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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

Do You Know How To Better Control Negotiations?

“Control is something that everyone seeks in life. Achieve greater control by knowing how and what to control.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“I’m not sure who was being manipulated, us or the opposing negotiators. They seemed to be negotiating by a hidden power source. Over the 3-week course of the negotiation, they constantly took exception with the positions they adopted. Something kept making them change their position!” Those were the words of an overly befuddled negotiator as he lamented about the tactics the opposing negotiation team employed.

In every negotiation, there are four factors that you should be aware of. Those factors have a profound impact on the flow and outcome of the negotiation. Thus, if you’re aware of how and when to use them, you’ll have better control of the #negotiation. Those factors are money, power, ego, and control.

Money

Some people are motivated by money for its purchasing value. Others use it as a way to keep score (i.e. point the direction of their success, up or down). In either case, the outcome of the negotiation may hinge on the perception one has of how much he gained, compared to how much you got and/or he left you with.

If you’re engaged in a negotiation with someone of this mindset, realize that money is the source through which he’ll evaluate the negotiation’s outcome. To combat this mindset, speak in terms of money per how he’ll lose opportunities if he doesn’t accept your offers. You can also use scarcity (i.e. the offer will only last a short time) to motivate him to take action sooner versus later. Keep in mind that you may possess something more valuable to him than money.

Power

Everyone wants the semblance of power. You need to know their sense of power in order to understand what source(s) might stimulate them to action (i.e. why they want it, what they’ll do with it, how it will make them feel).

Once you understand their sense and source(s) of power, you’ll have greater insight as to how to advantage it. Addressing it may be in the form of allowing the other negotiator to think he has power, based on the demeanor you project (i.e. someone that’s non-confrontational, go along to get along).

Ego

Everyone has an ego. In some negotiations, it may behoove you to deny the recognition of someone’s prestige, accomplishments, or whatever recognition sought from you by the other negotiator. The lack of recognition, related to one’s achievements, can be a powerful strategy to employ. You can withhold or extend acclamations until he acclimates to your position.

You can use praise for this purpose. You’d stroke his ego, when appropriate, to keep him aligned with the outcome you seek. Vary the degree of stroking based on the intent and outcome sought! In either case, make him feel that he’s earned what you grant him.

Control

Control is a human factor that determines how safe or unsafe someone feels. Like the other factors mentioned, control is perceptional. Thus, if you think you have or don’t have it, you’re right.

To create the façade of the other negotiator having control in the negotiation, make concessions that may appear to be to your detriment; red herrings can be used for this purpose. In some cases, granting control at the appropriate time can be a way to control the negotiation. Before granting it, know it’s perceived value.

When you utilize the four factors mentioned above in your negotiations, you’ll be better positioned to use those factors to your benefit. Doing so will allow you to maximize your negotiation efforts … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

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

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

#control #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #uncoversecrets #hiddensecrets #Negotiation #Personal Development #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations News and Politics Sales Women In Business

Who’s Shaping Your Perspective?

“Your thought process is shaped by the filter through which you view life. To better understand it, understand who controls the lens through which your thought process is filtered.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Do you really know what shapes your opinions and perspectives?

Most people don’t like to be told how to think. They want to maintain their independence and being told what to think infringes upon that. Nevertheless, most people don’t realize that they’re being primed to think a particular way, based on who and what they allow to become part of their thinking process.

No one has to tell you how to think in order to influence your thought process. Instead, all they have to do is tell you what to think about. Once you accept their premises, they’ve begun to steer your thought process towards one direction versus another. That’s the reason why you should be mindful of where your information comes from. Those sources have their own bent on what reality is. As they pass their perspectives to you, they’re also passing on the perspectives of how you should think about a situation.

In order to be more open-minded in your thought process, be more open-minded about the sources from which you gather information. You’ll be able to have an open mind by listening to the perspectives of others from a pro and con point of view. Once you do that, you’ll be better informed and able to understand any point of view from a more concise outlook.

People will always attempt to sway your thoughts to those that appeal to theirs. There’s nothing unnatural about that. It’s a form of validation per the way they think.

