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Month: July 2020

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Would You Like To Be A More Powerful Negotiator” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“To be seen as being powerful, you must first see the power within yourself.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

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“Would You Like To Be A More Powerful Negotiator”



People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.

In every aspect of your life, you’re negotiating. The vast majority of people don’t realize that. Thus, to become more successful, you must become a more powerful negotiator! Why? Because the better your negotiation skills become, the more successful you’ll be as a negotiator. And that will allow you to obtain more in your daily activities. So, would you like to be a more powerful negotiator? If the answer is yes, observe the following.

 

Getting Better Answers

Asking questions as a negotiator is a way you gather information during the negotiation. But the questions you ask, and the way you ask them is what’ll determine the quality of information you receive. To get better answers, listen carefully. Be attentive to how people speak and what they say, so you know what questions to ask that’ll get them to give you better answers.

When people speak, they give insight into what’s important. A negotiator does that by the emphasis he places on certain words or phrases, the gestures he emits as he’s talking, and the reflections displayed when he pauses while speaking. That’s what you can observe to determine the questions to ask.

As an example, if a negotiator talks whimsically about a time he obtained a significant achievement, most likely, he’s speaking from a position of pride. Thus, during the negotiation, ask questions that put him back into that mindset. And imply that he can experience that sensation again. That will give you momentary power. And with it, he’ll be more inclined to accept your offer at that time.

 

Control Emotions

How did you feel mentally, the last time you engaged in an activity that required alertness, and you were emotionally distraught? If you’re like most people, you experienced sluggishness in your thinking and responses. You weren’t firing on all cylinders. That’s what occurs when you enter a negotiation, and you’re depressed. You don’t perform at your optimum level, which means you’re less likely to perform at your peak.

As a negotiator, emotions can be daunting to deal with during a negotiation. You have natural highs and lows, depending on what’s occurring as your bargaining. While it can be easy to say control your emotions when you negotiate, in reality, it can become a more challenging task to accomplish.

So, what might you do to control the destruction that taut emotions can bring to a negotiation? You can role-play, before the talks, to get a sense of the feelings you might experience during the proceedings. You could also consider having another negotiator, as a teammate, to deflect and combat negative emotions that might occur. And you can establish walkaway points, marked by a heightened state of emotions, that signals your departure from the hagglings.

The point is, you must control your emotions to negotiate effectively. Thus, the better you manage your feelings, the more significant will be the probability of you having a successful outcome. And since you know the role and value that emotions have on your negotiation, plan how you’ll control them before you engage in your next one.

 

Empathy’s Role

He doesn’t care about me. He’s the negotiator type that only wants the best outcome for himself. Have you ever heard someone say that about a person with whom they’d be negotiating? A lack of empathy can wreak havoc in a negotiation because it has an enormous role per how negotiators perceive one another. I’ve witnessed some negotiators improve the deal for their counterpart because the other negotiator displayed an interest in that person’s wellbeing. That’s the added value that empathy can have.

During a negotiation, when possible, let your counterpart sense the emotional care you have about his plight. Display through your actions that you have a sincere desire to be fair. With a negotiator that’s like-minded, he’ll appreciate your gesture and reward you with an easier going negotiation. You will have exercised a peaceful power that ignited the desire for him to reciprocate.

 

Accept Reality

If you wish to become a more powerful negotiator, you must learn to deal with reality. Some negotiators engage in negotiations too long. That causes them to become more emotionally involved, which pulls them deeper into staying engaged. They do so because psychologically, they want to see the outcome. In some cases, it’s like watching a movie that’s so bad; you can’t tear yourself away from it. Don’t allow this to happen to you!

When you first sense the minimum goals for the negotiation may be too far out of reach, begin to consider how you’ll exit. The sooner you withdraw from a situation that’s not getting better, the faster you can address one that may produce a more significant benefit. And that’s the value of accepting reality.

 

Positioning

Everything mentioned thus far, getting better answers, controlling emotions, the role of empathy, and accepting reality, can be enhanced through your positioning. Positioning is the tool that sets the stage per how others will perceive you. Thus, if you’re situated correctly before engaging in a negotiation, you’ll have a more significant opportunity to impact those activities.

You can position yourself by understanding the mindset of the person with whom you’ll be negotiating. That means you must know that person’s preferences, likes, and dislikes. Once you have those insights, display those characteristics when you’re in her presence. You can have others project your persona that she views as influencers. That will assist your attempts exponentially. It will also be the leverage that allows you to be a more powerful negotiator during your interactions.

