I posted a short paragraph yesterday on the subject of sales driving and I wanted to expand a little on my ideas. I think that the starting point for any sales driving activity is an engaged group of stakeholders who passionatley believe in what they are doing and who want to do the best job possible. This is achieved not just by providing them with incentives and by communicating the extend of the goal and key milestones (you do need to do all of this) but by explaining why you are undertaking the activity and how it will be mutually beneficial for all involved. In my career, I have found that the best method of influencing people is by showing them how working together to achieve a goal can be mutually benficial (otherwise known as “whats in it for me”).
I remember my last role as a unit manager, this was for Pret running their store in kensington station and I recall having a huge issue with waste when I first came to the store. I tackled it by having a team meeting, agreeing a set of actions that as a team we would all participate in and also sweetened the deal by promising to reinvest some of the money saved in adding an extra shift each day. This created a win win scenario not just for the employees and myself, but also for our customers.
The late Stephen Covey often spoke about “win/win or no deal” which is a mantra I always repeat to myself before engaging anyone in any activity.
random outpourings 