Gen Y.

Smart.

Technically astute.

Global.

Diverse.

Distracted.

Interesting…..

Ready? Equipped? Are they prepared to face the tough world ahead?

Recent studies by Trusted Advisor Associates shows that when it comes to what many consider to be the most powerful tool in your business and personal tool kit, (relationships) they are not prepared. Let’s look at the four levels of internal and external business relationships:

Expertise based

Needs based

Relationship based

…and trusted advisor based

Being a trusted advisor is the highest level one can attain, and, of course, the most valuable.

The studies show that as age increases, the level of trustworthiness increases. There is approximately an 18% difference in trustworthiness between the ages of 20 to 70. The downfall to lacking trustworthiness and struggling in relationships for younger workers, most likely,  is a lack of life and business and life experience. Can trustworthiness be accelerated in an individual?

Accelerating them ahead

“Going against conventional wisdom: trust CAN be taught. Some business leaders make the case that to improve performance, people and businesses should leverage their strengths rather than concentrating on fixing their weaknesses. This makes a great deal of sense in areas of skills mastery. But when it comes to trust, the opposite is demonstrably true. By focusing on their weaknesses, individuals can make disproportionately large and rapid improvements in their trustworthiness, because improving weaknesses has the effect of lowering standard deviation, thereby increasing perceived integrity. By becoming aware of an imbalance in their trustworthiness strategies, individuals can strengthen their overall trustworthiness. By focusing on even minor improvements in their weak components, they can see a major impact on their overall ability to build trust.” (From “Think More Expertise Will Make You More Trusted? Think Again” by Trusted Advisor Associates)

Is your new workforce ready for the onslaught? Probably not. It may be time to address the imbalance.

(For more on the Trusted Advisor Associates study, see What Really Builds Trust. And, for an interesting snippet of Gen Y see We are Gen Y)

Trip Allen, Team Egyii, Singapore

In one of her blog postings Some Things Never Change, the HR Bartender (Sharlyn Lauby) reports on the results of the latest Robert Half International survey, showing that “35% of senior executives felt that unhappiness with management is the top reason for losing star employees.  This figure is up from 23% five years ago.  (FYI – for those of you who might be thinking pay is the second reason…think again.  It was fourth after advancement opportunities and lack of recognition.)”

Many reasons for low employee engagement and high employee turnover are given by companies, from unhappiness about having to accept lower pay during the downturn, to high career expectations. These may play a part, but often the perception of employees by management as being less important in creating a competitive advantage than product or service innovation and marketing strategy, is bound to send the wrong signals.

When management and senior leaders recognise that in today’s tough business environment, it is their people who have the potential to create that critical competitive edge that will see companies through this crisis, only then will they change their practices.  Changing practices means honouring the untapped potential in all your people, maintaining training and development initiatives, and creatively coming up with ideas on how to place employees at the centre of your strategic plan.

Only then will businesses find that the tough times can be managed and overcome.

James Irvine, Team Egyii, Singapore

What? Are we nuts? Have we completely changed our focus? A new business model? Not really we have always been in this business. We are in the highway construction business. This highway is a unique highway in its own. It is called the “relationship highway.”

We provide the tools and materials to build relationship highways. Powerful relationship highways at that. Highways and powerful relationships are quite equal in parallel.

Why does one build a highway? Maybe a superhighway, outfitted with 8 lanes?

To make things go faster.

To ease congestion.

To make life easier.

To lower overall costs.

Building highways does take an investment and time. But the returns are great.

Why does one build powerful relationships? For the same reasons highways are built; for an easier and pleasurable life that is less congested and that moves more efficiently. For business, powerful relationships boost productivity (efficiency), lower overall costs and generate more revenue.

How do we build our highways at Egyii?  Some of the tools and materials we use are based on trust. Why trust? Because of the economics of trust. Trust makes financial and long term sense. Trust is simple yet solid and proven. In Steven MR Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, Mr. Covey states that “as trust increases, the speed of doing business increases and the cost decreases.”

Trust ↑ = Speed ↑ Cost ↓

Keep in mind-another parallel. Building powerful relationships also takes an investment and time…and the returns are also great.

Sorry. The lunch break is over. The whistle is blowing. Got to put on my construction hat and continue building.

Trip Allen, Team Egyii, Singapore

No doubt that the financial crisis has spanked the image of banks and financial institutions in the eyes of the client. Not all institutions have practiced the force feed of complicated products on unsuspecting clients, but all institutions have undoubtedly suffered the consequences from the overall reputation of the financial world.