The point is, always maintain an open mind by being willing to listen to opinions that might differ from yours. The value of doing so will come in the form of your mind becoming more expanded. That will allow you to expand your thought processes even more, which in turn will allow you to understand the perspective of others better … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

When negotiating, you must keep an open mind about how you’re thinking. In order to negotiate more effectively, you need to understand the thought process of the other negotiator too, and how she came to have that mindset; you can influence her mindset by what you suggest she think about. Once you have the insight by which she thinks, you’ll have a better understanding of why she adopts the stances she takes and why she makes the offers that she extends. The added benefit will be in being able to understand her better. At a minimum, that should allow you to have more empathy for her and her position. If you can get her to reciprocate, both of you will be able to engage in the negotiation from a more civil and open process. A silent benefit of that will be a less stressful negotiation, and when it comes to a negotiation, the more stress you can remove from it, the easier the negotiation becomes.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

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

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

#YourPerspective #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #Psychology #Perception #ControlLife #Control #leadership #HowToImproveyourself #Achievement

 

 

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Investing Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

7 Characteristics of a Bully and Why You Should Care

“In order to deal with a bully, you must know what one looks like.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

“He will lie to your face, and not give a damn if you know he’s lying!” Those were the exasperated words of one member on the same negotiation team to another.

Do you know anyone that possesses the following 7 characteristics? If so, they just might be a bully.

When involved in #negotiations with someone that’s overly aggressive or someone that’s an outright bully, you should take note of the following characteristics to identify who he is.

1. Bullies tend to be egocentric. They have to be the center of attention in order to satisfy their need to appear superior to others. Thus, they will belittle, demean, and put others down to maintain the appearance of their superiority.

2. Observe a bully’s associates. Bullies tend to bring like-minded people that are weaker and like himself into his fold; he uses the former as foils in the plots he perpetrates against others. The caveat being, the bully needs to be the leader and will only allow those in his immediate sphere that will subjugate themselves to him. Therefore, be mindful of the fact that unknowingly you’re also negotiating with his minions when you’re negotiating with him.

3. Bullies alter facts to make them fit the situation. Doing so is his attempt to psychologically arrest the logical thought process of others, in an attempt to bend their outlook to his will and perspective. When negotiating with him, be selective about the points you choose to address and be mindful of the retorts you offer to refute him. Facts may be viewed as demonic objects that cause you to lose sway with him.

4. Loyalty between a bully and his associates is good as long as there are no threats in his camp. Once threats occur, loyalty loses its two-way appeal; the appeal is revealed as nothing more then a tool he employs to trick others into following him. He will throw supporters under the bus and find blame with them to account for his short-comings!

5. A bully seeks constant praise from others because that feeds his ego and his need for self-aggrandizement. It serves as validation that he’s superior to others. Therefore, seek ways to praise a bully in a negotiation. That will endear you to him. Just make sure not to fall into his attempts to pull you closer to his views than is necessary.

6. Bullies lie incessantly because their view has to be the predominant one. Thus, they attempt to alter the outlook of others to make others conform to their perspective. This action of the bully is very dangerous because one never really knows what to believe when a bully speaks.

7. The only way a bully can rise to his perch is to do so by keeping others under the spell that he casts. Once he loses any appeal that makes others bow to him, he can become more aggressive in his attempts to reacquire the power he’s lost. That’s when he’s most dangerous. During such times, he may engage in activities that are very far outside the realm of rationality.

Dealing with bullies is always a dicey proposition. Being oblivious to his characteristics can lead to a stressful negotiation, one in which you may lose before you realize what has occurred. If you use the 7 traits above to identify with whom you’re dealing, you’ll have an idea of what you’re up against. From there, you can be on guard as to how you engage him in the negotiation … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

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

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

#negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #uncoversecrets #hiddensecrets #Negotiation #Personal Development #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology

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Best Practices Marketing Personal Development

The Real Cost of Buying Into ‘Algo-logic’

We’ve found ourselves in a world where what’s important is predetermined by a simplistic form of artificial intelligence—algorithmic “logic”. It only measures what it’s able to measure.

Since it can’t measure the content’s quality, it measures the amount of response the post, article, video, or podcast gets. This is measured in number of comments, “likes”, or shares. The algorithm assumes that, somehow, engagement determines quality.

Slowly, you may find yourself buying into this naïve and over-generalized rating system because there is nothing better. It seems like everyone else is hopping on this bandwagon too, so you feel validated. This is your first mistake.

Eventually, you start to believe that quality is a hierarchy of engagement. It’s the only system to rely on, after all. Or at least the most popular! But do these algorithms really have the smarts to understand true quality?

Or, on the other hand, can true quality be inhibited by lack of engagement? Even worse, can we be manipulated once we buy into this system? Can crafty digital marketers work the system to create fake statistics, making certain content seem more important to sell you things that don’t work? Absolutely!

