by Doug Gray | May 13, 2013 | book review, Business, change, Sales, strengths, talent
I’ll give the book 5 stars for the model, and 3 stars on the writing quality. This review will focus on the model behind “The Question.”
The subtitle explains its lofty vision: “Ask it and transform anyone’s future”
This book was referred to me by several clients. They had taken part in the Strategic Coach Program. They wanted to work with me because they needed more customized executive coaching.
Also, I have been solicited by Strategic Coach sale people to attend their program. (I must have attended a webinar.)
Dan Sullivan has coached over 13,000 business leaders and entrepreneurs, over 20 years.
So, what is the one question that 1) warrants a book, 2) warrants so much acclaim?
He starts the book with an anecdote from a business leader who feels: 1) confused, 2) isolated, and 3) powerless. Despite his financial success, he is working long hours. He needs a better system. Like many people, that business owner is seeking how to 1) transform confusion into clarity, 2) isolation into confidence, and 3) powerlessness into capability.
Sound too magical or impossible? Give this review another minute.
Imagine that you respond to that business leader with a question of your own. Your question has two parts. Part one is this:
“If we were having this discussion three years from today, and you were looking back over those three years, what has to have happened in your life, both personally and professionally, for you to feel happy with your progress?”
Sullivan found that 85-90% of these business owners pause, then provide a substantial answer. These are the “users.” These people become your prospects and clients. And you can ask them part two of the question.
5-10% of the business owners are confused. They cannot abstract or imagine the future in this way. These are not your prospects or clients. Thank them and move on.
And less than 5% of the business owners are “refusers.” They are not willing to embrace a relationship. They refuse to answer the question. Therefore they have just saved you tremendous time and energy. Thank them and move on, quickly.
Notice how you are pre-qualifying your prospects? Notice how the question is all about building rapport? Notice how the question is all about the other person– their aspirations and vision?
Humans are aspirational.
Some characteristics of this question include:
1. it is futuristic, and implies a continued relationship with you
2. it is specific to a time period– “in three years”– which most people can envision and describe
3. “looking back” requires synthesizing skills, abstraction, and specific descriptions
4. “for you to feel happy” is subjective, and happiness is the primary motivator for mankind. Through all recorded history.
Now that you have asked that business leader part one of the question, you are ready for part two. Sullivan calls part two the D.O.S., an acronym standing for Dangers, Opportunities and Strengths. You can use simialr words. The point is to use specific words that help others clarify their intentions into actions.
Part two of the question is:
“Specifically, what dangers do you have now that need to be eliminated, what opportunities need to be captured, and what strengths need to be captured?”
This structure invites the other person to articulate specific Dangers/ Opportunities/ Strengths. When I have used this question I ask for permission to record notes. Then I help the other person articulate their top three items. Then I provide those notes as a gift. Or a coaching focus. The results have been astounding.
Now imagine putting part one and part two together…
“If we were having this discussion three years from today, and you were looking back over those three years, what has to have happened in your life, both personally and professionally, for you to feel happy with your progress?”
“Specifically, what dangers do you have now that need to be eliminated, what opportunities need to be captured, and what strengths need to be captured?”
Can you imagine adopting this as a script?
Print this blog article. Forward it to your team. Then adopt this script.
It has helped me. It has helped thousands of entrepreneurs focus on adding value and transforming others.
Yes of course, I can help you implement this model into your business.
Then call me at 704.895.6479. Tell me what you think.
Or add a comment below…
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by Doug Gray | May 11, 2013 | Business, change, Coaching, exercise, Managers, money, Personal Development, Sales
Fact: We all aspire to be a superhero
Fact: I have written a book with a purple cover called “Passionate Actiuon: 5 Steps to Creating Success in Life and Work” (2007)
Fact: There is no sex in the book. Sorry.
So what does it mean to be the Passionate Action guy?
1. Passions are expressions of strong emotion. They help us create. Passions lead to something else. Think of any relationship– there are passionate impulses at the start, yet relationships are hard to maintain over time. Think of any business- there is a passionate focus at the start- yet it is hard to maintain most businesses over time. Sparks start fires. But they do not maintain fires.
2. Actions require focused accountability. Nothing sexy involved. Daily habits lead to results. Make your sales. Focus on delivery.
