Month: May 2012

The art of networking and selling

Author saurabhPosted on Categories Networking/Marketing/SellingLeave a comment on The art of networking and selling

Many businessmen do good quality work but are hesitant or squeamish about selling their goods or services. I have met several who say ‘I’m not good at it’ or ‘its demeaning to make business calls’. But the truth is that selling like any other work requires planning, persuading and perseverance. Recently I was at a […]

Many businessmen do good quality work but are hesitant or squeamish about selling their goods or services. I have met several who say ‘I’m not good at it’ or ‘its demeaning to make business calls’. But the truth is that selling like any other work requires planning, persuading and perseverance.

Recently I was at a conference where senior business men from the same industry were meeting to discuss government policy and business trends, and I was intrigued to witness a ‘strategy’ adopted by a smart CEO. He came in early in the morning- a few minutes before starting time. The conference room was empty of organizers, the round tables had been arranged with attendees’ name tents neatly placed on them. He surveyed the room, and then quietly and confidently changed his name plate (and a few others) to the table where prospective clients were sitting! He then went on to fully utilize the opportunity to chat and connect with these people who he had access to now. While he introduced himself, he was careful not to push his business. He concentrated on just building bridges to start with .

I was reminded of an anecdote narrated by David Ogilvy the famous advertising executive  who was described by Time magazine as ‘the most sought after wizard in today’s advertising industry” . When Ogilvy was once asked, ‘what do you attribute your success to?’ , he replied two things-  hard work, and  his ability to be a good salesman and smell prospective business.

When he started an advertising agency in New York, he joined a group called the Scottish Council. (Ogilvy’s father was a Scotsman) They were about 10 senior Scottish business executives who met to have lunch together once every two months. “I smelled billing, and I joined it. We’d talk about business and getting this and that for Scotland and so on.”

One of the members of the group was Max Burns, then the President of Shell. Ogilvy would at times gently maneuver the conversation during their lunch meetings to talk about advertising. But he didn’t push the subject. He connected with Burns on the subject of development in Scotland, which was dear to the latter’s heart.

One day Burns decided to fire his agency, J. Walter Thomson, who had worked for Shell for 30 years. Burns asked a committee to select the new agency from four candidates, amongst who Ogilvy and Mather was one.

The committee sent all the agencies a questionnaire with some 25 questions. “I never answered questionnaires, they irritated me. But this time I did.” Recounted Ogilvy, who stayed up all night drafting answers. “My answers were more candid than is customary, but I thought they would make a favorable impression on Max Burns, if only they were passed up to him. The next morning I learned that he had gone to England.”

Knowing that the real decision maker would be Max Burns and not the committee, Ogilvy flew to London from New York just to see Burns. He called Claridges where Burns was staying, and Burns didn’t return the call for ten days. “I was pretty desperate. Finally, the day before he left, he called me back. I said, Max, I’m having lunch at the House of Commons today with the Secretary of State for Scotland. Would you like to join us?”

So Ogilvy and Burns met, and as they walked back to Ogilvy’s hotel, it was pouring, and Ogilvy kept his lunch companion covered under his umbrella. In this walk, Ogilvy quickly briefed him of the key points he had made in responding to the questionnaire.

Ogilvy then went back to America, went on holiday, and forgot about it… then one day, the telephone rang, and it was Dr Monroe Spaght, (designated as the successor of Max Burns as President of Shell) to say that they had got the Shell account! Ogilvy was so stunned that all he could say was “God help me”.

Self-regulation or the art of locking the door before the horse bolts

Author saurabhPosted on Categories Managing our emotions, Personal EffectivenessLeave a comment on Self-regulation or the art of locking the door before the horse bolts

A lot of the times we end up saying or doing something we regret later. One aspect of Emotional Intelligence is self-regulation- or impulse control, or simply self-control. Recently I was discussing this subject with Prof Sudhir Jain, Director of the new IIT at Gandhinagar, who is a rare combination of an academic with international […]

A lot of the times we end up saying or doing something we regret later.  One aspect of Emotional Intelligence is self-regulation- or impulse control, or simply self-control. Recently I was discussing this subject with Prof Sudhir Jain, Director of the new IIT at Gandhinagar, who is a rare combination of an academic with international credentials and a highly regarded administrator. He acknowledged ruefully: ‘Yes I lose my cool sometimes. But it’s not good because it diverts attention from the main issue; it’s bad for administration, bad for morale. When we lose our temper, 90 per cent of the time it’s counterproductive. Just like you need to be toilet trained as children, somewhere in our career, we need to be trained on some of these aspects of managing emotions, which many of us unfortunately don’t go through’.

Here are is an interesting story which illustrates how if one delays one’s reactions just for a moment, a lot of calamities can be avoided.

In nineteenth century India, when it was not unusual for children to be married off, a young girl was just getting used to her new, equally young partner. The immature bridegroom had no idea of the rights and role of a husband, so he bought some pamphlets containing chauvinistic advice to men to dominate their wives.  Thus informed, the boy called his wife and commanded, ‘Henceforth, you will not go out of this house without my permission.’

Doubtless the girl was taken aback at what was surely an absurd and capricious demand. But she resisted the temptation to sulk or fight back. She just nodded. She would find a solution which would send the right message, but without damaging the fledgling relationship.

A few days later, her lord and master realised that she had flouted his rule and gone out of the house to the temple and to the market, visiting friends and relatives. ‘How dare you disobey my orders?’ he sharply rebuked her that evening.

Answering with an even tone, the wise wife asked softly, ‘Who is senior in this house? Are you superior to your mother? Should I tell her that I will not go out with her until you give me permission? If that is what you want, let me know.’

This is the story of Mohandas Gandhi and Kasturba in the earliest days of their marriage. She was so calm and collected that Gandhi had no answer. It was his first lesson in non-violence! He never questioned her again.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati writes, ‘If I fail to choose my actions consciously and deliberately, but simply let them happen, they will be reactions, either impulsive reactions born of instincts, or mechanical reactions born of conditioning. In either case I have not exercised that special faculty that makes me human, namely choice of action based on rational thought.’

A reaction is born from an uncontrolled impulse, while a response is thought out, wise, logical, and measured reply to a situation. In both the above examples, the individuals exercised self-restraint, leading to appropriate behaviors instead of knee-jerk reactions. When faced with a difficulty or an obstacle, we need to recognize that an impulsive reaction can lead to irrational, even destructive, action, which will not take us towards our goals; and access our good judgment, sanity and wisdom to ask ourselves the wisest objective for us to pursue, and what we need to do to reach there.