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| Powerful Conversations by Phil Harkins | ||
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Inside View Book Review -November 1999
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"When you speak, your words should be better than your silence would have been." The words of Gustav Kaser bridge from the essential persuasion tools, of listening and questioning, to a need for speaking convincingly. Do sales people need leadership skills? It is hard to inspire confidence without conviction and certainty. Quoting from the book, "High impact leaders are the people who get results. They are the ones who make things happen." From a management standpoint it is a sad state of affairs if your sales people can’t achieve this. In the foreword of ‘Powerful Conversations’ Warren Bennis writes, "Great leaders are very clear about what they are aiming for, but they also make sure that they satisfy your agenda first." Doesn’t this nicely define ideal sales behaviour? Phil Harkins has written a book about leadership and, as you will have perceived, I think leadership ability is a necessary quality of top sales people. Leadership is a worthy ambition. We all have a duty to lead ourselves, to take a long-term view and determine a definite direction to travel in. In sales, part of the journey must involve helping others travel towards their destination. Harkins portrays the challenge of leadership in the need to make headway in all conversations. He explains his concept of the ‘Tower of Power’ and the necessary steps of making interaction productive. Not all conversations can be as productive as we would wish. Some just soak up time and energy, slowing progress like a strong head wind frustrates a cyclist. Chapter 4, ‘The Swamp - Getting into and out of Bad Conversation’s’, provides important insight into recognising exchanges that have gone off the rails. It might seem obvious. You may be thinking of your own examples where others have drained energy or diverted attention. Read this chapter and you may begin to notice when you might have been guilty of the same. You can choose from many methods and ideas for avoiding or parrying the drag of the swamp. Some conversations are difficult but necessary. Harkins explains at length how high impact leaders deal with obstacle conversations, implementing unpopular decisions and delivering bad news. In a qualitative and analytical chapter on trust, you gain great insight and deeper understanding of this subjective concept. Chapter eight starts, "One of the great lessons of leadership is that you can’t do it by yourself." A recent experience of a client illustrated how this applies to sales situations. It is all too easy to assume that others in ones own organisation will be motivated by any cause that appears to support the common company purpose. People invariably draw their own conclusions from the information made available to them. Without leadership sales support staff will act and speak as they think appropriate. Sales success depends on proper internal communication as much as it does on having the right conversations with prospective customers. At the end of the book Harkin provides six tools for improving our conversations: 1. Planning, conducting and measuring powerful conversations. 2. The tower of power. 3. The leadership assessment instrument. 4. The trust tool. 5. The change tool. 6. The retention tool. Everything has to be sold. Everyone who takes the helm of their own ship, has to sell. This book offers excellent guidance whether you are a professional sales person, responsible for leading others, or simply determined to beat your own path. Buy the book and find the time to absorb its contents. I am sure you will profit from it. ISBN 0-07-135321-6
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