Posts Tagged ‘Business’

A Customer Service Speaker Training Ideas Post

Serving Inside Out (Part Two)

an excerpt from Customer Service Speaker, Dean Lindsay’s new book (being published in early 2012, SERVICE IS EVERYTHING)

Link to Part One

One of the surest ways to drastically reduce negative employee and external customer service issues is to create work environments that are upbeat, positive and collaborative.  It is well documented that team members that receive solid internal customer service are more likely to voluntarily offer assistance to other team members.

Our feelings about our internal customers are on display with every internal contact.  It shows in how we greet co-workers at the beginning of the day.  It shows in what we do when a superior asks for information needed to wrap up a project.  It shows in how quickly we respond to that sometimes kind of pushy team member who has another question.

How can we expect team members to care about and listen to customers when they are not offered that by other team members or management?

A pledge of internal service must be felt all through a company, from head to toe and back again.  Nordstrom’s, Disney and Southwest Airlines – all toting world class service buzz  – didn’t get that way without (most) everybody in that company being enthusiastically on board.  It is an ideology, an understanding that everybody serves and lifts up everybody else in the organization and that everyone within the organization has an affect – positive or negative – on the outside customer.  Everyone has each others back. 

“If you are not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.”  — Jan Carlson

Showing team members that ‘Service is Everything’ is essential to the external customer feeling you know ‘Service is Everything’.  In assisting others on your team, you are helping yourself progress.  Every contact a customer – internal or external – has with our organizations gives the customer insight into the ideology we hold dear. Make your ideology  ‘Service is Everything’.

 Show you know ‘Service is Everything.’

In the next couple of Customer Service Speaker Training Ideas Posts, I’ll share seven tips on Serving Inside Out.

Service is Everything.

Be Progress.

Watch Customer Service Speaker Dean Lindsay in ACTION!

Effective Business Networking Tips on Presence Power

(excerpt from Cracking the Networking CODE

How you hold your physical body communicates a tremendous amount of information about you.  Be aware of presence power.  Studies suggest that a person will unconsciously interpret approximately 55% of the meaning of your message from physiological cues from your attire, body position, stance, and facial expressions. 

Body language, demeanor, and dress are important elements in making a lasting impression .  First impressions are often lasting impressions. So take pride in your appearance. Be fun and sociable. You are the number -one element in your success strategy.

How you look and present yourself matters.  You want to look smart and with -it.  You should not look untidy.  No messed up hair, wrinkled shirts, or loose ties.  In fact, the ideal wardrobe for a networking event is slightly better dressed than the other attendees.

Effective Business Networking Tips #1  Check yourself before you go out.  Do a 360 in front of a full -length mirror.  Would you want to talk to you?  Would you want to be seen talking to you? 

Effective Business Networking Tips #2  Ask someone’s opinion .  Take the advice of others about your appearance.  I ask my wife.  She has saved me from more than a few bad shirt/tie combos.   

However, do not rely on your “ together” look to cover up for sad puppy behavior or poor conversational ability.  Stand, speak, and act as if you were self-confident, attractive, vital.  If you have flair, use it.  Make sure you will be remembered in a positive way.  Be enthusiastic.  An enthusiastic attitude distinguishes the really cracking networkers from the so-so networkers.

Effective Business Networking Tips #3   - Speak with a positive countenance, exhibit confidence, and display a natural enthusiasm about your life and your work.  Be a walking-talking representation of life, in all its excitement and possibility.  How you say something means as much or more than what you say.  You are your best public relations representative.  You are the person who knows best what you do and what you have to offer others.

Effective Business Networking Tips #4 - Sit or stand up straight.  Gesture with power and confidence.  Be fully engaged.  Nod in agreement.  Smile.  Do not fold your arms or let your eyes wander off into the distance; look like you are having a good time.  People trust people who look them in the eye.  Do not shift focus.  The more you change your focus, the more new information your brain is taking in.  If you change focus frequently, you can overload your brain to the point where you are “at sea” and unable to focus on the issue at hand. 

Effective Business Networking Tips # 5 Be careful about shifting your weight while chatting with someone.  It communicates a lack of interest and confidence, and it can result in your contact feeling a lack of TRUST. 

Also, do not keep your hands in your pockets the whole time and jingle-jangle-jingle your keys or change.  You are not there to provide musical backup or percussion for the event.