 

Reflection

I started by suggesting you heighten the sense that you negotiate in every aspect of your life. And I suggested, to acquire more in life, you must become a better negotiator. By employing the insider-thoughts presented, you can increase your negotiation abilities. That will make you a more powerful negotiator. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://c-suitenetwork.com/radio/shows/greg-williams-the-master-negotiator-and-body-language-expert-podcast/

 

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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Powerful #BodyLanguageSecrets #csuitenetwork #thoughtcouncil #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Bodylanguage #readingbodylanguage #Negotiation #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #negotiationPsychology #HowToNegotiateBetter #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Control #Conversations #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Growth Leadership Personal Development

How to Raise the Bar of Integrity in Your Organization

It seems that the more leadership events I attend, the more I hear the word ‘Integrity’ as a key focus for success. Sure we all know that integrity matters — or SHOULD matter! — for leaders to drive and thrive in this increasingly-stressful business climate. However, how do leaders actually make a noticeable improvement in the integrity demonstrated within their organization beyond just blah-blah-blahing about it?

 

During the recent C-Suite Network Digital Discussion hosted by C-Suite Network Chairman Jeffrey Hayzlett, we heard from two very powerful (and colorful!) thought leaders Beth Weissenberger and Robbie Bach, both of whom use their experiences on the front lines of business to help guide leadership teams through challenging times. The result was an honest conversation about what really stops us from making progress in cultivating a culture of integrity and what we can do to raise the bar, not only from within and but also throughout our organizations.

 

In addition to being inspired by Robbie’s compelling story about launching the Xbox brand at Microsoft and how to navigate the dynamics of a large enterprise organization (Hint: Get an Executive Sponsor!), Beth brought a wealth of insight on how we can positively affect the integrity of our organizations by making key changes in ourselves first.

 

Beth is a tough-as-nails executive coach from The Big Apple who tells it like it is and delivers the goods for her clients. She started the conversation by sharing that everyone is messed up right now. (No kidding!!) Fear, overwhelm, uncertainty, and stress are commonplace in every organization, and when that happens, the worst traits of all of us come out.

 

What can we do to combat these beasts?

 

  • Keep dreaming. Most of us have stopped wildly dreaming about what we want and find ourselves simply executing on What Is. Create a big audacious dream for yourself and work backward from there.
  • Master the basics. If we aren’t feeling well, we likely won’t DO as well. Some of the table stakes in this new climate are our personal health and wellness, including establishing better relationships with meditation, food, and yoga. (As a thought leader in Mindful Performance, this was music to my ears!)
  • Design your day. Working from that Big Dream, figure out what are the major activities you are going to do to support every area of your life. Be intentional. Don’t let success be accidental. Schedule it.
  • Name your Inner Saboteur. Sometimes we have well-meaning but annoying voices inside our heads that sabotage our best efforts to walk our highest walk. The Chicken is the avoider, the Brat is the defiant negator, and the Weather Reporter simply reports the latest happenings instead of consciously creating them. If you are struggling with showing up as authentically and powerfully as possible, ask yourself if the Chicken, the Brat, or the Weather Reporter are in charge. 
  • Be accountable to your promises. Be crystal clear about what you are promising YOURSELF in support of your Big Dream, and create an unpleasant consequence if you break your promise (Beth suggested taking a $20 bill and throwing it out the window!!) If you break your promise twice and have experienced the consequences twice, chances are you don’t have the right consequence. Make it painful to break promises, and you’ll stop breaking them.

 

One of the biggest nuggets of awesome I got from the Digital Discussion was when Beth said, “Whatever you believe, you prove.” It made me really think about what I believe. Do I believe that I have plenty of resources at my disposal to be the best expression of myself? Do I believe that the path to great success can be a joyful, healthy one? Most importantly, do I believe that there is plenty for ALL of us?

 

What do YOU believe, and what are you proving?

 

If you would like to be a part of these informative and thought-provoking conversations, you are welcome to become an Executive Leader and get invitations to our next C-Suite Network Digital Discussion! The more we learn and grow, the stronger our leadership skills will become. And when we are strong leaders, we will naturally raise the bar of integrity everywhere we go, including our workplaces.

 

#ceo #peakperformance #csuite #csuitenetwork #thoughtleadership #leadership #coaching #bestpractices #engagement #integrity #driveandthrive

Categories
Best Practices Growth Human Resources Personal Development

Dandelions: Turning Weeds Into Hope and Beauty

The Second Step of the Faremouth Method is “Ask Better Questions.”

Lately, I’ve been asking myself lots of questions as I came across a quote recently by Aristotle that really spoke to me:

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”  In these recent times, I’ve been asking myself how can we seek the light in perhaps the dark moments we are all experiencing during these uncertain times. Then I thought of Dandelions.

Dandelions, also known as Chicory, are masters of survival. They can take root in places that seem a little short of miraculous and I believe we all can do that, too.  We can survive the most difficult situations as our own masters of survival.

As a Recruiter in the midst of a pandemic, what are the possible lessons that Dandelions could possibly impart that would be beneficial to help people deal with these tough times?  I know we are all wanting to “make a wish” that Covid-19 would be over and we could resume life as normal.  Dandelions do have a legend that relates to blowing on the dried flowers and thinking about dreams coming true as the seeds blow in the air, sending our hopes in all directions.  I believe there are more lessons we can gleam from our friend the Dandelion and I thank my sweet Grandmother, Mimi, for sharing her wisdom with me when I was a child.