In other words, we now vote on what’s important at the expense of critical thinking. Do earlier actions of engagement push content at us at the expense of material that could be more thoughtful, wiser, and overall more valuable to the human experience? Yep!

This is an attractive process where it’s easy to get carried away with trendy distractions at the expense of hard-won lessons in history. Are there better and more important indicators of value than early engagement? We certainly think so. And we worry that those indicators can get lost.

Are smartphones really that smart? Or have we dumbed down to what they can measure? Now, don’t get us wrong—we love this new technology and can’t live without it. But we must constantly work around overly simple algorithms.

For example, we love Pandora, but we have to get around their algorithms to listen to the kind of music we like. Seems like everyone’s workaround is different due to the overly simplistic algorithms. Our friend, Bill, says, “I spend the first few days listening to everything they play on a given station. I quickly hit the likes and dislikes so I don’t get too much of their simplistic idea of what I like.” On the other hand, our friend, Mary, says, “I only hit the ones I dislike so I still get variety without getting into a rut.”

Mary and Bill are dealing with assumptions some programmers made about what’s important. If the song Bill chose first was sung by a woman, they give him all female artists next. Never mind the lyrics, melody, or beat. Bill knows that, and jumps on his next choice to prevent this from happening. But the more active Bill is with his choices, the fewer new offerings, because of the algorithm’s limits. Mary understands this, and only tells Pandora what she dislikes.

How many people enjoy a post without engaging? Most! But does that make the post less newsworthy, less important, or just plain wrong? Algorithms are unable to measure the silent majority—they are silent! They can only measure feedback that’s, well, measurable.

So, now a potential troll farm or minority can manipulate the algorithms and your thinking. They may even lead you to allow or take action because you think it’s what the majority wants. But it’s not. It’s what the programmers say is important because it’s all they can measure.

If this all seems like a call to return to critical thinking, it is! Let’s consider the source as we move on into the New Year.

Our 100-year-old neighbor says, “When airplanes first came out, they’d walk on the wings, light ‘em on fire, and fly ‘em through barns! Nobody ever thought they’d be going to Chicago in one.” Is this where we are now with the algorithms that control what gets pushed in social media? Are we still in the barnstorming phase?

Let’s not dumb ourselves down to what algorithms can measure! Let’s elevate classic standards, proven principles, and history—even if they don’t get a lot of ‘likes’. We’ve had enough cute puppies and mug cakes! It’s time to move on to what actually matters.

You don’t have much time. Don’t be tricked into believing that engagement alone is a measure of value to you, your community, or your business. For example, we don’t get much engagement on our 2 weekly posts and we know why. Our readers simply don’t have the time—they’re businesspeople!

However, our content is often picked up by major business publications such as the C-Suite Network, Entrepreneur, and the Business Journals in 43 cities. People reply to our newsletter and say, “Awesome,” “Please keep these coming,” and “I can’t wait to try this in my own business.” We have only had 2 unsubscribe in 4 years. Click here to see the best of our 30 years of successful business experience. But don’t feel like you have to engage. We’re happy to help!

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

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Best Practices Culture Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations News and Politics Sales Skills Women In Business

Are You Being Hurt by the Perception of Power?

“Power is perceptional and fluid. As it shifts, it’s strengthened or diluted. Know the direction of its flow when making decisions.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Always recognize when you’re in a state of euphoria and control your actions appropriately.

“He was great! I feel energized! Now, I believe I can accomplish all of my goals. That’s why I bought his $4,999 Super Deluxe Program!”

Such were the words of a young man in his late 20s. He had just attended a seminar where he was pumped up, while unknowingly his wallet was being deflated. In a few short months, he’d come to regret spending his money on that Deluxe Program. By then he’d be jobless and unable to pay his rent.

How are you victimized by the influence of perceived power? To what degree are you mentally manipulated by it?

When you sense power, it can be like an aphrodisiac. It stirs up arousal deeply in your soul. It releases endorphins within you and makes you momentarily feel like you rule the world. Yeah, it’s a good feeling! The problem or challenge that you might consider is, what form of manipulation are you under when you’re having such sensations and what will be the cost that you pay later?

When you’re in the heat of the moment, pumped up by the environment you’re in, realize what’s happening to you. You’re in a state of euphoria. While in that state your normal mode of rationalization is hijacked. You see yourself, and you become something that’s bigger than normal; you become and feel invincible.

