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Volume 12, Issue 16

December 4, 2015

Dear Leaders Edge Colleague,

I love the saying, “There’s only one way to coast and it’s not uphill.”

I was reminded of that this week when I read a blog post called The Five Friends. The blog is

written by 5 guys who are great speakers and authors, and four of them are friends of

mine!! They write about different subjects from time to time. The one this week was how to

wrap up 2015.

The friends… Mark Sanborn, Joe Calloway, Larry Winget, Randy Pennington, and Scott

McCain all had great insights. But Scott’s was my favorite.

He wrote:

As a little boy, I watched a television program called, “The Millionaire.”

Every episode began with a man looking into the camera revealing the show’s fascinating premise: “I was the executive secretary to the late John Beresford Tipton, Jr., a fabulously wealthy and fascinating man, whose many hobbies included his habit of anonymously giving away one million dollars each week—to persons he had never even met.”

Question: What if the gift was $916,666 instead?

It’s still a large amount. Yet, somehow it just isn’t as impactful as $1,000,000 when it’s reduced, is it?

That’s what happens when you leave 1/12th behind.

I see many people coasting through the last month (or more) of the year—not realizing they’re cheapening the gift presented by each year of living.

You should be benefiting from almost an entire year of learning, experience, growth, and relationships. This last month should be your best month!

Here’s what you do: set a goal for every one of the remaining days of 2015. Make a specific plan for what you are going to accomplish on each day.

Don’t leave 1/12th unfulfilled! Ensure that you get the full “million” that the gift of 2015 has to offer!

It’s so easy to coast in December, and some of your competitors might be doing that, which

makes your effort, and that of your AE’s, even more impactful. Working every opportunity—

J I M D O Y L E & A S S O C I A T E S

THE LEADERS EDGE

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aggressively still making the calls, asking clients to make bigger commitments for 2016,

taking time to reach out to KEY accounts to say thank you—these are all things I’d be

focused on as a leader.

Don’t lose December. When you slow down at a traffic light it takes a lot of gas to get the car

going again. So minimize your slowdown. That doesn’t mean not taking your unused

vacation. And it certainly doesn’t mean you should lose the chance for some Holiday

joy. Just don’t take your eye off the ball.

That will pay real dividends in 2016.

Here’s the link to the full post from the 5 friends:

http://joecalloway.com/how-to-wrap-up-2015/

So, 2 of the 5 friends have spoken at our Boot Camp. Four of the 5 have been part of a

Leaders Edge teleseminar over the years. (I need to get us on Larry Winget’s schedule.) We

have now confirmed our speakers for this January’s Boot Camp. ALL are members of the

speakers Hall of Fame, and they’re all amazing.

We’ll have Eric Chester, author of the book, on Fire at Work, and America’s leading

authority on creating a positive workplace culture.

Our only repeat from last time is Roxanne Emmerich. She had a message about

accountability and culture in 2014. You may have heard of her book, Thank God It’s

Monday.

Then we’ll wrap up Tuesday with Mark Scharenbroich. I promise you his “nice bike”

message will send you home with a renewed sense of how to lead.

I am truly excited about this experience. It will be amazing!! In This Week’s Edition:

1. President John Hannon provides A Message For The Holiday Season

2. Senior Marketing Consultant Tom Conway provides tips in Planning For

Next Year

3. Street Beat from Executive Vice President Tom Ray

4. What Should Your KEY Account Program Look Like?

5. Thoughts to end your week

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1. A Message For The Holiday Season

From President John Hannon

Many years ago, my wife, Bridget, gave a writing to me that was being

circulated as the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts

comic strip. Since then, I’ve discovered that this “philosophy” was actually

written by Dennis Fakes, author of G.R.A.C.E: The Essence Of Spirituality.

In the spirit of the holiday season, I’m passing it along to you. Maybe you could share it with

your team at the end of one of your sales meetings?

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A Reminder Of Who Is Important In Your Life

You don’t actually have to answer all of the below questions. Just reflect on them. 1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world. 2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. 3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest. 4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. 5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. There are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one: 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school. 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special. 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with. 6. Name a half dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier?

The lesson: the people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money or the most awards. They are the ones who care. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes the rush of business may result in us taking some relationships for granted. We

may, unknowingly, overlook the assistance of a few who helped to make our individual

success possible.

During this holiday season, please take the time to show appreciation to the individuals that

have made or continue to make a difference in your life.

You can reach John Hannon at john@jimdoyle.com

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2 Planning For Next Year

By Senior Marketing Consultant Tom Conway

For many of you, the right of passage we know at “Budget Time” is

drawing to an end. Some may have been approved, some are being tweaked

by corporate, others may need “additional information,” but for most sales

managers the budget process is over.

Now what?

Hopefully, it’s not about getting the “holiday package” on the streets. It’s too late for that.

Most advertisers made their Christmas decisions months ago. In fact, the majority of retailers

have completed their plans for spring.

Now is the perfect time to get your sales team in order for 2016.

Your AE’s should be writing a SWOT for every account on their list. You and your

management team should be evaluating if the AE’s managed the accounts to your standards.

Decisions should be made to ensure every account is assigned to match the talents and

strengths of your sales team. Look at your attrition percentage. How many advertisers will

not be back next year? Why did they leave? What will you need to do to get them back?

