I saw a former top rugby league player just recently and he was so overweight it was hard to believe. How could he allow himself to go from an athletic frame to one of near obesity in just a few years? I would imagine that not playing any more and not having to train offers part of the explanation, but of course there is another factor to be considered. He is no longer in the mood to be fit. When he was young the mood was easy to access, he was no doubt as keen as mustard to play the sport and being young means having natural fitness. There is no question that now he is out of the sport he has lost the mood. Perhaps he has ‘tried’ one or two diets and ‘had a go’ at jogging or visiting the gym, all to no avail. Why? Because dieting and exercise ‘modes’ are only of interest to people who are in the ‘mood’ to be fit and healthy. So mood leads naturally to mode and both human ‘drivers’ see to it that the desired result is made good. Mode means nothing without mood, as I see time and again in business.
I am often asked by organizations to help improve their sales culture, behaviour and performance. I consult with customers, management and the sales force and everyone usually agrees that new strategies and better business tools are needed. The strategies and tools are soon introduced but I’ll bet you can’t guess what happens next. For some inexplicable reason the new ideas don’t get used, or people use the concepts reluctantly and then pronounce that ‘they don’t work’. That’s strange, the mood was there and then it disappeared. Or so it seems. Actually, it was never there in the first place. Such organizations usually ‘want’ a better sales culture, behaviour and performance, but wanting such improvements is not the same as needing them. New and progressive companies, like young and aspiring rugby league players, are driven by a serious need to behave and perform at high levels…and not just an idle ‘want’.
They actually have no choice except to move in the fast lane. Their mood is one of creativity, commitment and urgency, and so they accept nothing less than operational and behavioural modes of excellence…and in these ways their service contributions and profit results are made to look exceptional. Sometimes I work with companies that are in serious trouble and so it appears that they really do need to improve, but the need is usually more financial than entrepreneurial. Disaster ensues. The cost of new strategies and tools just adds to the organization’s financial woes.
I am a keen tennis player and I play against a friend of mine each week and although I enjoy the games I beat him quite easily. Some months ago, I played a much younger man and although I was able to give him a good game my lack of fitness shocked me to my core. I had to make a decision about my fitness, otherwise I could not compete against fitter players. Possessed by a new need or mood, I employed various and simple modes of diet and exercise to improve my fitness, and last week I made it to runner-up status at a singles tournament at our local tennis club. I am not motivated simply to win games; ‘winning’ is something I aim for but that is not the prize. I am motivated to perform at a level that complies with a sense of pride concerning my involvement in tennis.
If the business gains that your company is committed to achieving are not being made, I can guarantee that this is because the mood is missing and this in turn will see to it that that superior modes of behaviour and operation will not be harnessed…or if they are, they will not be fuelled by passion. So what to do? Organize a meeting of your key team members and take stock of what league you want to play in, and don’t judge the league by the your industry alone. Talk to customers and find out what they see as ‘supplier excellence’ across the range of their service providers (in all industries), at least then you will have an understanding of ‘how high is up’. With these insights you can set a new and more dynamic business focus and course, and in the process ensure that the mood of the company is of the highest quality. Then you can create and/or import business development modes of great distinction and value.
In the year 1519, Hernan Cortez was expected by his masters in Spain to make good the conquest of Mexico. Against a backdrop of ‘disaffection’ displayed by his military units, he ensured mood and mode of sufficient intensity by burning the boats they had sailed in from Spain. Thus committed, his fighting men made victory happen for one compelling reason: they had no choice!
The Secret Of Sales Success:Mood, Mode, Made! - To learn more about this author, visit John Lees's Website.
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John Lees
(Visit John's Website)
Former director of marketing & sales for
Schwarzkopf in Australia and NZ, achieving
market leadership (against the giants
'L'Oreal and Wella) and best operations
internationally for the organisation. Then
worked as a consultant to the German
company in the US, Canada, the UK, South
Africa and leading Western European
markets. These days operates as a speaker,
trainer and consultant...specialising in
sales & marketing. Author of 10 books on
business development and a member of the
Institiute of management consultants.
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