The Power of Play

I heard a great quote the other day from Poker legend Doyle Bronsen.

“We don’t stop playing because we get old. We get old because we stop playing.”

I defintately agree with this philosophy, because in business we tend to take our jobs and ourselves too seriously.

People say that they need to act “Corporate”.

Now just what does that mean?

Does it mean that we need to extract any ability to laugh and have fun during work hours?

If so, this would explain why so many people are trucking off to work every day in a daze. Zombies doing the same thing day in, day out. Leaving their personalities at home. Doesn’t that sound exciting… not.

Now I for one do take my craft and my business very seriously. But I tend to take myself very lightly.

I also believe that in my role as a leader and sales trainer, that I need to model this behaviour, so others will feel O.K. to laugh at themselves.

“I truly believe that a day without laughter is a tragedy.”

So lighten up and have more fun at work. Laugh and watch your productivity go up. Because laughter releases energy and energy improves productivity, reduces absenteeism, reduces employee turnover and according to Mr. Bronsen helps you live longer.

And in my book these are all good reasons to lighten up and play.

Frustration, Lies and Success

I recently read a couple of friends Facebook messages one title said:

“I’m tired of being lied to…” 

and another that said,

“I don’t like being used by people”

Can you sense that both of these people are frustrated by the way they have been treated.

Can you sense that both of these people are not happy with the relationship with the person who treated them this way.

And can you sense that both of these people are not going to take it anymore. 

I certainly did. And this got me thinking that when someone lies to you, doesn’t do what they say they will, or just uses you for their own purpose and then tosses you aside that they are all acting in very selfish ways.

One of my big eureka’s this past year has been that selfishness is the root of all frustration. Selfishness is the root of all evil. (instead of money) And Selfishness is the root of all sin.

O.K. wait a minute, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking isn’t this blog suppose to be about how to be a more effective sales professional. And you would be right.

Unfortunately, there are a great number of people in the business world and world in general that still think that in order to get what they want and be successful in sales, you need to lie, cheat, use people and generally check your ethics at the door.

Being nice is for losers. Being nice is for chumps. And nice guys (and gals) finish last.

And if this were true, then I would be looking for another profession.

But fortunately it is not true.

The reality of professional selling is that checking your ethics at the door leads to a short career in sales.

Being truthful, coming through on promises and respecting helping others are all key elements to success in sales.

Remember, people will not buy from you is they don’t trust what you say. They won’t buy from you if they don’t believe that your products or services are going to do what you say they will. And they won’t buy from you if they think you are only acting in your own best interest instead of theirs.

So if you want to have a long successful career and make a lot of money then be honest and help a lot of people and they will in turn help you.

 

More than Just Phones

I was quoted in the following article that was published in Job Postings Magazine - May Issue

http://www.jobpostings.ca/articleDetail.cfm?id=357

 

More than just phones by Suelian White May 01,2008

Call centres are ideal training grounds for the kind of skills the Canadian economy requires. Learn how you can strengthen your resume by adding a part-time job answering customer calls.You may think you work well under pressure – but have you ever had to calm down an upset or angry customer on the phone? Effectively leading, and resolving, a business conversation is a valuable skill in your job hunting toolkit – and working at a call centre will sharpen your customer-service skills. In fact, many employers – across various sectors – are looking for call centre or customer service-related experience in prospective new hires.Customer Service Jobs in Demand Call centres will give you first-hand experience of working on the front lines of an organization, giving you a good overview of how it functions. “Being front line at the call centre, you will learn all the pros and cons of what the company offers and solutions or workarounds to many of the challenges,” says Michael Shouldice, Senior Recruitment Officer at Athabasca University. Call centre jobs will provide you with firsthand experience in negotiation to help improve your written and verbal communication skills – qualities that are useful in just about any career. “Call centre experience is great for any industry where effective communication aids in success,” says Richard Elmes, who specializes in sales coaching. “It also teaches students to be service-oriented - I don’t know of any industry that would not fall into that category.” Call centre employees often deal with disgruntled callers who want immediate solutions. You’ll learn how to master gauging the customer’s temperament and how to mold conversations appropriately. “Call centre staff would likely also have been trained on how to deal with difficult people and on negotiations,” says Shouldice. “Of course, if they are in a quota driven environment they will also have learned a lot about time management and prioritization.” ‘Soft Skills’ Shine up Your Resume Working at a call centre strengthens what are known as “soft skills”– personal qualities and interpersonal skills that complement technical and knowledge requirements, or “hard skills,” that employers are seeking. When job hunting, new grads are advised to highlight the soft skills, such as time management and resource allocation, problem solving, listening, presentation and analysis, they learned while working in a call centre.   Shouldice, who has worked for and coordinated centres in Toronto and Alberta, says new grads should learn how to master articulating their call-centre experience when job hunting. “It’s not about spinning what you did at the call centre into something you think another employer wants to hear, it’s about really telling them the stories about how you changed people’s days by getting resolution to their problems,” he says. Elmes says you should stress the benefits you learned while working in call centres, by highlighting the skills you picked up which are likely to be highly transferable throughout your career. This information should be highlighted in interviews as well as on your resume, says Elmes. “All the skills that they learn in their call centre role will help them to be effective team members and especially effective leaders,” he says. If you decide that working the phones at a call centre is not the job for you, you may not have far to look for another job; many call centres hire from within for supervisory positions. Shouldice points out that the key to taking advantage of the benefits of call centre employment is by looking at the big picture. “It’s not the number of calls that you took during your time there nor how fast you answered them,” he says. “It is about what you did while taking those calls and the steps you had to go through to reach a resolution.” If you choose to move into another career, however, rest assured that your days of helping to create happy customers at a call centre will serve you well in many fields of employment.

