Newsletter #22
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use... NOW - To Get Customers,
keep them coming back and for developing and Instilling a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com.
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Too Fast To Be Friendly
Carol Decker, President of Decker and Associates, a Tennessee-based consulting firm states that, "because we are so busy, we often forget to be considerate of others and their feelings. We may develop a harsh tone of voice, a constant frown, or a disregard for differing opinions. We often fail to notice our lack of consideration, but it can be quite evident to those we work with, dampening the spirit in the workplace and adversely impacting short term and long term objectives."
Carol further points out that to promote a positive atmosphere both at work and at home being a "FRIEND" can make all the difference.
F: Free yourself from havoc. You should always recognize that you may be going faster than your thoughts. Stop yourself for a short time to think about how you should handle the tasks to be performed and how you should handle others involved in those tasks. Take the time to realize that the world doesn't revolve around the actions you are about to take. You can control the pace; have faith that things will get done.
R: Reflect. If you find yourself moving too quickly, consider why you are overloaded, what role you have in this chaos, where you would like to be, who your actions have affected, and how you may restore yourself among your peers and co-workers.
I: Inquire. Ask people for their input. Ask others how they would react in your situation. Ask them about their day and how they are doing. Ask for information unrelated to job responsibilities, such as their feelings, concerns, and outside occurrences that they may be bringing with them to the job.
E: Encourage. When times are stressful on you, take the time to encourage others. Boast about their knowledge, skills and abilities. Tell them how beneficial they are to the company. Make them feel fortunate for who they are.
N: Noise Elimination. Noise is one reason many messages are misinterpreted. Eliminate any interference that disrupts, confuses, or prevents casual discussion or consideration of your employees or co-workers. Obviously, you can't turn off the phone or keep people from making noise around you, but you can take the time to listen to yourself and the people around you. Listen and look for verbal and nonverbal reactions. Take the time to understand the attitudes, behaviors, personalities and personal lives of others.
D: Deeds. To be a friend, you must show yourself as friendly. Genuine friendliness is shown through both words and actions. Don't just listen and talk, but show your appreciation through the giving of gifts, recognition, and acceptance of individuals and their concerns.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #17
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Pump Up Your Listening Power!
Think about the people you most like to work and socialize with --- we bet they are pretty good listeners. Active listening not only helps you to become a more effective listener it also can greatly enhance your popularity.
Try these proven strategies to pump up your listening power:
Limit your own talking
Take a breath before talking
Don't interrupt
Concentrate on the person
Talk in a conducive setting
Be interested and show it
Notice nonverbal communication
Turn off your worries
Don't prejudge
Don't rush the other person
Paraphrase what has been said
Ask for clarification of words and ideas you don't understand
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #18
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box
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Giving and Receiving Feedback from Others Graciously
How many times have you been afraid to ask for something or confront someone because you're not sure how your message will be interpreted? Or how many times do you get defensive or feel awkward when you receive feedback? If you can remember situations like these then it's time you learn some of the proven techniques in how to graciously give and get feedback.
Giving Feedback
Focus on the behavior of the individual or group and not the personality or character.
Make your comments specific to the situation (what, when, where, etc.)
Describe the person's behavior; don't judge it.
Make your comments timely, either at the moment the behavior is occurring or as soon after as possible.
Remember people are uncomfortable receiving feedback, even if you are handling it the best way possible.
Always express your appreciation for other(s) in listening to your concerns.
Receiving Feedback
Actively listen t the person's description of your behavior and their recommendations for continuing your current behaviors or changing them.
Do not get defensive. Remember the intent of feedback is to help, not hurt you.
Paraphrase or summarize the feedback to make sure you have heard it correctly.
Give the feedback serious consideration. Do not dismiss it as irrelevant or unimportant.
Communicate to the person changes in his/her behavior that may be needed to help you change.
Express appreciation for the feedback and request that he/she continues it in the future.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #19
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know That Counts.
Connecting Strategies that Work!
Each and everyone of us has unlimited opportunity's to connect with as many people as we want. To be successful in our endeavors we need to know where to go to maximize our opportunities. Here are 3 specific solutions to get personal and professional connections … Now!
Business Card Mixers - These are sponsored by Chambers of Commerce throughout the USA and Canada. These events are usually free or a small fee. In most cases you don't even have to be a member of the chamber. The key advantage is that everyone expects you to try to promote yourself, your product or service. Since this is expected, the whole event becomes a positive experience in a non-threatening environment. This event usually takes place right after work and the main purpose is for people to get acquainted and help each other for leads, ideas, information and friendships.
Rolodex Parties - This consists of meeting with another person who may have potential clients for you and you for him or her. For example, both individuals should bring their rolodexes or contact management databases of past clients, contacts, friends, etc., then take turns on the phone calling on behalf of the other person. This works well because if a client likes and trusts us and we recommend the other person, that trust is transferred. Just be sure you have confidence in the person you are supplying a 3rd party endorsement for.
Networking Clubs - Join an established club or develop one of your own. Networking clubs provide a structured environment for people to share leads, information and ideas. By meeting on a regular basis and getting to know the people in the club, you become a team where everyone is consciously working to help each other. All you need to do to start a club is to find one other person. Find someone who does something different from you. Each of you then brings another person to the meeting who does not compete with you. The ideal number of people is from 6-12. My club meets every two weeks from 7:00 am to 8:00 am in the morning. In addition to forming your own club there are opportunities through associations, professional and trade organizations, fraternal, church, school groups and others.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #20
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
you can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Are You Customer Focused?
To make sure you are totally customer oriented, ask yourself and your staff the following questions:
Is my service or product the best it can be?
Am I prepared to handle an increase in customers smoothly and efficiently?
Is my pricing clear and fair so there are no misunderstandings?
Are my customers, suppliers and employees treated as honestly and fairly as possible?
Am I easily accessible? Do I take advantage of pagers, cell phones, e-mail?
Do I keep in touch with my customers on a regular basis?
Do my customers and prospective customers know as much as they want about my products, services and operations?
Can customers locate and reach my business with ease?
If customers have concerns about my services or products do they feel that I will listen to their problems and concerns?
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #14
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Test Your Conversation IQ
In our personal and professional lives many of our conversations and opportunities fall flat and fail because we tend to talk only about ourselves. Successful communicating requires that we must have two-way communication. To become a popular conversationalist ask yourself these questions:
Is your voice always monotone or do you speak enthusiastically?
Are you self-centered or other oriented?
Do you try to dominate conversations?
Do you talk too much, over explain or lecture others?
Are you a complainer?
Do you talk to people about things they are interested in?
Do you smile, laugh easily and respond to others genuinely?
Can you discuss subjects besides your home or job life?
Do you get to the point quickly or do you go into excruciating detail?
Are you open, candid, direct and friendly?
Do you have good eye contact?
Are you an active and sympathetic listener?
Do you ask others open-ended questions that draw them out?
Do you ask others about how they feel about a subject?
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #24
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
You can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Developing and Instilling a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box or go to www.arnoldsanow.com and "unsubscribe"
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Keeping Clients Forever
On-line, in-store or in-person one of the only ways to differentiate yourself from the crowd and become less of a commodity is through superior customer relations.
In today’s fast changing and competitive environment customer service is not only nice, but is essential for success. Tom Peters stated, " that if you are customer oriented, you’re ahead of 98% of the other businesses because they are not". Time Magazine said, "the #1 marketing strategy for businesses and organizations now and in the future will be directly related to the quality of that organizations customer service."
In fact, a survey by the US Chamber of Commerce on why people give up on a company found:
1% die
3% move away
5% develop other friendships
9% leave for competitive reasons
14% are dissatisfied with the product or service
68% quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the client by the owner, manager or employee
Let's face it; today's customers have many options of where to spend their money. And although price is important, service or the lack of service will make the difference of weather they stay with your company or go to the competition.
Customer service is especially important on the Internet. On line companies must make sure that high tech is supplemented with a high touch environment.
Companies such as Biztravel.com have boosted its online bookings by over 70% by following some simple customer service guidelines. For example, Biztravel.com offers toll free twenty-four hour person-to-person contact. It also responds to most customers' calls within a minute, gets back promptly and provides guarantees.
So what are good customer relations? It can be boiled down to three key rules:
1. Treating people the way you want to be treated, but even more importantly how they want to be treated. Everyone is different and we must communicate in the ingredients that others find as important and not only what we find as important. It's making sure we focus on understanding others before having them understand us.
2. Giving the client what they want, when they want it and how they want it. SpeakersVoice Association (www.speakersvoice.org) an online site to market speakers and trainers increased its business and got results for its clients by listening to them. Based on the member's comments SpeakersVoice now has articles, products and in-depth descriptions of the speakers and trainers.
Ski Liberty in Pennsylvania increased its business by making lift tickets available to its customers when they wanted, instead of a set time when they had to use it.
And one company, which did not follow rule #2, went out of business by developing a mousetrap that would last twenty years, when what the customer really wanted was a mousetrap they could throw out with the mouse.
