Buy Something!

As an unseasoned, young salesman, I used to spend my windshield time thinking about all the ways I could talk about my company and my offering. I would turn the sentences inside out and upside down, forwards and backwards and everything in between.  My strategy was classic rookie: He who talks best wins.

Over time I moved away from talking and towards listening. I learned about SPIN Selling and how to ask progressively more penetrating questions. Sometimes, my questions were cumbersome and forced; you could tell I was struggling to convert some of my old, well polished statements into probing questions, but wasn't doing a very good job of it.  "Well, Mr. Customer, how has going without my service really put you in a bind?"  Did that really just come out of my mouth???

As time passed, questions became the default, and genuine caring about people's needs took over. But the urge remained to "talk about us" a little bit. When I was with a big company, I somehow had to work in a thing or two about the billions in the bank account, or the office on the west coast.  Surely the client wants to know about how our company is structured and the recent departmental realignment, right?  Just kidding... I never talked about that. But I did feel the need to force some conversation towards us if the Client wasn't going there.

Even the past few years, with a company strategy that builds off of our private ownership and flexibility that allows us to deliver the best services at the lowest cost in the industry, I find myself struggling not to brag. (Get it?)

That is, until recently. In one 45 minute span, I got cured forever. My disease is gone with no trace left. I now confidently pledge to never again talk about myself unless the Client asks. I promise to focus on the Client and to never, ever assume that the Client can't wait for me to deliver my infomercial, no matter how sexy I think it is.  So what happened?  Very simply, we bought something.

I always tried to imagine myself in the Client's shoes, but as a salesman you never really get all the way there. I thought in terms of what the Client might be needing, or thinking, or thinking he is needing. I also focused on how the Client would receive what I would say. But until I sat at a conference table as the customer, and really experience what it was like to be the target of every word spoken, I couldn't know what the Client's shoes felt like.

Then I put them on. I became the Client, and as such, all I cared about was what I cared about. There were things I wanted to know, and thinks that I didn't know I wanted to know, but that I knew I probably needed to know. I wanted the salesman to guide me through that, and help me get where I needed to be. But it was about me, not him. It was about trying to unlock my own thoughts and feelings, not listen to his.  The interesting thing about the experience was how great it felt when he was focusing on me, and how quickly I could become put off by an untimely diversion away from me and towards the merits of his company. I wondered almost out loud how out of touch this guy must be to think I wanted to hear his spiel at that moment. And at the same time, I was so grateful for the lesson he was teaching me. He showed me, quite frankly, me.

There has probably been no greater lesson for me in my career than to have that kind of a mirror exposing a critical flaw in my approach. My suspicion is that what I experienced would help a lot of people take the next step in their sales careers.  It showed me how to better serve, not only my external Clients, but my sales team and other people around me.  Buying opened my eyes and ears to truth, and I will take all of that I can get.  I have taken the lesson to heart, and challenge anyone who has never put the Client's shoes on to do it and get ready to take some notes.  Buy something, and really learn how to sell!

Blessed are the Peace Makers

In Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount, he admonishes His disciples to strive for great character, and promises blessings for achievement. "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth...blessed are merciful, for they shall receive mercy..." I remember as a young man committing to attempt to try to make an effort to give it my best shot... to follow Jesus and be all of those things. One in particular, though, I thought I had nailed: "Blessed are the peace makers, for they shall be called Sons of God."  I knew I could do that, because I hated conflict. I would go through life, I thought, and help people get along. And when conflict came my way, I would quickly dispose of it. And that is the way I operated for the better part of my adolescence, through college and on into my career.

Fast forward to 2012, in a taco shop in Addison, when I am sitting with my good buddy Matt Levy from Credera discussing our respective businesses and how to make them better. As lunch rolled on, the topic of office conflict came up, in the context of the sometimes difficult task of giving negative feedback to employees.  I quickly reminded Matt that I was a "peace maker", and proceeded to tell him how I handled conflict in my world.  Without much hesitation, Matt told me, quite frankly, "You aren't a peace maker Brian, you are a "peace faker".  You don't resolve conflict, you avoid it.  You don't make peace, you sweep stuff under the rug and act like there is no problem..."

