Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

The JF Guest Author Spot

“The Power of a Symbol” by Kevin Eikenberry

We all have symbols in our lives. As nations our flags and landmarks are two examples; as organizations logos or specific stories or situations may be symbols; and as individuals perhaps a picture, award or collectable fits this description. These symbols can remind us of our beliefs, of our loyalties, of our accomplishments and much more. Whether physical like a flag, symbolic like a story, or memory-anchored like a picture these can serve us in powerful ways.

None of this is new or revolutionary to you.

What may be revolutionary to you though is how we can use these symbols to our advantage as individuals and leaders.

Let me start with some examples.

The Rock. The picture at the top of this article is of a rock I received recently. The Rainmakers organization in Indianapolis recently began a tradition at their events where the leader brings a rock, and writes on it “Be More, Serve More” (a part of their mission and purpose). Then during the meeting all participants sign the rock. At some point in the meeting that rock is presented to someone in the group who has made a difference, lived the Rainmaker’s ideals or is in some other way deserving of the recognition. Started as a way to reward and recognize without breaking their budget, it now is a powerful part of the organization’s culture. It also is a highly valued award, meaningful in many ways to each recipient.

The Bands. In anticipation of my new book Remarkable Leadership we had green rubber wristbands (ala the Lance Armstrong Livestrong bands) made that say “I am Remarkable!” We purchased these and gave them to people because we believe in the message that people are remarkable and that they need to be reminded. I can tell you that, having worn one of these bands daily for nearly two months so far, it is a powerful reminder. While it isn’t a conscious reminder each time I look at it, I consciously notice multiple times a day and it reminds of that fact for myself and, perhaps for the point of this article, it reminds me in a tangible way of our mission at the Kevin Eikenberry Group - to help people reach their remarkable goals.

The Red Herring. Have you ever been to a meeting where the group got off topic? (Sorry for asking a silly question.) I had a client once who called those side topics red herrings - things that weren’t the real issue at hand. That phrase caught on within the team and soon someone showed up with a plastic red fish at a meeting - and dubbed it the red herring! The team decided to use the fish as a reminder of red herring topics - anyone could playfully toss the fish in the direction of someone if they thought a conversation was off topic. This gentle reminder has helped this team run more effective meetings for a long time - in large part because of a symbol.

The Stone. I carry a small stone in my pocket everyday to remind me of the importance and value my wife and family play in my life. Do I “know” that I love and value them? Of course I do. But this stone, this symbol, grounds me on a regular basis. I find myself holding the stone often when making a decision or thinking things through. This touchstone to the most important things in my life helps me make better decisions and think more clearly. It isn’t the stone itself that is helping; it is the meaning and message it signifies to me that makes all the difference.

We can draw much from these examples. First, notice how symbols can serve as a recognition or a reminder or both. As an individual if there is something that you want to be reminded of a symbol can be a powerful way to remind yourself. The symbol need not be elaborate or fancy (notice the stone example above), as long as the meaning and message attached to it is valuable.

The same is true in organizations - the physical representation doesn’t have to be glossy, shiny or valuable - a rubber fish or a retaining pond rock is certainly none of these. Again, the power comes from the meaning and message.

Does this mean that we no longer need to buy watches, plaques or awards? Not necessarily, but remember that the $100 or $500 plaque may mean nothing (or even be counterproductive to the intended goal). Have you ever or do you know anyone who received a plaque or recognition that didn’t value it for some reason? If so, the disconnect comes from a lack of meaning and/or sincerity and has little or nothing to do with the physical manifestation.

Symbols are powerful and can aid us personally and organizationally as we attempt to improve or move toward valuable goals. Use them wisely and sincerely and this underutilized tool could become instrumental in your future success.

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group, a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. You can learn more about him and a special offer on his newest book, Remarkable Leadership: Unleashing Your Leadership Potential One Skill at http://www.RemarkableLeadershipBook.com/bonuses.asp

NB: “The Power Of A Symbol” was voted top article of the month for September, over at Top 10 Sales Articles and now goes forward into the Top Sales Article Of The Year final in December - well done good buddy and good luck!

Today’s News: I can confirm that the brand new Top Sales Experts e-book will be available at the end of this week, packed with previously unpublished work by this very special group of sales gurus: You will be able to download it for free here

Tomorrow: As you will know, Wednesday is usually the JF Book Review day, but I am travelling on business until the end of the month and as a consequence, time is at a premium. I will however compensate you with a very interesting and highly readable post - “Closing With Ease”

The JF Guest Author Spot 

It’s been said, “That no one has enough time yet, everyone has all that there is.” Simple concept - except when you’re living your life in the multi-tasking lane.

For most of you - your reality is too much work, information overload, struggling to balance your family and your work, and not enough time to get everything done.

Well, I struggle with the same things you do. While I don’t have all the answers - I do have a couple of ideas that you may find helpful.

