10 Steps To Build Wildly Remarkable LinkedIn Publisher Content Daily

Writing is something uniquely human, the ultimate form of self expression. So why all the cheesy listicles on LinkedIn? There's a very good reason! What influences the most viral content on LinkedIn to go viral? How can I rapidly construct daily 'hit it for six' B2B content that will be rapidly shared? Which images should I share and where should I source them? How do I come up with the ideal titles? What about writer's block and frequency? Here are 10 simple ways after much trial and error:

1. 60% of the impact is the title. 30% is the image. 10% is the content.80/20 on LinkedIn works like this: 80% of readers just like it and only 20% read the whole way through. Build a powerful title that would pull YOU to click through first. I actually have a list of thousands of titles that I pull from in Evernote prior to constructing each post.
2. List Posts, Why and How-Tos resonate most. Why? It allows busy executives to 'snack' the content. People are looking for unique, snackable, actionable takeaways. Leverage hyperbole or extremes because a strong opinion connects emotionally to the right hemisphere of the brain. Good content is the enemy of great. Safe is the enemy of bold. Think of it this way:Youtility. Can your reader immediately go apply your posts to their lives andgarner results? Hence this exact post you're reading now!
3. Push yourself on ideation over creation. A+ content infrequently performs far worse than B+ content frequently. Google crawls Publisher and to be seen as a publisher, frequency is critical. Publish every day. The crux of ideation is the power of original ideas. I'm not opposed to publishing growth hacks... How can you constantly generate remarkable ideas and prevent writer's block / burnout? See my next point #4.

4. Mashups aka hybrid synergy. Blend the old with the new. Be anachronistic. Take a sport like cycling, a TV show, a story, something comedic, any bizarre topic you understand, could even be stamp collecting and use it as an analogy. Wingsuited base jumping sales maneuvers was a fun post I did. Why Sales Is Like James Bond in Goldfinger! Humor is huge. I had a post called Unicorn Alert!!! To provide value, I've been getting phenomenal traction by building content based on classic strategic selling and advanced social selling. Sharing your own real world experience is uber powerful. Including YouTube videos in your posts is a very strong technique so build out your YouTube channel with authentic selfie videos and plug them into posts. Lampoon the power base and turn the satire up to 11. Create new categories of content and hashtags. #strategicsocialselling is my new pink!

5. Leverage Flickr Commons for header images: Pull free images here and provide attribution and link back to the originator's page. It's the right thing to do! Search that link by 'use for commercial purposes.' Especially if you sell a book or consulting services.

6. Nothing is more eye catching and beautiful than the human face so feature it. You'll notice my hidden agenda of female empowerment and equality. My two cents is there should be more women in leadership – the world would be a vastly better place. The human face is capable of 10,000+ expressions. When in doubt, a picture of Richard Branson smiling will always rank well for example. How about a cute baby, kitten or puppy? I'm serious!

7. Push your ideas to the outer poles of the spectrum or break the fourth wall. Taking a contrarian stance is massively effective. Controversy for the sake of controversy backfires whereas paradoxes, sacred cows orupending the prevailing wisdom / status quo is highly intriguing to readers. The fourth wall is the concept of the known unknowns. If you can present a black swan idea and literally turn an industry upside down, this could be via futurism of technology or a contrarian stance on a megalithic system, it can take off. I suggest starting with an 'open letter' to your industry. Dispel mythsand chip away at the bureaucracy of it all. Tell the David versus Goliath storyas a business parable when a point solution won against the incumbent!

8. Don't be afraid to share long form content. The perfect blog post takes 7 minutes to read and is about 1,700 - 1,900 words. Think of the New Yorker or a phenomenal article in your favorite magazine. Oddly, once you've hooked the reader they'll often be disappointed if you don't put some steak with the sizzle. Link back out to your other posts! – The majority of the links in this article reference specific aspects of my LinkedIn Corpus of 146 posts in under 90 days! Maybe it's a bizarre social experiment or challenge, like that lady that ate every meal at Starbucks for one year. Document it! Blog as you experiment.

9. Share your personal stories: Yes, I know it's daunting to spill your guts on LinkedIn. I shared my story of a plane crash I survived as an ultralight pilot and related it to leadership. Great mashup, true story and highly relatable. Opening up the intimate details of my journey helps me to be more relatable to an audience looking for truth in real world experience. Take my90-Day LinkedIn Publisher Challenge and build a case study out of it. Don't be afraid to get political or express your opinion. I stood with Apple in the rap battle for the ages against Microsoft. I even referenced The Quest for the Holy Grail of Sales Enablement. Teach people how they can make more money in business or become more successful.

10. Optimism, futurism and positivity: LinkedIn is remarkable in that shock content doesn't work. Negative media style shock and awe goes thud. Thank goodness. Wildly utopian, innovative, futuristic, inspirational, bold and 'punchy' content gives readers hope and stimulates the imagination. Apparently, I am often offensively positive! Is that possible? Don't be afraid to dream. 'Imagination is more important than knowledge.' To quote Jack Canfield, "Feel the fear and do it anyway".

11. Bonuses: LinkedIn is about open source: give your intellectual property away freely. If your readers garner actionable insight daily, they'll seek out and buy your book, products or services. Fact. Remember to leverage the power of Newsjacking, time your posting topics to current events, Google and Twitter trending topics. Build Twitter lists and write posts in response to other top trending posts or debate other posts. Give other authors love! Write your own mini manifesto like I did on Australia Day in support of 18MM salespeople everywhere! Share your Syllabusbecause you're a specialist! Think in terms of moonshots and 10X.

Make no mistake – I'm encouraging you to take positive risks and step outside your comfort zone. Also realize if you set a goal to blog daily, you need to hold yourself accountable. Parkinson's Law states that 'work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion' so you may lose a bit of sleep at first but you'll eventually fall into a rhythm of posting.

Here's a phenomenal analysis of David Kerpen's most successful LinkedIn posts.He's a content genius and was first to market. I also found this anatomy of a perfect blog post incredibly insightful. Lastly, here's an analysis of 3,000 of the top LinkedIn Publisher posts. My suggestion would be to take a data driven approach and A/B test.

Ultimately, not all your posts will get tagged into the channels. Posts on leadership tend to get wide engagement as that channel has over 9MM followers. The key metric is likes but posts that take off tend to garner hundreds of shares. Dry B2B white paper content does not work on LinkedIn to build your engagement funnel. At least, that's been my experience. The overarching rule of success in LinkedIn publisher is: push the envelope. Fortune favors the bold so think differently and express who you truly are. Say out loud what everyone's thinking and you'll have a hit record on your hands in no time...

Where is this all going? Engagement, warm qualified leads, speaking engagements, guest blogging, new consulting clients, super-networking or even your dream job? Your content is your calling card and the clarion call into a new realm of possibility. You'll have to trust me on this one so I'll see you at the end of the rainbow.

In closing, the biggest secret I can share with you on posting the most remarkable paradigm shifting, curve-jumping, innovative content on the interwebs Kawasaki? Find a willing and able millennial and let them train you! They are ninjas in social media and will school you. Write about it! Be open to a reverse mentorship.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website: www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main Image Photo by: Lili Vieira de Carvalho

Ten Reasons Selling Is Easy! The 'Goat Close' Trumps All Others.

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B2B enterprise insight challenger solution selling has never been easier. Anyone can simply pull all the elements together by paying close attention to everything in this 4 minute video. But can you execute?

The goat close has some ethical challenges but hey, Challenger Selling is the new new selling... it's far more effective than the Arnie close (I'll be back).

I forgot to mention how important it is to be masterful with 100-slide PowerPoint to bedazzle your audience, using your melodic NLP droning to tune their alpha brain waves into the subconscious need to purchase something from you. Great tips here from Don McMillan. Pay special attention to where the term 'bullet point' came from.

If you're a sales manager, then the last thing to know is that it's super important to innovate in the way you train the team. This is a cutting edge mash-up of Wizard of Oz meets Jeff Slutsky Sales Magic... strap yourself in to be entertained and educated all at the same time. Imagine the impact of immersing your team in this assault on their senses on day three of your annual sales kick-off. The awards night was the night before and they'll be even more receptive in their hung-over state.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website: www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo by:  www.peta.org and iStockphoto.com/smileus

The Sales Virus That Could Destroy LinkedIn

This photo thanks to

I am grateful to LinkedIn for the way they are changing the business world and for how they provide unprecedented reach and leverage for members. LinkedIn has brought me more clients than I can cope with and in less than a year my LinkedIn followers have gone from 1,600 to more than 10,000 with almost 500,000 reads of my posts. I, along with the vast majority of other members, have adopted a positive and professional approach to networking in respectfully using the platform. But I'm seeing a troubling trend within LinkedIn driven by spammers and sales people adopting annoying 'connect and sell' behaviors.

LinkedIn recently decided to embrace advertising and last week I received my first unsolicited InMail trying to sell me a Porsche... "Fortune favors the brave... who drive the 911 Carrera GTS".

The following day a dodgy LinkedIn member tried to invite me to receive a bucket-load of money from an unbelievable 'business opportunity' but I blocked him and reported the scam behavior to LinkedIn. I also regularly received other solicitations for services relating to lead generation and website optimization. All I need to complete the trifecta is a mail-order bride who will comes with a lifetime supply of Viagra funded by millions of dollars that her royal cousin in Nigeria is seeking to get out of of the country if I can just send a deposit of $20,000 along with my bank account details. Just as I was publishing this post I received this InMail and you can see my response under it.

LinkedIn should be the professional online network and the Facebookifation of LinkedIn is a real threat to the platform and company's future prosperity. What has LinkedIn learned from members being bombarded by recruitment consultants in phase one of the platforms success? How will they seek to moderate hyper-active sellers and marketers that are now emerging on the platform? Despite adjusting my account profile setting (see below) and being clear about the basis on which I am happy to engage, unwanted solicitations still get through. If you have not already done so, you should invest time in understanding and updating your LinkedIn profile settings to do what you can to reduce unwanted bombardment.

Facebook's biggest drawback is narcissistic trolls who bully, badger and blast members but the sales and marketing animals within LinkedIn could be the Achilles' heel of the social giant for business.

How will LinkedIn create a member culture of good mannered, high value networking and block the 'connect and sell' spamming?

Beyond anything that LinkedIn themselves do, it is us the members who can create the greatest value and drive a networked culture of professionalism and value. The rules of networking are the same in the physical world as online. You would never walk up to someone at a business event and say: "Hi, great to meet you – would you like to buy my service?" We know that good manners dictate that we first take an interest in the person to understand them. Trust must be earned as the first transaction in any relationship and it is destroyed by anyone who is disingenuous, pushy or manipulative.

LinkedIn is becoming the next Google for professionals and should be used as intended by the creators. It is a high value professional networking platform to connect people and ideas. Your brand is precious so don't damage it with clumsy selling activity in LinkedIn.

What are your rules for engaging in LinkedIn and what are the most bizarre encounters you have had on the platform?

P.S. This is what I did with Mr Omah Khan so that LinkedIn can eliminate him from the platform.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally posted in LinkedIn here where you can comment, like, share. Please follow my LinkedIn Blog for many more articles or visit my leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

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Take The Sales Professional's Oath

The world is changing faster than ever but leadership remains the X factor of sustained prosperity. The best leaders are visionary, competent and values-driven. They place people before profit and integrity before friendship. They are always on a mission to serve a cause greater than themselves and amidst all the fads and noise, leadership will remain a timeless touchstone for success.

As technology continues to accelerate at break-neck speed it will both threaten jobs and create opportunities. Distractions and gimmicks will abound but here’s what won't change in business – the importance of leading with high value relationships.

All commerce is done at the speed of trusted relationships.

Will 2016 be your break-out year as an entrepreneur, manager or leader? How will you leverage technology, networks and social platforms to accelerate your success and create greater value for your employer, shareholders and customers?

Things change for the better when we do.

Make this the year you embrace the law of reciprocity. Whether you subscribe to the principles of sowing and reaping, or believe in karma, or the reality that we attract what we radiate, or the golden rule of do unto others; it all boils down to one thing – YOU need to be a generous person of value and good will.

We must be worthy of the success we seek.

Every leader must sell their ideas along with they product, service or solution. Personally commit to The Sales Professional’s Oath here by hitting the like button. Then cut-n-paste the following and adapt to be your own affirmation; print it and stick it up on the wall at you desk. Read it every day – make it part of who you are.

The Sales Professional’s Oath

1. I am a loyal person of integrity and positive influence. I am values-driven and make a difference with a sense of purpose in all that I do. I lead by listening and serving others. I have an optimistic attitude and gossip has no place in my life. I do what is in the best interests of my client and my employer. I will do no harm – no lies, no half-truths, and no duplicity. I am transparent in my motives and values as I do what it takes to deliver for those I serve.
2. I open powerfully by not talking about myself. I positively challenge the status quo and believe in the value I offer. I am a subject-matter expert and problem solver, always diagnosing fully before prescribing solutions. I know exactly what a well qualified potential employer or customer looks like and I seek strong cultural alignment in choosing those with whom I work.
3. I always lead with ‘why?’ and I get to the point by starting at the end but with context before detail. I am concise yet connect emotion with logic and provide credible facts to support any assertion. I am masterful at telling relevant powerful true stories and only after the ‘why?’ is established, do I discuss the who, when, what and how. The last thing I discuss is my product, service or solution; or who we are and how we operate.
4. I talk the language of leadership – positive outcomes and managing risk. I talk the language of business – delivering financial results and KPIs. I talk the language of legacy –sustained change that makes a difference in the lives of customers and staff. I am positive yet conservative and I possess gravitas in how I operate – energetic yet never in a rush.
5. I treasure time and use it wisely, investing it rather than wasting it. I distinguish between the urgent and the important. I build quality relationships of trust, online and in the physical world. I research and prepare for meetings; especially with the insightful questions that I plan to ask.
6. I am always early, have an agenda and am fully there for people when I am with them. I actively listen, take notes and follow-up in writing. I document and validate the customer’s critical events, dates, timing, approval and procurement before forecasting.
7. I thoughtfully build my brand and network, embracing social platforms to be a positive contributor. I carefully choose those I follow and I happily promote others who I believe in. I share and collaborate well with others.
8. I am the best employee my boss has in the team – positive, reliable, and professional. I make things happen and deliver results but I also care about people. I always deliver on every promise, big or small. I am rock-solid reliable. I keep our systems up-to-date and I provide accurate and timely data so those above me can make informed decisions.
9. I am a life-long learner and I read a minimum of one hour every day from leaders online and one book a month to improve myself personally and professionally.
10. I pursue meaning and purpose rather than entertainment and happiness. But I never take myself too seriously and I have a well-honed positive sense of humor.

Could this be the year for you where personal leadership and professionalism becomes the hallmark of execution, internally and with customers? Be the change that your world needs. Great execution is more important than strategy. How will you execute the plays this year? How will you eliminate distractions and make a difference? How will you transform the way you lead? Here’s what I’ve learned about leadership over three decades.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and 'share' buttons bellow. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony's leadership blog at his keynote speaker website: www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo by Flickr: Norbert Posselt

Lose Fast and Win Slow

I was once part of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team conducting due diligence on a company and we were uncovering anomalies in their data. The owner who was seeking to sell his company jumped on the front foot: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you and if we can't progress quickly we'll start negotiating with the other party."  Our CEO just look at him calmly and said: "Opportunities are like trains... there will always be another one along shortly."

I learned a valuable lesson... never be desperate and whether you are a buyer or seller, always test the other side. It should always be done with intelligence and good manners. There is no shortage of opportunities, just limited hours in the day for us to invest our time wisely in preparing for success, building relationships and executing the right activities masterfully.

Sales managers need to encourage their sales people to make tough decisions in being productive. Qualifying out of a deal should be a smart decision, not the result of laziness. The decision will depend on the situation but the art of sales management is to stay positive in the way we lead and to instill the principles of 'non hunger' and ‘less is more’. Volume kills quality and it’s easy to be ‘the busy fool.’ The best way to create success is through careful targeting, senior engagement, strong qualification, and then out-investing the competition in deal pursuit. Make sure you know what a well qualified prospect looks like by profiling your very best customers.

"If you are going to lose, do it quickly and graciously. Don't allow a lost cause to drain your time, energy and resources"

The opportunity cost in failing to pursue winnable business is real because while you are being consumed by a distraction you are not investing where you should. It is therefore important to withdraw from a losing situation as early as possible because investing right up until the buyer's final shortlist and then coming second means you were the loser who incurred to most wasted investment of time and resources.