Pow. Right between the eyes.

He went on to describe a continuum, where peace faking was on one end, peace breaking on the other end, and true peace making was somewhere right in the middle. Rarely, he said, was anyone ever truly a peace maker. He didn't have to say anymore; I knew he was right, but I had just never heard it before.

Instantly, though, I felt a sort of weight lifted off of my shoulders. For my entire life, I assumed that peace making meant that I had to save other people from the pain of conflict, when in reality I was keeping people from getting better. I knew instantly because I was so grateful for my friend Matt to shoot me straight. I wondered how many times I withheld critical feedback from coworkers and employees because of my peace faking.

The application here is obvious and of extreme importance. For business and for life in general, remember these three things:

1. It is appropriate for everyone to strive to be a peace maker;
2. Give yourself an honest look in the mirror and decide what your tendencies are. Do you pick fights and attempt to win? Do you flee conflict and "overlook" offenses that shouldn't be overlooked?
3. Practice peace making. Don't flee and don't fight; listen, learn and don't be afraid to speak the truth in love.

Simple, yet powerful, this life lesson was worth sharing.

Be Blessed!

Pressure, Stress, and Raising the Bar

It is 4th and Goal on the 3 yard line. The Offense is in “I” formation with two tight ends. They are lined up to run it off tackle, “straight up the gut.” The defense is stacked “in the box” to prevent the run. The play clock is ticking, “5…4…3…” The game clock is at 47 seconds. This is the last play of the game; three yards delivers a win, but two and a half yards hands you a loss.

You are down by one stroke walking to the 18th green. You have stormed back from being down by as much as 5 shots, and you now have a putt for birdie to force a playoff. You walk around the hole to line up your putt, which looks to be just inside the right lip. It is a makeable 5 footer, uphill and against the grain. Everybody is watching. You slowly approach the ball and take three practice strokes, just like you do every single time. Then you place the putter behind the ball, set your feet, and take one last look at the hole, imagining the ball traveling the imaginary line to the right side of the cup.

To you or me, both of these situations are not merely pressure situations, they are “stress” situations. Unless you are an NFL quarterback or a seasoned pro golfer that has “been there before”, the outside pressure of two ticking clocks, 11 men averaging 6’ 3” and 250 pounds, and an entire town (or nation) watching, or the internal pressure to keep your muscles loose and your mind from taking your putter off line would be too much to handle. We don’t have the training and tools to cope with those situations.

To the quarterback who is about to execute a naked bootleg, or the golfer that has made 4,000 five-foot putts under various amounts of pressure since he was a junior golfer, these situations are what they live for. So why is a pressure situation stressful for one person, but exhilarating for another? Understanding the difference in pressure and stress, and how each person copes with pressure is a fascinating, and I believe very useful pursuit for a leader.

Pressure is good. It may be external, internal, or both. It takes pressure to pump blood through the body. It takes pressure to fill a tire. Too much pressure can cause the heart to fail, or the tire to blow. Pressure is good; stress is bad.

The relevant question that we need to ask ourselves as business leaders is, “how do we apply the right amount of pressure, and at the same time minimize stress in order to get the best performance?” But why apply pressure at all? According to August Turak at Forbes,

“Maximum pressure combined with minimum stress produces passion, and passionate organizations full of passionate people will accomplish well-nigh anything.”

That is an interesting position, and one that can be easily debated. But think about it another way – think about what happens with a lack of pressure. Other than the obvious flat tire, a lack of pressure can create as much or more stress than too much pressure.

