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

Do You Know the Hidden Secrets of Good Negotiators?

“Good negotiators know negotiation secrets that allow them to be good. To become better when negotiating, learn the secrets that good negotiators know” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Good negotiators know a wide range of hidden negotiation secrets, when to use them, and which ones to use in their repertoire of secrets when negotiating. That’s one of the things that distinguishes good negotiators from not so good negotiators.

So, what are some of the hidden secrets that good negotiators use? The following are a few of those hidden secrets. Using them will give you an advantage in your negotiations.

Reading Body Language:

Being adept, when it comes to accurately reading the other negotiator’s body language, will give you insight into his train of thought, and an edge in the negotiation. As one example, if face-to-face, note the consistency with which his eyes move when assessing information to questions you pose. If you pose questions that he should have to call on by referencing past occurrences, note the direction he looks in to obtain that information. When that pattern breaks, note it, along with the question that caused it to occur. They’ll be insightful information that you can use in that action.

Know What’s Really Important:

If you’re attempting to successfully entice a venture capitalist to invest in your business, you should know the main question she has about the potential investment is, will I make a decent return on my money and how long might it take to do so? The question is important to keep in mind because it’ll be the answer to that question that will determine what motivates her and what it will take to keep her engaged with you.

Throughout any negotiation, know the main points that will keep a negotiator engaged and determine how you’re going to use that information throughout the negotiation.

Emotions/Hot-buttons:

Always attempt to control emotions when negotiating. Emotions add an extra dimension to what is said.

In controlling emotions, you should know the hot-buttons that will push you and the other negotiator from one point to another, per the state of mind you or he will possess once in that state; you should already be well aware of your own hot-buttons.

To gain insight into the other negotiator’s hot-buttons, gather information beforehand about what ticks him off, and what makes him experience bliss. Then, during the negotiation, take note of his reactions when you push his buttons. If he doesn’t react the way you know he’s reacted in the past, you’ll gain insight into what he may be attempting to keep disclosed. If that’s the case, pick at that thing like a bad itch that begs to be scratched.

Good Listening Skills:

Good listening skills encompass not just listening to what’s said, but also listening for what’s omitted, the word choice used, and the way such words are conveyed; we’ve all heard a statement that sounded like a question. Unless you intentionally mean to pose a statement as a question, don’t do it. Also, note when the other negotiator sends hidden meanings inside of his verbal messages; it may mean he’s unsure of what he’s saying, or that he wants you to believe he’s unsure. Probing will uncover his intent.

When momentum is on your side, accelerate the negotiation. When you’re on the defense, slow the negotiation down. It’s the little strategies that you utilize in a negotiation that will pay the biggest dividends. Thus, when negotiating, don’t take small things for granted. It’s the implementation of small things, such as what’s mentioned above, that will allow you to accomplish bigger outcomes in your negotiation. Master those things … and everything will be right with the world.

 

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/

Remember, you’re always negotiating.

#HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #HiddenSecrets

#psychology

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Best Practices Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development Women In Business

Join the Attention Revolution

Are you ready to join an ATTENTION REVOLUTION?

Are you ready to commit to paying attention to what matters most?

In today’s society, people everywhere are overwhelmed, overstressed and overtired. We receive information at a lightning-fast speed, challenging our ability to remain focused. As a result, I believe our society is suffering from an attention deficit crisis.

Research suggests our ability to remain focused is being undermined by social media, smartphones and other digital distractions. Many experts believe excessive use of technology is making us impatient, impulsive and forgetful. As a result, we spin our wheels staying busy while rarely making forward progress. We wear busy like it’s a badge of honor.

Attention has become the new currency as everyone and everything competes for more of it. Attention is EVERYTHING!

Did you know that according to the Information Overload Group, U.S. businesses lose $588B dollars (yep that’s billion) each year, from a lack of people paying attention! Imagine the success of your business if employees were able to tune out distractions, avoid interruptions and connect with the tasks that truly matter.

Now consider your personal life. How many times have you tuned out in conversation to check an alert on your smartphone? What about personal connections you missed because as you were reading emails after hours.

It’s time we become intentional with our attention and realize we have the power of choice. We can choose who and what gets our attention.

Intentional attention is about creating moments that MATTER. Here’s the caveat to that however: Intentional attention may mean reducing your social media time, putting away devices and noticing those around you, canceling unnecessary obligations and learning to say ‘no’ to others. While that may seem a little stressful – your life will be richer for it.

