October 2010 How to Quickly Build Trust and Rapport | PowerPoint Pizzazz Creating and Keeping Happy Employees (Part 1)| 5 Tips to Turning Off Digital Connections In his February 2010 blog, web developer, Steve Schwartz (Alfa Jango, LLC) asks the question: “Have you ever received praise, or even an award, for being great at something despite having no clue what you’re doing? Do you ever feel like a fraud, wondering what sort of voodoo you’ve unwittingly conjured up to make people think you know what you’re doing, when the reality is quite the contrary?” I actually laughed out loud when I read it because admittedly, I feel like this most of the time. I’ve always been a “fake it ‘til you make it” type of person, and tend to dive in and try/learn things as I go. When someone acknowledges me for a job well done or a specific skill I’ve developed, I tend to minimize it because I don’t have a degree or diploma to support it. I’ve just learned on the ground how to be good at it, so it feels as if somehow it has less value, and therefore, is “fraudulent”, or a misrepresentation of who I am. After working with hundreds of small business owners over the span of my career, I’d be surprised if most entrepreneurs haven’t felt this to some degree in their business lives. In his somewhat irreverent post, Schwartz suggests that no one knows what they’re doing, and that it’s all about how you control the knowledge you have, to gain the advantage you need. So why do we feel that we have no clue what we’re doing, yet we see others as confident and able? Schwartz suggests that most other people are as clueless as you feel, and that therefore, you are on a level playing field. Author, Ali Hale in her article, Why You’re Undervaluing Yourself (And How to Stop), in the December 2009 edition of Entrepreneurship magazine says it’s common for entrepreneurs to undervalue their own skills. “Many of us get started in childhood doing what we do: perhaps drawing, singing, fixing things, dancing.” says Hale. "Others find their passion in their teens: a musical instrument, acting, computer programming, or teaching. When you’ve been doing something for so long that it’s become second nature, you tend to take it for granted.” Also, when it’s something you love to do, it’s more difficult to give it value, and enhances the fraudulent feelings that come around when someone acknowledges you for it. If you suffer from the Entrepreneurial Fraud Syndrome, here are some suggestions from Hale’s article for how to move beyond those feelings, and to start valuing who you are and what you do. Look at the time you’ve invested. Chances are, you didn’t learn how to cook, sew, build, engineer, problem-solve, keep books, write, etc. overnight. Whether or not you’ve gone through formal education, you’ve spent a significant amount of time learning and practicing doing what you do to get you where you are. That time is equal to value, and the reality is, you CAN do it – regardless of how you got there. Realize other people can’t see your flaws. Part of the reason we feel like imposters is that we don’t only focus on the things that we do well, we are keenly aware of our flaws and all the things we can’t do. The truth is, most of the time others can’t see those things. They are rewarding us for what they see we CAN do. So stop looking at the “I can’ts” and start acknowledging the “I can’s” to increase your confidence and develop a more realistic picture of yourself and your abilities. Ask yourself what you would think of you, if you only saw what you do. You can be your own worst critic, but if you step back and see yourself as others do, it can help you to break the habit of beating yourself up. If you watched yourself give that presentation, build that boat, counsel that client, find that bookkeeping error, make that sale, design that product – would you be impressed with you? Probably, so give others the benefit of the doubt when they are too. The next time you have that feeling in your gut that says “if they only knew …”, stop that old tape and look at what you have accomplished from different eyes. Acknowledge your skills and experience for what they are, and validate your accomplishments from a more realistic perspective. If all else fails, take comfort in knowing that others probably feel quite similar when they put themselves next to you and your accomplishments. It’s all about perspective. Can you change yours and eliminate fraud syndrome from your life? Click here to read Steve Schwartz’s complete blog. Click here to read Ali Hale’s complete article. You’re working hard in your business, but find you are simply not generating enough sales or getting the referrals from your customers that you’d like. If this is the case, you may want to look at the level of trust you are creating among your prospects. Creating a solid foundation of trust and rapport is critical to sales success. In fact, that’s the hard part. If you can do this effectively, you will notice your sales increase naturally. According to nationally recognized sales trainer and motivational speaker, John Boe, it really doesn't matter how knowledgeable you are about your product line or how many closing techniques you have mastered, unless you earn your prospect's trust and confidence you are not going to make the sale. While there is nothing that is 100% foolproof with every prospect, Boe suggests the following fundamentals will help you build trust and rapport quickly, making your way toward more sales. Make a great impression. There is absolutely no substitute for a positive first impression. Research clearly indicates that we make a judgment about someone in the first few minutes of meeting them – sometimes the first few seconds! If your prospect's first impression of you will be made over the phone or from a voice message, focus your intention and organize your thoughts by utilizing a phone script instead of shooting from the hip. As for making an in-person good impression, show up on time, be well prepared, dress appropriately for your market, and be upbeat and personable without being overly familiar. Promote your credibility. Establish your credentials as an expert in your industry. When introducing your business, make sure your prospect knows your USP (unique selling proposition). Keep your marketing materials looking professional and up-to-date. Display any industry awards or personal certificates of accomplishment in your office where prospects can