Here are four simple ways you can take control of your time and your life:

1. Handling paperwork.
The one thing about paperwork is that it’s endless. All the prognosticators who long ago said that the advent of computers would eventually eliminate paper were totally wrong - at least when I look at my desk. The junk mail you receive is never ending. Add to that correspondence from your company, from your manager, from your customers, personal bills, and everything else under the sun adds up, if you’re not very careful, it adds up to one very big distraction.

The control center for most professional salespeople is the home office desk. A desk filled with clutter creates efficiencies that only worsen with more clutter. Here’s a suggestion for dealing with paperwork that I personally use and have found to be very effective.

It’s called the four D’s:

1. Do something with it. If you can’t do something with it right now - you shouldn’t be touching the paperwork at all. One of the keys to efficient office management is to touch paperwork only once if at all possible. The best way to do this is to schedule time for the sole purpose of dealing with your paperwork.

2. Delegate it to someone else. Delegation isn’t easy especially when you know you can perform the task better than someone else. The fact that you can perform the task better than another person is no reason for you to perform the task. First - consider the value of your time. Next - consider the priorities that take precedence over this particular task. Never, never, never do anything that you can get someone else to do for you. Simply stated that’s the art of delegation!

3. Defer doing something until you have more time to deal with it. Okay, you have set aside a chunk of time to do your paperwork. One of the items in your stack of paper requires research and follow-up and you estimate that you’ll need 45 minutes to get the job done. Defer doing anything until you can block out 45 minutes on your calendar. Just keep moving through your paperwork.

4. Dump it! That’s right dump it - get rid of it. My guess is that 20 - 40 percent of everything that crosses your desk can be trashed immediately and without regret. If the worst thing does happen, that you need something you have previously tossed away, worry not, because someone else in your organization will have a copy for you.

All that paperwork that’s on your desk doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You realize of course that stack of paperwork isn’t capable of managing itself. Rely on the four D’s to maintain control of your desk. Properly managed your desk will become an asset for you instead of a major liability.

Unfortunately, when it comes to paperwork, you’re either in control or out of control. It’s your choice.

2. Don’t Stash It - Trash It
Are you surrounded by stuff? Of course you are - if you’re like most salespeople. The tendency, when it comes to stuff, is to wait and procrastinate putting this thing we call “cleaning up” off to a later and more convenient time.

Your mind is probably riddled with these and similar thoughts.
“Not now.”
“I’ll set it aside and take care of it later - when I have more time.”
“I’ll rack it up by stacking it up in a neat pile.”

How would you like to immediately feel good and look good? You’re thinking, who wouldn’t want to pull a switch to feel good and look good. It’s really quite easy and only requires a touch of discipline.

Actually, it’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. The only thing you need is a large trash can liner and some “reckless abandon.” Here are the easy steps:

1. Trash your office. You will really enjoy doing this - trust me. With your trash can liner in hand begin with your desk. Without re-stacking anything toss away everything that isn’t absolutely essential to your selling success. Begin at one end of your desk and work your way through to the other end of your desk tossing away everything that’s unnecessary to keep. This includes magazines you haven’t read, files that you haven’t used, projects that you haven’t done, papers that you haven’t filed, and notes that you haven’t read. The first time you do this can be painful. But remember, if there’s no pain there’s no gain.

2. Trash your briefcase. Take a couple of pages from your daily newspaper and lay them on the floor. Empty the contents of your briefcase onto the newspaper that’s now on the floor. Isn’t it amazing, what you have accumulated and stashed away in your briefcase? You know the drill - toss away everything that’s not essential to your selling success. Everything else goes back into your now very clean and organized briefcase.

3. Trash your car. The two times your car is the cleanest is the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Depending on what you sell your car may literally become your second office. Your office on wheels can take on the untidiness of your home office if you neglect it.

Start with the trunk - what a mess that can be, and toss away everything that isn’t absolutely essential to your selling success. Proceed to your car’s interior so you can clean up and toss away everything between and under the seats. Now that you’ve trashed all the unnecessary stuff - you may as well get the car washed, and even detailed if necessary.

Ask this question often. Should I stash it or trash it? What do you think?

3. The key to finishing is starting.
Recently I did a postcard mailing to promote my No-Brainer Selling Skills Boot Camp. One side of the postcard had a photograph of a salesperson, dressed in a suit, running, with both arms extended high over his head, one with a briefcase, as he dashed across a red ribbon finish line.

It was a great picture capturing a successful moment. It reminded me, and I don’t know why, that you’ll never cross the finish line until you cross the starting line.

How many things are you thinking about doing that aren’t getting done?
How many priorities do you have perched on the back burner in your territory?
How many things could you start doing today that would provide you with an immediate payback ($$$)?
If finished is better than perfect then starting is better than procrastination.
Before you cross the finish line you have to cross the starting line.

(Begin, dart, spring, jump, effect, enable, rouse, proceed, or breakthrough.) What are you waiting for?

4. Maintain your focus.
Seven years ago I did a sales training program in Colorado. The meeting was held about two hours north of Denver, in a lodge situated in Roosevelt National Park. My client was, Low Alpine, a manufacturer of outdoor gear. Specifically, they made the stuff that Mt. Everest climbers use to trek up that mountain.

