At a recent team meeting, I had the opportunity to sit and watch as the members of this particular team interacted with each other. As I watched this small group, I had a strong impression that each team member had a strong connection with each of the other team members and with their manager. Throughout the course of the meeting, the team members were collaborating, and feeding off of each other. You could tell that they had mutual respect for each other, and that they relied on each other for support and strength.
After watching this team for a couple of hours, a question came to my mind, “How much of this particular team’s success was a direct result of their strong interpersonal relationships? I got the sense that the team members had a shared common purpose, and they were actively engaged in achieving their shared team goals and milestones. Furthermore, I sensed that the high level of connection amongst the team members was allowing them to accomplish greater achievements than they could otherwise achieve on their own.
While I watched this team, I wondered what our company would look like if each of the team’s within our company had strong interpersonal relationships and a shared common purpose. I also wondered how we could sponsor this type of team building throughout the entire company.
Since that meeting I’ve had an opportunity to discuss the importance of building strong team member relationships within our teams with a few of our managers. These discussions revealed that there are really two key relationships within a team; (1) the manager to team member relationships and (2) the team member to team member relationships.
Let’s take a closer look at the manager to team member relationships.
Managers who create and maintain environments that allow for authentic feedback are usually rewarded with increasing loyalty, innovation, and achievement from their team members. Managers who create an environment where team members feel connected and needed, typically have less turnover and achieve higher levels of team performance.
How do managers create this type of environment? Let me suggest a few ideas.
1. Prove that you care for each team member. Prove it through your words and actions. Make sure that team members’ voices are being heard. Give each team member a forum to bring up their ideas and concerns. Weekly one-to-one meetings between the manager and team members are a great way to create a safe place for team members to share their thoughts and concerns.
2. Truly listen to team members. As we listen we will discover our team member’s dreams, hopes, aspirations, and achievements. Some of us fall into the trap of trying to multitask, when we should be intently listening. When an opportunity to talk arises, focus your attention on the team member.
3. Show empathy and appreciation. To really connect with team members a manager must sponsor an environment where team members feel like they can be open and honest with the manager. Some of us may feel that if we truly open up and share our important purposes and concerns with our manager, we will be criticized, lectured, or rejected. These fears hold back growth for both the team member and the manager. When a team member opens up to a manager, the manager should show true appreciation for the team member’s comments. If the team member truly feels understood and appreciated, the connection between the team member and manager will continue to grow and flourish.
4. Bring candor and authenticity to the relationship. No one benefits when a manager or team member holds back their true feelings. Managers should strive to set clear expectations for their team members, and give clear feedback regarding the team member’s performance. On the flip side, team members owe it to their manager to be open and direct with their feelings. Relationships grow when both parties believe that there is authenticity in the relationship.
By focusing on these simple four areas, team managers can create an environment where authentic feedback is the norm, and the manager is rewarded with ever-increasing loyalty, innovation, and achievement from his or her team members.
In my next blog we will take a closer look at building the team member to team member relationships.
I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net
Tony
www.repowell.net
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Every Team Member a Salesperson
Not too long ago, one of our territory managers asked if I would accompany him on a sales call. I agreed to go, even though I wasn’t too excited about it. I had a stack of work at the office that I wanted to get through, and I felt as though I was really too busy to go out and visit this potential customer. Reluctantly, I agreed to go.
Once we were at the potential customer’s place of business, my attitude began to change. This particular business owner was very hungry for information. He wanted to know what his options were for managing his fuel costs. He wanted to know if we could help him determine when to fill his fuel tanks. He wanted to know if he could lock in fuel and propane prices for the future. He wanted to know whether the lubricants he was using were the best choice. As the conversation continued, I became genuinely interested in his business operations. I forgot all about my stacks of work at the office. I realized that I was involved in the most important task that I could be involved in. I was learning about a customer’s needs, and I was sharing ways that our company could satisfy those needs. I was actively engaged in the sales process, and I was truly enjoying the experience.