 Think about this: 

Each positive first impression has the potential to turn into a priceless business relationship.  People want to do business with professionals who are excited about life and who look like they have their act together.

Be Progress.

(excerpt from Cracking the Networking CODE  by Dean Lindsay)

Proven Places to Network & Build Priceless Business Relationships (Part One)

Free Sales Tips

from  Business Keynote Speaker Dean Lindsay

Author of The Progress Challenge and

Cracking the Networking CODE

In these tough economic times, priceless business relationships are VITAL!  We should consider opening relationships everywhere we go.  On Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.  On Golden Pond and even on the Bridge on the River Kwai.  (Sorry, I got carried away and my movie references got a tad silly.)  Anyway, you get the point.  Relationships are important and start by connecting with others. 

To make connecting easier and more focused, look for groups and events where “networking” is encouraged.  People expect to exchange cards and meet new people at these types of gatherings, so go expecting to make some contacts. 

However watch out…too many people go to business networking events with the wrong focus and try to force their service down your throat.  If you are not on the top of your game, you will end up stoically listening to a bunch of pitches instead of getting the person to have a real conversation. 

It is best not to consider joining any business organizations unless you are committed to being an active member for at least one year, building priceless business relationsips takes time.

Also, it is possible to spend a bunch of dinero on joining networking groups, so consider your affiliations carefully.  Call and ask if you can attend as a visitor.  Most allow at least one free visit. 

Again, you SHOULD network everywhere and anywhere.  There are plenty of places that offer networking possibilities.  ALSO…consider START your own networking group. What follows is by no means a complete list, but these suggestions can lead to other opportunities.  Here are the first five of 16 proven places to network.  More to follow in upcoming posts.

5 Proven Places to Network:

1.  Organizations to Which You Already Belong 

The first place to start networking is in the organizations you already belong to.  Anywhere you are already connected: your homeowners’ association, office parties, Sunday school class, PTA, workout club, sports groups, political party meetings, Junior League.  Anywhere. 

2.  Professional Trade Associations  

Your professional trade association can put you in touch with colleagues in your field.  Cultivate relationships with other members, tap into their expertise, discuss industry concerns, and swap ideas.  These are the best organizations for learning about your industry, your customers, and your competition.

Check out your membership directory to find experts in the profession.  Contact them for advice or ideas.  The sooner you get involved in your trade association, the sooner your name will get out there.  Serve on committees, contribute articles to the group’s publication, speak at conferences, run for the board.  Learn and practice new skills at educational seminars.  You can learn how to use emerging technologies and catch up on the techniques.  Read the association’s newsletter for tips on how to succeed and use the full benefits of membership.  Contact supplier members.  They can tell you about new products and services in your industry.

3.  State and National Trade Shows, Conventions, and Conferences

Business and industry trade shows, conventions, and conferences have great potential as really solid places to network.  However, a bewildering number of people never take advantage of these solid opportunities even when they go, because they treat the trip as a much deserved paid vacation instead of one of the best spots in the cosmos to make new contacts.  This is not the place to let your hair down and get your groove on.     

Some of the big trade shows bring in buyers and sellers from around the globe.  So much potential!  At breakfast, lunch, dinner, and networking activities, meet as many people as possible, get their cards and stay in touch.  Study the schedule and ask the organizers for a list of attendees before you go.  Formulate a plan to make it a valuable investment of time and money.  (See pages 73-76 of Cracking the Networking CODE for tips on running a successful trade show booth.)

At conventions, try contacting keynoters and concurrent-session presenters ahead of time.  Most often we speakers are from out of town and do not know anyone, so invite us to sit with you during lunch, or schedule time for a cup of coffee.  At least introduce yourself to the presenters and those sitting around you. 

4.  Trade Organizations of Your Best Customers

If the fine people who already use your services belong to these organizations, would it not be safe to assume that other members might want to use your services as well?  See if you can present a breakout session or seminar on something related to your work.

5.  Chamber of Commerce

They don’t call them Chambers of Commerce for nothing.  More than likely, your Chamber of Commerce is your best local networking source, but only if you’re active and informed.  Most Chambers welcome guests at functions but are usually only interested in recommending their members.  The upside is that you can join as a business or as an individual. 

Chambers sponsor networking activities like after-hours mixers, business-networking breakfasts, luncheons, and even leads groups.  Chamber events are great forums for sharpening your skills and opening face-to-face relationships. 

More to come.

Be Progress.