My two-hour presentation was scheduled right after lunch. The speaker, who preceded me before lunch, had an extremely interesting topic. He had a slide presentation showing his various attempts at climbing the incredible MT. Everest. As you might imagine it was a powerful and extremely insightful presentation about the art and dangers of mountain climbing.

There were 25 salespeople at this meeting. Their climbing gear was sold to retailers. So they knew all about the climbing business. They also knew, by reputation, many of the names the speaker referred to.

Throughout his presentation everyone was glued to his seat with anticipation. He mixed his stories with slides, which was extremely effective.

Just before he ended his presentation he asked the group a question. He remarked, “There’s a time when you’re climbing, when you can almost feel depressed. You just feel low and down. Do you know when that is?”

My imagination started to run wild especially since the highest I ever climbed wasn’t even climbing, it was an elevator ride to the top of the Empire State building. I thought surely the salespeople in the audience would know the answer to his question. They responded with things that I imagined; when you first begin the climb, when you only have 100 yards left, when you reach the top, and when you begin your descent. The speaker’s body language and facial expression gave it all away - no one was even close.

I was surprised by the answer - maybe you will be too. He said, “Climbers get down when bad weather sets in.” He went on to explain that when bad weather sets in you can’t see the peak - you lose sight of your goal and become easily distracted.

You might be wondering, what if anything does this have to do with time management? I see a very clear correlation. You see, like a mountain climber who can’t see the peak, salespeople and entrepreneurs without clearly defined goals (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) are more susceptible to daily interruptions and distractions, and more likely to waste your precious time resource.

You don’t have to climb Mount Everest to appreciate how important keeping your eyes focused on your goals is to achieving your ultimate success in sales.

Well, that’s a wrap - four simple ideas on how you can take more control of your time and your life.
Let’s go sell something . . .
  
 Jim Meisenheimer has worked with 496 corporate clients. Last year 83.3% of his sales training business was repeat business. Jim Meisenheimer, Inc. has achieved 18 consecutive years of increased sales and profitability. Author of seven books, Certified Professional Speaker (CPS), you can learn more about Jim and his Knock Out Selling Skills program at www.meisenheimer.com .
 
 
Today’s News: The brand new Volume 2 of the Top Sales Experts e-book will be ready for launch next week and having just had a quick look at both the content and the new design, I know that you will enjoy it very much.

Tomorrow: ”The Creation Of An Objection” - ever wondered where an objection starts from? I will reveal all.

The sales results you create are based on your performance. Performance has many components for example, our activities and abilities are typically where many organisations focus on. Yet beneath the surface our beliefs about ourselves, our customers, our job, can either help or hinder our performance.

You may have heard the expression, “Whatever you believe you can do, you will and whatever you believe you can’t do, you won’t.” It is as if our beliefs (which are unique to us all) become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our beliefs can act as huge barriers that stop us giving 100 percent to something.

Three stories that illustrate the impact of beliefs:

• On May 6th 1954, Roger Bannister was the first man ever to run a mile in less than four minutes. Before this, everyone had believed that it was impossible: Yet, in the same year, nineteen other athletes also ran a mile in less than four minutes….why? Because Roger Bannister had created the belief that it could be done and it was. Today, thousands of athletes worldwide run a mile in less than four minutes.

• Charlie Harris was a hobo (tramp/homeless person) in Chicago and was looking for a place to sleep on a very wintry and cold night. He discovered a trailer yard and broke into one of the trailers. As he closed the door of the trailer, it jammed and he could not open the door. After lighting a match, with horror he realized that he was stuck in a refrigeration trailer and would probably die from cold. He did die that night and the coroner found that he died from hypothermia. Yet, the trailer he died in was in for repair and not working. Charlie Harris’s belief that it was refrigerated killed him. (Story taken from Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins).

• The bumblebee has baffled scientists for years because aerodynamically it should not be able to fly. Yet, it believes that it can and it does!

The biggest obstacle to making a sale is believing that we will not - put quite simply:

“If you think you can you will, if you think you can’t you won’t”

Today’s News: There are still one or two places left for David Bain’s excellent internet marketing seminar in London - for more information, just click on the Purple Internet Marketing banner in the left-hand column.

Tomorrow: On the JF Guest Author Spot, Wally Adamchik makes a welcome return - “The Real Truth About ROI”

Motivation is a dynamic state that results in the desire, directional intensity and persistence of behaviour to achieve a long or short- term goal. Without motivation our sales performance, and consequently our results can be severely impaired. When we are feeling motivated, we light up our performance like a Christmas Tree, and equally when we feel de-motivated, everything seems to be much harder work.

As sales people, if we continually look to find motivation from outside of ourselves, then we are placing ourselves in a risky situation because it may not always be possible to have a drip-feed of motivation feeding us when we need it most. That’s why, the more we can understand about what motivates us personally, the more it helps us to tap into our internal motivational power.