3. Good communication and human relations skills equal good customer relations. People want person-to-person contact, to be listened to and to feel like others care. In a recent poll in the USA Today many people stated that they don't plan to buy via the web anytime soon. A major reason for the hesitancy; a lack of person-to-person contact. Joe Batten said it best;
• Before you tell ask
• Before you talk listen
• After you listen relate
• Always show that you care
And when you can translate that you care.. They will want to do business with you and they won't let the details get in the way.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #24
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
You can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Through Exceptional Customer Service and to Instill a Positive Work Environment
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com
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5 Keys To Get Others To Sing Your Praises
Only 15% of your success in life will depend on your technical skills. The other 85% relates to your communication and human relations skills. In a recent study it was interesting to note that doctors who were sued the most were not necessarily the ones who made mistakes, but the ones who were arrogant and did not get along with their patients. The same philosophy is true for speakers, meeting planners and anyone else who relies on people for their livelihood. The fact is, we are all salespeople and we are selling ourselves everyday. And to be truly successful we must develop relationships. According to Joe Batten, "Before you tell ask, Before you talk listen, After you listen relate, and always show that you care. When you can translate care, people will want to do business with you and details will not get in the way".
To build relationships and get people to like you, trust you, sing your praises and get you to keep your job or clients, follow these 5 guidelines:
1. BE RELIABLE.
Reliability means many things, but without it your career or business will fail to grow and prosper. For example, when you tell a client you will have something for them on Tuesday and your late, your good reputation suffers. In fact, if you tell people you will have a project ready next week, in their minds next week means Monday. Come in any time after that and you’re already too late. Although these seem like minor points, being late, not returning phone calls, not giving 100%, failure to be reliable will hurt you and ultimately help your competitors. To be reliable follow these guidelines:
• Do what you say your going to do
• Do it when you say your going to do it
• Do it right the first time
• Get it done on time
And always remember ..... Underpromise and Overdeliver
2. BE RESPONSIVE.
Responsiveness means being available, accessible and willing to help customers whenever there is a problem. It also means keeping them informed and providing the services as soon as possible. For example, one speaker is known to be so responsive that he always gets more than his share of jobs. In one instance, a meeting planner was near panic when her keynote speaker was sick 1 day before a major convention. She called this speaker and he rearranged his schedule and worked all night to prepare a winning presentation for the next day. Meeting planners also call him, because even if he can’t do a presentation, he will get on the phone and find a speaker to help out the meeting planner. So, when a meeting planners need a speaker who do you think they call?
3. DEVELOP TRUST AND LIKABILITY
When you look at the bottom line, there are two ultimate reasons why people will work with you. It’s because they like you and they trust you. According to US News and World Report, "Americans are ruder than ever". Simple kindness and good manners can greatly enhance your opportunity to win new clients, generate more business with the ones you have and increase your referrals. To accomplish this follow the 10 commandments of human relations:
1. Speak to people - There is nothing so nice as a cheerful personality
2. Call people by name - The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his or her name.
3. Have humility - There is something to be learned from every living thing
4. Be friendly - If you would have a friend, be one
5. Be cordial - Speak and act as if everything you do is a pleasure
6. Be sincerely interested in others
7. Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism
8. Give your word - then keep it
9. Be considerate of the feelings of others
10. Be alert to give service - what counts most in life is what we do for others.
4. WATCH YOUR APPEARANCE.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don’t judge a book by its cover?" Well guess what everybody does? Although appearances can be deceiving, customers draw a lot of conclusions about the quality of service on the basis of what they see. Your dress, body language, written materials, office, car and verbal skills account for how you are ultimately judged. In fact, 93% of the message that is perceived is by your body language and tone of voice and only 7% is by the words you use. For example, I remember one speaker who started off his talk by saying, "I’m happy to be here", but was unconsciously shaking his head back and forth, while his voice was very low and unconvincing. Unfortunately for him the audience picked up quite a different message than what his words conveyed
5. BE EMPATHETIC
To the extent that you treat someone as special and solve his or her unique problems he/she will continue to be your customer. Empathy means putting yourself in the customers shoes - trying to grasp his or her point of view and feel what he or she feels.
Disneyland says it best, "We love to entertain Kings and Queens, but the vital thing to remember is this: Every guest receives the VIP treatment ...It’s not just important to be friendly and courteous to the public, it is essential ... At Disneyland we get tired, but never bored, and even if it is a rough day we appear happy. You’ve got to develop a sense of humor and genuine interest in people. If nothing else helps remember that you get paid for smiling."
Although your technical job skills must be excellent, it’s not enough. Remember that people do business with their friends. Develop win/win relationships and see your business skyrocket!
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #19
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them and for Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box
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Attract an Abundance of Professional and Personal Connections
Did you ever wish you could connect with someone else but didn't know how? The reality is that everyone is only 3-5 people away from anyone else they want to meet.
The average person knows about 150-250 people. Therefore, if you let people know what you are looking for there is a good chance that they will have a contact who they can introduce you to.
To meet as many people as possible follow these guidelines:
Socialize - At parties, informal gatherings, professional meetings and mixers meet and greet as many people as you can.
Make friends - Take some time to get to know others. Remember good business and friendships are built on relationships.
Promote others - Regularly talk up people in your network.
Ask for what you want - Be very specific about what you are looking for. Know exactly what you do and be able to say it in 16 seconds or less.
Advertise yourself - Raise your visibility. You can do this by writing articles, speaking to various groups, holding office in one of your clubs or getting on radio or television.
Set goals for yourself - Determine who you want to meet, how many contacts you want to meet and when you will meet them.
Form your own networking club - Meet on a regular basis with 5-8 other people to see how you can assist each other in obtaining goals.
Have a rolodex party- Meet with a friend or business associate and share leads. Call your clients on their behalf and vice-versa.
Network with competitors - If you can't help someone, refer them to your competitors …. Always let your competitors know you gave the referral.
Keep going - Meet as many contacts you can. The more people you know the more opportunities you will have.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #13
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Why Sales Don’t Go Through …9 Common Mistakes
Arnold Sanow
Closing sales is an art not a science. Everything we do from our communication style, our dress, to our understanding of the customers wants and needs can affect our success or failure in closing sales. The way you close a sale depends as much on the product/service you’re selling as it does the customer you’re dealing with. There are many reasons why sales don’t close … here are 9 of the most common mistakes.
Not asking questions. Too many times we pre-judge or jump to conclusions about what our customers want or need. By asking open-ended questions to determine such things as lifestyle, hobbies, spending limits and previous experiences we can get a true picture of what our customer really wants. By understanding the customer we can then focus on the right products and services to offer.
Not communicating in the communication ingredients important to the customer. If we communicate to everyone in our primary communication style then we will lose about 75% of our sales. In other words everyone is different and therefore everyone needs to be treated differently. For example, some people just want the facts and details about a product or service where others may be more comfortable if you tell stories or anecdotes. So, to persuade, motivate and influence others, communicate in the ingredients they find important.
Interrupting the prospect. Whenever you interrupt someone, sensitivity, commitment, closeness and rapport are lost. In addition, by interrupting we may miss what benefits the customer is really seeking
Not paying attention to the prospect. To develop the like and trust that are essential in developing any relationship we must give our full attention to the prospect. Taking calls, talking to other customers, looking bored or uninterested can detract or enhance from the relationship we develop with our potential customer.
Showing no empathy or sympathy. Empathy means putting yourself in the other persons shoes. For example, if a potential customer wants to go on an adventure trip we offer, but has had bad experiences in the past, we must first understand those experiences before we can discuss why our trips are a best buy.
Not selling benefits. only features. Understanding the difference between features and benefits is crucial to your success. Features are about you, your product and service. Benefits are the specific results your product or service offers to your client or prospect. When meeting with a prospect we need to address the buyer’s critical self-interest questions such as, "so what?", "who cares?" or "what’s in it for me?" You see people don’t buy things, they buy results like happiness, making and saving money, saving time, comfort, safety, security, and easier ways to do things.
Pressuring prospects. People don’t like to be pressured. They like to buy but they don’t like to be sold. By planning your presentation carefully and understanding the wants and needs of the potential customer, you’ll make more than your share of sales.
Misleading body language. It’s a fact that only 7% of the message that someone perceives are from the words we use. 38% is from the tone of your voice and the other 55% are from your body language. Therefore 93% of the message that others perceive from you is based on your body language and tone of voice. Unfortunately many times we lose clients because our body language is sending off the wrong signals. To overcome this obstacle and get people to like and trust us, we need to SOFTEN our image. To do this follow these guidelines. S-smile, O-open posture, F-forward lean, T- talk in a tone that conveys friendliness, concern and enthusiasm, E- eye contact, N-nod as in affirming the other person.
Failure to listen. Many people assume that to be good in sales you need to do all the talking. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the best sales people are those who listen. By listening you not only become more popular but you also learn and earn more. To become an active listener follow these rules:
Limit your own talking
Concentrate on the person who is talking
Don’t interrupt
Paraphrase what has been said
Talk in a conducive setting
See things from the other person’s viewpoint
Notice nonverbal communication
Don’t just think of what you are going to say next
Don’t prejudge
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #22
Your weekly resource to provide you with quick tips, tools and solutions
you can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and to
Promote a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box
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Communication Strategies to Encourage
1. Accept others viewpoints
Be open to accepting other points of view. Our tendency in many situations is to immediately become defensive when someone does not agree with us or see the world in the same perspective as us. Look at opposing points of view as an asset and not a liability. Remember, focus on understanding others than trying to have others understand us.
