(By Rick Fink) I think we can all agree that the past two weeks have been as far from “business as usual” as we have quite possibly ever seen. Words most used to describe our current state are uncharted, nightmare, challenged, uncertainty, new normal, and others.
As I think back to the days of uncertainty when I managed a team of sellers, one of the things I learned from my mentor(s) was to keep things as normal as possible, lead with a positive attitude, and above all, don’t panic. This applies to both sellers and managers. If we are honest, sometimes this is hard to do when cancellations are coming in, we’re swimming in uncharted waters, the team is scared, and uncertainty rules the day. I think this quote applies in a time like we are experiencing now:
“Being positive in a negative situation is not being naive. It’s Leadership!”
As a manager, one of the key things that you can do now is to continue to train and motivate your teams. Whether you are continuing to work from your office, or you have sellers working from home, it’s imperative that we keep their days as normal as possible and focus on work rather than all the distractions and reasons not to work! Technology allows us to do this (Google Hangout, Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube videos, etc.). You might consider starting every morning with a short meeting. They can be brief with an agenda that looks something like this:
1) Good Morning with a positive quote or message
2) Good news from yesterday (positive comments about clients)
3) Challenges that the team has faced
4) Share positive ideas (package or campaign ideas – how to answer objections)
5) Motivational or training videos
Working from home and keeping focused is much more difficult than it is at the office. Making internal excuses to not work becomes natural. As a manager, now more than ever, it’s YOUR job to keep the team on task and to hold them accountable. Leaders Lead! As a media rep, it’s your job to stay focused and continue to do all the things that great media reps do to help your clients prevail. IDEAS will still rule the day!
Rick Fink is President of ENS Media USA and business partner with Wayne Ens of Ens Media Inc. Rick can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].