We are all unique individuals and are motivated by what is important to us personally. The factors that are important to us can be described as our values and are the fuel that drives our behaviour. Our values are unique to us and we each have a different set of values based on different aspects of our lives. For example:

 - Career 
 - Relationships 
 - Finances 
 - Health and Fitness 
 - Family and Home 
 - Social Life 
 - Personal Development 
 - Spirituality

If we can discover our values in the context of our career in sales, we are consciously able to identify what is important to us and can therefore begin to notice ways to leverage our own motivation.
If we are doing a job that satisfies our most important values then we will feel highly motivated and energised. Sometimes when we feel de-motivated, it’s because we are not consciously aware that certain aspects of our job role are aligned to our career values.

The process to leverage our own motivation is:

1. Discover what is important to us in our career (these are our career values)
2. Prioritise our career values in their order of importance to us
3. Develop reasons why our current job role can satisfy each of our career values

Today’s News: If you want to hear what a highly motivated woman sounds like, you can catch my business partner, Nikki Owen in conversation with Clayton Shold of Salesopedia here.

Tomorrow: “No Pain, No Sale” an insighful look at what gets prospects to say “Yes, I will buy”"

The JF Book Review 

“PeopleSavvy For Sales Professionals” by Gregory Stebbins

At any one time, I typically have about twelve books on my study desk awaiting my attention: They either are “must reads” or are works I want to review, but unfortunately, reading time has been at a premium recently because of Sales Leadership Zone™.

However, I managed to find a small window because there was one book that was definitely on my “must read” list that I really wanted to get into and I am pleased I did.

Greg Stebbins is a name that I was familiar with and I always keep an eye out for his articles simply because they are informative, refreshing and concise; so when I discovered his book, I knew that it would be well written and I would learn a lot. That proved to be the case but it was even better than I had anticipated – much, much better

Greg is a rare breed of sales professional because he is also an academic - he earned an Ed. D. (Doctorate in Education degree) from Pepperdine University’s School of Education and Psychology over twenty years ago – and he has applied this hunger for knowledge to create a number of tried and tested resources for dramatically improving sales results.

His first selling “experience” came at the age of just six:

“When I was six years old, my parents enrolled me in a summer day camp. The camp was situated on over 20 acres of land and had only two water fountains. I asked my mother to buy me a small plastic canteen so that I could carry water around with me, because it seemed no matter where I was on the property, the walks to the water fountain were always long.

The first day, I had the canteen at camp the bigger kids started pestering me for water. I told them “Sure, a nickel a swallow”. They paid me the nickel and of course proceeded to drain the canteen and hand it back to me with a big smile. No worries, I would just fill the canteen up again and wait for the next customer.

The second day, I discovered “market positioning.” I figured if I stood halfway between the baseball field and the water fountain I would get lots of takers. I did and they paid me.

The third day, the camp counsellor confiscated my canteen. When my mother picked me up at the end of the day, the counsellor gave her the canteen and told her, “He cannot bring this canteen back with him. What he’s doing is bad and wrong”.

This seemingly innocuous event had a profound effect on young Stebbins, as he admits:

“As I grew, I got involved in more and more sales activities, ranging from going door-to-door selling tickets for Boy Scout fund-raisers, selling vitamins while in college, and entering into my first professional sales experience just before graduating from college.

With every successful sale, I felt great…and bad. I knew why I felt great. But why would I feel bad?”

It took him thirty years to uncover the full impact of his summer camp experience but once he had identified the real cause of his angst, he began what he calls “my quest” to not only better understand selling behaviour but also buying behaviour; This is because as he correctly identified, virtually every sales book ever written, is based on the experience of a salesperson and provides, as he suggests, a “one-dimensional” perspective. He says:

“I also discovered that in the last 40 years there has been much more written on how people buy and the process (es) they use. There has also been a wealth of information published that looks at things like trust, persuasion, influence, behaviour in sales situations, motivation, building customer relationships, etc. Yet most of this information was written for scholars and uses heavy, academic language. It wasn’t ever intended for or made really accessible to sales professionals. More importantly, much of this information, while academically validated, hasn’t been field-tested by real-world people who make a living by selling every day. You and I both know that there is a long distance between theory and practice”.

Greg has invested an enormous amount of time – years in fact – investigating and experimenting, to design proven systems that really do work and it took courage and perseverance:

“Some of what I developed I had to abandon because I couldn’t figure out how to teach others how to produce the same results I had accomplished. Probably the comment I heard most was that my new resources were simple, but not easy. They did take work to master. (Well, of course they did. If they were obvious, everyone would have discovered them and would have been using them! That’s what makes the difference between salespeople and sales professionals.)”

The end result? In his own words:

“So, it is with a voice of encouragement that I tell you that what you will take away from this book is not only assembled from the most current understanding of interpersonal psychology, but has also been tested where it counts the most – on the street. These are solid resources that work. The concepts are simple; the application takes work. However, I guarantee you, they work. My goal in sharing them with you is to help you, the sales professional, become more successful, more effective – in a word, more Peoplesavvy”.

