined and understood by each member’s learning methodology. At Jones Business Systems, we needed to have a month bigger than any month in the history of the company. To drive the point home visually, I had a 6-foot thermometer made where we could post our daily numbers. Everyone in the company knew the goal. It was well defined, visual, and attracted a great deal of attention. We went on to have the greatest month in the company’s 5-year history. If your goals are set too high or so clouded nobody can understand them, think of the frustration that is causing your sales team. Perhaps that is why they’ve hit a plateau.
The sales manager as a communicator is a critical component to their success. Training and motivating requires communication. As it relates to a team’s motivational success, communication must make its desired mark on the team. Communication must be clear, no hidden agendas, no playing favorites or sending a message that means one thing to one person and something different to another. Your team will stagnate trying to determine what the message means. Constant communication can take the form of visual media, audio tapes or exercises that the team participates in. Make sure the message has repetition via sight, sound and feeling to attack all the learning styles.
Part trainer, part motivator, and part communicator, the sales manager’s role is both necessary and complex. By striving for better training, we get the byproduct of increased motivation. By concentrating on better communication we stand a greater chance our sales team will not hit many plateaus. And by finding the combinations that unlock our selling professional’s potential, our teams will be ready for anything.
Curt Tueffert is the president of Brick Wall Motivation. His web site is www.tueffert.com. He can be contacted for speaking engagements and sales seminars at tueffert@aol.com or 281-798-8973.
The Difference Between Sales Leaders and Sales Managers
In the average sales organization, the successful sales reps get promoted to managers. These "new" sales managers are suddenly tasked with leadership and training.
In these situations, there is one common liability.
The salesperson's biggest strength now becomes the sales manager's biggest weakness in leading a team.
Notice I said leading a team, not managing one.
Here's why this happens.
Top sales reps don't diagnose and document their sales routines and processes. They just do it, as the sneaker commercial so aptly says. So, when they are asked to advance the same superior results in a large group, they can't do it.
Why?
Because these individuals are exceptional "drivers." Most of their past success was due to their personalities and abilities. But personal attributes are not transferable to the masses.
Sadly, most superior sales performers, when promoted to leadership positions, are unable to truly lead. They can't analyze and teach their personal sales processes in a way their sales teams can digest.
Solo reps who move into the management sphere tend to manage people versus coaching critical competencies and behaviors.
Most of us can only stretch within the boundaries of our own seeded characteristics and attributes.
Sales leaders must understand sales systems and processes, and STILL be flexible. They need the majority of their salespeople to accept it, own it and benefit from it.
If you are familiar with my sales system, the Business of Core Competencies, you have experience in identifying and measuring critical core competencies and essential performance metrics. You are competent in the art of running your numbers, not running after quota.
Sales leaders understand there are a finite number of scenarios in any selling process. If you identify, train to and measure each one of them, you are on your way to excellence.
They shine a light on the most critical competencies, enabling the most people to routinely win.
Sales leaders train to each one of these competencies, but they do so by priority. They understand that training to multiple missions at once will achieve few results.
Sales leaders consider results-oriented training a process versus an event. They don't just talk about it at sales meetings, or attend seminars that superficially touch on it. They extract the most important critical competency, such as creating new opportunities, and peel back every element that comprises it.
They break apart the elements into single scenarios. And they attach powerful routines to each scenario.
Sales leaders spend time developing systematic approaches to essential competencies. And they do it so their people can outperform the standard.
They set up training campaigns to improve the ratios of success in each competency. Operational effectiveness equals better competency routines. Better than whose, you ask? Your competitors', of course.
Sales leaders understand their essential competency ratios and performance numbers. They can relate them to their revenue objectives. The first priority for training jumps right off the page.
It slaps them in the face.
Sales leaders also set realistic goals in line with their performance ratios. They set "benchmarks" for each competency. and train specifically to that benchmark.
Jim Tressel, head football coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, gave a pre-season interview. This was after winning the 2002 National Football Championship. He said, "We've decided to identify a number of important performance benchmarks, and effect training to meet them each week. For instance, we found that over the last 15 years, when we gained at least 200 rushing yards in a game, we won the game 98% of the time. So we are training to routines that will help us get better at the competency of running the football on the ground in order to reach that particular benchmark more often."
Another great college coach, when interviewed about his coaching philosophy, said, "You develop the best game plan you can, build systems and processes to help support it, train everyone how to work within it, and then let the players go out and unleash their natural abilities. You let them play the game between the lines."
Sales leaders believe that sales reps will be accountable to results, provided that leadership:
(1) Identifies the important competencies required for success;
(2) Supplies targeted training with appropriate structures for learning and application; and,
(3) Measures the degree of improvement.
Sales leaders are dedicated to transforming "C" players into "B" players, and "B" players into "A" players.
