How well will a robot function as the source of marketing communication? Advertisers spend huge sums to recruit just the right (human) endorser for a brand, but at least so far no one seems to be giving much thought to what a salesbot or AI-generated model should look like or sound like.
That’s a big mistake. To read more, please click here.
“Life’s most important factor is time. Thus, the way you use your time determines the life you’ll live.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
Time is your most precious commodity. Once it’s gone, your life ends. Thus, your time is your life. What you do with it determines what your life will be.
No matter who you are, no matter what you do, every day a thief takes a little bit of your life away from you. Depending upon your complicity in his act, he takes a little or a lot. But he does so every day! Over time, his efforts add up to a staggering loss of your time, viability, and opportunities. Do you know who the thief is? Do you know how to stop him from taking your life? Are you even aware of what he’s doing to you?
For some, it may come as a surprise – for others, it won’t – the thief is you! You’re the one that’s allowing yourself to run awry with your time and your life – thus you can arrest those efforts that aren’t serving you. To do that, become more mindful of how you use your time.
There’s a cost to allowing your time to become taken. Do you know what that cost is? Consider calculating the cost of your time in dollars. That should make the squandering of it more meaningful to you.
Every day you’re bombarded by distractive sources that cry out for your attention. They may show up in the form of a friend calling when you’re engaged in more productive activities. They may occur as something in the background that captures your attention that diverts your actions to something less productive. If you’re okay with having your attention diverted, that’s okay. Everyone needs diversions sometimes to re-energize themselves.
The point is, pay attention to anything that proves to be a distraction from endeavors that are more important. They’re your time stealers. And they’re the impediments that will prevent you from reaching higher heights. By the fact that you’re controlling the distractions that detour you from more important tasks should alert you to the need to exercise greater control over such occurrences.
Everyone encounters time stealers. Some allow them to occur due to a needed diversion from what may be mundane – they may be seeking something that’s more exciting. Others may do so because they’re fatigued and don’t possess the mental energy required to maintain focus. No matter the reason that your halted, note it. There’s valuable feedback information contained in that reason. You can gain greater insight into yourself and what serves as your motivators.
When you catch yourself diverted from more viable tasks, one way to prevent yourself from losing valuable time is to say aloud, “stop thief”. Doing that will allow your conscious and subconscious mind to become more attuned to how and when you allow yourself to get off track. And you’ll become more aware of how to combat such time thefts.
Time is the one precious commodity that every negotiator has. Thus, to that degree, all negotiators start off evenly. Even if you’re pressured by time constraints, initially if the other negotiator is unaware of those constraints, you and she are on the same time paradigm. Therefore, the way you utilize your time through the offers you make determines the flow of the negotiation and the degree that it’s beneficial to you.
You can make up for the time that might become lost by anticipating the unexpected and planning for it. Then, should it occur, you’ll be prepared to address those situations without losing time. That’s one way to stop time thefts from preventing you from reaching your goals, which will assist you in achieving greater negotiation outcomes … 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
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator
To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams
#stop #thief #life #Secrets #Negotiate #Process #Power #Powerful #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions
Kudos to Payless for scoring a PR coup with its’ “Palessi” hoax. The chain fabricated a fake designer (Bruno Palessi) and staged a “grand opening” of the line’s expensive shoes in a former Armani store. Sure enough, unsuspecting shoeaholics shelled out $3000 for the drastically overpriced footwear during the two-night scam.
Confirmation that some people just make too much money? Yeah, sure. But proof that consumers are gullible sheep who will do anything marketers tell them? Maybe not.
To read more, please visit my Forbes column!
As shoppers increasingly interact with machines instead of people, there are huge ramifications for the way we think about sales interactions (in stores, call centers, etc.) and communications strategies.
Please read my Forbes article.
Legacy technology is like that old pair of jeans you wore as a teenager. “They are comfortable” was always your answer to any inquiry.
Move that anecdote onto a larger stage and you have a fairly accurate picture of why many organizations hold on to legacy technology—tools that are long outdated: comfort.
In a world of exponential change, legacy technology is trouble. Continuing to use outdated technology of all sorts is costly beyond the financial spectrum.
A definition of legacy technology describes the term as “an old method, technology, computer system or application program, of, relating to, or being a previous or outdated computer system.”
This particular definition frames legacy technology in a negative light. There’s no getting around the fact that legacy technology is pervasive.
