As it is with many firms, ours is made-up of individuals from diverse backgrounds with exceptional talents.  We have a singular goal, that is to guide organizations to creating, and sustaining profitable service based sales cultures.  However, as we grow our practice in types of industries, number of clients and staff, so grows our diversities.  In fact, one of the few constants in our organization is a principle practice model we call the KPE (Khoury Performance Equation); it is our business blueprint designed to optimize sales and service performance through three primary areas of actionable focus:

- Creating The Right Environment

- Ensuring The Right Personnel Fit

- Executing The Right Action

A few years ago, I embarked on a mission to aid our team in developing more synergy in the area of application of that blueprint. The mantra for this initiative … Synergetic Diversity.  This tenet, Synergetic Diversity, can be defined as being a system of “pooling” differences (i.e. cultures, economies, industries, experiences, etc) to act as a whole toward one common goal.  When well practiced, it creates cohesive movement – it becomes a structured yet fluid dance.

Regardless of your industry, products, staff experiences or customer base, a synergistic approach to key tasks and initiatives brings a unified fluidity to your team’s efforts, maximizies performance and bottom-line results.

Below is a quick exercise to ensure your business initiatives remain on task. 

• Make a list of a few critical principles or practices that should exist across all verticals.
• What are some of the diversities that are affecting your objective, “total installation” of those principles or practices in our organization and/or with your clients? 
• What synergies in behavior (performance) among your team and/or your clients must exist to ensure success of the objective?  
• If there are critical synergies that do not currently exist, what is you action plan to address them?

Diversity is a component of success in today’s global business community. Use this exercise to gauge the synergy of your team’s efforts toward sustainable profit and growth. 

Lynda Fleming – Director of Learning & Development, Frontline Performance Group

A successful coach and an all-star player have many things in common. Generally speaking, they both desire to win and know what it takes to win.  They operate from the same playbook and know what general obstacles will prevent them from winning.  They practice to get better, and both have experienced defeat as well as success.

So, what are the fundamental differences between a successful coach and an all-star player? There are only two:

First difference - the coach not only knows the playbook inside and out but can also demonstrate even the minutest concept of the play.

Second difference – the all-star player can execute the play at a high-level of performance.

In order to increase your leadership credibility and become a successful coach you must demonstrate the playbook in any given situation.  All too often, we see frontline sales coaches fail because of this very important concept; instead of taking the opportunity to demonstrate a play and illustrate their knowledge, they choose to be an appraiser and not coach. The second largest pitfall is when a coach goes out to demonstrate a play and does the opposite of what the play should have been. This not only lowers the team’s opinion of the coach, it can potentially bury the coach’s credibility.

Increase your credibility and bottom-line results by memorizing the playbook, demonstrate your knowledge by practicing with your players, never pretend to know the play, and don’t be an appraiser. If all else fails, follow the old saying: “Don’t ever ask someone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself.”

Mark Hart – Senior Director, Frontline Performance Group  

One of my more memorable client experiences occurred a few years ago while I was working with a company to improve customer service and ancillary sales. After conducting the initial discovery visits and leading the frontline team through our core seminars, the company experienced an almost immediate and very significant improvement in both service and sales.

The general manger was so delighted with the positive results of the program launch – the changes in employee attitude, happiness, and the positive bottom-line impact – he literally cried out, “Thank God for Frontline Performance Group!”

In that moment he understood the power behind our principles, program, and the reason for our unwavering commitment to creating service-based sales cultures: happy employees = great customer experiences = improved bottom-line results.

This, of course, is no secret. However, what most business owners and managers do not realize is that changing a workplace culture requires much more than just wishful thinking; it requires the implementation of a hyper-efficient, impactful business system. This takes time, commitment, persistence, and diligence. But as this client realized, those willing to transform their business culture into one that supports employees and a service-based sales environment will reap the benefits a peak performing sales organization has to offer.

Andy Racz - Senior Account Manager, Frontline Performance Group

Harnessing the power of visualization and belief to topple a Goliath: 88-0 suddenly turns to 88-1!

Sometimes in the world of college sports all it takes to beat a champion is to believe that you are a champion and to play like a champion. Any loyal Notre Dame fan understands this important message.

On January 14, 1974 the University of Notre Dame demonstrated this belief when they stunned the college basketball world by toppling reigning National Champion UCLA. What made this one point victory special for the Fighting Irish was that the loss marked UCLA’s first loss in 88 consecutive games, and it came at the expense of legendary coach John Wooden.

How were they able to do this? Prior to the game Notre Dame’s coach, Digger Phelps, implemented the following coaching techniques:

1. Make it Visual: He had the team practice cutting down the nets and celebrate the momentous win four days prior to the start of the game.

2. Make it Behavioral: Throughout the practice week he drilled all of his players to hit shots at unique angles stressing that this was to be the “game winner!” The extra jumpers, runners off the glass, three pointers and two foot lay-ups helped create the right muscle memory for when it really mattered!

3. Make it Emotional: According to John Shumate, an Irish player, “Digger told us at practice the week before the game if you win this game, it will be part of your life for the rest of your life…” Phelps was famous for drawing upon duty to the University and the team’s faith to believe.

So how do these techniques translate into success in today’s competitive business environment? Whether it is a well coached round of role plays, situational exercises, or a candid discussion with your employees about the importance of moving your customers through an emotional connection, these same types of coaching techniques can generate tremendous results for your frontline team — just as they did for the Fighting Irish.

Ken Stellon - Senior Vice President, Frontline Performance Group