Generation... Nonsense

Yesterday I was talking to a start up business group about sales when a comment ushered forth from one of the group that struck me as amazing.

Generation Y don't buy from people, they buy on line.


Now I admit I am a bit grey around the ears and I do forget a lot of things I hear, but I think that it is time to put a stop to all this nonsense around the facts of generation identification. OK I get that some of them might have been brought up in different circumstances than the generation before but using that argument is weak to say the least.

I was brought up in the generation called the "baby boomer's" which I guess is a politically correct way of saying that after a world war when the men finally got home, for a while, they were interested in sex in a big way. That and the fact that there were no TV sports shows and the pubs closed early.

To then make some stupid broad statement that somehow people who were born in this period were of a certain type beggars belief. The academic who first sported this theory needs a public humiliation and then every word that has been written about this afterwards should be thrown in the rubbish bin where it belongs.

There are some trends

that in the western world that do appear to have changed through out the generations, especially since the war.  My parents generation stayed married for instance even if they hated each other, which by enlarge they did... " for the sake of the children ". Now that kind of logic is what led to the explosion of psychiatrists and happy pills.

Then our generation came along, just when the contraceptive pill became available "with a doctors consent" which was very lucky as a combination of the the devils music and youthful libido would have made the last generations child production look quaint.The freedom that my generation demanded meant it was inevitable that the divorce rate would soar, especially as now casual sex didn't always lead to parent hood. Oh yes and before I forget my generation was behind the idea that women could stand up for themselves, in fact it was compulsory.

Then our children's generation came along and the stigma of being a solo parent had reduced to a level that people weren't judged on the status of their relationship and it became normal for children to be brought up by just one parent or if they were lucky two.And now in some of the parts of the western world actually having a father you know is considered unusual.

So whats my point 


Well I have just been talking in general terms and what I have stated may be a fact but it might not have been your experience, we tend to forget that facts and experience are in no way the same thing, at least not when quoting them. But there are events in generations that do indeed define them, it is just that they are not exclusive to that generation, people have being having affairs since the invention of marriage. There have always been early adopters of technology, take the wheel for instance. You can imagine the inventor pitching that to the tribal council. Well you stick them on an axle, and you attach the axle under the sled.

Whats an axle

Selling new ideas has always been impossible when the influencing people are conservative, risk averse, vested interest in the opposition, dumb etc "so how do you stop it from rolling backwards" (following that logic we would have never had invented reverse gear). What every new idea relies on is the insightful and often vain early adopters for without them we would never get improvement, or the product in the first place. One of the few differences between the generations has been  the ability to show vast amounts of people your invention at one time. Just imagine the impact on the world if Leonardo De Vinci had television been available to him.

In the old days


I am talking pre 2000AD here, inventors had to go to the king, a wealthy benefactor, or a money lender to get the idea off the ground the, where as the Y generation can build it in their spare time and just launch it on the Internet, can't they?. But that is just nonsense and it is not how the world works. The Y generation are no smarter or dumber than the generation before them, they just have a different range of possibilities and this is where I came in.

I was considered a hyperactive child and sent outside to burn it off, today's children are classed as having ADHD and given drugs. My next door neighbour loved books and spent most of his time indoors reading. I am dyslexic and spent most of my time building things. Am I to believe that there are no generation Y children who like staying indoors and reading and there are no generation children who like building stuff. I am told generation Y employees expect to be treated well and move quickly to another job if they are not respected...mmm sounds like me.

Upon reflection


Anyone who assumes that they can define a group by when they were born and therefore understand what they want and what they will buy is deluding themselves and should take up the Tarot. We are as we have always been individuals who are a mixture of nature and nurture and as we rush headlong to this technological Nirvana it might pay for those who envisage a world of interconnectedness that Yang has a Yin, in this case money. It costs money to buy technology and for a growing group of people the Internet is a luxury they do not need and for them business will always be done has it has through the generations...

Face to Face

So my warning to everyone out there who feels that the next generation won't be needing sales and interpersonal skills as everything will be bought on line and sold online, think again. We are fast becoming a generation who realises that the Internet can be a deceitful world and I can see a future where if people can't see you in real time on their screen while you do business no one will buy anything from you. And when we get to that point not to far away, the computer will be able to measure your facial movements and a program will tell you whether that person is lying or not. And at that point all the skills you learn in the face to face world will be the most important ones you can have...

You know 

Truth, integrity, humbleness, enthusiasm, knowledge, these are what we measure people on, not on the years they were born. So the next time someone quotes to you about the Y generation or the X generation or any other generation, ask them one question......

Does everyone else in your generation think like you

If their answer is YES I suggest you advise them to seek professional help.

