Inspirational Dissatisfaction

Inspirational dissatisfaction was a phrase used by W. Clement Stone in his best selling book “The Success System that Never Fails.”

In a nutshell inspirational dissatisfaction is an internal dissatisfaction with how things are currently which motivates a person to change and improve things.

W. Clement Stone put forward the thought that every great achievement in the world had sprung from this. Like all sweeping statement it’s probably possible to pick fault with it and find some example of a great achievement that came about without this but that would be to belittle a very powerful concept.

In this article I would like to address sales people in particular and see how the above concept could make them better at what they do for a living.

I would think that most sales people would accept that a year from now their sales calls and meetings will be better and more effective at winning business than they are today.

If you agree with that fact then it has an interesting consequence which is this – it means that your calls and meetings today are not as good as they could be. In fact it means that you should be dissatisfied with how good they are and want to improve – which is inspirational dissatisfaction!

Assuming you want to get better as a sales person then inspirational dissatisfaction should have you analysing your calls and meetings, considering your techniques or scripts (whether written or in your head) and seeking ways to improve them.

Not doing that is like a sports person saying “I only want to be this good, I don’t want to improve.” No world class athlete ever said that!

When you are in sales you are busy. Either prospecting for new business or working hard to satisfy the client’s you already have. You don’t have a lot of time for fancy theories or pointless acronyms dreamed up by trainers. I have found that simple and quick is the way to go and for me “Inspirational Satisfaction” is a phrase that is easy to remember, widely applicable and very powerful to use. I hope you find it the same.

Until next time; be successful!

Stephen

Trainer, Coach, Public Speaker

Photo by Kotanfis with thanks.

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Coming next on edenchanges.com – The Power of Age – a blog on how you can use your age to your advantage in business!

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We would be delighted to discuss your corporate training or coaching needs so call us, or email us, today to discuss:

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Four Tips on Negotiating

Negotiation is a huge topic. To cover the topic comprehensively would take a book not a blog however the tips that follow are powerful in their own right and will give you a good starting point.

It’s a game of two halves – this is really important and so often overlooked. The first half is the psychological side. Negotiation is about discussing and agreeing with another person or persons on the terms of a trade. How strongly you put yourself forward, how confident, prepared and knowledgeable you can make yourself be and seem will influence the outcome massively.

When I train negotiation I spend a lot of time on this half of the process as a weak person will not be successful even with good techniques.

The other half is the techniques. There are specific things that you can do, things that you can say, and preparation that you can make prior to the negotiation call or meeting that will vastly influence your success.

If you did nothing else taking the above point into consideration i.e. getting yourself into a strong, confident mental place and thinking through what you are going to say would vastly help your negotiation.

Think before you pick up that phone or walk into that room!

Know three things – following on from the above you know three specific things when you start negotiating – your ideal outcome, your target outcome and your walk-away point.

The Ideal Outcome is the perfect world, couldn’t be better arrangement where everything is perfectly in your favour – price, delivery times, locations etc. It’s unlikely you will get that but you should know what it would be so you can try!

Your Target Outcome is the outcome that you are actually going for when you start your negotiations. Now it might be that your ideal outcome and target outcome are the same but very often they are not. Often the circumstances of the deal prohibit the ideal situation. Therefore you need to have set your actual target. This is the situation that you then argue strongly and passionately for.

Your Walk-Away Point is the situation that will cause you to leave the negotiation without resolution. That is the deal will fall through because anything less than you predetermined Walk-Away point is commercially unacceptable.

Please be aware of a golden rule – your Target Outcome is NEVER your Walk-Away point – for reasons that I hope are obvious!

There are a lot of further techniques that I could suggest regarding negotiation however a useful point that helps you decide on the above points is the following:

Timescale – first you need to consider your possible outcomes against the short, medium and long term business plan. Getting a great deal now that sours the relationship in the long term is not good negotiation.