The reason it’s so important to recognize when you find yourself in such a state is due to the actions you might commit while in that mindset. First, it’s a feeling of being on a natural high, which you want to maintain psychologically. That means you’ll engage in behaviors to sustain that feeling. You’ll even engage in behaviors that may later prove to be to your detriment. Then, when it’s time to pay the piper, you may experience insufficient funds to do so.

No matter what environment you’re in, always aspire to maintain self-control. That means, control your emotions and don’t let your emotions control you, or your actions. Doing so will allow you to maintain greater control of your life … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

In a negotiation, one ploy that negotiators use is an offer that appears to be too good. At first, you may be skeptical of it and upon deeper examination adopt the adage of, one should not look a gift horse in the mouth (i.e. accept it for what it is and be thankful). Some negotiators will even disguise this ‘gift’ as a mistake they made that turns out to be to your benefit. The purpose of the ‘gift offering’ is to get you into a state of euphoria so you disconnect your normal reasoning process.

Suffice it to say, the more aware you are of controlling your emotions in a negotiation, the sharper will be your decision-making process. You’ll be less likely manipulated by the misperception of perceived power, which means you’ll be less likely to be victimized by it.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

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

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

#NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #EmotionalControl #Relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #Psychology #Perception #ControlLife #Control #leadership #HowToImproveYourself #Achievement

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

How to Use ‘Even-If’ to Win Hard Negotiations

“Even if you’re right about being wrong, you’re right. There’s power in the use of the ‘even-if’ proposition.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

To what degree do you seek creative solutions when involved in hard-nosed negotiations? Such negotiations can be extremely demanding and fraught with stress. When coupled with someone that’s a hard-type negotiator (i.e. a negotiator that either has a zero-sum perspective of the negotiation or someone that thrives on being obstinate in a negotiation), you can find yourself making unplanned concessions if you’re not mindful of what you’re doing.

One way to employ a creative solution when involved in a hard negotiation, is to use the ‘even-if’ strategy. It can quicken the pace on the path to a successful negotiation outcome. While it can be a viable ploy for you, you need to also be watchful of it being used against you.

What is the ‘even-if’ strategy:

Stated succinctly, the even-if strategy allows its user to stealthily subordinate the other negotiator’s proposition to his. The strategy avoids potential conflicts that might occur if the other negotiator’s point was addressed prior to addressing yours. Thus, using this strategy successfully, allows you to put your point into the forefront of the discussion and it alters the flow of the negotiation.

How to use ‘even-if’:

The strategy can be used to make your point prior to addressing the other negotiator’s perspective. It’s done in the hopes that your point will dilute or alter his thought process. To use the strategy, you can say something akin to, “even if we could save $10 million by accepting your offer, at this time, we do not have that much money to invest. I suggest we look at a solution that may be closer to the $5 million threshold.” By doing this, as stated above, you’ve repositioned yourself and his offer by utilizing this strategy in this manner.

Best time to employ ‘even-if’:

Anytime you wish to subordinate the opposing negotiator’s point or request to yours, is a good time to employ this strategy. While this strategy can be used at any point in any negotiation, it’s even more powerful when used with someone that’s aggressive or someone that attempts to bully you. In that case, the strategy mollifies the bully. You’re not stating that he’s crazy or irrational for making such an outlandish request, you’re first acknowledging him from a respectful aspect and simply stating that you can’t meet his offer. In so doing, you potentially side-step any aggressive behavior that might stem from his otherwise abusive demeanor.

How to defend from ‘even-if’:

Since this strategy is used to put one proposition on the table for discussion ahead of another, you should be mindful of when the other negotiator attempts to use this strategy against you. The way to defend against it is to simply state, ‘Okay, let’s discuss your point next.’ You can use the tonality of your voice to position this as a request or a statement. Then, go right into the point that you wanted to discuss. A smart negotiator may not let you get away with your attempt to place your agenda ahead of his. Thus, you must be prepared to decide if you’ll acquiesce on one point to receive a concession on your request later. Therein lies another way you can use this strategy. If you get into a give-and-take as to whose point will be discussed first, you can present a point that’s nothing more than a red herring to be sacrificed for this purpose.

Even if (wink) you never use this strategy, knowing about it will make you a better negotiator … and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

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

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

#negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #uncoversecrets #hiddensecrets #Negotiation #Personal Development #HandlingObjections #Negotiator #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology

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Best Practices Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations News and Politics Sales Skills Women In Business

Your Mind Has Been Primed

“Like priming for paint, future actions are primed by the past.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Consider this – for the next 20 seconds, think about a time when you were most happy in your life. Please, do it!

