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Month: September 2019

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Growth Management Personal Development

Leadership Coaches and Mentors

There are few forces as powerful as mentors and coaches in leadership development. As individual leaders, we learn our best habits, skills, and insights through having influential individuals in our lives. In time, we use our experiences with them to become coaches and mentors to others. But each role, coaches and mentors, is subtly different from one another, and both are necessary for the proper growth and development of leadership capacities.

 Future leaders need a solid example of how to lead.

Coaches build expertise and provide accountability. As coaches, we help set goals, expectations, and development for our team members and those within our scope of responsibility. We are providing support, assisting in establishing and building careers and personal development, while also providing a level of accountability. This last piece is critical because our team members are answerable to us. This relationship adds an often uncomfortable dynamic in these relationships where the cost of coming up short can lead to stressful situations. As coaches, we have to be able to allow our teams the freedom to explore new areas and try new things. At the same time, we keep our teams grounded in their responsibilities and hold them accountable for their contributions and work.

A mentor helps with these tough situations. Mentors are advisors and guides, not supervisors. Developing leaders are not directly answerable or accountable to their mentors, and they are not professionally responsible for any suggestions, advise, or work that mentors provide. As mentors, we provide advice, assistance, and an outside, third-party, perspective, and only hold our mentees accountable in a personal setting. There are no professional penalties if they fall short on expectations or fail to deliver results—although this may impair any relationships. This dynamic provides great strength towards mentoring-style relationships. They are excellent for advice and asking tough questions while receiving impartial and clear guidance on how to proceed under challenging situations.

Growing and developing leaders requires both ends of this spectrum of support. Future leaders need a solid example of how to lead. No text or training program can provide the substantial influence of having a great leader and a great example to follow. A great coach provides direction and accountability. They help to push leaders out of their comfort zone and expand their horizons, knowledge, and skills. A great mentor allows for a better area to have the difficult conversations around navigating these murky seas.

Developing leaders will face difficult situations which they will be uncomfortable discussing with their leaders, especially where accountability and failure are at stake. A mentor provides experienced insights into these situations and can help give answers to the tough questions. Both are necessary for developing the core leaders in every organization.

Ed Brzychcy is former U.S. Army Infantry Staff-Sergeant with service across 3 combat deployments to Iraq. After his time in the military, he received his MBA from Babson College and now coaches organizational leadership and growth through his consultancy, Blue Cord Management.

Categories
Best Practices Investing Marketing Negotiations Sales

Are You Winning Enough Opportunities at the Right Prices?

While many of my Sales Consultants specialize in specific industries, I have defined my niche differently: companies who produce a differentiated product or service, and who want to be fairly compensated for their value. This means selling at a higher price, In alignment withthe customer.

I’ve had the opportunity to work in many industries: electronic components, telecom gear, telecom services, commercial real estate, and banking. I’ve also been the highest priced option in all of those industries: a combination of products and services.

I have always worked for some of the most famously “high-priced” providers in whatever business I was in. The common thread, and the reason I’ve been successful in each role? In a stroke of early-career luck, I learned the fundamentals of selling to full value (much more involved than “value selling”, and much more effective at establishing higher preference at a higher price) at an early stage, and was able to refine that methodology for use in increasingly “commoditized” industries (what can be more commodity than selling money?). Those experiences formed the core of my Full Value Selling™ methodology.

How do successful selling and selling at the right price interact? Let’s take a look at some research.

Differentiation Gets Valued. 

Look down the left hand side of the graphic below, produced by CSO Insights. Noel Capon describes similar levels of relationship shown in his benchmark work, Key Account Management and Planning. The higher up a customer places a supplier on the vertical axis of this scale, the more value they find in the buy-sell relationship.
No alt text provided for this image

CSO Insights has found that higher levels on the vertical axis correspond to higher win rates, which is awesome. Curiously, they have not even thought to study pricing power.  That is apparently my lonely corner of the selling performance market.

Value CAN Get Compensated.

Many sales methodologies can be used to help selling organizations progress up the scale – at least as far as your customer wants you to go. Far fewer methodologies teach how to get a customer to want you higher on the scale.  The higher a supplier is able to achieve relationship-wise on this scale, the more leverage the supplier has to price.  Again, having leverage doesn’t automatically guarantee successfully using that leverage.

