You’ve probably heard the statement “You don’t know what you don’t know!”   When I first heard it decades ago, I thought it was profound.  The statement hit me like a stack of bricks.   Today, the phrase is used so often that it is practically cliché.

 However, I’ve found that many leaders don’t know how to harness its power.

What does DKDK really mean and how can we use it to become more productive, effective, and happy?

Let’s break it down…:

Firstly, Knowledge is stuff we know.

Wikipedia defines KNOWLEDGE as “a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of facts, information, descriptions, or skills, acquired through experience or education, by perceiving, discovering or learning.

In the business world, we don’t really know anything until we apply accumulated knowledge into productive behavior, skillful actions, or wiser decisions.

If we look at the sum of knowledge (everything we know), logic dictates that our total universe of knowledge is comprised of only 3 parts:

1.     What we know we know–KK.  (I know how to ride a bicycle)

2.     What we know we don’t know–KDK.  (I know I don’t know how to perform brain surgery)

3.     What we don’t know that we don’t know—DKDK.  (Am I asking the right question or even starting from the correct frame of reference?  Am I even in the right ball park?)

In recent years, I’ve had the privilege of attending hundreds of CEO advisory board meetings and have witnessed many of the best and brightest business owners helping each other to succeed.    In these meetings, owners support each other, share best practices, validate thinking, and hold each other accountable.   And they (and I) learn a ton.   However, perhaps the greatest learning occurs when a member’s board challenges their thinking, their perspectives, and their questions.   These challenges often result in dramatically different, more effective, and BETTER questions.   Owners often realize that they may be working hard to chop down trees, but that they may be chopping in the wrong forest.   Consequently, the owners are able to use DKDK to make much wiser decisions about how to invest their precious time, money and resources.

I used to believe that DKDK comprised at least half of the total sum of knowledge.  I was wrong.    What I’ve come to learn is that DKDK comprises far more than 99% of the sum of knowledge.   Many of the board members comment that the more they learn, the more they understand that the best solutions lie in DKDK.  In other words, we are ALL clueless.

The most significant discovery and learning resides in DKDK.    So the most successful leaders are the ones that understand this concept.  The strongest board members learn how to use this understanding to make wiser, more effective, skillful decisions.   As a consequence, they thrive.

The only sustainable advantage that any of our companies (or ourselves) have is the ability to learn better and faster than our competitors.  Those who understand and execute this principle consistently succeed.

If you haven’t created a PROACTIVE structure and process that provides you and your employees more opportunities for greater DKDK discovery and faster learning, I’d encourage you to begin today.

Copyright ©   Joe Zente  2017.   All Rights Reserved.

At this moment, millions of salespeople are out promoting their products or services.   They are shaking hands, pitching, demonstrating, and presenting.  They are also (hopefully) spending time asking questions, listening, learning, and facilitating mutual discovery.

Interestingly, the majority of these salespeople (and the leadership of the companies they represent) are operating under popular misconceptions about the TRUE reasons people buy.    They are consequently wasting tons of time and losing out on reams of sales, opportunities, and profit.   If a salesperson doesn’t understand why or how a person buys, and what motivates someone to buy from them instead of someone else, that salesperson’s chance of actually making a sale fall astronomically.    Here are just a few of the most popular misconceptions…: 

“If a Company needs what I sell, they will buy from me.”

Companies do not make purchases.  People do.  Decision Maker People.  Committees never make decisions.  In fact, ‘Committee Decision’ is an oxymoron.   If you are being told that a committee will decide, you can be sure that ONE PERSON on that committee (the one will the most influence, power, and commitment) will get their way.

“If a buyer needs what I offer, they will buy from me.”

The vast majority of salespeople believe this myth.  As a consequence, there are loads of ‘hot projected sales’ sitting on company forecasts right now that do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of closing.  It is highly likely that you need something today that you have not yet bought, and may not buy for months, years, or perhaps ever.  Need is just one component that leads to a potential purchase, but only emotional pain will actually trigger a purchase and make it happen.  Do your salespeople know how to uncover pain, and if so, are they doing it?   

“People buy from people they like”  

Can you think of a salesperson you like that you have not (or would not) buy from?  I certainly can.  Research shows that people do not buy from people they like.  They buy from people they TRUST.  They buy from people that help them create a new buying vision.  They buy from people when they enjoy and respect the process of their interaction.  It is great to be liked by your prospect and I would always encourage you to strive to be liked.  But many salespeople avoid asking vital questions for fear they may not be liked.  Bad idea.  Game over.  It is great to be liked, but it is much more important to respected, competent, and trusted.  

