When Do You Brighten A Room?

When Do You Brighten A Room? - Curt Tueffert

It has been said that there are two kinds of people, those who brighten a room when they enter it, and those who brighten a room when they leave. The question is; “Which one are you?”

People bring things into the room, into a conversation, into a meeting, into a connection with our customers, vendors and fellow employees. Typically, they bring in an attitude. Attitude is usually the first thing that brightens a room on entering or exiting.

Have you ever been in a meeting where one of the attendees kills the flow with their facial expressions, body language or comments? They walk around like Tigger without his tail, like they just sucked on a lemon. There is a diagnosis for these types of people who brighten rooms when they leave; Emotionally Constipated! You know them; they roll their eyes at any and every positive message. Their sarcasm is cutting and hurtful beyond the light hearted words that are used for humor. The glass is always half empty. They have a world view of scarcity instead of abundance. They are quick with comments of what they cannot do instead of what they can do. If the diagnosis is emotional constipation what is cure? From this writer’s perspective, a good start is ATTITUDE.

Think about the meetings, the sales calls, the phone conversations with someone with a great attitude. It brightens the room when they enter the meeting, makes the sales call more engage, and builds a stronger connection on the phone. The best thing about attitudes is that they can change. The worst think about attitudes is that they can change. The good news is that we can have a powerful impact with the simple change of an attitude. The only person who can control your attitude is you. You get to make the decision; daily as to how you choose your attitude. You get to choose to brighten the room when you enter or when you leave.

One significant question is "Are You Passionate About Customer Service?" Are you? Since we are all in the customer service business, we have a choice. Are you passionate about it? Do you have an attitude that brightens a room when you discuss customer service, or are you so emotionally constipated that just the mention of customer service brings anger, resentment, bad experiences, and apathy? I have connected Customer Service and Attitude and tied it together to make this point; choose today to be the very best customer service advocate with the very best attitude regardless of the circumstances around you. Forget all the emotionally constipated people you meet. You are not responsible for their actions, only your actions and reaction to the situation.

Here is my secret to having a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) about almost anything. It comes from a speech by Lee Iacocca when Chrysler was in tough times. He addressed the crowd and made the comment “Yesterday ended last night.” Meaning – it really does not matter what happened in the past, today is a new day and a chance to brighten another room, to impact someone with a great, fresh, powerful, positive attitude.

Bring The Solution...Be The Solution

Every now and then, a simple phrase becomes the rally point for people. "Bring The Solution...Be the Solution" is not mine, I am borrowing it from a friend of mine, Rick Veillon. At a recent meeting of Sales Managers, this phrase really caught fire. I am here to further develop this idea into a few target areas


BTS...BTS In Sales: If you are in sales and are looking for a powerful approach to your career, thing about these (6) simple words; BRING The Solution...BE The Solution. In sales, you have to know your product or service inside and out. You have to commit to become an expert at your product and service so you can BRING that solution to prospects, customers, and clients. Stop bringing the same boring stuff all the other sales people bring... their empty selves, cliches, clever Marketing slogans... start bringing the SOLUTION. How? You have to know what your prospects, customers, and clients need, want, and desire. How? ASK! Ask questions. Build enought trust and rapport that they would want to listen to you. Then....BE the solution. You have to beleive enough in your talent, your skills, and your craft. If not, go out and get the skills. Learn the art of having a good conversation. Develop stronger people skills. Get organized... BECOME THE SOLUTION.


BTS...BTS In Management: If you manage people, your job is to BRING solutions to your team and to bring solutions to your upper management. If you are managing people, you need to BE the solution, the best manager you can be so you can assist your team in developing their potential, unlocking their skills to complete the tasks they are assigned. Remember, the opposite can also be true - Bring the PROBLEM...Be the PROBLEM. No need to further develop the difference between a problem and a solution. If you have read this far, you should have figured that out.