The difference between “winning more reliably” and “winning more reliably at the optimum price” is where I specialize. Full-Value Selling™ helps sellers consistently and smoothly help customers quantify the value received, and more acutely see the bargain they are obtaining – even at a higher price than competitors offer.

When customers are more rigorous at analyzing your value, they see price more clearly in relation to that value. Consumer behavior research shows that people only analyze value until they “get over the hump” to justify a purchase. What this means is that they won’t fully appreciate your entire value on their own; to appreciate your full value to them, customers need to be taken beyond that “make the sale” minimum. Sellers who want to reliably win premium-priced deals can do a little more: help the customer think through FULL value. This makes the seller not only able to win at more advantageous prices but resist discounting more effectively.

Relationship vs. Process Rigor vs. Sales Performance.

CSO Insights has extensively studied companies on not only the level of customer relationship achieved but on how rigorous their salespeople follow a selling process. The horizontal axis on the matrix represents four major categories of selling methodology/process rigor. “Random” means that every rep uses their own personal process. In “informal”, sellers go through process training, but none is enforced. “Formal” is the designation for ongoing process reinforcement and enforcement. “Dynamic” process processes are systematically revisited and updated in response to internal and external changes.

How does selling rigor interact with relationship quality? I’ll discuss results in a moment, but think about how much easier it might be to consistently achieve better customer relationships if sellers know how to perform best practices? The key to progressing to the right on the matrix is how well organizational support manifests itself in effective front-line sales manager (FSM) coaching and mentorship. Teaching a methodology gets you only so far; following it long-term, and making it part of your corporate culture is a huge differentiator.

What are the performance outcomes associated with your position on this matrix? Take a look at the color-coded outcomes corresponding to the matrix above:

No alt text provided for this image

Notice that these outcomes, while highly compelling, are deafeningly silent on pricing achieved. Any sales consultant, myself included, want to help you move up and to the right. I want to help you do more…by filling the void in that deafening silence.

Selling Well vs. Selling Well Consistently vs. Selling Well, Consistently, and Profitably

I also do work throughout our company’s clientele on improving how sales managers coach sellers.  This is key to helping my clients achieve consistently great sales results, but also consistently optimum pricing. I can’t help my clients consistently achieve more profitable pricing for the long term without their commitment to long-term adoption.

Selling value consistently yields higher sales performance, but pricing those reliable sales results yields higher profit performance…think of it as a third dimension of sales performance. I help clients add a third axis to this matrix: doing it all profitably, by achieving optimum win-win pricing. This doesn’t replace any methodology; it complements those tools seamlessly with another: a relentless focus on value delivered.

If you want to move upward and to the right on the Sales Relationship Process matrix, we might need to talk. If you want to do that while achieving higher pricing that your customers love, we are kindred spirits, and I invite a deeper discussion of your goals.

To your success!

Categories
Growth Management Operations Personal Development

Want to be more customer-centric? Try crossword puzzles.

Six months ago, I started doing crossword puzzles. I did it so I’d spend less time staring at my phone but ended up with another, unexpected benefit. It turns out that crossword puzzles are as much about perspective-taking as they are about trivia or vocabulary. Perspective-taking is the essence of empathy, and empathy is the key to customer-centricity.

Subtle shifts in meaning can drastically change outcomes

When I’m stuck on a clue, it’s usually because I’m thinking the wrong way. Puzzle authors count on that. They pick words and phrases with many meanings, like this one: “Number of prime ministers on Downing Street.” The answer was 3 letters. I assumed “number” meant amount and answered “one.” There’s only one British Prime minister, right? Yes, but wrong. The word they wanted was “ten.” To figure that out, you had to read the clue as “the number of the place on Downing Street that belongs to the prime minister.” Subtle change, big difference.

Being able to look at things from many perspectives is key to running a customer-centric business. I once heard a leader say “customers thought these were marketing emails, but they’re not.” Wrong. If customers thought they were marketing emails, they were marketing emails. A better question to ask is “what made customers see these as marketing when that’s not what we intended?”

Knowledge gaps often derail an otherwise good experience
When you practice perspective-taking, you may also expose a knowledge gap between you and your customers. When I got stuck on the clue “Mel Torme’s nickname,” the problem wasn’t perspective. I’m just not familiar enough with 1950s pop culture to come up with “The Velvet Fog” on my own.

