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Category: Personal Development

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Personal Development Women In Business

When Your Toilet is Clogged You Don’t Hire a Chef

No one likes to think about turnover, but it’s a problem that keeps general managers (GM) and business owners up at night. Why? Because deep down you know how critical it is to the bottom line.

Here’s a scenario:

You run a multi-million-dollar dealership and you are hitting the numbers despite margin compression. (Hallelujah) You’re managing to win the volume game. The below-the-line money is essential to keeping the lights on and your team manages to keep their Customer Service Index numbers at passing levels. If you are the GM, the owner stays away for the most part while you continue to help money hit the bank account. If you are a hands-on owner, you cannot stay away because you are steering the ship. This is your legacy.

So, why are you losing sleep?

Could it be the fear of missing your bonus program requirements from the manufacturer and losing the “below the line” money that is vital to your survival? Or is it the fact that you know your toxic sales manager is on the verge of creating a mass exodus on your sales floor and all you can think is, “Hiring is a bitch.” Maybe it is just that you don’t have time to get everything done in a day.

The fact is, you know you have a few core needs that require a shift and you know you need help to make those shifts happen. What you don’t know is where to begin. After speaking with dozens of GMs and owners, it’s become clear to me that, time and again, the place to start is a deep dive into your ethos and an understanding of your level of employee engagement.

When your employees are disengaged, your showroom floor or service drive is a disaster, and your customers turn right back around to the front door to get the hell out of dodge. When you finally get a new employee to start, either they quickly feel the vibe of a lackluster culture and bolt, or they hang on a bit and join the disgruntled masses.

Either way, your managers are tired. They are pushing to hit the numbers to keep you off of their back and their family fed. They don’t have the bandwidth to rein in the culture or to hire right. Frankly, you know this is your responsibility, but, damn it, how can you do it all? The answer is: you can’t and shouldn’t.

When you need your computer fixed, you go to an expert that specializes in technology. When it’s time to replace your air conditioner, you hire an HVAC specialist to do the job. How about your toilet? When it’s clogged, you’re not hiring a chef – or at least I hope not. The reality is that no one person can do everything well, and a successful leader hires the right people to close gaps whether they are environmental or performance-related.

At Shift Awake Group, we specialize in closing the gap on the two critical topics of culture and employee engagement. In order to repair your culture, you have to find out where the bodies are buried and work to mend the cracks in the foundation. Once your culture is repaired, the focus shifts to hiring right the first time while elevating employee engagement and kicking turnover to the curb.

I do not know a single owner or GM that doesn’t want to increase their gross profit margin. Unfortunately, too many believe that focusing on volume will help their income statement and, in turn, everything else will just fix itself. While this can work sometimes, it’s more advantageous to focus on a different, more sustainable metric by increasing your Operating Profit Margins (OPM). When you reduce turnover, costs affecting your overhead are reduced at the same time OPM is increased. When employee engagement improves, simultaneously, there is the perfect storm of opportunity to positively impact gross profit margin with a happier, more fulfilled workforce selling the perfect vehicle to your customer.

If that perfect storm sounds like it could help you finally get a good night’s sleep, it is time to empower an expert to take control of these two pain points that will not spontaneously heal and, in fact, are likely to get worse the more you say they will “fix themselves.”

How can we serve you?

Jacqueline Jasionowski is the founder of Shift Awake Group. Her “soul” mission is to help others connect with their purpose through a higher level of consciousness that will both drive results and enable innovation along the way. Please contact 614.403.6540 for info.

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Growth Leadership Personal Development

9 Insights From Slowing Down in Life…

Recently I had the opportunity to take a vacation with my family.

Vacation is primarily quality time with those who mean the most to me, however, vacation is also time to slow down and go deeper within myself.

These insights are from some of those slower moments I had and what I need to hold on to to be a more effective me.

1. Busyness Doesn’t Equal Effectiveness.

I need to get better with my delete list.

Ask me on almost any given day if I’m busy and my answer will always be yes. However, after doing a deeper review of my time and how I fill it, I realize that I can become comfortably numb to being busy and not being very effective.

My solution is simple. I need to evaluate the return on the things I am most busy with and delete everything that doesn’t take me where I am trying to go.