BTS...BTS In Relationships: My caveat there is that I am no expert in the art of relationship building. I am a student, I am open to learning more, and I have a lot further to go. To BRING the Solution in a relationship is to offer yourself, 100%, fully engaged. When you are responsible for yourself and your development, then you win others by attraction and not promotion. People want to be with you because your bring something...a gentle word, a kind spirit, encouragement, accountability, etc. BE the Solution is to further develop yourself to become bigger than you are in a good sense. Not egotistical or self centered, the more you concentrate on BE-ing...the more humble you become. Remember, we are Human BEINGS...not Human DOINGS....


In conclusion: 6 simple words, strung together in a series (BRING the Solution...BE the Solution) can be a start of a brand new day, philosophy, management style, selling style, or relationship. Start today and let me know how it goes. Curt - tueffert@aol.com

I Did It Again

"I did it again." While this is a simple phrase, a sentence that rolls off the tongue, it is also a great motivator, a philosophy for sales and for life. Let me break it down a bit.

Marathon and Triathlon training can be broken down into small training steps which, applied over time, become routines that draw you closer to your goal; getting in shape for the event. I have completed (2) marathons and (2) Triathlons (swim relay portion). I started with small running and swimming goals and applied consistence to it. "I did it again!" was my motto. I ran...again. I swam...again, I ate healthy...again. I had the choice to stop, to make an excuse, or to just give up, yet I did not.

To you the sales professional: Sales is the art and science of applying small principles over and over again to solve the need, wants, desires, and challenges of your prospect, customer, or client. "I did it again" is the pure motivation which successful professionals use.

• I did it again...I prospected a new account, new lead, new location
• I did it again...I asked the hard open-ended question which my competitor did not ask
• I did it again...I provided value by researching my product, the market, the competition, my customer/client
• I did it again...I read another sales or business book, I listened to a tape, I attended a webinar, I read a sales newsletter
• I did it again...I worked harder on myself than on my job. When I work hard on my job, I make a living, when work hard on myself, I make a fortune.
• I did it again...I took the time to thank people along the way who helped me get where I am and where I want to be

In your personal/professional life: the success or failure(s) in your life can be tied to your thoughts, actions, habits, and character which is being built.

• I did it again...I drank too much at the party
• I did it again...I ate too much junk food
• I did it again...I blamed all the people around me for all my failures
• I did it again...I was selfish and greedy
• I did it again...I did not take responsibility for my actions

Sure those are negative, yet there is always a choice

• I did it again...I stopped drinking at my limit and enjoyed myself without the need
• I did it again...I ate 1/2 the portion and focused on the healthy alternatives
• I did it again...I owned my part in the success and/or failure of my actions or inaction's
• I did it again...I was selfless and giving of my time, treasure, and talents
• I did it again...I developed my self improvement plan for my health, finances, friendships, and career

"I did it again!" is more than 4 words strung together, more than a simple phrase. For me, it is a way of life where I can apply small corrective steps to move toward my success goals and away from my failures. I learn, I grow, I risk, and I apply what I gather to make the next move the right move.

YOU DID IT AGAIN!

Now, if you have read this far, you know that I am on your side, I am in your corner, I want you to succeed.

Selling Like Jean Luc Picard

"Tea, Earl Grey, HOT!" These are the famous works from Captain Picard of the Enterprise (Star Trek Next Generation)

I've enjoyed watching the show, simply for the leadership aspects of Captain Picard. Now, how does that apply to your selling career and/or sales management career?

Here are three simple truths, Picard and others know...

1. Picard knows what he wants.
2. He articulates it clearly.
3. He has a system for producing his desired outcome every time.

He Knows What He Wants - Pre-call planning. Knowing the outcome of the sales call before you show up. What are you trying to get from this call, what are your trying to give in this call? Where are you taking the sales call, where is the customer taking you?

He Articulates It Clearly - Using open ended questions, providing samples, taking a tour of your operations, are all ways to clearly articulate what you are trying to pass along when you are selling.

He Has A System - a systematic approach to selling. Using a process, understanding the customer, walking through a checklist, it is all the same, a systematic approach to moving a customer from "here" to "there" without forcing the issue.

