Vision - November/December 2007 - (Page 17)

by dan cole ] • [ Motivational ideas for the ce industry eye oN busiNess $ $ Make sure everyone in your sales force—and your entire company—has a clear understanding of the objective. Prep for the Big Day “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” —Colin Powell he holiday selling season is here. Retailers already are in the throws of it, making plans for Black Friday. Manufacturers are busy promoting fabulous last-minute gift ideas while prepping to launch their 2008 products at the International CES. To many reading this issue of CE Vision, it may feel as if chaos is descending upon you, begging the question: how does anyone in the CE Dan Cole business get to enjoy the holidays? True, the CE industry kicks into high-gear in November, but it’s still possible to create a sense of order in the midst of all the commotion. By keeping things in perspective and staying centered, success is attainable and rewarding. Colin Powell once said, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” Now is the time to prepare for your success, whether it falls on Black Friday, the opening of the International CES or through key meetings with top prospects. First, make sure everyone in your sales force—and your entire company—has a www.ce.org T clear understanding of the objective. On our team, we do everything we can to make the sales process transparent, whether it is posting our goals and progress on our department’s dashboard, or through our daily flash alert which details sales for the previous day. If you’re preparing for your exhibit experience at CES, it’s imperative to ensure that everyone from your company attending the show is aware of your objectives whether they are media or branding driven. If you’re attending the show in search of unique products and partnerships, be sure that everyone on your team knows what everyone else is doing, so that no conflict ensues. Meet in person or by e-mail every day to compare notes and to evaluate progress. Timelines and consistency are key for success. Having established your overall goal, develop and implement strategies and tactics to achieve smaller objectives that benchmark your progress. This “micro” approach helps to focus the team to organize and execute those objectives necessary to achieve success on a macro level. Recognize and reward those who excel in helping the team win. Review your progress. Analyze your mistakes. Reflect upon the tactics you planned to implement to mitigate them. Compare and contrast your achievements compared to previous years. Just as a football coach watches game tapes over and over, you are simply inspecting what you expect, as a means to address and overcome challenges. Communicate your observations to all employees. Staff cannot be expected to be properly prepared for success unless they have a solid grasp of the information necessary to plan for success. This information can be communicated in a myriad of ways: via team meetings, online postings, daily e-mails, signage in staff rooms, flyers in the elevators or small desk displays—use whatever you can to make sure everyone on your team is in sync. Preparation should be a daily exercise. In doing so confidence soars and the appetite for new challenges grows. You’ll be ready for those Black Friday and CES throngs and still maintain your sense of joy during the holidays. May you have a very successful holiday season! • November/December 2007 17 http://www.ce.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Vision - November/December 2007

Vision - November/December 2007 Contents Shapiro's Spectrum In This Issue The Economist C4 Visionary Tech Speak Going Global Eye on Business Tech Policy Special Supplement: CES Unveiled 2008 CES Technologies to Watch Eastern Europe Embraces CE M&A Fest Displaying the Future CEA Newsline Market Insider Just the Stats

Vision - November/December 2007

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