What needs to be on your delete list?

2 – A Significant Conversation is Worth More than Many Shallow Talk

On vacation I intentionally had 3 very significant conversations with men I trust at very high levels. The 3 talks totaled about 3 hours and to say that each of them, and the cumulative of them, had a significant impact on me would not be an exaggeration.

What made them significant? 

It was a cumulative of the following:

My willingness to be vulnerable, candid and inquisitive and their willingness to do the same.

The height and depth of the conversations. We were able to not dumb-down the conversation and we also were able to keep it deep where it needed to be. It’s not unusual to talk with others who either can’t allow the conversation to remain high altitude or who aren’t comfortable with the seriousness of it. These men each were able to do both.

The lack of petty questions or small talk. I can talk with the best about almost anything in life. However, there comes a time when pettiness is only a distraction from the need of the moment.

They all were fire lighters not firefighters. When you’re sharing your dreams, you need someone who can elevate your flame instead of putting it out. We all need more firelighters in life.

My willingness to reach out and ask for their input. It’s too easy to go alone. However, we all need someone in our corner.

Who do you need to reach out to? When will you reach out to them? What do you need to talk to them about? What do you need to ask them?

3 – Fear Lives in the Illogical Space of My Mind

This actually came from one of those talks. When I was asked to answer a couple questions and I couldn’t, the revelation of how fear was abiding in that space became very clear. The insight was, “vagueness creates uncertainty”. I’ll never forget that moment and how it all made sense. Once we filled the same space with logic and a plan, the fear was 99% negated. It was incredible!

What role is fear playing in your life? What information do you need to negate it?

4 – Nothing Replaces Action

Well intended thoughts or plans are a dime a dozen. Until we act on our dream, absolutely nothing is happening.

If you and I will just stick with something long enough, the stats are in our favor. Most people either never start or their ability to endure is lacking and they bail when things become “too difficult.”

What’s one dream you’re not moving on? Determine now that you will take the first step.

5 – There’s a Balance Between Getting Help & Getting Started

It’s too easy to blame others for not helping you, or for not being there when you thought they should be. And while you sit and sulk, the vision is slowly fading away.

I can get lost in analysis paralysis and want everything to be perfect before I even start. I can blame others for not helping…for not showing up…for not doing what I assumed they’d do…and more.

When I get caught in that mentality, I become frustrated and angry and nothing happens.

There comes a time when you have to start. Period.

Who may have let you down? It’s time to let it go and move on.

6 – I am Addicted to Information

That’s not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. However, when reading one more book, one more article, watching one more video is the next step…information has gotten out of control.

The truth for me is that I have enough information on most things that I keep learning about. I need to apply what I know and move into transformation. I can be more worried about failing than I am about winning. I have learned to move on and learn.

What do you know enough about already?

7 – Life is Too Short

I love the quote that says, “it’s never too late to start, but it’s always too late to wait.”

It’s go time. When everything in me wants to wait, I have to make myself do the one thing that makes all the future things easier.

Enough said on this one.

What are you putting off that you need to get started doing?

8 – I Have to Have Better Boundaries 

It’s not an ongoing challenge, it’s a moment to moment challenge for me.

For example, when one of my kids wants to talk, I need to do a better job at stopping what I am doing and talk. I mean, I need to give them my greatest attention, not my divided attention.

I have learned to set better boundaries on things I’ll not wish I had more of in the future. I’ve learned to give greater attention to those who mean the most to me. It’s paying off.

Where do you need to do a better job with boundaries?

9 – Sometimes People See Things in You That You May Need Help Seeing

When you have the right people in your life, they don’t help make excuses for you. They will challenge you to rise to your full potential.

My core/tribe/group has evolved in the last year and the impact of this cannot be overstated. It’s said that those closest to you determine your level of success. They also say that you are the average of the 5 people you’re closest to. Again, the 3 conversations I’ve had this past week prove the truth of both of these statements.

I’ve intentionally worked on my tribe and the handful of those I am closest to.

Who’s in your circle? Does it need to change?

Have a great day – it’s the only one you have!

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

After That, Then What?

