Creating Sales is like being a farmer....

you have to plant some seeds before you can harvest!!

I was recently talking with a business person and we got on to the subject of sales and his ONLY comment was:

What are your Sales numbers?

While I don't disagree that sales numbers show results and results are what matters, what HE failed to realize is that results come from activity to produce numbers and results. You can't find out how much a farmer harvests unless you know how much he plants and how much he "maintains" his field in preparation for planting and the next step of planting in search of getting more of a harvest. So, in more detail:

Field Preparation + Planting + Plant Maintenance = Harvest

Same goes for business, but with different terminology:

Planning + Designing + Marketing = Sales

Poor leaders focus on EITHER one or the other side. POOR workers focus on EITHER side as well. Good leaders AND good workers will notice BOTH sides of the equation rather than only on one side, results OR process.

So, next time you are talking with a person whether that person is a business owner or a person who works for someone else, listen to how they measure themselves or how they are measured or even how they've been measured.

If a leader states "I don't care how you do it but reach this number or you'll be ...." is a VERY POOR leader because they fail to understand HOW their business will GROW!! It shows that they will NOT be able to duplicate what has been done.

If a worker states "I don't care how I do it but I have to reach this number or I'll be ..." it shows that the worker is willing to possibly swap out ethical behavior with something less truthful.

In both cases we've seen how Enron, Tyco, and other companies bow to pressure to perform and begin to perform unethically.

If you take care of your customers, they care about how you perform, Wall Street can take a hike.