I am reminded of one hot summer day sitting on the front porch with Mimi and having a flashback to the conversation we had.  My grandmother lived next door in my childhood and we spent much time together.  As I try to settle into the whole social distancing restrictions, I find myself recalling the many lessons I learned from her.  Things I resisted as a young girl.  Habits I adopted as I grew into adulthood and ways of being that I am just now coming to understand from her wisdom.

The words “strong constitution” or the popular term we hear so much about these days, “strong mindset,” describes my grandmother. She had a strong mind of her own and taught me many things.  As we looked out over the lawn I told her that I was noticing all the Dandelions I saw.  She immediately informed me that Dandelions, or Chicottia as she called them in her Italian slang, were quite possibly the most successful plants that exist, masters of survival worldwide.

She continued to tell me that in current times they are the most unpopular plant in the neighborhood and considered a weed but it wasn’t always that way. In earlier times, the golden blossoms with lion-toothed leaves were praised as a bounty of food, medicine and magic.

As a food, I remember her picking the Chicottia with a long paring knife, washing them and eating them like salad. She told me the vitamins in them were unique and if you ate them often it would clean out your liver and keep you healthy.  In her youth Mimi always wanted to be a nurse to explore her healing potential and also had a big garden in her backyard, planting what would nurture her body, eating what came out of her nutritious garden.  She was never in the hospital and never had any serious illness, living to the ripe age of almost 90 and died in her sleep. Besides her diet of healthy food for her physical body, she had a heart of gold and was all about love and helping others that enhanced her mental and spiritual body as well.

Let’s look at some of the magical, meaningful lessons I learned from Dandelions and my Grandmother, and how those lessons might be applied during these challenging times:

1. Dandelions are Masters of Survival. How can we make a determined effort to master our own survival through this pandemic?  Stay strong, focused and ready to become the best version of ourselves we could ever imagine.  How can we plan to survive this experience and come out on the other side much more enriched with an expansive attitude and mindset?

2. Dandelions are more nutritious than most of the vegetables available.  Maybe we could try an herbal tea on occasion to keep our immune system strong.  Eating the right food with better nutrition for our physical and mental bodies is so important especially during these times for becoming our best self.

3. Dandelions are world-famous for their beauty.  Dandelions were a common and beloved garden flower in Europe and the subject of many poems.  How can we find beauty in what might be looked upon as the “weeds” in our life?  How can we take working from home and sheltering in place as a way of cultivating our own inner beauty?  By investing in online classes to enrich our mind, soul and heart to make a contribution to the greater good.

4. Things change. Just like the view of Dandelions over the centuries being considered a lovely flower and then a weed, so many things we see as weeds might turn into beautiful flowerlike qualities from the seeds we are plating at this time.

5. Sitting on the “Virtual Porch” of Life. We all sit on our own virtual porch of life and view the “dandelions” in our own life turning into a form of beauty from the preparation we are doing now.  That “virtual porch” might be Zoom or another online platform that gives us the chance to change something that we are all experiencing into some form of wisdom, growth and personal development.

6. Be Creative With Your Resources. How can you make the most of your resources right now?  Can you be more conservative with your available resources to not feel the pinch so much in the future?  Can you use what you have in the refrigerator, freezer and pantry to make an amazing meal?  Could you share a recipe everyone loves or share a good book you have read?

7. Find joy in the moment. Appreciate your relationships.  What can you do right now to find your own joy?  Perhaps call that old friend you haven’t talked to in a while and check on them?  Can you pull out those old love letters and read them one more time? Can you tell your son or daughter how proud you are for the person they have become and how they’ve helped you with a special project, taking time away from their own endeavors?

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light,” Aristotle said.  Let the lessons and strength of the Dandelion and my wise sweet Grandmother allow you to focus on your own inner light.  Don’t forget to make the WISH of the Dandelion lore as you are using your strength and hard work in your quest for making that wish become real.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

Imagine Yourself

 

1. Imagine you’re focused

2. Imagine it’s working

3. Imagine you’ve mastered marketing

4. Imagine you truly enjoy selling

5. Imagine clients must qualify for you

6. Imagine you’re worth premium fees

7. Imagine you have unlimited prospects

8. Imagine money flowing easily to you

9. Imagine punching people in the face with value

10. Imagine your money worries fading away

11. Imagine a clear game plan that you execute on daily

12. Imagine your business doubling, then tripling

13. Imagine working only when you want

14. Imagine doing only work you want to do and delegating or outsourcing everything else

15. Imagine you are #1

16. Imagine you’re a rock star in your industry

17. Imagine you’re booked solid

18. Imagine you have your pick of high-profit projects

19. Imagine moving from five figures to six figures – or from six figures to multiple six figures on your way to seven!

20. Imagine speaking to hundreds of people regularly

21. Imagine partnering with other experts whom you look up to as role models and now are lucky enough to call friends

22. Imagine generating thousands of web visitors

23. Imagine building a huge tribe of loyal followers, fans, and subscribers

24. Imagine doing this all in 18 days, 18 weeks, 18 months, or if you’re really slow and silly (like me) 18 years

25. You can do it.

Do your future self a favor:

Start.