Personal Branding for Dummies…. and you.

I awoke at 4.30 in the morning, the thought stuck and wouldn’t dislodge, was the penis sheath mans first attempt at personal branding…. If not it bloody well should have been, this is personal branding at its finest and since then… well its mostly been down hill. 
Personal Branding is neither new, unique or particularly difficult, the only difference between this generation and the last is that now it is crucial. So wake up folks because if you miss this train you will slip below the waves of anonymity and rest in obscurity.
Fantastic I hear the socially timid say as it is only extroverts and narcissist’s who seek the limelight anyway. Well that may once have been true but now the game has changed and it now involves you, whether you like it or not. 
Personal Branding, we all do it  
Well yes and no, we all do it but most of us never give it a second thought and therein lies the problem. You see we think of branding as something companies do, not individuals, and the reason for this is we are not taught it at school, no one ever tells us that we are our brand and what we say and how we act is how we build that brand, and what it stands for will either help or hinder us as we travel on this journey called life. 
So who cares 
For a while Tigers brand was about his perceived behavior (integrity, trust, truth, good husband etc) and that attracted businesses that wanted to be associated with those behaviors. It wasn’t about him being the worlds best golfer, that just elevated his exposure and therefore his price, no it was about is clean cut image that made his brand so strong. And the moment that image got damaged companies no longer wanted to be associated with his new behavior. 
It was a shame for tiger he didn’t represent a condom company as that would have been a great branding opportunity…. ” I may have been unfaithful but I always used protection” 
So whats that got to do with me  
Well it’s because of that little thing called the internet that has woven itself into the very fabric of our lives, and we love it. We share things on Facebook that a few years ago we would have found difficult sharing with friends..and thats where the problem starts. We are now building our brand for the world to see and more interestingly comment on. We have opened ourselves up to ridicule and humiliation without inviting it, other than our private lives are now public, which takes me back to…. 
We are not taught branding at school
Don’t get me wrong I am in no way a fan of institutionalised knowledge ( I can’t understand how you can make a degree out of communication, as it just starts with a conversation (thanks Orlando), but I digress. So what can you do to understand what your brand is and what it stands for….Hint what you do for a job is not your brand so don’t say I am a carpenter or a doctor, tell people what kind of carpenter or doctor you are. I am a carpenter who loves and respects the value and beauty of trees, and when I make you something from wood that value and beauty will translate into an object you will both desire and cherish.
Now you have a brand that tells a story that I can relate to…. you respect the material, I won’t just use it I will cherish it, and underlying that story is, you are a craftsman and you are giving me something of great value.
Personal brand is not a clever catch phrase, it is a behavior and it should represent who you are and what you stand for at that point in time, not what you want to be in the future. Which brings us to the inevitable problem… 
Changing your brand
So for a while you were a singer in a rock band and have had so many tales told about your exploits ( some true others not ), which was great at the time as it enhanced your brand and made you desirable to your fans. But now you have given up your rock n roll lifestyle and you want to become a reputable businessman. So herein lies the problem how do you keep your credibility and reinvent your brand. Its easy…. 
You tell the truth  
Its out there anyway so why not use your past to strengthen your position. Its as old as the poacher turned game keeper. What gives you the authority to brand yourself now as a business strategist is your past rock n roll experiences. You can stand in front of hostile crowds and turn them round to loving you, you understand about marketing and what really works and doesn’t ( they don’t teach you about double booked gigs at university). You have had to negotiate with club owners who refused to pay you after the gig. The times you had to arrange tours and record deals for the band. The list goes on but as you tell your story your new brand grows and more importantly people believe you because its true.
So taking your life’s past stories and presenting them in a new way gives your new brand its credibility. Sure you will loose some fans along the way ( I remember when Dylan went electric ) but those people don’t matter as they are no longer important to your new brand. But I feel you getting tied now and some of you are asking… 
What’s the point  
I don’t need to brand myself as anything, I have a good job a great reputation and friends and family that love me, why should I bother. Well just for a moment think, what if you were to lose that secure job for life and you had to move to another part of the country away from friends and family to take up a new position, or positively you get a promotion in a new country, then how do you show people who you are. Don’t worry they will find out, Google LinkedIn, groups, it doesn’t matter how, they will learn about you with or without your permission and what they find is your brand. Wouldn’t it be best that you refined it before rather than after the event and wouldn’t it be best that you control the message, which brings me back to where I came in and the penis sheath.
Who wants to turn up to the annual inter-village dance only to realise you are the only one not wearing one.  
It’s not to late to start.

