Hearing Your Gut

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink and it begins with a story about an art gallery that is presented with what appears to be authentic pieces. The curator suspects the pieces are fakes but then a layer of hope takes over and changes his mind. But to be safe, he hires appraisal experts to ensure he’s right. They confirm authenticity and the gallery purchases the pieces which were fakes.

The curator – like all of us – didn't listen to his gut. He wanted the pieces to be real despite his spidey senses. And his overwhelming desire for them to be real transported to the appraisers. It sounds impossible and happens all day long. Have you ever felt that? Of course you have and it’s almost as if we have to deliberate for a while because the right answer couldn't possibly come to us that effortlessly.

Heart v Gut

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabor for a potentially better outcome. But if we wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. The guarantee we seek is a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call. That is true of business, relationships, and life.

Change holds a certain allure until you realize what it entails. There are many moving parts but often we think we can stand still while the rest move in our favor and that's simply not reality. We have to affect the change, we can't expect others do to it then blame them when they put the pieces in the wrong order.

Are you acting on your gut or are you waiting?
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January To-Do List

Today marks the first full week of work after the Holiday break. This is the time to get to all those things you put off until, well, now. You know that report, the proposal, the meeting, that call, those emails, and all that stuff you pushed forward in December? Those are on your plate right now.

There seems to be a lull between December 15th and January 15th where things wind down and wind back up but while you are sifting through your do it in the New Year pile, how can you get a jump on this ahead of everyone?

Less is way more

One way is to take a few moments today and carefully look at every item. Then determine which can be completely eliminated from your life. The ones that won’t make a single difference if you do them or not can deleted before you dive in.

They may have been important items at the end of last year but with some time, you may discover they aren't anymore. Check with who you need to check with and encourage everyone on the team to do the same. The results may surprise you.

It will make the January to-do list less daunting. 
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

rockonphilly

The Power of Blink

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink which begins with a story about an art gallery that is offered what appears to be authentic paintings. The curator suspects the pieces might be forgeries but he's then filled with hope that he's wrong. To be safe, he hires appraisal experts to make their recommendations.

They confirmed authenticity and the gallery purchased the pieces which turned out to be fakes. The curator wanted the pieces to be real even with doubt in his mind. And he may have convinced the experts to ignore their doubts as well.

The Gut Complex

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabor for a potentially better outcome. That is why we spend endless hours in meetings pondering the pros and cons of every decision. It’s the reason economic realities cloud our judgement. It’s at the base of demands from prospective customers and clients for positive results before the work begins. Return is expected before investment.

Leadership is about making decisions and producing results but every move we make is a risk. There are no guarantees. But if we always wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. That doesn't mean we buy fake art or ignore our instincts but the guarantee we seek can be a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call.

We don't want to blink too long and miss it.
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Kneale Mann | Leadership Strategist, consultant, writer, speaker, executive coach facilitating performance growth with leaders, management, and teams.

flickr

Making the Right Decision

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink which begins with a story about an art gallery that is offered what appears to be authentic paintings. The curator suspects the pieces might be forgeries but he's then filled with hope that he's wrong. To be safe, he hires appraisal experts to make their recommendations.

They confirmed authenticity and the gallery purchased the pieces which turned out to be fakes. The curator wanted the pieces to be real even with doubt in his mind. And he may have convinced the experts to ignore their doubts as well.

The Gut Complex

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabor for a potentially better outcome. That is why we spend endless hours in meetings pondering the pros and cons of every decision. It’s the reason economic realities cloud our judgement. It’s at the base of demands from prospective customers and clients for positive results before the work begins. Return is expected before investment.

Leadership is about making decisions and producing results but every move we make is a risk. There are no guarantees. But if we always wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. That doesn't mean we buy fake art or ignore our instincts but the guarantee we seek can be a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call.

Some decisions take time and care, but if we blink, we may miss the opportunity entirely.

Kneale Mann

istock

Is Customer Service an Endangered Species?

If you work somewhere, you have customers. Even if you are eight levels away from actual paying clients, you are part of the equation. Which means you have a chance to improve or diminish the experience each and every customer has with your company. We are also customers of each other inside our companies. I call it internal customer service. Without it, external customer service will forever be a challenge.