Click for Info on Cracking the Networking CODE

You can’t achieve your best in these challenging business times without learning the all-important art of connecting. As William Allman, the author of Stone Age Present, states, “The key to our species’ success is our great skill in making close alliances with others.” True enough. There are many benefits to harnessing the power of building priceless business relationships and Cracking the Networking CODE. These benefits become even more priceless in times of economic uncertainty. Here are the Top Ten benefits of sales training that addresses the power of business networking:

The Top Ten Benefits of Business Networking

1. Friendships and support

2. Advice and access to different points of view

3. New career paths, employment, and business opportunities

4. Referrals and introductions to professionals and quality prospects

5. Important information
(Market/organizational shifts, upcoming events, etc.)

6. Promotions or lateral moves within your organization

7. Unique sales ideas from sales professionals in other fields

8. Introductions to quality vendors and resources

9. Advocates within related organizations and industries

10. More sales

“You have to accept that no matter where you work, you are not an employee; you are in a business with one employee – yourself.”  – Andrew S. Grove

I am honored to share that my book, Cracking the Networking CODE: Steps to Priceless Business Relationships is Recommended Reading by the United Professional Sales Association, Networking Times and Profit magazine.

Even cooler that it has been endorsed Ken Blanchard – author of The One Minute Manager and Brian Tracy along with many others. Jay Conrad Levinson – the author of Guerrilla Marketing, thought so much of the CODE that he wrote the book’s foreword.

Please contact me to discuss our customized sales training programs and our business networking training programs.

Let’s Connect:

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Dean-Lindsay/1018367929?sid=0

Twitter Link:  http://twitter.com/deanlindsay
LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/deanlindsay
Video clips of me in action at YouTube:   http://www.youtube.com/user/TheProgressAgent (more videos posting shortly)

Be Progress.

If you’re like the millions of people struggling to market and sell effectively during this economic recession then I have a solution that I know you’re going to want. My friend Sean Piket, CEO of Sales Integrity and Co-Founder of SalesDiscipline.com, has created a way for you to eliminate the road blocks that have been holding you back and taking money out of your pocket.

Sean will host and MC an information-rich sales and marketing conference titled “Stimulate Your Sales in a Down Economy” this Friday, May 15th at the Studio Movie Grill in Addison, Texas. You will get to learn from 8 national sales and marketing experts, 4 powerful keynote presentations, and 1 amazingly insightful panel discussion on the topic of “The Impact of Social Technologies on Sales & Marketing”. Sean will also open the panel discussion up to the audience members to ask the panelists questions.

You should know that I will be on stage for an hour presenting my most updated “Cracking the Networking Code: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships” Keynote Presentation and I would like to personally invite you to this powerful and exciting event. Because Sean is a friend I asked him to provide his best and final discount to my customers, business associates and friends and he agreed! Sean has agreed to a huge $244 discount off the retail ticket price of $299. So that means you will attend this powerful event for only $55! You heard that correctly – $55! This is the best and final pricing as we fill the remaining few seats for this event. So make sure to hurry and reserve your seat ASAP before they are all gone!

You only need to do two things to receive this discount. 1) Go to http://www.salesdiscipline.com and register as a member of The Sales Improvement Community (at no cost to you). Members of SalesDiscipline.com already receive a $50 discount for this event just for being a registered member. 2) While logged on to the SalesDiscipline website, go register for this event within the SalesCalendar. Make sure to use the special Promo Code of “DEAN” to receive an additional $194 discount. This is a total discount of $244 and will bring the price to just $55 for you!

If you are the type of person that would like to learn new ideas on how to grow your business and sell more effectively in a down economy then you will want to take advantage of this generous offer now before there are no more seats left!

So ACT NOW and register for this event by visiting http://www.stimulateyoursales.com.

Sincerely,

Dean Lindsay

Selling in the ZONE

The old adage- People hate to be sold, but they love to buy – is truer than ever. The days of the ‘ Sure Fire Closing Statement’ and the ‘Glad Handing Slick Salesman’ are thankfully things of the past. Today it is imperative for sales professionals to truly get to know prospects and help prospects get to know them.

