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Category: Entrepreneurship

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Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

11 Commandments for Experts

1. There’s no good time. Now is the time. What are you waiting for?

2. Put out your best material. For free. Do you want to be SHARED or SCARED?

3. YOU may be your biggest obstacle. What would happen if you got out of the way?

4. Stop STARTING things and get more into DOING. What can you do today—right now?

5. A few may wish to see you fail. A lot more are rooting for your success. Where is your attention?

6. Forget the word vision. Better: What do you SEE in your future?

7. You’re aiming too low. How can you elevate your sights, your fees, and your value?

8. Stop blaming others. It’s ALL your fault. Move on—what’s next?

9. A bend in the road is never the end—unless you fail to turn. Where do you need to turn?

10. It’s not what you think it is. And it’s bigger than you think it is. Why not embrace that?

11. There are no silver bullets, secret sauces, or magic beans. Now what’s your plan?

Oh, and if you want a better plan – and to become a better entrepreneur of your expertise, read about our brand new offering, the Expert Profit Formula. You’ll love it.

Which of these Commandments for Experts would you’d like to improve on the most?

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

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“The value of what you compare lies in the value of what you’re comparing.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

“This Is How To Win Comparisons In The Negotiation”

 

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

 

When people evaluate situations, they may not realize it, but they’re making comparisons. About that, you should raise your level of consciousness; because it’s a truism. In some instances, people compare a present situation to the ones that appear related to prior cases. At other times, they compare the current condition to the possibility of future outcomes. And that’s especially true during a negotiation. Regardless of the timeframe, when making comparisons, you’re evaluating the course of action to take. Thus, in your negotiation and other aspects of your life, when making comparisons, be aware of the impact that the following factors have on the outcome.

 

Listening

An intricate part of good communications in a negotiation, and other interactions, is the ability to listen well. To understand someone’s perspective, first, you must listen to what they say about the situation that’s before them. That’ll give you a mental picture of that person’s perception, and the opinion they have about it. That’ll also be the insight source that determines which comparisons to draw from later in the conversation.

If you’re astute, you’ll listen to the words they use to express themselves, the degree of excitement they share while doing so, and the pace at which they speak – word choice gives vision to someone’s thoughts. Thus, by being attentive to their word choices, you’ll gain a more profound sense of their emotional mind. And that’s the reason why you should listen for a deeper meaning than just the conveyance of their words. To do that, you must give that person the time and space they need to let their feelings be known, heard, and shared.

 

Tension/Apprehension

While you’re actively listening, note the comparisons someone makes while they’re speaking. In particular, observe the points about the tensions or apprehensions they’ve encountered. That’ll give you more clues about the pain they’ve experienced. Later, you’ll be able to employ that information as anchoring points of negativity or positivity during the negotiation.

Most people are moved to action by fear of loss, versus gaining something they don’t currently possess. Thus, if you hear someone speak about protecting what they have, catalog it for later use. At the appropriate time, make a comparison to a situation in which they lose something they have. Then, create a worse condition scenario than the first one. After that, offer your solution as the savior of their woes. By initially making comparisons to a bad situation and one that’s worse, your best-case offering will appear more pleasing, and more likely to be accepted.

 

Anchoring

Anchoring occurs when you set someone’s initial point of perspective. Thus, if someone said your price was too high, you might ask, compared to what? In their response would be the answer to what they were comparing your price. And there’d be gold in their reply. Because they will have given you their anchoring point about why they thought your price was high.

At that point, you’ll have a momentary advantage in the negotiation. That advantage will be in the form of thoughts, ideas, and positions from which to find a medium point. You might consider evoking some of the points you gathered while listening to the tensions and apprehensions that individual had in the past. Or, if warranted, you might instead employ something from the positive aspects of which they spoke.

The point is, you should seek to anchor that person’s perspective to the point that will best serve your purpose. In theory, that would be a position that was best for both of you. That would allow the perception of your point to become embraced as being more solvable to the challenge at hand. And that would mean your anchoring point would become accepted as an influencer to the proceeding that follows from there. Anchoring is a powerful tool when it comes to influencing someone’s views. Use it adroitly, and you’ll enhance your negotiation efforts.

