Please let me buy your product or service? How often do you hear clients saying THAT?

Sounds ridiculous don’t you think? BUT … it appears that this must be more common than you would think. Let me tell you a couple of stories:

Story #1. Most months for probably two years now, I get a call from a sales person who works for a software company. He is very persistent without being obnoxious and he keeps in touch with the hope that some day we may go from “prospect” to “customer”. I don’t actually talk to him every month, in fact its probably more like every three months that either he catches me live or I call him back.

So … he called yesterday, I called back today.

Here is how the call went …
“This is XYZ company, how can I help you?”
” Hi … can I speak to Joe Blow please?”
“Can I get your name and company?”
“No.”
“Mr. Blow likes to screen his calls”
” Mr. Blow is a sales guy … doesn’t he want to talk with potential customers?”
“Mr. Blow likes to screen his calls”
“OK I guess I’ll pass thanks.” And I hung up.

Perhaps I was being unreasonable … or perhaps my expectation was that a salesperson should WANT to talk with people who are calling him.

“Please Joe can I buy from you?”

Story #2. Our company wanted to do a technology upgrade, it meant buying probably 80 or so desktops and a few notebooks. Our tech team identified a shortlist of potential suppliers and we wanted pricing from them to be able to make our final decision.

We got our pricing from two of three but we know a lot of people at the third company (a large company) and wanted to give them a shot at the business.

We phoned our contacts and they “opened doors” … but the “doors” led to voicemail and email, that was never returned! We tried going direct through their “sales channel” … no response.

It went on for a couple of weeks and it was last ditch pushing and a whole lot of effort that eventually found the right person who actually wanted to give us pricing. It should NOT be that hard! We shouldn’t be begging to buy their “stuff”.

• You can have the best product;
• You can have the best service;
• You can have responsive salespeople;
• You can have competitive pricing;
• You can be the biggest, the best, the nicest … BUT

IF YOU ARE HARD TO DEAL WITH, YOU WILL LOSE BUSINESS!!!

I always enjoy spending time with people who own their own businesses, people who started them and went through the tough times to make them successful. I enjoy spending time with the people who battle through adversity to get success. I enjoy time with people who are trying to figure out how to get to the next level, people who are struggling with their challenges right now … but are determined to “get there”.

As a new contact coined it … people who “fight for the inches”.

Entrepreneurs are not always the easiest people to get along with. They are driven, they can be single minded which doesn’t necessarily make them “sensitive” and they can be pushy … but I do enjoy them! What I enjoy is their energy, passion and drive. They believe in what they are doing and they are driven to “make it happen”.

We are not ALL entrepreneurs … in fact I think entrepreneurs are a relatively rare breed. However we can all learn a little from these people … especially when it comes to making things happen.

I recently received my regular newsletter from Kit Grant … another driven individual who always gets his audiences galvanized and encourages them to action. His latest newsletter suggest that we NOT be patient, in fact that we “do some pushing” … just like those entrepreneurs.

Here is Kit’s newsletter …

“The door of opportunity will not open unless you do some pushing.”

Have you ever heard people say … “Just be patient, things will probably get better.”? Well that might be nice advice if you have forever as your target date for reaching your goals. If not, then you consistently have to be pushing, or at least looking around the edge, of those doors of opportunity. Thousands of great possibilities present themselves every day and most people miss out. They either believe that nothing good will ever happen to them or that it would require too much effort to make a move towards success. Ever wonder why so many people don’t come lose to their potential? It’s certainly not lack of opportunity. The biggest roadblock you’ll ever have to overcome is the person you see in the mirror. Go on … NOW … push on some doors. You deserve it.

If you really want something, and you should, then make it happen! People will always be quick to tell you why you “can’t do it”, why “it won’t work” or just that “you are nuts”. So ignore them, get a little “fire in the belly”, “don’t be patient”, push to get what you want and just maybe you’ll uncover that Entrepreneurial spirit within!

I thought I would stick with the theme of personal productivity and share some thinking from David Allen, creator of GTD (Getting Things Done). This article is from a recent newsletter of his, and I recommend that you subscribe.