Selling today is about relationships. It is about attraction. It is about Trust. The customer has a need- a step they need to take. They must trust we can meet that need- help them take that step. They need to trust our belief in ourselves, in our companies and in our products / services. Trust comes easy when we sell (and live) in the ZONE

ZEST – Emerson said, “ Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, without it nothing great was ever accomplished.” As sales professionals, we must have authentic enthusiasm for our work. If we want prospects to get excited about our products and services, we need to have that excitement first. We need an air of gusto. Likewise, if we want people to believe in our products and services, we must believe in our products and services first. This shows in the way we hold ourselves and in the passion we have for our jobs and our lives.

Whenever possible, people do business with people they like. Passion for our lives and our work makes us attractive. It draws people to us. We must be continually offering people our best attitude. Ask yourself: Would you want to talk to, much less do business with you?

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS – Structure is vital for the sales professional. Solid self-management (formally known as time management) leads to higher productivity and reduced stress. Our desks need to be workstations, not storage space or shrines to past accomplishments. We must be able to quickly find important information. Being well organized show respect for time (the prospect’s and ours).

Looking sharp is also part of organization. We must always be presentable. If we can’t even get ourselves together enough to look presentable how is someone going to see us as together enough to handle their challenge. Plus, how we present ourselves shouts volumes about how we feel about ourselves and our work.

NETWORKING SKILLS – It is not just who we know, or who knows us. It is also, what we know about who we know and more importantly who TRUSTS us. Being known as a reliable (and likable) resource is the ultimate goal. The more we can present ourselves -in person- in a positive light the better. First impressions are powerful so turn someone on to you by tuning into them. When you meet a new person, show genuine interest in them and invest the majority of the time asking questions about them and their business. Powerful networking is totally linked to the other terms in the ZONE acronym. People are drawn to our enthusiasm, our respect for their time and our…

EMPATHY – Empathy is sympathy without pity. Empathy means understanding that people make decisions for their reasons not ours. Empathy is always thinking “ What that means to you, Mrs./ Mr. Prospect, is…” Empathy is focusing on benefits not features. Empathy is truly committing to doing what is best for the customer and working to help provide the right product or service to meet their needs.

The most powerful way to understand the prospect’s need is to ask questions. In the medical profession, it is known that prescription without diagnosis is malpractice. The same is true in the sales profession. We must ask a variety of open and closed ended questions to diagnosis the situation, so our recommendation (prescription) will meet the need.

Solid listening goes hand in hand with asking powerful questions. We must LISTEN to prospects. I don’t mean listen. I mean LISTEN. Calvin Coolidge said “ No man ever listened himself out of a job.” We must listen as if our life(style) depended on it – because in a large way it does.

Get in the ZONE, and try to help someone.

Be Progress.

“Our answer must consist not in talk and medication, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answers to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual.”
- Viktor Frankl

Exchange the word “Life” with “Business” in this opening quote and you have a powerful truism for business.
Viktor Frankel (1905-1997) really knew what he was talking about. He had this ‘being human thing’ figured out. He was one of the greatest European philosophers and psychiatrists of the Twentieth Century. The U.S. Library of Congress named, Dr. Frankel’s enlightening book, Man’s Search for Meaning as one of the 10 books that “made the most difference in people’s lives.”

Frankel lectured in over 40 countries and even fulfilled a visiting professorship at Southern Methodist University. He developed his philosophy known as Logotherapy in the 1930s (Logos is “meaning” in Greek). I recently had the privilege of participating in the thirteenth World Congress of Viktor Frankel’s Logotherapy. In this challenging time for businesses, we can benefit greatly from a look into his teachings. Here is some wisdom from Dr. Frankel and how it relates to business.

We have the Freedom of Choice. Dr. Frankel’s pregnant wife, his parents and brother were all killed during their incarceration in Nazi prison camps. It was in these camps that Dr. Frankel validated his theories. He lost everything, he said, that could be taken from a prisoner, except one thing; “the last of the human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” As the markets continue to fluctuate and business challenges mount, you have the freedom to choose your reaction. A resourceful attitude towards a challenge is paramount if the challenge is to be met.

Our Responses Count. According to Frankel, it is not what happens to you that matters. It is how you respond to what happens that is significant. Same with business. You can not control all the elements of business. Trucks breakdown. Greenspan sleeps. Things happen. How will you respond to unforeseen events? What will you DO? The only things you can control are your responses, your decisions, your actions.

We Must Fight. Standing up to adversity ( i.e. business challenges, the slowing economy) is something Dr. Frankel believed in . Frankel was an ACTION man. In the face of inescapable uncertainty, you must have unwavering determination to overcome the challenges that face you daily in the business world.