2. Focus on issues, not personalities
Many people use trigger words that can disable a conversation and ultimately a
relationship. Such words as, dumb, stupid, unprofessional and poor attitude criticize
the person and not the content of their ideas or specific actions. Instead of saying,
"your idea is dumb" you might say, "your solution will cost an extra $50,000 which
we don't have.
3. Communicate Clearly
Clearly communicate your ideas so that others understand. Being able to get your
ideas across in a clear and concise manner is one of the most important and sought
after skills. Always ask questions such as , "Am I making any sense?" or "Do you
understand what I am saying"? Also, make sure your paraphrase what you have said
if you see blank or confusing faces.
4. Don't create nonverbal drama
Your body language has many different connotations. For example, shaking one's
head, turning away from the group, shoulder shrugging, groaning, rolling eyes,
yawning and sleeping can all send the wrong message.
5. Thank people
One of the most overlooked words in the English language is "Thank you". Make
Sure you always thank people for their efforts and contributions
6. Share yourself
Share your ideas, opinions and be open to sharing yourself. Sometimes this may
feel risky but in the long run people will feel closer and more comfortable with you
and also more comfortable in divulging information about themselves.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #15
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you
can use NOW ..To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back
and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box
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Communication … The Foundation
From the time we’re young children, we’re taught how to talk. All through school we take classes in English to help us speak and write properly. What we aren’t taught is the art of interpersonal communication.
Being an effective communicator is especially important in developing and keeping relationships with your associates, members and/or clients. In fact, according to the American Management Association 90% of all problems in an organization are a direct result of poor communication.
To make sure you not only survive … but thrive, there are four basic assumptions regarding communication that you must understand.
Good Communication Skills Can Be Learned. Many people believe good communicators are "born with" the skill – and only a few "lucky people" possess outstanding communication ability. In reality, those excellent communicators who you admire either had superior role models, or they made a deliberate effort to learn. For example, Winston Churchill, one of the greatest orators of all time, grew up with a severe stuttering problem. It took him three years to get through the 8th grade because of his poor communication skills. With practice and determination he became a great speaker.
To help you with your interpersonal communication skills I would recommend Toastmasters International. Toastmasters programs can be offered at your workplace. They focus on all aspects of communication and the program allows you to get positive constructive feedback from fellow workers. To get more information about setting up a club or going to an existing club call 1-800-9-WE-SPEAK.
You Have Two Ears And One Mouth. Many people assume that good communication only deals with how well you talk. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of the communication mishaps happen because of poor listening habits. To become an active listener follow these 6 rules:
Limit your own talking - You have two ears and one mouth. The more you listen the more opportunity you’ll have to find and understand the wants, needs and aspirations of your employees.
Don’t interrupt - By interrupting your employee, sensitivity, rapport and commitment are all killed. Although at times it seems expedient to interrupt, this perceived lack of respect for your employees helps to deteriorate the relationship and makes it harder to develop rapport.
Notice nonverbal communication - Only 7% of the message we are communicating is through the words we use, 38% is through the tone of our voice and 55% is through our body language. This means that body language and tone of voice convey 93% of the message that someone communicates. Therefore, if you’re talking to an employee and they start doing things like, crossing their arms, crossing their legs away from you, yawning, leaning back, looking bored or avoiding eye contact, you need to "listen" to their body language. By being sensitive to their body language you pick up the real underlying messages and feelings that are being conveyed. In addition, you can encourage others to communicate with you by softening your body language. Follow the key points in this acronym. S- smile, O - open posture, F- forward lean, T- watch others territory, E- eye contact, N- nodding to show you’re listening.
Don’t only think about what you’re going to say next - Too many times we are so concerned about we want to say that we don’t hear what the other person is really saying. By not paying total attention to our employee(s), we focus on what we think is important to them and not what they’re really concerned about.
Talk to your employees in a conducive setting - To get others to listen
to us and have them focus on the substance of our message, distractions
must be minimized. Is your office too hot?, Too cool?, Is the phone
ringing all the time?, Are you answering the phone while talking to them?,
Are there other people around?, Do you have distracting habits? To make
sure active listening takes place, you must alleviate all distractions.
Paraphrase what has been said - To avoid misunderstandings, it’s important to repeat back what your employee has told you. The problem is that when you talk, how you say something and the words you use may have a different meaning to your employee. Many times we say, "do you understand? or does that make sense?" In most cases your employee will say, "yes". The question we really need to find out is, "what did they understand?" And since it may seem rude to ask that question, we need to repeat back what they said to make sure we are both hearing and understanding the same thing.
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Listen, Learn and Earn More
By Arnold Sanow
Many people assume that to be good in sales you need to constantly talk. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the most successful sales people are those who are active listeners. By listening you not only become more likable but you hear the wants, needs and objections of your potential clients. The problem is too many times we focus in on what we want to say or our "sales pitch" without really hearing what the potential client really wants. According to Dean Rusk, "The best way to persuade people is with your ears --- by listening to them". To persuade, influence and motivate others to purchase our products and services --- and earn more money --- become an active listener.
Follow these 6 rules of active listening:
Limit your own talking - You have two ears and one mouth. The more you listen the more opportunity you’ll have to find out what the customer really wants.
Don’t interrupt - By interrupting the client, sensitivity, rapport and commitment are all killed. Although at times it seems expedient to interrupt, this perceived lack of respect for the prospect helps to deteriorate the relationship and makes it harder to close the sale.
Notice nonverbal communication - Only 7% of the message our client is communicating is through the words he/she uses, 38% is through tone of their voice and 55% is through their body language. This means that 93% of the message that someone communicates is conveyed by body language and tone of voice. Therefore, if you’re talking to a prospect and they start doing things like, crossing their arms, crossing their legs away from you, yawning, leaning back, looking bored or avoiding eye contact, you need to "listen" to their body language and not only their words.
Don’t only think about what you’re going to say next - Too many times we are so concerned about we want to say that we don’t hear what the other person is really saying. By not paying total attention to our client, we "sell" them on what we think is important and not what they really want. This frustrates the potential client and in many cases we lose the sale.
Talk to your client in a conducive setting - To get others to listen to us and have them focus on the substance of our message, distractions must be minimized. Is your office too hot?, Too cool?, Is the phone ringing all the time?, Are you answering the phone while talking to them?, Are there other people around?, Do you have distracting habits? To make sure active listening takes place, you must alleviate all distractions.
Paraphrase what has been said - To avoid misunderstandings, it’s important to repeat back what the client has told you. The problem is that when you talk, how you say something and the words you use may have a different meaning to the client. Many times we say, "do you understand? or does that make sense?" In most cases the client will say, "yes". The question we really need to find out is, "what did they understand?" And since it may seem rude to ask that question, we need to repeat back what they said to make sure we are both hearing and understanding the same thing.
Too close more sales we must determine the wants and needs of our clients first and then work backwards to determine the best products and services for them ---- And the best way to do that is through active listening.
Arnold Sanow, MBA, is the co-author of four books, including "Marketing Boot Camp". He is a professional speaker and trainer with more than 2,000 speaking engagements to his credit. His keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars focus on marketing, sales, customer service, communication and presentation skills. You can reach him at 703-255-3133. His web page is www.arnoldsanow.com and you can e-mail him at speaker@arnoldsanow.com
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Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and techniques you can use now to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
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It’s Not Just What You Say … It’s What You Radiate
To close more sales, have better relationships at work and a more fullfilling personal life it's important to realize that people are perceiving you by not just what you say, but how you say it.
To get your associates, employees and clients to like you, trust you and respond to you favorably you need to be sensitive to the messages your body and tone of voice is conveying. Many people when trying to persuade, motivate and influence others are at a disadvantage because they think their verbal skills are all that matter. Little do they realize that people are consciously or unconsciously picking up what you are really saying by observing your body language. To get an unfair advantage in business and exploit your opportunities use the SOFTEN technique to make yourself more approachable, likeable and trustworthy:
S – Smile - A simple smile shows that you really care . It also provides a sense of warmth and increases your likeability. As the saying goes, "A smile is the light in the window that tells people you are home."
O – Open Posture –By keeping an open posture (i.e. don’t cross your legs or arms) you will appear to be open minded, less defensive, less arrogant and more approachable.
F – Forward Lean – One of the best ways to show interest is to lean forward when communicating. If you are attentive and interested in them, they will be interested in you.
T – Territory - In the USA the acceptable distance between two people is 14 to 46 inches, Closer than this and people will be distracted, while further distance is interpreted as aloofness.
E – Eye Contact - One of the most important ways to establish trust and rapport is through eye contact. Although some cultures may view eye contact differently, for most of us eye contact is positive. In a business presentation, eye contact should not be held for longer than four or five seconds with any one person.
N – Nodding - Nodding shows attentiveness, enthusiasm and validates the speaker.
To be truly successful we want people to focus on the substance of our message and not the style in which it is presented. By understanding and being sensitive to our body language and the message it is sending, we can increase our chances of getting our message across in a clear and concise manner.