 

Storytelling

The stories you tell are another factor that’ll serve as your ally when making comparisons in a negotiation. A well-told story injected into the conversation at the right time, can instantly alter someone’s position and the perspective they have about a situation. To tell a good story, consider the following components.

 

  1. When telling a person how he can acquire a goal that you see as obtainable, the story should have easily recognized components that the person perceives as being real, and not too difficult to achieve. Allow him to see himself bursting with new pride in the imagery of his new acquisition.

 

  1. Paint the mental picture you project with details you gleaned during the listening part of your interaction. Thus, if the person spoke about a dire time when he missed the chance to improve or maintain a situation, due to moving slowly, you might paint the image of someone being overly deliberate and missing an opportunity. Let him draw his conclusion between that situation and the position that he’s currently in.

 

  1. The timing and pace you tell a story will determine its impact. Therefore, to enhance the effect, recite your story’s depiction at a pace that’s easy to follow and consume. While doing so, observe the body language displayed by the person listening to it. In particular, note when they close their eyes, turn or drop their head, or show a momentary frown, as you mention what they may lose if they don’t act fast enough. The body language gestures mentioned will indicate a fear of loss. Cues such as those will announce the impact your story is having on that individual.

 

Reflection

First, realize that during your interactions with other people, you’re negotiating. And in a negotiation, you move someone’s perspective by the comparisons you make and the way you position those comparisons. Therefore, if you wish to win more negotiations when using comparisons, seek to evoke the level of emotions, positive or negative, in which you touch someone’s heart. Following these guidelines will allow you to do just that. 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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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

 

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Entrepreneurship Leadership Marketing Personal Development Sales

Speaking is NOT Dead

Too many of my esteemed competitors would tell you that speaking is dead – time to move on.

Here’s what that argument sounds like:

You used to be a speaker, huh?

Gosh – I guess Covid-19 wiped you out.

No events – no meetings – no training.

Bummer – so here’s what you need to do:

  • Set up an elaborate video studio in your house. Buy a ton of gear that you have no idea how to use
  • Start doing $49 webinars instead of your $7,500 keynotes
  • Launch complicated funnels, write these huge sales pages for your $197 online course (you have one of those, right?), and crank out 15-part autoresponder emails to hammer your poor prospects until they buy or die
  • Start doing Facebook ads. The more you spend, the better. Leads, baby, leads – that’s where it’s at

<STOP>

Wrong.

Speaking is just one distribution method for your expert-based business.

We’ve always mentored our clients to diversify their distribution methods:

  • Speakers can consult, coach, and work with corporate sponsors
  • Trainers can create webinars, build online courses, and facilitate
  • Coaches can do group coaching, virtual masterminds, and councils
  • Consultants can sell video series, license their IP, and host CEO roundtables

Any expert who only has 1 profit center is at risk.

That was true before Covid-19.

And, naturally, it’s true now.

You can’t be a one-trick pony in any economy.

The secret?

Diversify while still specializing.

You have a speaking-driven business – NOT a “speaking” business.

You’re in the IDEA business.

And your clients need your ideas now more than ever – online, offline, on video, in person, on webinars, in groups, and privately.

Even if you call yourself a “speaker,” is that the business that you’re really in?

Is the speaking business dead? What do you think?

In this training I help you uncover your 3 critical success factors: Clarity (who you are, what you offer, why it’s different); Focus (who you serve, what problems you solve); Decisions (marketing tools, how to find prospects, get profitable fees) – sign up here <<<

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Marketing Negotiations Sales Women In Business

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict” – Negotiation Insight

“People walking blindly into conflict should not be surprised when they’re greeter is regret.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

 

 

“Do You Know How To Avoid Words That Cause Conflict”

 

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

 

Two friends, a man and a woman were talking about an associate’s son. The man stated that the associate’s son had four kids, of which one was not his natural child. The woman said, “you shouldn’t say that’s not his natural child. Instead, you might say, it’s his adopted child.” The man retorted, “you know what I mean when I say it’s not his natural child. And since you know what I mean, you should accept my phraseology with the intent of its meaning.”

From there, their conversation disintegrated into conflict. The two friends had had thousands of discussions in the past. But this time, the two friends would be led to conflict due to the utterance of an objectionable word.

A countless number of people are dragged into conflict every day because of the phrases and words they use. And you’re one of them. If you’d like to know what some of those phrases are and how to avoid the conflicts that are caused by the words you use, implement the following strategies. Doing so will help you avoid the conflict that certain words create.