Consider again the football analogy; how many times have you heard it discussed by the analysts that a team is floundering because there is no “vocal leader” in the huddle? They say the team is undisciplined and there is strife in the locker room. They show clips of individual players blaming others for their own lack of production. They show repetitive “false start” penalties, and guys with sour looks on their faces moping back to the huddle. What the analysts are suggesting is that the quarterback isn’t demanding perfection from his offensive line, his receivers, or his running backs. They are suggesting that some of the best athletes in the world will not perform their best unless they have a leader getting in their face and telling them to bring their “A” game. Moreover, they are claiming that pressure can actually mold the individuals into a team and prevent chaos and discord.

But not everybody needs a “vocal leader”. Some guys perform their best whether a quarterback grabs their face mask and jerks their head around or not. In fact, some guys may respond negatively to that style of pressure.

The key is in knowing your team, and what drives each of your players to perform at peak level. Pressure becomes stress when your team member doesn’t have the freedom, authority, or tools to deal effectively with the pressure, or when expectations of performance are unreasonable.

But we need to be careful not to remove pressure as we are attempting to eliminate stress. When we try to avoid pressure or putting pressure on others, we can inadvertently lower the bar and make it OK to be mediocre.

Remember, “A” players are “A” players because they have performed under pressure time and again. If you are worried about putting pressure on your team because they may not be "A" players, then that is another problem entirely and will require many other blog posts to deal with.  However, if you know you have "A" players, and you want the best out of your team, consider the following:

• Know the capabilities of your team members. Remember that pressure becomes stress when the expectations are too high. 
• Clearly define expectations. Unstated expectations can be just as stress inducing as unreachable ones.
• Know what motivates your team. Some guys need a “vocal leader”, while others need to be left alone.
• Minimize stress. Make sure your team has the authority, tools, and freedom to manage the pressure situation.
• Give grace. Everyone makes mistakes and even “A” players jump off-sides from time to time.
• Encourage and reward. Everyone works for something, whether it be praise or prize. Know what your team members need and don’t be stingy.

So what happened? Did the quarterback successfully execute the naked bootleg and take his team to victory? Did the golfer drain the 5 foot putt to force the playoff? The more important question is how will you lead in your version of the NFL or the PGA? Harness the pressure, remove the stress, and raise the bar.

Zero-Sum Game?

I absolutely LOVE Christmas.  Not just the day, but the month leading up to it and the few days after it.  I have wondered why I am the way I am, and why other people may be different.  Some decorate their houses; some don't.  Some put up fake trees; some ONLY buy live trees. Some put up white lights; others put up blinking green and red lights and blow up Santa figures in the front yard.  The differences go on and on. I am certain my traditions have something to do with how I grew up, and how my mother decorated the house, the smell of cinnamon, and the lights around town. As a kid, I learned to love it... as an adult, I demand it!

So what does Christmas have to do with the concept of the "Zero-Sum Game", you may ask?  Nothing really.  But since it is the Christmas season, indulge me for a minute and I will cram the two topics together to make it work.

Christmas is the easiest illustration I can point to of a belief system that manifests itself in all sorts of action, carries on for generations, and then over time the participants lose track (or forget, or never learned) of the belief.  Why the tree?  What does the star on top mean?  What is the significance of a candy cane?  What do the colors red and green represent?  Who is Santa? The questions go on and on, with very few people knowing the answers (not to mention the point of Christmas in the first place!)  But that is what humans do. They do because they always have and because their parents did, and so forth.  I wonder how many would still carry on the traditions if they knew what the meanings were.  I would like to think most everyone, but you never know.

Now for the s t r e t c h comparison.  Today, we see a similar dislocation of actions and their origins.  We see the evidence of a belief, but the actual belief is out of sight and out of most everyone's consciences. The "decorations" for this belief are things like political speeches about the "Income gap", articles about the unfair "transfer of wealth", pitting "Wall Street" against "Main Street", a broad brush condemnation of "capitalism", and so on.  Most people see these "traditions" and carry them on because they look good, smell good, and sound good.  Their parents or their favorite actor or their favorite TV show host has parroted them, so they do too.  And because it is Christmas, and many people are indulging while others are doing without, the rhetoric has ratcheted up a few notches.