The same thing happens with customers all the time. Last week I had problems tagging people in LinkedIn posts I wanted to schedule via Hootsuite. The service rep kept explaining “you can’t tag profiles, only pages,” which confused me. I thought they were the same thing, but she didn’t pick up on that. A few extra words – you can’t tag personal LinkedIn profiles, only company LinkedIn pages, – and our exchange would have been far less frustrating.

Most people, including that rep, aren’t trying to be difficult. Perspective-taking is hard, especially in the chaos of modern life. Our brains want to interpret things as fast as possible, so they call up the most common, familiar, or recent interpretation they can think of. We trust our brains, so we assume that’s right unless something external, like the wrong number of letter spaces, makes us think more broadly. Humans can learn to trigger new thinking without external cues, but it takes practice. That’s what crossword puzzles offer – a low-risk way to strengthen perspective-taking muscles that will help you deal with friends, family, and clients in the future.

How do you practice taking unusual perspectives? Maybe you act in local theater. You could read books or watch shows for which you’re not the target audience. (Tuning in to an old movie on the Outdoor Channel exposed this city-girl to a world of camping products she never knew existed!) Whatever you choose to do, I can assure you that empathy exercises will be eye-opening, often fun, and worth it for any leader who wants to stay more connected with their customers.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Never Let Good Stop You From Being Amazing” – Negotiation Insight

“Never stop at ‘good enough.’ If you do, you’ll never know how close you are to becoming amazing!” – Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

Click here to get the book!

“Never Let Good Stop You From Being Amazing”

He was the number one problem solver in his company. And he’d been working for days in solitude to find a solution to the latest challenge. Finally, after laboring in thoughts for hours without a break, he felt his thoughts circling. He said this is going nowhere. I’m like a dog chasing its tail. One of these thoughts will have to be good enough. I can’t do any better. With that, he stopped thinking. Good enough had prevented him from being amazing.

You can be confronted by several challenges that occur in the future when you stop at good. The biggest one is, you’ll never get better. And not getting better will prevent you from becoming amazing. Your mental state of mind will say, you’ve settled for mediocrity in the past, do it this time, too. That thought may not be an outward expression. But it will be the signal from your subconscious mind that will stop you from reaching your full potential and higher goals.

 

The following are three ways you can move past good and become amazing.

 

  1. Know your peak times.

    • Everyone has different times in the day when they’re mentally more alert. Thoughts seem to flow through them like a flowing fountain. If you know when that time occurs for you, attempt to be your most creative during those times. To enhance your thinking process, eliminate all obstacles that might intrude on what might be your state of zen. By removing distractions, you’ll ensure that you stay in that state longer. And your creativity will be extended.

 

  1. Be aware of when you’re under pressure or stress.

    • Most people don’t perform well under pressure. And the more it exists, the more likely you are to make mistakes. That can lead to stress. Then, you begin to fight a vicious cycle of tension, which leads to stress, which increases the pressure. When you experience the weight of undue burdens or anxiety, it’s time to stop. You won’t do yourself much good if you continue to burn your brain cells. All you’ll be doing is grinding your mind to a slow halt.

 

    • Don’t beat yourself up. That’ll only hamper your thinking process. Sometimes, amid frustration, you may begin to demean yourself. Don’t do it. Resist saying things like, I’m so stupid. I knew I was too dumb to do this. First, your subconscious hears what you think, even if you don’t say it out loud. And, your subconscious will attempt to create the reality that you state to be your belief. Thus, be cautious about what you say and what you think when you address a situation. If you believe you’re not good enough to conquer or complete a task, you’ll never get to the point of where amazing resides.

 

  1. Know where help is and how to use it.

    • Get the thoughts of others to assist you with your thinking. When two people consider how to solve a problem, they create different ideas than if one was doing so. Thus, when you find yourself challenged by the absence of ideas, ask others to join you. Just make sure that you extend invitations to those that will add to your thoughts and not distract from them.

 

What does this have to do with negotiations?

 

Some people negotiate as a team because they realize that there are more significant opportunities that might otherwise go unobtained. In so doing, they enhance the probability of an amazing outcome and not one that’s just good.