“If I demonstrate ROI, we’ll win!”

There is nothing at all wrong with outlining that a financial return on investment would result from a purchase.  In fact, there are many cases where it absolutely makes sense to do so.  However, don’t think for a second that because you showed someone you were going a save them a million dollars that they will buy from you.  The dominating presumption among ROI sellers is that people buy mostly for financial or rational reasons.  Again, statistical, psychological, and brain science research have all blown this misconception to smithereens.  While there are selected situations where demonstrating ROI is important, it has been proven that in ALL cases that buying decisions are made much more for emotional reasons and feelings that for rational reasons and spreadsheets.

“If my product (or service) is the best, they will buy from me”

A recent survey of 5000 C-level buyers has revealed that 19% of purchase due to “quality or service”, 19% buy due to “reputation”, 9% due to “price”, and 53% due to the quality of their “interaction with the salesperson or company representative”.  FIFTY-THREE PERCENT.  In other words, the process of buying is more important than everything else put together, far out-distancing the product or service.  So if you are currently focusing your sales interactions on either trumpeting or teeing up opportunities to demonstrate the wonderfulness of your product or company, you may wish to reconsider.  Once again, I am not suggesting at all that you should not have a great product, service, reputation, or a great offer at a fair price.  Nor am I suggesting that your marketing should not highlight your unique advantages.  However, managing the sales interaction will take you to the bank much more often with Decision Makers.    

These are just a few of the most popular incorrect beliefs that create ineffective selling behavior (and many lost sales).  There are more.

Do these myths and beliefs exist within your company and salespeople?

If so, I’d encourage you to take a close look at changing them (and the selling mistakes they create) soon.   The rewards will be great.

Continued Success,

Joe

Copyright ©   Joe Zente  2017.   All Rights Reserved.

1.  Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper.  At the top, place a plus sign on the left side, a minus sign on the right.  List activities that energize you on the left and those that suck your energy on the right.  If you can’t delete the energy-sucking items from your life, delegate them.

2.   Create an untouchable rounding account.  For every check you receive, deposit everything except the first digit of the check into the fund.  If the check is $3,267.45, put everything except $3,000 into your rounding fund, then watch your savings grow!

3.   While brushing your teeth each morning, reflect upon 3 things you are thankful for, and why.  If your gratitude involves a person, make sure they to let them know.

4.  Identify something (or someone) that really pisses you off or frustrates you, then let it go!   Forgiveness costs you nothing, but the return on investment is enormous.  You will never be free if you become a slave to your emotions.

5.   You already know about the benefits of a healthy diet and exercise.  If you know it but you don’t do it, what is really going on?  Firstly, don’t beat yourself up.  Most people are unable to maintain the HABIT of healthy living.  If you are one of those people, start by identifying the TRUE CAUSE.   Ask yourself what you really gain by breaking this commitment.  This may take some soul searching and you might need to enlist a friend to help, but if you identify and address the root cause in order to change the habit, the reward will be well worth the effort.

Please share at least one short TIP that you have found to be effective for you.

Best wishes for a healthy, happy, prosperous, magnificent 2017!

Copyright ©   Joe Zente  2017.   All Rights Reserved.

On Tuesday night the United States experienced one of the most earth-shattering events in its history, the culmination of a totally unprecedented phenomenon.

Most political, media, academic, and polling “experts” were totally wrong in their predictions regarding just about every aspect of the entire campaign season.   And many were totally dumbfounded at the result. 

How can this be and what did they miss?  How could they all be so wrong?

Much of the answer lies in Empathy.

I often ask people what “empathy” means to them.  When I do, I get dozens of different answers, many of which veer far from its true meaning.    So before we go further, let’s define the word.  According to Wikipedia…:

Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within the other being’s frame of reference, i.e., the capacity to place oneself in another’s position. Empathy is seeing with the eyes of another, listening with the ears of another and feelings with the heart of another.

When it comes to your clients, sales prospects, markets, and other stakeholders, how are YOU doing in the area of empathy?   Do you listen from their perspective, from your own?   Do you actually listen at all, or do you wait to talk?

If you (and your employees) were to become more empathetic, what effect do you think doing so might have on your decisions, culture, and bottom line?

Listening is a skill.   One that can be developed.  Empathy requires the highest form of listening.  As with any skill, becoming a more empathetic listener begins with a commitment to improve.