So in that instance timescales are important. Also during the negotiation itself timescales can make effective battering tools. If someone wants a reduction in cost perhaps they get their goods at slower pace. Or if the deal is struck today then the terms can be more favourable etc.

I’d like you to leave you with a final technique that crosses over into the psychology of negotiation:

Solutions not arguments - Negotiation is about finding solutions; arguing is about trying to prove the other person wrong. Staying focused on coming up with a solution that works for everyone is a very powerful mindset when negotiating. It can help avoid things getting too heated and can enable you to present contentious ideas in the framework of presenting options and seeking a solution.

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As I said at the beginning Negotiation is a big topic. The ideas presented above are effective and have been used successfully by thousands of business people.

For further information on negotiation contact Edenchanges. We offer a very popular one day negotiation course which is suitable for any organisation looking to sharpen up its people’s negotiation skills. For further information contact us via the details below.

Until next time; be successful!

Stephen Hart

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Four Tips for Selling with Confidence

There are a number of factors that go into making a person successful at selling. One of the universal ones is having a certain level of confidence.

Quite simply the more confidence you have the more you will sell. Interestingly it is possible to have too much confidence and lose sales that way but let’s keep things simply for now and concentrate on boosting our confidence and thus our sales.

I outline some tips that are taken from the Edenchanges sales and recruitment training courses.

Believe in your product – this is one of the basic building blocks of sales confidence. Presenting a sales pitch on a product you are uncertain about is a painful experience. Find something to believe in with regards to your product. Consider the benefits of it to the purchasers. If it is a lower value, high volume item then presumably it’s priced accordingly and people need that volume.

(Yes I am making the assumption that people are doing honest business and selling an ethical product at an ethical price.)

For recruiters this is fundamental basic of the job, or should be, and it has some positive consequences peculiar to recruitment. As it is easier to be confident about a good quality candidate what you will find happens is that you will seek hard to find better quality candidates. This of course then benefits you as you are representing better people which will open more doors and result in more hires. Everyone benefits!

Preparation – being prepared for your sales meeting or phone session gives you something to base your confidence on. It is a very comfortable feeling to know that you are ready for the session. In particular prepare mentally, and use notes, relating to what you are going to say first and what you are going to say to the most likely objections.

Fail with confidence – for me Zig Ziglar summed it up perfectly when he said that in sales:

“Some you win, some you lose and some get rained out.”

You won’t win every sale and that’s okay. When you realise that your confidence never needs to take a hit from a failed pitch. Just mentally shrug it off, learn what you can from the experience and make the next call or visit.

It’s a game – sales is competitive and challenging and in every way that matters it’s just like a game or a sport – even down to having coaches and trainers like me! People who play sports or games tend to play to win. That means they take them seriously, try their best etc. It also means they enjoy the struggle and the challenge and have fun.

The more fun someone is having the less self conscious they become, the more relaxed and thus the more confident they will be.

When managing sales people (or yourself) to sell do remember to consider the game aspect. That’s one of the reasons sales incentives where people can win small prizes work so well. They are fun!

So play to win and enjoy the rollercoaster ride that is sales!

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As always there are many other things I could say regarding confidence and sales however for now I trust the above has given you a starting point.

Until next time; be successful!

Stephen Hart

Trainer, Coach, Public Speaker

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Edenchanges Recruitment Training services are outlined on this page and the Sales Training details are available here

Additionally a unique recruitment coaching program is available at www.recruitmentwithoutborders.com and is suitable for all recruitment professionals of any level, anywhere in the world.

Four Tips for Dealing with Gatekeepers

This is the next in an ongoing series of articles presenting sales advice. Suitable for everyone who has to make a sales call!

Recruitment and Sales

is an Art Form

An important point to remember with all recruitment or sales advice is that both activies are art forms. As such there are lots of ways to do them.

I only offer advice that I have either used myself or presented to others and seen work well. Consider how you can adapt the advice here for your market place and your style of recruitment or sales and I truly expect it to help you be a success.