Okay, did you do it? Did you think about a time when you were most happy in your life? If you did, now I’d like you to think about someone that you had a recent dispute with, someone that angered you. Is the image of that occasion duller than it was prior to thinking of a happier time? If it wasn’t, you need to learn how to let go of things that cause you angst. You’re only hurting yourself by hanging on to hurtful thoughts. If the memory of the spat you had with someone recently subsided, even if it’s just a smidgen, you were primed by the happy thought you engaged in before recalling that negative situation.

So, what does this mean? It means, when you have pleasant thoughts about past occurrences, the thoughts that follow do not appear to be as harsh. Of course, with the passage of time, your mind will gravitate back to what’s normal for it, related to how you view things that occur in your life. But, that also means that you can control how you view such occurrences. Thus, if you choose to prime your mind with thoughts of happier times, you can choose how you react to everything that occurs to you.

Priming your mind is the door through which you can choose to move in a more positive direction in life. It can also be used to highlight the negative aspects of your life, if you choose not to be positive. The point is, the choice is always yours.

I don’t wish to oversimplify this concept, but it really is simple. You have the power to choose how you feel and how you’ll react to everything that happens to you. Realize that power, control that power, use that power in a positive manner … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

In a negotiation, your mind is primed by what has occurred in prior negotiations that you’ve been a party to. Realize that as a fact and be mindful of the prejudices you possess going into the negotiation. Plus, if you wish the other negotiator to be in a more pleasant state of mind, prime him with positive thoughts about his past before entering into parts of the negotiation that might be fraught with potential peril.

Engaging in a negotiation with the thought of how you’ll prime yourself, and the other negotiator, will give you greater insight into how you can sidestep potential pitfalls. It will also allow you to be quicker in the avoidance of those pitfalls.

Quick, think about a lucky leprechaun. Did you see a little person in green? Now, think of a number between 1 and 10. Did you think of the number 7? If you did, you displayed to yourself the effects of priming. Most people associate a leprechaun with good luck and someone attired in green. If you didn’t think of a little person in green or the number 7, that’s okay. You think differently than most people. Be aware of that.

Priming works – use it and it will work for you in your negotiations.

Remember, you’re always negotiating! 

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

To receive Greg’s free 5-minute video on reading body language or to sign up for the “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/

#NegotiatingWithABully #Priming #mindpriming #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #Psychology #Perception #ControlLife #Control #leadership #HowToImproveyourself #Achievement

 

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Leadership Marketing Personal Development

3 Key Factors When Scaling Your Business

Is your business ready to scale? At some point, every business is faced with this decision. Things are going well – you have survived the first few years and now have decent repeat business with some profitability. So you wonder, is there more?

There are many factors to consider – here are three key ones:

1. Is your business really scalable? Can you grow your sales significantly without a large increase in costs? By expanding will your cost be unit decline allowing for greater profitability? Is automation a likely resource you can use? These are a few of the factors that really need to be examined closely. Take your time in this process. Deciding whether to scale is a make or break decision – the landscape is littered with failed companies who scaled too soon. Scaling too soon has the potential for alienating your existing customers by delivering a below par product or shoddy service.

2. Scaling your business involves more than expanding sales…you need to expand your reach without negatively impacting profitability. Typically this expansion will involve leveraging technology and expanding staff. As with any business inflection point, having a business plan will greatly increase the chances of success. If you used the lean startup method to launch your business, now would be a great time to revisit the Business Model Canvas. Special focus should be paid to Revenue Streams, Cost Structure and Channels – these are the areas where automation can play a big part. Testing assumptions is always important but critical if you are planning to scale by expanding sales into new areas.

For many companies at this stage, additional funding might be needed to facilitate the expansion. As with any investor presentation, a solid business plan with financial is a must. Since investors will want a percentage of the company in return for capital, this has to be weighed against the expected sales and profit growth from scaling.

3. Scaling your business will most likely result in additional staff. It is essential to get the staffing right—be aware of work load and needed expertise….you will need some new thinking and skills from your existing staff as well as the new hires. It is a poor idea to rush the hiring decisions since hiring the wrong people can damage your company by derailing momentum and hurting the existing culture. Reassessing all roles in light of the planned expansion is important. Have the right people doing the right jobs and streamline and automate as much as possible. Scaling a business can be stressful for the existing employees – be sure to do enough internal marketing to keep all your team engaged.