If you only buy just one book on the art of selling professionally this year, make it this one. I cannot recommend it highly enough and I feel privileged that Greg and I have discovered each other and communicate often.

 Sales Psychology Expert Gregory Stebbins has helped over 20,000 sales professionals become the point of differentiation while their competitors struggle with how to differentiate their product and service. In his book PeopleSavvy for Sales Professionals, he unveils for the first time his simple but groundbreaking plan to win your customers’ trust and business forever. Get your free sneak preview at 
http://www.peoplesavvy.com/

Today’s News: My good buddies Clayton Shold and Wendy Weiss are in conversation over at Salesopedia and I urge you to tune in to hear pearls of wisdom from “The Queen Of Cold Calling” - her majesty is in fine form!

Tomorrow: I reveal the secrets of self-motivation!

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cheshire Cat

“I don’t much care where” said Alice

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat

“– So long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat “If you only walk long enough.”

Lewis Carroll
(Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland)

Sound familiar? Well it doesn’t have to be like that: Every successful person you know has a game plan and maybe you should think about having one too! Here is how I plan:

Always begin with long-term goals and work backwards. Your long-term goals are probably the most difficult to set anyway, so if you set those first, you accomplish the tough stuff right up-front.

Long-term goals should be five-year projections and three areas you may want to consider when you set them are personal accomplishments, status symbols and net worth.

Medium-term goals are usually three year projections and the same criteria can be used - but again think productivity not production and consider the activity that will be necessary to achieve success.

Short-term goals will demand most of your attention and these are usually a twelve-month projection although you can set ‘immediate goals’ which have a 90-day projection.

You must believe you can achieve all of your goals - otherwise you will not achieve them.

Setting a Well Balanced Diet of Goals:

It is essential to set personal as well as career goals to keep your life well balanced. If all your goals are connected to your commercial life, you will have trouble taking time out for family and friends because you will always be pushing towards the next career goal.

Remember:

Work smarter not harder. Setting personal goals gives you a life after business.

Put Your Goals in Writing:

Once you have formulated your goals it is time to make your final commitment to them by putting them down in writing. This is undoubtedly the single most important step in goal setting because until they are inscribed somewhere they are merely wishes and dreams.

After you have written them down, your mind will start seeking out whatever it will take to make them a reality.

Remember:
The moment you start moving forward towards a goal, is the moment you start to succeed.

Today’s News: I think it would be interesting to share with you my current reading and so from next week, Wednesday shall become known as “The JF Book Review Day“ There are just so many good sales/business related books around at the moment, but finding the time to locate them, let alone read them, is a challenge - but by committing to share what’s new and what’s good with you, I will force myself to allocate more reading time, so we both win :-) PS: I am reading an absolute belter at the moment, but you will have to wait until next Wednesday to find out! 

Tomorrow: Occupying the “JF Guest Author Spot” is a new friend and a networking guru, Michael J Hughes.

Rapport is the most important process in influencing others. It is vital if you want to maintain relationships. Without it, you are unlikely to achieve willing agreement to what you want. People who have excellent rapport with others create harmonious relationships based on trust and understanding of mutual needs.

Rapport is the cornerstone of all mutually effective relationships. It needs constant vigilance to keep it alive and effective.

Why Is It So Important?

Rapport is similar to money – when you are short of it, it increases in importance. Without rapport you will reduce your chances of getting:
• Unconditional agreement to your ideas and suggestions
• Full commitment from others
• Business, promotion, friends

The way in which you interact with others has a major bearing on your success as an influencer.

Being in rapport means that you are in agreement with others both verbally and non-verbally.

Ten Good Reasons To Build Rapport

• To really win friends and influence people
• To connect rapidly with a wide range of people
• To communicate magically
• To build solid, lasting relationships
• To create incredible results
• To help others improve performance and increase success
• To handle conflict
• To get promotion
• To talk your way in to things
• To talk your way out of things

A Recipe For Successful Influence

Ingredients:

Trust
Openness
Comfort
Acceptance
Empathy
Flexibility
Something in common
Shared understanding

Method:

Mix together as required. Notice changes and be prepared to maintain a flexible approach throughout. Keep communication flowing on all levels.

Self-Disclosure

Telling others how you feel and what you think and believe, as well as telling them about your background, is a kind currency. Give out information and usually you will receive a lot back in return.

People swarm, flock and group together by type, background, interests, beliefs, gender, work and so on. And one of the most efficient ways to get close to one another is through self-disclosure.

As we begin to experience a powerful common bond, so too does rapport begin. Mutual interests, ideas, values and beliefs are the wrap and weft of social interaction.

Most people like people who are like themselves!

Biographic Matching

It is rare for two human beings to be together very long before seeking to discover similarities about themselves. This biographic matching can be social or economic, achieved through outlook, education or background – common experiences of the world.

When you match, you reduce resistance by playing down differences while building on similarities.

Pacing

Once you are matching one another, you can continue to maintain the rhythm you have created by agreeing with one another, seeing from the same point of view. Pacing is a conscious continuation of matching.

