Amongst the great arsenal of ninja weapons, probably the best known is the throwing star (shuriken). It’s a hand-held blade designed to annoy or confuse an opponent, allowing the ninja to escape or create another opportunity for attack. Shuriken means “sword hidden in hand” because of their tiny size. These tactical weapons are still used today in martial art practice. Throwing stars can be lethal if they hit certain body parts or vital organs, and for this reason they’re banned in many countries.
Just like tiny ninja throwing stars can cause great confusion or, at worst, fatal damage in combat situations, so can tiny dots and lines on a chart cause bewilderment and chaos in the world of modern business and sales.
“A line is a dot that went for a walk.”
The famous artist Paul Klee (not a ninja, to our knowledge) used this expression to illustrate that a simple mark on a page can be transformed to express something complex and meaningful. A line is a collection of dots. Others say it takes two dots to draw a line. We like to use six. Imagine these are six shuriken.
Here are three ways where numbers-as-data-points can offer strength and support and help to win the day.
1. Share clarity on whether you’re growing, bouncing or declining.
Which of these three situations are you in? Are you declining, bouncing or growing? Are you honest with your answer? Are all the right people in agreement about this and are you using the right language for the situation you are in? Is your plan of action built around defending or exploiting this situation?
2. Use Scenarios. But be clear on execution.
In companies we serve, many things are nebulous, there isn’t a lot of structure, and there are often many scenarios being considered at any one time. ‘If we did this’, ‘We could try that and aim for’, etc. CEO’s do this in the conversations they have with their CFO’s and the rest of the board, in the discussions with investors, and in the discussions with the sales leadership and salespeople themselves. However, these are often left in the air, and when we start a new month or a new quarter, it can be unclear about which scenario or plan we are following.
Somebody forgot to update something, the process for altering sales targets isn’t easy, the salespeople didn’t accept or buy into the new sales targets, or you ran out of time to respond to their feedback, so the new month is live and there is little alignment on what plan we are following.
Confirm sales targets, commission plans, expectations before your sales period begins.
3. Sales quota holders, identify with your numbers
Shuriken were often kept in a leather pouch on the waist or thigh of the throwing arm. But a couple of shuriken were also kept in a breast pocket or in a fold in their clothes there. This gave more options for throwing in different circumstances. These shuriken in the breast pocket feel more personal to me.
Try this: every person accountable for revenue should identify with their percentage of target reached in each of their last six periods (months?). Developing a habit requires consistency: salespeople and sales leaders are no exception to this rule.
‘Hi, I’m Tom. My sales quota achieved over the last six months is 75%, 92%, 122%, 65%, 74%, 92%.’
Can you see how it starts to create a story? For Tom, for those he uses this with. The six dots can be the foundation of a personal development plan that can help sales professionals unleash their full potential. With this mindset, they can face opponents and navigate challenges with agility and resilience. These six dots can also stop the telling of stories – of tales, which aids accountability.
Right now, as I publish this post, we’re coming to the end of the second quarter (Q2) and also the end of the first half of the year (H1). Do you even know your achievement rates? Do you carry them in your breast pocket?
Two dots make a line. Let your six dots make you a LION.
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