 

Mindset

You should always be aware of someone’s mindset when conversing with them. If one’s mind is irritated from a prior situation, that irritation might seep into your conversation. And with it may come disruptive emotional baggage. Thus, while you’re engaging that person in an attempt to highlight your points, that individual may be hearing sounds of the prior conversation that wreaked havoc on them.

Remember, past interactions can evoke previous emotions in current situations. If you sense that might be the condition in your case, address it at that moment. Please don’t allow it to fester into what could become an uncontrollable arbitrage. That would serve no one’s purpose.

 

Trigger Words

Words such as, always, you should/must, ridiculous, relax, chill out, etc., can serve as words that trigger someone’s emotions such that they become defensive. And from that position, your initial conversation may become derailed as the result of you discussing that something doesn’t occur all the time. After that, the discussion could further disintegrate. It could evolve into one were people defend their word choice, rather than the topic of their conversation.

Trigger words can lead to unwanted circumstances and outcomes, which is why you should be mindful of how and when you use them. If you know certain words will trigger someone to adopt a particular mindset, and you wish to avoid it, don’t trigger them. On the other hand, if you’re aware of that fact and you intend to do so, be cautious with your efforts. Once triggered, you never know to what degree your effects may have on someone. Thus, you run the risk of losing control if things get too far out of hand.

 

Baiting

Be mindful of when someone uses certain words. They may be attempting to bait you. It’s one way someone can alter your emotions and thought process.

Baiting occurs when a person uses a word that triggers a particular emotion or reaction. Someone can do it intentionally or unintentionally. When done intentionally, there may be a hidden agenda to rile you up, or done to evoke a mindset of compliance within you. In either case, you should be aware of how someone might be triggered to act based on the word choices you invoke during an interaction with them. That’ll be the source that determines the degree that the communication is amiable or fraught with disgruntlement.

Verbal Signs

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, – I got all of that.” I’m sure you’ve heard such phrases in your conversations. They’re either signals that the listener is becoming tired of your pontifications or she’d like to speak. In either case, let her have the floor. And when you do, engage in active listening.

People make utterances to let you know that it’s time for you to move on. Pay attention to those signs. They can help you avoid the road of conflicts that come from speaking too long or using the wrong words.

Control

Depending on the environment, you can control the conflict that stems from the choice of words someone uses when they’re engaging you. If you’re in person or talking on the phone, you can abstain from participating in the conversation by leaving the environment; that would entail concluding the discussion at the point when things began to become uncontrollable. If you’re communicating via email, text messages, etc., you can respond after you’ve considered what the appropriate response should be and what reply might come from that.

The point is, realize that you have some control when conversations begin to turn sour, based on your ability to control the words that lead to conflict. Thus, be aware of your rising emotions, and those of the party with whom you’re communicating before you enact such control. But by all means, make sure you exercise restraint in such situations. The future of your relationship with the other party hangs in the balance.

Empathy

Some people think displaying empathy is a form of control. That may be true based on how someone perceives it. When attempting to alter the negative course that conflict has inflicted, empathy may be the salve that quickens the closing of that wound. But, I suggest you apply its use at the appropriate time. Because if you attempt to employ it close to an altercation, the bruised feelings that came from it may be too bear to stunt the emotional pain. Thus, if you let time elapse, the wound may be more receptive to the application of empathy. And of course, the timing depends on the situation and those involved.

Reflection

People stumble into conflicts by being unaware of the words they use and the disruptive cause their statements can have on someone’s mind. If you become more astute about your word choices, you’ll avoid the cause that ignites conflicts. 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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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

 

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Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Negotiations Sales Women In Business

“This Is How To Bargain With Scary Negotiators” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“Don’t become frightened by scary situations without knowing the source of your fear, less you be one from whom you’re hiding.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert (Click to Tweet)

 

 

Click here to get the book!

 

 

“This Is How To Bargain With Scary Negotiators”

 

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

 

As soon as I saw him, I knew he’d be trouble. He looked like someone that could start an argument just by entering a room. He appeared smug and deadly. Without opening his mouth, I could tell he would be doubtful, degrading, demeaning, demanding, and would most likely attempt to leave me dumbfounded, and deflated. I thought, “he’s going to destroy me in the negotiation and leave me devastated.” He did appear to be devoted to being one scary negotiator. In my mind, he covered all the negative “D’s” in the dictionary. And he’d done all of that before our bargaining had begun. Have you ever had thoughts like that?

