Step Up Results

Perfection is our goal, but excellence will be tolerated. -Vince Lombardi

Daniel Grissom - Let’s take a look at a few additional examples of individuals and organizations that have consistently raised the bar on results. Consider modeling their standards and passion of excellence.

United States Marine Corps. Like other branches of our military, the few, the proud, the Marines take raw talent and teach young soldiers how to improve individual performance and team results. This process begins in boot camp where each individual is “invited” to step up his or her personal standards of excellence. Superior standards and results are instilled as their code of conduct. Is it any wonder that Marines compliment each other with the word, “Outstanding!”

 After boot camp and advanced training, their performance improvement process accelerates as each individual is greeted with challenges that test his or her heart and commitment to the mission. Marines carefully evaluate themselves to ensure that their actual performance aligns with their potential best. The Marines’ motto is Semper Fidelis, which is Latin for “Always Faithful.” Their personal pledge is to be faithful in giving their best to the mission at hand, their fellow Marines and their families.

 The following summarizes it well. It is a letter published in the Washington Times on September 25, 1998, by the Marine Corps co mandant at that time:

Since becoming the Marine Corps commandant more than three years ago, I have drawn the line when it comes to standards. I have not only pledged to uphold our standards, but have actually raised the bar when it comes to being a Marine – enlisted or officer.

—General C.C. Krulak, Commandant USMC6

 But what about the business case? All that HooRah is great, but does it make dollar sense?

Let’s look at some data:

How faithful are you in giving your personal best to your organization and your clients?

___________________________

6. Washington Times, September 25, 1998

Excerpt from Step Up!  How to WIN MORE and Lose Less © 2008 Daniel Grissom. All rights reserved.

www.danielgrissom.com www.stepupresults.com www.stepuptoolkit.com

Perfection is our goal, but excellence will be tolerated. -Vince Lombardi

 Daniel Grissom - Let’s take a look at a few additional examples of individuals and organizations that have consistently raised the bar on results. Consider modeling their standards and passion of excellence.

Michael Jordan – On the basketball court, his personal standards and commitment to excellence were the basis for his superior results. Think about it. He first came to our attention with the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He entered the NBA in 1984 after being named an All-American twice and leading the 1984 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal. Jordan entered the NBA as the 3rd pick in the draft that year and was chosen by the Chicago Bulls, who were the league’s perennial losers.

As a rookie, he averaged 28 points per game. That’s the result of someone who believes in raising the bar, and it was still rising.  He went on to seven consecutive scoring titles, slam-dunk championships, MVP performances and finally three consecutive world championships and a starring spot on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team.

 Those were his personal results, but what about the team results? With Jordan leading his teammates, the Bulls advanced from worst to first in a few short years.  How’d they do that? It began with Jordan continually raising his personal standards. In doing so, he raised the standards of his teammates. Jordan’s self-driven quest for results had a multiplier effect on his performance and his teammates. It was his commitment to excellence that transformed his team and gave them six NBA championships.

 Consider the comments from Jordan’s coach for most his career, Phil Jackson, who said:

“The thing about Michael is he takes nothing for granted. When he first came into the league in 1984, he was primarily a penetrator. His outside shooting wasn’t up to professional standards. So he put in his gym time in the off-seasons, shooting hundreds of shots each day. Eventually, he became a deadly three-point shooter.”

 As the corporate or entrepreneurial tri-athlete, what aspects of your professional game should you work on?

Excerpt from Step Up!  How to WIN MORE and Lose Less  © 2008 Daniel Grissom. All rights reserved.

www.danielgrissom.com www.stepupresults.com www.stepuptoolkit.com

You hear me reference it all the time, but what exactly does STEP UP stands for anyway:

• Standards
• Talents
• Evaluations
• Preparation
• Unleash Potential

It’s an acronym that identifies 6 steps that make 80% of the difference in the achievement of superior results.                      

                                                          6) Invest in Coaching

                                                5) Unleash Your Potential

                                         4) Proper Preparation

                                   3) Consistent Self Evaluation

                               2) Identify Your Talents

                         1) Raise Your Standards        

                 6  STEPS   = 80 % of the Difference

Knowing how to STEPUP is important, but actually stepping up is invaluable! The market has STEPPED UP -have you?

www.stepuptoolkit.com and   www.DanielGrissom.com

How simple (or complicated) is the process of becoming a customer? 

Too often we make if difficult for people to do business with us. We get people to “Yes” then lose them in the “next steps.”  

Several years ago we worked with a client who was good at getting people to say Yes, but lousy at keeping them after that.  His firm had a 24-step “becoming a client” process.  That’s right 24 steps!  In order to become a client, you had to go here, do this, then this, fill out this form, send it here, bring in this information, talk to this person, and so on through 24 steps.  Is it any wonder that half of his potential clients gave up before reaching the end?  I know I’d be thinking, “if it’s this bad before I become a client, what’s it going to be like once I’m in and need service?  What hoops will I need to jump through to get help?” 

Making it easy to do business with you is a key element of results excellence and one that is far too often overlooked.  Take a lesson from Internet retailers.  Think about the ones who make it easy and pleasurable to buy from them. They take great pains to minimize the number of steps and clicks.  They provide just the right amount of information and guidance to make the experience rewarding.  Not only do these retailers get the initial sale, but their customers are far more likely to return and buy something else.  

Decide what you can do to make it easier for customers to do business with you.  Even if you can’t do much to change the process, you can at least communicate the specific next steps clearly and be there to guide them along the way. 

The challenge is, it’s all too easy if you’re in sales to think of this part of the process as not your job.  The truth is, it is your job.  The goal is results, and without adhering to this piece of the process, you put those results at risk.  The solution – step up and take charge of making it easy for your future customers to buy from you. 

What can you do to make it easier for customers to do business with you?

With the New Year rapidly approaching, this is time for reflection or as I call it review. Review your business and your business of life in 2009. Did you meet your goals. How can you change things to improve in 2010? What will you change to STEP UP?