Communication : Application of 'the Johari Window Concept" in Sales & Marketing - 1.

   Dear Reader,

In an earlier post ( Why a " Business Administration" Diploma is Important in a Sales Career), I had discussed about the Engineering Degree of 4 years and compared it to the MBA diploma of two years, and then tried to find the reason why a BE degree with a MBA diploma is starting to carry more weight with bosses and employers. This is because a vast majority of us engineers lack the ability to apply the skills learned as needed in a business, which is what all situations in life are. Some weaknesses of engineering courses is nothing is taught about planning, budgeting, managerial accounting, finance, leadership and motivation and many other things which helps us to view the world like Superman with his X-ray vision. Hence, the difference and I have to admit its justification. However, if you have some experience, you can study them and master them on your own. This will enable you to apply your business-targeted concepts as and when a situation arises for that. Of course, you won't have a diploma to frame, but then it is the knowledge which matters not the diploma. We will try to tackle a few business management concepts in this blog every now and then starting today with the Johari Window.

The Johari Window is a management tool which greatly helps in maximizing productivity in teamworking. It helps in showing to what extent is communication synchronized among the team members. Remember, very often team members may not have worked with each other before and a synchronization has to be built before performance starts. JW makes this evident to the members and specially to the team leader who has the responsibility to faciliate this within the shortest possible time. The name sounds exotic 'JOHARI window' but the word is merely the coalescing of the first names of its two inventors, JOseph Luft and HARIngton Ingham in 1955. Not very exotic in reality, ladies & gentlemen.

THE PARETO PRINCIPLE CUSTOMIZED

You must have heard of the Paretto Principle (also known as the 80/20 law). Rubbish? That is right. I do not remember the exact words but I am darn SURE that I had made a similar comment when I was first discussing this principle with a live person (not a book). What is this principle anyway and what’s it doing here within a discourse of sales & marketing of capital equipment? The principle states that 80% of your input is responsible for 20% of your output and the balance 20% of your input brings about the other 80% of your output. And let me also tell you ..IT WORKS with approximations of-course.

If  taken into selling, the principle will state that 20% of your business comes from 80% of your customers and the balance 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. This is valid principle everywhere but when you are selling high value equipment, the South East Asian Market is just a little different.

• ·         10% of your customers can bring you 0-20% of your business revenue.
• ·         30% of your customers will bring you 80%-60% of your sales output.
• ·         60% of your customers will bring you 20% of your sales revenue.

This is one of the main differences that at any time you will always have a joker (or two jokers; God forbid). What does the joker do? The Joker is something you can never rely on until you get the Purchase Order. Nevertheless, why? You will ask. Is he a sadist? Does he get pleasure from seeing you as a victim of tensile and compressive forces? That’s not it friends? A Joker is someone to whom a business commitment means nothing. He is so whimsical that he can take an approach at 180 degree to the original at the last minute. For the joker, money counts,period.

I don't say that the joker can stop your orders. If you have been true to the marketing principles and if your offer is suitable, you can bring him around, but your target date is already gone. So, how do you defeat the joker in his own game? You don’t.  The only thing you do is to keep an allowance for him. Never underestimate the joker. He has got enough clout to stop all your orders. Be on good terms with him.

This is how you should think of devoting time when you are fixing up strategy. And, unfortunately in SE Asia, directors’ do not plan as a team. Unless you play as a team and so get them all-in (up to Dy. Manager level). Tell them the strategy. Ask for feedbacks. Do this and you will be shocked. You will realize that you have huge creativity with you.. The fact is that you have failed to tap it. How you tap it is the key here!

Finally, do not ever make heroes of your sub-ordinates or encourage them to be heroes. In Capital Equipment Marketing, heroes are losers . We once more quote an actual general Gen. Patton. Gen.Patton just before his victorious run is supposed to have said to his troops “Remember, no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country, he won it by making the other poor dumb bastard to die for his country”. There are no heroes in a marketing victory. Everyone has to contribute to it. If not, run for your life because you are about to be annihilated. What you are feeling is the eye of the hurricane!

Cheers then folks,

Till the next time

it's BILBO