David tells us that “getting organised” is not. in itself, going to make us successful but it will “clear the decks” so that we are actually able to apply knowledge in a meaningful way.

He makes sense, as usual … I often attribute good time management practices as being a big part of any success I have had, but it alone doesn’t get you there!

Of course if you don’t manage your time you make your life that much more difficult.

DAVID’S FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Success doesn’t come from getting organized

Let’s get something really clear: success doesn’t come from getting organized—it comes from following your heart. Or your intuition. Or the seat of your pants. Or your gut. (Pick the words you like or that you’re not allergic to.)

Getting organized (a la GTD) won’t in itself solve the bigger issues and creative challenges that we all face from time to time. What it will do is help clear the decks internally, and create a more open space within which to do the real knowledge work—making the decisions about allocation of resources to make things happen that won’t happen by themselves. (It also gives the skills and tools to ensure that things actually happen once we’ve decided to do them.)

I was reminded of all this as I just finished working with a client. He is a CEO with lots of responsibility to a family company board, a deep company and family tradition and desire to maintain it, high standards, and quite a moving target for a market and product line definition.

His pain was his perception of “stuck-ness” in some of the bigger projects that he thought he should be clarifying and moving on. He was laboring under the self-judgement that he should be doing more than he was doing. In truth, he was doing exactly what he should be doing—rehearsing various scenarios and exploring all the ins and outs of each one, generating internal information and perspectives until critical mass is reached and the hunch factor will take over.

Many projects are waiting on more data to make the next level of decision, or waiting on others to deliver their delegated pieces. As long as the action steps about getting that data and the “waiting for’s” are clarified, recorded, and tracked, the executive work is (and rightly so) the inner conversation you will have with yourself about the best choice about what to do.

Clearing up the static is an important and often necessary factor. But tuning your station and listening are the critical elements to success.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

-Winston Churchill

Every now and then I write about “time management” or “personal productivity” related topics … and this topic is a classic!

Follow the link here if you want to see some of the blog entries that I have written on Personal Productivity … of course, only if you have time! Those reading this who see the irony in that statement have some hope. Those who don’t? Well let’s just say you are beyond hope!

I come across people ALL the time who are extremely busy, they are SO busy that they are metaphorically running from the minute they start their day until the minute they leave. I am as guilty of this as many. I run my own company and am very involved in a number of other industry and charity related activities, which keeps me very busy … but NOT TOO busy to help myself!

So what is the point?

If you let your day drive you then inevitably you will be as busy as you want to be but you will NOT be as effective as you could be.

You MUST take control of your time.

I meet CEOs running companies with (a) serious problems; (b) potential huge opportunities; or (c) just other things they should be doing … but they are too busy to help themselves!

I meet salespeople who spend their days “doing stuff” … I don’t know what they are doing but they are in the office all day! How can you be meeting clients and winning business if you are in the office all day? They are too busy to help themselves!

I meet people who are new on the job and they are extremely busy, but they are just “doing their job” from the minute they arrive to the minute they leave … without applying any thought, like automatons. They are not learning and progressing … because they are too busy to help themselves.

I see companies in every sector that are doing things the same way they have always done them … because they are too busy to help themselves.

OK … HOW can YOU help yourself?

1. Understand what is important to your success … and MAKE time for THAT.
2. INVEST in yourself … MAKE time to LEARN and get better.
3. Recognise that the world is changing at an incredible pace … so you MUST change too!

Examples:

1. Sales people (one of my favorite subjects). Getting out in front of clients is CRITICAL to your success. If you are not having MORE meetings than your industry average then you are AVERAGE.

MAKE TIME every day to set up meetings into the future (the big rocks parable) … all the other work WILL get done around the meetings.

2. Business Owners. MAKE time to work ON your business rather than IN it. Get away from the office to THINK and PLAN; ask your staff for input; get a coach/mentor; join a peer group and go to the meetings! MAKE TIME to help yourself!

3. Everyone. Set aside some time to READ; to LEARN; take advantage of EVERY training opportunity that you can. THINK about what you do. Set aside some time to think about how YOU can be better at what you do. MAKE TIME to help yourself!

If you are too busy to help yourself then you are doing yourself AND your employer no favors! Take a little time and help yourself!