Right.

Now.

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

“Do You Want To Know How To Make Better Decisions” – Negotiation Insight

“The best decision you’ll ever make is the one you corrected when it hurt the most.” –Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

“Do You Want To Know How To Make Better Decisions”

 

People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating.

Are you aware of the number of decisions you make every day in your life? The answer is, probably not. A lot of your choices are automatic. And yet some decisions are more critical than others because they have a significant impact on your life. You can make better decisions, which will allow you to achieve better outcomes in your life. And here’s how you can improve your decision-making abilities.

 

Ask The Right Questions

Asking questions will always garner additional information. But the wrong queries can take you down an unwanted path. That can cause rebound difficulties. And, once you rebound, you’ll be back where you started. Which means you will have wasted time.

First, you must know your core values. That will assist in leading you to ask better questions, which in turn will lead to better decisions. If your choices don’t align with your core values, you could find yourself seesawing between preferences that don’t serve your goals. Meaning, you’ll make decisions like a rudderless boat in the middle of a stormy ocean, wondering why it’s challenging to reconcile adverse conditions.

To decrease the chances of being rudderless, be mindful of the questions you ask, and where the answers may lead. If you don’t like where they may lead, ask better questions. And don’t stop asking questions until you’re satisfied that you have the right answers.

 

Know Your Biases

Everyone possesses preferences, which are their biases. And your preferences will color your perspective when you make decisions. Thus, you must guard them during your evaluation process when determining the course of action you’ll adopt. It would help if you were mindful of four particular kinds of biases when making decisions.

  • Sunk Cost Fallacy

How many times have you said to yourself, well, I’ve gone this far – I might as well go further? And then, later, you kicked yourself for not getting out of a situation sooner. When you went through that experience, sunk cost fallacy afflicted your thought process.

To make better decisions, understand how you arrived at your present destination. In particular, assess where you thought you’d be versus where you are. It would have behooved you to have installed points of measurement for that purpose.

The point is, don’t allow a decision that turns bad to pull you deeper into worse decisions. Have a cutoff point. And don’t worry about what you’ve invested thus far. Just be aware that what’s gone is gone. Don’t lose more by chasing what you’ve lost. By cutting your losses at a predetermined point, you’ll save more resources going forward. And that will enhance your decision-making abilities.

 

  • Self-Serving

Some decisions you’ll evaluate will appear more pleasing because they cast you as the person of success in the outcome. You may think, and what’s wrong with that? After all, you’re attempting to make decisions that improve your plight in life.

The problem with seeing yourself in that role is, it could blot out alternatives that might offer better choices. And, since you see yourself as the heroic character, you may become inclined to accepting more thoughts that lead to making more decisions along that path. Then, you’d be stuck if that was the wrong path. Thus, your challenge becomes, seek answers that lead to improving your decision-making abilities. But don’t pursue solutions for the sake of merely confirming your biases. That would be self-serving.

  • Cognitive Fluency

Cognitive fluency entails how you perceive something based on its appearance or ease of consumption. Thus, if something is more pleasing to you, you’ll have a higher propensity to look upon it favorably. Accordingly, as you seek to make decisions, you’ll accept data that are more aligned with what you think it should represent.

Again, your biases will be an underlining force that’s guiding your decision-making process. That’s not to say that it’s wrong. It’s to say, if it sounds too right, be aware of how you’re coming to the conclusions you’re making when reaching your decisions.

  • Confirmation Bias

Most people have a sense of pleasure knowing that they’re right about a matter. Thus, they seek information from sources that confirm their position. And that can become a problem when making decisions.

If you only seek data that supports your current position, you’ll tend to ignore data that opposes it. And that will leave your decisions wanting for input that might have led to a better outcome. To thwart the exclusion of insights that may oppose your position, keep an open mind, and be willing to hear opposing opinions. Doing so will allow you to make more decisive and better decisions.

 

Intuition

Everyone is intuitive – but everyone doesn’t observe their intuition. When you ‘have a feeling about something,’ that’s your intuition signaling. When making decisions, they must become finely tuned to your intuition – because intuition is the messenger delivering signals from your subconscious mind to your state of consciousness.

Every day you’re bombarded with thousands of sensory perceptions. As your brain assesses what’s vital for your wellbeing, it determines what to pass to your consciousness. Things that it deems as less critical don’t make that trip. But you do sense some of them lightly. And that’s intuition, which is why it’s essential to pay attention to it when making decisions.

 

Cabals

When weighing decisions, consider conspirators that may be waiting to thwart your efforts because those efforts would threaten their goals. Being aware of secret forces that are against you will help you make better decisions. In some situations, that insight will sway you from engaging in choices that may have put you on a collision course, which could be a colossal waste of time. Just be mindful that every decision you make impacts someone. The more powerful that entity is, and the degree they’re opposed to your choices, the more careful you should be about making such decisions.