This is HOW I help my clients make money and serve others. Call me at 704.895.6479 for details.
My experience is that we create success when 1) luck meets 2) prepared opportunity.
In that formula, the only thing I can control is preparation. And so I continue, day after day, year after year. Since 1997.
Success starts with the physical actions. Like running and yoga stretching. Like daily calls to prospects. Like KPIs.
So why wait? Call me at 704.895.6479 with your story.
Most of us need a little more passionate action in our lives.
by Doug Gray | May 10, 2013 | Business, change, Employment, money, Personal Development, Sales, strengths
GOMO stands for Going Through the Motions.
Some 70% of workers are dissatisfied with their jobs.
Some 50% of marriages end in divorce.
Some 20% of people make a living doing what they love… Huh? Yes, it is possible. Here are two stories.
1. One of my clients, Matt, co-founded an IT company that provided a unique service. Over 10 years they were acquired by 3 companies. Matt was the principal architect of the software. But he was getting restless. His young family was not happy in the D.C. metro. He was tired of being a GOMO. We had worked together 6 years previously. So he re-hired me to explore “what’s next?” He realized that several of the executives on their team were working remotely. In short, he could live anywhere. So within 4 months he relocated to Colorado. And he re-designed how he managed his product development team. That process occurred in months, not years…
2. Another client, Allen, had been an HR manager for many years, but he aspired to be a global talent director of a nearby F500 company. We met at a Vistage International meeting. Shortly thereafter he realized that he could not imagine staying at his current employer. He felt trapped. There was no evident career ladder. He struggled each day, and hated the fact that he called himself a GOMO. So we explored options. He did not want to move. His divorced wife, and their children, were nearby. So he designed a virtual talent recruitment program, using former HR colleagues who wanted to work from home. He built the system and sold services to F500 clients. In short, he developed and moved into his dream job.
So how about you? Are you feeling stuck as a GOMO?
If ready to explore what’s next, then call me at 704.895.6479 now.
There is no wisdom in waiting.
by Doug Gray | May 8, 2013 | Business, change, money, Sales, strengths
… the following list. I urge you to develop a similar list for yourself.
Since 1997 I have been trying, and regularly failing on occasion.
1. Just in Time Coaching, JIT Coach, JIT Peer. For individuals and organizations to quantify the ROI of coaching, and provide enterprise solutions. Tagline: “Now that you can hire a plumber or lawyer online, why not hire a coach or consultant just in time?” In 2009-2010. Worked with a brilliant software business partner, who developed the software and managed a team of offshore developers. We created a solution that assessed coaching needs, defined strengths, matched with a qualified coach, scheduled services, delivered in 4 modes (direct, phone, Skype, email), and evaluated services. Presented to three F500 companies. No sales. Now (in 2013) there are at least 2 companies that provide similar services. I learned the importance of defining market needs before investing years of energy into what I may think is “a great idea.”
2. Dash4Cache.org. A digital scavenger hunt app to promote any event or organization. In 2012-2013. After creating and delivering 3-5 adventure races and running races each year, for 6 years, I knew something about event management. Then in April 2012, my 16-year old daughter and I were watching a local mud run, the Spartan Race. She continually uploaded photos onto Facebook and Snapchat. And she said, “Daddy you could create a better event than this one.” So we formed a great team and delivered 4 events in the fall of 2012. We proved the concept and applied lean technology (build measure learn.) Armed with a provisional patent, we developed customized scoring software. These 4 events promoted local businesses and people travelled by foot, or car, or bicycle. In 2013 I tried to sell this concept to amusement parks, pub crawls, music festivals. But no sales. Yet.
3. 4A Coaching. A subscription based online library for best practices of coaching and consulting. In 2009 or so. With a brilliant software business partner, who created the framework. Populated with hundreds of best practices and ROI data. No subscribers. I learned that all the content in the world can be organized into a searchable format. However, people need to hire me/ coaches like me to help them through the messy process of learning. Communities drive sales, not just great content. Coaching can never be commoditized into a library. Thank God.