Arnold Sanow, MBA,CSP (certified speaking professional) delivers speeches, seminars, training programs and consulting to individuals and the companies they work for to attract and keep customers, clients and profits. To meet these goals his presentations focus on marketing, customer service, communication, presentation skills and business development. Arnold has delivered over 2,000 presentations, is the author of 4 books to include, "Marketing Boot Camp", an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and President of The Business Source, Inc. To increase productivity, profits, and promote a positive environment contact Arnold at 703-255-3133, e-mail: speaker@arnoldsanow.com,
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #11
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW to Get Customers,---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attitude…
The key ingredient for success
Everything begins and ends with your attitude. It is the foundation for our success. In fact, in many companies a good attitude is not only nice, but also essential. It keeps people from getting hired and in other cases it is a reason for dismissal. For example, if you apply for a job at one major hotel chain and you do not smile at least five times in a five-minute interview then your chances for getting hired are almost non-existent. In another instance, one major hardware store has managers who observe employees and if they see anyone with a bad attitude they relieve them of their duties immediately. All this "attitude" stuff may seem fluffy to some, but to attract and keep clients we must project an upbeat, caring and concerned attitude. A recent survey stated it best when they asked clients why they don’t go back to a business. The overwhelming response was "an attitude of indifference by the owner, manager or employee."
To help you and your employees’ keep your attitude adjusted at all times follow these three guidelines:
Flip side exercise – This exercise is based on the principal that no matter what goes wrong there is always something good that comes from it. For example, if you hate your job, the flip side would be that at least you have a job or if you put a dent in your new car the flip side is at least you were not hurt. The man who recently got divorced stated it best, "I’m not divorced, I’ve just been traded." These guidelines are easier said then done. To make the flip side exercise work for you take a small notebook with you everywhere you go and when something goes wrong, write down what went wrong and what is good about it. Try this for a month and you’ll find that you’re not only thinking this way, but you’re enjoying life even more than before.
Count your blessings – Count your blessings, not your worries. Too many times we let every little problem affect us. This causes us to be less productive, less happy and our attitude suffers. For example, if we lose a sale many of us become disappointed and we let the negative energy affect us. To combat this we need to appreciate all our blessings such as family, shelter, friends, our job and others. We then need to put it all in perspective and focus on what is really important in life.
Simplify your life – Make your life simpler and watch your attitude improve. For example, one client of mine was going to fire one of his employees because of his poor attitude. The reason he had a poor attitude was that he had to drive a long distance everyday in terrible traffic. Realizing this may be the problem, the employee moved to a new apartment, which was only 5 minutes from work. Almost immediately, his attitude changed and he was like a new person. Simplify now and you’ll see a change for the better.
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Bright Ideas! - #2
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
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20 Ways to Make Yourself More Memorable
Dale Carnegie who wrote the book, "How to win friends and influence people" shared how he won a major sale by making himself memorable in a positive way. While sitting at dinner he started talking with a gentleman at his table. The man at his table spoke for four hours while only allowing Dale Carnegie the opportunity to speak for only about two minutes. After four hours the man stated to everyone, "Dale Carnegie is the best conversationalist I’ve ever met". By being an active listener Dale Carnegie was not only portrayed as a great conversationalist, but the man instantly took a liking to Dale Carnegie. Since Dale was interested in him he was interested in Dale and later he provided Dale Carnegie with a great sales opportunity.
You too can make yourself memorable to everyone you meet. By following the guidelines below, you’ll not only be more memorable, but you’ll get more clients, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals. Start these TODAY!
Introduce yourself to others. No matter where you are act like you’re the host. Be the first to say hello.
Make an extra effort to remember people’s names. As Dale Carnegie says, "the sweetest sound to a person is their name."
Use eye contact and smile upon meeting someone. The best way to build rapport is through eye contact.
Make everyone feel important by paying full attention to him or her. President Clinton is a master of this. When you talk to him, he makes you feel like you are the only person in the room.
Show others that you are enjoying your conversation with them. Don’t yawn, look bored or have a case of roving eyes.
Show curiosity and interest in others.
Listen, Listen, Listen. You not only become more likeable, but you really start to understand the persons wants, needs and desires.
Be enthusiastic about things and life to others. People will gravitate to those upbeat, positive and cheerful people.
Display your sense of humor. People remember humor six times longer than regular conversation.
Be able to speak on a variety of subjects. Keep abreast of current events.
Speak concisely. Be able to tell people what you do in a few short sentences.
Speak their language. Talk in terms of their communication style. For example, if someone just wants the facts, don’t go into a lot of stories and anecdotes.
Be tolerant of peoples beliefs if they are different from yours
Invite people to join you for lunch, dinner and other social events
Ask them for their opinions
Don’t interrupt
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Bright Ideas! - #3
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
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Customer Advisory Boards...
The Golden Key To REALLY Knowing Your Customers and Making More Sales
"Determine the wants and needs of your clients first and then work backwards to develop the products and services".
Knowing, understanding, and giving your client what he/she wants can be the difference between success and failure. Furthermore, according to the Paretto Principle, "20% of your clients or products/services will provide you with 80% of your income". Only by really understanding your clients will you go beyond surviving to thriving.
Although there are a number of methods to find out about your clients wants and needs one of the least utilized but most effective strategies is creating a working advisory board.
An advisory board is made up of your best customers, those 20% who provide you with 80% of your income. By having a board comprised of the "20%" you not only find out how to get more customers like them but also how to keep them coming back.
The main purpose of the advisory board is for your business to get input on a regular basis. The advisory board gets together between two to four times a year to review ideas, strategies, plans, the mission, goals and specific marketing tactics. For example, at one meeting you may want to get input on different business strategies or a marketing brochure.
Although you can get input from a number of different people, many times it can be misleading. In one situation where I was developing a marketing plan for a travel agency my client asked me for my opinions about senior citizens travel habits. Since I’m not a senior citizen my opinion is not as reliable as someone who fits this target market. In fact, the major reason many boards fail is they are made up of all types of clients and not just the 20% who make up the core of the business.
By sharing your plans and strategies with the key target clients who make up your board you get invaluable information about the attitudes and beliefs of your best clients. In addition, by keeping a regular advisory board together you can call them between meetings to discuss any new ideas. The board members can also help your company by acting as "mystery shoppers". Everytime they call your agency, use your services or buy products, have them fill out a report and send it to you with their experiences. You can also hire professional mystery shoppers. My company supplies each of our mystery shoppers with a checklist so they can rate their experiences after each visit. A board member or mystery shopper might look at certain things such as, prompt approach, verbal acknowledgment, eye contact, pleasant phone greeting, length of time on hold, politeness, responsiveness, appearance of facility, agents listening ability, add-on sales encouraged?, were benefits sold?, and more.
As mentioned, the advisory board should meet at least two to four times a year. The ideal size board is between nine to twelve people. The most effective boards meet for at least three hours, while some meet for a full day and others for a weekend getaway. In most cases the board members are compensated. The most frequent kinds of compensation include gift certificates, free weekends away, lunch or dinner or a direct payment.
In these turbulent times with strong competition and uncertain consumer behavior, you need a winning edge --- and one of the best investments to boost your bottom line is through a customer advisory board.
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Developing a Marketing Plan that Works
According to A.J. Redden, "a business without a plan is like a ship without a rudder, whichever way the wind blows is the way you’ll go." To make sure we follow the right course there are a number of questions we need to ask and answer to develop a non-intimidating plan and strategy.
What strengths do you have in the marketplace? Every company has strengths. The key is recognizing and "advertising" these strengths in the marketplace. If you were to ask your clients to list your companies strengths, what would they say?
What weaknesses do you have in the marketplace? All companies have weaknesses. And, like strengths they are used by your clients to judge your company. By knowing our weaknesses we can reduce or eliminate them. In the minds of the people you serve, what are your company’s weaknesses?
What strengths do you have that clients don’t know about? All companies have strengths which aren’t known or appreciated by people outside of the company. These factors can influence the direction of the marketing plan. By knowing and understanding these we can advertise and "exploit" these opportunities.
What weaknesses do you have that clients don’t know about? Conversely, like strengths all companies have weaknesses. These weaknesses may be apparent only to "insiders". The challenge is if these are not identified and solutions are not found then these will become known to "outsiders."
What are opportunities and threats in the marketplace? Opportunities and threats are things that you can’t control. New laws, weather, competition, demographics and other factors that affect the profitability of your business must be contemplated. If we plan for the "what ifs" we will have a strategy to handle these challenges when they appear.
What do you have that’s marketable? There’s a rule known as the 20/80 rule. This states that 20% of your customers give you 80% of your business or 20% of your products or services give you 80% of your income. To determine an effective strategy we need to list the products and services that are our best and put the appropriate resources into those.
What business are you in? The best run companies have mission statements. They are used to establish a direction and a focus. They help establish an identity with your clients and allow the staff to identify a focal point on where to direct their efforts.
What are your goals? Goals are established to capitalize on strengths and to minimize or eliminate weaknesses. They are the roadmaps to a more effective company. To be effective goals must be specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and have a time frame. Given your strengths, weaknesses, marketable assets and mission what are three goals that would seem appropriate to work on at this time?