 

Reflection

Since your decisions rule many aspects of your life, the sooner you begin making better decisions, the more significant will be the outcomes. That will also enhance your opportunities and growth. If that’s what you seek, I suggest you embrace the thoughts that I presented. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://c-suitenetwork.com/radio/shows/greg-williams-the-master-negotiator-and-body-language-expert-podcast/

 

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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

#Decisions #BodyLanguageSecrets #csuitenetwork #thoughtcouncil #Negotiator #NegotiatingWithABully #Bodylanguage #readingbodylanguage #Negotiation #NegotiationStrategies #NegotiationProcess #NegotiationSkillsTraining #NegotiationExamples #NegotiationTypes #negotiationPsychology #HowToNegotiateBetter #ReadingBodyLanguage #BodyLanguage #Nonverbal #Negotiate #Business #SmallBusiness #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #BodyLanguageExpert #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #GregWilliams #success #Howtowinmore #self-improvement #howtodealwithdifficultpeople #Self-development #Control #Conversations #Howtocontrolanegotiation #howtobesuccessful #HowToImproveyourself

 

Categories
Personal Development Sales

7 of 7: How Do You Keep The Sales Circle Going & Growing?

The sales cycle is never-ending. It evolves, flows, and repeats itself the next time a customer is looking to make a purchase. Congratulations if you won the sale. Celebrate the victory and begin the follow up of delivering on the product or service that was sold. If you sold any product or service, follow up would include making sure the product works or service is delivered as agreed with the customer in the previous steps in the sales process. Remember to express thanks, gratitude, and/or appreciation in an appropriate way.

Integrating mindfulness in the follow-up and gratitude is taking a moment to feel gratitude in your body as the truth of your experience. Don’t just say you are grateful, feel it! Feel joy in your body. Share that joy with your potential customer/lead/prospect.
Remember your intention
Center
Breathe
Keep your beliefs positive
Focus on your positive vision
Mindful Sales is a joy-filled, easy process when you set that intention early, often and throughout the sales process. When Eric came to Holly stressed and overwhelmed and she asked him, “does it have to be this way?” she changed the way he thought about his interaction with customers before, during, and after the sale.

Eric Szymanski is a C-Suite Network Advisor and an award-winning co-author of Sell More, Stress Less: 52 Tips to Become a Mindful Sales Professional.  Learn more about his work at www.MindfulSalesTraining.com. He is an American hospitality industry professional with extensive sales & marketing leadership experience. Eric has demonstrated success in leading high-performing sales teams through planning, implementing, and monitoring actionable sales and marketing plans at hotels and resorts of all sizes, including city-center, convention district, airport, and attractions areas. He has a proven track record of success at all levels through the achievement of both individual and team goals for several 1st tier, globally recognized brands such as Disney, Marriott, Hilton & Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Throughout his career, Eric has created authentic, world-class experiences while volunteering at all levels in several meetings industry associations. In 2018, Eric was recognized with the top individual sales award in the convention sales division at The Walt Disney Company. In 2002, he was recognized as Caterer of the Year by the Orlando, Florida Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. He is an avid runner, choral music performer & father of twin daughters who entered college in the fall of 2019.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Leadership Personal Development

Reinventing Our Careers

When I sat down to write this article about the First Step of the Faremouth Method, Do a Self Inventory, a song kept popping into my head.  It was the song made famous by Martha and the Vandellas, called “Dancing in the Street.”

I suppose my Detroit roots are showing, but I’ve always found the artists of Motown to have some pretty powerful words in their songs that always made me stop in my tracks and think.  Especially right now, with so many people thinking about reinventing themselves in one way or another, this song just spoke to me when it says:

“Calling out around the world

Are you ready for a brand new beat?

Summer’s here and the time is right

For dancing in the street…”

 

The word “Dance” as a metaphor evokes connection, creativity, improvisation, beauty, emotion and meaning.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been thinking about all of those things a lot lately, especially when I get calls from my applicants, clients, relatives and friends, who can’t see family, etc., or are not sure who they will be post Covid-19.  I think we are all going to have to Reinvent Ourselves in one way or another. I think we are all ready for a “brand new beat.”

Amid the chaos and loss of control, our own sense of self is one of the few things we CAN control.  Additionally, sheltering in place gives us a unique opportunity to do some personal observation, self-reflection, introspection and evaluation because we’re not losing time driving across town to an in-person meeting and then racing home to make sure we can take the kids to baseball practice or other activities which take us away from that small amount of personal time.

The first question a lot of us get stuck on is:  Where do I start?  Having gone through several personal and professional reinventions myself, I have found great value in doing a “Self- Inventory” into my own hierarchy of values.  The following important questions are ones that I have found have helped me and many of the candidates I have worked with through the years to help them in times of major change and transition. Take a look at these and see if they might help you as well:

  • What’s important right now for my personal and/or emotional development?
  • What’s important for my financial situation?
  • What’s important for my community/interpersonal and social needs which allow me to remain safe but not feel so isolated and alone?