When talking, you can pace:
• Words that are used
• Tone of voice
• Language patterns
• Volume
• Body language used

Don’t overdo it – you may be accused of mimicry. Be elegant – your skills should remain unnoticed.

Leading

One of the goals of matching and pacing others is to be able effortlessly to lead them in another direction. Once you are deeply in sync. With the other people, a change of pace from you will usually result in a similar change in others.

Matching and pacing help you share someone else’s experience and you will begin to know intuitively when it is appropriate to make suggestions, to influence, to lead.

Mismatching

You can also influence behaviour in others by mismatching. It is useful to mismatch when:
• You want a meeting to come to an end – clear up papers, put a pen away
• You want to conclude a telephone conversation – minimise responses and noises off
• You need time to think before acting – use the bathroom, make a telephone call, add up figures on your calculator
• What you are doing isn’t working – go for a walk, listen to some music, make a phone call
• Matching is affecting your mood negatively – break off the conversation, change the subject

Networking

Have you noticed how some people seem to be universally likes, trusted and respected? Chances are that they’re also good at networking – developing a wide network of friends, colleagues, allies and useful contacts.

Networking offers you a structured way of making certain that your ideas are effectively exchanged with others.

And Finally: Networking In Action

How can you get to know your team, other managers and clients better? Are there management associations you could join, luncheon clubs, your local Chamber of Commerce?

Organise team events outside working hours. Be seen at functions, offer to assist whenever you can.

Make yourself known – don’t stand on the edge looking in. Be part of the action.

The JF Guest Author Spot

“Time Management; Are Your People Assertive Enough?” by Kevin Dwyer

Most time management programmes miss a critical element. The element is our own degree of assertiveness.

Time management programmes usually encompass the following elements:

- Goal setting
- “To do” list
- Prioritisation of the activities on the “to do” list

Many people use time management programmes to great effect. Many people successfully self teach managing their time using the same tools and principles taught in time management programmes.

A good, if not the best, example of a time management programme is Stephen Covey’s programme described in his very successful book, “First Things First”.

Covey describes four generations of time management:

1. First generation: - Reminders and to-do lists. We regularly create lists to remind us of what is in front of us. We regularly fail to complete the list, generating a new one. We may fall into the trap of getting more joy out of creating the list than completing the tasks on the list.

2. Second Generation: - Scheduling future events. We identify deadlines to get things done; scheduling our time to complete the tasks we have on our to-do list. We fall into the trap of overestimating our productivity and allow external forces to interrupt our schedule.

3. Third generation: - Setting long term, medium term and short term objectives to reach an ultimate goal. We manage our time to deliver the objectives we have set to reach our ultimate goal. We can set aside tasks which do not contribute to the objectives we have set.

4. Fourth generation: - Committing to the important. We set objectives to reach our goal and divide the tasks we have in front of us into a matrix of urgency and importance. We evaluate our tasks against our goal and objectives using the matrix, with the obvious conclusion that the non-urgent and unimportant are not done at all.

It is a great tool that has helped a large number of people manage their time better. And yet, many people, possibly the majority of people, fail to get full benefit from tools like it.

My observation is that people who fail to manage their time given appropriate tools lack an appropriate level of assertiveness.

If a low level of assertiveness is combined with low emotional energy and low levels of detail, then they are bound to have difficulty managing time in any work environment.

They find it too difficult to pay attention to the details required to evaluate their tasks and prioritise them. They find the requirement to proactively prioritise tasks and assertively stick to a resultant schedule emotionally draining, giving in to other’s requests, when they know it will disrupt their schedule.

If the low level of assertiveness is combined with a high level of tolerance and a high level of consideration of others, their ability to manage their time will almost certainly be impacted upon by the actions of their subordinates, peers, customers, suppliers and bosses with higher degrees of assertiveness.

They will be unable to effectively say no to requests. They will be unable, when confronted with requests to use techniques such as:

- Time shifting - “I can’t help you right now, but I would be happy to at 4:00 pm tomorrow. Does that suit you?”

- Responsibility allocating - “I can help you with thinking through the problem, but completing the research, analysing the options and making the decision is your responsibility”. Or “I will not do what you have asked, it is your responsibility”.

- Goal clarification - “What you have requested is a good idea in itself, but I cannot see how it fits with the organisation’s goal or my goal. I’m happy to be convinced, but at the moment I do not see the connection”.

- Lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on my part - “I would love to help and I will, but only after I have completed the requests made by people who were on time. I will not penalise them for your being late.”
Most time management techniques add less to their productivity than can be possible If people are not assertive.

However, people can be taught to be assertive.

Making people aware of their level of assertiveness though an evaluation tool such as an EQ profile is a first step. Getting people to seek feedback on their assertiveness and its impact on their relationships and productivity provides further insight.

Self awareness is a powerful tool on its own.

Teaching people how to catch themselves in the act of being non-assertive is another great self awareness tool. Being aware whilst in the act allows one to draw breath and change before the interaction is completed.