How do you get past the gatekeeper?

How do you get past the gatekeeper?

 This is a question that I get from many Sales Professionals who want to know how to get to see top level executives and are getting stopped by the Receptionist or Executive Assistant.

First thing you need to do is to make sure that you are polite and respect them and their role in their organization. The purpose of having a gatekeeper is to maximize the use of their boss’ time.

In my experience, the gatekeeper is usually very well informed about what is going on in the organization and may even control their boss’ schedule.

So, how do you get past the gatekeeper? You don’t.

Instead you need to sell to the gatekeeper on why it will be in their boss’ best interest to meet with you.

And by showing them the respect they deserve, you will greatly increase your opportunities.

 

What motivates Sales Reps?

Sales Managers spend countless hours trying to figure out what motivates their Sales Staff.

Recently I answered the following question on LindedIn:

What motivates sales professionals?

If you boil what motivates anyone to take action (not just sales professionals) you get one of two answers.

Avoiding Pain or Gaining Pleasure.

So the key for managers is to identify what is painful or pleasurable for each individual.

This will depend on a number of factors such as their personality style, age (or position in life), cultural background and personal goals.

This is a lot of figure out, but luckily there is a short cut.

The short cut is having a conversation with your employee and simply asking them a couple questions.

“What does success look like for you?” and “Describe for me what your perfect day would look like?”

Their answers to these questions will tell you a lot about what motivates them personally.

Armed with this knowledge, a leader can adjust how they work with their employee in order to achieve successful outcomes.

 

The Science of Giving Gifts

 The following tip is from my Guide titled: The 7+ Habits of Highly Effective Husbands.  When you read it think how this psychology may come into play when you are giving gifts to your customers.

The Science of Giving Gifts 

Giving your wife a gift is a great way to show your love, but if you are not careful it can blow up in your face.

Like the time when we were dating I gave my wife April a beautiful red lace rose, not knowing that when you took the plastic off, the head of the rose was really a little pair (and I mean little) of skimpy underwear.

That wouldn’t have been so bad, except that I gave it to her at her birthday party… at my parents’ house.

And that summer when she started talking to me again… (her birthday is in December), she suggested that I needed help.

 

And that is when I decided to study and learn the science behind effective gift giving.

A science that has been a mystery to husbands (and sales reps) for years… until now!

 

What I discovered were thes 4 elements of effective gift giving that I call the T.I.M.S. factor.

 

The 1st element it Timing:

A gift that is a surprise is more powerful that one she expects.

You still need to give her a gift on special occassions, like Christmas, her Birthday or your Anniversary, but you may find that she will be just as delighted if you bring her flowers after work on Friday.

But, don’t do it every Friday… because then she’ll expect it which will not only make it less powerful, but if you forget one week she will be disappointed. This is certainly not the emotion you want to generate.

 

The 2nd element is your Investment:

And by investment, I don’t just mean the money you spend but also the time and effort you take in thinking about, finding and picking out just the right gift for her.

