Creating Relationships

If you don’t know where you are going, how are you going to get there?

When you can clearly define where you want to go, you can visualize the path to get there. The more specific you are, the more exact you are able to map the steps which can make your goals more attainable. For example if you are a business owner, How much to do you want to bring in for the year? Maybe its over all sales, maybe it’s the number of clients/patients. When you have that number you can break into months then weeks then days. This can give you short term goals which will ultimately lead you to the end result of achieving your long term goals.

Life works best in balance. When you are creating your business goals make sure you create personal goals as well as family goals.  I like to use my business goals as a mark to “reward” myself with one with of my family/personal goals.  This helps to push me harder for the reward and take another item off my bucket list.

A BAD ATTITUDE IS LIKE A FLAT TIRE, YOU CAN’T GO ANYWHERE TILL YOU CHANGE IT.

Having a great attitude is such a crucial part to building any business. Focus on eliminating negative thoughts. Approach each appointment/day/new client with a fresh open mind. Often times, this can be one of the most difficult things to do. Life events and challenges happen everyday that are beyond our control. The important part to remember is that everything happens for a reason. The good, the bad, and the in between. So learning to not spend too much time in negative thoughts and events can be a total game changer.

Think about how you feel when you close a really big account/gain a new great client/start a new business partner. You want that high feeling everyday. People feel your energy when you walk into a room. The energy you put out can be a decision maker for any person you sit down with.

Want to change how you feel? Start from the second you wake up. Have a conversation with yourself in the mirror. Every morning I tell myself I am a friend making machine and ask myself who is going to be lucky enough to meet me today!? Make yourself feel good. When you feel good people can sense that.

“You will get all you want in your your life if you help enough other people get what they want” -Zig Ziglar

It has long since been proven that numbers play a major role in just about everything that goes on in the world, even if it doesn’t necessarily seem that way to the naked eye. There are cases where numbers and the effect they have are clearly apparent, with business being the most obvious of those. In the vast majority of cases, particularly in small business, owners will look at the bottom line and make decisions based on whether the final figure is red or black. The true representation of why the color is the way it is can usually only be found by digging a little deeper.

There is a well proven theory in business known as the 80-20 rule, or Pareto’s Law to give it the proper name, which basically states that there is a minority of action (the 20%) that account for the majority of outcomes (the remaining 80%). If this is a concept you are unaware of, you need to read on, as it will reveal some rather basic truths that could turn around your business the moment you discover what they are and take steps to rectify them.

Las Vegas may very well be the largest working example of the 80-20 rule, especially when you look at the people who go there to gamble. The average person sitting at the cheap slots might receive a free drink every now and again, whereas the “whales” who blow into town and make a huge financial splash are rewarded with free suites and all kinds of other freebies. It’s not that Vegas doesn’t love the business of the average gambler, it’s that they know they are the 20% of the business, while the whale represents the 80%.

The 80-20 rule exists in a number of areas of your business, if only you take the time to look. Are your sales evenly spread out among your clients, or do you find that a smaller percentage, much like on Vegas, spend the most money? If that’s the case, you need to look at where your marketing money is going. Are you throwing out 80% of those funds trying to lure in the smaller spender, or are you targeting wisely and spending that 80% on those clients that are likely to bring in a large amount of sales volume when compared to the rest?

The same rules apply to the products in which you sell and where customer complaints lie. The majority of profits are likely to come from a small percentage of your products, just as the complaints that come in are likely to be mostly targeted at a small number of products. Your goal as a small business owner should be to do that digging and look for instances of the 80-20 rule. Once you identify them, you can make the changes necessary to ensure that Pareto’s Law is indeed putting the numbers in your favor.

Same rule hold’s true in the world of networking marketing.  80% of your team are stable and waiting and 20% are the people that want to make it happen now.  Don’t waste time with people who waste your time.  Identify those leaders and your time will best be spent getting them to exactly where they want to be.

Big tool taught to me by my business mentor, Elizabeth Weber, always use the 3 foot rule.  You never know who you are going to meet no matter where you are or who they are going to know.  No matter where you are, whether it’s in line for coffee, at a party, networking event, social gathering, waiting room, or where ever, smile and say hi.  Learn to initiate conversation.

