I often write about the need for planning … companies need to have plans, divisions within companies need to have plans, salespeople need to have plans, in our world recruiters need to have plans. I suggest that people have plans for their career, plans for their life … plans that incorporate ALL of the things that are important to them.

Like most people offering advice on these things I conveniently (?) avoid the fact that sometimes plans don’t work out! What if the world changes on you? Your client goes bankrupt? Your spouse leaves you? Your priorities change? What if you are just not achieving the targets that you set for yourself?

So, what if your plan fails?

The answer … make another plan!

- Learn the lessons from the first plan.
- Make sure that you understand why the plan failed and address those issues.
- Don’t keep doing the same things … insanity.
- Don’t use it as an excuse to accept failure … rather use it as a motivator to do better!
- Ask yourself HARD questions, and give yourself honest answers.
- Did you believe in the first plan? If you don’t believe a plan is possible then don’t bother! You will NEVER execute to a plan if you don’t believe it is doable.
- Did you do everything in your power to meet the plan? Did you work hard, avoid deviating from the path, focus on the task, get advice and help as needed?
- Where there circumstances beyond your control?
- What could you have done differently? Better?
- What should you have NOT done?
- Who can help you to meet your plan? Are you engaging them?

At the end of the day, a good plan is the roadmap to reach your goal … whatever that goal is, be it personal or professional. Missing a plan is not the end of the world, BUT it means you need to either plan better or execute better.

The steps to success are:

#1. Build a plan
#2. Buy into the plan.
#3. Execute on the plan.

If at first you don’t succeed … try, try and try again!

Anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that I am not a financial wizard … my background is more about technology and sales, although running a company for twelve years has given me some appreciation for positive, rather than negative numbers!

The latest press suggests that the US government is ready to inject $700 Billion (that is with a “B” … as in LOTS of zeros) of the taxpayer’s money into its ailing financial systems. The fallout from a failed US economy is going to have definite repercussions around the World so I can see the reasoning.

The interesting thing to me is that the US taxpayer will in effect become the owners of these institutions, which once back on their feet could then be sold … presumably at a profit. Of course the US would have to OK who bought them, I’m pretty sure there are interested parties that the US would not want to scoop up a major US financial institution.

Having said that, this could be a great opportunity for the US taxpayers to scoop a win. Wouldn’t it be nice if the US Government actually gave real dollars to people … in their retirement plans maybe! I wonder if they will let individual investors buy in at their rates … that could be cool!

It is an interesting World … a landscape that changes almost daily and if you want to stay relevant, you need to know what is going on.

What do you do to stay current with world events? How do you disseminate the incredible amount of information that comes at you every day? Do you try to focus on the relevant items, try to read everything … or do you ignore it and hope that someone else will tell you anything that is relevant to you?

Think about it … we have an election coming up in Canada. Do you know what the issues are? Will you vote for the party you always voted for, will you vote based upon your understanding of the issues … or will you stay home and let other people decide who will run your country?

If you work in the technology space do you know what is happening in your world … because it changes as fast as any!

Of course if you are reading this blog, then you have already established that (a) you are someone who reads “stuff” or (b) you know me and are taking pity. Either way you are not typical, but there are a lot of people (even well educated people) who never read … that is a shame.

I looked up Friendship on Wikipedia and it was quite an interesting read … with lots of links. I thought it was a topic worthy of discussion but once I started writing I felt like I am no expert in this area. So instead I ask a lot of questions that I’m not sure I have the answers to … but I find them interesting to ponder! Hopefully you do too.

Do you take your friends for granted?
Is that what friends are for?
Do you have any friends?
How do you make friends?
Do your friends treat you as well as you treat them?
What is the difference between an acquaintance, a friend and a close friend?
How much do you invest in your friends? Time, energy, emotion, support, money!

As a type-A business owner I focused pretty much most of my spare time over the last 20 years on my family … about which I have no regrets. It did however mean that I was not investing as much in my friends for a long time, which I think is pretty typical for many families while the children are growing. So … do I have any close friends? Or are they just friends? If I moved away would they miss me? Would I miss them?