Four Tips for Dealing with Gatekeepers

A gatekeeper is anyone who is not the specific person you wanted to speak to. Very often they are a receptionist, or the secretary but they could also be a senior director who is simply not the senior director whom you wanted!

Becoming an expert at dealing with gatekeepers is a necessary task for anyone seeking to become brilliantly successful at sales. It takes effort, practice and thought.

I outline below four tips that will help but they aren’t the whole picture. If getting to the decision maker you wanted was like crossing a raging river then consider the tips that follow as stepping stones  rather than a complete bridge. They sure will help but you’d be advised to add some more stones of your own!

1) Be polite - Bang! There you go. The first rule – Be polite. Note I didn’t say be weak or accepting I said be polite. There is nothing to be gained, and everything to be lost, by being rude to the gatekeepers. First of all you should respect everyone in business regardless of their position and second not being polite will close more doors than it will open.

I have met sales people who have happily told me about the receptionists they have bullied into submission. I also know that in the cases where I have witnessed such sales people in action I have always witnessed more negatives resulting from their approach than positives.

2) Be assumptive - This is both a mind set and a verbal tip. In your head you should be expecting to reach the person you are after and if they are genuinely not available you should be expecting help regarding how to get hold of them later.

So for example when someone is not available try asking:

“When is the best time to call?” – assumes there is  best time (People usually say “Is there a best time?” which is weaker

“When will he be back?” – assumes the person will return at some time

“What’s his mobile number?” – assumes he has a mobile phone rather than “Does he have a mobile number?”

Having an assumptive mind set makes it much easier to get results when dealing with gatekeepers. It’s all about expecting them to help, provide you with information and put you through.

3) Switch target - So the person you really want isn’t available – “Who else could you speak to?” – you can ask that of the gatekeeper “Who else could I speak to about…?” – again this is an assumptive question assuming that there will be someone else.

A stronger way of thing this is by having another person in mind when you make the call and then smoothly switch to the other person – e.g. if you can’t reach the sales director then ask for the managing director etc

4) Get their names - You should always get the name of the receptionist, pa and frankly all the gatekeepers you speak to. It makes the next call that you make to that company so much easier when you are able to use their name. You can also use their name on the call in a couple of different ways.

First you can use it when speaking to them which has a positive psychological impact and secondly when forwarded through to a person you can reference the person you were just speaking to by name.

This can be especially useful when pure cold calling and you have had to ask for the right person to speak to.When you get the suggested decision maker on the phone, let’s imagine the gatekeeper had been called Sarah, you are able to mention that

“Sarah said you were the right person to speak to regarding…”

This can be a warm way into the call.

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Further sales and recruitment advice will be given later this week and over future weeks.

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Edenchanges Recruitment Training services are outlined on this page and the Sales Training details are available here – do have a look and consider how it might benefit you or your company

Additionally a unique recruitment coaching program is available at www.recruitmentwithoutborders.com and is suitable for all recruitment professionals of any level, anywhere in the world.

I truly hope the above helps.

Until next time; be successful!

Stephen Hart

Trainer, Coach, Public Speaker

Four Tips With Voice Mails

An article for anyone in business, whether recruitment, sales, management or general business who spends time talking to voicemails.

Whether you are in sales, recruitment or business generally you will frequently be trying to reach someone and instead reach their voice mail. In my experience it’s at this point a lot of people tense up and frankly lose the plot. So let me offer some guidance that might make the whole experience more relaxed and productive.

1) Always leave a message – This is very much rule 101 when it comes to voice mails. Consider this; you have spent the time ringing the company, and often in sales also finding out who you should speak to, possibly having to debate or negotiate with the receptionist to put you through – so why on earth would you then throw away all that time and effort and not leave a message?

The time you have spent getting as far as the voice mail has already be spent. You might as well try your luck and leave a message.

Otherwise it’s a bit like going to a casino, buying some chips, walking over to the roulette table. . .and then refusing to place a bet. You simply can’t win by doing that. But you might just win if you do place a bet i.e. leave a message!