No matter what marketing efforts or executive initiatives are made, it will be difficult to change the client’s perspective.

So what now?

(for the answer, see the following Egyii White Paper: The Trust Edge for High Net Worth/Private Wealth Relationship Managers)

Trip Allen, Team Egyii, Singapore

To support the business in changing and turbulent times, HR leaders are looking for ways to support their stakeholders and offer new ideas/programmes above and beyond the norm.

Why? Due to the pressure of the business. The pressure for profitability and the pressure to contribute more to the business.

How are the HR leaders looking to do this? The HR leaders are looking to supply the right tools, and some of the old tools may not work anymore. They also feel that they need to add more value to the business.

So what might work today?

We all know that HR needs to understand the business and needs to link learning and development to the business goals and strategies. That is a no brainer.

To date, HR leaders have exausted their efforts with the sales and sales management teams by providing sales training programmes that offer a scripted, burdensome process. These programmes have brought in results, but the HR Leaders should take it one step further- even as  the executives continue to look  for quick answers-and quick results.

Wait a minute. Quick answers and quick results? You have tried programmes that offer the quick answers and results already. Some work and some don’t. What to do next?

As an HR leader, shouldn’t you be in the position to advise the business? Shouldn’t that be your key role?

To provide value you should look to be a proactive advisor. And as an advisor, you can position business differentiators.

How to differentiate?

Soft skills.

Soft skills are truly in need today. And I don’t recommend that becuse Egyii’s business evolves around that. I (and others) believe  it.

Soft skills need to complement the current sales process and the product training.

Soft skills are the “glue” to keep it all together.

So why is it difficult to pitch to management? Is it because soft skills are difficult to measure? They don’t show “direct” results? If that is on the mind of your executive team, they need advice. Your advice.

Soft skills, such as relationship skills, are important as they complement the drive for immediate results.

They also build the pipeline.

…and they turn a prospect into a client and keep the client a client.

If you are focusing on programmes that bring immediate results, chances are you are losing the client, because they know when the sales pressure is on. Relationship building soft skills help relieve this pressure and give you the ability to sell immediately and medium/ long term…without losing the client.

Isn’t that what the business REALLY wants?

HR Leaders have the opportunity to be more active as advisors. Contribute more of your ideas to the business. Add more value by advising the business and offering new tools such as more targeted soft skills.

It may difficult to convince the stakeholders- give it a try.

For more, see:

Building and fostering client relationships.

Building and rebuilding trust.

Trip Allen, Team Egyii, Singapore

Tough times require resiliency, especially in a cut-throat business like insurance. Your company’s branding, name and reputation, products won’t do it. It’s all about your people.

With pressure from the economic downturn, a large Singapore based insurance company needed their financial planners to deliver every time.  However, the financial planners were not getting the right support they needed from their direct management. Read how Egyii’s Andrew Sidwell helped turn the situation around. Coaching for sales performance

Andrew Sidwell, Team Egyii, Singapore

“I understand best when I hear, see and do!”

To be competent at any skill each participant needs to understand it both conceptually and behaviourally; have opportunities to practice it, get feedback on how well he or she is performing the skill and then use the skill enough so that it becomes integrated into their behavioural repertoire back in the workplace.

 Through eight years of successful client sales learning and development engagements I have developed the following tried and tested approach that encompasses the most effective learning dimensions to start the process of achieving sustainable behavioural change in your sales team.

To help participants acquire the skills, each Transformational Sales Module follows these steps:

Review of learning outcomes and behavioural standards and how they relate to enhanced performance in the business

Self Assessment Exercise to obtain a baseline performance level

Present Skill Concepts– either through experiential learning activities, case studies or presentations

Modeling exercise that allows participants to observe others exhibiting the desired skill behaviours

Participants practice application of skills and behaviours in structured activities based on job realistic scenarios

Participants receive feedback using the behavioural skills standards checklist to sign off as an indication of their level of mastery

Application questions to provide opportunities to check understanding of how skill behaviours relate classroom learning to real life situations

Personal Action Plans are set  to identify the development of specific personal behavioural changes to implement for successful transfer of knowledge and skills into the workplace

From my experience, this is what I believe to be a formula for learning success.

Andrew Sidwell, Team Egyii, Singapore

Many people believe that improving your performance at work involves attending a training course such as ‘Communicate with More Impact’ and hey presto, they will change!

To really improve our performance, we need to address the whole person, not just one behavioural part of it. For example, you cannot effectively change a behaviour if you have a belief that contradicts it. If I want to be great at connecting with people but have a belief that nobody can be trusted, then I will find it very difficult to achieve my goal.