What makes a negotiator scary? To be more specific, what characteristics does he display that cause you to become afraid? And, when are you most frightened of a scary negotiator? Before you enter a negotiation, you should have those answers well in hand and dealt with effectively, so they don’t trouble you.

The following are characteristics of negotiators that you may view as scary in your negotiations. In some cases, their persona is nothing more than a façade to manipulate you into falling under their negotiation spell. Thus, when you negotiate, be prepared to deal with negotiators displaying the following traits:

 

Cheap

Some people may perceive the strict negotiator attempting to maximize his outcome as cheap, hard, or challenging. That may be due to his mannerisms, his façade, and his style of bargaining. Thus, when he haggles over the minutest of points to achieve his goal, you might be tempted to brand him as being scary. I would suggest you not apply that label because the name you assign to a person or situation classifies that entity. And that’ll influence how you act, react, and the frame of mind you place yourself in when doing so.

Instead of branding a negotiator with the moniker of cheap, view him as a person that wants the best deal he can get. Acknowledging his real trait will allow you to adopt better strategies from which to interact. Such stratagems as when you engage, to what degree you challenge him, and when you let him experience a win to feed his ego, are points you might consider. Adopting this mindset will also allow you to possess a clearer perception of the negotiator type you’re dealing with, which should reduce the impression of him being scary.

 

Lying

A lying negotiator can be one of the most challenging types of negotiators. Part of that is due to not knowing when, or if, he’ll abide by an agreement. And the other aspects of concern are his claims and the points of truthfulness he attributes to them. To that end, you may be right in your subscription to him being scary. An old cliché states, “if you lie, you’ll cheat. And if you cheat, you’ll steal.” Be mindful when dealing with this negotiator type. Even when he appears to be abiding by the covenants of an agreed negotiation, he may be scheming behind your back to take from one pocket what he’s allowed you to put into the other.

To offset this type of negotiator’s fiendish mannerisms, negotiate slowly. Insert gaps into the negotiation whereby he has to bring forth what you agreed to in the session that just ended. Only then should you proceed to the next phase of the talks. And maintain a tight rein to prevent him from wreaking havoc.

 

Lunacy

“Crazy is, as crazy does,” is a longtime phrase used to denote the actions of someone that appears mentally misaligned. That’s a long way of saying, some negotiators feign characteristics of lunacy to exact sympathy as an emotional toll. He’s trying to use empathy as a way to get you to bond with him.

Once, I was riding a subway in NY City when a disheveled man came up to me and began behaving erratically. I wasn’t sure of his intent, so I adopted his mannerisms and projected them back to him. Since I read body language, I could tell he became puzzled. He looked at me for a moment and then moved on to other people.

When dealing with negotiators portraying lunacy traits, you can act like them to see how they respond. If you sincerely believe they may not be using such mannerisms as a ploy, negotiate with a different negotiator. If that’s not an option, get them to document every aspect upon which you agree. Don’t leave any wiggle-room for future confusion.

 

Threatening

Okay, now it’s time to get scary. Some negotiators, usually bullies, will attempt to use intimidation as their tool of choice. They may imply some form of bodily discomfort will befall you. They may even suggest that a blemish may occur to your reputation or others with whom you’re involved.

Be prepared to adopt one of three possibilities when dealing with this individual.

  1. Seek to avoid him – deal with someone else.
  2. If you must engage, project a tough-guy persona – don’t appear as someone that he can easily manipulate.
  3. Call in your tough-guy group of negotiators to offset his persona. If he knows you have a crew to protect you, he’ll most likely drop his routine.

 

Vengeful

The vengeful negotiator is someone that can also be scary in your bargainings. He may attempt to sully your reputation as his way of claiming recompense for whatever purpose that motivates him. The scariest aspect of dealing with this person is, you never know when his ill deeds will haunt you.

To best deal with this individual, stay away from his wrong side. Do that by being fair, which is something you should practice in all of your negotiations. If you end up on his ‘bad list,’ seek his understanding of how you wronged him. If possible, make amends. If not, keep an eye out for the misdeeds he may attribute to you as his way of evening the score.

