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- While a speaker says s an average of 100 words per minute, you are thinking at 400 words per minute. Don’t waste your thoughts on anything other than what they are saying. Focus on them! By the same token, if you are doing all the talking and they all the listening, the odds are they are thinking about something other than what you are saying, such as, “How can I graciously get out of this conversation? I know, I’ll ask them to send me some information or tell them that my non-existent partner needs to be in on this decision!”
-No matter what you say, the listener will only retain 50 percent of what you say after the conversation is complete. After 48 hours that will drop to 25 percent. Keep it simple and limit the stated benefits to one or two.
-Pausing encourages the other person to speak. And if you’re really good, you will notice when the other person is using pauses on you.
-The thing that people most want to hear in a conversation is their own voice. You can encourage this to happen by asking open-ended questions that begin with who, what, where, when, why or how
-Here a few additional questions to add to your question library.
"How do you feel about _____?”
“What is your thinking on _____?”
-Seeking elaboration will help you to find the real meaning behind a person’s statement, thoughts and objections. Some examples of this are:
"Do you mean _____?”
"Are you saying _____?”
-Last but not least – the more you say, the less income you are inclined to make.
- Jim
© 2009 SuccessCo.com
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"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it."
- Confucius
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes."
- William James
"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there."
- Norman Vincent Peale
"Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools."
- Napoleon
In the mind of a prospect it is easier to make the decision not to buy or join, than face the possibility of making the wrong decision. Your goal is to help the prospect justify why they are not making the wrong decision. A useful technique is to anticipate their objections in advance – be the devil’s advocate – here are some transitional phrases to help you draw out that inevitable objection:
“I bet you’re asking yourself . . .”
“You might be wondering . . .”
“If you’re concerned about . . .”
“A question I often hear at this point in a conversation is . . .”
By mentioning the objection before they do, you’ll disarm the prospect and put them in a more receptive frame of mind.
-Jim
© 2009 SuccessCo.com
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Only seven of Emily Dickinson's poems were ever published during her lifetime? A rejection early in her career said, "(Your poems) are quite as remarkable for defects as for beauties and are generally devoid of true poetical qualities."
Ernest Hemingway's novel, "The Torrents of Spring" was rejected with, "It would be extremely rotten taste, to say nothing of being horribly cruel, should we want to publish it."
One movie review called The Wizard of OZ “Unimaginative and boring” and one editor deemed The Diary of Anne Frank “Not interesting enough."
- Jim
© 2009 SuccessCo.com
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Once someone has made up their mind to do or not do something, it becomes significantly more difficult to change their mind. Unless you allow them a way to change their mind while saving face at the same time. Here a few verbal phrases I've found useful:
* "Given the data you have, I can see your conclusion, but have your considered . . ."
* "It's certainly open to several interpretations, but I think that . . ."
* "Here is some information you may not have had an opportunity to review."
* "Perhaps there are other factors I'm not aware of."
* "Let's look at it this way."
* "The difference between our points of view is not large, however we need to consider . . ."
* "I think your XYZ department may have led you in the wrong direction."
-Jim
© 2009 SuccessCo.com
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Imagine yourself stepping on the golf green as you prepare to putt for par. When you look at the hole to gauge your shot, you notice that the hole is much larger than its normal size.
Now imagine yourself at bat during your company softball tournament. You walk up to the plate and notice the ball the pitcher is about to toss your direction is the size of a basketball. How would these new circumstances impact your game?
Let’s try one more. . . . Imagine the potential customer base for your product is twice as large your current estimation? How would this “new reality” impact your sales results?
According to scientists in two studies at the University of Virginia, softball players and golfers who had good games perceived balls and golf holes as being larger than players who had bad games.
Could it be the holes that Tiger Woods sees are twice as large as what his competitors see?
This applies to the business world as well. Professionals that expect more and see larger opportunities usually get them!
-Jim
© 2009 SuccessCo.com
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"A man who misses his opportunity, and monkey who misses his branch, cannot be saved."
- Hindu Proverb
"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas Edison
"I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one."
- Mark Twain
"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." - Harry Truman
"When written in Chinese the word "crisis" is composed of two characters - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity." - John F. Kennedy, address, 12 April 1959
Excerpt from Tribes written by Seth Godin
Marketing changes everything, but mostly it changes the market
The market wants you to be remarkable. The most important tribes are bored with yesterday and demand tomorrow. Most of all, the market has demonstrated that ideas that spread win, and the ideas that are spreading are remarkable ones. For fifty years, established brands with efficient factories and effective marketing carried the day. Pepsi, the Salvation Army, and the local hardware store were the cornerstones of the marketplace. Suddenly, though, the older brands are no longer the fastest-growing ones. The marketplace has raised its voice. If you want us to follow you, don't be boring. "Good enough," stopped being good enough a long time ago. So why not be great?
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