What if your leaders thought, spoke, and executed like C Suite Executives?

What makes your business unique is that we have seen long-lasting results in a relatively short period. We’ve seen significant shifts in our leaders' behaviors, with them showing up more authentically at work.

The team has taken to heart what they have learned recently in communication. I was pleasantly surprised in a recent meeting when someone from the team mentioned that “John,” being a producer, is looking for this and that. They were paying attention and trying to understand “John” and what was driving his actions and requests.

Things that are different or changing—the team is soliciting input from everyone at the table. They have adopted the “comfort scale” question when seeking alignment and getting others to articulate their concerns. They are being intentional about their messages, sometimes using each other as a sounding board before presenting to the intended audience. They are still talking and referencing the tips from the training.

As a result, specifically for two of our bigger projects, the team has been able to navigate misalignments and conflicting thoughts quicker with team members and sponsors. I have been getting positive feedback about some of the individuals who went through the training from senior directors and VPs they are working with.

I still use what I learned from the Outcome Thinking®️ Platinum Program in this role. Last week, I shared with the sales team the value of providing high-level budgetary ranges early on vs. throwing out ten formal quotes. It really transformed the way I sell and definitely impacted my close rate.

I’d say that by using budgetary ranges on the front end of conversations, I’m able to eliminate a couple of things from the pipeline:

• Prospects who have no financial ability to invest in any solution we sell
• Solutions/proposals for solutions that don’t fit within their range.

In other words, where I used to go into every conversation assuming I should produce a quote for many options with many price ranges, I’m now leaving discovery calls knowing what product and price range. I’m speeding up that sales cycle by cutting down on reviewing multiple proposals. And truly, I rarely put things into the pipeline that are unlikely to close. Shorter time to close—with a higher quality of opportunity = quicker sales cycle and higher close rate!

The other thing I’ve been able to do is secure an additional margin. The budgetary number I provide for customers is generally very conservative, so when it comes to putting actual numbers on paper, I can retain a couple of margin points because I didn’t give them a specific price out of the gate.

Since 2006, I have continued sending new leaders so they can be more transformational in how they think, listen, and speak. I find that Outcome Thinking® really aligns with my philosophy as a leader, as it helps all leaders to be more open in their thinking so they can be more collaborative and innovative. I find that once people have learned Outcome Thinking®, they are less defensive and more open to hearing how they can bring things to the next level in their performance. Their mind is so focused on the others that they hear things differently.

In our jobs in hospitals and clinics, we need leaders who can see how their words impact physicians, patients, and staff so they say the right thing at the right time.

All our messaging must be aligned with our organizational goals and strategic direction- Outcome Thinking® helps them do just that.

From my training, I gained a different way of thinking, the ability to focus my communications and the skills to target and achieve the outcomes I am seeking specifically.

I consider her a trusted advisor and long-term business partner. I strongly recommend her executive coaching services and training to anyone who wants to see noticeable, tangible results.

My previous personal experience with the program is what put IMP in the mix. Still, we selected it over others because we liked the emphasis on lasting behavior change, the access to personal coaching time, and the value per hour of actual training. IMP is more expensive than other programs but also more intensive, so the exact value is priceless.

IMP actually gets to know your company from the inside out and then focuses on what needs to be covered to drive your goals

It helps you put words to things you may be thinking about but don’t know how to identify or express them in a way that will allow others to hear them. You build confidence as you grow yourself without fear so you can lean into what you need to work on and change. The three training components—think tanks and 1:1 coaching—stretch you so you can confidently navigate challenging situations.

Outcome Thinking® has allowed me to start a process of thinking through an interaction from the audience's perspective. I've even thought about who makes up that audience and what key messages they are looking to hear so that I can tailor my message more effectively to address what they’re asking.

The three programs I’ve gone through are Outcome Thinking®, Sales Excavation, and ProGOtiation®. The three weave together very nicely. The topics covered in Outcome Thinking®, for example, help you think more effectively about some of the ways that you might Threadline™ or keep in tune with your audience when you’re in a conversation with them, which is what we talked about in Sales Excavation®.

In terms of actual negotiations and things like that, one of the things all three bring together in ProGOtiation® is an ability to prepare for the negotiation. Not from the standpoint of playing games or figuring out tactics but instead from the perspective of what is the other side of the table really thinking about, what is their need for an outcome, what is your need for an outcome, and how you turn that nail-biting to a way of brainstorming together to make a difference in the congruent solution that you both want to go forward with.

I actually use the techniques on an almost daily basis. I use them in my interactions as a manager with my team members. I use them as I interact with my executive team to help bring forward new ideas into the organization and new ways of making a difference in getting good outcomes for our company. And, of course, I use them with our clients. Much of my time is spent interacting with our customers and ensuring I understand their needs and how we can address them in multiple ways.

I frequently reference Outcome Thinking® in my job. In our weekly leadership meeting, we were sharing what has impacted us the most as a leader, and I pulled up something that you wrote Anne to share with my team. The Outcome Thinking® Platinum Program probably did more to change my leadership life than anything else in my career. I shared the four parts of the brain and how, as leaders, we can often overwhelm people and cause them to lose focus. Then, I shared that if we can keep to 3 things when giving direction to our team, we don’t freak out the team, and we get better results from them. Other things you said that have stuck with me include- "you aren’t a frontline guy anymore; you are a leader now, so you need to shift your thinking to align. You think you work 60 hours, but the company pays for results, not hours. So stop worrying about hours put in and instead think creatively to get things done in less time. Another statement I refer to is, “3 ways to reset your mind when you are overly stressed is to exercise, take a quick nap, or eat a small healthy snack. These all work because when your brain is over-taxed, it craves glucose and oxygen."