In more recent news, several organizations have experienced setbacks from legacy technology:
Reputations are important, and high-profile incidents like these don’t create great headlines. But the reasons to move on from legacy technology stretch further:
Data breaches. As Tesco discovered, legacy technology is open to cybercrime. Vendor support is often nonexistent, which limits valuable upgrades. Furthering security risks, advantages of improvements in security measures are not easily accessible for old systems.
Expensive functionality. Revamping outdated technology can be an expensive proposition, but running outdated technology increases operating costs also. Old hardware versions lack modern power-saving technology and the systems’ maintenance is expensive.
Compliance penalties. Depending on your industry, legacy technology may not be in compliance. In the medical industry, outdated software will fail to meet compliance standards, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), resulting in severe financial penalties.
Customer loss. No matter the industry, offering outdated solutions and ideas derived from equally outdated technology will prompt customers to look elsewhere for better answers.
Unreliability. Many organizations hold on to legacy systems in the belief that the systems still work. If that’s not the case, consider what happens when something goes wrong, as seen in the detrimental examples above.
Perception issues. Leaders need to be aware of the message they’re sending to their employees. Consider how a younger employee who’s comfortable with technology might react to coping with the limitations of legacy technology. Aside from lost productivity, they may consider a new employer more willing to invest in current infrastructures.
Replacing legacy technology is not entirely devoid of downsides, the most obvious being cost. Other deterrents include legacy replacement projects failing or the time and cost involved in system testing and end-user retraining.
But the question remains: Are you and your organization comfortable with the old, or are you identifying the Hard Trends that are shaping the future and embracing the new? Are you anticipating the need to invest and upgrade before a tragedy occurs? There’s not one organization in the examples provided that doesn’t wish to go back and pre-solve the problems of outdated systems.
Before making any decisions, assess both Hard Trends and Soft Trends that affect your organization and industry. Consider the positive and negative impacts that replacing legacy systems may carry both internally and externally. Be certain that every element for the new system serves a well-defined business goal, now and in the future.
As I emphasize in my Anticipatory Organization Learning System, saying yes can be expensive, but saying no could be catastrophic.
“As a negotiator, getting the right buy-in helps you stop disasters before they occur.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
A good negotiator knows, when you embrace the right buy-in, you cure hidden disasters before they can occur.
For almost a year, they secretly planned the rollout. They touted it as a facelift that would change the name and position of the association. Doing so would give it a fresh look and appearance for the 21st century. But when the rollout occurred, the backlash was severe. All the money, time, expenses, and efforts that went into the new face of the association went down a drain of despair. The question that buzzed throughout the association was, how could this have happened? The response was when you embrace the right buy-in, you stop hidden disasters. And this disaster was easily avoidable.
First, as a negotiator, what do you think went wrong? What buy-in do you seek when thinking about the obstacles you might face in your negotiations? To the degree you obtain the right buy-in, you have a better chance for a successful outcome. To the degree you get the right buy-in at the right time, your chances of a successful outcome increases substantially.
Secrecy – In the opening situation, the president of that association assembled a team of prominent members – all were members of the association. Their expertise stretched across the spectrum of branding, marketing, and social media. None were members of the vanguard that had watched over the association for decades. And the omittance of that group’s input was a silent blinking red light that foretold the death of the project.
Negotiating in secret environments can be beneficial. It can prevent unwanted distractions from slowing the progress of the negotiation. It also serves to gather the buy-in of stakeholders that might torpedo the negotiation. Thus, secrecy can be a form of control – it can also be the deliverer of disaster if not used right.
Forgotten power players – The name of the association had stood for four decades. And some of the revered founding members were still active in the association. When the new name was revealed, that vanguard was the catalyst that caused the committee’s efforts, and the new name, to meet a swift death. Had the committee consulted this vanguard, the committee would have known its efforts were doomed. They could have avoided a hidden disaster.
Had the committee charged with creating a new name involved the vanguard of the association and brought them along during the planning stage, at minimum, the new name would have stood a greater chance of becoming implemented successfully. At worse, the committee would have known that the new name was in trouble. Losses could have been averted at an earlier point and resources could have been spared.
The challenge a negotiator faces when employing secrecy is making sure the right people are involved. If they’re not involved, hidden disasters may lie in wait.
Always take into consideration who might be involved in a negotiation even if they’re not physically or visually involved in it. Seek those individuals that might have a stake in the outcome of the negotiation no matter how small you think their stake might be. There’ll be times when you won’t know the power source behind some people’s means – that’s something else to consider. There’ll also be times when smaller stakeholders will combine forces, which will present a more powerful force for you to contend with.