I promise, if you join my Attention Revolution, you will see:

  • Skyrocketing productivity,
  • Growth in relationships,
  • Boost to profits,
  • Extreme focus and clarity,
  • Targeted accountability; and
  • More time for what matters most to YOU!

Let’s join together to start a new trend, learn to channel our focus and accomplish more each day. I challenge you silence distractions, avoid interruptions and join the Attention Revolution today.

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Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

The Simple Mistake That is Killing Your Online Presence

We’ve all experienced the online narcissist.  The person who is constantly sharing what they are working on, where they are going, who they are going there with, and what they are eating when they get there.  And we think, “I’m so glad that I’m not like them!”

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are.

It’s not always as extreme, but when I look at how professionals use digital platforms for business purposes, I find they do the exact same thing.  Salespeople brag about how good they are at hitting quota and the features of what they sell.  Executives have lists of their companies’ accomplishments and their rise through the ranks.  Everyone is talking about themselves.

Your Online Presence is Too Self-Centered

And while that’s understandable, it’s important to remember that the readers of your online profiles aren’t looking for your story.  Even though they are at your LinkedIn profile, or your website bio, or your Facebook page, they aren’t actually interested in you.

Your online visitors want to see if you can help them with a problem that they have.

They might be a vendor looking for a supplier, an employer looking for an employee, a business owner looking for a service-provider, or a host of other scenarios.  But they are looking to see if you can fit the bill of what they are looking for.  They are asking, “Can this person help me solve my challenges.”

If you spend your time online talking about how great you are, it’s very hard for them to find the answer to that question.  Would you spend your time bragging to a person if you were talking to them face-to-face?  Instead, it’s critical that you spend time talking about how you solve those problems for the people you serve.

Nobody is reading your LinkedIn profile because they couldn’t find your autobiography on Amazon.  Too often, we share what we share because it’s what we want to say.  We share what we think is important and what’s exciting to us.  That’s the wrong approach.

Your visitors need to hear about what’s important to them.

How to Approach Your Online Profiles

So switch your approach and instead of looking at your online assets as an opportunity to talk about what’s important to you, connect your experience, skillsets, and capabilities to the ways you serve your audience.  Stop thinking about what you want to say and put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What do they need to hear from you?

It can difficult to change this perspective because we are used to seeing the world from our point of view.  There’s a simple process that can help you get out of your own head:

  1. List out your professional goals.

What are you trying to accomplish right now?  Do you want a new job, a promotion, new clients?  The clearer you are about where you are trying to get, the easier it is to map out a course.

  1. Connect those goals to the audience you need to influence.

You will have many audiences online, and if you try to speak to them all, your message will be muddy.  Who are the most important people that you need to address?

  1. Imagine (or Ask) what that audience cares about and needs to hear.

If you had someone from your target audience right in front of you, what would you want to tell them?  What information do they need to engage with you?

  1. Decide where and how to share that message

The digital world can be a big place and you can’t be everywhere.  Does your audience spend their online focus on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc?  Figure that out and spend time in the same places.

  1. Share your message

Put in the effort to clearly share the message on the different platforms you’ve chosen.  Your audience can’t know anything until you share with them.  Construct your profiles, feeds, and pages to share the message that they need to hear from you.

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Human Resources Management Marketing Personal Development

The Importance of Communication from an Emotional Intelligence Expert

As part of my nationally syndicated radio show, Take the Lead, I interview top leaders and successful individuals who share their success stories.  It was my turn to be interviewed on James Miller’s nationally syndicated radio show this week.

To hear the entire interview, please go to: https://www.jamesmillerlifeology.com/effective-communication-dr-diane-hamilton/

The following are highlights of what we discussed in the interview:

  • Communicating Effectively
  • Curiosity and leadership
  • It’s Not You It’s Your Personality
  • MBTI and the importance of timing for projects based on personality
  • The psychology behind our choices
  • Our Capacity and Awareness
  • Procrastination
  • Planning vs Spontaneity
  • Stress and Thriving
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Soft Skills
  • Behavior Issues
  • LeaderKid Academy
  • Empathy and Listening
  • Importance of Paraphrasing
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Accounting Body Language Economics Human Resources Investing Management Marketing Negotiations News and Politics Skills Taxes Women In Business

How to Overcome Lost Trust When Negotiating

“One way to overcome the loss of trust when negotiating is not to lose it in the first place.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Trust is the hidden variable when negotiating that possesses silent power in the negotiation. Once trust is lost, a negotiation takes on a persona from which it may never recover. Thus, depending on the severity of lost trust, it may be the death knell of the negotiation.

