Business Attraction Magnet #3.  Listen as if your lifestyle depended on it… IT DOES!

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions 

Solid listening goes hand in hand with asking powerful questions.  I don’t mean “listen” as in taking in sounds and passively processing them.  As BAMs, we must LISTEN with all we’ve got.   This is a basic but sometimes challenging principle to consistently put into practice. It means that, for the duration of our contact, we step outside of ourselves – our own needs, our every preconception – and attend entirely to someone else. 

Everyone has a need to talk and be heard.   Listening helps us treat others as if they were the most important people on the planet because – in their minds – they are. Many professionals forget to involve the prospect and drone on about how great their ideas or their company is, forgetting to ask probing questions and listening for ways to show how they can be progress for the other person. 

Sometimes our motivation to actively listen is not all that high.  We think we can get by without really focusing.  This is a huge mistake.  The ability to understand and value what others say is critical to being a BAM.  So be determined to focus on and understand completely what others are trying to communicate.  It is close to impossible to uncover someone’s parameters of progress when you’re preoccupied with previous conversations, unfinished tasks, or the impression you’re making. 

Good listeners absorb and reflect on what they hear.  They are active in the listening process.  This requires energy and motivation, because listening is more than just hearing.  We must become active listeners rather than passive hearers. 

Repeating back (as questions or tentative statements) what you think you’ve heard the other person say helps avoid mind-misreading errors.  Good clarifying questions offer the person a chance to rephrase their thoughts and say precisely what they mean. 

Be Progress.

Insight from CODE Cracking for Trade Show Booth Success

Working a booth at a trade show can be such a powerful way to network, reinforce existing relationships, and build name recognition that I wanted to offer some trade show tips into making the most of the investment. The key is to find ways to encourage visitors to stop and comfortably begin building a solid relationship with you. Here is the first batch of trade show tips. I will offer more insight from on running a successful trade show booth over the following weeks.

Free Trade Show Booth Tip # 1
Build rapport by being friendly and nonthreatening.
A smile goes a long way in welcoming people to visit your booth.

“Every business is built on friendship.” — James Cash Penney

Free Trade Show Booth Tip # 2
Create the right first impression.
Stand and be interested in making contact. Do not sit, read, drink, eat, or smoke in the booth. Don’t just chat away with the people working the booth with you. This makes you less approachable.

Free Trade Show Booth Tip # 3
Keep the booth looking sharp.
Do not let the booth get disorganized, cluttered, or untidy. Throw trash away. If skirted, the space under the table is a great place to store boxes and stuff. Many trade shows last weeks. Even if it is a lengthy show, do not let your booth get run down.

Free Trade Show Booth Tip # 4
Avoid drinking alcohol or eating spicy or garlicky foods.
Bad breath is bad business – as is slurred speech and inappropriate behavior. You do not want to be remembered as the drunk guy, or halitosis girl.

Free Trade Show Booth Tip #5
Ask open-ended questions — Avoid asking questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Create a list of questions to ask that begin with who, what, where, when, why, or how. This will stimulate thought and encourage conversation. Relate questions to the event, industry, product/service and its benefits, or to a specific situation.

Examples of Stimulating Questions:

What brought you out to the show today?
How could you see using this (product/service)?
How important is (benefit) in your present situation?
What are your most important needs in (situation)?
How familiar are you with our product/company/service?

Be careful not to overuse common and overused questions, like:How are you doing today?
Can I help you?
Are you enjoying the show?

Our new program: CODE Cracking for Trade Show Booth Success is now available. Contact us for Details – Dean@DeanLindsay.com 214-457-5656

Link to Be a BAM! Blog Post

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

 Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions

Please find your own voice when asking these questions.  We must be truly interested in finding a way to help. 

Be a BAM Sales Training Program #1:  How did you get interested in your line of work?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 2.  If a journalist were to write about what’s been happening in your industry over the past six months, what might they write?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 3.   I connect with new people all the time; how would I know if someone qualified as a solid contact for you?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 4.  How would you define progress for you/your business?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 5.  What major shifts do you foresee in your industry? 