What steps should I follow? It’s one thing to have goals, the real key to success is to take action on those goals. Based on your goals what specific steps will you take to meet these goals?
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Bright Ideas! - #8
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Creating a Positive Work Environment.
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36 Ways To Motivate and Keep Your Internal Customers (Employees) Happy
Arnold Sanow
Effective customer service is much more than just focusing on our outside customers. If your employees are not motivated and happy, service to the outside customer will suffer.
To help you provide the recognition, appreciation and rewards that truly motivate, here are thirty-six inexpensive but effective ideas that you can use immediately:
Say thank you. This is so easy, but often overlooked.
A pat on the back.
A smile.
Public recognition in front of peers.
Manage by wandering around (MBWA). Get out from behind your desk and see what your employees are doing. It shows you care and are interested in what they do.
A letter of praise from a customer or vendor shared directly with the employee who delivered the service.
Develop a wall of fame. A letter from a customer or vendor praising an employee, posted on the company bulletin board.
Listening to an employee who has an idea for improving efficiency or effectiveness and then acting affirmatively on that suggestion.
Ask your employee what non-monetary rewards they would like to have and, if possible provide them.
Provide training to employees. Offer them opportunities to improve themselves. For example, one client of mine had me train all their employees in success skills. This not only helped the company, but it was seen by the employees that management really cared about them.
Bring in coffee, donuts and snacks on a regular basis and also do it when it is not expected.
Provide free lunches to employees when you seen them doing something above and beyond.
Walk your talk. Lead by example: Do what you say you’re going to do and keep all your promises.
Involve employees in decisions that directly affect them. People have a need to belong. Make them feel like they are an important part of your business.
Praise them. Each day your goal should be to catch employees doing something right so you can praise them. This makes them feel valuable and valued.
Listen to your employees. There really is a reason that you have two ears and one mouth. Listening tells you what employees need; it keeps you from making mistakes with them; it wins their respect; it enables you to negotiate successfully with them; it raises their self-esteem; it minimizes their frustration and it communicates that you care.
Let your employees know they are VIPs too! Arrange discounts with local theaters, restaurants, sports events or other things important to them. This will not only motivate them, but they will tell everyone what a great place they work for.
Give credit where credit is due. One of the best ways to achieve results is to give credit to the appropriate employees.
Go out of your way to help employees. A little extra effort, some personal inconvenience, goes a long way with subordinates in confirming the feeling that what they are doing is important to you --- and that they are too.
Have family day. Encourage employees to bring in families to the see the office or plant one afternoon. Follow up with a picnic. What you spend in half a day’s down-time will be rewarded many times over by family good will, and of course, word of mouth.
When paychecks go out, write a note on the envelope recognizing an employee’s accomplishment(s).
Encourage employees to praise good work of their fellow employees.
Conduct an out-to-dinner program for employees. Award dinners for two for doing something special like coming in on a day off or working through a break. You could also provide dinners to employees who get praised by customers.
Go to lunch with each one of your employees on a quarterly basis. Ask the question, "What do we need to do to keep you with us ?"
Remember birthdays ... birthday card, cake or gift.
Invite employees to your home for a special event and recognize them in front of their spouses and co-workers.
Give employees rewards for customers they bring in.
Offer rewards for great ideas. If it saves money or brings in business, give the employee a percentage of the savings or profit.
Be sympathetic to personal problems.
Have regular meetings to let employees know what is going on in the company. It’s important that everyone feels they belong.
Order a pizza or a huge submarine sandwich for a communal lunch.
Send $10, $25 or more to a spouse with a thank-you note for his or her support during the employee’s overtime.
Buy gift certificates.
Pay an employees rent for a month.
Pay for the tutoring of an employee’s child.
Give employees who recruit new workers a cash bonus.
These are but a few of the strategies you can use. Remember, everyone is different and what motivates one person may not motivate another. In fact, giving the same reward to every member of the company - not only does not inspire employees to excel, but it may actually damage performance as top achievers see no acknowledgment of the exceptional job they have done.
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Bright Ideas! #10
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Creating a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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How To Make Your Sales Presentation Come Alive!
Arnold Sanow
Just knowing the features and benefits about our products and services does not guarantee sales. To sell our products and services we must be able to tell stories and create pictures in the minds of our customers to excite their imagination. A story can either be dull and uninteresting or it can come alive. To put imagination into your sales story and increase your closing opportunities answer the questions below.
Get out the list of your product and service’s persuasive features and benefits to your customers. If you don’t have a list make one. Next to each feature and benefit put the answers to the questions below. (a feature is the characteristic about your product or service and the benefit is the result)
What’s the most dramatic statement I can make about this feature and benefit?
What’s the most arresting visual presentation of this feature and benefit to set a customer thinking about it?
What’s the most searching question I can ask about this feature and benefit to set a customer thinking about it?
What are the most interesting success story or sales examples I can give to back up the claims I make for this feature and benefit?
Which are my best, most impressively written testimonials, the ones most likely to get attention either because of the person giving the testimonial or of what it says.
What is the most dramatic action I can perform to hold and impress my customer while dealing with this feature or benefit?
What is the most compelling logic I can find in relating this feature and benefit to others?
What is the most effective demonstration I can make of this feature and benefit?
What customer participation can I devise, in this feature and benefit so that my customer becomes part of the act?
What practical test can I suggest for proving the validity of my claim for this feature and benefit?
To further increase your opportunities and kick start some life into your business, ask yourself, your staff and your customers these questions about your product and services:
Can the products/services be put to other uses? Can it be adapted? What else is like this? What other ideas does this suggest? What could we copy? What could be modified?, Given a new twist? Changed in color, meaning, sound, motion, odor, form, shape? Any other changes possible? Can it be magnified? What can be added? More time? Greater Frequency? Stronger? Higher? Longer? Shorter? What can we substitute? What else instead? Other ingredients? Rearrange? Change the schedule? Reverse it? Combine it? Different Purposes?
Remember that you only get one chance to make a good impression. By putting some "zip" into your sales presentation you’ll close more sales and see your business skyrocket to the top!
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #16
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you
can use NOW ..To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back
and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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A Child Lives What He Or She Learns
The statements below were written by the famous author, "anonymous". He or she points out that many of the messages we learned and how we live and act today came from well meaning adults during our childhood. Our teachers, parents, religious and scout leaders conveyed their attitudes, norms and values on us. To be successful in our personal and business lives we need to be aware of these messages we received, claim them and then commit to taking action to changing the behaviors we want to.
If a child lives with criticism, he/she learns to condemn
If a child lives with ridicule, he/she learns to be shy
If a child lives with hostility, he/she learns to fight
If a child lives with shame, he/she learns to feel guilty
If a child lives with tolerance, he/she learns to be patient
If a child lives with encouragement, he/she learns confidence
If a child lives with praise, he/she learns appreciation
If a child lives with fairness, he/she learns justice
If a child lives with security, he/she learns to have faith
If a child lives with approval, he/she learns to like himself/herself
If a child lives with acceptance/ friendship, he/she learns to find love in the world
Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) is a business and marketing strategist who works with his clients to help them attract more customers, keep those customers through exceptional customer service and to promote a positive work environment. Arnold accomplishes this through speeches, seminars, training programs and consulting focusing on marketing, customer service, communication, presentation skills and other business development topics. He has delivered over 2,000 paid presentations to over 500 different clients throughout the world. He is the author of 4 books to include, "Marketing Boot Camp" and is a frequent guest in the media to include the CBS evening news, Wall St. Journal, USA Today, Time Magazine, etc. He has been the President of the Business Source, Inc., a business development and training company since 1985 and is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
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Develop your "like-ability" quotient
Arnold Sanow, MBA, CSP
To woo them, wow them and win them over all it takes is a little tender loving care. The bottom line is customers simply prefer doing business with people they know, like and they trust. Here are a few tips to help you expand your "like-ability" quotient and develop a more intimate rapport with your prospect.
A successful courtship starts with listening.
People love to be listened to. There is a direct relationship between the amount a prospect talks and the likelihood they will buy your products or services. The more someone talks, the more comfortable he or she becomes. The more comfortable he or she becomes, the more he or she will trust you. The more he or she trusts you, the stronger your bond becomes. The stronger the bond, the easier it is to get a commitment. In the book, "How to win friends and influence people", Dale Carnegie shares how he had met a prospective prospect at a dinner party. The prospect talked for about 3 hours and Dale Carnegie said only about two sentences during that time. At the end of the party the prospect was telling everyone what a great conversationalist Dale Carnegie was. Needless to say, the prospect hired Dale Carnegie.
Practice the skills of a good conversationalist.
Is your voice always monotone or do you speak enthusiastically?
Are you self centered or other oriented?
Do you try to dominate conversations?
Do you talk too much, over explain or lecture others?
Are you a complainer?
Do you talk to people about things they’re interested in?
Do you smile, laugh easily, and respond to others genuinely?
Can you discuss subjects besides your job or your home life?
Do you get to the point quickly or do you go into excruciating detail?
Are you open, candid, direct and friendly?