Before we can make any real changes that will have important consequences we have to go within and do our own inventory.  All three are equally important and must be looked at in a three dimensional, holistic, and practical way.

We can evaluate how our lives were in pre-COVID-19 times and examine if we were really happy.  Our current lifestyles have led us to be in perpetual motion and, perhaps, for many of us, this pandemic has forced us to stop in our tracks and made us think about what is really important in our lives.

I know, for me, the pandemic has allowed me to get more exercise.  I try to walk at least five miles a day, three or four times a week, get outside in the sun and soak up that good Vitamin D, etc.  I’ve even made myself sit still long enough to listen to some meditation tapes that make me appreciate the present moment more.  How does that list look for you?

Getting clear on our financial situation is also a good thing to do. Were your spending habits such that you really prepared for a few off months?

Taking the time to evaluate your spending habits might allow you to review what non-essential spending you might not do in the future.  Do you really need another pair of shoes?  Maybe we find that rather than investing in material things, it’s more important to invest in ourselves, such as taking a class or workshop.

Additionally, reviewing your social/community habits is so important to feeling balance and fulfillment in our lives.

  • Has the pandemic and spending more time at home allowed you to read more good books, practice more mindfulness techniques like Yoga, Meditation, etc.?
  • Are there hobbies like painting, gardening, cooking that you didn’t have time for before which now give you more joy and fulfillment?
  • Has being at home so much more allowed you to connect with Zoom meetings where your reach of people has been wider and more enriching?   Recently, I did a Zoom class and was able to meet people from other continents like Australia where a previous in-person class would never give me that opportunity.

This might be an opportunity to examine the strengths of our relationships and family to gauge how we are performing as a wife, mother, friend, professional, student, writer, etc.  In this state of sheltering in place, without all the noise around us, what do we value, and how do we prioritize it amidst the go-go-go world we had before?

While considering the answers, it is important to not undervalue your career goals.  It’s a real balancing act but we need to be reasonable about what we have to do to survive, especially if we are a single parent or a family depends upon us to put food on the table.

To adjust your Career path, take this opportunity to learn new skills, and pursue interests that have been on the back burner.  The internet is full of instructional videos/coaching and or training platforms that are just a click away.  More and more are now being offered on the internet because of the pandemic.  Use it as a tool for REINVENTION, not just a vehicle for killing time as we wait for the economy to bounce back.

We all should be looking at our lives as a whole and reflecting on what changes we can make to provide for a better future.  In all of our constant motion activities of the past, it was easy to lose track of what’s important.

Take this opportunity to get ready for “a brand new beat.”  Do your own “Dance in the Street.”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter what you wear

Just as long as you are there

It’s an invitation across the nation

A chance for folks to meet”

DON’T FORGET THE WORDS OF MOTOWN!

Categories
Entrepreneurship Human Resources Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

“Negotiator – This Is How To Avoid Manipulation Of False Choices” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“To avoid manipulation from offering false choices, know their intent.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

“Negotiator – This Is How To Avoid Manipulation Of False Choices”

 

As a kid, when my friends and I played games that required choosing who’d go first, we flipped a coin. While one person flipped the coin, the other person would call heads or tail. Then, one day before a coin flip, one of my friends said to the other, “heads I win, tails, you lose.” And after the coin flip, he won the call. We were very young, and initially, we were unaware of the manipulation that had occurred. Later in life, as a negotiator, I understood how choices could lead to manipulation and how manipulation can lead people to engage in actions that are against their self-interest.

The following information will help you avoid being manipulated, as a result of people offering you false choices.

 

Expectation

A good negotiator is aware of setting goals for a negotiation. And she’s doubly conscious that she’ll have to make choices throughout the talks to achieve her goals. Part of that process is setting the expectations of the opposing negotiator, such that he will have a perspective of what he can achieve. The setting of expectations also assists in avoiding being manipulated by an opposer that might offer false choices.

Thus, before, and sometimes during a negotiation, the better you are at setting expectations, the lower the probability will become that false options will thwart you. And that will enhance your negotiation abilities, interactions with the other negotiator, along with a smoother negotiation process.

 

Identifying Choices

Okay. Now that you’ve set expectations, what should you be aware of when offered choices during the negotiation? The answer is, it depends. It depends on the strategy you’ve set per what you thought would occur during the process. And you should take into account the events that happen during the negotiation that you’d not anticipated. Per the latter, if someone offers you a choice such as the “heads I win, tails you lose” scenario, which you now know is an attempt to manipulate you into a false choice, you can turn the tables. One way to do that is to let the other negotiator know you’re aware of the manipulation attempts that might occur. If she asks why you’re making that statement, tell her you’re stating it so both of you can avoid them, which will make the negotiation process less challenging.

 

Weighing Options

There’s another facet to consider when weighing choices. Some negotiators will offer options in a yes or no format or an either-or perspective. The point is, some choices lead you to a false premise. Those choices limit your options, and the ability to improve your outcome.