If you were in trouble tomorrow, who could you call?
If you need a shoulder that is not family, do you have one?
Is a close friend someone that you spend a lot of time with? Someone you have grown close to over a significant period of time? Someone who you have a “connection” with? All of the above … or some mix thereof?

When did you last do something spontaneous with your friends?
When did they last initiate something?
Are your “friends” giving as much to the relationship as you are? Are they giving more?
Is the relationship fun? Stale? Comfortable? Routine?

I think we can probably all agree that friends are valuable, and we mostly all have some friends. I do wonder about the depth of those relationships and I think I need to work harder at them. If you have close friends then make sure they are appreciated! If you are still working at it, you are not alone.

Each year I get involved with the annual United Way campaign, helping to raise funds so that the United Way can support all of the amazing charities that it does. This year I am working on the major donor committee and get to talk with leaders in the Ottawa-Carleton area and try to convince them to support the United way at the major donor level ($5,000 and up).

It is refreshing to talk to some of these people who give so much both in dollars but also in time and energy, when they are so busy themselves. It is inspiring to talk with senior executives who take time out of their busy schedules to volunteer with the various charities … and it is inspiring to hear them talk about how they increase their donations each year.

I was talking with one executive last week who, like me, believe that the more you give the more you get. This was one of the Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die … a book review I wrote recently. Each year he increases his monetary contribution and he has volunteered his time for years to support the United Way … and he regularly works 10 to 12 hour days. Ask yourself why it is busy people who give, and why is it that hey are successful?

We could talk about Karma … and I would not argue against that concept. I think it is as likely something within the people themselves. Something either learned or naturally a part of their character, but it is within them to give and invariably these are people who are happier, who are “successful”, who are content in their own skin. These are achievers!

I wrote a blog entry some time ago about Positive People and these are those same kind of people. Positive people are typically people who give generously, people who inspire and who make things happen.

What kind of person are you?

Are you a glass half full person?
Are you someone who is a giver?
Are you generous with you money, your time, your attitude?
Are you someone who looks for the good in people, in situations, in organizations?
Are you someone who wakes up and LIVES their life fully?

Take another look at that book review … we all only get one “go around” at this life, “Life is not a dress rehearsal … Rose Tremain”. Start tomorrow … be a positive force, be happy, give generously. You will find it all comes back to you … and maybe you will be an inspiration!

I have used that phrase a number of times in various blog entries, a few days ago I talked about Selling and one of my comments was for salespeople to get out of their comfort zone. In March this year I asked What Didn’t You Do? … and again referenced getting out of your comfort zone. I recently received a Coaching Tip from Michael Paquin titled Its Not Brave If You Are Not Scared … which I have copied below, and it too talks about this concept.

So … what do I mean, and why is it important?

First let’s tackle the why …

If you do the same thing day in and day out … then it gets boring, you get in a rut, your productivity decreases, your competition pass you by … AND, if you are not being very successful and doing the same thing, you are insane (see Bob’s Rules)!
If you want to get better at what you do, advance your career, change your life, impress someone, build your self confidence … or any one of a number of positive things then you need to change things up. In order to change things up you need to “push your limits”, “do something you have not done before”, “try some new techniques”, “take a risk” … or put simply “get out of your comfort zone”.

What Does That Mean?

Here are SOME examples in my work life where I got out of my comfort zone …

I left school at 16 yrs of age and went in the Royal Navy.
I went back to night school at age 21.
I left the Royal Navy for civilian life at age 23 … THAT was scary!
I changed career from aircraft mechanic to computer programmer.
I emigrated from the UK to Canada at age 27.
I got into a sales role at age 30.
I started my own business at age 41.

These were all pretty radical life changing events, and the end result has been my growth path from 16 year old high school drop out to relatively successful business owner.

Getting out of your comfort zone might not be so radical, but each time you do it you create the opportunity for a leap (big or small) in your life. Maybe you change your hours at work to be able to talk with more clients. Maybe you take self development courses. Maybe you use better time management techniques. Maybe you spend less time on distractions while at work. Any change can take you to a new level, the more radical the change the bigger the risk and the bigger potential gain!

Here is Michael Paquin’s Coaching Tip. (You can sign up for his tips at his website)

It’s Not Brave If You Are Not Scared

Coaching: Funny, when I ask people what they have done in their life that was brave they almost always tell me “nothing.” You are brave, and you have done some very brave things in your life. You have changed jobs, started and or ended relationships, took risks and didn’t always play it safe. I hope you continue to live your life on the edge, be afraid and do it anyway.

Coaching Question:
Are you scared?

Daily Action: If the answer to that question was yes you are on the right track. When you are living life to the fullest it is natural to be a little scared. Just keep moving forward and let the fear move you forward.

I had lunch yesterday with a colleague who has very recently retired. He is not that much older than me and I can honestly say he is one of the smarter people that I have come across in my work career.

Over the years he has always had the ability to get me thinking, and yesterday there were two specific things that got to me.

1. Only a few months into “retirement” he says that he has trouble understanding how he did his job. The pace, the unrelenting pressure, the competitiveness and the overwhelming need to do more and more and more … he just doesn’t understand how he managed.

I know myself ( see yesterday’s entry) that I could spend 24 hours a day at the office and still not get my job done. I make time to support other initiatives … the United Way campaign, our Industry Associations and to provide advice and support to some small start up type organizations. I still have a life … I think! I enjoy the challenge and more importantly the “wins” in my job, but the pressure, pace and competitiveness is unrelenting.

So … he got me thinking. How am I going to ensure that I smell the roses! That is something BIG to ponder.

2. Point number two was a reminder of an insurance (actuarial) study he sent me sometime ago. It demonstrates that for ever year a person works beyond their 55th birthday until retirement reduces their life expectancy by 2 years!

I Googled this study and found it … Optimal Strategies for Creativity and Longevity … see item number 2.

So … once again the “grey matter” is working away, thinking and point number one above (pace, competitiveness, pressure) … and now point number two (death). I will be 55 in two years time but I only feel 35, so maybe it doesn’t apply to me!

See what I mean about this guy getting you thinking!

Happy retirement Bob!

Every now and then on this blog I like to try and give people glimpse into my world. I know that when I was a salesperson I was a little intimidated by people with titles like President or CEO, and perhaps understanding them a little better dispels some of the mystique.

A couple of things going on today that struck me as worth sharing (1) The Year End process and (2) The Risks of business ownership.

1. Year end! Eagle’s fiscal year ends August 31st and so this time of year finds me with a plethora of commitments that are different than the every day “running” of the business. The planning process for the new fiscal year tends to run on deep into this first month as we refine and revisit numbers, plans and goals for the year. We have to gear up the team for the new year and debrief them on the past year, learn lessons and adjust to changing conditions to ensure that our strategy will be successful. There are reports to produce for the government and the banks, information for shareholders and company directors to prepare and the annual board meeting to prepare.

The size of your company has a big impact on the effort required. The good news is that we are not a public company and so the reporting requirements can be contained, but still need to satisfy good governance rules to satisfy our shareholders. The bad news is that we are big enough that the process requires a ton of work and attention, but we don’t have a small army of workers to do it for us.

I’m lucky to have a seasoned senior management team that carry the load, but it still means long hours and slipped deadlines as we cope with our regular day jobs in addition to the year end stuff.

So … if your client is a little testy at certain times of the year, this might be why!

2. Risks of Business Ownership! Owning your own business is very rewarding professionally, and if you have some success then it can also be financially rewarding. Every now and then we are reminded of just how fragile that success can be.

