What They Still Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School

1. What They Still Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School Mark H. McCormack

2. What Makes a Salesman? • Know your product • See a lot of people • Ask all of them to buy • Use common sense

3. What Makes a SuperSalesman? • Believe on your product • Believe in yourself • Work on your timing • Develop a sense of humor • Realize that what your customer wants isn’t necessarily what he’s telling you

4. How to Prepare for a Sale • Why are we making the sale? • Is the proposal short enough? • What questions can I expect? • Have I established clear lines of communication and authority?

5. Secrets of the Information Trade • Ask questions you already know the answers to • Repeat questions at subsequent meetings • Give as much as you can afford • Consider the source • Ask for information they won’t give you

6. Timing Phone Calls for Maximum Impact • Learn their patterns • Find out what’s convenient • Calling people on the road • When to call to NOT get through

7. What to Read When You Walk Into a Room or Office • Where are you sitting? • Are you offered a coffee or drink? • What’s going on with the phones? • What’s on the wall?

8. Basic “Strokes” of Negotiating • Bite your tongue • Wait a minute…or longer • Be sensitive to the other guy’s point of view • Look for insights in unexpected places • Show up in person

9. How to get More Information than You Give • People love to talk about themselves; let them • Get them used to answering questions • Take advantage of their discomfort • Look for the hidden commitment

10. Situations Leading to Poor Decisions • Are you hearing what they’re saying? • Are you being swayed by groupthink? • How are the choices framed? • Have you looked beyond the nearest available data? • Are you overrating your successes?

11. World Class Negotiations • Avoid confrontations • Cast carefully • Check your baggage • Remember the competition • Use candor

12. Create the best “Culture” • Raise your hiring standards and deflate theirs • Humble your new recruit and break their bad habits • Let your future leaders get their hands dirty

13. Create the best “Culture” • Tell people where you’re going and reward them for getting there • Motivate them one step beyond the profit motive • Prop up a few corporate heroes to prove the culture works

14. Who’s Who at Your Meetings • The straight shooters • The martyrs • The poker faces • The cheerleaders • The orators

15. Who’s Who at Your Meetings • The devil’s advocates • The destroyers • The recliners • The statesmen

16. Flexing Your Humility • It makes your employees feel good • It increases an employee’s stature with outsiders • It makes you look better

17. How “Bosses” Add Value • Staying in touch with your expertise • Eliminating duplication • Instruction • Leading by example

18. How “Bosses” Add Value • Clear objectives • Praise and recognition • Error avoidance • A ruthless streak

19. Finders, Minders, & Binders • Finders – generate the income stream; create and find new ideas/products • Minders – caretakers making sure the idea is executed properly & makes a profit • Binders – coordinators; make the first two feel good (the Boss)

20. Positioning Yourself Like a Pro • Is your packaging appropriate? • Have you found your niche? • Is your position accurately presented?

21. Positioning Yourself Like a Pro • Are you making the right mistakes? • Do you have name recognition? • Are you riding the right horse?

22. Qualities of a Champion • Arnold Palmer’s honesty and integrity • Chris Evert’s mental toughness • Bjorn Borg’s stubbornness • Gary Player’s thoughtfulness • Jack Nicklaus’ maturity

23. 4 Syndromes that can Kill a Career • The Love My Warts syndrome • The Overcompensating syndrome • The Glass-is-Half-Empty syndrome • The Hermit syndrome

24. 10 Ways Careers get Stalled • Not knowing why you were hired • Following up too slowly • Ignoring the Peter Principle • Ignoring the Corporate Culture • Wanting to be liked by everyone

25. 10 Ways Careers get Stalled • Failing to protect yourself from a new boss • Going public with your private thoughts • Behaving inconsistently • Blaming bad news on someone else • Asking others to do something you wouldn’t do yourself

26. The “I’ll do anything for you” pal The know-it-all The “I agree” boss The confidant The obsessive The strategic incompetent The articulate incompetent The 7 Most Dangerous People

27. Confrontation Without Tears • Timing is everything • Don’t prolong the ordeal • Contain your emotions • Watch out for innocent bystanders • Confront the good times

28. 4 Ways to Prove You’re Worth It • Ask for what you really want, not what you think your boss will give. • Remember, the company pays for the raise, not your boss. • Outline all of your positive achievements. • Prepare a list of forthcoming goals.

29. Fine-Tuning a Code of Ethics • Let people off the hook. • Don’t abuse the power of omission. • Tell people when the meter is running. • Establish your ground rules and don’t waver.

30. Politeness Patience Thoroughness Punctuality Long-term loyalty Honesty Personal Qualities of Japanese Businessmen

31. Five Attributes of a Leader • They show the troops they care • The tell the troops exactly what they want • They convince the troops of rewards and punishments • They know when to attack • They share in their troops danger

32. Tilt the Calendar in Your Favor • Consider the Power Factor • Schedule far in advance at your peril • Leave empty blocks in your day • Mapping out the near future

33. Scheduling “Time Bombs” • Savor the easy tasks • Plan backward to keep you moving forward • Don’t be a time hero, or the hero’s victim • Prioritize your phone calls • The ideal “to do” list is unreadable

34. Writing Proposals that get Read • Keep it short. • Give them your best ideas, not all of your ideas. • Canvass your colleagues. • Create a “proposal relationship.”

35. Letters Likely to be Ignored • Asking the reader to do too much • No return address on the letterhead • Organized with too much logic, not enoughcare

36. The Communication Hierarchy • Bosses want strategic answers • Peers want tactical answers • Subordinates want technical details

37. Misreading Body Language • The vocal factor • The sequence factor • The time factor

38. Ending the Endless Conversation • “You’ll have to get me out of this conversation.” • “Let me see if I can help you get to where you seem to be going.” • “Tell me what you think we should do.”

39. Finding the Words that Sell • Adding just one word • When euphemisms work • Simple words for complex deals

40. Handle the Press on Your Terms • Don’t argue with the press • Give them as much (or more) time as they need • Keep your secrets for as long as you can • If you must talk, have a strategy

41. TV hosts have their own agenda, you should too Be a little paranoid Keep cool Don’t stop talking Be prepared Beware of trick questions Looking Good on Television

42. Where Do You Get Your Information? • Friends • CEOs • Consultants • Competitors • Media

43. Putting Reality into Business Plans • Too much faith in assumptions • An unrealistic absence of fear • An unrealistic view of the competition • An unrealistic faith in money • Don’t fall in love with the plan