9 Networking Tips for the Socially Challenged

“Sales tips are only useful when your are actually talking to someone”.

This was one of the responses I got back from my last post http://nickrowney.tumblr.com/post/1045289041/the-nine-secrets-salespeople-dont-want-you-to-know, obvious and to the point but also undeniably true.

So lets get back to the beginning and talk about where all communication begins.

It all starts with a conversation. 

Normally we stick out our hand and say “Hi my name is..” easy if you have just been introduced, but way harder if you don’t know anyone in the room and they are all standing in a little group with their backs to you.

But wait… it gets worse, you are the only woman in the room and all these men seem to know each other and are showing the signs of.

Keep out

You know the signs, casual laughing, no one wanting to make eye contact and that impenetrable wall of turned backs. So how do you break into the group without annoying people?

There is never just one way to do anything in life and this situation is no exception. But why not start with the obvious “excuse me would you mind if I joined in as I am new to the group and I am keen to make some connections”.

What you have done here is actually forced your way in to the conversation before you have had to introduce yourself. Also you have put the group in the position that makes it very difficult for them to say “no bugger off” and the best bit of all is that you have totally.

Changed The Dynamics

This is more important than you might realise, as once they have shuffled apart to let you in you have broken the chain. Now turn directly to the people on both sides and introduce yourself. You have now stopped the groups conversation completely and by way of introducing yourself you have made the conversation

All about you

Introduce yourself to everyone in the group and ALWAYS give them your business card.

This might be a good place to talk about the power of the business card. A business card is one of the most important tools in your sales arsenal, it tells people a lot about how you see yourself and the company you work for.

If you work for a company in the Technology, Advertising, Marketing space its better to have your LinkedIn and Twitter address than a P.O Box number.

The title you have is not necessarily the image you want. If you are called Business Development Manager people think that is just a fancy name for a salesman. So if you are hoping to talk with C level mangers and above having the title salesman is not going to cut it. Better to have a title that leaves something to the imagination something a bit ambiguous. Why?

Because this little piece of card has the potential to help the timid overcome the conversation barrier. Use it to become a conversation maker, ”So tell me what does an Organisational Trouble Shooter do?”

So how hard was that.. do you mind if I join, here is my card and the conversation has already begun. But I do understand that sometimes the fear of stepping up to the group and opening our mouths is what stops us in the first place. So how do we overcome the fear of conversation?

We don’t fear conversation just conversation with strangers

Just for a moment imagine that the closed group in front of you was a group of your closest friends, so how would that conversation be different?

Fear of rejection is a terrible thing, it inhibits us from letting people know who we are and this can be our archillies heel when trying to fit in with a group or individuals we don’t know. As in all things in life practice makes us perfect, I practice every day by saying Hi to people I pass in the street, introducing myself to the person next to me, on the bus on a train, everywhere.

You see we actually all love to talk, especially about ourselves, its just our confidence that hold us back when doing it with strangers. So the moment you say to the disinterested person next to you on the bus, Hi my name is…, so what do you do… you have given permission for that person to talk, and by doing so opened a conversation with someone without any RISK to you. Right at that moment you have potential to succeed or fail, continue talking (especially about yourself or the great deal you’ve got) and failure is assured.

This is the moment to shut up and wait, if they don’t answer then they were never going to be of any use anyway. Chances are (once they get over the shock) they will mumble a reply, that is how some of the best contacts I have ever made started.

But there is also a risk that the person you have just engaged in conversation is not only boringly dull but now that you have given them permission to speak just won’t shut up, so…

How to get out of a conversation

This is sometimes more difficult than getting into a conversation, as once the talker is in full flight they don’t tend to leave much room for you to speak. Once again there are many ways to finish a conversation all with varying outcomes. I tend to stop the conversation by saying the persons name.. “John”.. once someone hears their name they automatically shut up to see whats following , “look its been great meeting you but i’m on a bit of a mission, you’ve got my card drop me a line” shake their hand and go. But don’t be frightened of…

Offending someone

I understand that from a business perspective offending people is not a very sustainable business model but sometimes you are going to do it. The trick to offending people is deciding who and why. When the constant talker has tracked you down to your next conversation and is continuing his babel he has become a liability and if you don’t wan’t him to destroy your credibility by people thinking he is your best friend then it is time to cut him lose and fast.

So for the socially challenged this is a terrifying thought, just a moment ago you were praying for someone to talk to you and now your praying for them to shut up. This is the best way I know without saying “piss off”. Excuse yourself from your new conversation take the person aside and  simply say “John I appreciate you wanting to continue our conversation but I have challenged myself to meet 8 new people tonight so If you don’t mind I would like to try and achieve that”.