One of my managers was on an HR course today and learned about some of the legal minefields that business owners can find themselves in. It seems that increasingly people are not held accountable for their own actions, rather there needs to be someone to blame and pay out in compensation! The famous spilled hot coffee story where the complainant won their case and lots of money was the tip of the iceberg. The stories from my HR manager were blood curdling and make you wonder why we take on the risks of a business when a poor management decision by one of our managers could cost us our company. Luckily it hasn’t happened yet … but I guess I have to hold my breath!

These last couple of weeks we have seen some of the biggest names in the US financial services industry either get scooped up in a fire sale, go bankrupt or be appropriated by the government. Wow … if it can happen to them, what about us?

Business owners like to think that they are building healthy operating companies that are their equity and nest egg for the future, but really it is a fairly fragile world in which we operate.

Anyone care to be an entrepreneur?

I am fond of telling people that I have an excellent memory, it’s just a little short! Memory is a funny thing and sometimes I am amazed at what some people can remember, and also I can be embarrassed when I forget things.

Accepting that my memory is not one of my finer points … I have over the years developed ways to compensate. The best thing I do for myself is to take a lot of notes … which is a good habit to have, whether your memory is good or not. The reality is that everyone will forget little details from meetings and notes are a great way to ensure nothing is missed.

I can amaze myself too, with some of the things that I remember. Driving down to Toronto last week we were playing some old Beatles songs and I knew all the words. I probably haven’t listened to the Beatles in 25 years, but the words were “in there”.

So how important is a good memory anyway?

I know that I am impressed when people remember me and things about me from previous meetings. I get embarrassed if I forget someone’s name, and I would sooner not be caught like that. I think it is impressive when people can refer back to the business books they have read when discussing business issues … and I’m not always good at that.

In the staffing industry a good memory for names and skills is a critical skill for recruiters. To be able to come up with names top of mind is very powerful and a big differentiator between the top recruiters and the “rest”.

I have written previously about the narrow margin that exists between winners and losers so ANY advantage that you can give yourself is a good thing. Working on your memory is one way to give yourself an edge over competition for a job, or even to differentiate when talking with clients.

It turns out that there are plenty of things that you can do to work on your retention. I have attended several seminars designed to improve retention, mostly by using techniques and tools, however I have not been consistent in using these ideas. If you would like to do something to improve your memory you might want to take a look at this article on Wikihow. It seems pretty comprehensive and not only has practical ideas we can all implement, like exercising the brain, but also talks about some of the tools and techniques we can work on.

I’ll try and remember to blog tomorrow!

Since starting this blog in January 2006 I have written almost 600 blog entries, of which more than 120 have been on the topic of sales. I guess that demonstrates just how serious I am about this topic.

As I have said many times before, Selling is the life blood of any organization and if you are not selling then it isn’t going to be long before you are out of business. As a salesperson you are ultimately measured on sales … not much else matters. You can have great relationships, the clients can love you, you can know your products cold, but if you are not bringing in business then you are not doing your job.

In order to bring in business you need to identify people that have a need and then satisfy their need with your solution.

ONE way in which to increase sales is to do something different. This is another great example of that old saying (Bob’s rules) … Insanity is doing the same thing you’ve always done and expecting different result.

Here are some ideas about things that you can do, if you are not doing them, already:

1. Set aside parts of your day for calling clients. It sounds simple but so many people don’t do it … they let their calendar run them instead of driving their calendar.

Example: Block out from 4pm till 5pm for calling clients to (a) get meetings (b) understand if there is current business opportunity (c) get referrals to people who might have needs.

2. Take 15 minutes to write hand written cards each day. They don’t need to say much, but they need to be personal and relevant.

Example: Send cards to all of the executive assistants you talked with this week telling them you appreciated their help. Send cards to all of your clients that gave you business this month and thank them … “Joe, I just wanted you to know I really appreciate the business. Thanks”.

3. Set aside time each week to call people you don’t know. They don’t need to be COLD calls, you can get introductions from other people, but call people who are not in your regular list.

Example: Always ask for referrals when talking to clients and people in your network. Set aside time to follow up with those people every week.