Unfortunately, most of us are closer to being pathetic listeners than empathetic listeners. 

A view of the USA’s voting map shows two blue coasts, with an enormous swatch of red in between (not withstanding a few small blue dots surrounding major metropolitan areas).    In essence, two Americas, one rural and one urban.   Major media centers and the majority of political prognosticators reside near urban centers.  Their PERCEPTION of the world did not take into account half of the nation’s frame of reference.  They saw the world through their own lenses, and mostly ignored the views of a significant portion of the voters.  They listened selectively and heard what they wanted to hear.   They were blinded by a lack of empathy.  As a consequence, most of their assumptions and predictions were wrong.

As business owners, our perceptions, assumptions, and predictions have a tremendous effect on our effectiveness, growth, profit, decision-making and the overall strength and value of our businesses.   Consequently, it is vitally important for us to commit to making every effort to see things not just through our own lenses, but from the lenses of the marketplace, our employees, our sales prospects, and more.  

There are many ways to improve empathy in your business (and at home).   You can start today committing to improving the listening skills of yourself and your employees.   Joining a peer advisory board can also help tremendously in helping you to see things far beyond your own perspective and assist you in making better decisions.

Copyright ©   Joe Zente  2016.   All Rights Reserved. 

Many private business owners tell me they struggle with sales.  Most report little, if any, predictability, visibility, or scalability in their sales effort.  A large percentage of seemingly successful entrepreneurs even have a tough time maintaining any level of consistency in growing sales revenues and profit.

When I ask owners for their reasons their sales are lacking, I often hear the same things over and over.  This destructive self-talk hurts much more than it helps.  Following is a list of popular excuses I hear many times each month.   If you find yourself saying any of these things (to others or to yourself), I’ve offered some actions you take today to make things much better.

“When we get in front of prospects, we almost always win.” 

While this may be true, it is not necessarily good.  If your company is closing 100% of your sales, you (or your salespeople) are probably only meeting with SUPER-qualified prospects.  While it is always a good idea to continually strive to improve your closing percentages, understand that the vast majority of private companies (and salespeople) behave opportunistically, versus proactively when it comes to selling.  In other words, they are not selling, they are taking orders.  Opportunistic (reactive)  selling places a company’s destiny into the hands of external forces (like the economy, competition, new features, etc.).  Very dangerous to say the least.

“We don’t have the time to improve sales” (aka: “We’re too busy”)

Fact#1:  You have the same amount of time as everyone else (24 hours per day).

Fact#2:  You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.

Fact#3:  The more your focus on a problem, the more likely you are to improve it.

So we’re really not talking about time here, were talking about priorities.  So ask yourself:  “Are the issues we’re focusing on today really more important than Sales?”   If so, continue as you are.  If not, what will you stop doing today so you can focus on growing revenues and profits?

“I don’t have enough money”

Same goes here.  Of course you don’t have unlimited funds.  No one does.  However, every owner is spending money on something.  The real question to ask is “am I investing money and resources in accordance with my goals and priorities?”   If your sales are consistently falling short, the answer is NO.

“If my salespeople (or sales manager) would only…”

Here comes the big pill.   All of your salespeople are currently behaving the way they are behaving because that is the way they CHOOSE to behave. You are also behaving the way you are behaving because that is how you are choosing to behave.  So if you want something to change (improve) in your sales effort, the change starts with you.  If your sales aren’t cutting it, YOU are the problem, but you are also the (potential) solution.

The success (or lack of success) of any private business is a 100% function of the decisions made by its owner (CEO).  The wisdom of how a CEO chooses to invest his/her limited time, money, and resources determines everything.  So choose wisely.

Running a great business is not magic.  Creating a great sales organization is not magic. Both are formulaic, time-tested pursuits.   If you’d like to share methods or processes that you currently use to make wiser choices, or would like to discuss practices that I have seen work many times, I’d love to hear from you.

Many private business owners tell me they struggle with sales.  Most report little, if any, predictability, visibility, or scalability in their sales effort.  A large percentage of seemingly successful entrepreneurs even have a tough time maintaining any level of consistency in growing sales revenues and profit.

When I ask owners for their reasons their sales are lacking, I often hear the same things over and over.  This destructive self-talk hurts much more than it helps.  Following is a list of popular excuses I hear many times each month.   If you find yourself saying any of these things (to others or to yourself), I’ve offered some actions you take today to make things much better.

Copyright ©   Joe Zente  2016.   All Rights Reserved.