I have written more than a few blog entries about attitude, about being positive and about the affect of negative people.

I think I must have been having a bad day back in March 2007 when I wrote about Miserable People … but really I was just expressing opinions in my “out loud voice” instead of keeping them to myself! That’s what blogs are about isn’t it?

Even further back in July 2006 I wrote about Negative People and the affect they can have on your life … and a few suggestions about what you might do.

Today I read one of my regular newsletters from Patricia Katz with some sage advice to managers about how to deal with these kinds of people in the workplace … she refers to them as BMWs … Bitchers, Whiners and Moaners (no offence to the venerable car company!)

The following is an excerpt from Patricia Katz’s Pause Newsletter. You can subscribe to this weekly advice about how you might stay sane in this crazy world here …

REFLECTION:

Nothing damages the morale of a workplace more than a collection of individuals whose response to every situation is to complain and criticize from the cozy confines of victimhood. “Isn’t it awful? How dare they? What were they thinking? Someone should do something about this!”

A recent conference participant, in a session I was delivering on encouragement and appreciation in the workplace, described this group as her BMW’s. Not the classic high priced automobile – but rather the folks who specialize in Bitching, Moaning, and Whining.

Her abbreviated description generated a considerable number of guffaws and knowing looks as other attendees nodded their heads in recognition. It seems the BMW problem is familiar to many. There might even be a few BMW’s ripping up the streets in your world.

ACTION:

So what to do and how to handle them? Here is a four level response you might find useful.

1. Consider whether you might be an unintentional accomplice who encourages BMW behavior. Pay attention to how often you commiserate or provide a forum (a willing ear and shoulder) for tired old complaints.
2. Determine if there’s a legitimate concern at the root of the BMW response. If there is, engage the individual in action that works to resolve the issue.
3. Notice if BMW behavior has simply become an habitual response. If that’s the case, make the person aware of the situation. Try your hand at coaching a turn-around that steers the individual towards a more positive response.
4. Identify the business consequences and collateral damage to the team that flow from BMW negativity. Position the snide asides as the performance problems that they are. Lay out clear expectations for change and potential consequences if the BMW behavior continues.

Each of us has a right to our own thoughts – both negative and positive. We also have a choice about what we decide to express. That expression carries with it a responsibility for the impact of our words and actions. Make it clear that BMWs should be parked outside and are not welcome in your workplace.

PS – If the BMW’s in your life are spewing a black cloud over your family or community group, similar rules of the road apply.

Every now and then I like to look at different situations, ask why it is done that way (and often the answer is … because that’s the way it has always been !) … and try to0 come up with different solutions.

So here I am a few days ahead of the G8 and G20 conferences and I’m working in downtown Toronto. I am told that there was a demonstration yesterday with some arrests … and that was Monday. It is going to get worse.

The cost of hosting these events has been pegged at $1 billion or more and that does not include the cost to the hundreds of businesses that have been and will be impacted in productivity. It also doesn’t incorporate the direct costs on those businesses who will have to shut entirely.

We live in a changing world … 20 years ago it might have been economically beneficial to invite the world’s leaders to your city, to showcase it and to let the world see what your country has to offer. In today’s world the visit results in the city being locked down, the visitors do NOT experience the city or see what a great place Toronto is. What do they do see is security fences, heavily armed police and screaming demonstrators.

So why do we keep doing this?

How about this for an alternative?

• Take 25% of the budget and build a luxury resort on a major military air base (perhaps CFB Trenton here in Canada). Build it big enough to house all of the delegates and their entourage.
• They are already inside a secure area, but it can be beefed up with military help easily;
• It is an airbase so flights can land there directly;
• The location is away from major centres so minimal disruption to the public;
• The location is fairly remote so much easier to contain and manage the demonstrators, and less for them to damage.

Side benefits:

• The resort could be used again and again, so the investment is not lost. It could be made available for government conferences and other events requiring security or even generate some profit to cover its upkeep.
• Building the resort will generate employment … could have been a “stimulus initiative”.

Just saying … eh!