The more time and effort you invest, the more powerful the gift will be.

Trust me, women know which gifts are bought on December 24th.

 

The 3rd element is your Motive:

My research shows that there are 4 different types of gifts.

The “Just because I love you (or was thinking about you)” gift, which is the most powerful.

The “Thank you” gift, which is the next most powerful.

The “Negotiation” gift, which is less powerful, because if you receive something in return it is not really a gift.

And the “Please don’t make me sleep on the couch again tonight, honey” or the “suck-up” gift, which is abviously the least powerful.

 

The 4th element of the T.I.M.S. model of effective gift giving is the Sensation that she feels when she gets your gift.

If your gift leaves her happy… you’re golden.

If you have to go out and buy her a “Please don’t make me sleep on the couch again tonight, honey” gift to make up for your original one… not so much.

So remember the Science of Gift Giving and think T.I.M.S. before buying her a gift.

 

 

How to become more effective at Networking Events - Part 11

Play the Host

One of the ways to circulate around the room and overcome personal shyness is taking on the role of the host.

• Introduce other that you know or just met and they will both appreciate it.
• Always be thinking of what connections you can make.
• Always be the first to offer your hand.
• Seek out and include others (Especially the shy “corner people”).
• Treat everyone with respect, especially if they don’t appear to be a prospect because you never know who is in their personal network that may need what you have to offer.
• Sit at a table where you don’t know anyone and them play the host in discovering who everyone is and introducing them to everyone else at the table.

By playing the host you are serving others and that is a very attractive trait in a potential business partner.

How to become more effective at Networking Events - Part 10

Have a system

During the networking event you may be handling a lot of business cards. In order to appear more professional it helps to have a system.

Here is the simple system that I use:

• I put my business cards in my left pocket (this allows my right hand to be free to shake hands)
• Business cards that I receive go into my right pocket

By having this system I avoid fumbling through other prospect’s cards in order to get to my own.

How to become more effective at Networking Events - Part 9

Develop your Audio Business Card

When someone asks you the question, “What do you do?”, this is the time to give them your Audio Business Card.

What’s an Audio Business Card?

An Audio Business Card is your 30-second defining introduction. The purpose of this introduction is to get your prospects attention, make them smile and engage in a conversation with you and encourage them to ask the question, “How do you do that?”

Here is one formula that I have found to be quite effective.

Hi, I’m (your name) from (your organizations name), we specialize in helping (your target market), (state one of the major benefits that your product or service provides), so that (the results after using your product or service).

Here is an example:

Hi, I’m Richard Elmes, The Sales Dating Guy, I specialize in helping sales organizations become sexier to their ideal customers, so they can build better relationships and drive sales.

When the prospect asks, “How do you do that?” you can give a brief summary of the services you provide and then turn the conversation back to them by asking them a question about what they do.

Now why would you want to turn the conversation away from you and on to them?

By turning the focus onto what they do, you will not only be able to determine if you can help this individual or not, but it also prevents you from appearing self-centred, by monopolizing the conversation.

 If the prospect wants to talk further, exchange contact information and set up a meeting in the near future to discuss it. Then excuse yourself and look for someone else to connect with. This will leave them wanting more and it will allow both of you to maximize your valuable networking time.

Build attraction by listening aggressively

Have you ever gone on a date or met somone who monopolized the conversation and you would get a word in? If this has happened to you then you know how frustrating this can be.

“We have 2 ears and 1 mouth and we should use them in that proportion.”  - Patricia Heather (my mother-in-law)

Now have you met someone who allowed you to do most of the talking, but they also hung on every word you said and even asked questions to find out more? You probably felt a powerful connection and walked away believing that you just had a fantastic conversation.

You felt that way because when someone listens to us we feel validated. It improves our self-esteem and we feel a connection to the person who helped us feel this way. Not only is listening to your customers a great way to build rapport, but a fantastic way to gather the information that you will need to provide a solution to their challenges.

“You can’t learn anything about your customer’s needs if you do all the talking.” -Richard Elmes 

Customers  will provide the information that you need if you show that you are genuinely interested in learning how you can help them best. Listening aggressively is not only hearing their words, but searching for the meaning behind the words, but listening to their voice inflection, body language and also what they are not saying.

In short, listening leads to understanding and understanding leads to an opportunity to solve your customers problems, and they will definately find that attractive.