Podcast 20 - Solocast on balance

Pretty stoked about todays solocast. I talk about kicking sugar and finding balance during trade show season. Just me and the mic. 

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Podcast 19 - Live from the LA MART

Today's special podcast was recorded this week at the LA MART. The Western States' most comprehensive collection of world-class, regional, and national showrooms & brands available only to the trade community. I chatted with the Sales Directors from these awesome brands; Pink House Jewelry and Design, PPD, Anne Taintor and Primal Elements. 

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Podcast 18 - LIVE from Atlanta

This is a podcast that I am so excited about. I got to have the opportunity of recording live at The Atlanta Home and Gift Show this week. It has an NPR vibe and I really want to do more of these. Enjoy!! 

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BEING A GREAT SALES LEADER 

    If you are a first time sales director or needed a friendly reminder; then realize your role as a sales leader is to inspire to lead up, not down. This means shifting your focus to leveraging the strengths of the sales team and each individual salesperson. You have to think strategically and strive to understand each person on the team.

    Too many salespeople move into a management role thinking they must lead every person the way they would want or like to be led. In reality, nothing can be farther from the truth. Great sales managers know each person on their team is different and, therefore, manage them accordingly to their unique weaknesses and strengths.

• ·      Learn to listen; the role of sales managers has changed. It’s no longer about being taskmaster; it’s about enablement and support.
• ·      Communicate to your team what is expected of them and how they’ll be measured.
• ·      Hierarchical, prescriptive management is dead, don’t try to control everything. Communicate a vision instead; let people try to figure out how they are going to get there on their own.
• ·      Have empathy; remember what it was like when you sold. Use that empathy to see things through your team’s eyes.
• ·      Be objective and create a sales process: If you try to turn everyone into an artist (like you probably were) it is going to be frustrating and won’t be scalable.  As an example, develop criteria that break down the characteristics of makes a great (A), average (B) and poor (C) rep.  Then, categorize all your reps based on those characteristics and manage accordingly.  For your As – set long term goals, over communicate and overcompensate.  Manage your Bs to become as so when the As inevitably leave you have someone to back fill them.  Set very short-term goals and celebrate small wins for your Cs to get them back on the winning path.
• ·      Coach your team on a daily basis to help them plan their selling activities to provide the maximum value and impact to their prospects.
• ·      Do be an inspirational leader because you understand what it’s like to follow.
• ·      Don’t micro-manage.

     Resource:

     StrengthsFinder is an awesome book to use if you are in charge of building an in-house team or a road team. 

Podcast 17 - {Solocast} Being a Sales Manager

Todays Solocast came about while being at the Dallas Home & Gift Show for 5 days. This means shifting your focus to leveraging the strengths of the sales team and each individual salesperson. You have to think strategically and strive to understand each person on the team. 

 

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Why I Fell In Love With Periscope: 7 Intro Tips for Beginners

My Profile on Periscope

So... a funny thing happened to Twitter recently. They bought A funny little app that is reinventing how we interact with our audience. It's allowing us to get a glimpse in to every day lives around the world. 

Periscope was born. 

I didn't quite know what I was going to utilize it for.  After speaking to a few friends I realized I could take my podcast on the road and show the visual side to what I do for living. With the timing being perfect and with our new products arriving soon -- I vowed to take this app where no one has taken it before. A gift trade show. Now you may think that isn't fun.. but, I guarantee you that if you're a retailer, a rep, a manufacturer or a principal of a showroom - this may be of value to you. Even if you are a shopper - I mean who doesn't love beautiful, creative people creating amazing products from frames, candles - handbags and jewelry. 

See, Periscope is a live application. 

There are two basic things you can do on Periscope:

1. broadcast or
2. watch others broadcast.

Periscope is a great opportunity to share your experiences with others.

Press a button and you are live. Not only that, but your followers will be instantly notified you are broadcasting, so you’ll be directly connected to your audience.

If you are more apt to viewing then go ahead and view away, but do interact with whom you are watching. Letting them know what you'd like to see, or for them to talk about is just as important to what the broadcaster is recording. 

How to sign up... download the app from your iPhone or Android and good news is you don't actually need a Twitter account, though it is pretty nice when the two work hand in hand. 

Here’s your download link on iTunes.  

Here’s your download link on Google Play.

I've been experimenting with a few videos to date and while time of day has a little to do with your initial successes. Keep in mind, this is a GLOBAL application and you are reaching around the world. So, there are 24 hours in a day, and people are watching around the clock. So know your audience if you are reaching folks just in your country. Off hours may be best.  Here are few things I've noticed so far.

A few helpful tips to draw people in if you are broadcasting LIVE :

• Please keep your video vertical for now - it is the way the app was intended (but updates will be coming over the next few months) 
• Create a fun title that will grab anyone strolling through the regional map. 
• Do encourage the viewers to click on the hearts if they like what they are seeing or to comment for what they'd like to know. It's awkward enough to just be chatting away with 3 people on and all you see is nothing. Engage them. Open ended questions like; Where are they from, Is it night or day where they are... asking random questions is actually really fun. 
• Don't sell yourself too hard - just be authentic. 
• Create a game if you are just on to be on - make it fun at least. 
• Don't be serious - you are the one that pushed the "start broadcast" button. 
• Lastly, have fun!! The more you engage, the more fun you'll have. 

Check out this great blog I came across recently and to put it simply - describes how the every man or woman can use Periscope to engage and humanize through this awesome new technology. Sean M. Everett - Infectious Engagement

Podcast 16 - Greta Rose Zagarino

If you think you know social media and the importance of how you build your brand, whether it's a retail store, your own business, whatever...You'll want to take notes while owner of the Greta Rose Agency chats on the couch with me today. Her agency helps create, develop and manage brand strategies and online reputations, custom Word Press and eCommerce websites, and effective social fan pages that produce specific measurable results. This is an episode you won't want to miss. 

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