I sometimes talk about the speed of change in the technology world … it is one factor that drives the continuing demand for technology people, and will by implication be a continuing boon to the IT Staffing world. It is also one reason why more students need to be encouraged to follow technology careers!

I started to think about how technology has changed just in my world in the very recent past … and came up with some interesting stuff.

The internet has been a huge change in all of our lives over the past 10 years or so. It has become the “backbone” network for so many businesses, that would have required their own network previously. It is a source of data that formerly we found in books, encyclopedias, indexes and libraries. It has spawned many businesses and its communication abilities particularly in a web 2.0 world have been absolutely transformational … who would have envisioned keeping in touch with family around the world through Facebook or spreading news through Twitter 10 years ago?

I recently got a netbook and it is quickly replacing my Sony laptop … which cost roughly 10 times the price. It can’t do everything the Sony can, but it handles 90% of my requirements for 10% of the price!

I just got a “Rocket stick” … plug it into my netbook and instant connectivity anywhere! I don’t need wireless networks or even to be in a city … I can be sat at the side of a highway (or on a cottage deck) and still be online!

I have an iphone … I have instant information at my fingertips! I can post pictures to Facebook “on location”; I can check sports scores anytime; I can get news “real time”; check stocks; check out youtube videos; store all my contacts; manage my calendar and get my email … oh and its a phone too. we talked about the “convergence” of technology for years … what comes next?

There are incredible strides in techology and the application of technology being made every day. I have only talked about changes in technology, but great strides are being made in medicine, in bio-technology and other sciences. It is an exciting time … it would be a GREAT time to be entering the workforce there is so much opportunity.

It would be interesting to hear how technology has changed your life in the recent past!

General Observations:

I think that the Canadian Staffing Index produced by ACSESS is a great indicator of what is actually happening in Canada’s employment sector. Since the start of a recovery that can be traced back to March 2009 we have seen a trend upwards in job creation and economic activity. However that recovery is not a straight line upwards, and nor is it a steep growth. Rather we have seen stops and starts, increases and decreases along the way … all indicative of a long slow, cautious recovery.

In May, Canada added another 25,000 jobs following the record 108,000 new jobs reported the previous month. However volatility in the markets saw fluctuations up and down that for instance resulted in the TSX dropping month over month. The banks have been reporting good results which should be good for the Canadian economy however the Ontario Government will be implementing HST effective July 1st which will cost the banks an extra 8% for all services it receives … including staffing! So we may see up to a 8% reduction is spending on services to offset these increased costs. HST will also affect the housing market as it applies to new homes, plus its introduction has influenced the timing of capital investment decisions, with companies waiting until after July 1st in order to take advantage of tax credits.

At the beginning of June Mark Carney announced an increase in Canada’s Interest Rate to .5% resulting in prime moving up to 2.5%. Not an unexpected increase but the first G8 country to do so. This will increase the cost of borrowing, increase the costs of mortgages and together with Ontario’s HST on new homes will cause some negative pressure on the economy.

More Specifically:

Anecdotal evidence amongst my staffing peers would suggest that the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is definitely still the most active market across Canada. More and more we are seeing the most skilled resources getting multiple job offers, clients missing new hires due to a slow hiring process and a more bullish attitude by job seekers. The financial sector and in particular the banks are very busy, the telcos are also very busy. The Ontario provincial government is fairly steady, with a reported pent up demand working through the process and the System integrators appear to be winning more business and therefore in need of resources. There is a healthy demand for both full-time and contract resources within all of those areas. The impending introduction of the HST will have an impact on the financial sector as they will not be eligible for rebates, so we may see a sharp reaction in July as the increased cost of all services comes to fruition.

Western Canada’s markets are recovering, but like most places it’s a very cautious “two steps forward, one step back” kind of process. Calgary is the hottest Western market but May was a little slow however early signs for June are promising. Edmonton is probably the second most active market but as a government town has been impacted by the various government deficits, so demand is spotty. Vancouver appears to suffering a little from a “post Olympics hangover” so spending in BC has not returned to pre-recession levels yet either. Overall the recovery is well under way, the “in demand” resources are getting very scarce and we are seeing the demand curve start to switch to a job seekers market, from the employers market we have had for the last 18 months or so.

