Crisis Management

A friend of mine once described his supervisor to me by saying "He is a great crisis manager, if there isn't a crisis he'll create one". As humorous as that may be, often times managers evolve into constant crisis managers. They don't intend for that to happen, yet time and time again it seems that their department or company is constantly on the brink. Take a look at the workload and responsibility in front of you right now. To some degree aren't we all in crisis management mode all of the time?

It may be helpful to define what exactly crisis management is. Encarta defines a crisis as "a situation or period in which things are very uncertain, difficult, or painful, especially a time when action must be taken to avoid complete disaster or breakdown."

If we carry that definition into business we can define crisis management as "a situation or period in which the future success and profitability of the business and the livelihood of its' employees are at risk and immediate action must be taken to prevent eminent company collapse and closure." Now that sounds much more serious doesn't it? Are you in crisis management mode and there is no crisis based on our definition? If you are there are some pretty serious consequences likely to come your way.

While crisis management certainly grabs the attention of your employees and coworkers and may assist in short term increased productivity, over the course of time your employees will become burned out, and when a true crisis comes along they may not able to respond, or think that this is just another one of your crisis modes and not feel the urgency of the situation. (Remember the boy he cried wolf?) More importantly, how is crisis management affecting you? Chances are you are taking work home with you, it is affecting your mood and behavior around your family and friends, you may not enjoy coming to work as much as you used to or may even dread it!

It is not too late. Like any rut you find yourself in life you can escape it. The first step is to stop, take a deep breathe, and structure every day. Don't try to fix 10 things at once, all you will do is put a band-aid on a leaky pipe, it is bound to start leaking again soon. Prioritize the issues that need your attention and fix one problem (completely) at a time. Dedicate all of your attention to fixing the problem and do not stray your attention from it. Stay away from your PDA, let your calls go into voice mail, close the door to the office. Those questions and problems will be there for you to address when you are done. Watch a dog chase it's tail, that is what your life is like if you are in constant crisis management mode.

You will find rescue in structure. You will be more efficient. Your employees and coworkers will look up to you and you will go home every day with a feeling of accomplishment for each problem you completely solve.

A real crisis will be less likely to occur and when one does you will have an army of dedicated soldiers ready to help you battle it.

Coffee Is For Closers!

If you are reading this you are probably in sales, and likely have heard the old saying "ABC" - Always Be Closing. This philosophy while good in spirit will not get you where you want to be if taken literally. An aggressive closer will more often scare a potential sale away, or create a forced sale that leads to buyer remorse, returns, or a client that won't recommend you and will never come back. With that said, you should always ask for the order, always! But when do you? Now we are talking about the true art of sales. Finding the appropriate time to close the sale is what seperates the top producers from the field.

The sales process is not unlike any other relationship process you have experienced in your life. Think about your last date, the last friend you made, or when you first met your spouse. A relationship process had to run its' course. Same in sales, no matter what you are selling, a relationship process must run its' course to the point where you can ask for the order. Now, here is where it gets challenging. It is not your relationship process that is important, it is the clients. Different clients will fall into various personality types (which will be discussed in more detail on future articles). Reading the personality type of the person you are dealing with and matching your approach to them is the single most critical factor in closing the sale.

1 - The No-nonsense Customer. Someone that speaks quickly and is very direct needs direct answers, let them have control, answer their questions and use direct closing questions.

2 - The Introvert. A person that is quiet and reserved needs to be spoken to softly and you must build more of a relationship and more of a trust with that person.

3 - The Critical Thinker. Someone who is very detail oriented needs to know all of the features and benefits of the product you are selling. They will have a mental checklist and every box needs to be checked before buying so make sure you answer all questions for them.

4 - The Expressive Type. An individual that is very vibrant and animated needs to enjoy the transaction, enjoy the product, and enjoy the buying experience and you.

Keeping this in mind, it is time we change the old proverb of "ABC" - Always Be Closing. Instead try "ABC" - Analyze Before Closing. You will find your closing ratios along with your client satisfaction meters beginning to ArrowUp!