But what do you get when you boil it all down to the core belief that spawns all of the holly and tinsel? Unlike Christmas, we don't get to truth, we get myths such as the "Zero-Sum Game."

The Zero-Sum Game concept is the idea that in our economy (and in any transaction), there are always economic winners and losers, and that in total, the losses equal the winnings so that there is no net gain - i.e. a "zero sum".  It has as its theoretical end the concept of the "Fixed Pie"; that is, that wealth is not created, it is only transferred.

As an example, take the "unfair" income gap that is the outcry of the media today.  The data shows that the difference in income between the rich and the poor is widening, and has been for years.  Sounds terrible, right?  It may be.  Are the wealthy getting wealthier and the poor getting poorer?  That is what we are led to believe.  What is implied is that the wealthy got there at the expense of the poor; that the poor would be better off if the wealthy weren't so wealthy.  What if that weren't true?  What if the two had nothing to do with one another? Or worse, what if the wealthy getting wealthier actually helped the poor?

Let's dig into it a little bit.  Say an entrepreneur invented a new widget and makes $50k, and another guy on the other side of the world making $50k loses his job?  If you believe in Zero-Sum, the consequences of the entrepreneur's success starts a chain reaction of money transferring hands that ends up creating a shortage somewhere else, causing a lack of funds to pay that guy's wage and resulting in him being let go.  Seems plausible.  That is fixed pie thinking.

The other view is that the entrepreneur invents a new widget, employs people, and creates "new wealth".  He gets wealthier at the expense of no other person.  The guy on the other side of the world loses his job because his employer is paying a higher tax bill and can't make payroll.  How plausible does that sound?  That is not fixed pie thinking.

Which do you believe, and which one is true?  If you aren't sure, think about what the economy was like in the years 1800, 1900, and today and ask yourself one simple question: Did wealth increase?  The clear answer is yes.  Population increased, and wealth increased per capita.  Don't believe it? Click here and press "play".

The natural follow up questions is "How?"  More on that in a future post, but suffice it to say that mankind has found ways to add value to everything from trees to old tires to transistors. Mankind discovers, harvests, creates, and transacts in a way that creates wealth and gives people jobs, income, and hope.

So what is the point of all this?  Seems like a strange subject to blog about and link to Christmas, doesn't it?  Actually, it isn't as much of a stretch as it sounds.  Christmas is a time when everyone is thinking about finances. Many are doing well, but many aren't and can't afford to give their kids much of anything.  And when we see people struggling and the media blames the so called "wealthy", it is a tragedy. 

As entrepreneurs, we are trying to help the economy, create jobs, and give families a hope and a future. My hope this holiday is that you would be encouraged to not accept the mush that is being fed to you from the media.  Then, go hug an entrepreneur and thank him or her for taking a risk to create wealth and jobs.  After that, go and be generous and share with those less fortunate.  That is what makes this country (and Christmas) great!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The Wheelhouse

You can call it a “sweet spot”, a “wheelhouse”, or even your “happy place”. Many simply refer to it as a “comfort zone”, but we all have them. It is that activity, job, or situation that we are best suited for and where we feel most confident in our ability. Recently, two of us here at Entegral experienced the opposite of our wheelhouse… maybe you would call it our “fetal position” or our “shock and awe place”. That is a place that you don’t quite feel like you measure up, and more importantly, you begin to recognize how much you appreciate other people.

I am referring to, of course, the “wife getaway”, where the husband / father is left home alone to be Mr. Mom for the weekend. How hard could it be, right? You get the kids out of bed, shove some donuts in ‘em, make sure they have oxygen while you watch college football all day, and keep one ear out for the sound of broken bones, right? Not exactly. Though this wasn’t the first time for either of us, and we have learned many lessons before, here are a few takeaways that we won’t soon forget.