If you consider how you might turn a good negotiation into an amazing one before you enter into it, that singular act will put you on the road to an incredible outcome. From there, you can enhance the process. Just incorporate what I mentioned in steps 1, 2, and 3 … and everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

#Negotiate #Negotiator #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #Success

 

 

 

Categories
Growth Leadership Personal Development

It’s Lonely at the Top

Most of us have heard about it, and though it already sounds like a cliché, there’s no denying that it can be lonely at the top. 

We’re all familiar with the prestige, responsibilities and financial rewards that can accompany that level of accomplishment. However, for someone who has never experienced life in the C-suite, it may be helpful to understand some of the other hidden pressures that come with the power of that title.

Below are some of the factors that make being at the top challenging at times. 

 

The Isolation

One of the things that makes a CEO’s job so much more complicated than it already is is the isolation. When you’re in a position of power, feeling disconnected from the rest of the people in your organization is something that comes naturally given the dynamics of the relationship between a leader and the people he or she leads.

Just look at it this way. As the CEO, you want the organization to succeed by knocking down its goals. Realizing how crucial people are in the achievement of these goals, you’ll do anything to relate to your staff and form a connection.

However, in this day and age, employees are looking for leaders who are visible, approachable, authentic and vulnerable. Not an easy task. It’s a double-edged sword. As much as vulnerability can be viewed as a strength, it may also be frowned up as a weakness. Like the good parent, your children (employees) want to feel safe, like “you’ve got it covered.” They want to know they can depend on you to protect their interests. Too much vulnerability, particularly when you’re in the middle of difficult personal time, can feel like TMI (Too much information!)

Secondly, there’s always the element of vulnerability on the part of the employees. How much do they actually tell you so that they do not jeopardize their own position? No matter how transparent you may be, it’s natural for some people to feel a little hesitation in opening up out of fear of judgment or retaliation. 

You can’t entirely blame them for feeling that way though.

You can’t blame it on yourself either because such a reaction doesn’t necessarily reflect on you. Most of it is purely human nature and workplace dynamics and nothing personal. 

 

No one to turn to

As if that feeling of disconnection isn’t bad enough, what makes things tougher for CEOs in handling these kinds of issues is that they have no one to confide. No matter how eager you are to tell your wife or your husband about your ordeal, you’ll think twice.  And you’ll do this for several reasons: 

  • Because of confidentiality. You may not have the freedom to share the intimate complexities of your job
  • They may not understand your role and the complexity of the delicate nature of your relationships
  • You may not want to burden them with problems of your own. You may be experiencing burn out, but you don’t want to take them with you

So who do you turn to? Who do you ask for advice?

Unfortunately, in my experience, most CEOs would rather keep all these challenges to themselves. Things don’t have to be that way, however.  As complicated as it may sound, there are meaningful ways to find someone who can share the burden and somehow make things easier on your part. 

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If you have a few minutes and you’d like to find out how well you perform in high-stakes situations, take this Mastery Under Pressure Quiz. It only takes 5-10 minutes.

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Seek One-on-One Mentorship or Executive Coaching

Having someone to talk to can make a huge difference in battling the loneliness that being in the C-suite brings, especially if that person has already gone through similar experiences. Different mentors/coaches bring a variety of skills to the table. An additional benefit is the expert can help you see your “blind spots.” We all have them. Other people can see them, where we frequently cannot. It’s really important to know your own personality and behavior patterns and where/how they can trip you up.

The one-on-one format allows for complete transparency, allowing you to discuss anything to the extent to which you’re willing to give. If you want to succeed and still come out whole, getting a mentor would be a smart decision.

 

Join a Mastermind Group

Jim Rohn once said that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with” and a mastermind group best exemplifies this principle.

By working with like-minded individuals, you’re not only able to address your loneliness issues but also learn from other CEO’s experiences. This wealth of knowledge will come in handy once you come face-to-face with the same problems as you go along your journey.

You’ll be able to exchange ideas about the common issues your respective organization shares,  the type of leadership that works best or specific situations, and so much more.

When you’ve got a group of individuals sharing stories about their victories and losses, everyone’s a winner because of the value each individual brings to the table.

 

Final Thoughts

Is it lonely at the top? That’s the million-dollar question on every CEO’s mind, and whether we like it or not, the truth is it can be.  It’s not because of who you are but because it comes with the territory.

It doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that there’s no way around it.  As savage as the CEO’s responsibilities are, you don’t have to do it all alone. 