Most companies (especially tech based) want to maximize their growth and dream of becoming unicorns. However, not all have a structure that supports scaling their business in the traditional way. As with most key business decisions, weighing the risks and returns correctly is the hallmark of a great entrepreneur. There is nothing wrong with growing organically and evolving into a successful and profitable small business – after all these companies form the backbone of the country.

Kevin FitzGerald is the founder and CEO of Kensington Global Consulting, LLC – a boutique advisory firm working with entrepreneurs and startups with a potential to grow internationally. He has 20 years of managerial/consulting experience across a wide range of industries

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Leadership Marketing Personal Development

Public Speaking for Executives: The Original Social Media

You’re blogging. You’re tweeting. You’re linked in. You’re creating videos and articles and e-zines.

All of that is great but let’s not forget that social media is—first and foremost—social! It’s personal. And that person is YOU.

The ultimate test of a thought-leader is the answer to one simple question: When you open your mouth, do people listen? Online, offline, in person, via email, via Skype, on Slideshare, on YouTube. The media doesn’t matter. The messenger (aka YOU) matters a whole lot more.

If Benjamin Franklin had social media, would he use it? You bet. Would it work for him? Absolutely. How can we be sure? Because when old Ben opened his mouth back in the 1770s and 1780s, people listened. The same could be said for Plato, Socrates, Shakespeare, Einstein, King, Jobs. and Obama.

Long before social media people rose to prominence using the influence of the spoken word. Articulation of powerful ideas, useful ideas, crazy ideas,revolutionary ideas is what made people remarkable. Whether you stood up to speak to an audience of Roman senators, a rowdy bunch of war protesters, a roomful of hostile reporters, or a boardroom filled with naysayers, the people who made a difference did so because of the power of public speaking to spread their ideas and change the course of events.

Public speaking—the original social media—is based on the same principles as today’s electronic social media. The key factors to your success are:

1. Have something worth saying
2. Say it in a powerful, simple, and intriguing way
3. Deliver your messages with consistency, clarity, and passion
4. Change the game—don’t blend in; very simply: stand out when you speak up

Let’s explore each of these in a bit more depth:

1. Have something worth saying. Craft your message by speaking to both the heart and the head. People are emotional creatures. Tap into emotion to back up your facts, opinions, and recommendations. As business author Harvey Mackay likes to point out, “There are no business relationships—all relationships are personal relationships.”

2. Say it in a powerful, simple, and intriguing way. Don’t mince words. Short sentences rule. People’s attention spans are shrinking daily. Keep it short, snappy, and memorable. For example, when I speak on marketing, I use the power of alliteration by sharing my philosophy that marketing needs to be easy, effortless, and enjoyable. I call it the “3 Es” and people remember it. Include hooks, tag lines, and memory devices when you speak, and you will increase your influence and impact.

3. Deliver your messages with consistency, clarity, and passion. Americans hate wafflers. Every political season, the worst you can call your opponent in a hotly contested election is a “waffler.” It’s considered even worse than lying! Don’t be wishy-washy. Have a clear, strong point of view and hammer it home over and over: boldly, passionately, and fearlessly.

4. Change the game–don’t blend in–very simply. Stand out when you speak up. Boring doesn’t sell. Boring ideas die. Boring people lose. In short, you want to be the opposite of boring. You want to stand out from the crowd. As Steve Jobs encouraged us, “Think different.” Where can you zig where everyone else zags? Where can you break the mold—or create a new mold that you (and you alone) are perfectly designed to fit in?

Follow these four principles and you will have mastered the original social media—no computer required!

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Seven Keys to Get Up, Get Speaking, and Get Paid

Economic cycles come and go. Even when the conventional wisdom seems to be that “no one’s hiring speakers,” you can be sure there’s always a bull market somewhere. When it’s time to reboot, recover, and reignite your speaking business, these seven key strategies and best practices are indispensable.

Key #1: Professional speaker is a skill set, not a job description.

What would the average speaker do if he could no longer speak? What if she were unable to travel? For someone self-defined purely as a “speaker,” that might be the end of the road.

But they’d still have a professional speaker skill set; it would simply need to be deployed in other ways. With that in mind, it makes sense to get comfortable with those other ways right now. Multiple revenue streams provide business model resilience—when one part of the business is down, another might be up. It’s insurance at the very simplest level. Building that insurance into the speaker’s business plan today ensures getting paid for expertise regardless of industry trends, personal challenges, or unexpected family issues.

Best Practice #1: Diversify methods and media.