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 6.  Where do you see your greatest challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 7.  Why do these challenges persist?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 8.  What difficulties will you face if you don’t meet these challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 9.  What actions are you taking to overcome these challenges?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 10. What results are you expecting?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 11. Who is involved in the decision-making process?

Be a BAM Sales Training Program # 12.  If you could solve these challenges, what kind of progress would you make?

 Also, encourage prospects and clients to expand on their answers by asking:

            Would you tell me more about that?

            Could you please elaborate?

            Could you clarify…?

            How so?

            What did you mean when you said…?

Do not ask too many questions or ask them at a rocket-fire clip.  People should not feel they are being interrogated.  Being interrogated is neither attractive nor enjoyable.

insight from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

Link to Be a BAM! Blog Post

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

 Link to Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2.  Ask Progress-Based Open Ended Questions

Link to:  Business Attraction Magnet Key # 1:  Become Buzzworthy

 Business Attraction Magnet Key # 2. 

Ask Progress-Based, Open-Ended Questions.

In the medical profession, it is known that prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. The same is true for Business Attraction Magnets.  We must ask a variety of open-ended questions to diagnose the situation, so our recommendation (prescription) will meet the need. 

Thomas Berger

 “The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.” – Thomas Berger

There is a classic story, told in sales circles, of the inept salesman trying to explain to his boss why he closed only one sale per month.  “You know, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink,” the salesman says, shrugging his shoulders.  “Make him drink?” the manager replies.  “Your job is to make him thirsty.” That sounds good enough, but there’s a fundamental oversight here: Clients and prospects are already “thirsty.”  They are thirsty for peace of mind, pleasure, profit, prestige, pain avoidance, and power.  They are thirsty for progress.  We must uncover others’ particular parameters for progress if we hope to make them thirsty for the progress we offer.

The most powerful way to uncover the prospect’s parameters for progress is to ask open-ended questions.  These questions commonly include the basics of:

-         Who

-         What

-         Where

-         Why

-         When

-          How

Click for: A BAM Dozen: 12 Solid Open-Ended Questions for becoming a Business Attraction Magnet

insight from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

Business Attraction Magnets provide so much value, so much heat, and so much enthusiasm that customers are inspired to talk about them. A BAM is worthy of attention, worthy of the spotlight, worthy of wattage, and worthy of referrals. 

As Progress Agents, we must not only show enthusiasm for our work – we must HAVE enthusiasm for our work.   If we want prospects to get excited about our products and services, we need to have that excitement first.  Likewise, if we want others to believe in our products and services, we must believe in our products and services first. 

To win the prize, we must be the prize.  Enthusiasm shows in the way we hold ourselves and in the passion we have for our jobs and our lives.  If we want loyal customers and referrals (and we do), then we need to feel worthy of loyal customers and referrals.  I am sure you have sensed by now that, whenever possible, people do business with people they like.  Passion for our lives and belief in our work make us attractive and likable. They draw people to us. 

In sales, we have got to be on.  Have game.  Bring heat.  Same is true for customer-service professionals and those in leadership.  Buzz.  Buzz.

Next Up: Key #2 to Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet — Ask Progress-Based, Open-Ended Questions. 

Be Progress.

For info on the Be a BAM Sales Training Program Click here

 Be a BAM! - Become a Business Attraction Magnet!!

 - an excerpt from The Progress Challenge by Dean Lindsay and featured in the Progress Agents’ Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

The business of sales is the business of attraction.  We are attracted to products, services, ideas, and people that we trust can help us progress.  Everyone profits when sales professionals focus on being progress, and being progress turns sales professionals into Business Attraction Magnets. 

The great Dottie Walters, one of the founders of the National Speakers Association, shared with me many years ago that the word sales comes from the Scandinavian root word meaning to serve.  Soak that in…to serve. 

If we just made that little shift in our own thinking about that word sales, think of how many more people we could serve with our products, services, ideas, and contacts. (Not to mention our smiles and solid listening skills.)  To sell is to serve.  To serve is to Be Progress. 