Stop keeping all the sorrow and disappointments to yourself by recognizing that everyone needs help no matter how powerful and in control you are. Sometimes, all it takes to get rid of all these loneliness and isolation you feel is to talk to someone who can identify with what you’re going through.

Whether it’s through a mastermind group, one-on-one mentorship or executive coaching, it’s entirely up to you.   Make no mistake about it though, talking to these people will help tremendously in making your life in the C-suite a fruitful and rewarding one.

Categories
Best Practices Body Language Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“How To Avoid Danger From Being A Strong Negotiator” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“The only real danger in being a strong negotiator is not knowing when to act like you’re weak.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

 

Click here to get the book!

“How To Avoid Danger From Being A Strong Negotiator”

 

Some negotiators emit weakness when they’re negotiating. There’s danger in doing that. Other negotiators exude strength. There’s danger in that, too. A successful negotiator knows how to project power while avoiding the threat of being perceived as overbearing, stubborn, or unrelenting. They also know when to appear robust and when to appear weak.

The following are ways that you can be a strong negotiator while avoiding danger and becoming more successful in your negotiations.

 

First, be mindful of the negotiator type with whom you’re negotiating. Some negotiators will view you as an opponent or adversary, while others will see you as an advisor or friend. It’s essential to identify and know the different characteristics displayed by negotiators. That’ll determine how you’ll negotiate with them.

 

Adversary Versus Advisor: 

If a negotiator perceives you as too overbearing, he may become obstinate. When you appear weak, some negotiators will take advantage of you. So, you must know when to adopt the right persona. You can determine that by how the other negotiator sees you versus how you wish him to view you.

When dealing with someone that notes you as an adversary, his mindset is, he’s in a rigorous engagement, and there’s only one winner, him. With this type of negotiator, stand your ground. Challenge him before making concessions. Make him earn what he receives. That will enhance the respect he has for you and your abilities.

When viewed as an advisor or friend, display a demeanor of agreeability. You want this negotiator type to feel at ease with you. Create a climate whereby ideas are free to be exchanged. That will encourage that person to be more amenable to your offers, thoughts, and ideas. Also, he won’t feel threatened when you propose something that may appear to be out-of-bounds.

 

Advisory Role:

When projecting strength or weakness, know when to switch roles. Displaying the advisor role (e.g., I’d like to gather a little more information so I can best determine how I might meet your request), is an excellent way to break the frame. It’ll allow you to morph from a position of weakness to strength or vice versa. Be sure to change your demeanor when doing so. Do that by adjusting your body language to meet the new image that you project.

As an example, if you’re acting the role of a competent person and you switch to a weaker one, sit smaller in your chair. Do that by slouching, and drawing your body closer to itself as though you were afraid.

To project an image of strength, expand the space you’re occupying. Accomplish that by increasing the size of your body, and making big gestures when you speak. You can also move your objects further away. You want to occupy more space to appear more confident. That nonverbal gesture states that you feel comfortable and unafraid of anything in the environment.

You can also use inflections in your voice to cast the appropriate demeanor. Do that by placing a stronger or weaker inference on the words that are most important to you. That will add value to your persona.

 

Conclusion:

Like everything in life – the more you know about the environment you’ll be in and the people in it, the better prepared you can be for what might occur. Knowing how to move back and forth stealthfully, from a forceful negotiator image to one less dynamic, will allow you to have more influence over the negotiation. Plus, you won’t have to worry about being perceived as an ogre when you adopt a more rigorous personality. That will keep the negotiation wolves away from your door, those that would seek retribution for you being too strong against them … and everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

#Danger #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Growth Industries Leadership Personal Development Technology

Humanizing Your Digital Communications

Video conferencing has been around for a long time. The equipment is usually kept in a special room, always booked by executives due to the high value they derive in using it to enhance their collaborations.

On the other hand, digital communications is very different by definition. Digital communications can take place using your laptop, your tablet, your smartphone, and even your watch, as the software is free, and the quality of the video is at an all-time high. Tech companies, such as Facebook, are now beginning to roll out more devices, such as the Portal, aimed at enhancing digital communications yet again.

However, the heaviest hitter in corporate digital communication is Zoom Communications. Zoom offers services that are now reliable enough for companies to migrate to, using Zoom as a primary means of communication. Zoom’s simplicity, improved security assurance, and rapid increase in visual and audio quality has made it favorable in comparison to the more traditional, in-house video conferencing systems I referred to earlier.