4. Action Learning Apps. May prove to be a market driven reality some day, but after 18 months of sales and development I could not find a buyer. One prospect meeting, with two senior partners in the largest law firm in the SE, was promising. They stated, “We need to cross-sell. This app and your business development sessions can force us to use our contact management systems and talk with our colleagues in the other silos, such as real estate, finance, or intellectual property. Then we can be compensated for cross selling.” Good concept, but not the economic buyers, therefore another failure.
5. And there are other smaller failures…
The main point: learning is a messy process, combined with failures.
I embraced the above examples because I wanted:
- to leverage digital knowledge
- to integrate the virtual and physical
- to expand value to thousands of people
- to partner with smart people
How about you?
Call me to discuss any of the above, at 704.895.6479.
And write to describe some of your failures, and lessons…
by Doug Gray | May 7, 2013 | Business, change, Financial Professionals, Managers, money, Sales, strengths
Since 1997, I have been delivering value to clients. That fact means that I market and sell my services every day. In everything I do and say…
Years ago I coached a new franchisee in the Sandler Sales Program, called President’s Club. Pat needed to distinguish between high pay and low pay activities, because he is distractible. (Like most small business owners.) I helped him increase his business over 300% in 6 months. He had to do so. I strongly recommend the President’s Club content. And I strongly recommend re-visiting the President’s Club content, which is what I did yesterday.
High Pay marketing activities are those that will likely lead to relationships and higher value sales.
- direct meetings with qualified prospects
- direct meetings with referred or pre-qualified prospects
- invited speaking in your area of expertise
- cause marketing in your area of expertise
- networking with buying agents
- invited writing as a credible expert
Low Pay marketing activities are those that will likely lead to transactions and lower value sales.
- email marketing
- direct mail marketing
- interruptive advertising
- paper and digital advertising
Last week I met a local marketing expert, Shelly, who provided a circular model of marketing services she could offer her clients. Imagine spinning the Wheel of Fortune with as many colorful options. I appreciated her ideas, but felt dizzy.
Last week I also met a financial advisor who had been a member of MDRT, the Million Dollar Round Table, for 11 years straight. He was exhausted. His marketing system required that he deliver seminars to local retirees who needed to invest in his estate planning solutions. He wanted to know if there was something else he could do that would yield similar high results, but be easier. I said, “No. Nothing is simpler. Thank God.”
He give me a strange look, and asked, “What do you mean?”
I explained, “If you want great compensation, then you need to provide high value. The laws of marketing require that. When we give great value, then and only then we receive great value. You know that better than most, who dream of being at the MDRT level. What you need is a regular kick in the ass.”
He agreed and hired me to coach him.
You can too. Call me at 704.895.6479 now.
So, are you engaged in high pay or low pay marketing?
by Doug Gray | Apr 23, 2013 | Business, change, Employment, Leadership, Managers, money, Sales, strengths
Hello Ric,
So nice to see you yesterday. (I’m excited about the volunteer work we are doing for …)
Yesterday we talked about the possibility of providing assessments for senior leaders at Company ABC.
We have never discussed your need for multi-method, multi rater assessments that have tremendous predictive validity. This methodology is much better than any assessments I have found, in 30+ years of assessment work. If interested, I encourage you to forward the attached information to your colleagues for review.
How much would you be willing to invest in information that predicted your senior leadership talent and bench strength and succession needs? I would like to meet with you or your colleagues who might need such predictive assessments.
I have partnered with Adam Ortiz, at Executive Development Consulting, to do this work for other clients. We would love to provide these assessments for Company ABC, at any location.
Your benefits include:
- Scalable, duplicatable model with external objective assessors
- We have the capacity to deploy immediately, with teams of assessors already working throughout the world
- Doug and Adam bring expertise with a career of assessments, plus leadership coaching expertise throughout the world.
- This multi-method, multi rater assessment process can be replicated throughout any division at your firm, and the reliability and validity is extraordinary.
- Cost effective assessments that provides objective data, with tremendous predictive validity, that have extraordinary value to you and your colleagues as you make strategic decisions about senior leaders.
If you have any interest in discussing any coaching or assessment work, please let me know.
I am confident that we can provide tremendous value to your firm.
Respectfully, Doug Gray, PCC
704.895.6479 office, 704.995.6647 cell
https://actionlearnin.wpengine.com/
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