Today begins our first national sales meeting as the combined Broadvox and Cypress Communications sales force. The usual format for this meeting is a deep dive pipeline review, company update, product education, OSS/BSS update and some type of sales exercise. However, this meeting is different. We are not a team again. We do not all share in the same successes and challenges that were met over the last few years. We are on different pages and, in order to become a well oiled sales machine, we must get on the same page. Therefore, this meeting is emphasizing getting to know each other and establishing common objectives.

In 2009 I wrote a series of blogs based upon Dave Hibbard’s the Foundation of Achievement. My hope today is to share those thoughts with the team today. However, it is the second phase of the Foundation of Achievement that I want to leave with you today…

Vision: The sales person or employee has to have a vision of what they want. Why are they going to work each day? What do they want to achieve in their lives that motivates them to be part of the workforce? To be clear, we know they are not coming to make the owners of the company rich, or to see their managers rewarded. They do it for a purpose. However, it should be noted that not everyone has a Vision for his or her lives. Some people do indeed work because they have to. Some people work because they like, are successful and still have no end goal in mind. If you are one of these people, you should sit down and think about what do you want out of life? If you are a parent, is it to send your child to an Ivy League school? Perhaps, it is to have an early retirement to some exotic location. It may even be as simple as buying a car or home. Nevertheless, there needs to be a Vision that drives one to achieve and allows them to measure their success in reaching the goal.

The more sensitive thing then is for us, as managers, to ask our sales people and staffs what is their Vision. This gives us the opportunity to position rewards that move them towards their goal. Knowing that Sally is saving to get her first house can be used to motivate her to keep pushing herself to achieve. Remember, hoping for something is passive, desiring achievement is proactive.

See you on Friday.