1. Don’t walk barefoot in the house. Little Barbie shoes really hurt when you step on them.
2. Throw your diet out of the window. Kids don’t react well when you pull up to “Souper Salad” for the evening meal.
3. Beware of silence. Something really bad is going on, like eating Vaseline or coloring on walls.
4. Kids don’t know best. If you let them, they would eat Gummie Bears all day and run down the center of the street blindfolded.

In all seriousness, there are some real insights that we gain when we are pulled outside of our comfort zone into someone else’s. Primarily, we are reminded to appreciate other people. Everyone that is important in our lives deserves to know that we consider what they do to be of vital importance. Secondly, we are reminded to appreciate our differences. Where I am weak, my wife is strong and vice versa. Lastly, we are reminded to work hard. When we are put in a position where we are stretched, it clarifies how hard everyone has to work to keep the operation humming.

In all walks of life, these lessons apply – whether it be at home, church, with work relationships, or even business to business interactions. Learning to recognize what we are not good at and appreciating those that complement our skills can sometimes be difficult, especially for those of us that think we can do it all. But the learning is key if we want the best for our family, church, work relationships, and our companies.

Those of us that learn these lessons need to remember them. Those that haven’t yet – well, watch out for the little Barbie shoes on the kitchen floor, because they hurt!

Looking Glass Land - Part 3

The following is the final (Part 3) of a three part article by Perry Been, Public Sector Services Director.

In Lewis Carroll’s (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) sequel to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865), Through the looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871), we find young Alice pondering what the world is like on the other side of a mirror's reflection. Climbing up on the fireplace mantel, she pokes at the wall-hung mirror behind the fireplace and discovers, to her surprise, that she is able to step through it to an alternative world, the Looking-Glass Land.

After spending 18 ½ years in the public service arena, with the last 9 ½ of those years serving as the Deputy Director of the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), I now find myself in Looking-Glass Land working in the private sector for DMI Entegral Solutions. I enjoy telling folks that I am doing the same thing I did for the State: I’m dealing with the same end-users, but now I can tell them what I really think. While said tongue-in-cheek, there is a lot of truth in that statement and I would like to share just a few things that I have learned and observed during the past 24 months of my life in Looking-Glass land.

Click here for Looking Glass Land - Part 1
Click here for Looking Glass Land - Part 2

Lesson 3 – Customer service is hard work, but it is the best part.
It will be difficult to write this without coming across as “prideful in my humility”, but I am going to give it a shot.  Those who read this just have to trust that there isn’t a prideful bone in my body. I try every day to be the best that I can be, given the limited abilities that God has chosen to bless me with, (Oops… now I suppose I am portraying “false humility”…), but I am never satisfied with my performance.  I suppose the lessons I learn about my industry, career, and myself are enough of a reward.  I am digging a hole; I better shut up and write.

When I was at SECO, I watched people that I knew in customer service roles with a critical eye.  Some did a very good job, while I can think of a few examples of really poor customer service.  I remember thinking about how important it was, but I honestly didn’t know what good service actually involved, how hard it would be, or how easy it could be to end up accidentally giving the poor service that I had self-righteously judged.  In the Looking Glass Land, I have come to appreciate the people I observed give good customer service, much like an amateur golfer appreciates how easy the pros make it look.  I know how hard it really is, and the fact that they make it look so effortless is very impressive.

So what is good customer service to Perry Been?  Unfortunately, I don’t have a fancy definition; but I think I know what the ingredients are, at least for me, to cause good service to come out of the other end.  I believe those key ingredients to be the following:

1. A genuine caring for the person you are serving;
2. An understanding of what is required as a servant; and,
3. A willingness to do what is required.