“Action without thought is like a squirrel driving a car. It’s nonsensical.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Why did you do that? Were you aware of what you were doing? Those may be the questions that others ask you when you’ve engaged in senseless behavior. Most of the time the answer to the questions are, I don’t know; I guess I wasn’t thinking. To avoid senseless behavior ask yourself, after that, then what.

Thinking ahead:

Before you engage in activities, do you think of the consequences that might occur as the result of those actions? Most people are aware that there’s a reaction for every action. Some people forget that truism. And, sometimes forgetting it leads to unexpected circumstances. Don’t let that happen to you. Before engaging in a deed, to be more aware of what might happen after it, during the decision-making process, ask yourself, after that, then what.

Understanding your mindset:

At different stages of the day, your decision-making process shifts. That’s because, as things happen throughout the day, the accumulation of the day’s activities causes you to alter your perspective. As an example, if someone has angered or vehemently challenged you about a point, you’ll be more likely to refudiate someone else that attempts to convey the same sentiment. Thus, you should always be aware of the mindset you possess when making decisions and what has occurred to influence your thoughts.

Timing:

When considering, after that, then what, be thoughtful about the timing of your decisions. Sometimes, you’ll have the power to bring your decision to fruition at that moment, other times you won’t. Thus, depending on the importance of the decision, it may behoove you to delay its implementation until a more favorable time.

Remember, decisions have two spectrums, haste makes waste and, he who waits too long loses opportunities. Thus, it may befit you to balance those spectrums on the pendulum of time.

If you want to avoid taking two steps forward and one step back in your life, before engaging in a decision, make sure you engage in, after that, then what thinking. Your decision will lead to an action. That action will lead in one direction versus another. If you don’t want to find yourself in a desolate place tomorrow, be more aware of the decisions you make today … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations?

Sometimes, offers and counteroffers flow quickly during a negotiation. Quick responses can lead to unwanted positions and disadvantage your standing. To sustain your negotiation efforts and enhance your chances of having a winning outcome, be mindful of where every concession and offer may lead. If you’re astute, you can use the, ‘answering a question with a question’ tactic to gain information (e.g. what do you mean? what do you think I mean?). That’s also a tactic you can employ to slow the other negotiator’s attacks when he’s bombarding you with questions. To insulate yourself even more from his bombarding, ask yourself, after that, then what.

Suffice it to say, when you’re in the heat of a negotiation, the way to ensure that you don’t act too hastily is to always ask, after that, then what. Doing that will lessen the chances of you wandering into a negotiation minefield. It will also allow you to maintain greater control of the other negotiator, yourself, and the negotiation.

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/

#Mind #Success #Emotion #Business #Progress #SmallBusiness #Negotiation #NegotiatingWithABully #Power #Perception #emotionalcontrol #relationships #liars #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #ControlEmotions

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Growth Leadership Personal Development

Time for 2019 Resolutions

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years’.”  ~Henry Moore

As 2018 closes, you welcome 2019 with all the optimism to grow your business beyond from where it is right now. As the year begins to unfold, most New Year’s resolutions are already falling by the wayside. Now is the time, however, to get serious about the New Year’s resolutions that will make a difference in your business success.

The kinds of changes that will make your business more successful, enjoyable and sure can be made at any time, but there is a psychological impact to making formal resolutions at the beginning of the year.

Throughout the world, people use the first month of the New Year to announce their resolve that the rest of the year will be better than the year that just ended. That sense of optimism and opportunity provides a good start for implanting long-term changes or resolutions.

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” -Melody Beattie

Build in success by requiring everyone involved in the identification of New Year’s resolutions for your business follow these rules:

  1. Formalize the resolutions by writing them out. Post the final resolutions on a prominent bulletin board, and distribute copies to all employees and members of management.

 

  1. Assign responsibility for implementing each resolution. Select a date for reporting results for each resolution, including an ongoing report during the year, if possible.

 

  1. Identify a benefit to the business for each resolution. When possible, set a realistic benefit goal in quantifiable terms, such as percent, numbers or dollars.

 

  1. Identify a potential benefit to employees for each resolution. Give as much thought as necessary to providing recognition and rewards for employees who assist with implanting the resolutions.