 

Reflection

When you bargain with a negotiator, it can be scary. But that’s true in any situation when you don’t know what motivates someone’s actions. Once you identify the source of a scary negotiator’s motivation, you can adopt strategies to best bargain with him. 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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

Categories
Entrepreneurship Leadership Personal Development

When Is Your Most Creative Writing Time?

When you work in an office, it’s difficult to map out time for creative thinking or for writing a proposal, blogs, or drawing up a long-term strategy. Interruptions fill your day, whether they come in the form of meetings, phone calls, or people with questions.

Sometimes you must bring your work home. The man or woman who values family life and relationships with a partner or spouse wants to keep this to a minimum. The way to do that is to discover your most effective creative time.

If you work at home, set up a schedule for yourself. Teach your family to respect your work time. Learn to find the best rhythms for your work.

Early Rising Encourages Creativity

Multiple sources that I consulted agreed that science states early mornings are the best times to exercise creativity. Without going into the details of how the brain works, we can see the logic of this.

In the early morning, shortly after you get up, part of your awareness remains in the dream state, which is a source of unlimited creativity. Creativity means finding new connections. Dreams loosen hard-wired connections, thus allowing us to see new ways to organize our thoughts.

Salvador Dali used to take naps with a spoon in his hand and a tin plate beneath his chair. When he became totally relaxed and dropped the spoon, the sound of it falling onto the plate would wake him. He then noted whatever ideas or images that he remembered.

You don’t have to be a world-famous artist to wake up and write down any ideas that come into your mind.

Early morning may also be the quietest time in your home. If you get up an hour before the rest of the family, you’re less likely to be interrupted. That hour can yield greater productivity than longer stretches of time when interruptions are more likely.

Note: If you’re going to adopt this schedule, make sure you go to bed earlier than you did. Chronic lack of sleep does nothing to foster creativity.

Evening Fosters Critical Thinking

One way to see the difference between early morning and evening writing is to think of the differences between the intuitive activity of the right brain and the logic of the left brain. Early morning is right-brain time. In the evening, rational thought processes—which you’ve probably been exercising for most if not all of the day—become dominant.

Evenings are good times to look at your creative ideas with a critical (but not over-critical) awareness. Say to yourself: “This is a great idea. Now, how am I going to bring it into reality?” You make lists, come up with various alternatives, and give your ideas solidity. If you’re working on a writing project, evenings are best for editing. Now you can focus on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You can see how to tighten up and clarify your ideas so that others will understand them.

Honor the Exceptions

Even though science and logic favor the morning-evening divisions I’ve described, it’s important to make room for those whose brains may be wired differently. Some people don’t fit the mold, and if you’re one of them, don’t try to alter yourself.

Experiment and find the creative pattern that works best for you.

Pat Iyer enjoys writing in the morning and editing in the evening. Businesspeople work with her so they can share their expertise with the world without having to do all the hard work of writing. Connect with Pat to discuss her editing and ghostwriting services. Go to patiyer.com.

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Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

No Escape = New Plan B

Experts who can’t sell are in trouble right now.

In the good old days – you know, January 2020 or so – there were a lot of entrepreneurial experts (consultants, coaches, trainers, speakers, course creators) who were struggling financially…

But they had an escape plan.

What was that escape plan?

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then Covid-19 hit.

  • No more clients
  • No more leads
  • No more prospects
  • Contracts canceled
  • Events postponed
  • Pipelines empty
  • Debt piles up
  • Bank accounts shrink

Bummer.

But don’t worry because…

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then 40 million of your closest friends lost their jobs.

  • Widespread layoffs, furloughs, and record unemployment
  • Who got let go first?
  • The most expensive people at every level
  • Some industries decimated overnight
  • Global economic shifts that are changing history
  • Millions of jobs cut that will never return

Escape plan?

Exactly what kind of job were YOU planning to go back to?

Janitorial work at the hospital? Nope.

You were counting on one of those expensive corporate jobs.

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Poof!

Your escape plan just imploded – and it’s gone for good.

Interestingly, there’s a different escape plan that corporate folks have that just got kicked to the top of the priority list (more on this tomorrow)…

But back to YOU – the entrepreneurial expert…

What’s your escape plan NOW?