But how do you know if you cannot win a deal? Here is list of tell-tail signs:

• You were invited into the process late and they just want your price
• You are denied access to the decision-making power-base of people
• You are asked questions that highlight your comparative weaknesses
• You are not given adequate time to prepare a bid response or demo
• They won't share their business drivers or business case

Equip your sales people to engage in intelligent conversations at senior levels and then establish value and differentiation; or qualify out. As a sales manager; be an encourager, coach and strategist… get out of weeds of spreadsheets and CRM reporting. Instead challenge your sales people to be their very best and challenge your boss to let you invest more time in the field to mentor and coach in driving excellence in execution.

"If you know you can win, take your time to do proper research, planning and resource management. Invest more than any other competitor to differentiate yourself in how you understand the customer and sell"

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo by: Flickr: Tim Norris ...and in last place

Luddite To Leader – My Social Epiphany

200 years ago, English textile workers chose to actively resist the industrial revolution that was threatening to take their jobs. They decided not to embrace the disruptive technology of the day – no steam engines for them or mechanized mills and factories. An honest day of manual work supported by the horse had served them well for millennia. Human sweat was an eternal pillar of value creation in society.

They were passionate about their cause and took up arms, even assassinating mill owners. Amazingly, at one point in time there were more British soldiers fighting the Luddites within the UK than there were British redcoats fighting Napoleon. A 'Luddite' is defined today as someone who seeks to resist technology and throughout history there have been recalcitrants. When the phone was invented, religious leaders opposed it because it would encourage dishonesty and fraud. "If you can't look someone in the eye when you're talking to them, how can you trust what they are saying?"

Beyond those who resist are the people who underestimate the power of what's really happening. In 1943, Thomas Watson, President of IBM boldly stated: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." In 1977, Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, said: "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Industry experts are often wrong andpeople enjoying current success often foolishly ignore the trends that make them irrelevant.

I've lived through the pioneering era of mobile computing, ERP, CRM and cloud computing. They all crossed the chasm and right now social selling is making the crossing. Mike Derezin from LinkedIn states the case masterfully in the video below. It makes for compelling viewing and here is my challenge to you: Don't be a late adopter when it is all about catch-up without any commercial advantage. Right now is the perfect time to invest your time in understanding the power of moving away from the paradigm of 'interrupt and push' to instead 'attract and engage' where your customers are... in social.

I'm 53 and my own journey is testimony to the fact the those with grey hair and wisdom can become hyper productive and relevant in a Millennial ADD world. Almost exactly twelve months ago I was challenged to embrace social by a client I was mentoring in the USA. She convinced me to move from Luddite to leader by embracing social platforms. I turned my excuses into the very reasons for embracing the power of LinkedIn, Twitter and content publishing. It's been transformative for me and here are some reasons you should embrace it too.

Psy [in main photo] was a middle-aged oddity who went Gangnam-style busters because of YouTube and social media

Social selling matters because we live in the age of massively empowered buyers. Our customers can research and commoditise what we offer with just a few clicks. They can assess our assertions of value and then introduce competitors with ease. Sellers therefore need a framework for attracting customers through strong personal and corporate brands. But it’s not about spamming, pushing or annoying anyone. Those who narcissistically drone or aggressively sell are unfollowed and disconnected as quick as a click. Connecting to someone new and then immediately seeking to sell is a serious mistake. I define strategic social selling for business-to-business (B2B) as follows:

Social Selling is the strategy and process of building quality networks online that attract clients and accelerate the speed of business, and achieved with a strong personal brand and engagement through social listening, social publishing, social research, social engagement, and social collaboration.

In my definition, technology is merely an enabler but can be leveraged to create truly incredible results with the right strategies. Obviously, social initiatives are supported by the use of technology and social platforms but it’s really all about human connection and interaction to provide real value through insight or assistance with relevant content and conversations.

Social platforms, especially Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google have driven the era of personal brands and a new reality of transparency. The days of being able to project a manufactured persona are gone… people can quickly uncover the reality of who you are, how you operate, how well you’re connected, and the value you offer… all before you ever get to say a single word on the phone or face-to-face. Social proximity is a real factor that enhances or undermines potential connection, often without the seller ever discovering how their network (or lack thereof) helped or hindered their efforts.

Your social strategy will depend on what you’re seeking to achieve and where your market is but don't fall into the trap of becoming busy in social without having a strategy for both connection and content. For example, think about the reasons for posting in LinkedIn Publisher or creating Facebook pages. Are you seeking to attract and build an audience platform? Are you wanting to evidence your credentials? Are you wanting to provide insights and credibility to support your new business meeting requests? Are you wanting to proactively deal with potential objections you could encounter? Are you seeking to associate yourself with admired brands and thought leaders? Are you perhaps chipping away at commonly held myths about your disruptive solution set to cause a sea change? 

Social selling is a strategy, not a set of technologies. Most importantly, you need to know exactly who your target audience is and what insight or value you can provide before they would be interested in what you sell. Once you know what you’re seeking to achieve and have defined goals and metrics, then you can design your strategy and action plan to cascade down to the individual elements.

But more than all of this, moving from Luddite to Leader means being relevant in serving you customers and employer. You deliberately choose to give your intellectual property (IP) away and to adopt a 'pay it forward' approach to helping others. You reject the concept of trading favors and instead become a person of transparent goodwill. Leadership is about courageous service.

Once you are a person worthy of the success you seek, you then need a vehicle or platform on which to build your following. You need technologies that increase your reach and sphere of influence. Social is that platform today.

It is inevitable that all business people will embrace social and focus on building strong personal brands. so don't be late in having your epiphany; embrace social now. The very books I can recommend for you to read are The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott, and Platform by Michael Hyatt.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo by: Flickr: Eva Rinaldi - Psy

Finding The Change Agent Within Your Customer

Business-to-business selling is getting tougher because customer organizations are becoming more dysfunctional. The over supply of information and the rise of consensus based decision-making means that the biggest competitor in most sales opportunities is 'do nothing' / apathy or the status quo.

In a CSO Insights report published in 2012, on average, 80% of qualified opportunities in a company's CRM system are lost. yet surprisingly, one-third of those lost deals do not go to a competitor; the potential customer fails to buy anything at all.

The most important book of 2015 is The Challenger Customer because it provides genuine insights into customer chaos and provides a framework for finding the change agent (or 'Mobilizer' as coined in The Challenger Sale book back in 2012) to work with to sell and implement solutions.

Traditional wisdom has been for sales people to hunt down the influencers, recommenders and decision makers to tailor their value pitch based on role and agenda. But increasingly this just does not work because of organizational politics, competing agendas and misaligned priorities. The illustration below is from the The Challenger Customer book and highlights the problem of decision commitment (to buy anything at all) as you add more and more people to the evaluation, selection and procurement process.

But the problem is even worse than it look because instead of dealing with more that 5 people with the power to say yes or no we are increasingly dealing with 5groups of people! These groups include evaluation committees, project boards, steering committees, and not to mention the standard buyer personas of economic, user, technical, financial and line of business leaders.

The cost of sale in targeting enterprise and government is going up at the same time that savvy buyers are commoditizing the seller's offering to drive prices and margins down. Qualifying an opportunity properly has never been more important and it is a giant mistake to pursue business you cannot win. Here is my framework for winning large complex opportunities.

“The RSVPselling methodology was instrumental in us winning a contract in excess of $100 million and the framework provides clarity amidst the complexity of pursuing large enterprise opportunities.” 
Kevin Griffen, Managing Director, Orange Business Services

You can run this process on the back of a napkin in a coffee shop or on a white board in a meeting room. It was recently integrated into Sugar CRM. It's an efficient and effective framework for strategy and execution as you simply keep asking questions in the four RSVP areas to relentlessly focus on what's important.

R)elationships: Do we have the right relationships? Followed by: Are we selling at the right level? Do they have genuine political and economic power? Do our relationships provide differentiating intelligence, insight and genuine influence?

S)trategy: Do we have an effective strategy for managing relationships and competitive threats? Followed by: Do we understand the power-base and have we identified the competition (external and internal including the risk of them doing nothing)? What's our strategy for winning while engineering a positive bias in the customer's requirements toward us?

V)alue: Are we leading with insight and uniquely creating compelling business value in the eyes of the customer? Followed by: Why will they buy anything at all and is there a risk of the status quo prevailing? How are we differentiating and evidencing our credentials as lowest risk and best value?

P)rocess: Are we aligned and do we truly understand the customer’s process for evaluation, selection, approval and procurement? Followed by: Do we understand how they define and assess risk with suppliers and solutions? Do we have a close plan validated by the customer?