There are multiple factors that play a role in regaining trust when it’s lost. The implementation of those factors are directly tied to how you wish to proceed from the point of disruption, the outcome you seek from the negotiation, time factors related to future events, and any mitigating circumstances that may cause you to engage/disengage in/from the negotiation.

This article will give you insights as to how you can overcome the loss of trust when you negotiate and turn your efforts into winning actions.

Point of Disruption:

Be observant as to how trust is being evaluated during the negotiation. Such signs will be conveyed through the possible reluctance to believe, follow, or acquiesce to a request and/or concession. Once you sense such hesitancy, address it right then. Don’t let a possible festering thought about trust linger. If you do, you may be setting up the rest of the negotiation to be addressed from a deeper entrenched position on both sides.

Outcome Sought:

Be crystal clear about the outcomes sought by you and the other negotiator. To the degree you have commitments, shine a bright metaphoric light on those agreements and make those commitments known to stakeholders with lots of fanfare. As an aside, be mindful of whom you show the commitments so that they don’t tear them down. In a best-case scenario, you tie/lock the other negotiator to the commitments he states he’ll abide by. Also, limit finger pointing, gloating, and be aware of your verbiage when highlighting agreed on commitments. The wrong word(s), gloating, and/or finger pointing can easily lead to the unraveling of a commitment. To ensure that commitments will be adhered to, discuss with the other negotiator how they will be conveyed when presented to the outside world.

Time Factors and Future Events:

You should always consider the time factor and how today’s negotiation will impact future events. To that end, to restore lost trust:

  1. Sign-off on agreements at specific points in the negotiation and wait to see if deliverables are made
  2. Know hidden power players and their possible reaction(s) about the direction of the negotiation
  3. Have contingency plans in place to persuade power players to positions that are advantageous to you

Mitigating Circumstances:

There are mitigating circumstances that can encompass any negotiation. Such can be caused by the misperception of a word, a misperceived gesture, or just a dislike amongst the negotiators. If you’re aware of any mitigating circumstances that may cause the negotiation to be headed to the negotiation graveyard, consider changing negotiators. New negotiators can see the negotiation through new eyes.

A loss of trust can be a silent death knell in a negotiation but that doesn’t have to be so. The best way to offset its occurrence is to be as forthright as possible as you engage in a negotiation. Of course, that forth righteousness is a two-way street that the other negotiator must also be willing to traverse. Use the suggestions above to offer him the opportunity to do so … and everything will be right with the world.

 

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/

Remember, you’re always negotiating.

#HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #Trust  #psychology

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Entrepreneurship Health and Wellness Human Resources Management Marketing Skills Women In Business

What I Wish I Would Have Known Before I Bought My First Smartphone

Have you ever been so excited about buying something new that you fail to stop long enough to consider how it might impact you in the long run? Let’s face it; rarely do we ever consider the long-term consequences of our purchases and impulsive needs, especially when it comes to technology.

I can still remember my first smartphone purchase – the answer to my productivity needs. The ability to map my destinations, create travel itineraries on a whim, respond to emails in a more timely fashion, take photos and more. I’ve never been one that is a cutting-edge ‘early adopter’ where technology is concerned, but the smartphone was truly that – smart. It was the answer to my overwhelmed, overly committed life.

Never one time did I stop to consider the long term impacts the smartphone would have on my life, let alone on society. Have you ever stopped to contemplate how your life has changed since introducing this device into it? If you knew then what you know now, would you still have made that very first purchase? Or perhaps, would you have introduced it to your life differently?

The following aspects are those I wish I would have – could have – considered before that first smartphone purchase:

Dinner Disruptions:

I wish I would have known that I would rarely see families and friends engaged in a conversation around the dinner table without the distraction of a device. I can’t even recall the last time I sat in a restaurant and witnessed everyone engaged in a non-device disrupting conversation and meal. Far too often I see adults tuned out reading online while kids mindlessly play games and avoid interaction. I watch as young couples engage more on social media than with each other. I wait as servers and staff turn their attention to patrons in need of photos, causing other patrons to sit in wait.

Traveling Challenges:

I wish I would have known that every airport would become a land mine of adults sitting on floors and against walls, hovering near any available power outlet or charging station, handcuffed to their device in a desperate hope it will charge before boarding the flight. Before smartphones, I can’t recall a time it was commonplace to see grown adults holding a small device as if it were their very life support.