Be aware of when a negotiator offers such decisions to you. And be mindful of when someone is attempting to place you in an untenable position. By being alert to their efforts, it’ll help you slip the bind they try to put you in with false choices. So, make sure you weigh your options and consider where someone’s attempts may be attempting to take you.

 

Antithesis

An antithesis is a direct opposite of what’s said or done prior. Thus, you should be aware of when a negotiator presents a choice in this manner because it can be the beginning stage of manipulation. The reason being, an option offered in this manner, might be akin to a good cop, bad cop offer.

That means, if you don’t accept the first choice, the second one will be worse, and the following options will be worse than the preceding ones. Thus, if you’re not mentally alert to what’s occurring, you could find your emotions pulling you down a path that you should be avoiding. Why? Because the pathway will be taking you further away from your goals.

 

Negative Thoughts

Another form of manipulation stems from negative thoughts your opponent has about you or those you have about her. That’s why you should assess her thoughts before the beginning of a negotiation – because negative thoughts impact one’s perception, and it influences their interaction.

Suppose you’re aware that negative thoughts exist between negotiators. What should you do? It would be best if you attempted to improve the relationship before you negotiate. If you don’t, both of you may become drawn into a manipulative course of negative actions as the result of ill feelings.

To combat negative emotions, offer to be collaborative in your efforts to achieve an acceptable outcome. In a worst-case scenario, your opponent may reject your offer. If she does, you might consider asking her how, or if, she’d like to proceed. If she says she doesn’t want to continue, you may have avoided a tumultuous experience from which you’ll probably be better off. On the positive side, if she’s amenable to your offer, you may be able to lower your guard. But don’t drop it too much, you may have to raise it quickly.

 

Anger

Above all, when engaging in a negotiation, control your emotions. Don’t let anger shade your decisions or how you view the other negotiator. If you don’t control anger, you invite the opportunity for manipulation to foster choices that may not be pertinent per the solution required.

When you sense anger is on the rise, get away from the environment. Call a time out. When you’re in an angered state, it’s best to calm yourself before engaging in any action. Doing that will save you future challenges and problems in the negotiation.

 

Reflection

To a degree, it’s a negotiator’s job during a negotiation to pose questions that help her maximize her outcome. Thus, it behooves her to offer manipulation choices that take her counterpart in the direction that suits her goals. As her counter negotiator, it’s your job to present her with manipulation choices. Thus, both of your efforts are to thwart the other’s attempt from causing the outcome to be lopsided against themselves. Therefore, by being attentive to the choices offered, and where those choices may lead, you can avoid the manipulation that’s inherent in every negotiation. And everything will be right with the world.

 

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

 

Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://c-suitenetwork.com/radio/shows/greg-williams-the-master-negotiator-and-body-language-expert-podcast/

 

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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Why You Should Consider Reallocating Marketing Budget To Promote Client Loyalty

Looking for creative ways to keep your ideal clients happy, especially during the frustrating challenges that we currently face, is smart business. According to recent Bain & Company research, increasing customer retention by 5% increases profit by 25% to upwards of 95% depending on your industry. 

Wow! That is some compelling data.

In the Bain & Company report, Fred Reichheld says: “Systematically rank all of your customer acquisition campaigns on the basis of their yield of loyal customers. Shift resources towards programs that attract the richest mix of loyal customers.” He goes on to conclude that many firms are wasting half their marketing expenses on disloyal customers who will never stick around long enough to pay back the acquisition investment!

What could you do to increase client loyalty and thus improve your profitability? Here are some ideas to consider.

First, Identify Your Ideal Clients

The first step is to identify your Ideal Clients. As Mike Michalowicz says in The Pumpkin Plan, not all clients are created equally. Similar to Pareto’s 80/20 rule, there is a segment of your clients that are a great fit for your company. They value what you do. They are loyal. They are candidates for everything you sell. They give references. 

You need to clearly identify these clients. Mark them in your ERP, CRM, and marketing automation systems. Make sure everyone knows that these are your A-list clients.

While you are doing this, create an Ideal Client Profile. This will help you identify the prospects (aka future Ideal Clients) for your sales team’s target account program. (You can find an Ideal Client Profile worksheet in the Revenue Growth Engine Free Tool Kit.)

Next, Invest In Creating an Ideal Client Experience

Once you have identified your ideal clients, consider how you could improve the experience they have with your company. Here are five ideas to get you started:

1. Create a Client Loyalty Program 

As a speaker and growth strategist, I travel a lot, making me an ideal client for an airline. I enjoy the perks of the American Airlines AAdvantage program. In addition to gathering points for vacation travel, the airline also gives me free luggage checks, priority boarding, and an occasional upgrade. Most of all, my status makes me feel special—something that is even more apparent when I have to fly on another airline where I get relegated to cattle class. When it comes time to book travel, I will go out of my way to fly American because of these perks.

What could you do to create perks for your clients? In Revenue Growth Engine I talk in detail about how you could enhance loyalty and drive additional purchases through a client loyalty program. Look at other client loyalty programs you are a part of (airlines, credit cards, grocery stores, restaurants…) and consider what aspects of these programs could be adapted to your own business.