Granted, not every call will have a "Captain Jean-Luc Picard" appeal. The point is to strive for more calls with this approach and appeal. What would that look like? What would that sound like? What would the outcomes and results do for you and your family? For your customer?

When Do You Brighten A Room? - Curt Tueffert

It has been said that there are two kinds of people, those who brighten a room when they enter it, and those who brighten a room when they leave. The question is; “Which one are you?”

People bring things into the room, into a conversation, into a meeting, into a connection with our customers, vendors and fellow employees. Typically, they bring in an attitude. Attitude is usually the first thing that brightens a room on entering or exiting.

Have you ever been in a meeting where one of the attendees kills the flow with their facial expressions, body language or comments? They walk around like Tigger without his tail, like they just sucked on a lemon. There is a diagnosis for these types of people who brighten rooms when they leave; Emotionally Constipated! You know them; they roll their eyes at any and every positive message. Their sarcasm is cutting and hurtful beyond the light hearted words that are used for humor. The glass is always half empty. They have a world view of scarcity instead of abundance. They are quick with comments of what they cannot do instead of what they can do. If the diagnosis is emotional constipation what is cure? From this writer’s perspective, a good start is ATTITUDE.

Think about the meetings, the sales calls, the phone conversations with someone with a great attitude. It brightens the room when they enter the meeting, makes the sales call more engage, and builds a stronger connection on the phone. The best thing about attitudes is that they can change. The worst think about attitudes is that they can change. The good news is that we can have a powerful impact with the simple change of an attitude.

I Am Passionate About Customer Service! Are you? Since we are all in the customer service business, we have a choice. Are you passionate about it? Do you have an attitude that brightens a room when you discuss customer service, or are you so emotionally constipated that just the mention of customer service brings anger, resentment, bad experiences, and apathy?

Here is my secret to having a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) about almost anything. It comes from a speech by Lee Iacocca when Chrysler was in tough times. He addressed the crowd and made the comment “Yesterday ended last night.” Meaning – it really does not matter what happened in the past, today is a new day and a chance to brighten another room, to impact someone with a great, fresh, powerful, positive attitude.

Customer Experience 2.0 – A core value, THE competitive edge.

Customer experience is a sum total of the products, people, and processes they come in contact with when they create a relationship with you and your company. We are faced with a fresh new year, a new president, and a new (and challenging) economy. How will that impact customer experience? Here are 4 Great Customer Experience Insights for 2009.

Insight #1: Without Customers We Don’t Have A Business. We Have A Hobby (Peppers and Rogers, Return on Customer). Customers are more and more adept at differentiating value and price, service and delivery, and other decision points to align with partners like you. More products are becoming commodities, customers are bombarded with marketing messages, and information is just a few keystrokes and web pages away. Everyone has to strive for the best customer experience regardless of the economic times. We all impact the experiences of all our customers.

Insight #2: The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing. The Chinese term wei gee portrays the dual nature of a crisis; Danger being one element and Opportunity the other. Customers are being challenged right now, they’re cutting back, and you can either prepare for danger and ride it out or advance and seize the opportunities as they present themselves. Our collective Customer Experience will present more opportunities to delight our customers in these times. Front line sales people, customer service professionals, implementation teams, service repair technicians, accounting collections and payables, and all levels of management can choose to create great Customer Experience touch points…daily. The upside is adding customer and keeping the ones we have. The downside of not providing great Customer Experiences is the loss of customer trust, and eventually the loss of customers (see point #1)

Insight #3: The Time To Get Creative Is Now. As budgets shrink and purchasing departments take more control of the price/value proposition, you have to get creative in how you position your company in the minds and purchase requisitions of customers. By creative I mean nimble. Can we present an alternative solution to meet the customer’s needs? Can we listen more and talk less? Can we practice an increased degree of empathy in all of our customer’s departments? They are under pressure to perform and therefore, so are we. The more we can strengthen our value proposition, the greater chance we will get to solve our customer’s challenge.

