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The Private One-On-One Meeting
August 20, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. The fundamental goal of a productive one-on-one meeting is to communicate. Communication is a two-way activity where both parties exchange ideas and information. The first key to effective one-on-ones is to establish a level playing field, where the salesperson's communication needs are respected
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Welcome to the fourth installment of Lessons in Leadership. You can't be an effective leader if you can't control your time. It is your most valuable non-renewable asset. You must protect and use your time wisely. If you can't control your time, you won't be an effective leader.
Last week we covered the Eisenhower Time Management Grid. We identified the four quadrants, Important / Urgent, Important / Not Urgent, Not Important / Urgent and Not Important / Not Urgent.
We need to spend our time in Quadrant Two - Important / Not Urgent.
Spending time in the Important / Not Urgent Quadrant may seem counter-intuitive at first because the Important / Urgent Quadrant is calling! But stop ... why are things urgent? The leading cause is poor planning. When you spend more time in the Important / Not Urgent Quadrant, you can focus on activities that are important and not urgent because this is where and when we can make the most significant gains in our personal and professional development.
In today's blog, we're going to focus in on the most productive leadership activity you have, the private one-on-one. The private one-on-one meeting is the one chance we have each week to reset from the hectic and focus on the strategic with our team members. But I'm going to introduce you to a new one-on-one meeting format that will challenge your paradigm of the traditional one-on-one meeting.
The fundamental goal of a productive one-on-one meeting is to communicate. Communication is a two-way activity where both parties exchange ideas and information. The first key to effective one-on-ones is to establish a level playing field, where the salesperson's communication needs are respected.
Devote the first half of the meeting to the seller's agenda and the second half of the meeting for the manager's agenda. Salespeople and sales managers should both maintain a reminder file folder where they keep notes about things that are important to them to discuss in the private one-on-one.
Open the meeting by asking the salesperson to begin with their list of topics. Be patient ... hear them out. Give them the help they need. Don't worry; they won't take up the whole hour. You will need to remind them to bring topics they need help with to the meeting.
Don't let the private one-on-one meeting run past the scheduled ending time. If you can't cover everything in the time allotted, you need to schedule a special meeting at a later scheduled time where you can complete your discussions. Letting the meeting run long is poor planning, and it's not fair to the next salesperson in line for their meeting time.
The private one-on-one meeting is a practical way to track and document progress toward personal and professional goals. Everyone in the organization wants to know where they stand, but where does the group stand? Following the critical metrics from week to week keeps the focus on what's essential for everyone involved. If progress is made, you can look back and celebrate the growth. If not, the private one-on-one meeting is the perfect private environment to discuss plans to get on track.
The private one-on-one meeting needs to be more than the dreaded weekly beat down. It is the best opportunity to make meaningful progress toward personal and business goals. Develop a healthy respect for the process, and you'll start to see a dramatic improvement in performance.
Next week, we will cover the Private One-on-One Folder System.
Let me know if I can help.
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