Interview: Author Bob Prosen’s Kiss Theory Goodbye
Results Through Simplicity
Speaking to Bob Prosen you get the feeling that business doesn’t have to be that difficult. He doesn’t speak in esoteric terms. He doesn’t stress the importance of obscure financial models as a window into growth. In fact, the best quote I got out of our recent conversation was, “Simplicity leads to action which leads to results.” Results are Prosen’s mantra, in fact his website states. “At the beginning of the day it’s all about possibilities. At the end of the day it’s all about results.”
Simplicity in business is often overlooked and dismissed as not taking into account things like the new “web-based global economy.” Consider this though, Einstein wrote E=mc^2. Newton F=ma. Why should business be any more difficult than physics?
A New Yorker transplanted to Texas, Prosen is an engineer by training but never has practiced a day in his life. These contradictions are what make Prosen such a colorful character. He has the engineering mind to process a problem but the unique gift of a leader who’s been in the trenches and knows the importance of distilling the facts down into manageable chunks. His recent book Kiss Theory Goodbye seeks to throw away all the junk that clouds traditional management thinking. In his words he is on a mission to, “In a positive way paint business leaders in a corner by giving them all the tools to go produce and deliver, so there are no more excuses.”
Accountability is a consistent theme throughout Prosen’s book. He encourages managers to “be hard on the performance and not the person.” This doesn’t mean being heavy handed but rather setting clear expectations and working to communicate what the manager can do to help their subordinates grow and get it right.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Mr. Prosen and discuss his thoughts on everything from management philosophy to entrepreneurship. The following are the highlights from our conversation.
1. The classic Nature vs. Nurture question…are leaders born or made?
I think leaders are born to lead. It’s just something in their DNA that propels them to do it. But a great leader possesses two unique skills:
1. They are fantastic listeners
2. They make the decision with the mindset that the buck stops here. People are looking to leaders to make a decisive decision and hold people accountable. Too many leaders make the mistake of not holding people to what needs to be done. Accountability really is a positive thing.
2. What are the similarities, if any, between great sales reps and great leaders?
They both have solid listening skills and a very positive attitude. In addition, they never give up and get past mistakes. They are constantly looking forward and have little time for mulling over the past. However, it’s very rare for a sales rep to rise to a CEO position within an organization.
3. In the book, you mention the importance of an organization running lean. How do you know when you’ve reached that point in a big corporation?
I like the idea of running lean because it forces people to distill what’s important day to day. When people don’t have time to waste they tend to accomplish the truly important aspects of their job first. Usually, you can tell you’ve hit this point when people start to squeak a bit. When there are too many people the important things don’t get done and there is no buzzing about feeling the pinch of time.
4. With very little to differentiate upon regarding price or place, is customer service the last frontier?
The bar has been raised and clients expect a high-level of service from everybody. But it doesn’t have to be complex. The definition of service is very simple: “doing what you say you’re going to do, with no surprises.” Clients absolutely hate surprises. Do everything you can to avoid that. In addition, customers may only give you one shot and if you fail to deliver on that basic definition, they will more than likely be gone.
5. If customer service is so important, why is there such a discourse in compensation between a sales rep and customer service rep? Should the model be flipped on its head?
No. I say offer anybody in customer service to go on a commission based salary and see if they’re up for taking that risk.
However, at the managerial level in customer service, companies are tying compensation back to customer satisfaction but it’s not trickling down to front lines just yet. Customer service people should receive bonuses on things like upsells or resolving problems on the first call, no question. And there should most definitely be a quality improvement plan in place and tracking of all complaints to drive them down. These can all be tied to providing an incentive based program for customer service reps.
6. Let’s shift gears for a second, what are the three most critical things entrepreneurs need to do when starting a new business?
1. Make certain people want what you are offering. When I started the Prosen Center for Business Advancement I put together training programs and then called people up and got their reactions. I tested and retested each method over time on potential clients. At the end, I not only had a service people were willing to pay for but also had a made a few sales in the process.
2. You always need more money than you think you do starting off. It’s critical you can ensure access to capital to get the business going and off the ground.
3. Salesperson. You have to be damn good at selling. If you’re not comfortable doing this than you should seriously reconsider working for yourself.
4. Even though you didn’t ask, the fourth thing is time management. The successful entrepreneur will be focused on sales 60-70% of the time. When things get going it becomes an issue of how to duplicate yourself to keep everything else going.
7. What is the takeaway you would like readers to have from Kiss Theory Goodbye?
Simplicity. If it’s a simple concept than there is a very high probability of people doing it. Simplicity leads to action and actions leads to results. The whole point of the book is to cut the crap and get down to achieving results. No excuses.
Thank you for your time today Bob, it was a pleasure to read the book and speak with you. Best of luck!
No problem, the pleasure was mine.
Last month I had the opportunity to interview Dave Lakhani. Dave is the author of the top selling book 