Excellence in execution underpins the four RSVP elements with pragmatic tools for qualifying, closing and understanding the players in the buyer organization. RSVPselling™ also incorporates concepts such as the Value Quadrant for Professional Sales Agents© and The New ROI©

The most important element in all of this is to find the puppet-master, the orchestrator of change, the pinnacle of the power base. We must have a strong personal relationship with the person who can successfully drive change within the customer organization. Doing this is the foundation of strategic selling. Be very wary of investing in a long sales cycle if you are denied access to power.

How do you find this person, or group of people? You need research and be a master of search using LinkedIn combined with old school detective skills.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr: McConnell Center 2015-9-28 Craig DeLancey on Science Fiction and Politics

The Killer Ninja Skill Of Stealthy Research

Sales people have to be good at many things if they are to be successful. They need to be evangelists, counselors, engineers, teachers, politicians, project managers, lawyers, leaders and servants. Yet amidst all these attributes there is one skill that defines a star performer... their ability to conduct stealthy research to identify and then engage the power-base within an organization. There is no value in being able to lead with insight if you are talking with the wrong people.

If you are in business-to-business selling, then LinkedIn is the most powerful database and engagement tool in your arsenal. You know that your potential customers judge you based on the insights you bring and the questions you ask; but before you get to ask your prospect any questions you must first ask the right questions within iterative and Boolean search. This is because research and search are synonymous in achieving results by finding and connecting with the right people.

When it comes to being a master of search there is no-one better than a savvy recruitment consultant and the video below is by Glen Cathey, author of the Boolean Black Belt blog. Strap yourself in and take notes as there is much to learn in how to use LinkedIn's Advanced Search and Saved Searches.

LinkedIn's Advance Search is powerful for those who are adept but which version of LinkedIn do you need to be able achieve your sales goals? Those on the free edition of LinkedIn are subject to commercial use limits which restrict searches and profile views for prospecting or recruiting. But even the free version allows users to view the full names and profiles of anyone in their extended network (1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree) regardless of whether they are directly connected or have a Premium account.

Usage limits for search on the free edition are triggered when LinkedIn's algorithm deems that someone is using LinkedIn for commercial use such as recruiting activities or prospecting. This limit is calculated based search activity since the first day of each calendar month.

When 30% of your monthly searches are left, a progress bar appears in your search results and continues to remind you of how you are tracking against your allowance. You can still use search within LinkedIn even once your limit is reached but you see only a limited number of results. Your limit resets at the beginning of each month. The limit does not however affect searching 1st degree connections.

The overall value proposition in paying for LinkedIn Premium, Business Plus and Sales Navigator is therefore in having larger access to the 380 million members and greater search capabilities. Although LinkedIn Premium subscriptions are designed primarily for job hunters and networking purposes, the search capabilities work well for sellers. LinkedIn Premium licenses do not offer relationship management and have limited features which is why Sales navigator is best for sales people.

Sales Navigator Team is specifically designed for enterprise teams connecting the world's buyers and sellers. Navigator offers the sales and marketing professional a business planning solution including: expanded access to the network, saved leads and accounts, saved searches, unlimited premium filters, monthly bank of InMails and network unlocks. Importantly, the enterprise (employer) maintains ownership of all user licenses and receives usage reporting plus access to LinkedIn consultants and the learning center.

But regardless of the version of LinkedIn you're using, free or a paid, search can transform the way you do social research to target prospects, monitor for trigger events and sell in the most efficient way possible.

Adam Nash from LinkedIn provides great tips here on using Advanced Search with AND / OR Boolean search terms. The cheat sheet below from LinkedIn themselves is also a great resource.

What are your techniques for being a social selling ninja? How do you use search masterfully? Let me know by making a comment.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr: Ricky Romero Ninja!

Compensation Plans Don't Manage Performance

There is a misconception that sales people are 'coin operated' and that paying commission or bonuses creates motivation. Many managers wrongly behave as if a sales compensation plan is a substitute for managing the inputs that actually create the success that the compensation plan is designed to reward.

Financial incentives or sales targets do not equate to 'performance management'. There are many examples of financial incentives actually driving poor behavior that creates massive damage to the corporation's brand and balance sheet

Money is the reward, not the reason for giving everything in a cause to create success. All lasting and worthwhile motivation comes from within. Dan Pink summarizes the research that proves and this video makes for compelling viewing... watch it now and let me know what you think by commenting at the bottom of this article.

Managers today are spread thinner than at any other time in history and any external pressure they apply evaporates the moment they walk away from those they seek to direct. Sustainable team performance instead comes from great leadership and healthy culture. Counter-intuitively, people actually lock-in to generosity rather than greed and Enron versus Herschend Family Entertainment (HFE) is a powerful case study.

Trust between management and staff needs to go both ways. Alignment in both purpose and values is the foundation on which performance can be effectively managed. Personality matching is not the same as cultural fit and the worst mistake a manager can make is to hire the wrong person. Hire based on cultural fit even though it is the toughest thing to get right when hiring sales people, then focus on managing by inputs rather than by results.

Performance management is not about the rewards, it's about the why, what, how and when of execution

Without doubt, the best book written on sales management in the last ten years is Cracking The Sales Management Code by Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana. The book details a framework for leadership by coaching and managing activities that deliver against objectives which are measured with KPIs (Key performance Indicators), which in turn creates business results that are rewarded through a well conceived compensation plan. Jason and Michelle make some important points:

• You cannot manage results, only people and activities. In my opinion we must therefore provide clarity of task and context for emotional connection to what is being pursued as an outcome.
• You cannot manage what you don't measure BUT you cannot manage everything you measure. Amazing, according toCracking The Sales Management Code, 83% of what is measured (typically in CRM systems) cannot be managed at all.

You cannot manage revenue in a CRM and compensation plans are no substitute for leading a team and managing the inputs that create success. Professional selling is changing at a terrifying rate and up to one-third of sales roles will be gone within five to ten years. To succeed today we need to drive human-to-human (H2H) engagement with outstanding customer experience that is power by, not replaced with, technology.

Compensation plans don't attract and retain the best talent; great manager's do. Those with vision, mission and values that connect their team to a worthwhile cause and where they have a positive and connected culture

Vision, mission and values have always been important because they create the 'why' in what we pursue. The who, what, how and when are the detail:

• Vision for our aspirational place in the world and markets within which we operate.
• Mission for the difference we want to make in the lives of others – our purpose and cause.
• Values for how we operate – the behaviors we expect from everyone in our team.

Take the time to design incentives that motivate as well as reward. Dan Pink's video at the top of this article is thought provoking.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr: ffaalumni - Business man shows success abstract flow chart

The Future of Workplace Culture Is Collaborative Innovation

Claire Madden is a unique Gen Y/ Millennial. She speaks to thousands and presented at a TedX event in September 2015 answering an important question: What is the future of work and how do we create a culture of collaboration and innovation?

Claire believes that we are living through a rare period in history where massive demographic and social shifts are combining with huge technological advances that will change society dramatically. Such is the speed, scale and scope of change that within just a a few decades the workplace will be forever different.

I've written about the employment apocalypse where up to one-third of sales roles will disappear within the next five to ten years. The machine age and artificial intelligence will have monumental consequences but Claire adds another dimension that is important to understand for all leaders. We will always live in a human-to-human (H2H) world regardless of technological disruption but the workplace of the future will be transformed from what we know today.

Here are Claire's insights and some staggering facts that every leader needs to be aware of. The rest here is from Claire and her TedX video is at the end... it is compelling viewing.

Generation Z, today’s school and university students, are projected to have an estimated 17 jobs across 5 careers in their lifetime – and many will be working in jobs and sectors which don’t even exist yet. There are overarching demographic and social trends which are going to influence the workplace of the future – population, participation and productivity.

Population. Many nations are on the brink of massive aging with an acceleration in the percentage of population over 65. Baby Boomers, born 1946-1964, make up 25% of today’s workforce and are reaching retirement. They will make up just 8% of the workforce by 2025. We have six generations in our society today, and the workplace is undergoing significant intergenerational transition with Gen Y and Gen Z set to comprise over 3 in 5 workers in the next decade.

Participation. Female participation in the workforce has been increasing and will continue to in the years ahead. We will also be working later in life, with the retirement age being pushed back. However, due to the impact of our aging population, the overall participation rate of people aged 15-64 will decline in the years ahead from 65.1% today to 62.4% in 2055. The impact of this aging population is reflected in the ratio of workers to retirees in our nation. In 1975, there were 15 people of working age (aged 15-64) for every couple of retirement age (aged 65+).  Today there are just 9 people of working age for every couple of retirement age, and by 2055 it is projected to be just 5.4 people of traditional working age for every couple of retirement age. 