We all want great service but clearly we don't always get it. Why is that? Is it because good enough will do for most people? Is it because the fear of actually stopping and doing a great job will cost you more than the profit made from that customer?

Money Talks

Perhaps most companies think we’ll be satisfied with what we get and keep coming back for more. Maybe we don't know any better. Maybe we just don't care. We all mess up, we all make mistakes, but when it becomes a pattern, there is cause for concern.

The best tactic is to vote with our wallet. But with some companies it certainly makes one wonder if customer service is something that should be relegated to annual reports, marketing collateral and coffee mugs.

If you want to establish a competitive edge, provide great leadership and service. Then you can take some chances.

Kneale Mann

cartoonchurch

Do You Go With Your Gut?

We admire leadership that is executed with firm direction. Yet we are often stalled by external influence. The idea sounded good but others have shed some doubt. We can also be bold and ignore necessary evidence that changes are necessary.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink and it begins with a story about an art gallery that is presented with what appears to be authentic pieces. The curator suspects the pieces are fakes but then a layer of hope takes over and changes his mind. But to be safe, he hires appraisal experts to ensure he’s right. They confirm authenticity and the gallery purchases the pieces which were fakes.

Eyes Deceive

The curator – like all of us – didn't listen to his gut. He wanted the pieces to be real despite his spidey senses. And his overwhelming desire for them to be real transported to the appraisers. It sounds impossible and happens all day long. Have you ever felt that? Of course you have and it’s almost as if we have to deliberate for a while because the right answer couldn't possibly come to us that effortlessly.

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabour for a potentially better outcome. That is why we spend endless hours in meetings pondering the pros and cons of every decision. It’s the reason economic realities cloud our judgement. It’s at the base of prospective clients demanding results before the work begins. And it’s the sole reason we get stuck.

No Guarantees

Life, business and every decision you make is a risk. But there is credence in seeing smart successful people make quick choices, realize mistakes and correct them long before most of us get past the “what if” stage. If we wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. The guarantee we seek is a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call.

Change holds a certain allure until you realize what it entails. There are many moving parts but often we think we can stand still while the rest move in our favor and that's simply not reality. We have to affect the change, we can't expect others do to it then blame them when they put the pieces in the wrong order.

That pang in your gut may be worth another look.

Kneale Mann

image: knealemann | ralston

Are You The Best in The World?

Make a Dollar

A year ago this week, my friend Mark Gallagher gave me a project. During one of our long deep and very helpful conversations he said that I should imagine a triangle with three equal sides. Side one features things I am best at the world at, side two is where I will make the most money and side three is what I'm most passionate about.

It's a challenging exercise because imagine for a moment that you can accomplish all three. Passion seems to be the easier one (for me) but most money and best in the world seem daunting.

Make a Name

I'm not sure who first coined the phrase but there is a theory that we are motivated by three things - to make money, to make a name for ourselves and to make a difference. Again, making a difference seems to be the most attainable and honorable. But you may feel different.

There is sound evidence that as we age, we seek more purpose and meaning. But the most difficult side of Mark's triangle is identifying what you are better at than anyone else on earth. This isn't meant to create a boastful ego but rather to make us strive to really be our best.

Make a Difference

Mark's triangle was in this order for a reason so it's up to each of us to figure it out for ourselves - our context. It's an interesting quandary. Many a dreamer has struggled and many who chase only the dollar get in too much trouble as well.

It's interesting that we want to get better but wait for opportunity to land in our lap. Our collective impatience can waste value time focusing on what's important. We search for how to be the best, make a living and realize passion but we often let life get in the way.

What's on Your Triangle?

Kneale Mann

image credit: istock | original: nov 2010

Defining the Sales Process

Since we've been living on this big marble, the sales process has been a part of everyday life. There is no escaping it and very little moves forward without it.

Centuries ago, the currency may have been a bag of rice for a piece of furniture but the barter system is alive and well. The media may have been a local market or horse-drawn carriage, but business clicked along.

We tend to get caught up in gadgets and interfaces and think they are what drives business. As much as they may accelerate the process, give us the chance to find similar thinking people around the globe and open doors that would never otherwise be opened, the exchange of services or products for currency hasn’t differed.