(The casino example is my response to people who say it is pointless leaving message – I’m not saying you will get called back but I am saying you might and I can guarantee you won’t if you don’t leave a message – also see point three below)

2) Prepare your message in advance - People get nervous when the voice mail starts and many people I have coached over the years have told me this is because they don’t know what to say and they are desperately trying to think of something before the beep goes. The result is they sound flustered and uncertain on their message. The really simply answer, and it makes the whole experience much more relaxed, is to know what you are going to say before you make the call.

Business people are busy and it is realistic to think that you might end up talking to an answering machine or voice mail when you ring someone. So plan what you will say in that eventuality prior to making the call. It only takes a few seconds of thought.

3) Be realistic - Realistically they are not going to call you back. At least you can’t rely on them calling you back especially if you are making a cold call to them and they don’t know you. Immediately after leaving your message diariase your call back. Do not rely on them to call you. It’s nice if they do but you can’t rely on it.

4) Slowly and repeat – People speed up when they speak on voicemails so ensure that you are speaking slowly when you leave your message. Think like a news presenter and pace out your words.

Having a message prepared helps here as you can relax and simply say what you were planning to say. At the end of the message its good practice to repeat your name and phone number. At the start of the message the listener is doing just that; listening. At the end they are more ready to write down your details.

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There are a few other things I could say about voicemails however the above are the key ones and should make the whole process run a lot smoother for you!

Do feel free to pass on this article or recommend it to a friend or colleague if you feel they would benefit from it.

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Edenchanges Recruitment Training services are outlined on this page do have a look and consider how it might benefit you or your company and if you are from a company in another industry than management training and general business skills training is also available. And we’d love to hear from you!

Additionally a unique recruitment coaching program is available at www.recruitmentwithoutborders.com and is suitable for all recruitment professionals of any level, anywhere in the world.

I truly hope the above helps.

Until next time; be successful!

Stephen Hart

Trainer, Coach, Public Speaker

Stand or Fall

Times are hard so what are your options?

To make it really simple your choice is: Stand or Fall.

You really have a simple choice of buckling under the strain and taking whatever life throws at you or you can resolve to fight back.

Now both paths have advantages and disadvantages; more seriously both paths have consequences.

Personally I chose to Stand. To rise up and challenge the circumstances that challenge me and live with the consequences that follow.

But this blog isn’t about my personal position. This blog is about you. Because you also might be thinking; “I Stand.” but not know how to.

And it’s a difficult thing to advise on. We live in interesting times with challenges coming thick and fast. Terrorism is rewriting the rules of war and the ‘credit crunch’ seems to be rewriting the rules of business.

So I guess my first thought is to find some constants. Find some unchangeable items that I, and you, can share and strengthen ourselves with. And I believe that both you and I already have these things.

Let me ask you a question ~ “What in your life has inspired you?” more specifically “What author, musician or artist has, with their work, inspired you or given if not inspired then given you peace or hope?”

You know the feeling I mean; the one where you pick up the book and it makes you smile; or the music plays and by the middle of the first track a grin has spread across your face and your muscles feel just a little looser; or that piece of artwork that makes you sigh deeply.

Those works of art. Now is the time to revisit them. To revisit and feel again those better emotions; peace, hope and optimism.

It might be you have to go back a long way but you will have those works in your life. Was there a book you read as a child that you loved? Dig it out of your attic or garage, find it on ebay – then sit and indulge in something special to you.

Such things might sound weak compared to the challenges that face you yet they give you something strong ~ internal peace. With that peace, even if it passes quickly, will come a slightly stronger and calmer you.

This will help you put things in perspective and see more clearly the path ahead.

So, read that book, view that artwork, listen to the music or put on that film that you haven’t watched in years and smile again, be inspired again. And find yourself better placed mentally and emotionally to Stand as you chose to.

Until next time;

Stephen

Stephen Hart

Picture from Angela; thank you.