Productivity. With the declining workforce ratio, there is going to be greater demands for productivity from our labor force. The need to do more with less to support an ever increasing aging population. Productivity and output has been increasing - the Intergenerational Report outlines that for every hour an Australian works today, twice as many goods and services are produced as they were in the early 1970s. A key contributor to this has been technology which has enabled greater efficiencies.

 The intersection of technology, innovation & collaboration.Productivity will be maximized not only by the effective utilization of technology, but by organizations and people who can innovate, and communities that collaborate. From the accommodation sector being transformed by AirBnB, to transport by Uber, and higher education through MOOCs, it is the intersection of these three factors – technology, innovation and collaboration – which are transforming sectors. Effective organizations, brands and workplaces of the future will understand the opportunity of leveraging technologies, fostering innovation and embracing collaboration.

Collaborative Leadership. Traditional leadership models have been based on position, hierarchy, command and control.  Whilst leadership remains essential, the styles of leadership the emerging generations respond best to are those that foster a context for them to connect, create and contribute. Effective leaders of the future be those who can effectively create a culture of collaborative innovation. 

A culture of collaborative innovation. A culture of collaborative innovation requires focusing on the people not just the process. On shaping a team not just spending on technologies. It requires building on a foundation of shared values such as humility, respect and honesty. 

Productivity and outcomes will continue to be high priorities in the workplace of the future. However as leaders and managers can shift their focus from just process to developing people, from transactional to transformation leadership, and create vibrant, healthy, dynamic workplace communities – the productivity, innovation and output will be generated as people thrive in a culture of collaborative innovation.

Claire Madden is a social researcher and works with McCrindle Research as Director of Research. She is internationally recognized and masterfully bridges the gap between emerging generations and the business leaders and educators of today. She is a next-gen expert, fluent in the social media, youth culture, and engagement styles of these global generations. Most importantly Claire is a trusted friend who I highly recommend if you are seeking a speaker for your company event or conference.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

How To Outperform Your Competition In Sales

According to Lauren Mullenholz who spoke on October 8, 2015 at the LinkedIn Sales Connect conference in Las Vegas, those with SSI (Social Selling Index) scores above 70 achieve 200% more meetings, opportunities and new clients compared with their peers. Who wouldn't want to outperform their fellow sales people and competitors by 200%? Lauren's video is at the end of this post and includes a case study explaining how Microsoft is modernizing the way they sell with LinkedIn. The screenshots below are from the video.

The average SSI score within LinkedIn globally has gone from 21 to 28 in the last 12 months with North America and Australia leading the world with an average just over 30. But it's lonely at the top... achieving an individual SSI score of 70 or above places you in the top 1.4% of LinkedIn members. Click here forhow to create a strong personal brand in social with LinkedIn.

I've personally achieved a SSI score of 90 and the business results have staggered me. If you're serious about modernizing and improving the way you sell, thenknow the business case for social selling and create your own specific strategy. You can download a free white paper I've written defining 'strategic social selling' here (no form to complete).

I encourage all of my clients to embrace LinkedIn's SSI scores as the new KPI. My framework above is not dissimilar to the following four elements of LinkedIn's approach which drives the SSI score algorithm:

1. Create a strong personal brand to attract buyers and evidence your relevance and credibility
2. Find the right people within your network and identify who can assist with warm introductions and research
3. Engage at the right level with insights that set the the agenda and influence the buyer's priorities, business case and procurement process
4. Build relationships of trust and value

Many companies around the world are modernizing the way they sell by embracing social selling. The illustration below shows the results that Microsoft are achieving in three distinct areas: Enterprise partners / resellers, direct corporate sales and direct sales into the government sector. Watch the video at he bottom of this post to hear their story and how they are achieving these results.

Lauren's LinkedIn video below also features Phil and Brian from Microsoft with their case study. It's ideal to use during a 'lunch and learn' session with key executives inside your own organization. Introduce it by asking: "Could this be the way to modernize the way we sell?"

If you would like to see your own SSI score and understand how SSI scores are created, read this blog post.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr

LinkedIn Publisher Awards – The Winners Are ...

The biggest and most powerful publishing platform on the planet is LinkedIn Publisher. Initially it was available only for those deemed to be 'Influencers' such as Obama and Branson but then they generously opened it up to mere mortals with a selected few also invited to be LinkedIn AUTHORS.

Publisher is the platform on which you're reading this (Pulse is the name given to the channels they've created to stream content) and the stats are staggering. There are more than 1 million unique writers publishing over 130,000 posts per week achieving unrivaled reach and engagement with over 380 million members all around the world with 2 new people joining per second. Almost half of the people publishing in LinkedIn are in the upper ranks of their industries (senior managers, VPs, CEOs, etc.) yet those publishing posts equate to less than one-third of just 1% of LinkedIn members! It's staggering that in the age of personal branding, more than 99.5% of LinkedIn members fail to take advantage of a game-changing feature enabling them to show insight and relevance in their areas of expertise.

Publishing enables you to attract and engage while demonstrating insight and relevance for your target market

Just 10 months ago, I decided to stop blogging on my website and go all-in here in LinkedIn. It was part of a deliberate strategy I formed to go and be where my market is to create audience as an author and speaker. I took this action after reading David Meerman Scott's book, The New Rules of marketing and PR and the results in just 10 months have been staggering: Ive grown my blog followers from 1,600 to nearly 10,000 and with well over 450,000 reads and huge engagement with likes, shares and comments. Note the statistics in the sample of 6 posts below.

I've published more than 250 original content posts here in LinkedIn and theresults have included being recognized as the #1 sales influencer in Asia-Pacific and one of top 100 B2B social media users globally. I've received invitations from magazines and blog sites to write for them and an approach from a New York publishing house for a book deal. I've invoiced substantial new business in speaking and consulting from sales conversations that ask; "Are you available and how much do your charge?" instead of me having to chase anyone or establish my credentials.

Publishing in LinkedIn is transformative and their generosity in providing the platform for free is changing the human engagement in the business world in ways we do not fully comprehend. It's time from LinkedIn to showcase the best and brightest who use their platform as it is intended; not as a narcissistic blasting platform for spamming or selling but for high quality community engagement where valued relationships are built, ideas are shared and value is created.

I write for Top Sales Magazine and they recently published their list of the Top 50 blogs but not one of these was on LinkedIn. The 15th annual weblog awards (The Bloggies) were conducted earlier this year and they are also yet to recognize anyone on the biggest and best platform on the planet which is LinkedIn Publisher with Pulse streaming content through its channels. Here is my question for the leaders at LinkedIn.

When is LinkedIn hosting the inaugural Publisher Awards and what will be the categories?

What's your opinion about LinkedIn Publisher as a blogging platform and Pulse as a publishing channel catering to special interests? What do you think the award categories should be? Share this article as an Update and Tweet this link to LinkedIn executives to get the ball rolling.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow theaward winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr

3 Personas Needed To Pioneer New Markets

The reward for most pioneers is hardship and death – often from hostile conditions or ferocious incumbent natives. The settlers who come later are the ones who tend to prosper. And here is the quandary today... we want to implement disruptive market strategies to find blue ocean to redefine customer value but what's the realty of execution and how can we succeed?

Forgive the religious metaphor but there are three types of people that are needed to pioneer new solutions and markets: evangelists, missionaries and disciples. Or put another way...

"To pioneer new markets we must be able to convert people's thinking, enable them successfully in doing things a better way with us, and then create passionate advocates who support us."

The most important ingredient throughout all phases of building new markets is passionate belief. Here is my own definition of Re·la·tion·ship Sell·ing: Building relationships of genuine rapport and trust for a buying decision in the best interests of all concerned. The sale is achieved through the transference of belief and the delivery of tangible value supported logically with facts and evidence.

This scene from the movie Walk The Line highlights the point brilliantly (and it is a true representation of what actually happen with Johnny Cash during his recording audition. He was selling his happy gospel music but his audience did not believe him. He pivots to something dark but from the heart... his belief in what he was doing was irresistible. Every entrepreneur and sales person needs to be a true believer and then have the courage to share their message.