 

  1. Affirm management’s commitment to making the changes by providing sufficient support for each resolution.

 

“And now we welcome the New Year. Full of things that have never been.” -Rainer Maria Rilke

With these expectations in effect, invite all employees and members of management to make one or more suggestions for making business better, bigger, more efficient, more profitable, more satisfying- whatever improvement that each individual’s unique perspective can identify. The specific areas – employee retention, recapturing customers, waste reduction, improve public relations. This may include an upside down corporate pyramid where management empowers and supports employees. Be careful not to inhibit the identification of other areas that may be invisible to management but potentially significant to company success.

From the participants, form a committee representing all groups within the company to review the suggested improvements and to prioritize those changes according to criteria that is relevant to the business. Top management can then select the top five or 10 suggestions that will become the formal New Year’s business resolutions for the year.

Limiting the number of resolutions tends to focus attention and minimize the likelihood of having these meaningful areas that need attention fall by the wayside along with so many other well intentional but short-lived New Year’s resolutions. With individualized resolutions in place your business can look forward to a full year of improvements.

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Best Practices Culture Growth Management Personal Development

The Effectiveness of Social Media is Directly Linked to Your Tone of Voice

According to Statista, the statistics portal, it is estimated that 2.34 billion people use some form of online social media worldwide. There is an immense amount of information traveling the web for anyone to access. And access they do. In the Philippines, they are on social media sites an average of 3.7 hours per day, while the U.S. is on these sites approximately 1.7 hours a day. This is just social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Not only are users reading the material posted, but they are also commenting on it too. Folks of different backgrounds, interests, beliefs, and skills are reaching out with their opinions. This makes online social media a tremendous tool for people to experience and glean knowledge they otherwise would not have discovered.

We value different viewpoints. It’s how we grow. Staying in your own little world will never result in productive, worthwhile ideas. It is being exposed to as many resources possible to receive valid, educational information.

It’s these differences that may cause contention between users. For some reason, people feel they should comment on posts in a critical manner. They attack the author with hateful remarks, believing their own opinion is the right one. This begs the question, why do people who comment on posts think they can throw the rules of courtesy out the window?

People don’t have the nerve to say what they think in public, but hiding behind the computer somewhere else they will say whatever they like. Nevertheless, the same rules for in-person interactions are still to be used on social media; be polite.

Criticism can be used to help inform another, but not when it comes in the form of hateful comments. Assaulting a post is hurtful and nonproductive. If sharing your information involves attacking another person, especially someone you don’t know, the result is you venting just to make yourself feel better. You believe you are making a point, but you aren’t.

Everyone has the right to voice their opinion. It’s how it’s done that determines the effectiveness of your message. If your purpose was to be mean and force your opinion on them, don’t post a comment. It doesn’t help the author or other readers. Moreover, it doesn’t help you since you aren’t open to learning. If your intent is to give your opinion, make it in a positive tone or no one will listen or learn.

For anyone to take criticism, the delivery has to be in a kind, teaching way. Humans don’t like being told they are wrong so they will immediately negate the comment. If you really want to educate, you convey the message in a way it will be gladly received.

We learn and flourish because of the different backgrounds, interests, beliefs, and skills each of us have. Social media is a tool to help us grow and it promotes teamwork. We all benefit as we share politely and don’t condemn each other. Online social media is a powerful tool if used correctly. Let’s take advantage of this medium and use it for its purpose; to connect, learn, and experience things that we might not be exposed to without it.

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Best Practices Body Language Entrepreneurship Human Resources Management Skills

Move Your Organization into the Communication Age

For the last several decades, we have been working hard at helping our company become an information age organization, finding new and better ways to distribute and display information. Having 24/7 access to email and web sites via our mobile devices, it’s hard to find any area in an organization that doesn’t provide access to information.

We receive more information than we can keep up with. Between numerous collaborative tools, memberships to multiple informative groups, subscriptions to paid and free information funnels, and being subject to mobile advertising, we’re literally drowning in information.

We must propel our organizations into the communication age to reach the next level of organizational excellence and to solve information overload.

Informing Versus Communicating

Informing is one-way, static, and seldom leads to action, while communicating is two-way, dynamic, and usually leads to action.

Ask yourself, “In our organization, are we better at informing than communicating?” The majority will answer “yes.” If you can’t communicate internally with your staff, how can you communicate to anyone externally? Do not stop informing people; start tapping into true communication. When you focus on maximizing two-way communications, you can create a communication age organization.

Fully embracing the communication age doesn’t erase the information age. You don’t want to erase the past; you want to move forward into the future. The “new” opens more options to innovate and lead. We did great at evolving into information age organizations, so we should move forth into the communication age in a similar fashion.

The Right Tool for the Job

Ironically, we have all these fantastic communication age tools, but we use them in an information age way due to our residual information age mindset. It’s time to learn how to use these tools in a way that advances the organization and promotes both internal and external communications. Here are suggestions that can help move your organization into the communication age.

  • Know and learn how people communicate.

Not everyone communicates in the same way. It’s common for some to not return voicemails but return text messages. Likewise, people in different generations prefer different communication tools. The key is to understand how people like to communicate. People tend to use the communication tool they’re most comfortable with. Also, ask the other party how they prefer to receive communications. If your goal is to elicit some sort of action, you have to communicate in the manner that will allow the other party to respond.

Just as people communicate differently, they also learn and absorb information differently. Some people would rather listen to a book than read it. Knowing this, it is safe to assume that person would likely prefer voicemail over email. A person’s learning style mirrors his or her communicating style. Deliver the message in a way that ties into their learning style.

  • Get social inside the organization.

Social media is all about communicating and informing. Before social media, the internet was solely for informing. Because of this shift to informing and communicating, it has been rapidly embraced by young and old alike. Companies should consider using these communication tools internally. Many social media platforms are great ways to connect employees across departments, regions, and countries. You can even have your own internal version of these popular social media platforms.

Reframing the use of social networking allows companies to increase communication, collaboration, problem solving, and competitive advantage with little cost. These tools are free or nearly free, making them accessible to organizations of any size. Embrace these tools and utilize them to enhance your communication of information that generates action and response.

  • Create community.

Two types of online communities exist: communities of interest and communities of practice. A community of practice is a professional type of community where members share their knowledge and best practices.

A community of interest is an environment where people share similar interests or passions. You can even get granular when it comes to communities of interest to filter information. Perhaps you narrow down your car community to one that only includes people who drive a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.

In your organization, you can set up virtual communities of practice in order to get people communicating ideas and sharing knowledge and expand it to diversify communication. For example, establish a community of practice for all the CEOs in your industry, which opens up the communication channels for enhanced dialogue and innovation industrywide.

Embrace the Future Today

These suggestions are aimed at improving communications rather than merely providing more information. You need to ask yourself how your organization can use these tools not only internally but also with your customers to enhance information and add communication.

Using today’s technology in a way that opens a meaningful dialogue will move your people to action and advance the organization to new levels of success.

Ready to see the future and plan with greater confidence?

Pick up a copy of my latest bestselling book The Anticipatory Organization. I’ll pick up the cost of the book if you pick up the cost of FedEx shipping. Go to www.TheAOBook.com to get your copy.

Categories
Body Language Human Resources Personal Development

7 Moves That WILL Get You a “Yes!”

Young people often ask us, “What’s the best way to present myself?” They want to put the odds in their favor during business meetings, presentations, and interviews. They come to us as employers, managers, and sales professionals to discuss our experience in paving the way to get to “Yes”.

When it comes to any business recommendation, we start with, “Put yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Whether you’re approaching an employer, buyer, or colleagues at a business meeting, they’re people first and foremost. And they share two common factors that influence their judgment.

The first is that they all want attention. So give it to them! This is why important meetings are most effective in person. Utilizing text is ideal when it comes to setting up and organizing the meeting. Email is a great way to summarize the meeting and discuss follow-up. Phone calls have their use, too, to solve problems and misunderstandings. But the first meeting should be face-to-face. Always! If you aren’t able to be there in person, utilize a video platform, like Skype.