Know What You're Selling

When I was a kid, my buddy Mark’s dad worked as a life insurance salesman. As he put it, he sold “peace of mind” to families. Now you can build a client list through customer relationship management (CRM), database marketing and social media but the offer hasn't changed all these years later. If you sell insurance, the theory stands that you are selling peace of mind.

It’s easy to point to an exchange of money for a product as a “sale”. But what has to happen before that exchange occurs? Does the company not have to let potential customers know about the product? Isn’t there a network or supply chain required?

Honing the Offer

I was having dinner a few weeks ago with a client who challenged the notion that we are all in sales because her definition is the point of exchange and not the myriad other things that need to happen to get there. Her 15 years as a commission sales rep was her experience in sales. She went through the process of finding prospects, calling on them, showing the benefits of what she offered and ending with a monetary exchange. Her point is that as much as we all 'sell ourselves', someone has to close the deal. My contention is that a lot has to happen to help that deal close from people throughout the enterprise.

I often see product and creative people scoff at sales people as a necessary evil. But when discussions of chickens and eggs come up, the tie breaker is that we are all in the product AND sales business because neither can survive without the other. What I like to do is help business owners and managers work ON their business when most of the effort is working IN their business. And I sell every day.

Are You in Sales?

Kneale Mann

image credit: mspmentor

Measuring Business and Marketing Results

We All Want Revenue 

We seem to be good at tossing around buzz phrases. We can talk to each other about the ROI of digital engagement through the internal customer service of community development. Managing expectations and deliverables are a way of life. And yet we seem to often get stuck while waiting for quick wins.

In the world of marketing and business development (the new catch-all for sales), there is no shortage of chatter about the social web. Of course, it’s the moving target and still the new shiny toy. Anyone with an Internet connection can publish their opinions. That does not mean it’s a sound business opportunity.

Marathon Meet Race

Budgets are tight, jobs are on the line, there is no time to try stuff and hope it will work. And as someone who consults business and has worked in every medium, it remains challenging for me to remind owners and managers that this stuff takes a while and no campaign will sustain them forever. Moreover, you can only measure your return if you are honest about your actual monetary and human investment. Throwing up a Facebook group, buying a bunch of television advertising and stuffing mailboxes are not tactics that will automatically bring results.

The social web is not the only place to spend your effort but reading and tweeting about direct mail or telemarketing just doesn’t seem to be as sexy. But judging from the mound of three-color print designed pieces of cardboard and paper overflowing from my recycle bin, it appears to be alive and well. Television and radio advertising remain viable channels to extend your offer and external or outdoor advertising is still around too. But opening your wallet and demanding results is dangerous sport.

Nothing Is Free

My colleague, Drew McLellan wrote a post recently about the importance of channel selection and more importantly he reminds us that social media are not free or even cheap. It takes a shift in your organization to account for any outbound marketing. In fact, in my humble opinion, marketing is not a department but rather a part of all that you do in business.

No amount of advertising or external collateral will save a bad business. So if you think you can buy your success, save your money and spend it on developing your actual offer. I have lost count the number of prospects who tell me they don’t need marketing, they need more revenue. It’s like saying you want to run a marathon but aren’t prepared to buy shoes and train.

How Do You Measure Your Business Expectations?

Kneale Mann

image creditfantes

Managing Your Business Pain

Cause: Unknown

Doctors are trained to do their best to cure what ails you. They spend years in school and in practice to hone their skills to help their patients. If you have pain, they try and manage it. If your bone is broken, they mend it. If you have something more serious, they work with specialists and experts to find solutions to get you better.

In business, we spend our waking hours trying to improve our services or products, increase profits, develop skills and create collaborative work environments. The days are filled with strategy meetings and workflow, email and client deliverables. Despite our avoidance, there is pain that we try and ignore.

Symptoms: Minimal

The pain in your business may not be something bombastic or even all that obvious. It could be something minor, manageable and barely detectable. If a customer experiences bad service, they often don't tell you, they simply stop buying from you. So any pain may not be outlined. Profits may begin to slip and you may think the remedy is pushing your stakeholders harder or doing more sales calls. The core of the problem might be product development or competitive interference. But your focus is elsewhere.

Every company experiences pain. Growing pains, revenue pains, biz dev pains, financial pains and none avoid it. In fact, most live with it daily despite the energy spent to ignore it. In life, pain can debilitate you. In business, it can motivate you. But the real trick is to identify the source of the pain. If you tell your doctor you are getting bad headaches, she doesn’t fix your knee. But in business, if revenue is soft we think that means we should be doing more sales calls.

