Power of the pause

Power of the pause

In our professional selling career we get advised many techniques to help us achieve a greater result, even when we think at first they won’t work....

Listening without speaking actually runs counter to the instincts of most sales training. It’s almost a habit for many people to interrupt. How do you feel when you’re interrupted before you finish your thoughts? Do you feel frustrated? Annoyed?

Listening carefully to customers isn’t easy but the rewards are great.

Here’s a powerful sales tip I have read about and heard many time which is superb – the pause. This means waiting, and not jumping in at the first opportunity.

Here are some reasons to pause:

•      They may be gauging your interest in their point of view, to see if you’re listening or simply waiting to jump in. When you resist the urge to jump in, you are often pleasantly surprised to hear that there’s more, and it is important.

•      Most people feel uncomfortable with silence, so they rush in to fill the void.

•      Instead of you rushing in, why not let your customer fill the void? This can often be something rewarding. An invitation to come and meet with them.

•      Your customers feel validated and important when you give them a chance to elaborate on their thoughts. This takes me back to something a former CEO of mine taught me some years back. Two ears, one mouth use them to that ratio. So we listen to allow them to elaborate and uncover buying signals.

•      Pausing gives you time to think before you respond to a question or objection.

The best way to pause is to use the most natural reason, which is curiosity. If you really want to hear what your customer has to say you will pause naturally as you wait for them to talk.

So, the next time you ask a question, pause and wait for the answer. And really listen to the answer. When the speaker stops for a moment, pause again instead of rushing in.

You’ll both win, because they get a chance to finish their thoughts, and feel like you have fulfilled this call to its maximum.

Remember ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained’. Try it – I use this a lot in my daily work routine and also in my personal life. Works wonders...

If you have any more tips and techniques on the Power of the Pause, please get in touch!

Looking at the reason why we are great!

Looking at the reason why we are great!

 

Sometimes when I am having a challenging day or finding it difficult to find new business I occasionally can sit here thinking to myself – What am I going to do? How can I drum up some business? What can I do differently?    

We can all answer those questions but what I do to instantly change my mental thought process is look at previous successes and business wins from recent times – This triggers an instant motivation from within and you can inspire you to go on and make the next few hours a lot more than the last.

Its human nature we all like to feel good about ourselves and when we see we have done a good job, like we adore those who give us praise or again – Tell us we done a great job we feel GREAT!

So next time we find ourselves knocking on many closed doors we look at some of the prosperous times we have had doing exactly what we are doing today and make a difference to our mind set. As we all know selling success is 80& psychological and 20% skills and techniques.   

I remember reading that people make decisions emotionally and with this we make decisions ourselves emotionally. That’s why we decide based on a feeling, need, or emotion, not though a logical thought process. That’s why intangible benefits are the keys to persuasion. When you’re talking, you should think to yourself, “What is the emotional hot button here?”                 

Of course, this barely scratches the surface. Psychology is a deep and eternally revealing line of study. And while I don’t believe in making things more complicated than they have to be, I think there is great benefit in knowing not only what people do and what we do, but also why we all do it.

Top 5 Skills Every Leader Must Have

Top 5 Skills Every Leader Must Have

 

I come across this great post on Leadership this morning and wanted to re-post. Its an article from Steve Tobak - He talks about the skills that we need to become great leaders and goes into detail with some really good content.

Steve Tell's us that the world moves fast and if you can't keep up, your company is doomed. Here are five skills that every leader must have to run a company in today's culture.

A few years ago, I saw a video by a Harvard professor on competences for adapting to a changing world. Frankly, it was embarrassing. It was the biggest load of pseudo-intellectual garbage I’d ever heard.

Still, the world is changing. It’s becoming a more complex place. I guess that’s always been the case, but the rate of change appears to be accelerating. Given that’s the case, then what are the real capabilities will people need to distinguish themselves--to become the leaders, the innovators, the success stories of a new age?

Fortunately, as a veteran of the high-tech industry, I’ve known and worked with some of the most capable and accomplished folks around. Here are five competences that not only set them apart, but are becoming more and more important all the time. No, they’re not new-age business school jargon. Some aren’t even new. But what’s important is that they work.  

Please follow the link to the Top 5 Skills Every Leader Must Have

If you have any other relevant skills, tips or information please share on a comment below.

 

Here are some of my most favorite quotes (Top 10)

Here are some of my most favorite quotes (Top 10)

 

I often read quotes at times during the day for a little inspiration.

Have a read of these and if you think of any please add a comment!

Napoleon Hill
Reduce your plan to writing. The moment you complete this, you will have definitely given concrete form to the intangible desire.

Roger Von Oech
Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach.

Zig Ziglar
Remember, what you get by reaching your destination isn't nearly as important as what you become by reaching your goals - what you will become is the winner you were born to be!