A little self evaluation of times when they are not assertive reveals words, emotions or physical attributes which are common across many different interactions. Training people to recognise the triggers and training them to stop when they recognise the triggers is not difficult.

Role plays can be easily built to practice some techniques.

For example, training people to recognise a trigger and then stopping, by saying something like, “Would you mind if we had a time-out? I just need to think for a moment”, will be seen by most as not difficult to do.

Resuming the conversation, being calm and assertive about what they can and cannot do is also easy to add into some realistic scenarios in a role play.

Teaching people to emphasise what they can rather than they will not do and being clear about both is also relatively easy. It only takes a couple of weeks of using an approach such as this to develop new assertive habits.

Using role plays in a face-to-face training programme backed up by working through them with a mentor on a weekly basis builds confidence.

Providing additional reading such as Adele Lynn’s book, “The EQ Difference” will help expand people’s skill sets as they become comfortable with the ones they have practised in the role plays.

There are many tools available to help people manage time. However, without assertiveness, most people will fail to use the tools appropriately. So when you are next thinking of running a time management course, do not forget assertiveness training.

Kevin Dwyer is the founder of Change Factory. Change Factory helps organisations who do do not like their business outcomes to get better outcomes by changing people’s behaviour. Businesses we help have greater clarity of purpose and ability to achieve their desired business outcomes. To learn more or see more articles visit the website above or email kevin.dwyer@changefactory.com.au

Personal note: As well as being a highly valued and key member of The Top Sales Experts Team and a very good friend, Kevin is a genuine thought leader and leadership guru - I particularly enjoy his newsletter “Winds Of Change” which you can subscribe to by visiting his site.

The JF Guest Author Spot

“The Strangest Secret” by John Boe

In 1957, Earl Nightingale, speaker, author and co founder of the Nightingale-Conant Corporation, recorded his classic motivational record “The Strangest Secret.” “The Strangest Secret” sold over one million copies and made history in the recording industry by being honored as the first Gold Record for the spoken word. Nightingale, known as the “dean of personal development,” concluded that life’s “strangest secret” is that we become what we think about all day long.

Your belief system, like your computer, doesn’t judge or even question what you input; it merely accepts your thoughts as the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Think thoughts of defeat or failure and you’re bound to feel discouraged. Continuous thoughts of worry, anxiety and fear are unhealthy and often manifest in the body as stress, panic attacks and depression.

At the core of Earl’s message, he reveals the incredible power of positive self-talk, belief and expectation. What you vividly imagine and hold in your subconscious mind begins to out picture as your reality. Your belief system not only defines your reality, but it also shapes your character and determines your potential.

The Placebo Effect
The ability of the mind to cure a disease even when the medicine is known to be worthless is known as the “placebo effect.” This occurs in medical trials where doctors give patients sugar pills, but tell them they will cure their illness. Often it does, even though the pills contain nothing of medical benefit. The only thing of value in these medical trials is the patient’s own belief that the sugar pills will cure them. It’s the power of the patient’s belief and expectation alone that produces the improvement in his or her health.

I recently read a remarkable story about a group of cancer patients who thought they were being treated with chemotherapy, but were actually given a placebo. Before their treatment began, the patients were informed about the complications associated with undergoing chemotherapy treatment, such as fatigue and loss of hair. Amazingly, based on nothing more than their belief and expectation, nearly one third of the patients who were given the placebo reported feeling fatigued and actually experienced hair loss!

The Power of Affirmation and Positive Self-talk
If you had access to a powerful tool that would enhance our self-esteem and allow you to reach your full potential would you use it?

A good way to create positive self-talk is through affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement that represents your desired condition or outcome. Interesting enough, your subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between a real experience and a vividly imagined “mental” experience.

When he was a struggling young comedian, late at night Jim Carrey would drive into the hills overlooking Hollywood and yell at the top of his lungs “I will earn ten million dollars a year by 1995.” When 1995 finally arrived, Jim was the star of the movie “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls“, for which he was paid twenty million dollars!

World-class athletes understand the value of affirmation and recognize the impact of their mental preparation on their physical performance. They use the power of positive affirmation to reduce anxiety and increase their expectation of achievement. To be of maximum benefit an affirmation must be simple, encouraging and stated in the present tense. By repeating an affirmation over and over again it becomes embedded in the subconscious mind.

To be effective your affirmation must be stated aloud…

1. In a positive manner with the focus on what you want. When you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative about yourself, counteract the negative self-talk with a positive affirmation. Start your affirmation with words like “I am…” or “I already have…”

Example:
“I close sales with little or no resistance.”

“I take good care of my customers and they show their appreciation by referring their friends to me.”

2. In the present tense. Your subconscious mind works in the present tense, so avoid words such as can, will, should or could.

Example:
“I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially.”

3. With strong emotion and conviction.

4. Repeatedly. I suggest you read your affirmations each morning upon awakening and again each night just before falling asleep. Close your eyes and picture the end result.
Feel the emotions associated with the affirmation.