The most important consideration to address now is COMMUNICATION!

Your budget is complete. The strategic direction has been

set. However, if you’re going to achieve the results you

desire for 2016, the plan must be COMMUNICATED to

your sales team. Now is the time to share the strategic

thinking that went into your budget. What roles do your

AE’s play in the plan that you recently submitted to

corporate? COMMUNICATE goals, initiatives, and

expectations to the people who will ultimately determine if

your plan will succeed!

CMC Compass Watch recently conducted a survey with Media companies they work with to

determine how well those organizations COMMUNICATE their strategic plans:

44% feel they understand some of the plan, general goals, and some ideas of how to reach them… but some parts are fuzzy

25% say the plan is not clear. It hasn’t been articulated and has no defined destination

16% say the plan is clear; they know exactly how to get there

15% say what strategy? We focus on the daily operations and “long term” means “next week!”

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There’s only one solution to ensure your team understands the direction they need to go to be

successful in 2016: YOU NEED TO COMMUNICATE THE PLAN TO THEM!

You can reach Tom Conway at tconway@teamdoyleconsultants.com

Jim Doyle & Associates Sales Manager’s High Performance Boot Camp! Learn more

3. Street Beat

By Executive Vice President, Tom Ray

Big News in Mattresses!

This Monday, it was announced that mattress giant, Mattress Firm, will

acquire mattress giant, Sleepy’s, for $780 million. This is a case of #1 buying #2. Mattress

Firm has more store locations than any other mattress specialty retailer in the US, and

Sleepy’s is second.

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The companies said the merged company would have about 3,500 stores, including more

than 1,050 stores in the difficult-to-enter Northeast and mid-Atlantic markets, and more than

$3.6 billion in sales over the past 12 months. The merged company—which includes brands

like Mattress Discounters, mattress.com and 1800mattress.com—would have a presence in

48 states, missing only Wyoming and Alaska. The companies said the merged entity would

have a 21.2% share of the specialty mattress market.

The deal is expected to close by August. Mattress Firm said it plans to continue to operate

under both the Mattress Firm and Sleepy’s brands in the near term.

So, what does this mean to our local/regional mattress clients? Well, the big just got bigger!

Even before this merger, Mattress Firm was the giant in the category. But, even after the

merger, at 22% expected market share, it means that 7 out of 10 mattresses will be purchased

elsewhere. No doubt the sleep category is incredibly competitive, so survivors will have to

differentiate or die. Different products and different services need to be highlighted to

separate from the crowd.

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One position this new merger won’t be able to claim is “hometown.” Your local hometown

purveyor of sleep products may opt to highlight this differentiator to compete. But be sure to

define what advantages “hometown” can deliver: faster delivery, better service, better

guarantee, etc.

If you handle a mattress retailer, now is the time to be in front of them with ideas to counter-

market this new mattress monster!

You can reach Tom Ray at tom@jimdoyle.com

4. What Should Your KEY Account Program Look Like?

I believe that great sales organizations own their KEY accounts. Here’s how they do it:

a) They target the economic buyer.

b) They are regularly sending thank you notes and making other small

gestures that really demonstrate their commitment to the customer. I

believe AE’s should be sending thank you notes to their KEY clients at

least four to five times a year.

c) Account Executives send articles and information to clients at least

once a month.

d) They do other things that really set them apart. I call this being on

offense as opposed to being on defense. An example: one AE never asks

a client if he wants tickets to something. She will always suggest how

those tickets might be used by the client in their business. “I put aside

two tickets to the circus. I thought you could give them to the first

person who sold a car on Saturday.” That’s offense.

e) Managers should play a major role in building relationships with

KEY accounts. Generals talk to Generals. And deploying Generals to

build relationships with their KEY accounts is absolutely critical.

Having a General Manager place a couple of thank you calls a week

can have a real impact. If the General Manager is even more engaged

and goes out to meet these clients, it’s even better. This can be a

critical success element for our future.

The goal of this KEY account activity is not to be loved. The goal is to buy access. At some

point you’re going to need it. In our UPGRADE Selling® system, we suggest you use access

to do an annual Time Out Call. But sometimes access is just simply the vehicle that allows

you to present a new idea, a new initiative or a major sales promotion.

But access also buys you insurance. If an agency changes or you get zapped on a buy, access

allows you to have a court of appeal at the client level. So it’s essential.

Do you have a plan to get access to your key decision makers? Are you implementing the

plan and inspecting it?

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5. Thoughts To End Your Week To do great things is difficult; to command great things is more difficult. -Friedrich Nietzsche

To have long-term success as a coach or in any position of leadership, you have to be obsessed in some way. -Pat Riley

True leadership lies in guiding others to success. In ensuring that everyone is performing at their best, doing the work they are pledged to do and doing it well. -Bill Owens

We live in a society obsessed with public opinion. But leadership has never been about popularity. -Marco Rubio

Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Jim Doyle PLEASE NOTE: LEADERS EDGE IS AN INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP. THIS DOCUMENT MAY NOT BE FORWARDED OUTSIDE OF YOUR IMMEDIATE OFFICE. THANK YOU.

Copyright © December 2015 Jim Doyle & Associates