Maybe you’ve heard the story about the bearded lady and the circus clown who met and fell in love. They decided to get married and start a family.

Within a year, the bearded lady was expecting their first child. A few weeks before her due date, the circus ring-master and the bearded lady were talking.

“How’s it going?” the ring-master asked.

“We’re very excited,” said the bearded lady, “We have so many plans for the baby. We want to be excellent parents.”

“That’s nice,” said the ring-master, “Do you want a boy or a girl?”

“Oh, we really don’t mind as long as it’s healthy,” replied the bearded lady, “And it fits into the cannon.”

Too many builders take the Cannon Approach to profitability. They have great plans for their company and expectations for growth, but then they shoot holes in their bottom line by thinking, “I don’t really mind if I don’t make a profit as long as I’m selling houses.”

While building homes is a noble calling, your company is more than a manufacturer of good homes. Your first priority must be to make a profit. All other decisions should fall in line behind this one because, if you aren’t a profit-making company, it doesn’t really matter what else you make.
Helen Keller once said, “Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing.” I’d like to paraphrase that: Selling homes is either about making a profit or it is about nothing.

Posted In: New Home Sales Coach, New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: builders, myers barnes, profitability, selling homes

To succeed in business these days, you have to think like a businessperson, not a salesperson. Salespeople think in the now, the very moment. They are focused on the next big sale, not the one that will happen five months down the road.

But this short-sightedness will not bring you sustained success. A businessperson, whether the owner or manager, needs to keep an eye on the long-term perspective in order to proactively steer the company. He has to be keen enough to avoid the problems that arise from living in the moment.

Take, for instance, this all-too-common sales phrase: “You’ve had a bad month.” There is no such thing as “bad month”. They come in pairs. You have the beginning of the build cycle, when you pen the deal, and the closing that happens after the house is completed. One bad month equates to a second month where you have no closings.

The problem is further compounded when you fall behind. Let’s say you set a goal of 48 sales in a year, or four per month. January comes and goes without a sale. Now you have to play catch-up in February and make eight sales, but only manage to get two. Not only have you lost two months worth of selling time, but you also have two months with no closings. And what is the likelihood that you can convert 10 sales in March, just so you can keep pace with what looked like a reasonable goal at the start of the year? Slim to none.

The other concern with the “bad month” myopia is the manager who sympathizes with the under-performing salesperson. “I’ll give him another 90 days”, says the kindly boss. Three months to catch up? Well, what this manager has really done is sacrificed six months. Can you afford to give away half a year’s sales?
If you want to stay in business, you can’t take a cavalier attitude toward the “bad month”. It’s the harbinger of a bad season and a bad year!

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: bad month, build cycle, closings, New Home Sales Management Training, sales manager

There is no real mystery to identifying a person who would be a great salesperson. It doesn’t require close examination of a track record or a personality test.

Brian Tracy, a savvy leadership and management consultant, professes the SWAN Formula.

When you’re pondering a new hire, try grading the person on these criteria:

S = Smart. Does your prospect demonstrate a reasonable amount of intelligence? Does he/she have the capacity to identify opportunities, process information, and communicate effectively?
W = Works hard. Does this potential recruit have a track record of long hours? Can you sense the level of commitment to seeing the job through to closure versus calling it a day at 5 p.m.?
A = Ambition. To be successful, a salesperson must be a self-starter. While you can (and should) provide ongoing motivation, you need an individual with the ambition it takes to work independently, without the steady nudge of a manager.
N = Nice. You don’t need someone who dishes out a plate of freshly baked cookies (not that this is a BAD thing!) but you should seek professionals who are friendly, moral, and ethical. Their actions reflect you and your business. Be sure you won’t be tainted by unseemly behaviors and actions!

And don’t be swayed by experience. This can simply translate to longevity rather than quality. Much like tenure does not ensure a quality teacher, experience is nothing without demonstrated results.

If you find someone who scores high on the SWAN meter, make an offer. This is a person who possesses the attitude of a successful salesperson. And remember this advice: Hire for attitude, not for skill. Skills can be learned. A bad attitude will create an impossible situation. Look for the person who can embrace new knowledge and skills; avoid the one who can’t/won’t.

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: brian tracy, experience, how to recruit great salesperson, leadership, results, success, SWAN formula

People that cannot make prompt decisions miss their opportunity.

What separates a real leader from others is the ability to make fast decisions. Decisions come at you everyday like a bullet. In the year 2010 do you think you will have a major decision to make? The answer is yes.

There is a formula to help bring you clarity in the decision making process and it starts with thinking on paper. The average genius thinks on paper and delegates decision making to a document by asking these 4 simple questions:

If I make this decision what will be the best possible outcome?

Your answer will make the decision obvious.

It is important that you learn to manage fast decisions. Why? Because there will always be new decisions coming at you daily. Remember that procrastination is the thief of all opportunity.

Posted In: Leadership, New Home Sales Management Training, New Home Sales Training Video

Tags: decision making, fast thinker, leadership, myers barnes, New Home Sales, opportunity, youtube video

When people complain about ill-behaved children or pets, I always point to the fact that it’s not their fault that no one has established boundaries for good behavior. When a parent ignores a child’s public tantrum or a pet owner can’t control an aggressive dog, the problem lies with poor leadership.

The same truth applies to the bad salesperson. Perhaps you have someone on your team who is under-performing. You’re passing along leads and traffic like a blackjack dealer doling out face cards and aces. But nothing happens. Do you keep shoveling more leads or teach this person to more effectively close sales?
The "bad salesperson"like the bad child or dog” is a reflection on the person who is truly in charge of those behaviors. So, "I have a bad salesperson" is one of the most self-deprecating and derogatory comments a sales manager can make. After all, aren’t you the one who is responsible for hiring, training, and retaining this non-performer? What does this say about your leadership and management skills?

A salesperson needs training to deliver the results you need and expect. Part of being a responsible manager is providing the guidance to help your team grow in their craft. Take the time to determine if your "bad salesperson" has the fundamental skills that are necessary (ambition, communication, initiative). If so, invest in better training and you will experience the ROI. If not, refer to my post on de-hiring.

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: bad salesperson, de-hiring, leadership, management, management skills, ROI, sales manager, training

Years ago, I was being coached by my mentor about the levels of competency. He asked me to describe the biggest challenge I was facing at that moment.

"I have people who aren’t closing sales," I answered quickly.
"Why do you think they’re not selling?" he countered.

I wanted to say that if I knew that answer, it would not be my biggest challenge. Instead, I told him that I believed these people to be incompetent. I didn’t mean this appraisal to be derogatory. Incompetence is not equated with stupidity, but rather a skill-based issue. In spite of my concerted efforts to teach and train, spending 50% of my time in the field observing and coaching these people, I saw no positive return. Some of them still would not or could not do as I had advised.

In response to my plight, my mentor proceeded to explain "levels of competency":

Level 1: Those people who cannot understand what you’re trying to convey no matter how you explain it, because the concept is simply beyond the realm of their capacity. This doesn’t make them ignorant, but rather unsuitable for sales.

Level 2: The people who do not show up on time, offer enthusiastic participation in sales meetings, or make an effort to memorize a sales script. None of these faults are the result of inability but of conscious choice.

So, as a sales manager, you have to ask yourself which level you’re dealing with here. If you have a Level 1 incompetent but the person has a great attitude, shift them laterally to another position that better utilizes the other competencies.

If, however, you have a clear cut, chronic Level 2, stop trying to affect change. You are responsible for the results of your team. You did the hiring. If you have an incompetent person, what does this say about your leadership skills?

As the manager, you must recognize that the buck doesn’t stop here; it starts here. In a previous post, I described the principle of de-hiring. Take a look. Then take action!

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: competency, de-hiring, leadership skills, levels of competency, sales manager

When I consult with sales managers, I frequently get the complaint that their new home sales model is not open when it should be. They believe ”but aren’t sure” that their salespeople are late opening the model. They slip out early. They take extended breaks during the day, leaving the new home sales center unavailable during key times.

I tell each and every one of them that I can confirm with 100% accuracy which sales center is opening and closing on time without ever traveling to the sales center or model home. They look at me like I’m some sort of clairvoyant (which I’m not). I simply show up, unannounced, at a sales meeting. There are always people who arrive 15 to 20 minutes early, get their coffee, and are ready to start the meeting at the appointed time. There is also, sad to say, at least one person who waltzes in 15 to 20 minutes late.

This, I tell the sales manager, is one of those "tells" you see in a card game, a tip-off to the next play. The timeliness or tardiness that occurs when people are watching ”including the leadership team” is the same behavior occurring at your sales center. They aren’t savvy enough players to even attempt to bluff you.

If these people can’t be on time when everyone is watching, what makes you think they act more responsibly when left on their own?

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: myers barnes, new home, new home sales center, New Home Sales Management, sales model, tardiness

As a manager or CEO, you can’t hold anyone accountable without a measuring stick. You must set standards. You can do this by clearly stating expectations or you can reset the bar by the acts you tolerate. This is the law of minimum standards. What is the very least someone can do without commanding any repercussion?

If, for example, you call at meeting at 8:30 a.m. and everyone is in their seats by this time, except one habitual latecomer, you non-verbally lower your minimum standard. You hold up an important sales meeting, wasting the time of every person who arrived on time, to accommodate the person who did not have enough respect for you or this group to do the same. So, by delaying the start of the meeting and not condemning the late arrival, you: (1) penalized the people who were prompt, and (2) sent a message to the others that lateness is an acceptable standard.

In another scenario, you establish a minimum sales goal of two homes per month. Yet, you have a salesperson who hasn’t made even one new home sale in four months. By allowing this pattern to continue, you lowered your minimum standard to zero home sales per month” which I am certain was not your intention.

Without attaching and enforcing consequence to deplorable behavior, you lower your minimum standards. Before long, you will be tripping over them.

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training, New Home Sales Training Video

Tags: expectations, home sale, minimum standards, myers barnes, reset the bar, respect, sales meeting, youtube video

Motivation makes things happen. Motivation is driven by the motive to do, act, or change. Break down the word:

Motive + Action = Motivation.

Motivation is the compelling "Why" statement. “Why change?" "Why act?" "Why react?".

I’m not concerned with what you want, but rather why you want it. What is the compelling reason that lies beneath that desire? It’s not the "what" the gets you up in the morning, ready to tackle challenges and surge ahead. No, the motivation is the "why" statement. The desire to close a sale is the "What", but the "Why" reflects your ambition, the driving force that pushes you to reach a sales goal. Your "Why" statement is the reason you stay late, arrive early, overcome objection, swat away rejection, and keep moving forward, day after day.

When I work with clients, I tell them, "If I know why you want something, then I can help you get it." What is your motivation? Financial success? Personal gratification? The ability to take a nice vacation twice a year? Expansion? Exit strategy?

It’s fine to know what you want, but if you haven’t yet invested the time to determine why, then you might discover that there’s just not enough motive to trigger the action you need to achieve. Giving up on a goal means you didn’t have a strong enough "Why" statement. Before you give up, revisit the "Why".

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training, Personal Development

Tags: action, goals, motivation, motive, overcome objection, Why, youtube video

We’ve looked at Dissatisfaction and Discipline as the first two factors in the psychology of change. The next rung of the ladder deals with Attitude. Do you have the mindset to accept this undertaking? Are you embracing the desire to change or merely accepting it? What is your energy level? Attitude is key to successfully executing the change you’ve identified as worthwhile because (a) you’re dissatisfied enough with your current situation to want to make the change; and (b) you’re prepared to discipline yourself to take the necessary steps.

But where is your head at? Is it a case where maybe your doctor has advised you to quit smoking, lose weight, or reduce your stress levels? Has your boss recommended an "attitude adjustment"? Are you taking charge of your life or just taking orders? Consider this step carefully because if your attitude is in need of adjustment, you cannot succeed in your quest for change.

Look at the position of each letter of the word "ATTITUDE" in the alphabet:

A = 1
T = 20
T = 20
I = 9
T = 20
U = 21
D = 4
E = 5

Then add them up. I wonder if it is a coincidence that the letters of the word "attitude" add up to 100? If your attitude is 100%, you will be successful.

So, how is your attitude adding up these days? Are the odds of successful change stacked in your favor?

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training, Personal Development

Tags: attitude, change, discipline, dissatisfaction, myers barnes, New Home Sales Management Training, psychology of change

If you’re not selling, why? Well, you have to constantly diagnose why, but it usually comes down to four causes: Place, product, price, or sales process. Learn how to "come to grips" with these issues to fix almost any sales situation.

Can’t see the video? Click here to view it on YouTube.

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: New Home Sales Management, New Home Sales Management Training, sales situation, selling, youtube video

The first step on the ladder of change is dissatisfaction, which I wrote about in my last post. Now, let’s take the next step toward achieving a positive outcome.

The second factor is Discipline. Here’s where wishful thinking becomes purposeful action. Discipline drives you to do what you must and when you must, whether you feel like it or not. Discipline gets you to the gym on a rainy Sunday afternoon. It’s what forces you to pick up the phone and call prospects every day. Discipline is that little drill sergeant in your head that says, "Drop and give me 20" when you’re ready to cave in and devour that slice of cheesecake or say "yes" when you really mean "no".

And it’s not a new concept. Over a century ago, Albert Hubbard defined discipline as, "The ability to make yourself do the things you should do, when you should do them, whether you feel like it or not."

Discipline, combined with dissatisfaction, is the free will to choose your pain. Stay at a job that is frustrating and unfulfilling or make the effort to find new opportunities and endure the rejection involved in finding the right match.
The decision to change happens in an instant. What follows is a process that requires the discipline to see it through to the end. Discipline is the difference between "quitting" for a month (which is a pause, not a change) and quitting for good!

You will spend your life in one of two pain zones: The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret. If you choose discipline, recognize that the pain can go on for a while but there will be a positive outcome on the other side. Then ask yourself how long you will experience regret if you don’t change.
Put them on the scale. Discipline weighs ounces. Regret weighs a ton!

Posted In: New Home Sales Management Training

Tags: Albert Hubbard, change, discipline, factors, New Home Sales Management Training, New Home Sales Training, regret