The days of the “Surefire Closing Statement” and the “Glad-handing Slick Salesman” are long gone.  Today it is imperative for Progress Agents to truly get to know their prospects and help prospects get to know them. Selling is therefore a state of mind more than a series of steps.  It is a dance, a buzz, a willingness to be involved, to connect, to attract.  Those of us who make our careers selling are, by and large, outgoing, caring, and driven.  We want to help others progress.  We believe we can make a difference, that we can help.  Being progress puts wind in our sails and in our sales.

Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet is about TRUST.  The customer has a need, or a step they desire to take. They must trust we can meet that need and help them take that step.  Customers and prospects need to trust our belief in ourselves, in our companies, and in our products and services. 

Next up — The Seven Keys to Becoming a Business Attraction Magnet!

Link to Key # 1. Become Buzzworthy

Info on The Progress Agents’ Be a BAM! Sales Training Program

The Foreword for Dean Lindsay’s The Progress Challenge

Foreword by Julie Weber, Senior Director, People, Southwest Airlines Co.

Let me just get this out first:  The Progress Challenge is a great book.  It is fun to read and crammed full of thought-provoking, practical and motivating take-aways.  I recommend this book to HR professionals, business leaders, sales leaders, and anyone who is trying to not only navigate the world’s economy today, but to succeed in it.  With the Six Ps of Progress, Dean gives us all the incredible opportunity to be purposeful in creating progress, not just change, in our lives and work. 

If only I had read this book prior to the Tech Bubble burst in 2001.  While working at a software company, like many of my fellow HR professionals, I was doing my best to “lead change,”  to “manage change,” in an unprecedented time when high-technology companies dramatically went from such incredible highs on Wall Street to such devastating lows in a short period of time.  We were reeling from the emotional shock and uncertainty after the events of 9/11.  This book would not only have provided a new way of looking at change management, but also a more hopeful way of beginning to answer the question: “What now?” So here we are again in the midst of unprecedented economic times.  HR professionals are again faced with the challenge of managing our workforce in a shrinking economy.  The Progress Challenge is a must-read for all of us.  Only the businesses that are able to grow, gain market share, gain Customer loyalty, and gain Employee loyalty and engagement will survive when recessions occur.  That requires more than change management; it requires progress.   It requires committing to progress and it requires persistence.

I am so fortunate to be working for Southwest Airlines, a company that truly gets what taking care of Customers and Employees really means in any economy.  (For starters, the “C” in Customers and the “E” in Employees are capitalized deliberately.)  In describing the 6 P’s of Progress (I won’t give away too much!), Dean captures why Southwest Airlines Employees provide such incredible Customer Service.  We LUV what we do and our Company LUVS us!  We work very hard during the selection process to hire Employees with a natural desire to serve others.   At Southwest, we hire for attitude and train for skill (as needed).  Yeah, some skills are incredibly hard to train, but to train someone to have a great attitude and to enjoy their work, their Customers, and their fellow Employees is completely impossible.  The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.  Try doing that with a lousy attitude!  Having a Fun-LUVing Attitude is not just part of our “core values,” it is a requirement of every Employee.   

What Dean explains in a witty and entertaining way is that our attitudes, our ability to endure and successfully emerge from the current recession, our shot at getting what we want out of this life, is up to each one of us.   I have always believed that “if it is meant to be, it is up to me.”  Dean explains why that is true and gives us the tools to make it happen!  We have to grab every minute of every day and create progress in our work and in our lives.  We own it.  I own it.  I will be progress.  This book is so timely. 

Thanks, Dean.

– Julie Weber, Senior Director, People

People & Leadership Development

Southwest Airlines Co.

Part One of Proven Places to Network
Part Two of Proven Places to Network

Funny Video from Dean on Remembering Names!!

11. Kiwanis, Rotary, AMBUCS, Lions, Elks, Moose
(I know there is an animal joke in there somewhere.) Do good for the community while you build relationships. Rock-solid plan. Here it really pays to serve as a leader.

12.  Workshops, Classes, and Seminars
Take every chance to learn more and make yourself better. Other people committed to jogging the road to success will be there too. Contribute ideas. Ask questions. Look for a list of upcoming workshops in your local business journal’s calendar of events. Expect a higher grade of professionals at the workshops and seminars that are sponsored by area business journals.