Steve Jobs, Bono and Richard Branson are examples of leading commercial evangelists. They passionately set a vision and bring people along with them (Steve Jobs past tense). But once you've converted people you need to be an educator and role model to help people become successful with your new approach. Customer churn / loss is the direct result of failing in this phase. It's true that a sale is only a sales when their money is in your bank account but a customer only becomes a customer only when they are realizing the benefits of your product, service or solution.

Are you your own best customer? If not, how can you possibly ask others to invest in what you're selling?

We must be expert in applying what we sell and authentic in the solutions we offer. Steve Balmer reportedly took an intense dislike to anyone at Microsoft who used Android or Apple products. He was passionate about his own products and this video is proof....

Once you've converted customers and helped them become successful, you then need to establish them as advocates who will help you convert others. Be committed to post implementation reviews and accountable for benefits realization. Ask whether the promises you made during the evangelism / sales phase where delivered at the end of the day. Follow-up for a case study. Be there for the customer when there are problems.

Customer Experience is the most powerful form of competitive differentiation so measure NPS (customer satisfaction and advocacy) scores, the number of reference customers and published case studies. The smartest sellers have their customers as their sales force. Monitor social and become an obsessed listener monitoring sentiment, complaints and opportunities.

Modern selling is about creating an agenda of insight and value while utilizing technology to create leverage and reach. We can transparently build trust online to support our efforts, and we can intelligently transform the way we sell.

Be a passionate true believer in the value you offer. Be committed to the success of your customers and help them to become your followers and advocates.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Joel Phillips.

How To Create Your Personal Brand

Before you embark down the path of 'social selling' you must first stop using LinkedIn as your online CV and instead create a strong personal brand as the foundation upon which you will attract and engage a credible network and prospective clients.

This is important because 75% of buyers use social media to research sellers before engaging (Source: IDC) and 74% of buyers choose the seller who first provides insight and value (Source: Corporate Visions). It begs the question: What do people see when they find you online? Do they see a transactional pushy sales person with a profile designed to secure their next sales role or do they see a warm professional person offering insight and value?

No-one wants to be sold to but we all value assistance in making the right buying decision – we want to manage our risk and ensure best value.  Here are the essential things you need to do with your LinkedIn profile to cover the foundation of creating a credible personal brand to enable social engagement:

1. Disable notifications to your network when changing your profile (account / privacy and settings/ turn off your activity broadcasts). This is important because you will be making lots of changes and you don't want to be bombarding your network as your change and refine your profile.
2. Ensure your photo is a friendly close-up head and shoulders shot. It needs to be in focus and well lit (without a bright background). Note that my profile photo has been updated compared with the screenshot a few points below. I moved from 'professional power' to professionally friendly.
3. Instead of your title and company, have a headline under your name that describes what you do for customers. What's the difference you make for clients?
4. Have a Summary panel that describes the business value you deliver and the values by which you operate. Write it in the first person and don't be too over the top. This helps to create trust and set the agenda even before a single word has been spoken or an e-mail exchanged.
5. Complete your contact details and personalize/shorten your LinkedIn profile link (the URL that takes people to your profile). This link should be included in your e-mail signature.
6. Encourage people to both endorse and recommend you for skills that matter to potential clients rather than employers.
7. Move your employment history to the bottom of the LinkedIn page (panels can be dragged up and down when you hover over them).
8. Create three Publisher posts as this fills the panel in your LinkedIn profile as per the illustration below (again note how I've changed my photo).

Aim for 600 to 900 words in your posts (that's just over one page in Word) and here are three topic categories to stimulate your writing:

• Proactive objection killers.  List the common objections you recieve and then adopt the positive counter position. As an example, this post helps set the agenda for a recruitment consultant about why the customer needs to meet with them and take the time to define and explore 'cultural fit'.
• Insights that hook interest. What are your potential customers concerned about in the areas of risk, commoditization or disruption? This post talks about disruption and the need to have the right culture internally to remain relevant even if you dominate a market.
• Something topical that leverages current events. I published this post within 30 minutes of Harrison Ford's plane crash hitting the news.

Once you build this foundation you're ready to identify the thought leaders (as regarded by your target market) who you will begin to follow in LinkedIn and Twitter to connect with to ‘curate’ their content and share with your network. You can begin to be a "forager for the tribe", as Michael Hyatt describes it, to be a content hub for relevant quality information about a topic domain or industry. You then have a reason why people should connect with you because you provide insight and value relevant to those in your network.

By changing your LinkedIn profile to be a personal branding microsite, you enhance the way you sell but with no downside for future career change with potential employers.

Personal brand reputation has always been important and even before the internet it was possible for it to be trashed. This very funny Budlight advertisement highlights how Jim Scott's social profile was destroyed. It's so much easier for brand damage today in the era of mobility and social media.

Seriously, think very carefully about what you post in Facebook even if you do regard it as a social platform for your personal life separate to LinkedIn for business. It's all one big discoverable pot for those who want to see past the persona you've carefully created.

Does your LinkedIn profile show why people should invest their time, energy and personal credibility connecting with you?

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

How To Snatch Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory

True story. One of the people I coach was recently in a meeting with their reseller and the room was filled with all the stakeholders and decision-makers for a huge enterprise opportunity they had been working with a large government department for 15 months. Toward the end of the meeting the CIO (who owns the budget and signs-off on a purchasing decision) asked; "How long will it take to stand this up for us?" The channel partner sales person didn't miss a beat and jumped-in; "That's an interesting question... the really good thing about what we're offering here is ..." He went on to talk about the joys and wonders of the features they were offering. I kid you not – it really happened.

The best response would have been to ask; "When do you need to have it up and running?" Then follow-up a little later with; "Why is that date important and what happens if it's missed for some reason?"

We need to really listen rather than simply wait for our next opportunity to speak. So many sales people are not really engaged in listening and instead focus on projecting their message or pitch.  No matter what the situation – counseling, resolving conflict, interviewing, consulting or selling – we need to lead by being fully immersed in the conversation and ask insightful open questions. It's always a mistake to use clumsy outdated questioning techniques to attempt manipulation. Transparent sincerity and a genuine interest in the other person is the best way to build trust and positive influence.

So, how do sales people manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after they've done so much good work to develop an opportunity and establish value? 

A lack of situational awareness causes failure in business and other areas of life. Here are other things that sales people must avoid:

• Being distracted and failing to be fully there. A sure-fire turn-off for anyone you are seeking to influence.
• Acting without first thinking. Every action can have unintended consequences and all tactics should be executed within a well conceived strategy.
• Failing to plan a meeting or leaving without creating progression. You're not a professional visitor; instead you need to be an engineer of value, process and tangible business outcomes.
• Failing to understand the customer's internal processes for evaluation, selection and procurement process. What date matters to them and why is it important? What's their process and who needs to approve?
• Introducing unnecessary new information or people. Beware your chest beating boss who wants you to take them out there to close the deal.
• Allowing lawyers to hijack the process. Lawyers need to be instructed rather than be allowed to engage in esoteric ego-fests. Especially beware external lawyers who make more money the longer it takes and the more complex it becomes

Join the conversation... what are some other common pitfalls you've seen? Let me know by commenting within this post and I'll add them to the list.

In line with the shark theme here... did you know that more people died this year from selfie mishaps (taking daring pictures of themselves in precarious situations) that by shark attack? This summer has been a record for shark attacks here in Australia where we breed them to be very big. I'm a wakeboarder and every time I jump in the water here in Sydney I have flash-backs of the movie Jaws which I saw as a young teenager at the movies. The video below is breathtaking... this real shark is bigger than the one in the movie Jaws.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

Cultural Fit Is Not About Personality Matching

The biggest risk in hiring someone into a team resides in whether they're the right 'cultural fit'. This is because skills, qualifications and past performance are easily identified but assessing experience, values and attitudes is far more difficult. It's the less obvious factors that differentiate and determine greatness in any role or career – the things that come out under pressure or temptation.

"Many people who claim to have 10 years experience have 2 years repeated 5 times"

Experience and wisdom can be uncovered with the right interviewing techniques and there are many different profiling tools to identify personality. Here is a comparison of the most common personality descriptors. Hippocrates was first to identify the four basic types of personality in 400BC and his ancient terms of Sanguine, Choleric, Melancholy and Phlegmatic are mapped in the illustration below. I've highlightedDr Tony Alessandra's terms in bold because I think they are the most intuitive for business people. Florence Littauer also mapped Hippocrates' terms and correlated them to the bracketed descriptors above each column which also helps to paint the picture.