Top Priority: Revenue

I’m often faced with that moment in a discovery meeting with a prospective client when I ask about pain. The answers are varied and often unspecific. “We need to make more money” is frequently the response which may be true but the doctor doesn’t guess at how you can have more mobility in your ankle, he has a strategy specific to the issue. In business, revenue generation can often be as much internal as external.

The chasm between product or service and your customer can be monumental. There are a lot of intricate moving parts – like the human body – and any one can mess up the process. If you’ve ever tried to quit coffee or go long stretches without food, you know your mind begins to wander and your concentration levels diminish. Your creative and cognitive skills are compromised. And your output suffers.

Solution: Band-Aid

Now visualize that across the enterprise. Imagine you’re the doctor and you have 300 people in your waiting room with mysterious ailments. And instead of trying to diagnose each person’s issue because you don’t have time to babysit, you simply put out a blanket remedy and hope that cures the pain. You tell your sales people to make more calls and your marketing team to get more exposure.

Some may think that the clear way to realizing higher profit margins is obviously pushing people to simply work harder. After all, it couldn't be your product or service. The customer experience you provide can't be the problem. And it certainly couldn't be anything you're doing wrong, right?

How do you cure your company's pain?

Kneale Mann

image credit: falaksher

The Gut Complex

Letting Others Make Your Decisions

This space began in April 2008 on a dare. I caved to peer pressure and began publishing my thoughts. Having been in media and marketing my entire career, I had ample experience creating content for others. In fact, it’s weird every time words like “I” and “me” appear on the screen because if this was not about you, then these posts could be kept on the hard drive and we could all get on with our day.

But the people I read on a regular basis (some are listed on the side bar of this site) keep pushing and contributing to the conversation. This blog does not have advertising or guest writers. It’s never been a fancy schmancy place to hang out. It’s just a guy with lots of ideas sharing them with anyone who happens to drop by during their busy life. But without action, the conversation and ideas lose their meaning. I speak from experience on that one!

Digging Deeper

There is a shift going on with many of the writers I read and it’s in the form of more thought provoking content. Sure we all get into the Google Plus versus Facebook diatribes but the longer form articles are about people which is my kinda content.

The world – and the social media landscape – is filled with clichés so I won’t add to them save one that keeps coming back to bite me in the backside – go with your gut.

Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great book entitled Blink and it begins with a story about an art gallery that is presented with what appears to be authentic pieces. The curator suspects the pieces are fakes but then a layer of hope takes over and changes his mind. But to be safe, he hires appraisal experts to ensure he’s right. They confirm authenticity and the gallery purchases the pieces which were fakes.

Eyes Deceive

The curator – like all of us – didn't listen to his gut. He wanted the pieces to be real despite his spidey senses. And his overwhelming desire for them to be real transported to the appraisers. It sounds impossible and happens all day long. Have you ever felt that? Of course you have and it’s almost as if we have to deliberate for a while because the right answer couldn't possibly come to us that effortlessly.

We have the chance everyday to make a quick decision or belabour for a potentially better outcome. That is why we spend endless hours in meetings pondering the pros and cons of every decision. It’s the reason economic realities cloud our judgement. It’s at the base of prospective clients demanding results before the work begins. And it’s the sole reason we get stuck.

No Guarantees

Life, business and every decision you make is a risk. But there is credence in seeing smart successful people make quick choices, realize mistakes and correct them long before most of us get past the “what if” stage. If we wait for the perfect time to do anything, it will never arrive. The guarantee we seek is a fabrication we have created for the sole purpose of not making the call.

Change holds a certain allure until you realize what it entails. There are many moving parts but often we think we can stand still while the rest move in our favor and that's simply not reality. We have to affect the change, we can't expect others do to it then blame them when they put the pieces in the wrong order.

What is your gut telling you?

Kneale Mann

19 Business Ideas

• Focus on your strengths
• Know what you know
• Don't get distracted by naysayers
• Take digital time off
• Be known for something
• Surround yourself with smart people
• Do one thing really well
• Have a flexible strategy
• Refine your offer
• Be clear on your beliefs
• Walk away at least once a day
• Commit to it
• Believe in yourself
• Read and seek daily knowledge
• Build a mastermind group
• Work smarter
• Know what you don't know
• Do great stuff
• Stop comparing yourself to others

What would you add?

