James Heidema Speaks

Recently I presented at a National Networking conference in Bratislav, Slovakia. This conference was attended by leaders in various networking companies. I had the honor to present a session on Building Capacity!

The majority of the people of the world work in some type of team, from formal ones to informal ones. Leadership and management of teams has not fundamentally changed in 3,000 years. The basic model is hierarchical management. Between the top boss and the bottom follower there are numerous levels of management. In the past ten years there have been some variations of this model like transformational or tribal management. It is my opinion these methods only build on the hierarchical model.

Unfortunately the follower´s needs have changed and the existing model does not accomodate this need. The X (born in the 70s) and the Y generation (born in the 80s) want what many companies or organizations do not or are unwilling to offer. These things are; control of their future, be involved in a worthwhile enterprise, add value to society, share in the profits, be part of a team and have a career path. As well, they want to work for leaders who have high ethics, morals and are honest.

The traditional form of management does not appeal to the X & Y followers, so therefore they often move from company to company looking to satisfy their needs. As well, because these followers are incorrectly managed, their individual productivity is lower than their individual capacity. I call this waste!

Many teams have dis-proportion waste. The average productivity per person is low. In fact some companies that operate based on the old method suffer 60 - 80% waste. Eighty percent of their production comes from twenty percent of their team. This should be totally unacceptable in any other business.

What is needed is a management model that allows for consultation. Where the followers and leaders-managers are encouraged to consult on the systems, processes and tools needed to resolve problems the organization faces.

Within the past two years I found a new method that dramatically reduces the waste. It is called OpenAgile. If you want more information about OpenAgile, please let me know. Contact me at jimheidema@gmail.com

Jim has just finished a seven-week odyssey in Romania. He drove over 6,000 kilometers, visiting 30 agencies, trained over 2,300 agents and managers, and visited 25 cities in Romania for ING Romania. As well he presented at the MDRT conference in Romania. As in many companies in most countries of the world, ING was coping with a downturn in the economy. ING chose to pro-act rather than react. They hired Professional Sales Plus, and Jim in particular, to interact, motivate, inspire and change their sales force.

This event was emotionally, intellectually, spiritually and physically demanding. Jim traveled with an interpreter by the name of Adrian Iacobus. Jim and Adrian became great friends through this odyssey. Because of their efforts, they touched a large number of consultants and managers, and apparently inspired them. Following is the message Jim conveyed to all who would listen.

Many companies around the world found 2009 and the beginning of 2010 to be difficult and challenging. Consultants and managers were struggling to fill the gap between the customer's rising expectations of our industry and their diminished trust in us. It is apparent that many consultants and managers around the world have walked away from the customer. They do not really listen to or problem-solve with the customer. Far too many have become product pushers rather than relationship managers.

Many consultants and managers do not touch the heart of the customer, show them a process that is focused on the customer or find the gap between where the customer is today and where they would like to be in the future. Therefore they struggle to be successful.

We (Adrian and I) observed and participated in a very deep and insightful look at the financial services industry. It was so apparent to us that there is a huge gap between what we offer, how we behave and what the customer expects from us. We tried to fill the gap by encouraging the consultants to think more about the customer and behave in a manner that brings them closer to customer. We must begin to repair the lack of trust they have in us. We gave the consultants and managers processes and tools to allow them to walk with the customer.

We realized this odyssey was truly a gift to us, although it was incredibly demanding. This experience raised our awareness of the reality that all financial services companies are facing as they try to survive and thrive in 2010. The information we learned and the experience we gained will allow us to add greater value to our existing and future clients all around the world.

This trip was a highlight of my 22+ years in the financial services business in Canada and around the world. The Romanians are wonderful people and they treated us with great kindness and courtesy. What an amazing experience. Our thanks to all of you that organized this trip and made it so successful.

As of March 11, 2010, we heard that productivity is up significantly and moral is at a all-time high in ING Romania. Apparently we had a very positive effect. Wonderful news!

Passion? Why am I so passionate about what I do?