Do you have good eye contact?
Are you and active or sympathetic listener?
Do you ask others open-ended questions that draw them out?
Do you ask others about how they feel about a subject?
Show genuine interest in the prospect
If the prospect is a little shy, warm him or her up by showing a genuine interest in them. Ask questions that don’t directly pertain to the sale. This can make the prospect more inclined to purchase your product or service because he/she doesn’t feel the pressure to make an immediate decision. In fact, his or her answers may reveal a need for another product or service that you offer. For example, you may talk about the adventures they had on a vacation many years ago and before you know it, they will become very interested in what else you have to offer. Dale Carnegie said it best, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you."
Kill them with kindness
According to U.S. News and World Report, "Americans are ruder than ever." Simple kindness and good manners can greatly enhance your opportunity to win new customers and keep the customers you already have. Disneyland says it best in a statement they make to new employees. "We love to entertain Kings and Queens but the vital thing to remember is this, every guest receives the VIP treatment. It’s not just important to be friendly and courteous to the public, it is essential! At Disneyland we get tired but never bored. And even if it is a rough day we appear happy. You’ve got to have an honest smile. It’s got to come from within. To accomplish this, you’ve got to develop a sense of humor and a genuine interest in people. If nothing else helps, remember you get paid for smiling."
Use humor in your sales presentation
To get people to really like and feel comfortable with you use humor. This does not mean jokes, but funny stories about real life experiences or about the products or services that they want. Also, never make the customer the brunt of your humor. Always put it on yourself if necessary. Remember the AT&T rule. All humor should be appropriate, timely and tasteful.
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Bright Ideas! - #5
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box
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Developing a Winning Marketing Audit
Arnold Sanow
Before investing time and money into various marketing strategies, it’s essential to complete a marketing audit to better understand yourself and your customers. Too many times we make arbitrary decisions without any solid marketing information. The results can be disastrous. To enhance your marketing prowess, answer the following questions.
What business am I really in? If you think you are just competing against other travel agencies, then you may be losing business and missing valuable opportunities. In reality, you are really in a number of businesses, ranging from entertainment to education. For example, Sandy Elson of Pyramid Travel in Bethesda, Maryland realized that she was competing against people spending their time to get education and training. Realizing this, she called my office and developed a program to offer "cruise and learn" seminars to reach this education market.
Where can I diversify? Everytime a customer does business with you, there is an opportunity to offer them additional services and products. Through subcontracting and strategic alliances, you can offer these products and services without spending a lot of money or time. As in the example above, Sandy offered all the travel arrangements and I provided the seminars … a win/win strategic alliance.
What is the perceived quality of the service or merchandise I sell? People buy for their reasons, not ours. Although we may feel that we have a high-quality product or service, the customer is the one who really defines quality. Remember the saying, "To sell Jack Jones, what Jack Jones buys, you need to see Jack Jones through Jack Jones eyes. The quality of the feast is determined by the consumer, not he chef." Always look at everything you offer from the customers perspective.
What kind of image do I want to project? The marketing term positioning means how you want your product or service to be seen in the eyes of the consumer. Depending on the image you want, all your marketing efforts should focus on this marketing strategy.
How do I compare with the competition? You need to know your competition to determine where you have the advantages, to know why and how they are better and to copy success. Make sure you review your competition in relation to product/service characteristics, price, promotion strategies, place, packaging and personnel.
What benefits do I offer my customers? In other words, what can your clients save, gain, accomplish or avoid by using your product or service.
Who are my customers? There is no issue more important to you than knowing your customers. Most people try to be everything to everyone. This dilutes our marketing messages as well as our time and money. We need to focus on the 20% of our customers who will give us 80% of our income.
Why do they buy from me? There is one main reason why people buy from us. This is known as your Unique Selling Advantage. What are you doing differently from all the other competitors?
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Bright Ideas! - #7
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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How do Your Customers Really See You?
To keep both our internal (employees) and external customers happy we need to have a thorough understanding of their likes and dislikes. By following up with your customers after every transaction you'll be able to meet their challenges and concerns immediately and position yourself to keep and increase your business now and in the future. To make sure you are keeping them happy and delivering the best possible service ask yourself, your staff and above all your customers the following questions;
How well do we deliver what we promise?
How often do we do things right the first time?
How often do we do things right on time?
How quickly do we respond to your requests for service?
How accessible are we when you need to contact us?
How helpful and polite are we?
How well do we speak your language?
How hard do you think we work at keeping you a satisfied client?
How much confidence do you have in our products or services?
How well do we understand and try to meet your special needs and requests?
Overall, how would you rate the appearance of our facilities, products and people?
Overall, how would you rate the quality of our service?
Overall, how would you rate the quality of our service compared to our competitors?
How willing would you be to recommend us?
How willing would you be to buy from us again?
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Bright Ideas! #9
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW
to Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Creating a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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25 Ways to Keep Your Customers for Life
In today’s fast-changing and competitive environment, excellent customer service is essential for success. This article provides 25 tips to retain customers through enhanced customer service.
"The strategies for keeping customers for life can be honed down to some basic steps that any business owner can use. Time magazine said the No. 1 marketing strategy for businesses and organizations now and in the future will be directly related to the quality of that organization’s customer service," says customer service expert Arnold Sanow. Following are 25 tips Arnold recommends to keep your customers loyal.
25 Ways to Keep Customers for Life
Reward your customers. Send them a gift, provide them a lead, generate business for them, etc.
Use your customers’ services and buy their products. If you want to increase loyalty, there is no better way.
Send thank-you cards. Make sure they are handwritten and sent promptly. Peter Drucker attributed much of his success to the fact that he sent out 12 thank-you cards every day.
Return phone calls promptly. Since so many people don’t return calls, you automatically look good when you do.
Do what you say you are going to do.
Do things when you say you’re going to do them.
Underpromise and overdeliver.
Be accessible. Make sure you are available and willing to help customers whenever there is a problem. Your business should be open to meet the convenience of your customers and not only for your convenience.
Be credible. If you can’t establish that trust right away, customers may start to look at your competitors.
Appearance counts. Perception is reality, and the reality is that people do judge a book by its cover.
Show empathy. Remember the best customers are your currents ones. Stay in touch and continue to service their wants and needs.
Have a "Goof Kit." If you make a mistake, it’s not enough to say, "I’m sorry."
Promote customers’ products and services. By getting business for your clients, you ensure you will have a customer for life.
Do things for the customer’s convenience not yours. Make it as easy as possible for your customers to do business with you. The easier you can make it for your customer to do business with you, the more business you will have. Determine all the ways you can eliminate the hassle factor.
Send an invoice periodically with a "no charge" on it. This will help your customers remember you. And if it is unexpected, it will have a much larger impact.
Have a customer advisory panel. Only by knowing your customers’ wants and needs can you successfully grow your business and be totally customer-oriented.
Hire mystery shoppers. To really find out how good your customer service is, hire someone to go out and use your service from start to finish.
Be a resource. No matter what your customer needs, try to find it for them -- even if it has nothing to do with your business.
Shower customers with kindness.
Speak your customers’ language. If you use jargon your customers can’t understand, they won’t use you.
Have a great attitude.
Treat your employees well. If they are treated poorly, there is a good chance your customers will also get poor service.
Give your customer what they want, when they want it and how they want it.
Give back to your best customers. If you run a special price or product offer for first-time customers, ensure your current customers are offered the same opportunity.
Don’t show an attitude of indifference to your customers. In a recent study on why people give up on a company, 68 percent quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the customers by the owner, manager or employees — 68 percent!
Conclusion
"Customer service is more than just smile training -- it’s about treating people the way they wanted to be treated," concludes Arnold. "It’s also about giving the client what they want, when they want it and how they want it. It really comes down to the fact that good communication and human relations skills equals good customer relations."
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #25
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
You can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Developing and Instilling a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box or go to www.arnoldsanow.com and "unsubscribe"
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Perception is Reality
" The quality of the feast is determined by the consumer not the chef".
To be totally customer oriented you must know and understand your customers. To find out how your customers really feel about you and your company you need to ask them the following questions:
How well do we deliver what we promise?
How often do we do things right the first time?
How often do we do things right on time?
How quickly do we respond to your requests to service?
How accessible are we when you need to contact us?
How helpful and polite are we?
How well do we speak your language?
How hard do you think we work at keeping you a satisfied customer?
How much confidence do you have in our products or services?
Do we understand and try to meet your special needs and requests?
Overall, how would you rate the appearance of our facilities,
web site(s), products and people?
Overall, how would you rate the quality of our service?
Overall, how would you rate the quality of our service compared to our competitors?
How willing would you be to recommend us?
How willing would you be to buy from us again
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #23
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
You can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Developing and Instilling a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box or go to www.arnoldsanow.com and "unsubscribe"
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How To Make Your Sales Presentation Come Alive!
Just knowing the features and benefits about our products and services does not guarantee sales. To sell our products and services we must be able to tell stories and create pictures in the minds of our customers to excite their imagination. A story can either be dull and uninteresting or it can come alive. To put imagination into your sales story and increase your closing opportunities answer the questions below.