Anonymous
Reputation is the shell a man discards when he leaves life for immortality. His character he takes with him.

Josiah Gilbert Holland
Responsibility walks hand in hand with capacity and power.

William Penn
Right is right, even if everyone is against it; and wrong is wrong, even if everyone is for it.

Mario Fernandez
Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine.

Horace
Rule your mind or it will rule you.

Helen Keller
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

Horace
Seize the day, put no trust in tomorrow.

Enjoy...

The Alone Zone

The Alone Zone

This ‘alone zone’ is something I have utilised during my working day, it allows me to have absolute focus on the task at hand with no interruptions or distractions. This is what I often call having a little (SMD) which means ‘single minded determination’. This discipline is so powerful for getting ‘things done’ and ‘adding a little focus and passion’ to the cause. 

Now, when I put ‘alone zone’ to practice it is often when I need to get something done or I have been pulled away from my ‘to do’ list or when I got to get the most important task done that day. 

During this time, I am utterly focused and to be honest ‘being rude to the world’ in making sure I get what I have to get done, DONE!!

I once heard someone whilst in a ‘SMD’ mindset say to a colleague who wanted to discuss the latest on the weekends football, ‘Hey I have to get this done, if you want to go and speak to someone else about the footie please do, however, I have to get this done, sorry!’ Now to me...that is psychologically winning the battle, as you have explained you are other wised engaged in a polite, assertive and driven way? 

This ‘alone zone’ can be your best friend and can help you, I made reference to getting busy and SMD in my earlier post Sales Motivation is the key where I quote ‘it is natural for you to sit back and chat with the other people in your office. We all know that gossip can be counterproductive to motivation. This is where we require some (SMD) Single Minded Determination.’ 

If you create your ‘alone zone’ you can be very productive in getting things done! Now – getting things done is something we often lose control of, what I mean is; we are all sometimes guilty of starting something and then getting distracted, then moving onto something else and creating numerous ‘open projects’ on our desk. Focusing efforts in this way can make sure you knock all the most important tasks over and become instantly more efficient. 
Hope this helps you as much as it has helped me...

Alec Baldwin - Best Performance (Glengarry Glen Ross) 1992 Classic

Alec Baldwin - Best Performance (Glengarry Glen Ross) 1992 Classic

'A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing'.

Everyone should at once in their lives watch the independent black comedy Glengarry Glen Ross from 1992.

It has so many humorous but relevant quotes from the outset – It starts like “We’re adding a little something to this month’s sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired,” says the character Blake, setting the mood early on.

This film in my opinion is made by a fantastic scene from ‘Alec Baldwin’ where he comes from downtown to deliver some news and the new leads.

So many Sales Manager/ Directors who have watched this film have to say that to give a speech like this every so often would be so self rewarding!

This film was a critically-acclaimed box office bust that earned a Best Actor nomination at the Oscar’s for Al Pacino, who was joined by Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemmon, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin and other familiar faces.

I remember going back a few years now an old boss of mine used to send this link across to us all as its coarse language and oh, if you’re easily offended by a ‘little’ foul language then you may not want to watch is – especially the clip I have posted below. 

The film, dubbed ‘Death of the F***in’ Salesman’ because of its similar themes to Arthur Miller’s classic play and its coarse language, is an actor’s film destined to be a cult classic... well shot, smartly lit, full of quotes,(which I think are brilliant) a simple plot with deeper themes, filled with younger versions of top-flight actors. Awesome!

If you have any quotes from this classic post below?

Remember My Name

Remember My Name

Have you ever met someone for the first time,that hardly looked at you and said the standard 'hello, nice to meet you' etc...then couldn't remember your name five seconds later? 
What impression did this person make on you? It often makes you feel less important to them and we all like to feel important even if we do not know the other person! 

In fact, in my favourite book ‘Dale Carnegie’s’ timeless How to Win Friends and Influence People he wrote, ‘If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.’ 
When you meet and greet people, regardless if it’s the first or the tenth time, make it a point of saying their names in your initial greeting. For example; ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you Debbie’ or ‘Stuart, it’s great to see you again.’ And then, when the conversation comes to the end, use their name again. ‘Stuart, I really enjoyed our time together,’ or ‘Debbie, it was a real pleasure getting to know you.’ Remembering someone’s name is a difficult skill to master but if you make it part of your daily routine, you will stand out from the crowd in personal and business relationships. 

Here are some simple ways that can help you remember people’s names:

• Make it of high importance to remember people’s names. The only way you will be consistent is if remembering people’s names is a priority to you. You got to want to be able to do it, then it will soon enough become easy.

• This is a common technique used by many when remembering people’s names, we make a habit of repeating the name in our heads when meeting them for the first time. If you will make this a routine, you will be forced to pay attention to their names when they are introduced to you, thus creating a warmer relationship. 