Distracted Driving:

I wish I would have known the rate people would crash, or even die, due to distracted drivers. Let’s face it, there are few things more annoying, distracting and dangerous than a smartphone alert going off when you’re behind the wheel of a car. No matter where you keep the phone – your purse, console, glove box or back seat – there is something about the sound of an alert that pulls your focus from the road. Never would I have imagined how many people I would share the road with that would be texting while driving, reading the news, posting online or even live streaming their thoughts in transit. Even when thought I have disciplined myself not to look at the phone while driving, the very thought of what awaits for me competes for my attention more than I would have ever imagined.

Home Life Hindrances:

I wish I would have known how much I would ask my friends and family to pause their thoughts as I answered a self-inflicted obligation to respond to emails after hours. I can remember when I first linked my email to my smartphone and thought how amazing it was to respond to emails after the work day was over. I considered this a productivity win as my response times were cut in half. I had faith that others recognized my diligence and would be appreciative of my timely response. What I didn’t realize is that in time, my enthusiasm for answering after hour emails would turn into a habit and that habit would turn into obligation. Little by little, I had trained those in my circle to expect an immediate response from me. Before I knew it, my 9 to 5 turned into a 24×7 workday. My loved ones became the ones in wait as I took time and attention from them to respond to messages that could have easily waited until morning.

Need for Instant Information:  

I wish I would have known my need for instant information would become a crutch. I’m not sure if you’re like me, and have lost track of the number of times you’ve stopped mid conversation to research facts and figures to prove a point. While having information at our fingertips is amazing, it can also hinder our ability to be free thinkers and engage in healthy debates and judgement without the need to immediately prove who is right.

Social Media Influence:

I wish I would have known how toxic social media would become. If only I could have seen the day I would wish for photos of a friend’s meal to be the topic of social media fodder. Instead, the smartphone has allowed all of us to think, and post, without self-censorship. We’ve entered into a world where what we feel is immediately available for others to read. I would have never guessed the draining effect it would have on my in my daily life, feelings and productivity. Not only has the smartphone increased my accessibility to read social media, it’s made it addictive to the point that a concerted effort has to be made just to tune it out or avoid it all together.

Productivity Nemesis:

I wish I would have known that the very tool I was purchasing to help me become more productive would be the very thing that would challenge my ability to do so. With constant alerts, messages and updates, it’s hard to remain focused on anything of importance. Trying to focus on a task becomes challenging when I know someone has messaged me and is awaiting an immediate response. Now, I have to make a conscious effort to download apps and schedule times of days they work to keep alerts and messages at bay. Never the less, the impulsive need to check my screen for notifications is often more than I can bear. Despite my need for focused thinking, I find my attention challenged in ways I would have never previously imagined.

Talking to Foreheads:

I wish I would have known that the introduction of the smartphone meant learning to carry on conversations with people’s foreheads. If only I had the ability to grab someone by their face and say what my 5 year old friend, Donovan, taught me – “Listen with your eyes.” Put the phone down and pay attention to what is right in front of you, not what can wait. If only I would have known how preconditioned I would become – we would become – to accepting interruptions and someone’s half attention as the norm.

Is there anything you wish you would have known before buying your first smartphone? While technology has helped us in many ways, it challenges our focus and competes for our attention for what is truly important. While I don’t regret having this amazing technology, hind sight is always 20/20. Now that we know the challenges, can we change our habits, or are we doomed to distraction?

I believe attention is our new currency. Attention to what matters most is where we will profit, boost productivity and increase accountability. Paying attention to what is important is a skill we must learn – if not relearn – to help us achieve balance in our lives with technology.

What are your thoughts? I would love to read them. Are you committed to changing your habits and learning how to use the smartphone as a tool and break the dependency you’ve created? If so, subscribe to my ezine to learn tips, techniques and strategies to help you pay attention to what matters most.

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Best Practices Human Resources Management Marketing Skills Women In Business

When You Should – And Should NOT – Memorize a Speech

I coach people on how to be persuasive and compelling in a variety of contexts, one of which is in preparation for giving a formal speech or presentation. This fall I’ve coached three TED talks, helped CFOs prepare for board meetings, directed dozens of entrepreneurs through their investor pitches, and prepared executives to deliver webinars to their global teams. But in all of these scenarios, one question always comes up: “Should I memorize the script?”

The simple answer is: it depends.

Disclaimer: I am a linguist, not an actor, so it never feels natural to recite scripted lines, even if I can deliver them naturally. However, there is a time and a place for it. Let’s look at how to make this decision, and then you can decide how to approach your next presentation.

Time Limits

There are time limits to most engagements, and the shorter your window, the more memorization can help ensure that you hit your key points before you run out of time.

When you have an extremely tight window, e.g. a two-minute elevator pitch, you can’t afford to fumble around searching for the right words. Even if you don’t memorize your whole spiel, if you plan to share an anecdote or explain a process, those can be good segments to rehearse and hone so you can recite them verbatim when the time comes.

Managing Audience Interaction

On the other hand, if you know that the audience can interrupt at any time with questions and comments, you’ll get completely derailed if you are relying exclusively on memorized lines. Once you can resume, there’s a good chance you’ve either forgotten where you left off or you remember, but it no longer flows naturally from the conversation.

Plus, if you have to respond extemporaneously to the comment, your speech style will probably sound different than during your memorized portion. This is a dead giveaway that you’re speaking from a script rather than from the heart.

Again, as I mentioned above, it can be useful to memorize certain excerpts, but be able to stray from the script as needed or desirable in the moment.

Visual Aids

Notice that this resource is called “visual aids,” not “visual crutches.” A well-designed slide serves three basic purposes: It adds visual interest, makes the content easier for the audience to process, and serves as a prompt to remind the speaker what to discuss next.

The worst slides are the ones that are shortened versions of the speaker’s script, which the speaker then reads aloud off the screen in front of everyone. I have just one suggestion here: DON’T.

If you can read a lot of your script off your slide, so can your audience, at which point they don’t need you anymore. Keep the slides simple and textually sparse; put the full sentences and paragraphs in your talking points instead. The audience should be able to glance at a slide for a brief moment, understand the main point, and then turn their attention back to you as the source of more information.

Overall, scripts are not inherently evil; as I’ve explained above, they can be a great tool, and sometimes they’re even required. I have clients whose legal department needs to vet the language of any presentation intended for shareholders. (Note: If you ever want help writing engaging dialogue, do NOT ask the legal department!) But there are definitely some that are well written and effective, and those that are not.

Whether or not you script out your whole talk, speech or presentation, the goal is to ensure that it enables you to projects your true authority, confidence and leadership.

***

Do you struggle with public speaking or know someone who does? Contact me at laura@vocalimpactproductions.com or click here to set up a 20-minute focus call to discuss it with me personally.

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Skills Technology

BEing Seen and BEing Heard as a Thought Leader

When thinking about my first post, I thought that a link to my TED talk was a great way to start.

It covers several thoughts and ideas for your business. When I re-watched it this weekend, I wrote down twenty different ideas that stood out. Here are seven:

  • As a thought leader, are you sharing a message of service?
  • Trust comes from vulnerability, integrity & authenticity!
  • Are you being vulnerable & authentic?
  • Are you creating opportunities to be known, liked and trusted?
  • Are you screaming “Buy, Buy, Buy” on social media? If won’t work!
  • The microphone that everyone has with social media is really a headset, where you must listen more than talk.
  • Are you “truly” listening to your prospects and clients and changing your products and services as a result?

What do you think? What idea stood out for you when watching this talk?

—

Mitchell Levy is a people publisher that empowers thought leaders to share their genius. After a 2-hr interview to extract your genius, his team will write and publish your book in hardcover, paperback, Kindle, PDF, and AHAbook formats. To explore what this means for you, sign up for a 30-minute strategy session http://aha.pub/focused

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Best Practices Management Marketing Personal Development

You’ve Decided to Be Customer Focused. Now What?

You’ve read the literature; you’ve bought into the rewards. You want a customer centric organization. A lot of leaders with the same aspirations get stuck at this point, asking “so what does Customer Centric look like”? More importantly, they want to know how do I implement it? While it’s relatively easy to develop a sophisticated customer satisfaction measurement capability, that doesn’t illuminate the predictive behaviors your company needs to move those ratings. As most executives have learned, there’s a lot that goes into being customer focused.

Customer focus is not just a sales thing…

While you need to customer-focus your sales organization, this isn’t even close to being the whole solution. Everyone in the company plays a part in gathering customer insights, and delivering value to customers. Sales methodology and sales skills help, because sellers have a lot of customer contact. Especially in today’s business-to-business complex selling world, sales represent only one element of the solution.

…but great sales tools are a great start.

Let’s examine an effort to transform your organization’s culture into one of continuous customer-value improvement. Every organization must develop a few levels of capability.

First, you must address the area of sales. “Sales process” often refers to a seller-centric process: progressive seller actions required during the course of a sale.  There is another kind of “process”.  For clarity, I’ll use the word methodology: “tools a seller uses to align themselves with a customer buying process“. Methodology and process are linked and parallel. “Process” currently enjoys increasing emphasis in CRM systems (and in a lot of other sales enablement investments), while methodology remains a relatively dark art.

Many companies hire and pray.  Others think they are in the vanguard when they test for a certain personality type, then hire and pray.  In contrast, there are providers who can help install a methodology (as defined here — the word is used more loosely by a lot of sales training organizations) into a sales organization. If you would like to discuss methodology and what it can do for customer focus, contact me.

The business of business: basic commercial literacy

Second, your people need broad “Customer Acumen”.  You can’t be a trusted advisor to a customer/prospect/client until you become expert in their business.  And, you can’t become expert in their business unless you know business.  That is, sellers must come to the client with some basic business acumen, and should walk in the door having a strong feel for that company’s operational health. In my upcoming book, I describe what “business acumen for sellers” looks like (example:  analyzing financial statements for operational health instead of the usual: financial health). If you’d like to preview a chapter on this topic, let me know.

With business acumen, your people understand how they can most effectively impact and grow your customers’ businesses. This will move your company beyond simple customer focus to a sharper focus on customer value.

Customer focus to align with marketing and product groups.

At a third level–maybe a combination of the first two — you align your offer (products and/or services) to the customer’s operation.  There are many facets to understanding your differentiation and connecting that to each prospect’s unique situation:  Augment product training with persona-based differentiation/value tools. Align marketing messages with these differentiators and their likely value. To execute fully on customer value focus, implement a selling methodology to help build consensus among all personas (I’m partial to those of the Miler Heiman Group).  Bonus points for a methodology that drives the customer/prospect to engage the full value of your offer, not just “enough value to win the deal” (I’m partial to mine).

Implementing a culture of continuous value improvement.

In today’s (especially business-to-business) world, we have splintered customer touches among far more roles than sales:  marketing, bizdev, sales, technical sales/sales engineering/application engineering, customer success, implementation/delivery, logistics, underwriting, customer service, tech support, billing, channel partners, you get the idea.  Every one of these touch points has access to a different facet of the customer, and can gain unique insights.

Fourth, engage your entire customer-facing organization with the entire buying organization.  The challenge is to have tools that are easy for all of your employees to learn and adopt, which dovetail well with your sales methodology, and which can be easily disseminated throughout your company.

Using these tools, every employee can contribute to a more holistic view of the customer. A closed loop system which integrates all of these levels is the result.

Simple tools for a complex job

Finally, your company must adopt a language of customer value, importantly, these tools must efficiently describe and communicate customer value throughout your company. To enable smooth adoption, make these tools simple to learn and use.

I’ve been refining such tools for decades. I am passionate about helping clients adopt them. I’ll be discussing them in more detail in my upcoming book… Feel free to contact me to learn more…. about either the tools or the book.

To your success!

#value, #valuefocus. #valueselling, #sales, #salesprocess, #salesmethodology, #salesperformance, #customerfocus, #strategy, #millerheiman, #millerheimangroup, #valueculture, #businesacumen, #challengersale, #strategicselling

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Best Practices Marketing Personal Development

Craig Duswalt Interview: The Importance of Having a Book and How to Market It

As part of my nationally syndicated radio show, Take the Lead, I interview top leaders and successful individuals who share their success stories.  I recently had the chance to interview the always-entertaining Craig Duswalt, who is a bestselling author and marketing rock star.  In this interview, Craig gives some high-energy insight regarding the importance of having a book and how to market it.

To check out the interview, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdPNdTRdJYA

The following are highlights of what he discussed in our interview:

  • Six examples of books that can be written easily
  • Why it is important to have a book instead of a business card
  • Anyone can create a quote book
  • Why smaller books can be more effective
  • Six examples of outside the box thinking of getting exposure for your book
  • Outside the box marketing
  • How to market yourself fast
  • How to network with famous people
  • Rockstar Marketing Bootcamp – March 22-24 in Las Angeles Rockstarmarketingbootcamp.com (craigduswalt.com/guest to get his discounted price $97 saves thousands of dollars)
  • How to become an expert
  • How to set up membership sites
  • How to do affiliate marketing
  • How to market your business