The one word in the English dictionary that will make you the most money is “Hi”.  So simple!  Now use it.  If the person doesn’t respond, move onto the next.  Spark conversation.  Here are a few tips.  I prefer to use the 3 W’s:

What do you do?

Where are you from?

Who do you know?

or you could use FORM

Family

Occupation

Recreation

Money

See by asking questions about that persons life, people naturally like to talk about themselves.  Not to mention conversation usually is reciprocal.  Nine times out of ten if you ask someone what they do, they will ask you what you do, which always leaves the door open for business and networking.  Learn to listen because if you can provide help for that person even in the form of a referral, that builds trust and people are more inclined to do business with people they know, like, and trust.  It’s all about building relationships.

Have a conversation with yourself.  Here is a trick I use.  Every morning I have a conversation with myself.  I look in the mirror and every morning I tell myself I am friend making machine and who is lucky enough to meet me today???  See when you change your  mind set and program your brain for success, nothing can stop you.

People naturally want to feel appreciated!  It is soooooooo important to make them feel that way!  Remember when it comes to gratitude even the smallest form of it, usually doesn’t go unnoticed.  Think about the last time someone sent you a note to thank you.  Think about the last time a business contact or someone you have done business with wrote you a note to tell you how much you are appreciated or what a great job you did.  If it has happened recently then congratulations, you are already working with some terrific thoughtful people.  If it has been awhile or you, or you can’t remember the last time, then maybe it’s time for you to take the first step.

Followup emails are a great way to thank a person for their time but it shows your business contact that you do truly value their time.  I personally like to take it a step further.  I prefer to send a card.  Cards are great if you are in the service industry or sales.  It’s simple and it’s totally easy to get duplication of that within your business.  If you are a product based business you definitely should consider giving free samples if your customer buys a product.  Plan ahead so that the product you are giving that individual can compliment what they have bought, and prove to turn into a sale.  Sometimes that little extra step can make all the difference.

See these actions will make people feel good.  When you can make a customer or business relationship feel important, then you keep that connection and you keep that person coming back for more.  You have made yourself or your business unique.

Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.
*Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel*

Passion for what you do can be make the difference in something being just good or something being GREAT! When you speak with enthusiasm and conviction people listen. No one wants to listen to someone mono-tone and boring. Unless you are excited about what you talking about, why would anyone else be??

True passion is hard to find. When you find something you love to do, you will never work a day in your life. When you have electricity and enthusiasm in what you say, it is not only contagious but people are automatically attracted to that.

Passion displays conviction and belief in the words and topic you are speaking. If you don’t sound confident then people are going to question what you say. When that fire lights up in your eyes, get excited, that speaks to people and hits home more than the words you are even speaking.  SHOW IT!  Individuals feel passion and excitement more than words. True passion never goes unrecognized.

You can make excuses or you can make money but you can’t make both *Andy Docos*

Why do so many get in their own way? A huge key to success is to set priorities. If you don’t make the time you need to do result producing activities, how are you ever going to achieve your goals? Think about making an action plan. Write it out. Make a list in order of the tasks that need to be achieved. Having the visual with an actual check list will give you a sense of accountability to yourself.

Be realistic. What do you need to do everyday? Plan for it. Using excuses that you are too tired or not feeling well will only delay the road to success. It’s about putting in that extra hour when you don’t want to. It’s about making the decision to give up that free time sometimes.

The question is: how bad do YOU want it? The bigger the why the harder the try. Stop letting tv shows you like steer you away from what you really need to be doing. Just because the weather is getting nicer, stay focused. Just because “EVERYONE” you know is out, doesn’t mean you have to be or that you can’t be late to make sure you have COMPLETED the result producing activities that you needed to accomplish.

A lot of it comes down to be consistently consistent. I can’t stress how staying on course will yield the best results. That extra bit of discipline will differentiate you from the rest and progress will be inevitable.