Focus on Fulfilling Unique Potential. We not only have a right, but a responsibility, to fulfill our individual potential, according to Frankel. He stressed the using of one’s inner resources to achieve personal goals and find personal truth. The same truth applies to every corporation or business. Each employee, no matter the position or responsibility, has unique strengths, that when utilized, prove to be vital in creating the future of the organization.

Behavior is Driven by Internal Purpose. Great managers know this. It is imperative to understand what the employee is about. Why are they working for the organization? What drives them? Gaining insight into a person’s reasons for working goes a long way in helping the employee reach their full potential.
Responsible-ness -is the center of Frankel’s work. Each of us must take responsibility for where we are in our relationships, financial situation, job situation and businesses because of our decisions that put us there.

Being Responsible, Finding and Making the Most of Individual Strengths, Overcoming Adversity, the Freedom and Power of Choice, ACTION – Frankel would have been the ultimate sales manager or at least a world class CEO.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than
unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts
Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge

Many highly revered books on the subject of selling contend that it takes five to 10 follow-up actions with a prospect to make the first sale. Obviously, persistence is a key ingredient for sales success. The greatest sales skills in the world are useless unless combined with the correct amount of persistence. Consider:

Persistence is a Byproduct of Passion. If you see persistence, passion is at work. Passion leads to a zest for the pursuit. Plus, passion is extremely attractive. Passion is dramatically damaged by discouragement, cynicism and apathy. If you are going to be a top sales pro you must eliminate these from your vocabulary and behavior. The challenge is that facing what could be many months of sales effort can be discouraging and lead to a loss of passion. Don’t focus on the long sales process. Instead break it into a series of short steps.

Sell Yourself on Your Sales Goals. To keep the passion, constantly remind yourself of the benefits you are expecting from your efforts. Keeping your thoughts constantly on the benefits of your sales goals will allow you to dispense with failure quickly and decisively re-adjust your sales efforts .

Persistence is Not Pushy. Persistence is sometimes confused with being pushy and a lack or respect for the prospect. Sales persistence demands respect for and good rapport with your prospects. It is much easier to follow-up with someone you have a good relationship with. Your ability to follow-up will determine your success in sales. If you ever feel that your prospect is pulling back because of your follow up, you may want to try saying something like, “I don’t want to seem over eager or as anything less than professional. How would you like me to follow up with you?”

Keep Your Sense of Humor. Professionals who maintain a sense of humor gain respect. Plus it’s good for you. When you laugh, you release endorphins in the brain that make you feel better. You have more energy to tackle sales challenges. People are drawn to people that are upbeat and have a positive jovial frame of mind.

Do Not To Take Rejection Personally. I know this is tough, especially when you have passion for what you do. But consider that a huge reason so many sales people never persist is they take every sales rejection, setback, or failure personally. To an unhealthy degree, they equate the success their product or service with their personal self-esteem and thus each business setback becomes a personal failure. Work hard to get out of the limiting habit of beating yourself up mentally when you can’t get to the decision maker, when the presentation doesn’t go well, when you forget to pop an Altoids in your mouth after that lunch of garlic and onions. By focusing on blaming yourself, you are seriously breaking down your level of resolve and persistence and believe me there are plenty of other people out there who are only too willing to do that for you. Give yourself a break. You ain’t perfect and wouldn’t the rest of us feel weird if you were.

Things Can and Do Go Wrong. Each lost sale, missed opportunity or A / V problem should not be allowed to become an emotional ‘downer’. Self pity is not part of a rocking sales professional’s make up. Re-frame the setback to your advantage. Invest the time in stepping back and analyzing what went wrong. Play the event back in your mind and try to find the words or solutions that might have made the difference. Consider that by eliminating another sales idea that didn’t work, the path to sales success became clearer. Pay constant attention to implementing necessary changes in marketing and sales strategy, while keeping long term goals the same.

Go. Do Try. The average, self-made millionaire in this country was broke, bankrupt or financially destitute 3.7 times before becoming a financial success. Even Wal-Mart, a two billion-dollar corporation founded from nothing, had to struggle to avoid financial collapse in the early days. But Sam Walton was extremely extremely persistent and I hear Wal-Mart is doing pretty good these days. Don’t quit. Keeping doing something you believe will lead to progress. We haven’t lost until we quit trying. As the Japanese proverb teaches, the eventual winners are those who ‘fall down seven times, get up eight.’

Be Progress.