When is too early?

Here we are on Monday morning in the Americas and I’m posting a picture of beer.

Is it too early?

There are conversations that sales leaders needs to have. The question to ask yourself would be – is having this conversation NOW like posting a picture of beer early on Monday morning?

Timing: ask yourself – is now the right time?
> some conversations need time to decompress afterward – perhaps before lunch or the end of the day would be better.
> other conversations need you to be available for follow-up so earlier in the day would be more appropriate.
> also take the person into consideration, will this conversation help or hinder their performance for the rest of the day?

Emotion: ask yourself – are either of us angry?
> if either person is MAD, chances of a positive outcome decrease exponentially. As the leader, you need to take ownership of knowing if walking away or rescheduling are better options.

Consequence: ask yourself – what could go wrong if I open a dialog now?
> consider timing and emotions to ensure you aren’t overlooking the worst case scenario
> still unsure, seek counsel before having the conversation.

Result: ask yourself – what do I want the outcome of this conversation to be?
> just like in a sales conversation, leadership conversations shouldn’t begin if you don’t know your purpose (what you want THEM to do) and objective (what YOU want out of it).

Of course the other question to ask yourself is – am I putting this off too long? but that is another post!