Certainly this business of Life Insurance and of training/coaching has something to do with it. I know our business inside and out and I love it. So mastering a business probably has something to do with passion. Being a professional versus an amateur also has something to do with it. It is unlikely you can gain passion about something unless to truly learn about it. Your thirst creates passion, if your thirst is rewarded.

I guess it is also about wanting to make a difference. Make a difference in people's lives; your customers, your team and yourself. Being passionate, when rewarded, is very stimulating emotionally, intellectually and physically. Yes physically! I am physically energized to do my job because of the intellectual and emotional rewards.

Doing something of value stimulates my spirit. When the light goes on in the eyes of anyone I train or coach I get such a buzz from it. When they get it. When I successfully reach them and they understand. When they go out and use what I train and it works ... WOW! I explode!

To truly be passionate you need to believe in what you do and not allow doubts to cloud your thinking.

I believe each of us has passion, but most of us keep it bottled up and hoard it for another day. Some feel they cannot get too excited or too involved, therefore never experience true passion. I feel my passion gives me special gifts like; persistency, enthusiasm, commitment, energy and a great love for what I do.

I hope my passion is well directed and of value to all who recognize it and ultimately to God.

I wish each person would seek and find their inner passion and let it out. Don't be afraid to be passionate about what you do or say!

Yes, as a sales manager, you can be happy, even when your team is not reaching all its' objectives. Sounds crazy I know. Meeting results should not be the only thing that determines your happiness. Growth determines mine. When I see people growing and developing as professionals it encourages me to work harder and contributes to my overall happiness. Meeting or not meeting objectives is a moment in time, an event if you like. Growth is a process. For some individuals a small growth is more significant than a large growth in someone else. Growth in any form is always exciting, if only to me. When you see growth or improvement, make a big deal of it. It might become the turning point for your follower. It may be the high point of their day. Celebrate growth. Growth makes me happy!

Just last week we received the published copies of our new book called The Passionate Salesperson. My son, Chris and I, wrote, edited and published this book in less than 6 months. This was a record for me and for the process. I am really proud of the book for it is an excellent resource to help any professional salesperson to more effectively do their job. It is filled with systems, processes and tools to help the professional salesperson progress through their career from the beginning to the end. The professional career is divided into three stages; the intern, the established and the mature salesperson. It also breaks down everything the salesperson does into four areas; Business Management, Sales Process, Activity Management and Market Development. We expect this book will be warmly received by the marketplace.

All of our books can be ordered either in a paperback version or a e-book (electronic) version.

Jim just signed a contract to have two of his five books translated and published into Hungarian. Many of his books are published in various languages. He is now published in English, Chinese, Taiwanese, Russian, Turkish, Slovak, Czech, Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian and now Hungarian. He is in discussion to publish some titles in Greek and Ukrainian. His is a best selling author of some of his titles. For more information about his books and how to order them go to http://professionalsalesplus.com/Books. All his books are available in paper and e-book versions.

Coming in June! The Passionate Salesperson's Handbook - How to sell in a competitive marketplace!

Jim is in the midst of writing his sixth book. This time he will co-author the book with his youngest son. Chris. This book with be a very practical book on selling. Salespeople who work in a competitive environment, where a relationship is important to the sales process, will find great value in this handbook. There will be a modest focus on the theory of selling and significant focus on what to do and say to the potential customer. Jim will bring his 21 years of selling experience and 11 years of international training to bear in this book. Chris started professionally selling two years ago and will add current challenges he and others face in these competitive times. Jim and Chris feel this handbook will have broad application around the world.

Jim has written 5 other books that are published in 11 languages. He is an international best selling author. For more information and to order his books please to to http://professionalsalesplus.com/Books

A positive book on change - 5th book in a series
by James M. Heidema and Carol A. McKenzie

I am in the process of gaining different certifications levels as an Agile trainer, consultant and coach. This is a two-year process that I began in August of this year (2008). Mainly, Agile project methodology is used in an IT (Information Technology) environment.

We are in the midst of some very challenging economic times. It seems everywhere you look, the economy is failing. Nobody wants to talk about the 'R' word, but we are definitely in a Recession. For many, this is very scary times. Many are uncertain what they should or should not do to survive economically.