While each of the ingredients seems simple, I contend that they are indeed very difficult.  The proof is all around us.  If it was easy, we would never have occasion to get mad when we are on the phone with the satellite TV provider, or when the flight attendant snaps at us, or when we are trying to get an answer to a computer problem.  Furthermore, I think there is more to each ingredient than meets the eye.  Here is a taste of how I look at it:

Ingredient 1: A genuine caring for the person you are serving

Notice that this ingredient wasn’t worded “caring about the account” or “caring about the relationship.” I believe that is where a lot of mistakes are made.  Many subscribe to the “enlightened self interest” thought process that hypothesizes that if we do what is best for others, it will be best for ourselves; therefore we should do what is best for others.  While I find it hard to argue with, I would rather think of it as doing what is best for a person because it is the right thing to do.  If we always view other people as human beings, and not accounts or some form of nebulous “relationship” that we have to protect, the outcome is noticeably different.  I can tell when someone cares more about my wallet, or being tied to me in some way than simply caring about me.

Ingredient 2: An understanding of what is required as a servant

There is a big difference between what is required as a servant and what many people think is required of a servant.  It isn’t good enough to be cordial, check in every now and then, and offer lunch once a month.  A servant understands the emotional needs of his Client, as well as the physical needs. He understands that sometimes they “don’t know what they don’t know” and he will have to help.  He understands that there is always a tinge of “buyer’s remorse” when the Client second guesses his decision, and he will have to be there. He understands that his Client will sometimes get conflicting information from random sources, and he will have to hold his hand through it.  He understands that a Client will have internal battles within his own organization that cause anxiety, and he will need to help him through.  He understands that the Client will need constant reassurance, even when the decision is logical and based on sound information.  In short, he simply understands.

Ingredient 3: A willingness to do what is required

Lastly, and most importantly, a servant serves.  That requires a setting aside of yourself and putting others first.  I believe that most people that fail at customer service fail because of a lack of will.  The path of least resistance is to self-serve.  It is easy to feed yourself; it is humbling to feed someone else.

So there it is. The best part of all is that I actually enjoy it. I get more out of serving and making people feel taken care of than I do any other part of my job. I know the definition is homemade, and overly simplified, but it works for me. In reality, the three ingredients are tied together in such a way that you can’t have one without the others. It starts and ends with a decision to be humble. What a great quality; what a great challenge. How will you put this into practice?

Philanthropy

"Giving back" is one of those things one probably never considers when evaluating a company to go to work for, but makes one of the best qualities of an employer.  Before I pledged a sorority I don’t think I had ever heard the word philanthropy. Little did I know my entire four years as a member that I would be participating in dozens of service events, charities, and so on. If everyone were being honest, giving back to the community wouldn't rank at the top of the wish list of ways to spend your time as a college student.  Nevertheless, raising money for good causes and serving the community has a way of growing on people. For me, the enjoyment of giving back became a habit of service that has carried on into my career.  That is one reason why I am proud to be where I am today.  DMI Entegral Solutions has made a commitment to serving and giving back in areas that are important to its employees.

One such charity is the Fort Worth Teen Challenge.  For the past several years, DMI has been involved in raising funds for the Fort Worth Teen Challenge and over that period the DMI Golf Tournament has raised over $500,000 to help fund this phenomenal organization. Teen Challenge is a Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministry for women ages eighteen and older. Those deciding that they are serious about change in their lives make a personal commitment to come and live in the residential program for a period of twelve to eighteen months, in which time the girls live in a structured, safe environment conducive to huge personal growth. They get jobs to pay their own way, they maintain the grounds, cook for each other, participate in team building activities, and so on.  Most importantly, they are taught the Bible and how to strengthen their own will so that they will remain sober after they leave.  The statistics show that 86% of the women that leave FW Teen Challenge remain drug free.  For more information, click here.

The final note on philanthropy is that old Biblical principle that "it is better to give than receive."  I have never met anyone that said they didn't personally get more out of giving than the group they gave to.  Remember that the next time you get the opportunity to volunteer or help a cause that is important to you or your organization.

Kristin Comer
Marketing Manager
DMI Entegral Solutions