In Eagle’s Eastern Canada region Montreal has continued to be a fairly strong market and here too we are seeing a shortage of the most in demand candidates. Like the GTA it is the financial sector, telcos and system integrators that have the biggest demand and here they will not be affected by the HST issue that will hit Ontario. Perhaps we will see work move from Toronto to Montreal … at least until the planned Quebec tax increases in the New Year? In the National Capital Region I would have expected Federal Government demand to increase significantly through May but that has not happened. Procurement concerns and the deficit appear to be stalling any increase in demand. IT firms are pointing to the Auditor General’s report and the Clerk of the Privy Council’s report, both of which call for technology investment, but the wheels of government are proving to move slowly.

The following are some facts/indicators we are watching as of time of writing:

> The price of oil is still around $77 a barrel, basically unchanged from last month … our experience with the activity in Calgary would suggest the oil sector is picking up!
> Natural Gas prices have been trending up which is more good news for the oil and gas sector in Western Canada.
> The markets have been pretty volatile of late and while the Canadian economy has done better than most the recovery is cautious. The TSX is down a little from last month at 11,937 today but that’s still a pretty healthy level.
> The Canadian dollar continues to be very strong, currently about 97.35c US. Not always a good thing for Canadian business, but a positive economic indicator.
> Prime was raised to 2.5% in June so borrowing is now that little bit more expensive!
> Canada added another 25,000 jobs in May, following the huge gain in April. Canada has now added back 310,000 jobs since July 2009.
> Alberta’s provincial government continues to grapple with its unusual situation of a $7B deficit, and the requisite cuts that go with that.
> We are continuing to see a pickup in activity in most sectors … banks, energy companies, and telcos in particular. There is also some pickup in Municipal and Provincial Government activity.
> The Canadian government, while not expected to drastically reduce its spending this year has not really “wowed” the market with its spending. There has not been a lot of new IT business and the National Capital companies are suffering a little for that.
> Canada’s Staffing Index dropped slightly this month, indicative of the very cautious and slow recovery. The staffing index is still more than 25% off the pre-recession peak of October 2008.

Summary:

Another tough month on this road to recovery. The May Canadian Staffing Index dropped slightly, the prime interest rate was increased slightly and Ontario and BC will introduce HST on July 1st. None of this will make the recovery any easier.

On the positive side we are seeing more demand for people, in the hot markets we are seeing shortages of the most in-demand people and a shift from a buyers (employers) market to a sellers (employee) market.

It will continue to be an interesting journey with as many twists, turns and unexpected results as the World Cup underway in South Africa. Perhaps next month I can present some positive economic news to accompany the right result from South Africa!!!

How many times do we choose NOT to do “something” because of the effort involved?

Human nature is such that it is often easier to just “pass” rather than (a) getting dressed up; (b) travelling across town; (c) squeezing the event in after another event etc.

Sometimes its just easier to go home and relax.

We ALL do that sometimes … BUT is it “the norm” for you? Is your “routine” more important than doing something different? If that is the case then you might want to reconsider your position.

We only get one go around at this life …

A good friend of mine spent time visiting a friend of his this Summer at her home in the Caribbean. He found the time (a long weekend) in his crazy schedule, made the trip and had a fabulous time. A few weeks later she died in a scuba accident! Obviously my friend was glad he “made the effort”.

Another good friend of mine took time out of his crazy schedule to take my son to dinner in Sydney last night. He has work pressures, some family health issues he is dealing with and he still MADE time to look out for his friend’s son. Do you think I don’t appreciate that/

Last night, after two very full days of management meetings in amongst a week when there is not one evening of rest and relaxation I chose to go and help a friend celebrate his upcoming marriage. He was touched that so many of us “made the effort” in nasty weather amidst our crazy schedules. HE was very touched.

There are hundreds of these stories every day … where someone makes an effort and someone benefits. When we “make an effort” it ALWAYS has a positive affect … and that feels good, whether you are the one making the effort or the one receiving that effort.

Don’t be a couch potato … get out there, MAKE THE EFFORT!

PS. If you are a salesperson and you don’t make the effort, for all those lame excuses we all use, then someone else will!