4. Change up your routine and get out of your comfort zone. We all tend to get into a groove which we follow day in day out, week in and week out. If you want to increase your sales then you need to do something different.

Examples: Come to work a little earlier or stay a little later and use the time to plan better. If you always call clients after 9am, try calling people very early, maybe before you leave home (you might be surprised how many people you will actually get hold of).

5. Change your dress code, buy some new clothes that make you feel GOOD!

Example: If you have been a very casual dresser, then opt for suits and ties for a while. If you have been very formal, then loosen it up just a little. Obviously you need to dress appropriately for your role, but there is leeway in there.

6. Join some new groups. Maybe Toastmasters, an industry association, a charity group or just a social group of some kind. This helps expand your network and adds new contacts that may help you with leads, or just advice.

Examples: I spent a couple of years in Toastmasters which was great for my confidence, presentation skills etc. Charities expose you to senior people from many different industries, exposure to the industry association broadens your contact base and helps you better understand your competition.

7. Invest in your self development. Get some formal training related to your role.

Example: If you sell in the tech world the do a tech course. Do sales courses such as the CPSA certification training. Do time management, negotiation or writing courses. There are tons of options.

There are many obvious things that you can change to effect better sales, but so many sales people just don’t do it. Just the mere act of changing things up will change the most important thing … your attitude. If you get into a mindset that embraces and welcomes change, then you have the best chance to be successful in sales.

Try it!

Here are links to some earlier, relevant blog entries on this topic:

Selling Staffing Solutions in a Recession

Sales Success – a Secret Formula

7 Lessons of Great Sales People

Book Review – Five Secrets You Must Learn Before You Die
… by John Izzo

I have mentioned John Izzo several times in various blog entries, and I have also referred to this book in previous blog entries.

The “Five Secrets” was written after John had spent time interviewing 235 people, ranging in age from 60 to 105. He chose these people because he thought that they had a good insight into what really matters, having led meaningful lives thus far.

The book condenses the life learnings of these 235 “wise” people into Five Secrets, that are really guiding principles to live by … if you too want a fulfilling life.

Secret #1. Be True to Yourself.

We all have our own moral compass and our beliefs, yet some people lose sight of what is really important to them and compromise those values. They make life choices to achieve material things, they make life choices because of what other people think they should do … the message here is to really understand what is import to YOU, and chart your own course!

Secret #2. Leave No Regrets

When I referenced John’s book previously, the bog entry was titled What Will You Regret at the End of Your Career? Obviously this sentiment does not just apply to work, it applies to every facet of your life. You certainly don’t want to be uttering the words “I wish I had …” at the end of your life.

Secret #3. Become Love.

I am a little uncomfortable with how that is expressed, but the sentiment is good. Love is really what matters, so you need to tell people what you feel about them … and you need to do it now, a lot and keep doing it. We take people for granted. We let the little things get in the way. We don’t spend enough time with the people we love.

Secret #4. Live the Moment.

Life goes by really fast, and before you know it you are old. That seems like such a cliché, but it is so true! We need to enjoy life, we need to be good to ourselves, we need to forgive ourselves and not dwell on failures or weaknesses, we need to focus on our own life and not compare ourselves to others. These people tell us that happiness is not something you can find anywhere but inside ourselves.

Secret #5. Give More that You Take!

Find something that matters to you, get involved in a cause, chase a dream or invest time and energy in something important to you. If you are unhappy then do something for someone else … it feels good!

One of the sentiments expressed in the book is that if you can discover the 5 Secrets in your life, then you won’t be afraid of death! That’s a big statement.

One of my favorite sayings comes from James Dean, a man who dies young but achieved some fame in his short acting career. “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today”. Maybe he knew something about the 5 Secrets!

The following link is to a series of pictures illustrating John’s book.

Picture sequence with the 5 Secrets. 

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Kevin Dee is CEO of Eagle (a Professional Staffing Company)
Want to know where Canada’s hot jobs are?   Visit the Eagle Job Centre!
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