Digitization Disruption

Once again, we find that digitization is disrupting our everyday business activities. This isn’t exactly a surprise, as I’ve mentioned over time, digital disruption comes in waves, and every single industry, no matter if it is construction or IT security, will be disrupted. If your industry has not yet been digitally disrupted, it is likely on the horizon. If disruption has already occurred, it is time for you to start becoming more anticipatory, pay attention to the hard trends that are already shaping the future of your industry, and expect yet another wave of new disruptions that includes new opportunities as well.

While Zoom offers companies the possibility of connecting to meetings both visually and by way of company mobile phones, savvy companies recognize the abilities for employee engagement utilizing other features, such as white-boarding and meeting recording options.

In an increasingly globalized work environment, it was not always possible to meet clients face-to-face for the last several decades. Companies relied on telephones as a means of connecting with distant clients if they didn’t have access to a video conferencing system. But now with visual communications like Zoom, we’ve come full circle. Ironically and pleasantly enough, digitization, in this case, hasn’t taken us to an even more abstract, conceptualized means of communication. It has actually given communications a human face.

The Both/And Principle

In past articles, I’ve discussed the Both/And Principle. The new doesn’t replace the old. In fact, recognizing the interplay between the new and old is an incredibly useful first step in developing an entrepreneurial mindset. With Zoom, we see both online and in-person interactions mixing together, along with online collaboration between everyone given Zoom’s features.

This reflects and incorporates the more dynamic interactions companies have in today’s business environment. It allows for on-the-fly additions to conferences and opens up businesses to new interactions in a safer and secure space thanks to Zoom’s encryption capabilities.

Audio and visual quality now being at a higher level makes online conferencing more efficient. This is only one aspect, albeit a major one, as there are still more possibilities and opportunities to discover in the field of visual communications.

The Future of Digital Communication

Developers are still testing the ways in which visual communications can be pushed further, such as the recording of all communications over these platforms, their easy accessibility for analysis, and troubleshooting. Undoubtedly, digitization opens up visual communications to the benefits of big data. Digitization also provides businesses with easy access to support systems. Tech support can easily access a company’s network to fix any issues. This streamlines a process that once involved sitting on hold for hours with an external customer service center.

One thing is certain: The three digital accelerators being exponential advances in processing power, digital storage, and bandwidth will continue to provide new and powerful functionality to all forms of visual communications, as this highly personal method of dialogue and discourse becomes an even more dominant, prevalent means of communication with businesses around the globe.

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“You Need to Stop Stupid Bad Decisions Now” – Negotiation Insight

“Bad decisions can lead to bad outcomes. Stupid decisions can make bad outcomes worse.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

Click here to get the book!

“You Need to Stop Stupid Bad Decisions Now”

He had a crucial meeting at 9 a.m. the following day. It was with his company’s largest client. Many months had gone into the preparation of what would be the biggest deal the company had ever had. And everyone was counting on him to land that big deal.

So why do you think he allowed his so-called friends to talk him into going out the night before the big meeting? He knew what was at stake the next morning. They asked him to have just one drink. One drink turned into two, and two turned into nine. Finally, being inebriated, he said to his friends, I must go. I must be ready for that big meeting tomorrow. By the time he got home and went to sleep, it was 2:47 a.m. When he awoke, it was 11:09 a.m. He missed the meeting. He also lost what had up until then been a good career – because he got fired!

Has anything like that ever happened to you? Your so-called friends, instead of supporting you, distracted you from a goal. Maybe it wasn’t to the degree of what occurred in the story. In that case, the decision to go out the night before the big meeting wasn’t just a wrong decision – it was stupid! More than likely, you’ve made stupid decisions too. So why do you allow that to happen? There are several reasons. The following are some of them and how to protect yourself from falling prey.

 

Friends Versus Associates:

Be careful with whom you surround yourself. And don’t associate with people that work against your goals. Understand the value of real friends. They help protect you from harm. And they support your ambitions.

Associates, on the other hand, are people that may be close to you – but they’re usually individuals that care more about their self-interest than yours. They may not share your goals or outlook that you possess.