Consider:

  • Books
  • E-books
  • Workbooks
  • Field guides
  • Meeting starters
  • Audio programs (CD, mp3, podcast)
  • Video programs (DVD, streaming, mini-lessons)
  • E-learning modules (using simple tools like Articulate Presenter)
  • Consulting packages
  • Coaching programs
  • Teleseminars
  • Webinars
  • Action packs
  • Implementation kits
  • E-mail courses
  • Membership websites
  • Online forums and communities
  • Assessments
  • Mobile apps
  • Certification programs
  • Licensing programs
  • Affiliate programs
  • Joint ventures

Choose the most suitable methods, get them on the calendar within the next year, and execute!

Key #2: Every speaking business needs a CEO.

The primary trait that separates successful speakers from their struggling counterparts? Successful speakers don’t consider themselves speakers. They consider themselves the CEO of their speaking business. CEOs demand a relentless focus on MMA—Money-Making Activity. CEOs know when their company is profitable and when it is not. CEOs have the rare skill of being able to panic early—and then taking massive, decisive action to correct the course before it’s too late.

Most important, CEOs are never OK with not making money. They put all their weight, all their creativity, and all their commitment behind making payroll. Speakers who think they don’t have employees are dead wrong—they’re Employee #1. Are they paying themselves enough? Do they give themselves enough time off? A CEO would give priority to the employee responsible for 100% of her company’s profitability. A solo entrepreneur speaker needs to do the same.

Best Practice #2: Schedule paydays.

Speakers who have employees already have a payroll. But a company of one needs to do the same, just without payroll software or vendor—even if it’s a simple as marking the calendar for the second and fourth Friday of each month as “payday.” The quickest way to earn $50,000 as a speaker is to divide that number by 24 ($2,083.33) and every payday, transfer that amount from a business account to a personal one. (That’s also the quickest route to $100,000, $200,000, or more!) To start, it’s easiest to ignore marketing, taxes, operations, and so on, but that’s rarely the biggest challenge. The idea is to establish an early warning system that’s focused on MMAs when the coffers are running low. The self-paycheck practice provides that, while establishing a much-needed sense of urgency with regard to cash flow.

Key #3: Establish a “Now More than Ever” mind-set.

Too many speakers complain that the economy has damaged their businesses. Buyers are no longer buying. Meetings are no longer meeting. There’s a laundry list of aches, pains, symptoms, and woe-is-me declarations of how life suddenly got very unfair for professional speakers.

Three words of wisdom: Figure it out.

That means figuring out what buyers are deeply concerned about, what problems they are eager to solve, and what priorities they’re already spending money on. It requires determining the strategies and goals for which they are accountable. And it demands ferreting out what solutions they’re actively seeking right now.

The speaker who does that is like a doctor during a time of epidemic disease, equipped with the medicine and ready with the cure. In tough times, the services of a doctor are in greater demand, not less. A resource primed to cure a buyer’s exact woes will experience limited resistance. So, too, speakers who believe that
their ideas are needed now more than ever and are in demand now more than ever will be valued by their clients now more than ever.

Best Practice #3: Live in the prospects’ world.

Business-minded speakers think about their clients’ problems, bosses, obstacles, and customers—not just their own. What are the first steps? Research. Preparation. Homework. Industry, regional, and company news is now at everyone’s fingertips online. Direct quotes, video clips, and audio interviews make excellent firsthand intelligence—and don’t forget real, live customers. Without intelligently researching a prospect’s issues, challenges, and pressures, it’s impossible to come up with credible, high-perceived-value solutions. The most
convincing way to approach prospects is being armed with:

  • Interviews
  • Surveys
  • Research
  • Data gathering

Expertise plus valuable data is a killer combination.

Key #4: Get serious, get help, or get out.

The top professionals in any field realize that they cannot achieve success alone. They ask for help. They invest in the resources, tools, technology, and people who can accelerate both their learning curve and their doing curve.

What’s the best place to start? The good news is that it doesn’t cost a dime—it’s an internal commitment to take this business of speaking seriously. It’s not a part-time thing for fun, it’s not volunteer work, and it’s not something to “try” between jobs. Do military fighter pilots “try” flying combat missions? Do doctors go into neurosurgery “part-time”? Do symphony orchestra conductors “give it a shot”? No! True professionals make serious commitments to their professional training, years-long preparation and study, thousands of hours of practice, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Upon ruthless, objective examination, the areas where a speaker needs help will become quite clear. And that’s OK: Successful professionals reach out for help more often than average people—not less.