Get out the list of your product and service’s persuasive features and benefits to your customers. If you don’t have a list make one. Next to each feature and benefit put the answers to the questions below. (a feature is the characteristic about your product or service and the benefit is the result)
1.What’s the most dramatic statement I can make about this feature and benefit?
2.What’s the most arresting visual presentation of this feature and benefit to set a customer thinking about it?
3.What’s the most searching question I can ask about this feature and benefit to set a customer thinking about it?
4.What are the most interesting success story or sales examples I can give to back up the claims I make for this feature and benefit?
5.Which are my best, most impressively written testimonials, the ones most likely to get attention either because of the person giving the testimonial or of what it says.
6.What is the most dramatic action I can perform to hold and impress my customer while dealing with this feature or benefit?
7.What is the most compelling logic I can find in relating this feature and benefit to others?
8.What is the most effective demonstration I can make of this feature and benefit?
9.What customer participation can I devise, in this feature and benefit so that my customer becomes part of the act?
10.What practical test can I suggest for proving the validity of my claim for this feature and benefit?
To further increase your opportunities and kick start some life into your business, ask yourself, your staff and your customers these questions about your product and services:
Can the products/services be put to other uses? Can it be adapted? What else is like this? What other ideas does this suggest? What could we copy? What could be modified?, Given a new twist? Changed in color, meaning, sound, motion, odor, form, shape? Any other changes possible? Can it be magnified? What can be added? More time? Greater Frequency? Stronger? Higher? Longer? Shorter? What can we substitute? What else instead? Other ingredients? Rearrange? Change the schedule? Reverse it? Combine it? Different Purposes?
Remember that you only get one chance to make a good impression. By putting some "zip" into your sales presentation you’ll close more sales and see your business skyrocket to the top!
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #23
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
you can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and for
Instilling a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Show Appreciation
When studies are done on what motivates employees invariably the #1 reason given by employees is appreciation. It's also true that one of the biggest complaints people have about their work is the lack of appreciation. If we all know this, then why are there so many complaints about the lack of appreciation?
Some of the reasons given by supervisors, co-workers and friends are:
1.I never get any appreciation from others, so why should I give it out
2.I never received appreciation when I was growing up so I'm uncomfortable giving it out
3.People may take advantage of the situation if I give praise
4.They are paid to do a job and praise is unnecessary
These are just a few of the reasons that are given. No matter what your excuse, you must realize that appreciation, recognition and praise are important to others. Some of the simple things you can do to show appreciation and build your charisma are:
·Say thank you
·Send handwritten thank you cards
·Give a pat on the back
·Express your appreciation when someone does a good job
·Praise them to others...they will hear about it
·Write a letter or send an e-mail to the persons supervisor letting them about the good
·job they are doing
·Send them a gift
·If you see them at lunch or dinner with their family, pick up the check
·Pay them a compliment
·Take them to lunch
·Have a 6 pack of ice cream sent to them from www.benandjerrys.com
·Help them out in an unselfish way
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #21
Your weekly resource to provide you with quick tips, tools and solutions
you can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and to Promote a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to
newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box.
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box.
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What is a Customer?
In a recent survey titled, why do people give up on your company? it was noted that 68% quit because of an attitude of indifference toward the client by the owner, manager or employee.
This indifference comes about because we tend to forget that to stay employed and succeed in our business or organization we need to be totally customer oriented. To keep us on focus here is a reminder by the author "anonymous" about the importance of the customer.
A customer is the most important person in a business, in this office … in person, by phone, e-mail or mail
A customer is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him/her.
A customer is not an interruption of our work. He or she is the purpose of it.
A customer does us a favor when he or she comes in. We aren't doing him/her a favor by waiting on him/her
A customer is part of our business - not an outsider. A customer is not just money in the cash register. He/she is a human being with feelings and deserves to be treated with respect.
A customer is not someone to argue or match wits with. Nobody ever won an argument with a customer.
A customer is a person who comes to us with his/her needs and wants. It is our job to fill them.
A customer deserves the most courteous attention we can give him/her. He/she is the lifeblood of this and every business. He or she pays your salary. Without him/her we would have to close our doors. Don't ever forget it.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #19
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them and for Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Attract an Abundance of Professional and Personal Connections
Did you ever wish you could connect with someone else but didn't know how? The reality is that everyone is only 3-5 people away from anyone else they want to meet.
The average person knows about 150-250 people. Therefore, if you let people know what you are looking for there is a good chance that they will have a contact who they can introduce you to.
To meet as many people as possible follow these guidelines:
Socialize - At parties, informal gatherings, professional meetings and mixers meet and greet as many people as you can.
Make friends - Take some time to get to know others. Remember good business and friendships are built on relationships.
Promote others - Regularly talk up people in your network.
Ask for what you want - Be very specific about what you are looking for. Know exactly what you do and be able to say it in 16 seconds or less.
Advertise yourself - Raise your visibility. You can do this by writing articles, speaking to various groups, holding office in one of your clubs or getting on radio or television.
Set goals for yourself - Determine who you want to meet, how many contacts you want to meet and when you will meet them.
Form your own networking club - Meet on a regular basis with 5-8 other people to see how you can assist each other in obtaining goals.
Have a rolodex party- Meet with a friend or business associate and share leads. Call your clients on their behalf and vice-versa.
Network with competitors - If you can't help someone, refer them to your competitors …. Always let your competitors know you gave the referral.
Keep going - Meet as many contacts you can. The more people you know the more opportunities you will have.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #17
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Pump Up Your Listening Power!
Think about the people you most like to work and socialize with --- we bet they are pretty good listeners. Active listening not only helps you to become a more effective listener it also can greatly enhance your popularity.
Try these proven strategies to pump up your listening power:
Limit your own talking
Take a breath before talking
Don't interrupt
Concentrate on the person
Talk in a conducive setting
Be interested and show it
Notice nonverbal communication
Turn off your worries
Don't prejudge
Don't rush the other person
Paraphrase what has been said
Ask for clarification of words and ideas you don't understand
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #24
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions
You can use .. NOW - To Get Customers, Keep Them Through Exceptional Customer Service and to Instill a Positive Work Environment
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by subscribing at www.arnoldsanow.com
To be removed from this list, click on reply and type "remove" in the message box or go to www.arnoldsanow.com and "unsubscribe"
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5 Keys To Get Others To Sing Your Praises
Only 15% of your success in life will depend on your technical skills. The other 85% relates to your communication and human relations skills. In a recent study it was interesting to note that doctors who were sued the most were not necessarily the ones who made mistakes, but the ones who were arrogant and did not get along with their patients. The same philosophy is true for speakers, meeting planners and anyone else who relies on people for their livelihood. The fact is, we are all salespeople and we are selling ourselves everyday. And to be truly successful we must develop relationships. According to Joe Batten, "Before you tell ask, Before you talk listen, After you listen relate, and always show that you care. When you can translate care, people will want to do business with you and details will not get in the way".
To build relationships and get people to like you, trust you, sing your praises and get you to keep your job or clients, follow these 5 guidelines:
1. BE RELIABLE.
Reliability means many things, but without it your career or business will fail to grow and prosper. For example, when you tell a client you will have something for them on Tuesday and your late, your good reputation suffers. In fact, if you tell people you will have a project ready next week, in their minds next week means Monday. Come in any time after that and you’re already too late. Although these seem like minor points, being late, not returning phone calls, not giving 100%, failure to be reliable will hurt you and ultimately help your competitors. To be reliable follow these guidelines:
• Do what you say your going to do
• Do it when you say your going to do it
• Do it right the first time
• Get it done on time
And always remember ..... Underpromise and Overdeliver
2. BE RESPONSIVE.
Responsiveness means being available, accessible and willing to help customers whenever there is a problem. It also means keeping them informed and providing the services as soon as possible. For example, one speaker is known to be so responsive that he always gets more than his share of jobs. In one instance, a meeting planner was near panic when her keynote speaker was sick 1 day before a major convention. She called this speaker and he rearranged his schedule and worked all night to prepare a winning presentation for the next day. Meeting planners also call him, because even if he can’t do a presentation, he will get on the phone and find a speaker to help out the meeting planner. So, when a meeting planners need a speaker who do you think they call?
3. DEVELOP TRUST AND LIKABILITY
When you look at the bottom line, there are two ultimate reasons why people will work with you. It’s because they like you and they trust you. According to US News and World Report, "Americans are ruder than ever". Simple kindness and good manners can greatly enhance your opportunity to win new clients, generate more business with the ones you have and increase your referrals. To accomplish this follow the 10 commandments of human relations:
1. Speak to people - There is nothing so nice as a cheerful personality
2. Call people by name - The sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his or her name.
3. Have humility - There is something to be learned from every living thing
4. Be friendly - If you would have a friend, be one
5. Be cordial - Speak and act as if everything you do is a pleasure
6. Be sincerely interested in others
7. Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism
8. Give your word - then keep it
9. Be considerate of the feelings of others
10. Be alert to give service - what counts most in life is what we do for others.
4. WATCH YOUR APPEARANCE.
Have you ever heard the saying, "Don’t judge a book by its cover?" Well guess what everybody does? Although appearances can be deceiving, customers draw a lot of conclusions about the quality of service on the basis of what they see. Your dress, body language, written materials, office, car and verbal skills account for how you are ultimately judged. In fact, 93% of the message that is perceived is by your body language and tone of voice and only 7% is by the words you use. For example, I remember one speaker who started off his talk by saying, "I’m happy to be here", but was unconsciously shaking his head back and forth, while his voice was very low and unconvincing. Unfortunately for him the audience picked up quite a different message than what his words conveyed
5. BE EMPATHETIC
To the extent that you treat someone as special and solve his or her unique problems he/she will continue to be your customer. Empathy means putting yourself in the customers shoes - trying to grasp his or her point of view and feel what he or she feels.