Many of us probably think that it’s the job of our salespeople to sell. It is definitely true that our salespeople are expected to be out in the field sharing our message with potential customers; however, to reach our full potential as an organization, we need all our team members to be actively engaged in the sales process.
There are probably some of us who would never dream of being a salesperson. It scares us to death to walk up to someone we don’t know and start talking to them. We don’t think that we know enough about our products to talk to people about them. We might be afraid of what people will think about us. The fact is, regardless of our position within the company, we are salespeople. The employee in the front office who answers the phone is selling the company, each time they answer an incoming call. The employee working in the accounting department who handles past due accounts is selling the company each time they make a call on a late payment. In one way or another, each of us has a role in the sales process. This process is our company’s life blood, and if it dies, we die.
We have said that our mission as a company is to “create value by consistently delivering on our three guiding principles of Right Product, Right Place, Right Price. I would like to add a fourth Principle – Right Information. Team members who believe in the company and its mission have a compelling desire to share information about the company. They are concerned with the success of our customers, and they are constantly looking for ways to anticipate and satisfy the customer’s needs. These employees realize that we have valuable information which if used properly by the customer, will help the customer save money. They enjoy sharing this information because they know that it will improve the life of the customer.
Here are some examples:
When you ask a customer if they would be interested in receiving our Daily Fuel Market Update, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you suggest to a customer that they wait a few days to fill their fuel tank because prices are in a downward trend, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you mention to a customer that we have some additional products or services that they might be interested in, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you mention to your dentist that you love working for R.E. Powell because they let you come to work dressed up as a gorilla in a bikini, you are probably not selling. You’re probably just high from the laughing gas the dentist gave you twenty minutes earlier.
How powerful a force would it be, if all our team members were actively engaged in the sales process?
How powerful would it be if we all believed in our company and had a desire to share the company’s message with those we come into contact with? To share our desire for anticipating and satisfying the customer’s needs. To share the fact that we are creating value through the valuable information and resources that we provide to our customers.
If we each look for opportunities to share our message then we can truly say that we have reached our goal of Every Team Member a Salesperson.
I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net
Tony
www.repowell.net
http://teamrepowell.blogspot.com/
Once we were at the potential customer’s place of business, my attitude began to change. This particular business owner was very hungry for information. He wanted to know what his options were for managing his fuel costs. He wanted to know if we could help him determine when to fill his fuel tanks. He wanted to know if he could lock in fuel and propane prices for the future. He wanted to know whether the lubricants he was using were the best choice. As the conversation continued, I became genuinely interested in his business operations. I forgot all about my stacks of work at the office. I realized that I was involved in the most important task that I could be involved in. I was learning about a customer’s needs, and I was sharing ways that our company could satisfy those needs. I was actively engaged in the sales process, and I was truly enjoying the experience.
Many of us probably think that it’s the job of our salespeople to sell. It is definitely true that our salespeople are expected to be out in the field sharing our message with potential customers; however, to reach our full potential as an organization, we need all our team members to be actively engaged in the sales process.
There are probably some of us who would never dream of being a salesperson. It scares us to death to walk up to someone we don’t know and start talking to them. We don’t think that we know enough about our products to talk to people about them. We might be afraid of what people will think about us. The fact is, regardless of our position within the company, we are salespeople. The employee in the front office who answers the phone is selling the company, each time they answer an incoming call. The employee working in the accounting department who handles past due accounts is selling the company each time they make a call on a late payment. In one way or another, each of us has a role in the sales process. This process is our company’s life blood, and if it dies, we die.
We have said that our mission as a company is to “create value by consistently delivering on our three guiding principles of Right Product, Right Place, Right Price. I would like to add a fourth Principle – Right Information. Team members who believe in the company and its mission have a compelling desire to share information about the company. They are concerned with the success of our customers, and they are constantly looking for ways to anticipate and satisfy the customer’s needs. These employees realize that we have valuable information which if used properly by the customer, will help the customer save money. They enjoy sharing this information because they know that it will improve the life of the customer.