The third option is to get out. This doesn’t mean quitting the speaking business—far from it. Rather, it’s about taking a professional break and coming back into this business through a different door, which is precisely what I did in 2007. My speaking and consulting business had become a grind. I wasn’t having fun. I needed a break. I took a job at a training company, booking speakers for events, webinars, and live conferences.

Within two weeks of wearing my conference producer/meeting planner hat, I immediately realized what I had been doing wrong as a speaker. In 2008, I jumped back into my own business, and the lessons from my time “on the other side of the desk” gave me everything I needed to reinvent my speaking business and share these same lessons with my professional speaker clients on what it takes to get booked from the buyer’s perspective.

Best Practice #4: Recommit.

Getting serious means recommitting to the speaking business: upgrading collateral materials; losing the dated aol.com email address; dumping the homemade inkjet business cards; and revamping that 10-year-old website.

Getting help might include: free help (NSA buddies, colleagues, friends, mastermind groups); low-cost help (NSA chapter meetings, webinars, PEGs, hiring an assistant or intern); premium help (attending an NSA convention, working with a speech coach, hiring a speaker marketing firm).

Finally, getting out can vary from the moderate to the extreme. Consider a part-time consulting or on-demand position with a favorite client, association, or company to see what makes them tick. Do some subcontracting or get a job with a training company, consulting firm, or executive education program. Speaker’s bureaus and conference-producing organizations are also terrific options. Don’t consider this as exile; it’s a paid learning experience. Keeping one’s identity as a professional speaker helps, too: While I was working on the inside, my business card proudly displayed the NSA Member logo right next to my title.

Key #5: Build a Thought Leadership Platform.

A speaker’s collected body of wisdom, expertise, tools, tactics, strategies, sound bites, and philosophies compose a thought leadership platform. New technologies and new media come and go. Consider the evolution from print newsletters and glossy magalogs through websites, e-zines, blogging, audio, video, and social media—but the one thing that does not change is professional speakers’ need to be thought leaders.

Writing is writing. Ideas are ideas. It may sound like heresy, but if Ben Franklin were alive today, he would be a blogger, thanks to the technology’s ability to reach a great number of people quickly with ideas that positively impact their lives.

Best Practice #5: Repurpose.

The sound bite is “Create content daily.” Meeting planners want to see a speaker’s thinking process, showcased in meaty articles with lots of specifics and do-it-now tactics. The key isn’t just telling people what to think but, rather, what to do and how to do it. Actionable information is a powerful tool.

Here’s a one-word shortcut to great articles: repurpose. Keynotes become articles; articles become special reports; special reports can become audio programs; audio programs can become the rough draft for a book. With a solid thought leadership platform, the different ways to package and profit from ideas
are limitless.

Key #6: Become an NSA Certified Speaking Professional.

Ordinarily, I couldn’t care less about industry acronyms. But consider it from the perspective of association executives, meeting planners, and corporate decision makers: If only 8 percent of speakers have a CSP designation and 92 percent don’t, who are they going to feel more confident about hiring? It is a risk-reduction strategy for your buyers, an instant recognition of a speaker’s professional qualifications.

Yes, there are plenty of exceptional speakers who are not CSPs. But from a buyer’s perspective, how many CSPs are likely to be awful speakers whom they will regret hiring? Extremely few. The safer bet gets booked more often.

Best Practice #6: Get certified.

Start an application at www.nsaspeaker.org. The CSP tracking spreadsheet and application packet make it simple to record stats rather than trying to reconstruct the who, what, where, and when five years down the road.

Key #7: Focus marketing on the mighty few.

The era of “better, faster, more” productivity is over. Multitasking is a myth, and good luck “getting things done.” The sad truth is that most professional speakers catch the disease of tacticitis. They believe they have to listen to the guru of the moment and belong to the coach-of-the-month club, while simultaneously working on their presentation skills, marketing, branding, website, video, book writing, sponsorships, social media, list building, article publishing, and networking. (And that’s before they try to regrow a full head of hair and lose
those unwanted pounds.)

Best Practice #7: Focus on business-building strategies.

The latest guru, offer, product, program, and technology that lands in your inbox has less to do with succeeding than does having a solid business model, speaking model, and revenue model—and they’re usually a lot more expensive. It’s far better to select two or three main strategies that can be used consistently. Writers should write. Techies should use technology. People persons should network.

The truth is, the “flavor of the month” rarely lasts a full year. In contrast, working harder on fewer things, and focusing exclusively on easy, effortless, and enjoyable business-building activities, is what will yield results—this month, next month, next year, and for the foreseeable future. The marketing geniuses at Nike have had it right for a long time: Just do it!