So let’s look at this ‘whole person’ that is you. You can be seen on five different but related levels. At the top is your identity, which asks the question ‘Who am I?’. This is where you determine your role in a particular context, and decide your mission. If you are unclear about your purpose in life or in a particular situation, then you will find it difficult to motivate yourself and to focus on the right action to take.

Second on the hierarchy is your belief system. Your identity and mission will naturally affect your beliefs and values. Change your identity, and you will have to change some beliefs. These beliefs and values determine what you do and how you do it. You can have beliefs which open up great opportunities for you, but you can also have beliefs which severely limit your performance and achievements.

Third on the hierarchy is your capabilities, which give you the skills and knowledge you need to achieve your purpose and fulfill your role in life. They form the level of competence you need to perform at the level you want in order to achieve your goals.

Your capabilities help to determine your actual minute-by-minute behaviour or actions that you take in order to move you towards your goal and achieve your purpose. So your behaviour is fourth on the hierarchy. It is often assumed that our behaviour is something we can change through learning or willpower, but as you can see from this holistic picture, our behaviour is determined by what we are capable of doing, which is determined by our belief system, which is determined by our sense of identity and mission. To be really effective at the level of behaviour, you want to make sure that what you are doing is in alignment with your capabilities, beliefs and values, and identity or role. When these are in alignment, then you are congruent, and you feel strong and confident.

Last but not least is the environment, the fifth level in the hierarchy. We often say ‘I was just in the right place at the right time’, which emphasizes the importance of context for success. You can have the right behaviour, skills, beliefs and sense of purpose, but if your environment does not support these higher levels, then you are unlikely to succeed. And you can have some control over your environment. This writer spent many years working in an industry that just didn’t suit his temperament or talents, and try hard as he might, he didn’t achieve success until he entered a new industry.

So pay attention to yourself. Listen to your still voice which suggests a purpose for you. Change a belief if it was useful when you were small but serves you no purpose other than to hold you back today. Look at your skills and competencies. Are they going to be the right ones or enough to help you achieve your purpose? And become conscious of your behaviour. Get out of auto pilot mode and function as if on manual pilot, with greater self awareness and attention to what you are doing all day long. And finally, make sure you are in the right place for you, or that your arrange your environment to support you rather than work against you.

For more information see Self Management & Relationship Management.

James Irvine, Team Egyii, Singapore

Sales professionals often need the proper support and feedback of management to be successful. Sales managers want to support their team members; however, the methods used by the managers can at times be more harmful than helpful.

Why is that?

Often there is a lack of clarity and focus between the manager and the sales professional on the behavioural expectations

Coaches often don’t understand the behavioural change process and therefore cannot gain the commitment of their staff to want to take action

Managers don’t observe their performers ‘in the game’ enough to know how to identify and target key behavioural development opportunities

The typical approach to coaching someone is to “tell” the salesperson what to do vs. asking effective questions to help lead the salesperson to improved performance

What to do about it?

Managers need to be equipped with the right sales coaching skills by understanding how to be an effective coach. They need to  learn skills on how to conduct coaching sessions that develop the key skills and that help change the behaviour of others.

How is this accomplished?

Managers need to:

Build their attributes of an effective sales coach required to create a positive coaching experience

Recognise individual differences in approaches to learning and adapt the coaching discussion to suit the needs of the individual

Identify exactly what skills and behaviours managers expect from their sales professionals in order to achieve the desirable outcomes

Enhance observation skills for assessing and identifying key behaviours, client engagement skills and sales activity at critical stages of the sales process

To provide positive and corrective performance feedback that builds and maintains self esteem

Enhance coaching communication skills (asking and listening) in order to  increase personal commitment to individual development opportunities

Demonstrate competence in the delivery of a  coaching model

Be able to set and monitor personal development plans to reinforce behavioural change after the coaching session

For more information, see maximising sales performance and skills

Andrew Sidwell, Team Egyii, Singapore

Welcome, Andrew, to Team Egyii.

In a nutshell, Andrew brings to clients years of hands on experience in the call centre space and in the learning and development arena, working with major banks, insurance and technology companies, to name a few.

Andrew helps clients with the effective sales conversation and the reinforcement behind it. His focus is on solutions for front line service, sales teams and management:

Frontline sales and acquisition

Frontline customer experience

Leadership and coaching development

For more on Andrew, see Andrew Sidwell and for more on the programmes he has delivered to banking, finance and the tech sector, see the following.

Trip Allen, Team Egyii, Singapore