Over three decades in selling and leading teams and companies, I've formed the strong view that Drivers are best for business development with Amiables to be avoided because they have a personality / operating style averse to creating any positive tension in a relationship or conversation. Matt Dixon and Brent Adamson found through their Corporate Executive Board (CEB) research that 'Relationship Builders' are least able to execute the Challenger method due to their amiable ways.

Success in business-to-business selling today demands that we lead with insight and a willingness to be positively provocative in creating value. We need to be the signal amidst the noise for customers who are seeking to be saved from the destructive forces of commoditization and disruption.

But in seeking Driver personalities for business development we then become vulnerable to the negative side ofLone Wolf Hunter Warriors who can have negative secondary 'look at me, look at me' Expressive traits or manipulative Analytic characteristics. Yes, every personality trait has both negative and positive sides and my table below provides a summary.

"But personality traits do not equate to values alignment or cultural fit"

I've learned that personality is only one part of what determines success... intelligence, values, beliefs and attitudes are far more important. I've written about Leadership Secrets From The Inside and here is the illustration used in the post. You can see that personality is only one part of the equation.

Here is my main point. When we hire people or become involved with others in business it's very easy to be lured by the facade or stand-out factors. We must take the tome and effort to go deeper.  Psychometric testing identifies intelligence and personality type, and the better tools add operating style (which provides clues about values). We can test for skills and knowledge and we can validate track record. But in focusing on these things we fall into a horrible trap.

"We tend to hire based on skills, qualifications and experience, yet we fire based on poor cultural fit"

The biggest mistake a manager can make is to hire the wrong person because they consume huge amounts of time and energy while damaging your personal brand. It's not easy to find the real person behind the facade and it requires more time and energy to get to the truth... but hire based on their values, attitudes and work ethic. Yes we need intelligent people but they must also be committed to continuous unlearning and relearning. They must believe that their value in the workplace comes from the results they deliver and the positive difference they make through attitude and effort.

Whether they be employees or partners, we need values alignment with people with whom we share our cause. This does not mean that we surround ourselves with mini version of ourselves. The best leaders value diversity and surround themselves with those who bring a different perspective and positively challenge to ensure the team is not blind-sided.

Next time you are considering a new hire or a potential partnership in business... dare I say next time you're qualifying a prospective customer; ask yourself whether they share your values. You first need to clearly define your own values which are the behaviors you exhibit and the way you operate. It will make a world of difference in building the right team internally and externally and protect you from failure.

"Don't confuse personality matching with cultural alignment and remember that just one person in your team with poor values can destroy your personal reputation and corporate brand."

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

World's Most Epic Failure Lesson In Disruption

Imagine you're the world's number one in your category and you've been in business for more than 100 years. You have 85% of the hardware market and 90% of the consumables market... yes, you even provide consumables for your competitors products. You are the giant of your industry, able to squash competitors with your monolithic brand, ubiquitous market presence and multi-billion dollar balance sheet. Then you invent the very technology that will disrupt your own industry, creating the next wave of domination and mega-growth... but you sit on it fearing that you will cannibalize your own lucrative legacy business. For another twelve months you continue to enjoy a continuation of your century old growth curve. The next year's revenues and profits will be the historical peak... record profits and share price... then a decline into oblivion.

"Your unwillingness to disrupt yourself is driven by fear and an addiction to cash-cow revenues... it kills you."

This is the true story of Kodak who invented the digital camera. But Kodak is not an isolated event – history repeats. The Swiss invented the digital watch and also ignored it for fear of hurting traditional watch sales. Apple and IBM are examples ofthose who resurrected themselves by reinventing their brand, transforming their culture and the value they offer their markets. Virgin cleverly defines value in its brand personality. There are many examples of disruption and most are enabled by technology and the blurring of economic and market boundaries. Examples include iTunes and the music industry, eBooks and publishing. The brutal and relentless forces of commoditization and distruption can come from many fronts:

• Technology advances (cloud, social, mobility, robotics, A.I, etc.)
• Economic downturns (the GFC or individual bubbles that burst)
• Regulatory changes (Uber is re-defining the taxi industry)
• Political upheaval (tariffs and protectionism can be dismantled)
• Scandals (VW diesel-gate is an example)
• Low cost labor markets can now 'virtually' cross borders
• Environmental issues (floods, wars, fear and uncertainty)

The video below was produced recently by the Australian Radio Network as the opening for their 2015 annual customer conference where they invest in their clients to help them transform their businesses. It provides three short examples of disruption and how businesses can either adapt and prosper or fail to act and die. The Lego example is inspiring... the others salient.

The very best leaders head commoditization off at the pass by choosing to disrupt themselves before anyone else does. They commit to being agile and innovative. They form disruptive teams than run scenarios and propose bold ideas because past prosperity or market dominance does not assure future success. Our ability to creatively innovate for both value and customer experience is what creates a positive future.

"Our obsession must be about our customers to provide best value and best engagement experience. The way we operate is more important than what we sell"

How will you disrupt yourself by transforming both the value and experience you provide your customers? Australian Radio Network (who produced this video) face disruption through fragmented media channels and they understand the value they provide is not radio advertising but instead a trusted partnership to create revenue through trusted brands that engage with their markets over the air-waves and online. They constantly innovate and know that sacred cows make the best burgers. Thanks Brian Blacklock, Adam Williams and the ARN team for allowing me to share your conference video.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

Real World Results. Phone vs LinkedIn vs E-mail

John Dougan is someone I respect and he delivers real transformation for his clients. He recently conducted a test to see which channel is most effective for inviting business leaders to an event. We've been told that e-mail is blocked or ignored as spam, that telephone cold calling is getting harder with success rates below 3%, and that social selling is now all the rage. But what is the reality?

Here is a real world case study conducted by John Dougan that targeted 300 senior executive contacts. The database used for all outreach was comprised of known contacts and all three used similar language in the text or script. These are the results from 300 outreaches using an equal spread of LinkedIn's InMail, outbound phone calls and traditional e-mail:

• 100 InMails sent generated 67 responses and 44 event registrations
• 100 phone calls generated 32 connections and 20 registrations
• 100 e-mails sent generated 12 responses and 6 registrations

LinkedIn responses outperformed e-mail by 558%

LinkedIn responses outperformed phone by 209%

Drop-out rates for the event on the day were similar across channels. The most successful channel was LinkedIn and the lowest cost per registration was also LinkedIn. The phone remains an essential and powerful tool in anyone's social selling arsenal.

The very best sellers today adopt a modern approach where they leverage technology yet execute in a personal human-to-human way. LinkedIn is massively powerful because it enables you to personally connect with context but avoid the biggest sin of social selling which is to connect and sell. Always be asking yourself whether you're providing value for your audience or falling into the trap of interrupting and pushing.

"The key to modern selling is to attract and engage rather than interrupt and push"

John Dougan and I have both experienced amazing sales results by intelligently using social channels and adopting a 'pay it forward' approach to providing value for everyone in our networks. I asked John for an example of how using LinkedIn created revenue for him and here was his response.

"I was awarded a $250,000 piece of business by simply monitoring trigger events in LinkedIn. A senior executive in my network joined new company and I sent her an InMail to congratulate her on the new role. I simply added that if she was ever going to market for something I could help with that I'd welcome a conversation."

John didn't push in any way and the communication was natural. Importantly he had already delivered for her at the previous company. John went on.  "Her response was to let me know that she actually was planning to procure services and that I could potentially help with. She invited me in for a chat and the result was no tender, just a request for an proposal and then and purchase order."

John concluded with, "LinkedIn is simply part of a communications strategy andI compare modern communication channels to the Fibbonacci sequence: Their respective connectivity value is increasing but you cannot negate what has gone before." But John and I want to make a plea here to everyone using LinkedIn.

Please do NOT use LinkedIn for spamming, pushing or blasting marketing messages or sales campaigns. The #1 sin of social selling is to connect and sell. You'll damage your reputation and undermine the real value of the platform.

John is constantly listening to the market and testing sales strategies and techniques to provide trusted advice for his clients. Click here to see his research infographics which are becoming legendary and connect with John here in LinkedIn.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

The Value Of Sales Meetings... Have Your Say

I recently wrote about how [not] to run a sales meeting and it generated much conversation. This post gives you the opportunity to participate in a research survey being conducted by John Dougan, one of the most influential sales leaders in Australia. John and I are part of Sales Masterminds Australia and he's conducting a survey to uncover what people think about sales meetings and the value of attending them.

