Look Up While You're Walking

Some years back, we spent our Christmas holiday in Barbados, a beautiful West Indies Island. The beauty of this island is a spectacle in itself- beautiful beaches, lush forests, and scenic cliffs. As always, I wake up early every morning and walk for about an hour. It gives me a chance to clear my head, plan out the next day, and just plain think, which typically means my head is down watching each footstep making sure I don’t twist my ankle as I’m deep in thought.

One day, about 4 days into our vacation, I happened to look up and saw the sun as it began to appear above the ocean, and this time as I continued to walk, I enjoyed spectacular views of the sunrise over the ocean, forest, and cliffs. I have to admit I was a little mad at myself for having missed the sunrise the first couple of days because I was too busy watching each footstep making sure I didn’t take a wrong step.

You might find yourself doing the same thing in your business; you pick your head up at the beginning of the year and see a great sunrise, but then start walking and keeping your head down, concentrating on day-to-day operations, step by step. Unfortunately, we might be creating a culture of just tactical maneuvers against the rocky terrain of this economy. Your people, especially your salespeople, need to see the big picture. Better yet, they need to be reminded of the big picture every day. Once you get in the habit of looking up every day and seeing if the footstep you are about to take is leading you in the right direction, you can make faster changes and better decisions about your next step.

This rule should apply to everyone, especially salespeople. Are you calling on the accounts that will help make your year easier, more profitable, with more growth? Or are you just calling on someone that will help you hit your number this month? When you are selling someone, are you simply worried about making a sale, or are you hoping to help your prospect paint their beautiful sunset? If they don't see you as part of their future then you may have made your month, but you’ve got a lot of work left for the year. If they see you as a solution to a long-term problem, then you are on the right track.

Here is an easy question you should be asking your clients whether you are in sales or the president of the company, “Three years from now (Mr/Mrs Prospect), how do you see us working together?” By asking this question the prospect or client has to envision your relationship as long term. If they can’t answer this, your relationship might be in trouble, and it is time to have a long conversation with your client as to how you will fit into their future.

Help your team, your employees, AND your customers to ‘look up while they are walking.’ Don’t let them miss that sunrise.?

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-?????????Tom Niesen, Owner & CEO, Acuity Systems, Inc.