| 5 Principles You Can Employ Today
to Help Make Sure You are Employed Tomorrow
"What do you do if you are thirsty?" the teacher asked Mike, our then five-year old nephew.
On some level you have to think even the kid knew an inane question when he heard one. "You go to the sink and get yourself a drink of water," he smiled, certain he'd answered appropriately. Did he?
Not according to the evaluator. Mike only received half credit for his response. The "correct" answer, "Tell someone you are thirsty and they will bring you a drink."
Huh?
Ok, I get the fact kindergarten teachers are trying to prevent mass hysteria with dozens of five year olds doing things for themselves. Hey, it's survival. I spend three hours with one five year old and I'm exhausted.
And at the same time aren't lessons like these what creates our current culture of entitlement? We seem to live in an era where some people feel that they are entitled to a great paying job, entitled to benefits, entitled to promotions and entitled to gobs of vacation time.
What does this have to do with you? Everything.
Often I will hear dealership people say things like, "The boss should give me a raise." Or "I should get some time off." Or "They should have offered me the manager's spot."
Our use of language (although undoubtedly a poor means of communication) is a portal into our conscious and our unconscious mind. Inherent in these comments are the words, give, get, and offered. All words connoting an entitlement mindset.
I've also heard an equal number of people speaking about similar situations but using different language. "I earned a recent raise." "I worked for the extra time off." Or "I made the managers spot last month." Notice the distinction? One is wished for, the other is earned. And by the way, the latter is often already secured. Big difference.
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| Vitamins, Painkillers and Life Preservers |
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Unfortunately the path to true career success in the dealership is not quick or easy. It's a lot like the differences between vitamins, painkillers and life preservers.
Vitamins can radically improve your health. Taking the right nutrients can do wonders for your energy and vitality. But it's far from instantaneous. I don't know anyone who after decades of inactivity and fast food, went to their local GNC, downed a couple of Ultra Mega Gold Multivitamins, leapt to their feet and ran a marathon. That doesn't mean vitamins aren't good. It just means it takes time to reap their benefits.
Painkillers on the other hand are used when we are well, in pain. Pain is nature's way of saying ... "Stop that!" When something is wrong or we are recovering from a procedure and we need relief now we often rely on pain killers. They typically work within the hour. Problem is, they rarely if ever, fix anything. They merely provide temporary relief.
A life preserver, continuing with this health metaphor, is something used in an emergency if not done will end your existence. A Heimlich maneuver to clear a blocked airway is a perfect example. Another may be by-pass heart surgery.
All of these examples have career implications for you. Learning one new aspect everyday about the products you sell is the equivalent to a career vitamin. Discovering one new thing about a motorcycle or accessory isn't going to make you a world class salesperson in one day. But over a year's time, you're going to be really fit.
Putting off that difficult customer service issue is like a pain killer. It usually doesn't make the problem go away. It certainly doesn't make you any better at handling tough customer situations. It merely puts it off for another day ... or to another person.
A career lifesaver might be when whatever has happened is so egregious you are at the mercy of a manager or your dealer principal as to whether you get to keep your job or not. Certainly not a preferred position to be in and certainly not one you want to experience often.
And when posed with these options as to which would be preferred most of us would rather take a daily vitamin. It's not sexy. But it's easier, cheaper and in the long run much more effective.
So if until now, you've been an instant gratification person, prepare yourself for an intervention. No not the kind you see on A&E, but rather a career intervention.
In an age of instant gratification I'm going to go out on a limb. The following aren't quick fixes. They won't dramatically increase your commissions overnight. They don't slice, dice or make Julian fries. But they will, if done on a regular basis, ensure that you will be taking control of your career and your success.
And no, there's no entitlement mentality, here. If you want success, you've got to be willing to work for it.
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| 5 Principles You can Employ Today to
Help Make Sure You’re Employed Tomorrow.
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- You have to be before you can do.
Before you can do a product presentation you have to be knowledgeable about the product. Before customers do give you their trust, you must be a trustworthy person. Before you can do the manager role, you must be a person others will respect.
- You have to do before you can have.
Hey, many of us want to have a big bank account. We want to have a nice house. We want to have a great career. But to have those things there are things we have to do, first.
Before you get the sale you have to do the work. Before you get the commission you must make the sale. Before you get the promotion you must put in the effort.
- Adopt a Service Orientation.
If you want long term career success, strap on the yoke of service. When you help enough other people get what they want you will ultimately get what you want. Put your interests on the back burner and see yourself in service to others and you'll be amazed at the results.
- Learn compartmentalization.
Often the most effective professionals are the ones that can balance multiple issues. Compartmentalization is being able to have one issue going on, but yet not have it negatively impact other tasks.
For example, you need to have the ability to have a disagreement with an employee but not have it negatively impact how you interact with customers. If you're frustrated with your computer system don't take it out on your employees.
If you're upset with your OEM rep, don't let it impact your dealings with your local suppliers.
Compartmentalization is one of the most difficult self management skills a person can develop. And in reality there is no way to totally compartmentalize situations. This interrelatedness is part of what makes us human.
There are however, degrees of compartmentalization. A person with no compartmentalization skills could have a disagreement with a coworker, and it impacts every situation for the rest of the day. To be successful you must develop the mental toughness to minimize this situation.
Compartmentalization is difficult but it is a key to career success.
- Exploit your strengths.
Many times you will hear advice experts say, "Work on those areas where you are weak." This can be flawed advice. It's hard, annoying and chances are will yield minimum return. Instead, try exploiting what you already do well. You're probably better at it, will exert more energy and have more success.
Success breeds success. For example when you make a sale, very often you will feel invigorated, energized, and confident. All of these are very positive emotions that make us feel good. As humans we like to feel good and we immediately start looking for how we can make the next sale because we want to continue the "high" of the previous sale.
If you're better selling on the phone, use the phone. If you're better selling performance items rather than touring stuff, emphasize and those products with the right customers. If you're better at selling intangibles, sell finance and insurance.
This isn't to say that you shouldn't ever try new things. Eddie Van Halen learned how to play the keyboard and did so reasonably well. But what he exploited was his extraordinary ability to play guitar. And now he's seen, at least in this area of his life, as a person who has shaped the entire universe of guitar playing.
Want dramatic improvement in your performance? Exploit your strengths.
One word of caution with this advice. A strength overdone is a weakness. For example, as a public speaker I have decent voice inflection. An important strength for a public speaker. But if I overdo it I sound like crazy Eddie that electronics salesman from New Jersey (for you younger people go ahead and Google, Crazy Eddie).
Perhaps you are a person who likes analyzing your dealership or department using key measures. A definite strength and one you should exploit. Tracking closing rations is good; however, if you find yourself measuring how many steps it takes each employee to walk to the restroom you may have gone too far.
So there you have it. Five ways to avoid the entitlement mentality. Begin to implement these principles today and you can help make sure you're employed tomorrow.
As for me, I'm off to get myself a drink ... and it may not be water!
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