Simple – you don’t have one.

Today, you either succeed or you’re done.

No more self-soothing delusion that “if all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

That was your old Plan B.

Here’s your new Plan B:

  • Embrace your expert-driven business and go ALL IN
  • Focus like a crazy person on MMA (money-making activity)
  • Decide what business you are REALLY in and double down on that value prop
  • Reboot your strategic vision
  • Re-install a solid prospecting system
  • Re-imagine your highest and juiciest goals
  • Replenish your pipeline with new leads who need exactly what you do
  • Re-ignite your entrepreneurial engine so your business is fun again
  • Rebuild your integrated product suite around what prospects want to buy

Here’s what’s required right now – you need a big HUG.

HUG is an acronym for:

  • Hunger to Play Bigger
  • Urgency to act Bolder
  • Gameplan to get Better

That’s your new Plan “B”

If you are ready to kick some serious ass – I have good news. Our new Expert Profit Formula is just about ready for launch. It’s designed around the exact principles, practices, and tools to help you make a dent in the universe, recharge your batteries, and go full steam ahead into the new normal with a high-fee, high-fun expert-based business that you love — and that will refill your bank account with a steady stream of prospects, clients, and cash. Ka-boom!!

Categories
Entrepreneurship Negotiations Operations Sales Skills Women In Business

“How To Avoid These Deadly Negotiation Mistakes” – Negotiation Tip of the Week

“Do errant actions derive from mistaken thoughts, or does a lack of thought feed thoughtless actions? Think about the way you think.” – Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert  (Click to Tweet)

Click here to get the book!

 

“How To Avoid These Deadly Negotiation Mistakes”

 

 

“People don’t realize; they’re always negotiating!”

 

The plan was to have one team member open the negotiation, and wear down its opposition. At some point, a hand signal would indicate when a different member would assume the leading role. This group of negotiators was going to play a version of good-cop, bad-cop. Because they’d negotiated with their counterparts in the past, and the negotiations had always been contentious. So when they planned the talks, they considered mistakes they might make, and developed alternative actions to control their concessions. They felt very confident as they entered the negotiation.

And then it happened! It occurred at the 37-minute mark in the negotiation. Their lead negotiator made a colossal mistake! He lost his composure, became irate, and missed the hand signal that was supposed to indicate a change in negotiators. Both sets of negotiators engaged in verbal altercations, which almost led to physical clashes.

It’s easy to make mistakes in a negotiation. They can occur for a multitude of reasons. Some stem from misperceived actions. But a lot emanate from what someone did not do. And those can be the trickiest of mistakes to address in a negotiation.

Guard against your negotiation from being knotted-up, by observing the following ‘nots’ – they’re not in any order of priority.


Not Realizing You’re Always Negotiating

Good negotiators know they’re always negotiating. That means they position themselves correctly to be perceived in a particular manner before the official negotiation begins. You’ll lose positioning perception if you don’t realize you’re always negotiating.


Not Planning Sufficiently For Pitfalls And Diversions

You should prepare for a negotiation to the degree you’re committed to its outcome. Thus, by not planning effectively, you’ll expose yourself to the whims of chance and luck. And that’s a recipe for a less-than-stellar result.


Not Checking/Managing Egos

Many negotiations have met their demise due to the egos of the competing negotiators. And, in some cases, the negotiators were on the same team. To safeguard your negotiation, remind everyone to keep their egos in check. And be prepared to bring them back in line before someone’s ego gets out of hand and wreaks havoc on the negotiation.


Not Knowing The Value Proposition

The value proposition a negotiator has is the perspective he brings to the table about the value of what he’s negotiating.

 

  • Not knowing your value – No matter your offerings, you should recognize how the other negotiator perceives value. Because if he’s negotiating with you, there’s a reason he’s doing so, and you should know that reason.

 

  • Not knowing the worth of your offering – Value is worth, and the perception someone assigns to worth is its value. If you don’t understand how valuable your offering is to the opposing negotiator, you could be setting yourself up for a significant loss – you’d do that by leaving more value on the table than you receive. Not only should you know the importance of what you have, but you should also be careful about who sets that value because that’ll determine its worth.