13. College Associations
Having common backgrounds makes for easy conversations and many really get a kick out of helping an alum of their university.

14. Leads Groups
The great thing about leads groups is that they are focused on lead generation for their members. Expect events held by leads groups to be more intense than the rest of the networking options on this list.Make sure you check out the membership roster before you join. If there are some members who are in your line of work, you will probably want to join another leads group. They may not even let you join if there is already someone in your category. Also, find out what the member obligations are, and ask some of the members how much business they have generated from being a member.

15. Cultural Events
Meet some people with style and taste. Theater, symphony, art exhibits, rodeos, tractor pulls…

 16. Volunteer
A great way to gain visibility and develop relationships is through volunteering with any of the above-listed groups. Almost all these groups could use a hand. Step out and step up. Look for volunteer jobs that will provide you opportunities to show off your skills and personality, and meet and interact with new contacts. You increase your impact as well as the potential for new contacts when you actively participate.

Volunteer to:
- Serve on committees. You can help shape the association’s policy, as well as work closely with and learn from other experts.

- Chair a committee or run for office. Let people experience your leadership, communication, and organizational skills in action.

- Work the reception desk. You will meet people as they sign in.

- Help direct people to the right rooms at a large convention (often called being a people mover).

- Be a greeter. The greeter spot is ideal for the self-diagnosed shy, because the title alone forces you to connect. Plus, as a greeter there is an automatic assumption that you are “in the know” and others will naturally come to you for info and help.

- Join the board. You will connect with key industry leaders and gain a reputation as a leader yourself.

Crack the Neworking CODE.

Be Progress.

Follow Author on Twitter
Watch Video Clips

by Dean Lindsay
Author of  The Progress Challenge and
Cracking the Networking CODE

Follow Dean’s Blog Posts: www.Twitter.com/DeanLindsay

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” — Victor Borge

Business today may not be a laughing matter, but laughter is needed more than ever.  To much negative change out there in this tough biz world.  Making someone laugh (with you, not at you) is definite progress.  Humor helps relieve stress and attracts and holds attention.  Many a person has walked away from a conversation out of sheer boredom.  Make them laugh and they will like you and be willing to help you.  Humor can help make a great progress-based impression because it appeals to a person’s need for pleasure and release.  Sound good?

Think I am just joking around?

Humor has been scientifically proven to relieve stress, motivate, and improve relationships.  The use of GOOD humor relaxes people; in that state, they become more open. A tense or uncomfortable person is far less able or willing to have a good discussion with you that leads to progress for both of you.

Common sense is a prerequisite for using humor successfully.  Avoid any attempt at political, sexual , or religious humor.  Refrain from making off -color or derogatory remarks about others.  Trying to get a chuckle at the expense of others shows a lack of professionalism , character, and good sense.

No jokes. Tell stories.
A joke is rarely original, memorable, or all that funny.  (Of all the jokes you’ve been told in your life, how many do you remember?)  They don’t help the person you are talking to get to know you. Jokes make you look like you are trying too hard. They are contrived.

Jokes force your audience into the uncomfortable position of having to smile or chuckle when they’re not amused.  They act more as a shield than anything.  Jokes are often risky because most are demeaning to some group of people. Stories are where it’s at.  They are genuine and offer a window into the real you.

You’re THE Joke
The highest form of humor is to laugh at yourself; the lowest form is to laugh at someone else. Tell personal stories where the lesson is learned, or the embarrassment is suffered at your own expense. It will make you appear more vulnerable, approachable, and human. Poke fun at yourself and folks will laugh with you, not at you.
Don’t be afraid of putting some egg on your own face early in the conversation. Self-deprecating humor is so effective that it is highly regarded as a leadership trait. It reflects confidence and strength. It shows that you are secure enough to laugh at yourself. It also creates instant rapport, defuses tension, and makes you more likable. Learn to laugh at what you do, without laughing at who you are.

Quick One Liner:
“I’m such a bad speller, my spell checker is stunned.”