Kneale Mann

image credit: lovemylife

Context is King

My friend Mark Gallagher gave me a project. During one of our long deep and very helpful conversations he said that I should imagine a triangle with three equal sides.

Side one
At which can you be 
the best in the world?
Side two
Where can you make 
the most money?
Side three
What are you most passionate about?

As my career evolves and perhaps it's an age thing, I seek more purpose and meaning and I hope you do as well. But this is where we get into trouble. And mostly (in my opinion) because we measure against others – it gives us perceived context.

Passion is essential in my mind but without the other two it doesn't amount to much. Money will be difficult without identifying your most valuable skills.

But Mark's triangle was in this order for a reason so it's up to each of us to figure it out for ourselves - our context. It's an interesting quandary. Many a dreamer has gone penniless and many who chase only the dollar get in to much trouble as well.

You Got Mail

I received a client request last week that simply said “where do we start?” and without much hesitation, I sent back a clear list of instructions before we were to meet.

• Find a quiet place to think.
• Make a list of what you want to do with the project.
• List all your professional attributes.
• List only those attributes you are good at and want to continue doing.
• Then let's grab a coffee and chat about next steps.

It sounds like a lot of work for a simple request but it is essential context. Before I can help, I must first decipher what he wants to accomplish and more importantly what he will actually do to accomplish it. Where we start is just that and needs to be flushed out before we can build a scalable and sustainable solution.

I looked at the list again and realized it was time for me to do the exercise. And on the heels of Mark's triangle project, I had forgotten the power of think time. My colleague has completed his list so I look forward to learning all about it.

Do you help others with the very things you need to do?

The context of my prospect's situation may be vastly different than yours but have a look at the list and pick it apart. The solutions reside in the context.

It is interesting that we want to get better but wait for the skies to shower us with confetti and opportunity to arrive on our doorstep?

We find context from reading, learning, asking, searching, then looking inside.

What is in your triangle?

knealemann | email


image credit: getty

Quick No vs. Long Maybe

What are they telling you? What are you telling them?

I have often asked friends, colleagues and clients whether they prefer a quick response that may not go their way verses a 'maybe' and the perception in most cases that may turn into a long wait which may be a 'yes', may not.

Many sales experts will cite a certain system and number of meetings it takes to make a sale and I challenge that thinking because the onus is not on the customer to buy your services, it's up to you to provide proof that you can solve their need.

Will the ‘quick no’ approach help or hinder your closing percentage?

As one who has shot himself in the foot during the prospect phase, sometimes you can come on too strong or misread the client or leave them unclear on your offering.

Most say they prefer the quick 'no' over the long 'maybe' perhaps because it can be left unresolved and fizzle into a 'no'. If you are in sales, you have experienced the magical disappearing prospect which is always a blast.

Is every 'no' really closer to a 'yes'?

Years ago, I worked with a sales guy who said he had to go out and get some no’s because each one got him closer to the next 'yes'. Perhaps that’s a mathematical comment or possibly it means each pitch improves your game. This guy crushed it on a daily basis so his 'yes to no' ratio was off the chart. Persistence is key.

What do you do when they say 'maybe'?

knealemann | email

Join me for Movember.

image credit: legaljuice

Finding Passion

It can get lost in busy

A valuable lesson when you get stressed is to remember all the good stuff in your life. Easier said than done? Perhaps. A worthy exercise? Absolutely.

We've all seen stories featuring people overcoming insurmountable odds yet we feel anxiety over the most inane issues in our lives.

A colleague reminded me last week. You do your best, you do what you think is right, you own the responsibility you should own and then you let it go.

We must surround ourselves with those who will cheer us on and not waste our finite time trying to convince the inconvincible

We have to to play great music, eat great food, make company with those we care about and let the rest just wash away with the rest of our memes.

Think about a moment when you completely lost track of time. You were doing something so enjoyable that you weren’t concerned about anything else. That is passion and that is what we need to find and cherish most of all. We need to seek it out and not stop until we find it.

Do you think there is a direct correlation between your passion and your success? Is it worth keeping both within your sights?

knealemann
work with me: contact

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