    Not Getting Researched Proof About Assumptions

An assumption is nothing more than a guess. To improve your outcomes, research your ideas. Seek to verify to what degree they’re valid. Doing so will give you leverage to refute some claims and reinforce others.


Not Considering Phases Of The Negotiation

Hopefully, you wouldn’t walk in dangerous environments without protection or support. And yet, by not considering where one phase of the negotiation leads, you could be moving into dangerous territory without protecting yourself. Moving without intent can leave you vulnerable to your negotiation counterpart. Always know the purpose of your actions, and where they may lead, when making offers and concessions during your negotiation.


Not Closing Correctly To Prevent Backdoor Escapes

Depending on its outcome, a negotiator may not like the deal. If so, he may seek ways to improve it later. That’s why you must confirm the covenants of the negotiation at its conclusion. You should also be aware of how the other negotiator appears as he’s responding to his understanding of what he and you will do next. If you sense any apprehension, address it sooner than later.


Not Recognizing Others You’re Negotiating Against

Some negotiators fall prey to the ploy of thinking they have a deal, and later discovering someone else has to make the final approval. At the beginning of your negotiation, verify that the other negotiator has the authority to conclude a deal. And inquire about those that are not at the negotiation table on whose behalf he may be negotiating. Don’t be blindsided by, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you that I have to get approval from Miss Jones.’


Not Using Leverage Properly

Leverage gives you the ability to exact more influence in a negotiation than the capacity you possess alone. The opportunity to use it always exists. Once you identify it, to give it more potency, apply leverage when it gives you the highest return. To do otherwise is to weaken its value.


Not Projecting The Right Demeanor

When you’re negotiating, you’re role-playing. That means you should cast an effect that affects the behavior best suited for the talks. Doing so correctly enhances your negotiation efforts. To project the correct attitude, don’t under or over position yourself. Thus, the best persona should be one that assists you in reaching the goals you have for the negotiation.


Accepting A Statement/Offer And Not Assessing Its Premise

If I tell you a story, will you believe it? Your answer depends on the narrative, your belief system, and whatever additional information you choose to make your assessment. And that same thought process is what you should undergo before accepting someone’s premise as a truth. By not challenging someone’s statement, you exclude the possibility of other thoughts, offers, or solutions to a problem. Be careful of what you accept as the truth. Everything that glitters is not gold.

 

Reflection

So many mistakes can take a negotiation in the wrong direction. By observing the ‘nots’ mentioned, you can keep your negotiations from knotting up. In so doing, you’ll avoid the traps that ensnare most talks. 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 “Negotiation Insight” click here https://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

 

 

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Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

The 4 Levels of Marketing

When it comes to marketing, there are four things that you need to focus on, four levels if you will.

The four levels of marketing are:

  • Strategy
  • Tactics
  • Initiatives
  • Action steps


When you hop on a webinar, when you ask your mastermind group for help, even when you start searching the web for answers and tools to grow your business, the number one source of overwhelm is when you’ve heard a whole bunch of strategies, a whole bunch of tactics, a whole bunch of initiatives, a whole bunch of actions steps — and you don’t know the difference.

There are three reasons why this short-circuits your brain:

  1. You can’t do them all
  2. You can’t prioritize or figure out how to start to think about them
  3. You can’t distinguish why or how it might work for your particular business


A strategy is a big picture area of your business. It could be a marketing strategy. It could be a sales strategy. It could be a financial strategy.

Let’s say you come across someone who tells you Instagram is an amazing marketing platform and you’re really missing out if your business is not on Instagram.

She is using it and it fits her business beautifully, and you respect this person and you admire her successful business.

And now you’re thinking, “Oh man, it’s all about Instagram, Instagram, Instagram.”

“If she built her business on Instagram, I can probably build my business on Instagram.”

Well, let’s back up and analyze that as far as the four levels of marketing.

Internet marketing is the strategy. In other words, Internet marketing is the big giant umbrella over Instagram.

The tactic under that would be social media. There’s a lot going on via the internet, folks, that’s not social media.

For example, Search engine optimization, your website, the structure of your web presence, blogging, podcasting, email marketing, dozens of internet marketing strategies. Social media happens to be one bucket under that, so social media is the tactic.

An initiative would be “I’m going to start using Instagram.”

This is level three now. I’m going to start using Instagram. I’m going to start understanding it. I might read a book. I might go to some websites, I’m going to grab a copy of Instagram 101 or Using Instagram for Business, all those fabulous resources that are out there for free.

Now, the action step – here’s level four, the action step always takes the form of verb, noun, date.

  1. Set up my Instagram account by Wednesday
  2. Prepare my first 10 posts by Friday
  3. Find 25 influential people to follow in my industry by Saturday
  4. Identify the top 5 hashtags to attract prospects by Monday
  5. Set up Plannthat.com to schedule posts by next Wednesday 

Those are action steps.

And the action step can also go on your calendar.

So it really takes it down to “What are you doing today?” 

What’s on your priority action list today?

Your to-do list could be 50 things, but what are your top three most important things that you need to do based on the strategies you’ve selected, based on the tactics that you’ve chosen, based on the initiatives that you’ve designed, what are the action steps to put on your calendar and get it done?

So right there, just unpacking those four levels, you’ve gotten some insights through which you can start to filter and sort all of your ideas, notes, all of those webinars you’ve listened to, all of those tactics and tools and light bulb moments, all those nuggets and sound bites that you may have swirling around in your head or on your “someday, maybe list.”

If you start to sort them into these four levels; strategy, tactic, initiative, and action step – you’ll get a much clearer vision for ALL your marketing going forward this week, this month, and for the rest of your professional career.

How will you put the 4 levels of marketing to work for your business this week? What strategies, tactics, initiatives, and action steps are you working on? Send me a private message – I really want to know. And I read every single one. Yes me. No minions. No elves :o)

Categories
Best Practices Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

7 Keys to Help You Focus on Strategy Not Tactics

As a business coach, I’ve observed that strategic business owners tend to be focused and successful.

And tactical business owners tend to be scattered and struggling.

If you want lasting and profitable business success, the key is to marry a small number of highly focused strategies with a variety of tightly aligned marketing and sales tactics.

Here are 7 keys to help you get started.

1. Tactics are easy – and it’s tempting to confuse executing tactics with moving your business forward. Ain’t always the case though, is it?

2. Strategy is the WHY TO and tactics are the HOW TO. If you stop focusing on your “WHY” even for a short time, you’ll fall into the trap of getting really good at creating and selling projects/services that you don’t want to be doing. How are you trapping yourself with off-strategy successes?

3. It feels good to execute tactics – and it feels hard to create strategies. This is because you have to come face to face with the time-space continuum. You can’t execute everything you want to do all at once. And you probably shouldn’t try. How have you subconsciously let yourself be overwhelmed with not enough strategy but too many tactics?

4. Tactics pile up – there is always more to do. Strategy is a limiting factor. Strategy shows you what you should NOT be doing, building, selling, and offering. Strategy serves your business as a filter. With no strategy, every tactic looks reasonable. How have you buried yourself in tactics while starving yourself of strategy?

5. Business owners and entrepreneurs LOVE talking to each other about tactics. What’s worked? What hasn’t? What’s next? They rarely talk strategy. They rarely talk about things they want to stop doing. What questions could you ask your colleagues to find out what they have pared down and eliminated to help them increase their strategic focus?

6. We’re too busy for strategy. Really? How about spending a morning in your comfy chair with a notebook and a set of colored Sharpies to have a strategic meeting with yourself? In less than two hours, you can do a data dump, a project review, a client review, an “ideal business model” exercise and create several lists such as “Low-payoff activities that take too much of my time” and “High payoff activities that I need to create more time for.” Review your notes, summarize and categorize them, and begin to put them into action. When’s the last time you had a strategic meeting with yourself?

7. Busying yourself writing emails is not a strategy. Email is not a tactic. And email is not a high-payoff activity. Yes, you might get a few client emails a day. Or customer service emails. Or a handful of leads. Other than that, sitting on email all day is a deadly distraction that sucks up way too much time. So stop. Make a sign over your desk where you can see it from your computer that says, “EMAIL IS NOT MY JOB.” How has email stolen your strategic focus lately?

If some of these – ANY of these – resonate deeply with you, comment, and give me an “Amen!”

Tactics before strategy leads to suffering. When you make strategic decisions first, all your marketing and sales choices become easy. Don’t be a victim of the all-too-common entrepreneurial disease of tactic-itis. You’re too smart for that. Focus on strategy and the tactics will become obvious.