Tell stories that gently poke fun at yourself. Doing this acts as a social lubricant and shows that you are comfortable in your own skin and at ease with life. It encourages your listener to feel the same way. As early twentieth -century poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote, “Laugh and the world laughs with you.”Rehearse your lines.  In meeting people, we each have certain situations that seem to come up again and again. You can anticipate these situations and be ready with witty, fresh, well -rehearsed, “spontaneous” comebacks.

“There are three things that are real – God, human folly, and laughter. The first two are beyond comprehension. So we must do what we can with the third.”
– John F. Kennedy

Humor takes intelligence and subtle qualities like insight and sensitivity. Using humor displays a mastery of language and an openness to the human condition. If someone is “naturally funny,” they are probably really intelligent. Heck, ask them.

Say: “Wow, you are FUNNY. What’s your IQ?”   (Just messing.)

Study humor. Appreciate humor. Seek it out.
What was so funny?
Why did you laugh?
Why did you not laugh?
Why did you groan?

Smiling with Envy
People are often envious of those who are funny and able to make others laugh. I know I am envious of Jack Black, Dennis Miller’s rants, early Steve Martin, and Bill Cosby, circa 1966. Cosby’s comedy album “Wonderfulness” from that year is pure comedy gold. Anyone can learn to be more humorous with a little practice. Humor is a technique that can be learned, developed, and perfected just like origami (OK, not like origami, but you get the idea).

Incorporate humor into your daily life. Once you cultivate humor, you have the foundation for intellectual rapport. Not every attempt will get a knee-slapping belly laugh; your mission is bigger than that. A comedian succeeds just by being funny, but a networker succeeds only when the humor helps to create a positive impression.

But of course, humor will never substitute for solid listening skills. Mix too much yuck-yuck with too little care or respect and you will plummet , crash , and burn . Remember, the goal is be positioned as PROGRESS. You are not auditioning for a gig on the new Jay Leno Show.

Be Progress.

Insight from Cracking the Networking CODE by Dean Lindsay

“No man ever listened himself out of a job.” — Calvin Coolidge

Everyone has a need to speak and be heard, especially in the challenging business landscape we are presently in. To build truly priceless business relationships we need to treat others as if they are the most important people on the planet because – in their minds – they are.

Everyone wants to feel that they are significant and have meaningful ideas to share. Those who choose to really listen will always have someone to talk with. Notice that I wrote talk with, not talk to. The key is to: Turn people ON to you by tuning IN to them.

Good listeners absorb and reflect on what they hear. They are active in the listening process. This requires energy and motivation because listening is more than just hearing. We must become active listeners rather than passive hearers.

Often our motivation to actively listen is not all that high. We think we can get by without really focusing. This is a mistake. The ability to value what others say is critical to building priceless relationships. Be determined to understand completely what others are trying to communicate. It helps to collect our thoughts and focus only on present conversation.

How often do you catch yourself thinking about some unrelated issue when you should be listening? It is difficult to tune in when you’re preoccupied with previous conversations or unfinished tasks.

Business philosopher Jim Rohn is quoted as saying, “One of the greatest gifts you can give anyone is the gift of your attention.” Rohn is right. Don’t get distracted by other people’s nearby conversations. If you have to, walk the person you are speaking with to a quieter place in the room to have your initial chat.

Try this. Look directly at the person and when they stop speaking, count to two (in your mind!) before you speak. Committing to this brief pause:

A. helps you avoid interrupting the other person, who may have only paused to gather his or her thoughts.
B. establishes that what has just been shared was worth contemplation.
C. gives your brain time to digest the information and ask a good clarifying question or make a comment.

Good clarifying questions offer the person the chance to rephrase their thoughts and say precisely what they mean. Repeating back (as questions or tentative statements) what you think you’ve heard the other person say also makes people feel wonderful, and it avoids mind-misreading errors.

We also should be careful not to turn into an overanxious talker and overpower the fine folks in the dialogue and not letting anyone else talk. Active listening can help prevent this from happening. Think about it:

In the past, at the end of a conversation, did you tend to know more about the person, or did they learn more about you?

Discipline yourself to uttering no more than four sentences in a row without stopping. This ensures that others will have the opportunity to express themselves.

Two ears, one mouth. You know the saying.

Crack the Networking CODE.

Be Progress.