Different national conversation needed

I am disheartened that still no one is talking about this: Asperger's restricts social interaction. If one's primary social interaction, so to speak, is Mortal Kombat, Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt and Postal, then the brain is both programmed for such behavior and need for visceral excitement as well as desensitized to the moral issues that are involved. This is a form of brainwashing just as lethal as any military or propaganda effort. A lack of alternative experiences (e.g., mental health intervention) and a steady diet of violence leads to sad unhealthy outcomes. Watch for copy-cat behaviors around the country from people with similar social vacuums and a distorted perception of how to get noticed. The problem is not guns. The real problem began when Reagan stopped funding mental health intervention and forced it on the states who have/had no money. Affordable in-patient facilities closed nationwide. First result was the visible increase in the homeless "street people" (no place to supervise their taking of meds); now increased senseless violence by people who should be receiving intense intervention, social options and therapeutic treatment. And if you want to ban something, how about hyper-violent video games?

Advice for a new sales person

I was recently asked: "What would you tell a new sales person?" This was my response.

First, realize it is hard work. The real hard work is getting to the point you can see and talk with someone. That is fun. The work part makes the fun part possible. So work!  80% of your time should be finding who to call and trying to get that appointment.

Second, when you finally meet someone, go in to learn. What is their problem? How does that problem impact them? What would make a difference in their lives or world? Then and only then do you inquire if you might be able to help. Go to learn. Be curious.

Finally, learn how to sell yourself while you are being curious. The two skills can be done at the same time. Learn to sell to the unconscious while you are engaging in a conversation to learn about the customer.

Lying on resumes at all time high

Thanks to my colleague, Jude Werra, for publishing his annual "Liars Index News." He has calculated that lying about education on resumes has reached an all-time high. Nearly 30% of the resumes he surveyed contained false claims about education! 30%! And education is one of the easiest things to verify on a resume. Yet, too few hiring executives check. So be diligent. Check education credentials before you go very far in your recruiting efforts. It will save you a lot of time and effort.

Time to train?

In a recent conversation with an amazingly enlightened client: "Our business is really slow right now. This would be a perfect time to train my people, because they have time to learn." You don't hear this very often, do you? Doesn't this make more sense than what most people do...which is cut training during challenging times?

The “away-from” personality and 2012 goals

Lots of people set goals. But did you know that not all goals are things someone is trying to achieve? Some people talk about goals that are things they want to AVOID!

Instead of a goal to “achieve a 30% profit margin”, it might be a goal to “avoid slipping below the 32% margin we had last year”. A purchasing agent might focus more on reducing costs instead of giving her attention to on-time delivery of parts even though both are important.

People who think like this have a mindset called an “away-from” personality. They focus on avoiding things. They want to stay “away-from” problems or undesirable outcomes rather than pursue or run toward desirable outcomes. In brainstorming sessions, these are the people who talk about problems that may need to be avoided or negative consequences that must be anticipated. They will say, “We certainly don’t want that to happen. We need to plan how to prevent that from happening.” These are also people who are energized by finding problems to solve rather than celebrating goals that are achieved.

To influence such a person, it is important to state your value in terms of what problems are avoided or solved. Instead of saying, “we can increase your sales”, say, “we can shorten your sales cycle”. Instead of “We can help you hire people who fit your organization,” you need to say, “We can help reduce your bad hires and surprises.”

Look at your goals for 2012. Are they “away-from” or “toward”? This might help you better understand your natural orientation and give you some ideas for how you may need to adjust your approach to some people to increase your effectiveness and reduce the times you fail to have an impact.

Think about how you present your value to a customer or prospect or even an employee. State your value in two ways. First, look at what your value adds to someone. Second, say what your value helps someone avoid or prevent or solve. In this way, you can appeal to both the “away-from” people as well as the “toward” people who are moving toward a desirable goal.