Turn immediately and walk back to the group apologise and edge yourself back into the conversation…

But its not always doom and gloom

Sometimes there are easy marks, you know, the people who are as unsure about talking to strangers as you are. They are easy to spot they are the people at the edge of the room sitting by themselves and trying not to make eye contact with you. If you are unsure about starting conversations then look for these people as they will be grateful for a conversation and can sometimes be fantastic opportunities.

I love meeting new people and enthusing the people I meet, and the best way to do this is to introduce good people to each other. Online networking through sites like LinkedIn are just a great way of networking and introducing people.It is not difficult to get great referrals and for those who don’t like face to face this is a great way to build up relationships, but just remember…

It all starts with a conversation

The Nine Secrets Salespeople Don’t Want You To Know

If this got your attention then continue.

I guarantee that after reading this your sales success will go up at least 300% and I am so confident that I will give you your money back if they don’t. To prove I mean what I say, I will throw in a free months trial. But wait there’s more …. there always is.

What got me motivated to write this, was a conversation that took place with a group I am involved with, which strayed onto the topic of sales. The first cliche to arrive was.

“It’s all about Listening”.

I don’t know if you are like me but very often while listening to people talk I drift off into another place, only to snap back when something of interest reaches my ears or my head nods forward. This is not to say the person talking is boring me its just words trigger my thoughts and inevitably my thoughts are more interesting to me.

So if you want to be fully engaged in the conversation then I suggest you control it from the start. And you don’t achieve this by listening you achieve it by.

“Asking the right question”

Hint..”those are a nice pair of shoes where did you get them?” isn’t one of them.

Sales is about psychology not products so the question you could ask is “what would you like to get out of our conversation?” This is a way to discover the scope and expectations of the people in front of you. Don’t be put off if the response is not concise, great conversations are about discovery, for all involved. Never the less you want to ask questions that give you the opportunity to respond with sincerity and conviction, not ones that take you to a place called “I don’t know I will have to get back to you on that one”.

Unless that question is of a nature that can be answered by someone else in the organisation, this then becomes another opportunity for you to touch that person again at a later time and provide value as well as establish that you are.

“A person of their word”.

A person of their word, how hard can that be? Well if you live in a large city then you may not think that it is important at all. After all once you close the sale “job done” but just for a moment think how you would go about selling if everyone in the city knew each other ( Wellington is that city) then being a person of your word is survival. Trust is the most under used behavior in sales and it should be the number one, for without it we lose the opportunity to have a client for life. Also trust leads on to the best sales tool of them all.

“Having our clients sell us” 

I know this isn’t news to you but its a rule you can’t go by. A recommendation by a third party is the most powerful sale of them all. Do not underestimate this potential and do not ask for it. When a client recommends you don’t offer to pay them, this cheapens the relationship. Show them your gratitude by doing something for them that is of a personal nature, find something for them that shows you understand who they are and.

“What makes them tick” 

Now this is where sales becomes science and there are no hard and fast rules. I personally am fairly upfront and tend to be quite overt in sorting out who is what.

Where this becomes interesting is if you are thrown in a room full of strangers and you are doing a pitch. How do you find quickly who is on your side and who is not and who is going to sit on the fence.

Body language is a helpful tool, say something watch who nods and who doesn’t. Move you position and see who follows ( sometimes people who don’t appear to be with you still follow your body movements) this needs to be done with care as I always watch other people to see if they are doing the same.

Once I have split the room into for and against I sometimes say something challenging to see if things change. The most dangerous people in the room are the fence sitters, they can derail a pitch just for fun, because it looks like they might have to do some work, because it means the might have some responsibility, who knows. Fence sitters need to be brought into the fold. Whether they are for or against doesn’t matter just get them to move. 

I generally do this by asking them direct questions, try to find out what they like or don’t and.

“Force them to be engaged”

Do not allow anyone in the room to non participate. People often don’t participate  because they are timid, feel they don’t have the authority, or think they don’t have anything to offer. I directly ask people questions as listening to other people triggers those thoughts in us that lead to innovation, and innovation brings enthusiasm and enthusiasm brings engagement.And never underestimate (underestimation is the wisdom of fools) and even a fool can.

“Teach them something”

This is the most critical part of sales as it changes the experience from asking for something to helping them to better understand, both their own motives and requirements and how you can fit in and help them to get them. Sales people should be educators not, well er…salespeople. We don’t want to be told what we need we need to be asked what we want. and how do we get that? well its about.

“Asking the right question”

Disclaimer : These thoughts and ideas are from my experience and any similarity with any one else’s ideas is purely coincidental. Go forth and SELL