Here are some examples:
When you ask a customer if they would be interested in receiving our Daily Fuel Market Update, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you suggest to a customer that they wait a few days to fill their fuel tank because prices are in a downward trend, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you mention to a customer that we have some additional products or services that they might be interested in, you are creating value for the customer, and you are also engaged in the sales process.
When you mention to your dentist that you love working for R.E. Powell because they let you come to work dressed up as a gorilla in a bikini, you are probably not selling. You’re probably just high from the laughing gas the dentist gave you twenty minutes earlier.
How powerful a force would it be, if all our team members were actively engaged in the sales process?
How powerful would it be if we all believed in our company and had a desire to share the company’s message with those we come into contact with? To share our desire for anticipating and satisfying the customer’s needs. To share the fact that we are creating value through the valuable information and resources that we provide to our customers.
If we each look for opportunities to share our message then we can truly say that we have reached our goal of Every Team Member a Salesperson.
I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net
Tony
www.repowell.net
http://teamrepowell.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Value Creation Part II
In my last blog I wrote about the importance of value creation for the long-term success of an organization. We defined value creation as “the ability to anticipate and profitably satisfy customer needs.” At the end of the blog, I raised the question “is there a standardized process for value creation?” The question that I probably should have asked is “what is our company’s standardized process for value creation?” The short answer, would be, that we don’t have a standardized process for value creation.
Although we have never defined our value creation process, we do have examples of value creation taking place throughout the company. How powerful would it be if we could standardize this process, and promote the use of this process throughout the company?
A few weeks ago, Jeff Doss, our Dispatch Manager came to me and mentioned that he had noticed that a few of our fuel customers had quit buying fuel from us. He asked if it would be OK for him to reach out to these customers and see if he could find out why they quit purchasing their fuel from us. Later that same day Jeff came back and mentioned to me that he had already contacted a few of the customers, and found out why they switched. In most cases we had lost the business due to simple concerns that could easily be solved. Jeff asked if he could make the necessary adjustments for the customers, and once again I told him he could.
Over the next couple of weeks, Jeff continued to call customers, and the same pattern emerged. The customers had some concerns, and Jeff typically found that his experience working as a dispatcher, had given him the capability to solve most of these problems. In many cases, the customer’s concern was not the price of the fuel, as had been previously assumed by many others within the company. There were concerns about price, but there were also concerns about split load fees, missing delivery windows, and credit terms. Jeff found out that since he and his team were in direct control of the customer’s fuel loads, they were in a unique position to address these concerns with the customer. Jeff had created value for these customers.
I asked Jeff if he could train and empower the rest of his team to reach out to customers and solve their concerns just as he had done over the past couple of weeks. If he could, the additional value that Jeff had created, would be duplicated with each additional team member on his team.
As Jeff and I talked, we realized that the key question that we needed to answer was “what is the best process for value creation?” The conversation that ensued from this simple question helped uncover a process that I believe can help us all accelerate the pace of value creation within our teams. Here’s the key steps that Jeff and I came up with:
1. Training - A team member’s ability to anticipate and satisfy a customer’s needs will be greatly enhanced if a team member is proficient at her job. This ability will also be enhanced if the employee knows the company’s core values, and has a good understanding of the company’s various key functions and activities. The best way to accelerate this process is to ensure that the employee undergoes a thorough training process when they are first hired, and participates in on the job training.
2. Manager Relationship – The Manager/Team member relationship is a key to this process. If a team member believes that her manager is interested in her success, she will be more likely to share ideas with her manager. This sharing of ideas will accelerate the level of creativity and innovation within the team.
3. One on One Meeting – Past experience has shown us that the 1:1 meeting is the most critical meeting that takes place within the company. During this meeting Managers have the opportunity to meet one on one with their team members. Managers are encouraged to use this meeting to reinforce commitments made by the team member, and to discuss ways that the team member can create additional value for the team, the company, and most importantly the customer.
4. Weekly Department Meetings – Managers are encouraged to hold a weekly team meeting with their team. This meeting provides an excellent opportunity for team members to bring up their ideas for value creation. All team members should feel comfortable to bring up their ideas at this meeting. In addition, the Team Manager can bring up ideas that have been brought up to her during 1:1 meetings. This meeting provides an excellent forum for the team to process the ideas that have been brought up, and decide which ideas should be implemented.
5. Rewards/Recognition – Managers are encouraged to find fun ways to reward and recognize those team members that actively participate in the value creation process. This will help support the ongoing success of the value creation process.
I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net
Although we have never defined our value creation process, we do have examples of value creation taking place throughout the company. How powerful would it be if we could standardize this process, and promote the use of this process throughout the company?
A few weeks ago, Jeff Doss, our Dispatch Manager came to me and mentioned that he had noticed that a few of our fuel customers had quit buying fuel from us. He asked if it would be OK for him to reach out to these customers and see if he could find out why they quit purchasing their fuel from us. Later that same day Jeff came back and mentioned to me that he had already contacted a few of the customers, and found out why they switched. In most cases we had lost the business due to simple concerns that could easily be solved. Jeff asked if he could make the necessary adjustments for the customers, and once again I told him he could.
Over the next couple of weeks, Jeff continued to call customers, and the same pattern emerged. The customers had some concerns, and Jeff typically found that his experience working as a dispatcher, had given him the capability to solve most of these problems. In many cases, the customer’s concern was not the price of the fuel, as had been previously assumed by many others within the company. There were concerns about price, but there were also concerns about split load fees, missing delivery windows, and credit terms. Jeff found out that since he and his team were in direct control of the customer’s fuel loads, they were in a unique position to address these concerns with the customer. Jeff had created value for these customers.
I asked Jeff if he could train and empower the rest of his team to reach out to customers and solve their concerns just as he had done over the past couple of weeks. If he could, the additional value that Jeff had created, would be duplicated with each additional team member on his team.
As Jeff and I talked, we realized that the key question that we needed to answer was “what is the best process for value creation?” The conversation that ensued from this simple question helped uncover a process that I believe can help us all accelerate the pace of value creation within our teams. Here’s the key steps that Jeff and I came up with:
1. Training - A team member’s ability to anticipate and satisfy a customer’s needs will be greatly enhanced if a team member is proficient at her job. This ability will also be enhanced if the employee knows the company’s core values, and has a good understanding of the company’s various key functions and activities. The best way to accelerate this process is to ensure that the employee undergoes a thorough training process when they are first hired, and participates in on the job training.
2. Manager Relationship – The Manager/Team member relationship is a key to this process. If a team member believes that her manager is interested in her success, she will be more likely to share ideas with her manager. This sharing of ideas will accelerate the level of creativity and innovation within the team.
3. One on One Meeting – Past experience has shown us that the 1:1 meeting is the most critical meeting that takes place within the company. During this meeting Managers have the opportunity to meet one on one with their team members. Managers are encouraged to use this meeting to reinforce commitments made by the team member, and to discuss ways that the team member can create additional value for the team, the company, and most importantly the customer.
4. Weekly Department Meetings – Managers are encouraged to hold a weekly team meeting with their team. This meeting provides an excellent opportunity for team members to bring up their ideas for value creation. All team members should feel comfortable to bring up their ideas at this meeting. In addition, the Team Manager can bring up ideas that have been brought up to her during 1:1 meetings. This meeting provides an excellent forum for the team to process the ideas that have been brought up, and decide which ideas should be implemented.
5. Rewards/Recognition – Managers are encouraged to find fun ways to reward and recognize those team members that actively participate in the value creation process. This will help support the ongoing success of the value creation process.
I’d love to know your thoughts. tony@repowell.net
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