The Same Side

My Summer has been filled with seminars in two distinct fields:
* Human Resources
* Sales



A painful double existence at times. Fortunately, there are trends in each field that are gradually finding extinction.

* In Human Resources; Policy is being replaced by Thought Leadership
* In Sales; micro-management is being replaced by Empowerment

The Commonality: TRUST!

Buyers and Sellers have one thing in common: They are interested in spending their valued time working with people who have common goals. They appreciate reliable resources. They would rather spend all their time with on one great relationship than 100 commodity driven negotiations.

When you sponsor a program or initiative in your organization, you are risking your reputation. When you bring aboard a new customer, your fate rests in your new client's ability to sit nicely in your product sandbox.

Formality is breaking down, we are far more educated and we rely less on our organizations to educate us. Individuality has never been more prevalent in the workplace. Personality is part of our personal brand...and that is a good thing. Our abilities are showcased in open forum and the guess work of our organizational value has vanished.

So buyers and sellers have found a way to celebrate together:
* Put relationships first
* Don't try to be someone you are not
* Find the right audience
* Dedicate your time to the good stuff

Relate: If we like each other on a personal basis the nuances of products and services tend to be overlooked. Transactions are replaced by a mutually respected relationship. Negations end and we sit on the same side of the table.

Be True: If a prospect is over demanding during the selling process they will be a poor client. If a salesperson is indecisive during the selling process they will not be a trusted business advisor.

Find Your Home: If your solution is best scaled to small businesses don't prospect the fortune 500. If you are a small company, partnering with the mega-provider is a fast track to neglectville.

Get Busy Doing Good: Stress is a result of time wasted on futile tasks. If you dedicate yourself to productive relationships you will win every day!

* In the end, we are all a lot more alike than we think:
Trust, Engage and Empower - Together!

We Can Sit on the Same Side of the Table!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave