A study of 400 executives shows that the most effective leaders actively seek negative feedback. They let it be known that they are open to receive critiques either of their ideas or their leadership. The least successful executives most often solicit confirming feedback.

The problem of lack of feedback is compounded when the leader is a woman or from a minority group. Women in general get less useful feedback about their performance in any position than do men. Similar studies show this to be true for Chinese and Indian executives as well.

Executives are often unaware of this dynamic. Many believe they are attuned to their environment because they ask questions and solicit feedback. They believe they are getting the truth. But people have difficulty delivering the complete truth when the message is less than favorable. And the more personal the message, the less chance it has of getting delivered at all.

Top executives typically get the least reliable information about how they are doing. A meta-analysis of 177 separate studies that assessed 28,000 managers found that performance feedback becomes more inconsistent the higher the person´s position.

Often the reason is simply that it makes people uncomfortable to be candid. They don´t know how to be frank without risking injury or backlash. Few people want to intentionally hurt another person´s feelings, and they certainly don´t want to be misinterpreted and accused of trying to do harm. Often silence is chosen rather than risk. People swing too far in the direction of "being nice" rather than being useful and providing accurate observations about behavior.

When people avoid giving honest feedback by sanitizing it to keep up comfort levels, they are actually doing a disservice. They are depriving their own leaders of valuable information.

Successful leaders seek out negative feedback Emotionally intelligent leaders will actively seek out negative feedback as well as positive. They understand they need a full range of information to perform better, whether it makes them comfortable or not.
How should leaders seek out the truth then?

It is clear that it is up to leaders to actively cultivate feedback if they are to have the information they need to make changes and to adapt to the environment. Rare are those people who will dare tell a strong leader he or she is coming across as too commanding or harsh. People generally won´t stand up and let a leader know he could be more visionary or more democratic.A study of 400 executives shows that the most effective leaders actively seek negative feedback. They let it be known that they are open to receive critiques either of their ideas or their leadership. The least successful executives most often solicit confirming feedback.

The problem of lack of feedback is compounded when the leader is a woman or from a minority group. Women in general get less useful feedback about their performance in any position than do men. Similar studies show this to be true for Chinese and Indian executives as well.

Executives are often unaware of this dynamic. Many believe they are attuned to their environment because they ask questions and solicit feedback. They believe they are getting the truth. But people have difficulty delivering the complete truth when the message is less than favorable. And the more personal the message, the less chance it has of getting delivered at all.

Top executives typically get the least reliable information about how they are doing. A meta-analysis of 177 separate studies that assessed 28,000 managers found that performance feedback becomes more inconsistent the higher the person´s position.

Often the reason is simply that it makes people uncomfortable to be candid. They don´t know how to be frank without risking injury or backlash. Few people want to intentionally hurt another person´s feelings, and they certainly don´t want to be misinterpreted and accused of trying to do harm. Often silence is chosen rather than risk. People swing too far in the direction of "being nice" rather than being useful and providing accurate observations about behavior.

When people avoid giving honest feedback by sanitizing it to keep up comfort levels, they are actually doing a disservice. They are depriving their own leaders of valuable information.

Successful leaders seek out negative feedback Emotionally intelligent leaders will actively seek out negative feedback as well as positive. They understand they need a full range of information to perform better, whether it makes them comfortable or not.
How should leaders seek out the truth then?

It is clear that it is up to leaders to actively cultivate feedback if they are to have the information they need to make changes and to adapt to the environment. Rare are those people who will dare tell a strong leader he or she is coming across as too commanding or harsh. People generally won´t stand up and let a leader know he could be more visionary or more democratic.

Diagnosing Objections

Ever wondered why some objections are harder to overcome than others? Or the same objection is hard to overcome with one customer, but easy with next? Or are they all hard?

You may have misdiagnosed the objection.

Sales doctors tell us there are four types of objections, each one a little sicker than the other, but all are curable. The key is to diagnose correctly and apply the correct treatment.

Type 1: Misinformed
The customer objects that the car is not reliable. Chances are he/she is simply misinformed. Update their information, educate them, and the objection disappears. "You are absolutely correct Mr. Customer. We did have reliability problems with certain features of the car. We have corrected the problem, and according to JD Power, the leading auto industry watch-dog, today we are among the top 10% in reliability."

Type 2: Unresolved Complaint
A customer´s previous bad experience with your dealership or the product may not have been resolved to his complete satisfaction. For example, a customer seems to become irritated and sarcastic whenever you mention the service department. Or perhaps he comes right out with the objection that your service department is not up to par. A little probing reveals that he has not yet received a check for an error on a service invoice. You pick up the phone and straighten it out immediately. The objection goes away, and the customer´s attitude improves 100%. The key here is to stop your sales presentation and address the issue. Do whatever you can to resolve the issue before resuming your presentation. If not, the objection will keep popping up sometimes in a different form.

Type 3: Skepticism
This customer does not trust sales people. He/she will not take you at your word. Body language usually says it all. Lack of eye contact, arms folded, questions that feel like a cross-examination in a courtroom. Not to worry. The customer is suffering from skepticism, an easy disease to treat. Forget relationship building for the moment; show proof for every claim you make. Show them hard copy of a Car and Driver review. Roll out the NADA research report. Show them the video of the crash protection tests. Take them on a test drive ASAP. In no time, the customer will loosen up, begin to make eye contact - you may even get a smile - and certainly you will get the order.

Type 4: Cynicism
This is a life-threatening disease. Cynicism attacks every part of your sales presentation. Cynicism is resistant to information. It turns away relationship building with sarcasm, impatience and even hostility. It asks few questions but demands your "best price." It will look at hard copy proof, but unlike the skeptic, proof alone will not cure this disease. However, cynicism collapses 80% of the time with a combination of hard proof and a couple of references to satisfied customers. Hearing directly from other customers about their positive experiences with your dealership converts the cynicism to trust. At least a level of trust high enough to enable you to close