Here are some of my favorite affirmations:

“Every day in every way I’m getting better and better!”

“Everything comes to me easily and effortlessly!”

“I love and appreciate myself just as I am!”

“I love doing my work and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially!”

“I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish all my desires!”

“Infinite riches are now freely flowing into my life!”

“I am relaxed and centered!”

“I feel happy and blissful!”

Do affirmations really work and can they be used to propel a person to achieve greatness? As a young boy growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, 12-year-old Cassius Marcellus Clay dreamed of someday becoming the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. When working out in the gym, Clay would continuously affirm to all within earshot that he was indeed the greatest boxer of all time! While many felt he was brash and boastful, few people actually took this 89-pound youngster seriously. Mohammad Ali used his affirmation to become the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion of the world and arguably one of the most popular and recognized sports figures of all times!

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Choose your words, for they become actions. Understand your actions, for they become habits. Study your habits, for they will become your character. Develop your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
- Anonymous

You show me a salesperson with high self-esteem, a positive attitude and a healthy work ethic and I’ll be able to predict his or her success in advance… I guarantee it.

 John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com

John is also a highly respected member of the Top Sales Experts team and you can read more about him here

 Finally today, my good friend Wendy Weiss, the “Queen Of Cold Calling” is hosting another of her superb teleclasses, on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 at 4pm EST “How to Easily Create a Compelling Opening that Generates Interest, Attention and Sales.” Full details are here: 
 

The JF Guest Author Spot:

“Dare To Dream By Day” by Tom Richard
Cruising along the highway in his white Taurus, our young salesman finds himself deep in thought. Although he is heading to his next sales presentation, he is not thinking of sales at all. His mind is filled with thoughts of his family.

Flipping down the visor above his head, he looks at the picture he taped there almost two years ago. It is a picture of his dream house – a three-bedroom paradise in a wonderful neighborhood for his family. Looking at the worn picture, he imagines the day this house will be theirs. He can see the excitement on his two daughters’ faces and the smile in his wife’s eyes.

Suddenly, the salesman’s daydream is interrupted as he pulls into the parking lot of his next client. He grabs the padfolio from the passenger’s seat, straightens his tie, and practices his smile in the rearview mirror. Completely relaxed from the morning’s drive, he confidently struts into the familiar lobby, signs the guest log and takes a seat.

From down the hall, he sees his competitor leaving the conference room. He looks somewhat beaten and disheveled. “Good luck,” the competitor says with a cocky, sarcastic tone as he passes.
Our young salesman smiles, “Thanks.” His thoughts are already back to the picture taped to the visor in his car. Thinking of his dream home and the opportunities it will bring his family always bring a smile to his face.

Within moments, the receptionist leads our salesman to the conference room. He is uncharacteristically calm as he shakes hands with each of the five suits seated around the large, mahogany table. Wasting no time, he leans forward, beginning his presentation. His excitement level rises as his enthusiasm and confidence drop from every pore of his body.

Our young superstar glides through the material like a well-choreographed figure skater, clearly outlining what doing business with him and his company would be like. On the opposite end of the table, the chief suit leans back in his leather chair, smiling. He is listening intently to every word our salesman uses.

Then, near the end of the performance, our salesman is interrupted with a single word. “Yes,” says the chief suit. Stopping his verbal melody, our salesman smiles and says, “Thank you, you’ve made a good choice.”

How could this salesman possibly win such a large account with so much ease? Was it his flawless performance? Was it his point-by-point presentation?

No. The truth is that our young salesman belongs to an exclusive club. It is a club made up of those who have a definite purpose in life; those who are not afraid to dream by day. Our salesman’s definite purpose is to make money to provide his family with a better life. His dream is so vividly etched in his mind that it lives in every part of his being and is evident in his life. He knows that a dream is not just a secret wish; it is a lifestyle and a purpose.

When you dare to dream by day, you place your dream face-to-face with the everyday opportunities you have to help you achieve it. You realize that dreams are not meant to hide in the safety of an ephemeral sleep. You give yourself the strength and determination to transform dreaming into doing, and to make your dreams live in the unfolding of your life.

Have the strength to believe in your dreams – completely and continually. As your dreams become internalized and mentally digested, your passion, determination and competence will be unmistakable to everyone you encounter. You will find that every word you speak, every step you take, and every hand you shake will sparkle with the magic of confidence. When you dare to dream by day, you will awake to a world of unlimited possibilities.

Tom Richard has been called one of the youngest visionaries and avatars alive today. He has dedicated his life to spreading the joy that comes from discovering your true self and enjoying the rewards of operating at your full potential. With the Bolt from the Blue team, Tom represents the powerful generation of personal development and self-discovery.

Visit Tom at http://www.BoltfromBlue.com to bear witness to a new experience.

Big treat over on Leadership Turn today: One of the best known leadership gurus, Brent Filson is my guest author - enjoy!

Tomorrow: “Your Customers Really Are The Lifeblood Of Your Business“- I examine ways to make sure they do not bleed away.