People have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason! I have learned that is soooo soooo important to actually take the time and listen to what to your clients/prospects want. If you do not know what they want or are looking for, how can you fill their need? Learn to ask questions! I like to use FORM. What does this stand for FAMILY? OCCUPATION? RECREATION? MONEY?

When you ask those questions, people will respond with current information. For some reason people love to complain… they might complain about their occupation, their health, their financial situation. Help them! When you listen you will be able to refer them a person/service/product which could be mutually beneficial to you both.

People do business with people that they know, like, and trust. You must establish and build a relationship first. Once a relationship is built, it is much easier to make the sale. Make it about them and everything will come to ten fold.

Refrain from “selling” what you have to offer. People mostly want to hear by nature what will benefit them. Identify their benefit and offer it to them. The right questions will give you the right answers.

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.
*Bill Cosby*

If you lack determination, how will you ever get anywhere? Successful people do not let their surroundings or the people in their lives steer them away from their ultimate goal. Think about that.

How many well known people reached their level of success by allowing someone to steer them in another direction. NONE. Successful people have beat the odds and did not listen when others said not to waste their time or called them “crazy”. Most people lack the ability to not listen and follow but to actually LEAD. You must pave the road and take the path not paved by others for success. Well known and famous got their name by doing the things that didn’t necessarily want to do to get where they got in life.

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
*Vince Lombardi*

Are you willing to do the extra step? Do you have the determination to take that extra step? That is truly the difference between a good job and great job, JUST A LITTLE BIT. But ask yourself, do you have what it takes for that extra step?

Persuasion is a key element of human interaction. Persuasion can be difficult to pull off but when done properly, impossible to resist.

1. Duplicate Body Language

Subtly mimic mannerisms.  Head movements and especially posture.  When you duplicate body language, unconsciously they begin to feel more open and comfortable (as long you are subtle and not over doing it).  This will slowly allow you to control the conversation effectively.

2. Your View Point

You want them to voluntarily agree with you.  If you are looking for a decision you must present the most favorable material in order to show benefit to what you are wanting their support on.  Make sure the material you speak of or show will favor you in result.  Politicians use a this a lot with elections.  They produce negative material about  their opponents to have it benefit themselves.  People voluntarily agree with the information provided due to the fact that unfortunately people often listen to negatives before positives. Sad but true.  Knowing this is an advantage.

3. Allow them to Find Benefit

Why would this person want what you have to offer?  Think about it, if there isn’t anything in it for them to benefit, why would they be interested.   Empower them!  Ask them to identify a benefit.  But only 1 or 2.  Less can be more in this case.  Making a person identify more than 1 or 2 benefits may cause them to feel like they are being sold.  So keep it simple.

4. Set The Bar High

Obviously you always go in higher expectations and what I like to call “wiggle room.”  Think about it, if you go in at your lowest price, where is your room to negotiate??? If you come in at max price you know you have room to adjust and you win either way.

5. Connecting with a Gender

Now people are not all the same but studies have been done where women are respond better to face to face contact over discussion.  Where men process a little different and are able to decisions with positive results even if the communication is done via email or social media.

6.   It’s Not What You Say, it’s How You Say It

Sometimes although content is very important, it is even more important how the message is being delivered.  When delivering your message make sure you are clear, make sure you speak no hesitation, and above all speak with passion and conviction.  People buy YOU not what what you are selling.  Passion for any topic will shine through no matter what.  People see and feel those emotions.  People will not listen to someone who hesitates or stutters over what they are talking about.  Remember people need to know, like, and trust.  They must be confident in you and what you say.

7. Your idea is the Solution

Stirring enough emotion in a person where they are irritated enough to actually do something.  Make sure to point out an adverse reason to find their pain where your idea and concept are the solution.  Irritating the person can usually provoke a person to take forward action obviously in favor.  Identify what will turn their wheels and they will undoubtedly listen to what you have to say.

8.  Take it Away

Take it away from them.  You have exposed their pain, you have shown the solution, empower them to take control by taking it away. ” Maybe it’s not for you”.  Make them say why? of course it is!  You have turned the tables and now your idea is their idea.

In conclusion:  There is just so much more, the power of persuasion is powerful, use this knowledge to advance!