They hold themselves accountable to develop or invest in relevant training systems, learning structures and support tools. They want most of their people to routinely meet or exceed company revenue goals, as well as personal career objectives. They know that they must provide the setting and the tools that foster this kind of achievement.
Their seat-of-the-pants skill sets are excellent. The challenge is to convert them to transferable processes and routines that focus on essential competencies.
The sales leader, as opposed to the sales manager, knows one thing for certain. The self-sustained success of his people depends on it.
In these situations, there is one common liability.
The salesperson's biggest strength now becomes the sales manager's biggest weakness in leading a team.
Notice I said leading a team, not managing one.
Here's why this happens.
Top sales reps don't diagnose and document their sales routines and processes. They just do it, as the sneaker commercial so aptly says. So, when they are asked to advance the same superior results in a large group, they can't do it.
Why?
Because these individuals are exceptional "drivers." Most of their past success was due to their personalities and abilities. But personal attributes are not transferable to the masses.
Sadly, most superior sales performers, when promoted to leadership positions, are unable to truly lead. They can't analyze and teach their personal sales processes in a way their sales teams can digest.
Solo reps who move into the management sphere tend to manage people versus coaching critical competencies and behaviors.
Most of us can only stretch within the boundaries of our own seeded characteristics and attributes.
Sales leaders must understand sales systems and processes, and STILL be flexible. They need the majority of their salespeople to accept it, own it and benefit from it.
If you are familiar with my sales system, the Business of Core Competencies, you have experience in identifying and measuring critical core competencies and essential performance metrics. You are competent in the art of running your numbers, not running after quota.
Sales leaders understand there are a finite number of scenarios in any selling process. If you identify, train to and measure each one of them, you are on your way to excellence.
They shine a light on the most critical competencies, enabling the most people to routinely win.
Sales leaders train to each one of these competencies, but they do so by priority. They understand that training to multiple missions at once will achieve few results.
Sales leaders consider results-oriented training a process versus an event. They don't just talk about it at sales meetings, or attend seminars that superficially touch on it. They extract the most important critical competency, such as creating new opportunities, and peel back every element that comprises it.
They break apart the elements into single scenarios. And they attach powerful routines to each scenario.
Sales leaders spend time developing systematic approaches to essential competencies. And they do it so their people can outperform the standard.
They set up training campaigns to improve the ratios of success in each competency. Operational effectiveness equals better competency routines. Better than whose, you ask? Your competitors', of course.
Sales leaders understand their essential competency ratios and performance numbers. They can relate them to their revenue objectives. The first priority for training jumps right off the page.
It slaps them in the face.
Sales leaders also set realistic goals in line with their performance ratios. They set "benchmarks" for each competency. and train specifically to that benchmark.
Jim Tressel, head football coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes, gave a pre-season interview. This was after winning the 2002 National Football Championship. He said, "We've decided to identify a number of important performance benchmarks, and effect training to meet them each week. For instance, we found that over the last 15 years, when we gained at least 200 rushing yards in a game, we won the game 98% of the time. So we are training to routines that will help us get better at the competency of running the football on the ground in order to reach that particular benchmark more often."
Another great college coach, when interviewed about his coaching philosophy, said, "You develop the best game plan you can, build systems and processes to help support it, train everyone how to work within it, and then let the players go out and unleash their natural abilities. You let them play the game between the lines."
Sales leaders believe that sales reps will be accountable to results, provided that leadership:
(1) Identifies the important competencies required for success;
(2) Supplies targeted training with appropriate structures for learning and application; and,
(3) Measures the degree of improvement.
Sales leaders are dedicated to transforming "C" players into "B" players, and "B" players into "A" players.
They hold themselves accountable to develop or invest in relevant training systems, learning structures and support tools. They want most of their people to routinely meet or exceed company revenue goals, as well as personal career objectives. They know that they must provide the setting and the tools that foster this kind of achievement.
Their seat-of-the-pants skill sets are excellent. The challenge is to convert them to transferable processes and routines that focus on essential competencies.
The sales leader, as opposed to the sales manager, knows one thing for certain. The self-sustained success of his people depends on it.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Somethings i never forget.
1)I was underweight in primary school and i had a crush on her.They used to issue coupons for us to get free milk.And i gave my milk to her almost everyday.
2)How we sat together at the CJC grandstand staring at the clouds.
3)You drew a red flower on my scrap book and asked me if i know what it means.
2)How we sat together at the CJC grandstand staring at the clouds.
3)You drew a red flower on my scrap book and asked me if i know what it means.
Contingency plan
Think i have decided my future.
If nothing turns out well.
That is after my siblings are all good and well.
I will give up my life as a Singaporean.
Perhaps go back with my mum to Thailand.
Something simple.
Peaceful and Quiet.
If nothing turns out well.
That is after my siblings are all good and well.
I will give up my life as a Singaporean.
Perhaps go back with my mum to Thailand.
Something simple.
Peaceful and Quiet.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)