Earlier this month I attended a valuable presentation by leading US entrepreneur, speaker and trainer, Jack Daly.
Jack is literally ‘energy personified’. He talked a lot about learning the lessons of ‘business growth masters’ like Jack Collins, Henry Ford, Ray Kroc and Bill Gates – and provided some excellent tips and reminders for SME owners and executives.
Whilst Jack brands himself as a ‘sales expert’, everything he talked about is related to people and productivity.
Here are my top 10 ‘take outs’ for SME owners from his presentation:
1. Culture will eat strategy for lunch every day of the week
No matter how far reaching a leader’s vision or how brilliant the strategy, neither will be realized if not supported by an organisation’s culture.
2. Recruitment is a process, not an event
Always be recruiting. ‘Building your bench’, talking to talent and mapping the market should be an ongoing and continuous process.
3. Hire Slow and Fire Fast
Take your time when bringing someone into your organisation. Just as importantly, if it is not working out, let the person go quickly.
4. Give new starters the time to ‘model the masters’
Give your new starters the chance to learn from the best during the on-boarding process – those who have “been there, done that” and learned from their mistakes already.
5. Never compromise on standards of performance and behaviour
From the outset be very clear with employees on what is expected or acceptable performance and behaviour and do not accept anything less.
6. Systems and processes, systems and processes
They take time to implement, but once properly developed, they ensure efficiency and a consistently high quality of work.
7. Sales leaders grow salespeople, salespeople grow sales
Don’t confuse “leaders” with “sellers.” Sales leaders are there to grow and develop their people, so that their people can continue doing what they do best – growing sales.
8. Selling is the transfer of trust
Focus on building trust through deeper and more meaningful relationships with a few, not shallow relationships with many.
9. Trust trumps price all day long
People buy trust. Build trust, establish value and then help people buy, not be sold.
10. If you don’t have an assistant, you are an assistant
Don’t spread yourself too thin and try to do everything yourself or things will slip through the cracks. Hire someone to help.
You can find out more about Jack at www.jackdaly.net
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