• Try to think of someone else with the same name. As I repeat people’s names in my mind I try to think of someone else with the same name and then make the connection between the two people. Similarities in the way they look and even in doing this you will subconsciously remember the name.  

If you don’t understand the pronunciation of someone’s name, kindly ask the person to repeat it. If you still don’t understand, ask how it is spelled and then try to say it. People with hard to pronounce names are very much used to people mispronouncing them and will appreciate those who show an interest in getting it right. Also, the psychological advantage to this is people love talking about themselves, then may go on to tell you a little bit of history to why their name is different and maybe who they are named after, perhaps a distant relative or a meaning of some description. 

If you put into practice some of the techniques above, I am very confident you can start to remember peoples names. Many people in senior positions in their companies have this skill – how special do you feel when your CEO who you met once at the Christmas party, see’s you in corridor and says ‘Good Morning Ian, How are you?’ or ‘Afternoon Julie, how was your holiday to the Caribbean?’ Instantly you feel special and more often than not these people are in the position they are in through practicing and learning many skills like this one in dealing with people. 

One more thing – I will often make reference to this book in this post and future posts to come...It has changed the lives of many for the better and it can change yours too. Once again...How to Win Friends and Influence People

Any questions or if you would like to add any techniques or tips on remembering names please comment below.

Sales Motivation is the key

Key to Staying Motivated

Selling is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Whether you sell insurance, homes, cars, toothbrushes, fridges or telephone systems you have to deal with irate and unrealistic customers on a daily basis as well as meet the demands and targets by your employer. I read that you receive more rejection in one day than an average 9-5 person sees in one month. So staying motivated is pretty tough!?

Here are some ways I personally use and others I have read which are key to staying motivated.

·         Eat Breakfast - This sounds a little silly, but having enough energy to carry you into the working day is important. If you are not energized to take an early morning call or visit then you will miss an opportunity.

·         Build A To Do List - Know what you are going to do that day. Fill out a blank sheet so you know where you are and where you are headed. If you are off track from where you want to be then you know what you need to sell that day to get back on track. (Can also allow us to work smart and effective)

·         Get Busy- If you are not on a site visit, it is natural for you to sit back and chat with the other people in your office. We all know that gossip can be counterproductive to motivation. This is where we require some SMD (As an old MD quoted often to me) Single Minded Determination.

·         Remember The Money - We all come to work to earn some. Keep the vision by remembering the reward for all of those mundane calls, Keep telling yourself – One more sale away from that holiday, car or milestone.

·         Work in a Happy Environment- A happy environment is a productive environment. What do you do when you are not in one? Ignore the people who I like to say ‘bring you down’ Get away from them. Tell them to go away! They are just taking up your time and trying to bring you down with them.

·         LET IT GO- If a negative situation happens- don't take it personally. Brush it off and move on. Don't dwell on it. STUFF HAPPENS! This is key that bad call or visit early morning can often ruin your day and determine your mood thereon after. Thick skin is why we do this job. Pick yourself up and move on.

Getting motivated and staying motivated is all up to you. I think its mental strength. No one can motivate you. A boss or manager can shout and scream and threaten you but, only you can get yourself going and keep the momentum needed to sustain a great sales career! Chin up, smile and keep going forward!

GET GOING! STAY MOTIVATED! 

Best Sales Interview Ever! - Boiler Room (Ben Affleck)

Boiler Room Group Interview (Ben Affleck)

I do not know if any of you have ever seen Boiler Room - Fantastic sales film if you have not I strongly recommend getting your hands on it.

The group interview scene, which I have posted in a YouTube link below is brilliant and somewhat inspiring and ruthless may I add....incredible quotes in the Ben Affleck interview scene, where he gives a great speech! I think even from the start of the interview when he says...

'Okay, here's the deal, I'm not here to waste your time. Okay, I certainly hope you're not here to waste mine, so I'm gonna keep this short...'

If you do the recruiting for your company you have got to think that it would be brilliant to see the reactions on candidates faces when you tell them what's required. Granted, this is just a film but the concepts and the requirements for the job applies to everyone in selling.

Isn't that just brilliant...?

If you haven't seen the film go get it...fantastic watch...One more memorable quote is from the opening scene where Seth Davis - (main character) said...

'I read this article a while back, that said that Microsoft employs more millionaire secretary's that any other company in the world. They took stock options over Christmas bonuses. It was a good move. I remember there was this picture, of one of the groundskeepers next to his Ferrari. Blew my mind.'

When a film starts like this you know it's going to be a great watch.

Click the link below to Amazon website where you can buy it*

Boiler Room

Let me know your thoughts - Be interested to hear what you make of it!