Disneyland says it best, "We love to entertain Kings and Queens, but the vital thing to remember is this: Every guest receives the VIP treatment ...It’s not just important to be friendly and courteous to the public, it is essential ... At Disneyland we get tired, but never bored, and even if it is a rough day we appear happy. You’ve got to develop a sense of humor and genuine interest in people. If nothing else helps remember that you get paid for smiling."
Although your technical job skills must be excellent, it’s not enough. Remember that people do business with their friends. Develop win/win relationships and see your business skyrocket!
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #14
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW ..
To Get Customers, Keep Them Coming Back and Promoting a Positive Work Environment.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit. They can register by replying to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and writing "subscribe" in the message box
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Test Your Conversation IQ
In our personal and professional lives many of our conversations and opportunities fall flat and fail because we tend to talk only about ourselves. Successful communicating requires that we must have two-way communication. To become a popular conversationalist ask yourself these questions:
Is your voice always monotone or do you speak enthusiastically?
Are you self-centered or other oriented?
Do you try to dominate conversations?
Do you talk too much, over explain or lecture others?
Are you a complainer?
Do you talk to people about things they are interested in?
Do you smile, laugh easily and respond to others genuinely?
Can you discuss subjects besides your home or job life?
Do you get to the point quickly or do you go into excruciating detail?
Are you open, candid, direct and friendly?
Do you have good eye contact?
Are you an active and sympathetic listener?
Do you ask others open-ended questions that draw them out?
Do you ask others about how they feel about a subject?
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Listen, Learn and Earn More
By Arnold Sanow
Many people assume that to be good in sales you need to constantly talk. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, the most successful sales people are those who are active listeners. By listening you not only become more likable but you hear the wants, needs and objections of your potential clients. The problem is too many times we focus in on what we want to say or our "sales pitch" without really hearing what the potential client really wants. According to Dean Rusk, "The best way to persuade people is with your ears --- by listening to them". To persuade, influence and motivate others to purchase our products and services --- and earn more money --- become an active listener.
Follow these 6 rules of active listening:
Limit your own talking - You have two ears and one mouth. The more you listen the more opportunity you’ll have to find out what the customer really wants.
Don’t interrupt - By interrupting the client, sensitivity, rapport and commitment are all killed. Although at times it seems expedient to interrupt, this perceived lack of respect for the prospect helps to deteriorate the relationship and makes it harder to close the sale.
Notice nonverbal communication - Only 7% of the message our client is communicating is through the words he/she uses, 38% is through tone of their voice and 55% is through their body language. This means that 93% of the message that someone communicates is conveyed by body language and tone of voice. Therefore, if you’re talking to a prospect and they start doing things like, crossing their arms, crossing their legs away from you, yawning, leaning back, looking bored or avoiding eye contact, you need to "listen" to their body language and not only their words.
Don’t only think about what you’re going to say next - Too many times we are so concerned about we want to say that we don’t hear what the other person is really saying. By not paying total attention to our client, we "sell" them on what we think is important and not what they really want. This frustrates the potential client and in many cases we lose the sale.
Talk to your client in a conducive setting - To get others to listen to us and have them focus on the substance of our message, distractions must be minimized. Is your office too hot?, Too cool?, Is the phone ringing all the time?, Are you answering the phone while talking to them?, Are there other people around?, Do you have distracting habits? To make sure active listening takes place, you must alleviate all distractions.
Paraphrase what has been said - To avoid misunderstandings, it’s important to repeat back what the client has told you. The problem is that when you talk, how you say something and the words you use may have a different meaning to the client. Many times we say, "do you understand? or does that make sense?" In most cases the client will say, "yes". The question we really need to find out is, "what did they understand?" And since it may seem rude to ask that question, we need to repeat back what they said to make sure we are both hearing and understanding the same thing.
Too close more sales we must determine the wants and needs of our clients first and then work backwards to determine the best products and services for them ---- And the best way to do that is through active listening.
Arnold Sanow, MBA, is the co-author of four books, including "Marketing Boot Camp". He is a professional speaker and trainer with more than 2,000 speaking engagements to his credit. His keynotes, breakout sessions, and seminars focus on marketing, sales, customer service, communication and presentation skills. You can reach him at 703-255-3133. His web page is www.arnoldsanow.com and you can e-mail him at speaker@arnoldsanow.com
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Bright Ideas!
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This bi-weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and techniques you can use now to get customers, keep them and get enthusiastic referrals.
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others who may benefit
For a free subscription reply to newsletter@arnoldsanow.com and write "subscribe"
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It’s Not Just What You Say … It’s What You Radiate
To close more sales, have better relationships at work and a more fullfilling personal life it's important to realize that people are perceiving you by not just what you say, but how you say it.
To get your associates, employees and clients to like you, trust you and respond to you favorably you need to be sensitive to the messages your body and tone of voice is conveying. Many people when trying to persuade, motivate and influence others are at a disadvantage because they think their verbal skills are all that matter. Little do they realize that people are consciously or unconsciously picking up what you are really saying by observing your body language. To get an unfair advantage in business and exploit your opportunities use the SOFTEN technique to make yourself more approachable, likeable and trustworthy:
S – Smile - A simple smile shows that you really care . It also provides a sense of warmth and increases your likeability. As the saying goes, "A smile is the light in the window that tells people you are home."
O – Open Posture –By keeping an open posture (i.e. don’t cross your legs or arms) you will appear to be open minded, less defensive, less arrogant and more approachable.
F – Forward Lean – One of the best ways to show interest is to lean forward when communicating. If you are attentive and interested in them, they will be interested in you.
T – Territory - In the USA the acceptable distance between two people is 14 to 46 inches, Closer than this and people will be distracted, while further distance is interpreted as aloofness.
E – Eye Contact - One of the most important ways to establish trust and rapport is through eye contact. Although some cultures may view eye contact differently, for most of us eye contact is positive. In a business presentation, eye contact should not be held for longer than four or five seconds with any one person.
N – Nodding - Nodding shows attentiveness, enthusiasm and validates the speaker.
To be truly successful we want people to focus on the substance of our message and not the style in which it is presented. By understanding and being sensitive to our body language and the message it is sending, we can increase our chances of getting our message across in a clear and concise manner.
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Bright Ideas!
Newsletter #11
Your Online Resource Guide For Attracting and Keeping Customers, Clients and Wealth
This weekly resource provides quick tips, tools and solutions you can use NOW to Get Customers,---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Attitude…
The key ingredient for success
Everything begins and ends with your attitude. It is the foundation for our success. In fact, in many companies a good attitude is not only nice, but also essential. It keeps people from getting hired and in other cases it is a reason for dismissal. For example, if you apply for a job at one major hotel chain and you do not smile at least five times in a five-minute interview then your chances for getting hired are almost non-existent. In another instance, one major hardware store has managers who observe employees and if they see anyone with a bad attitude they relieve them of their duties immediately. All this "attitude" stuff may seem fluffy to some, but to attract and keep clients we must project an upbeat, caring and concerned attitude. A recent survey stated it best when they asked clients why they don’t go back to a business. The overwhelming response was "an attitude of indifference by the owner, manager or employee."
To help you and your employees’ keep your attitude adjusted at all times follow these three guidelines:
Flip side exercise – This exercise is based on the principal that no matter what goes wrong there is always something good that comes from it. For example, if you hate your job, the flip side would be that at least you have a job or if you put a dent in your new car the flip side is at least you were not hurt. The man who recently got divorced stated it best, "I’m not divorced, I’ve just been traded." These guidelines are easier said then done. To make the flip side exercise work for you take a small notebook with you everywhere you go and when something goes wrong, write down what went wrong and what is good about it. Try this for a month and you’ll find that you’re not only thinking this way, but you’re enjoying life even more than before.
Count your blessings – Count your blessings, not your worries. Too many times we let every little problem affect us. This causes us to be less productive, less happy and our attitude suffers. For example, if we lose a sale many of us become disappointed and we let the negative energy affect us. To combat this we need to appreciate all our blessings such as family, shelter, friends, our job and others. We then need to put it all in perspective and focus on what is really important in life.
Simplify your life – Make your life simpler and watch your attitude improve. For example, one client of mine was going to fire one of his employees because of his poor attitude. The reason he had a poor attitude was that he had to drive a long distance everyday in terrible traffic. Realizing this may be the problem, the employee moved to a new apartment, which was only 5 minutes from work. Almost immediately, his attitude changed and he was like a new person. Simplify now and you’ll see a change for the better.
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