There is a perception that sales meetings don't provide value for sales people but instead serve the manager in ticking their boxes and gathering forecast data to report up the line. Do you agree? Whether you're a sales manager or individual sales contributor, you can have you're say now about sales meetings.

Click Here To Complete The Sales Meeting Survey

If you complete John Dougan's survey you'll have access to the infographic when it is published to reveal the results. I asked John what prompted him to do this research and here is his response.

"Before a sales manager can have any chance of making sales meetings more effective, they have to first be clear about who the sales meetings id being conducted for. I've watched many sales managers run the all too familiar, sales administration checklist meeting - ticking boxes for their exact same meeting with their superiors. My point is that if managers run a sales meeting that only works for them, then they fail to see the true value that exists in it. That is, the opportunity to coach sales people to commit to better sales behaviors and achieve more sales!"Connect with John Dougan here in LinkedIn.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.

The Big Lies That Kill Success and Happiness

I was speaking at a CEO conference recently and one of the other keynote speakers said from stage; "The purpose of life is happiness." I sat there thinking to myself, that's completely wrong. It's a lie and don't fall for it. Happiness is a byproduct of purpose, meaning and making a difference. It comes from service rather than focusing on yourself, pumping yourself up or buying yourself status symbols and expensive toys.

Too many of us are addicted to the endorphin sugar-hit of winning or the thrill of reckless behavior. We long for the fleeting feel-good factor associated with recognition; often in [look at me, look at me] social media. Many seek to escape with alcohol or drugs while some retreat into the mind-numbing distraction of entertainment. The goal of life (and lasting happiness) is not found in being the center of attention or meeting our own needs. Happiness is a state of mind and I want to share with you the true value of what we pursue.

"Although our actions and behaviors define us; it's who we become that determines the real value of everything we pursue." From the book: 

Lasting success is the result of our positive choices and habits. Success is rarely an event; it’s a process. The key to living a successful life is to develop the right habits and make the right choices. We must thoughtfully choose our environment and beliefs as they create outcomes within us.

These are the big lies that will rob you of success and happiness in life, both professionally and personally:

1. Happiness is my primary goal. No, happiness is a byproduct of having meaning and purpose in what you do. It also comes from having a grateful state of mind about how you see yourself in the world.
2. I am entitled. A sense of entitlement causes you to lack gratefulness and repels those who can help you. It also undermines the necessary work ethic needed to create what you want. Position and qualifications are merely a 'ticket to the dance' and we need to earn the support of others in how we behave and contribute.
3. It's all about me. Narcissism disconnects us from relationships. To have good friends we must first be a great one. We must provide exception value to our employer and customers. Zig Ziglar famously said "If you can help enough people get what they want, then you can have what you want." Serve others with integrity and commitment and you'll attract success.
4. I don't need to learn anymore. We must be the person worthy of the success we seek. If you don't read then you're not a leader, plain and simple. Disruption is a powerful force being exerted constantly on every business and individual careers. Our ability to unlearn and relearn is essential for staying relevant.

Be open to new ideas and committed to learning. Avoid a narcissistic sense of entitlement and instead pursue worthwhile activities that make a positive difference in the world and the lives of others. Serving is what sets you on the path to happiness and fulfillment.

What does great leadership look like?

The very best leaders live by example and embody unbreakable determination in pursuing their cause, yet they do not bully or manipulate. Rather than create pressure they provide clarity, focus and energy for the people they lead. They focus on providing the right environment and ask the right questions rather than give answers. They are humbly self-aware, not self-absorbed, and they are honest, direct and accountable in their commitments and behavior. They understand that a good leader is first a good human being.

Much can be achieved when you don’t care who receives the credit and when you surrender the need to be constantly right. Leaders seek to understand before attempting to be understood. They know that lasting motivation comes from within and they therefore encourage their people to personally take ownership of outcomes. They build their people’s self-esteem and promote their team’s ideas by encouraging them to take calculated risks, stretching their capabilities. When things go wrong they provide support and do not lecture or punish. Neither do they rescue when the consequences are not catastrophic; instead they regard ‘opportunities to fail’ as useful. Later, without negative emotion, they facilitate reflection.

Great leaders are morally grounded in enduring values yet adopt purposeful pragmatism rather than judgmentally hold to narrow dogmas. They value difference, suspend judgment and accept diversity. Our ability to build other people in teams is more important than having all the ideas. Be counter-intuitive in your leadership style by humbly serving rather than grandstanding. Do what it takes rather than merely your best. You cannot lead from behind; pull people through rather than push. Accept the blame when things go wrong and learn the necessary lessons from criticism and failure so that you can adjust accordingly. Genuinely pass the credit on to others when things go well – success is always a team effort.

Time is the only critical limited resource. Invest your time and treasure it rather than spend it. There is no such thing as wasted time if you always have a good book with you when you travel. Do not allow the trivially urgent to prevent you from doing the important. Make time for what matters most. Set goals and priorities, and regularly measure your own progress.

Less is more – less talking creates more influence and more learning; less clutter and distracting noise creates more clarity; less information creates better cut-through in the message. The best way to improve something is to reduce it. Cut the unnecessary elements away rather than add complexity or overhead. The more we take the less we become; we only become greater when we give and contribute. We can become our very best when we let go of what we treasure and embrace the very things we fear. What does not kill us can make us stronger. Building character and developing emotional resilience is a valuable foundation for future success. Failure can educate, and with resolve to overcome, we can gain wisdom and prosper.

Happiness is a state of mind concerning how we perceive ourselves and our place in the world. Be grateful for what you have. Laugh as often as you can. Reject judgment, bitterness and revenge – they are self-destructive forces, devouring the host. Do not take yourself too seriously; instead have an optimistic attitude and positive sense of humor. Freely admit when you are wrong, and say ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you’ every chance you get. Forgive and move on. Be prepared to take risks but without foolhardy recklessness. Never be a victim; instead be fully accountable for your own success and happiness. Do not blame others or bad luck for failure and set-backs. Believe in yourself and earn the right to ask for what you want. Never bully or manipulate and do not allow knowledge to manifest within you as arrogance. Do not allow success to make you egotistical; instead, learn genuine humility in acknowledging the contribution of others as well as good fortune or blessing.

Choose your friends and work environment wisely as both will change you through osmosis. Avoid those who are addicted to destructive gossip. Encouragement is far more effective than criticism – believe in the competent and help them become better. Expect the best of others and treat them with respect regardless of their station in life. Serve your employer, team and customers ahead of your own interests – trust the law of reciprocity to reward your integrity and ability to create value. Show thoughtful initiative and a strong work ethic. We learn nothing while talking, and making a noise rarely makes a difference. Instead become a great listener who is genuinely interested in others, asking insightful and powerful questions.

Success is living a life of purpose and achieving your goals, yet the passage of time is the only valid perspective for measuring achievement. There is no excuse for not being your best or failing to fulfill your potential. Barriers and difficulties are there to exclude average people, and for the purpose of ensuring the worthiness of those who achieve. Scarcity is what creates value. We all wish our circumstances would improve but it is usually we who must change first. Become better rather than wish it were easier. Be the change you want to see in the world – start with your own bedroom, garage, and backyard. You cannot manage an enterprise if you cannot manage yourself. Avoid gossip, criticism and judgment. There is genuine peace in not worrying about things that don’t matter (inconsequential trivia) or are outside your control.

Knowledge and technical competence is not enough. Your value to your employer and customers is defined by your ability to positively influence and deliver results. Thinking strategically and executing masterfully is more important than adhering to methodologies. Think RSVP in every commercial endeavor and obsessively pay attention to excellence in execution.

Success or failure is the accumulated result of thousands of tiny decisions. Most people become disempowered through inner-corrosion rather than a catastrophic external event. Sustained success is the result of painful and diligent growth occurring below the surface, for the most part unseen by the outside world. Work on yourself rather than criticize others. Self-awareness, self-discipline, self-leadership and positive attitude are what attract success beyond mere knowledge and skill.

Work is not different from the rest of life – bring all of yourself to your work. Treat your sales career as a profession that creates value rather than being a competitive game. It has serious and profound lessons to teach if you are open to learning. Be the person worthy of the life you seek – success and failure, belief and doubt are necessarily conjoined. You can find the problem and the opportunity in the mirror.

Here is another post that explains my framework for leadership.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' and ‘share’ buttons below. This article was originally published in LinkedIn here where you can comment. Also follow the award winning LinkedIn blog here or visit Tony’s leadership blog at his keynote speaker website:www.TonyHughes.com.au.

Main image photo from Flickr.