Here’s the catch, friends can lead you into bad decisions. If they do so once, you may consider forgiving them. If they do so frequently, move them out of the friend category. And ultimately you might consider moving them out of your life.

Whatever label you assign to those that are friends versus associates, be mindful of who you let into the friend category. Those individuals will have a more significant impact on your life.

 

Strong And Discipline:

There is a strength of mind and a mind that’s disciplined. You more than likely possess either depending on what you’re contemplating. But when confronted with decisions of significance, you need to combine those two forces.

When you know you have a lot riding on the outcome of a decision, consider the consequences of not being able to perform at your best. If that doesn’t prove to be substantial enough leverage, think what you might lose. Most people have a greater fear of loss than they do for the power of additional gain.

To ascend to higher heights, you must possess an attitude that states, no one will stop you. Then, commit to yourself to stop making stupid decisions. Once fortified by that belief, you’ll become empowered. That’s when you’ll possess the ability to achieve more consistently. That’ll also be the time when you stop making stupid bad decisions … and everything will be right with the world.

 

What does this have to do with negotiations?

 

Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes. It may be due to erroneous information, fear of not wanting to confront a situation boldly, or misperceiving the severity of it. Regardless of the reason, when you know you can avoid turning a bad mistake into a stupid one, don’t turn it into one.

In a negotiation, the more time you spend in it, the higher the chance to make bad decisions. Most negotiators want to see a bargaining session to its conclusion. That leaves them vulnerable to turning a wrong decision into a stupid one.

First, be alert to how you’re making decisions when you negotiate. If you feel pressure leading the choices you make, view that as a warning signal. It’ll be the alarm that alerts you to the possible doorway opening that leads to worse decisions.

 

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator

 

After reading this article, what are you thinking? I’d like to know. Reach me at Greg@TheMasterNegotiator.com

 

To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

#Decision #Negotiate #Negotiator #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #Success

 

 

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Here’s what sucks about stock photos on your website…

Do you leverage stock photos on your website?

Read on to see why that sucks.

As a speaker, author and expert-based business owner, your website is the magical nerve center of your online presence. 

It’s the top level that all other areas of your digital footprint leads to.

When you drive them to your hub, you want to greet them with all things YOU. 

And it starts with your image content. 

When people view your portraits, they’re looking to subconsciously answer three main questions: 

  • Is this person approachable?
  • Will I get along with this person?
  • Can this person be trusted?

If you only post stock photography on your website, you’re impeding the qualification process of those who would otherwise be ideal clients for you to serve. 

This impedance creates doubt in the minds of those who visit your site and have them look for alternatives rather than contact you directly. 

Why create that doubt when you can simply invest in an image content portfolio created specifically for you?

Some people argue that it’s hard to capture certain types of image content and it’s just easier to buy something already done. 

Sure, I can buy that it’s hard to capture certain types of image content based on the types of audiences you serve…

…but does that mean your brain is broken and can’t think of creative alternatives that involve you in them?

There’s ALWAYS more than one way to skin a cat.

For example, if you need photos of a boardroom meeting and your clients typically have you sign confidentiality agreements, then book a co-working space boardroom and have 3-5 of your friends show up for 30 minutes in their boardroom uniform best and instruct your photographer capture a wide variety of images:

  • You leading a discussion
  • Someone giving a presentation with slides
  • Attendees taking notes
  • Someone typing on a laptop
  • Shaking hands
  • People grouped together in discussion

This is a very generalized list, but you get the point. 

How many stock photos of the above scenarios have you seen floating around the internet? How easy would it be to simply capture images that you have full rights to and can do whatever you want with?

In collaboration with my clients, we’ve contrived a wide variety of lifestyle scenarios, including the above boardroom scenario, in order to get customized lifestyle portraits that they can use for their websites, including:

  • Webinars
  • Keynotes
  • Workshops
  • One-on-one consultations
  • Working on technology
  • Brainstorming ideas/mind mapping
  • Day-to-day activities

Some have argued to me that it’s cheaper to purchase stock images than to hire a photographer for a branded lifestyle portrait session.

Here’s my two cents on that.

Depending on where you purchase the stock photos – Getty, Pond 5, Adobe, etc. –  the pricing might be considerably cheaper than a portrait photography session. 

But here’s the catch.