And the second is that people are naturally quick to judge. You, your goals, and even your purpose will be judged before you even say anything. Yes, it sounds unfair, but you’re first judged on your appearance. Everything you say after you introduce yourself is biased by the first impression. It’s absolutely essential to present yourself successfully. Dress for success and portray the type of person they want to do business with.

Your body language and appearance can influence someone’s reception of your message, whether positive or negative. These tips have worked well for us, and we’ve seen others successfully use them to make a positive first impression.

Dress

As cliché as it might sound, “dress for success” is a tried-and-true policy. The way you choose to dress speaks volumes about you. Don’t dress like you’re looking for attention. Dress cleanly, neatly, and professionally.

Smile

Before you step foot in that meeting, take a deep breath and think about how happy they’ll be with what you’re offering. Smile, knowing you’ll put them at ease and that this meeting will benefit them.  

Walk

Walk confidently and energetically. Don’t look down. Pick up your feet and look ahead of you. This demonstrates balance, purpose, and determination.

Stand

Watch your posture—stand up straight! Look like an exclamation point, not a question mark. While you shake hands, step forward. Stand close enough to communicate effectively while giving them enough space.

Sit

Sit down with grace. Move smoothly—don’t slam into your chair and definitely don’t slouch. Keeping your shoulders back and your back straight will give you an alert, welcoming, dignified posture.

Look

Make eye contact with whoever is speaking. And when you’re speaking, look directly at the person you’re speaking to. Don’t look down and don’t look away. To demonstrate your interest in the conversation, lean forward slightly.

Hands

When you’re listening to someone speak, keep your hands on your lap. Don’t put them near your face or rest your elbows on the table. When you’re speaking, use your hands for slight emphasis—don’t cross your arms. Keep your shoulders back in a receptive and open posture.

Keep this short checklist handy and review it before your next meeting. The results will surprise you! We all visually communicate these messages every day. On their own, they each won’t guarantee a “yes”, but a “no” will be much less likely from the get-go.

Best of luck during your next big meeting!

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

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

Negotiator – Five Crazy Ways to Prevent Being Burned by a Bully

“To beat a bully, defeat his sources of power.” -Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Dealing with a bully can be daunting, exhausting, and frustrating. It can leave you in a state of anxiety and devoured by stress. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Observe the following 5 crazy ways to prevent being burned by a bully when negotiating.

Three bully types:

  • Hard Core:

This bully type is someone who likely had psychological challenges as a child. He wants the respect and acknowledgment that he’s someone to reckon with.

  • Middle Core:

This individual is someone whose bullying is based on circumstances. While all bullies seek to maximize their efforts based on situational opportunities, this bully type will seek to escalate his situations if giving the chance to do so to become a hard core bully.

  • Soft Core:

A soft core bully is one that’s classified as a bully in training. He’s usually someone that’s enticed into doing things to prove himself to those from whom he seeks approval. He’s what’s known as a useful idiot in intelligence parlance.

It’s to your advantage to know the bully type that you’re dealing with.

Do a good deed:

Most bullies wear their emotions on their sleeves. They want others to like and appreciate them. Studies have indicated, when people are in a positive frame of mind, they’re more receptive to your thoughts and ideas.

If you commit a good deed for a bully before the negotiation, that could endear you to him, which may lead to him having a more positive perspective of you. If so, he may be lax when it comes to emploring bullying tactics against you during the negotiation. As in all cases when dealing with a bully, you should be mindful of how he might react as the result of you doing good deeds for him. Some bullies will interpret such actions as a green light to push you harder.

Group threat:

A group threat can be an assembly of others you amass to threaten the bully or his supporters. In either case, the group you assemble should be perceived as a formidable force that the bully or his followers will have to contend with if he attempts to bully you. It should also be a force that the bully perceives as being threatening to his standing and wellbeing.

Playing field:

Don’t play on the bully’s field. That means, when negotiating with a bully, do so on your own terms. Don’t allow him to dictate where and when the negotiation will occur. If he says, ‘x’, you say, ‘y’. Bullies like tough guys. Show him that’s who you are by the actions you engage in.

Scorched earth:

There will be times when you must stand up to a bully to show him how tough you are. Sometimes, you’ll have to take that to the extreme.