Getting the right buy-in is a vital component of every negotiation – even when it’s just you and the other negotiator. Doing so when you have multiple participants is even more vital to the negotiation’s success. Therefore, when you assess the impact of the buy-in component during your negotiation planning stage, consider its impact thoroughly … 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
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator
To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/
#Right #Cure #Disasters #BodyLanguage #Liar #Beware #Negotiate #Process #Power #Powerful #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions #BodyLanguageSecrets
I mean, how can I say no to a speaker who juggles as part of her presentations, right?
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love shooting speakers of all persuasions, but, when props are included in the mix, it makes for an exciting time:
Although she is very familiar with my work through the NYC chapter of the National Speakers Association and knows how I make a concerted effort to capture magical moments big and small, she made a point to tell me that she wanted a large portion of the images to capture attendees participating in the group activities.
And, so I did:
I was curious to know why she specifically requested these types of photos.
She mentioned that these specific images were going to be bundled together and emailed to the event organizer as a thank you for their participation.
What a creative way to leverage these images!
I had actually never heard of one of my clients doing this before, and yet, it makes so much sense.
It offers yet another reason why it’s a no brainer to invest in a professional photographer to cover your presentations and workshops, especially if they have interactive and team-building components.
By offering these images to the company or foundation that hired you, you’re ingratiating yourself by going the extra mile and offering extra value to their members and employees.
As a result, when their next monthly, quarterly or annual meeting comes around, guess who the organizers will be calling again to present?
In addition, when other departments within the organization conduct their own monthly, quarterly or annual meetings, the opportunity for you to be referred to them increases exponentially because of your thoughtful and generous add-on.
As for the attendees, these candid images offer them a fun and personalized memento from what otherwise would’ve been an endless meeting of talking heads and powerpoint presentations.
Also, when you share these images with attendees, it affords them the chance to post some of their favorites on social in order to share the wonderful experience they had while listening and participating during your presentation…
…which is, by the way, a great way to promote you to their networks.
The best part?
If you already hire professional photographers to cover your events and talks, you can simply ask them to focus more on the audience to capture these moments, and the work is done. You’re already making the investment and are tailoring it to help create added value for your clients.
If you don’t, perhaps now you can see the versatility and value of candid event images beyond posting them on your social media feeds and blog articles.
At the very least, you will make the attendees smile, which counts for something, doesn’t it, 🙂
John DeMato is an NYC branded lifestyle portrait photographer and content creation expert who serves speakers, authors, coaches and high-level entrepreneurs across the country. His 50+ e-book, S.H.A.R.E. M.A.G.I.C.A.L. I.D.E.A.S., lays out the how, what, and why behind creating a memorable and referable online presence – sign up to get your FREE copy today.
In a webinar that Anthony Amos gave for us at Tortal Training, he made a comment that we’ve been thinking about ever since . . .
“Good training coaches people to move through discomfort.”
The more we think about that comment, the more we realize how wise Anthony is. After all, discomfort is one of the main reasons people silently resist training . . .
Dealing with Discomfort
Before you can overcome discomfort, you have to find ways to uncover where it lies. Here are some effective ways:
Effective Coaching Techniques for Areas of Discomfort
What does it take to lead effectively? “Leader” is such a broad term that encompasses so many traits—it’s difficult to answer with just one requirement. Then you have different meanings of leadership. Are we talking about political leaders, thought leaders, or band leaders?
For those of us who teach entrepreneurial culture and entrepreneurship, leadership means taking a business concept from idea to profit. In other words, it means to create a business and become a target for acquisition—setting a great example for your team along the way.
The ability to see opportunities before they come. The ability to see the effects of your actions beyond the present. And the ability to think up a solution to any problem, looking for answers. A leader recognizes the limits of their own skills and allows others to take charge and solve marketing and technical problems. They are humble enough to be open to others’ opinions who might have more experience in certain areas.
The ability to examine a problem and come up with a solution. The willingness to try out your solution in the real world and start from scratch if necessary. A great leader knows that innovation doesn’t stop at the product—it continues to work through all challenges necessary to get the product to the market and keep it there.
The willingness to keep going even when the solution costs twice as much and takes twice as long. The wisdom to surround yourself with optimism, with people who believe in their solutions—giving them the encouragement to stick to it. A leader must also validate, recognize, and encourage their own people to keep going and improve. They must give clear direction and set standards for improvement. This way, everyone on their team thinks that progress is being made.