Insight #4: The Way To Our Customer’s Heart Is Through Our Employees. When our employees are not engaged in the customer experience, our customers know; yes they are that smart. “While you can make some customers happy through brute force, you can not sustain great customer experience unless your employees are brought-in to what you’re doing and are aligned with the effort. If employees have low morale, then getting them to “wow” customers will be nearly impossible”. (CxP Law #4 – 6 Laws of Customer Experience). It is everyone’s responsibly and mission to help each other get grounded in why we are here, how we can create awesome customer experience, and then do it again and again. Walt Disney said “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”

People are getting more impatient. Google.com drives the demand for “I want it now.” An article mentioned a Gen-Y teenager who said the problem with Mc Donald’s is it’s just too slow. We are faced with both employees and customers who expect and often demand a great Customer Experience. Let’s give it to them; today, tomorrow, and everyday after that.

Right Thinking Requires Right Actions...

Prioritizing Requires Right Thinking – Curt Tueffert


Your thoughts determine your actions. Your actions, repeated, build habits. Your habits, assembled, become your character. Your character determines the results you achieve in your life.

This month, I would like to place a challenge before you. As you read the statement above, ask yourself how this applies to your job, your professional development, and your personal philosophy.

Your thoughts determine your actions: What are you thinking during the course of the day? What “self talk” are you feeding your mind? Are you beating yourself up or building yourself up? You see, it all starts in your mind. What thoughts you generate will eventually result in actions you take. If your thoughts about customers are positive, your actions will reflect the positive impact customer have on you. If your thoughts are negative, customers are more of a burden and pain. That will impact your actions, both at your job and how you professionally develop.

Your actions, repeated, build habits. We want to build positive habits, yet we have to go back to what actions you are taking to build those habits. The habit of professional and personal development can be tied back to the actions you are taking (or not taking) to develop the habits. Are you reading the right books, networking with the right people, attending the right seminars, listening to the right CD’s. If so, these actions…REPEATED…will develop positive habits. If not, your habits will tend to be marginalized and dull. I am training for a half triathlon relay. I am doing the swim portion, 1.2 miles. My actions of repeated swimming, build habits of swimming 3x per week, extending the length of the swim and the technique. My actions build my habits.

Your habits, assembled, become your character. Take all your positive and negative habits and bunch them up; they become your character. What is your character like at your job, in your professional development and in your personal philosophy? Are you a man or woman of high character? It is never too late to build a strong and positive character, just change your thoughts, create new actions, and they will build positive habits. Character is who you are when nobody is looking. Bring your good character to your job every day and you can change the way you impact your peers, your customers, and your world.

Your character determines the results you achieve in your life. Results are what we demand from each of our employees. Why, because our customers demand it. Why? Because the marketplace demands it. In your professional and personal life, you demand results. These can be positive, negative, or neutral. Bottom line, life is a results driven experience. I believe we can have more positive results based on the foundation of a strong character of honesty, integrity, and fairness.

We all have choices. We al have options. I choose to have positive thoughts which will result in powerful actions, which will built healthy habits, which will strengthen my character so that I continue to produce results. How about you?

Brick Wall Motivation Video

For those interested in contacting Brick Wall Motivation for speaking and training services, here is the demo video.

S.M.A.R.T Goals

Do you have goals? Do you have them written down? Do you know where you wrote them down and do you review them often? One quick way to outline your goals is using the letters S.M.A.R.T.

Specific - Are your goals specific in nature?
Measurable - Can you measure the progress to get to the completion of the goal?
Attainable - Are they attainable. Are you setting goals too high or too low?
Realistic - Reality check here. Can you REALLY pull off the goal?
Timeline - Do you have timeline? By ________date I will ____________?

Let me know how you are doing with your goals. Drop me a line at tueffert@aol.com

Review - Over Promise and Over Deliver

I just finished reading this book. The premise is that there are (3) touchpoints; Product, System, and People. When you want to exceed expectations, you need to read this book and determine if you are really overpromising and overdelivering in the product, systems and people areas of your company.

I highly recommend you invest in your team by reading this book.