That photo isn’t exclusively for you – it’s for everyone else who purchases rights to it. Do you want to run the risk of posting a photo that 20 other people are also using? Specifically, people who also operate in a similar space of expertise?

In that case, buy the exclusive rights, you say?

Have you seen how much it costs to garner exclusive rights for one photo? If you have more than a handful of stock images on your site, that strategy becomes cost prohibitive.

At the end of the day, all roads point to you investing in an image content portfolio that has a wide variety of branded lifestyle portraits and other image content that uniquely illustrates who you are, who you serve, and why you do what you do. 

Your website is too important a marketing asset to be littered with images that can be found all over the internet. 

There is only one you, and you need to be front and center on your website!

If you would like to learn more about image content portfolios and the relationship between visual content and the written word, I invite you to subscribe to my blog, where I also share other storytelling strategies that help to create a memorable and referable online presence.

Ready to skip the reading and get down to work?

Are you ready to delete all the stock images on your website and start fresh with your own branded lifestyle portraits?

Let’s have a chat and see if we’re a good fit to work together on this.

 

John DeMato is a NYC branded lifestyle portrait photographer and storytelling strategist who serves speakers, authors, coaches and high-level entrepreneurs across the country. His 50+ page e-book, S.H.A.R.E. M.A.G.I.C.A.L. I.D.E.A.S., lays out the how, what and why behind creating a memorable and referable online presence – sign up to get your FREE copy today.

Categories
Culture Investing Marketing Personal Development Sales Technology

Brick and Mortar Stores Are Dead? Not So Fast!

The Younger Generation That Chooses Brick and Mortar Stores

You’re a part of Generation Z if you were born between 1997 and 2012. (If Z is the last letter of the alphabet… then what’s next?) This generation actually prefers shopping at old-fashioned brick-and-mortar stores. Why? Simply put—because it’s fun and entertaining! Does this mean we’ve all exaggerated the death of retail? We think so.

According to a recent Morning Consult study, “(They) will be the largest, most ethnically diverse, best educated, and most financially powerful generation ever.” When Gen Z-ers started spending their own money, two-day delivery was becoming the norm. They made their first purchases when the convenience of online ordering and home delivery was the trend. So why didn’t they keep it up and hop onto the online bandwagon? Is ecommerce missing something? Or was it that, when looking at these different shopping experiences side by side, they found that neither was shiny and new? Why did they choose brick-and-mortar shopping over online?

We think it’s the spontaneity that comes with retail. There’s also a tactile experience that online shopping can’t provide. And we think shopping brick-and-mortar satisfies a social need, whether it’s just being out of the house, dressing up, or investing in “retail therapy”. They might find exactly what they were looking for, or they could discover something brand-new! Either way, they’re going out to interact with real people instead of clicking around online from the comfort of home.

The Beauty of Brick and Mortar Shopping

As producers who have built a major retail brand, we appreciate the power behind brick-and-mortar. We were lucky enough to offer our products in a large territory to retailers’ existing customers. Unlike the direct-to-consumer business where only a few items are sold at a time, we received one check for one big shipment of many different products. Our brand had the opportunity to be discovered on retail shelves and floor displays. When people buy online, they’re likely to repeat the same purchase of the same brand over and over again. There’s barely any chance of discovering something new! Convenience and time-saving triumph over discovery!

Price-wise, ecommerce is a race to the bottom. Price is always the determining factor online, rather than quality. Both the customer and the producer know that quality is hard to fake in a physical retail store.

Going Shopping—For Fun!

According to the report we mentioned earlier, two-thirds of Gen Z-ers shop for fun at least once per month. Among the list of their top “brands” were Wal-Mart and Target—two of the world’s largest brick-and-mortar stores.

“Free delivery” is a peculiar misconception that has boosted ecommerce as we know it. If everyone working for the USPS, UPS, and FedEx still gets paid to ship “for free”, where does the money come from? Either the online merchants factored shipping into their prices, or they “invested” in delivery costs to compete with brick-and-mortar stores. The customer ends up paying for delivery one way or another in the end. But a brick-and-mortar store will meet you halfway—You drive to them. They offer you prices that don’t include the cost of getting the product in your hands.

It’s been interesting to see Generation Z rediscovering what the Boomers knew all along about brick-and-mortar shopping. But don’t let them have all the fun—let’s go on a shopping trip! We’ll discover something new and meet people along the way!

 For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/