Red or Black?
The Sales & Counselor Selling Series
A British Officer manned an individual post in Africa. A fellow officer came to join him from London. They meet for dinner, the guest in his road khakis and the officer in dinner jacket and starched white shirt.
The guest says, “I daresay no one would know if you don’t dress for dinner here in Africa…”
The Reply: “Surely not old man, but I’d know.”
– J.R. StJohn
Fusion’s Signature Colors? …or Double Entry Bookkeeping?
For years, bookkeeping was done with a debit column (entered in Red Ink) and an income column (entered in Black). History – such a wonderful teacher…
Today of course, we do our entries on the keyboard, and all in one color. But the power of noticing that you were “in the red” was once enough to send shivers down the spine of a generation taught never – ever to be in debt. (Of course, that too has changed…)
We chose the colors because of their historic symbolic importance, to remind us that every communication interaction is going to leave you in the black, or in the red. You’re either going to be better off, with a new or enhanced relationship, or you’ve lost ground. One almost never communicates without any outcome or result.
Red or Black. Plus or Minus. Each communication – all day long. Every day.
It’s a little scary to contemplate the compounding power of excellent communication, presentation, negotiating and sales skills. Factor in the added impact of aligning all the people in the sales force telling the same story(s).
Then add the multiplier of the entire sales desk, then marketing, the executive team, and the adjunct sellers in the retail world and you can see why we believe “the story is an asset.” Tell it once and the value is small. Tell it three, four, ten times, and deposits begin to accumulate. The value of the stories compounds with the retelling.
Imagine an army aligning the activities of the cavalry, infantry and artillery in a coordinated attack. Imagine a football team realizing the power of alignment with its defense, offense and special teams creating a coherent game strategy. Think of a symphony pulling together the strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion. Music! Rock and Roll: Sales Organizations using communication skills to get “in the black” by selling (or writing) “tickets.”
So much for the Black. If we pull ourselves together and deliver a structured memorable and repeatable presentation, we win. If we tell it again, we win. If we ask for the order every time, we win. If our teammates join in, we win. If other departments join in, we win. If we persist over the years, we win by creating a winning culture.
What about the red? Lost opportunities. What if we don’t show up for the presentation looking like a consummate pro? We lose. What if we don’t structure it for optimum memorability and repeatability? We lose. What if we just have a perfectly pleasant conversation with no particular outcome? We lose.
What if we go a few days or a week without sticking to the structure and focusing on the outcome each time? So what? Who’s to know? What’s the big deal? – it’s just this one time… Multiply that by the number of teammates who also didn’t take the trouble this time, this week, this month. We don’t notice it right away. But every lost opportunity is a failure to gain. (Of course, our teammates might not know how many opportunities we failed to convert in the field; but then again, they might.) Even if we’re selling, we’re not building an aligned sales effort. We’re in the red. We might win a small sales battle, and lose the big battle for brand identity and integrated team communication. We’re in the red.
Put yourself, your team and your organization firmly in the black – every time, every day, all the time. Fusion.
Applications
1. Personally
Before you sound off next time, ask yourself, “What is my intention with this diatribe? Will it enhance my relationships, or reduce people’s respect for me? Is there a way I can preface this, so people will be able to put it in context and make some space for my unfortunate humanity?”
2. At Home
Too often we turn off the filters; and our partners, spouses, children — even the pets get more honesty and heat than they bargained for — or deserve. Opinions, upsets, outrage, rolled eyes (this one’s for you teenagers…) and sarcasm are usually better presented in a private room as individual servings.
Filtering your communications can be a blessing and preserve that familial tranquility. At the same time, considering the perspective of the audience can often cause you to alter your message and/or delivery in a way that get you the result you’re looking for. Imagine the power of a united family front at school, scouts and the neighborhood.
3. At Work
Red or Black? Your choice. Sticking with the story, the structure, the standard, and the next step can put you and your team in the plus column once, regularly or for the long term. Nobody will know if you don’t stick with Fusion every time, but why give away the extra points? Sure it’s tough, but then — weren’t you hoping to be a champion?
“I daresay no one would know if you don’t dress for dinner here in Africa…”
The Reply: “Surely not old man, but I’d know.”
(And so goes the Empire…)
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