We own the trademark for the term “Intuitive to Intentional™”. People seem to like the term, and there are several interpretations of what it means. I’m okay with however people interpret it. I can share mine.
When I first started using the term, which I borrowed from a friend, I was doing sales training. The intention was to help more tenured people be comfortable with the training. We were taking what they knew and making it a process, so they didn’t forget or cut corners. It was effective in that they realized I wasn’t saying they were doing things wrong. I was just formalizing what they did, for the most part, every day. Again, the interpretation has evolved over time.
It has evolved into a circular process. You do things based on your intuition and make them intentional. Items such as pre-planning a sales meeting. Doing your research before a meeting. Asking questions to find the true need. After doing these things for some time, they become intuitive again. Then you start the process over. Find new things to make intentional such as mining data and creating new processes, until they become intuitive. One is not better than the other. The process keeps you focused on continuous improvement.
Each year I sit down and write out the things I want to focus on to keep myself relevant. It’s a form of Intuitive to Intentional™. I work to focus on things that I can do that help improve my performance relative to our clients. This year the focus is on using data to understand leading indicators. The process helps drive performance, and changes reporting from a stick to a carrot.
Most sellers are not strong administrators and dislike reporting. Why? Because they see it as punitive instead of helpful. Reporting today focuses on results, not actions. Creating reporting that shows what actions are most successful in driving those results is welcomed.
That sounds intuitive and it is. Trust your instincts and create reporting that helps the sales team, not just reporting that shows their results. It takes the sellers from Intuitive to Intentional™.