A scorched earth approach to negotiation is one way to display that extreme. It entails positioning yourself as someone that will ‘burn down everything’ if you don’t get your way. After positioning yourself as such, make him fight for every concession you grant him. You want him to feel like he’s really been in a battle during the negotiation. In times of perceived peace, make him wish he’d prepared for war.

Some of the above strategies will work with some bullies and some won’t. By knowing the type of bully you’re dealing with, you’ll have a better idea of how you can prevent him from burning you. Thus, by implementing the strategies above, you’ll enhance your negotiation position. You’ll also be better prepared to thwart the efforts of a bully … 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/

#Ways #Weakness #value #Hide #bodylanguage #Negotiator #Business #Management #SmallBusiness #Money #Negotiating #combat #negotiatingwithabully #bully #bullies #bullying #Negotiations #PersonalDevelopment #HandlingObjections #HowToNegotiateBetter #CSuite #TheMasterNegotiator #psychology #NegotiationPsychology

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Best Practices Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

Using ‘Shameless’ Self-Promotion to Grow Your Business

If you’re not sold on yourself, no one else will be either. Here’s why learning to shamelessly promote yourself is nothing to be, well, ashamed of.

In business, you understand that if you don’t promote and market, you can’t succeed, right? No matter how great your service is or what amazing value you offer, if prospects don’t know about you, you’re not going to have a chance to do business with them.

To gain some clarity on this point, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I feel passionate about helping prospects and customers get the best experience possible?
  • Do I feel our services and/or products are better than our competitors’?
  • Do I want to help others?If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, promote these facts. When you don’t promote your services and products, you rob people of the opportunity to do business with someone who has the customer’s best interest in mind.

Do you feel passionate about your business, career and/ or what you have to sell? When you passionately believe in yourself, your value, your service and your products, you also believe prospects should do business with you instead of your competitors, right? If the answer is “no,” I suggest finding your passion before going any further, or success will become challenging for you.

It’s easy to promote yourself when you believe in the value of what you offer. To move to a higher level of success, you must practice promoting and selling in ways that may feel uncomfortable at first. Next time you experience a feeling of discomfort in self- promotion or the feeling of rejection creeps in, move toward it instead of away from it. Go ahead and feel uncomfortable. It’s only a feeling. Step outside the limitation zone, and go for it!

Learn to never give up

Growing up in a family business, I learned early on that I had to self-promote on a daily basis if I wanted the business to succeed. Since my family had many different businesses, we were always promoting something new. Most of our businesses started out

with little or no investment, so self-promotion was essential to getting them off the ground.
My father taught me that the first step toward marketing success was to believe in myself and my ideas. It doesn’t matter if others don’t believe in your ideas as much as you do, you must be strong enough to never give up!

Back in the mid-1970s, my father ran across a mini- storage business while traveling in Texas. It was a new concept at the time and intrigued him, so he stopped to inquire about it. The owner was proud of his new business and openly shared the details of how he got started. After my father talked it over with the family, we decided to start a mini-storage business in our home state of Indiana.

The next step was to get a bank loan to build the facility. That should have been simple, especially since our car rental business was already successful. But the banker wouldn’t go for it. He said, “I’ve never heard of a mini-storage facility. It sounds like a fad to me. I don’t think it’ll work.”

One bank after another turned us down, but my father never gave up. Finally, we got approved for a small-

business loan, although it wasn’t quite enough to complete the entire project.

My father and brother jumped in to help the construction crew assemble the storage buildings to save money. As I ran the day-to-day of the car rental business, I started promoting the mini-storage concept to our existing customers. Before the project was even completed, we had a long waiting list of interested customers. As soon as the storage units became available, every space was rented.

Finally, the bank started believing in our business and offered to fund a second location. Within a few years, we sold our successful company to a large self-storage corporation, Public Storage. This experience taught me to always believe in my ideas, to promote them to the right people and to never give up!

Here are 5 no-nonsense action steps to help you become a shameless promoter:

1. Accept that if you don’t do shameless promotion, you’ll end up with nameless promotion. If you don’t promote yourself, no one else will. It’s challenging to succeed if you’re not will­ing to let others know that

your business, products or services exist. Choosing to become a successful self-promoter requires working to create more positive experiences and seek better results. You can choose to change your beliefs and create a new reality starting right now.

2. Promote yourself more often and always in the service of others. When done effectively, self- promotion is an art form. It comes from a place of service. It comes from your passion and commitment to support others first. Effective self-promotion is natural when words and actions connect our head and heart. When you promote effectively, more prospects are readily open to doing business with you. Simply put, effec­tive self-promotion is good marketing!

3. Speak up and get noticed. Don’t allow the voices and opinions of others to drown out your true “inner voice.” Summon the courage to share your opinions and promote your gifts. It’s important to remain true to yourself at all times. When you promote your knowledge, skills and ideas, you give others something to cheer for and a cause to support and follow.

4. Understand that resenting self-promotion will become a huge obstacle to your success! People who have issues with selling and promoting rarely succeed. To excel in this area, you must become absolutely sold on yourself, your abilities, your prod­ ucts, your services. Before you can sell yourself to others, you must first be sold on you.

5. Learn to live by the “Three Rules of Shameless Success”:

  • Rule #1: Have your own personal style. Dare to be differ­ent!
  • Rule #2: Never give up even when others don’t believe in you or your ideas.
  • Rule #3: Stand out. Position yourself in front of the right people to get noticed.
Categories
Human Resources Management Marketing Negotiations Sales Skills Women In Business

Who’s Blocking Your Sun?

“When your sun is being blocked, move.” – Greg Williams, The Master Negotiator & Body Language Expert

Life is going along nicely for you and then something happens. The sun that has been brightening and serving as a source of warmth in your life is suddenly gone. It’s then that you wonder, who’s blocking your sun.

The blocking of your sun is a metaphor for anything or anyone that disturbs the calm, the flow of success, or state of near bliss that you’re experiencing. Disruption occurs in everyone’s life. It’s what you do during such times that will determine what occurs next in your life.

So, what do you do when someone disrupts your life, block your sun? At what point do you begin to create strategies to alleviate the growing concern about needing to change the direction of your life?

Here are a few signs that might alert you to a coming eclipse, the blocking of your sun.

  • Your life appears to be perfect, or at least as perfect as it has been for some time. You begin to think, “I know what comes next. Things are too good. Bad times must be ahead.”
  • “I can’t believe I just got that promotion, that raise, that client! These are fantastic times. I’d better enjoy this while it last. Before long, I’ll be back in the hunt for the joy I’m experiencing.”
  • How about this one – “I can’t believe things aren’t getting better. How much longer can I stand this?”

In every situation above, your thoughts led to the perception that things were going to change. Even when you question how long a bad situation was going to last, your thoughts were exploring the possibility of calamitous times ahead.

Here’s the point. Your thoughts lead to your actions. Thus, what you focus on becomes the driving force that determines the direction you’ll take in your life. So, if you focus on negative occurrences, you shouldn’t be surprised when negative things occur in your life. After all, you’re the one that summoned them.

When you’re unsure of an outcome, focus on the positive aspect. Since you don’t know what that outcome might be, focusing on the possibility of it being positive will relieve the degree of stress that might occur from focusing on the negative aspect of it. Sure, you should consider the possibility of a negative outcome. Prepare for it but don’t dwell on it. Once you’ve prepared a plan, move on. Let your mind rest in peace knowing that you’re ready for what might come your way.

Someone or something will always attempt to block your sun. But you don’t have to support the effort. Keep a strong mind with a strong mental disposition and even when the clouds start to gather, you’ll have the mental fortitude to turn those gray skies to blue. You’ll prevent your sun from being blocked … and everything will be right with the world.

What does this have to do with negotiations? 

Unanticipated challenges occur in every negotiation. When that happens, don’t fret. Even if you’ve prepared for the unexpected and the unexpected occurs, don’t fret. Worst-case scenario, call a time out; get away from the negotiation table. There’s a lesson to learn. That lesson will be of benefit in the future. By adopting that mindset, you should be able to allay your emotional state of mind. That should lead you back to a more rational thought process. In so doing, it will lead you to a path of clearer thinking.

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/

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