The ability to seek and understand what different people want in different relationships, whether it’s with customers, vendors, or employees. The ability to understand and satisfy each level of customer between them and their end-user. A good leader communicates others’ needs to their people in a way that they can relate to. Leaders focus on how satisfying their customers make sales happen.
The ability to quickly seize an opportunity. The willingness to seek and hire only those who hustle. A leader must have a sense of urgency to meet their customers’ deadlines as well as their own. They must have a sharp sense of priority in order to complete the tasks that must be finished first.
The ability to not only make a decision but to also make a difficult decision. The ability to see that it’s more beneficial to make a decision on time with 50% of the data than to miss an important opportunity by waiting for 100%. With this skill comes the ability to admit making the wrong decision in order to learn from it. A good leader must give their people permission to make a mistake, as long as the mistake ends up improving the company’s policies and procedures—forever!
The willingness to share the wealth. The ability to find strategic allies who will profit from their success. And the desire to reach equity- and profit-sharing agreement with crucial teammates to secure their long-term buy-in, motivating them to make necessary sacrifices to find success. Leaders also share their obstacles with others, respecting their advice and encouraging them to participate in the problem-solving process.
There have been hundreds of books written on this, but from our real-world business experience and from working with other like-minded entrepreneurs, we’ve learned that these are the essentials!
Leaders lead. Everywhere. They lead their own people and they lead the market. Some people put leaders on a pedestal and glorify them. It isn’t easy being a leader. It comes with delayed gratification, anxiety, and just plain fatigue. Some of us may only remember those leaders who have succeeded. But every leader has failed in order to find success. They each have doubts and must bite the bullet. But thanks to all the leaders out there, we have a high standard of living, great jobs, and a certain level of security. Leaders can take a business from idea to profit. And they set an excellent example for anyone who follows them.
For more, read on: http://c-suitenetworkadvisors.com/advisor/michael-houlihan-and-bonnie-harvey/
The more powerful you are, the more powerful you’ll be. To become more powerful quicker, unlock the powerful hidden secrets that reveal your power.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert
The evening was turning ugly – It appeared an impasse was at hand. Then, Amie spoke – “since John said he was not trying to insult you and he apologized, how would you feel if what you perceived to be an insult hadn’t occurred? Would you feel better?” With that, Harry said, “I’d feel a lot better.” Then she said, “well, let’s continue from the point of you feeling a lot better.” Everyone smiled, became congenial, and continued with that demeanor for the rest of the evening. Amie’s friend turned to her and said, “I didn’t know you had hidden powers. Are there more powerful hidden secrets concealed in you?”
Do you know what hidden secret abilities you have? Just because others can’t see your hidden powers doesn’t mean you have to keep them concealed from yourself. Do you know how to tap into them? Those questions were meant to make you think. Because, if you don’t know there are hidden secret abilities in you, you won’t know how to tap into them. To reveal them …
Everyone possesses hidden abilities. You have such secrets concealed in you too. Over time, you’ve accumulated coping strategies that have allowed you to become more powerful. In some cases, you’ve held some of that power back for fear of what might occur if you unleashed it. If you identify fear as a source that prevents you from being more powerful, ask yourself what are you fearful of. And what’s the worst possible outcome that could occur if you confronted that fear. Again, you’ll be tapping into the source of the hidden power within you. That’ll be the beginning process of releasing that power and giving it life.
As you get older, you become more emboldened – you castoff concerns about what others think of you. You state, take me for who and what I am. The point is, you don’t have to wait until you’re older. You can do that right now! Doing so will allow you to unleash more of the powerful hidden secrets concealed in you … and everything will be right with the world.
What does this have to do with negotiations?
Sometimes, when negotiators negotiate, they have a tendency to be overly adventuress or overwhelmed at the negotiation table. In either case, their power, or lack of, is the cause of that state. Therefore, you must be aware of what’s motivating you during your negotiations. Too much false bravado can sink you. Too little means you’re leaving too much on the table.
Negotiations occur in every aspect of your daily life. Thus, the better you negotiate in any environment, the greater the outcomes you’ll have. If you’d like to have those greater outcomes occur more frequently, learn to tap into more of the powerful secrets concealed in you.
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
Listen to Greg’s podcast at https://anchor.fm/themasternegotiator
To receive Greg’s free “Negotiation Tip of the Week” and the “Sunday Negotiation Insight” click here http://www.themasternegotiator.com/greg-williams/
#Secrets #Concealed #Hidden #HiddenSecrets #Negotiate #Process #Power #Powerful #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions
