It is complicated if you approach it as a process instead of a solution.
If I were to sit down with a CEO and start talking about the five different assessments their team would take, explain all of the hidden agents, the three gates of focus, the leadership styles and competencies …. there is no doubt in my mind that you would cringe if that was the approach you needed to take.
If you felt the need to explain all aspects of the model to a prospect, to identify their top five challenges, explain the Builder/Protector ratio ….. their eyes would glaze over. I totally get that.
Let’s talk about how to uncomplicate the X-Ray process by first understanding that you are never SELLING an X-Ray. Never. You are helping a CEO identify the challenges a CEO faces every day as he/she work hard to build a successful company.
The conversation isn’t about you and your process.
The conversation is about the CEO and three things that keep them up at night.
The conversation is about how the CEO perceives those issues vs how their team perceives those issues. (You’d be surprised at how few CEOs actually share their concerns with their employees)
The conversation is about how many employees they had a year ago and how many they have today.
The conversation is about how clear each person in the company is about their roles and responsibilities.
The conversation is about how that CEO feels about his/her team and why.
The conversation is about how to get better alignment with their team. How to make sure everyone’s concerns are heard.
It’s all about helping them identify those concerns through a process that helps put words to those issues. Giving everyone a voice. Gaining perspective on the different viewpoints.
It’s all about creating that alignment in order to get people engaged. If the people who have a major role in running the organization have a chance to explore different perspectives about the critical aspects of running a company, would that create an engaging dialogue?
If you can show that CEO that the conversations that come out of those assessments provide immediate insight, provide an opportunity for that CEO to really see how people view different aspects of the company, would that be helpful?
The VALUE and the OUTCOME of the X-Ray process is what you are selling.
Once YOU see the value, you sell the value. The delivery is secondary.
Here are some resources on the GCS site that will help YOU see the value of this thing we call the Stages of Growth X-Ray.
7 SOG Videos: Title: Frequently Asked Questions for 7 SOG
Here I answer a bunch of questions including: How can I make the stages of growth make sense to my staff? I don’t see my challenges on this list! What is Emotional Intelligence? How can I NOT keep profit as my priority at every stage of growth? What is the Growth Curve and why do I, as a business owner, care about it? I’m a Stage 3 company based on the number of employees, but I feel like we are in Stage 4, why? Do I count the independent contractors that work for me?
X-Ray Videos: Title: How to Position an X-Ray to a Prospect
This video is 60 minutes long and covers specific marketing and sales ideas I’ve used over the years. I explain that your knowledge of the 7 Stages of Growth is critical for you to feel confident in positioning the X-Ray to a CEO. I walk you through what you KNOW about each stage of growth. I explain how an X-Ray actually delivers solutions and how to create a conversation with a CEO about the 7 Stages of Growth.
Good luck in your continued education on this powerful tool that has helped so many CEOs gain a better handle on:
How to predict growth,
How to adapt their leadership skills to the needs of their company,
How to focus on the right things at the right time.
http://gcspecialists.com/member-dashboard
Thank you for being a part of my Growth Curve Community and for actively learning more about the 7 Stages of Growth.
Your success. My passion.
Laurie Taylor, FlashPoint!
P.S. Don’t forget my book series on the 7 Stages of Growth. When you purchase 10 or more of one book, I can provide wholesale pricing. If interested, let me know. Currently I have Stage 1 through Stage 6 and you can find them here: http://gcspecialists.com/products.