2. Introduce an Element of Surprise 

Good service is expected these days. In The Experience Economy, Pine and Gilmore make the point that just like products have become commodities, in many cases, great service has as well. They assert that the path to differentiation is by creating a great experience. 

One aspect of a great experience is the element of surprise. They define this as, “the difference between what a customer gets to perceive and what they expect to get.”

Go to a Cajun restaurant and you will probably get a lagniappe, “a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of purchase.” What small things could you do to surprise and delight your clients? 

3. Conduct Periodic Business Reviews 

Many companies assume their clients are OK as long as they are not having problems. When there is a problem, they jump to solve it, patting themselves on the back for responding.

What if you took a more proactive approach. Every company has problems that you could solve. That’s likely how you earned the business in the first place. Why not go back and ask them about other problems in their business?

A Periodic Business Review is a regular meeting with your Ideal Clients where you ask about their business, review your performance, and then collaborate to find new ways you could help them solve problems. While you are there, you also set the stage to ask for referrals.

I continue to be shocked at how few companies actually do this. They say, “We provide great service,” but in practice, ignore their clients outside of reacting to support requests. What would it look like if you added a Periodic Business Review process?

4. Help Them Grow Their Network

Every one of your clients wants to grow. My guess is that you know people that would be great clients for them.

Think about ways you can help your clients grow your business. Send them referrals. As you do, you become more than a vendor to them, you become a partner helping them grow their business. 

5. Become a True Business Resource

Every company wants their Ideal Clients to see them as a value-added partner, not just a vendor providing a commodity.

How do you earn the right to be seen as a value-added partner? You add value! Look at the collective knowledge of your team. How could you harness that knowledge to help your Ideal Clients improve their business?

Share that knowledge with seminars, webinars, private portals, and special events for your Ideal Clients. Position your team as a resource to help your clients solve their problems and achieve the business outcomes they want. As you become a true business resource, you build loyalty.

What Could You Do?

Client loyalty boosts profits. What action items could you put in place to enhance your Ideal Client Experience and build loyalty?

Categories
Personal Development Sales

6 of 7: Should I Buy? Moving Your Prospect to Close

Closing the sale is plainly and simply asking for the business, confirming the sale or the achievement of a “desired outcome.” It is the ultimate moment of truth. Are we doing this or not? The closing comes in many forms and it may bring anxiety to the sales professional. Human nature may involve a certain fear of rejection. Who wants to be told no, or they are not being selected? If you have engaged with all of the steps of the Mindful Sales process, and your potential customer is aligned with your product or service, closing should be a natural and stress-free part of the process. Whether or not you are selected is something you can learn from. Keep your dignity throughout both winning or not winning the business, and this will be rewarded in the future (think referrals, etc.).
If you consider the previous example of purchasing a home, our realtor asked trial close questions as we walked through each room. “How do you like the kitchen?” “Do you see yourself entertaining in the backyard?” “These cabinets are dated; however, you could easily paint them or maybe change them out. Does that sound like something you would be interested in doing?” After completing the walkthrough, she attempted to close the sale by stating, “It sounds like you really liked the location, the general condition and the overall layout of this home,” and then she asked, “Would you like to make an offer on this home?” The answer was easy. “Yes,” we replied. If we could get the home at the price we were willing to pay, we were ready to complete the purchase. After two rounds of negotiation with the seller, we arrived at a mutually agreeable price, and we purchased the property.

How to integrate mindfulness into this step:

The trial close/close step is commonly believed to be the hardest step of the sales process. Therefore it is a huge opportunity for you to infuse mindful practices. In Holly’s book, Mindful Leadership The A to Z Guide for Stress-Free Leadership, she provides a mindful leadership practice and coloring mandala for every step of the Mindful Sales process. The corresponding mandalas for the “T” in Trial the “C” in Close are Trust and Center, respectively. As you grow your mindfulness practice, trust and continuously refer to the seven steps and you will be guided on what to do, what not to do, and how to move to the highest and best outcome of every sales exchange.

 

Eric Szymanski is a C-Suite Network Advisor and an award-winning co-author of Sell More, Stress Less: 52 Tips to Become a Mindful Sales Professional.  He is an American hospitality industry professional with extensive sales & marketing leadership experience. Eric has demonstrated success in leading high-performing sales teams through planning, implementing and monitoring actionable sales and marketing plans at hotels and resorts of all sizes, including city-center, convention district, airport and attractions areas. He has a proven track record of success at all levels through the achievement of both individual and team goals for several 1st tier, globally recognized brands such as Disney, Marriott, Hilton & Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

Throughout his career, Eric has created authentic, world-class experiences while volunteering at all levels in several meetings industry associations. In 2018, Eric was recognized with the top individual sales award in the convention sales division at The Walt Disney Company. In 2002, he was recognized as Caterer of the Year by the Orlando, Florida Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. He is an avid runner, choral music performer & father of twin daughters who entered college in the fall of 2019. Visit www.MindfulSalesTraining.com for more on how you can work with Eric.