Sales is Hard...But Meetings Don't Have to Be

One of the best bosses I ever had...I also lovingly refer to as "a pirate and a thief". He was very driven and one of the best salespeople I have ever met. He had a way of painting a picture of the future that had you eating out of his hands, signing up to be on his team and believing that what he was saying... was easier to do... than it really was. 

There are two saying that I have associated with him that are still with me today…

1. His vision of the future was 100 miles ahead of reality and... if you did even half of what he wanted... it would be 10 times more than he thought was possible (not that he ever told you that)

2. Sales is hard…delivery is easy… (in other words...selling/closing the deal was the hardest part….figuring out how to deliver on it was the BEST PROBLEM anyone could have)

Loz* is the best example in my life to date of someone who could inspire a shared vision. It was this gift that was also his Achilles heel (but that is a story for another day). When I met him back in 2004 he was running our International operations from our UK offices. He had executive presence down to a science and was truly one of those people that you knew when he entered a room. 

I got the rare privilege of being coached by him and put through my paces in what I describe as "The Apprentice" on steroids. He also gave me one of the most generous gifts of my career in an executive coach (also his executive coach at the time) named Mandy Rose...who to this day...is a dear friend...mentor and inspiration in my life.

5 Lessons Learned from Loz

1. Never go into a big meeting without knowing where everyone in the room stands on the contentious issues being presented. Do your 1:1 leg work with the people in the room prior to the meeting to ensure you get the outcomes you are looking for

2. Leverage your relationships and network for what you need. Don’t be afraid to approach the CEO to ask for his/her support of your next job even if you think you don’t know them that well

3. The people…they just want to be entertained

4. Establish yourself as an expert in the room. Answer a question with relaxed confidence and use data – even if you are not 100% sure if the data is exact – no one will look it up and they will default to you as the expert going forward

5. Personal branding is more important than you realize

#1 Never Go Into a Meeting Without Doing Your Leg Work

I want to double click and focus in on Loz's Lesson #1 for this week's post. Out of all of them...this is the most important and hardest to make time for...but when you short cut it...things always take longer.

Loz had a gift for making every meeting look effortless...productive...and...as if by magic...resulting in the outcomes he was looking for. I...on the other hand...seemed to struggle with getting everyone on the same page and having the answers to questions in key moments. Due to the contentious nature of some of the challenges we were facing at the time...I often felt like a prize fighter who went 10 rounds in the ring and needed some smelling salts to recover.

So...one evening at dinner...after Loz had flown in to "save me" and pulled off yet another seamless...successful meeting...I asked him to tell me how he did it. It was like getting a world famous magician to share his greatest trick.

Loz...being who he was...smiled and said...I pre-closed with everyone in the room before I got there

He went on to say that after he prepped with me...had the presentation...the data...the talking points...he casually called the CEO...the CIO and the IT Director to check in with them before he made the trip. He asked them about their golf game...their family...and other personal points...and then he tested the information we were presenting to get their "take on it". As part of that 1:1 prep he not only got their support/buy-in...he also had a chance to refine and be on top of what they cared about when we actually had the discussion. Simple...yet brilliant!

If you are taking the time to talk 1:1 with everyone why do you even need the meeting?

Checking-in with everyone in advance doesn't mean that contentious points won't come out or shouldn't come out...it just means you are more prepared to handle them. Also...people will tell you things 1:1 that they won't say in a room full of people and that questioning... doubt... point of view...is critical to YOUR overall success. In a lot of cases...what Loz did so well in those prep meetings was to encourage people to speak those points "out loud" in critical moments of the conversation or have them "come in over the top" on a point he wanted to shine a light on or reinforce. These were best made by someone OTHER than HIM so it landed with credibility and impact. It was all prepped in advance yet looked 100% natural...as if it was always meant to be that way.

In Closing...

Over the years...I have gotten busy...meetings back up...life gets in the way...and I think everyone is on the same page so why bother to pause...and prep 1:1 for key meetings. EVERY TIME I have ignored it...it has not ended well and has taken longer than I actually have time for.

So make time...even if you think you don't have time...to reach out to key voices so you can...

• test your message

• incorporate additional points

• gain their buy-in

• encourage them to participate at critical moments

The result?! YOU can pull off seamless...successful meetings too!

Leadership Questions of the Week for YOU:

• Can YOU think of a leader that had an impact on your career and what did YOU learn from them?

• What do YOU think of the 5 Lessons Learned?

• Can YOU think of a meeting in the last couple of weeks that went really well...either for you or one that you attended? What about it do YOU think contributed to that?

• Can YOU think of a meeting that went poorly...got derailed...and didn't get the outcomes it promised? Do YOU think Loz's advice would have made a difference?

Thanks for reading and remember...YOU make a difference!

Please continue the conversation by liking…commenting or sharing this article. You can also follow me on twitter @marciedwhite or LinkedIn

* Loz....Laurence Shaw...tragically passed away several years ago. His light lives on with all who had the pleasure of knowing him. I think of him often and I am grateful beyond words for the lessons I learned from the short time I got to fly in his orbit.