see them. Trust is created when people see you as a credible part of your industry. Use active listening skills. Successful salespeople take notes, listen attentively, and avoid the temptation to interrupt, criticize, or argue. To develop and encourage conversation, use open-ended questions to probe the meaning behind your prospect's statements. Occasionally repeat your prospect's words to ensure you have heard and interpreted their perceptions correctly. This clarifies communication and shows the prospect you care about what they have to say. Learn about and adjust to your prospect's temperament or style. Research indicates people are born into one of four primary temperaments or styles; drivers, expressives, relators, and analyticals. Each of these four primary styles requires a unique approach and selling strategy. For example, if you are selling to the impatient, driver style, they prefer a short warm-up and expect a quick, bottom line presentation. While at the other extreme, the cautious, analytical style is slow to warm up and is interested in every detail. Expressives are impulsive and like to joke around and have fun with you, while relaters are more cautious, slow to make decisions and concerned about developing long-term relationships. Once you learn how to identify each of the four primary styles, you will be able to close more sales in less time by adjusting to your prospect's buying style. Remember that actions speak louder than words. Research indicates that in a face-to-face conversation, over 70% of our communication is nonverbal (23% of tone of voice and only 7% is the words you say). In addition, nonverbal communication has a much greater impact and higher reliability than the spoken word. Therefore, if your prospect's words are incongruent with their body language, you would be wise to rely on their body language as a more accurate reflection of their true feelings. Be mindful of your own body language gestures and remember to keep them positive by unfolding your arms, uncrossing your legs, nodding your head in agreement, and smiling frequently. By understanding the meaning behind your prospect's body language, you will minimize perceived sales pressure and know when it's appropriate to close the sale. In today's highly competitive marketplace, your prospects have many options and are looking for a company they know they can trust to work in their best interest. Salespeople who fail to put an emphasis on developing trust and rapport actually do a disservice to their customers and leave the back door open to their competition. Make sure trust-building is at the top of your priority list when working out your sales strategy, and you’ll find yourself well on your way to improved sales success. John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. Visit www.johnboe.com. Top Good old PowerPoint. It’s been around forever, but is still an extremely useful business tool, if you know how to use it right. I’m sure you’ve sat through PowerPoint presentations that kept you one nod away from a nap, and others that were entertaining, exciting and motivating. What makes some PowerPoint presentations so much better than others? In an article on psychoanalytics.com (why customers buy and why they don’t), the author compares PowerPoints to TV commercials, and came up with marketing strategies TV advertisers use to hold and fascinate their viewers. These tried and proven techniques will work on your PowerPoint presentations too. (These ideas from www.psychoanalytics.com) Step 1: Kaboom them into waking up! Ever noticed how most presentations start with, "Welcome to this presentation ...blah, blah, blah." You don't see too many TV ads do that. They slam into you at a zillion miles an hour and make sure you’re paying attention. The trick is to start with something that's totally disconnected with the presentation. For instance, you could be selling cars yet you could start with, "One day in heaven..." That’s a good wake up call for an audience that’s half asleep. You're selling cars aren't you? What has heaven got to do with cars? The dissonance of the idea has forced their attention. Now that you've got their attention, you’ve got to gently massage your message into it. For example, you could simply suggest that God created man, woman, and then gave them a car. And that is only the start. Step 2: Always tell a story. Did you see Titanic, directed by James Cameron? Couldn't you tell that story with reasonable accuracy? Most people can. All our movie and great TV commercials are in a story format. Do the same with your presentation. Think it through. Build up a story first, then work your presentation into it. It will not only give your presentation some focus (and storyline), but will make it easier for your audience to remember the sequence of what you're saying. For instance, where are Adam and Eve going in the car? Did they have a breakdown? How well does the air-conditioning work as they drive through the desert? Step 3: Use suspense, not mystery. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense. He told you who the murderer was right at the start, so you and every one in the audience knew who was going to kill whom. Everyone in the theatre knew, except the hero (or heroine), who was going to get killed. And that drove you crazy. How could they be so dumb? You all knew who the killer was. Why couldn't the hero see it? That's what kept you riveted to the screen the whole 90 minutes. If you establish the characters in your presentation early and work in an element of suspense, you can keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Step 4: Don’t bore them with your solutions. Bring up the problem! Most communication harps languidly around solutions. You don’t want to do that. Look around you. People are obsessed with problems. They don’t walk around all excited and happy. Most people walk around with their heads in their hands. When you bring up their particular problem they snap out of their slumber in a mighty hurry, and pay attention to what you’re saying. What you need to do first is bring up that problem -- and bring it up in all its glory! Paint a gory picture. Only after you have made them feel the pain, should you bring out the solution. The best TV commercials always make you feel the pain. As they say, “No pain, no gain.” Learn that, and use it. Step 5: Reduce risk. Why do people say, “I’d like to think about it?” The only reason is because you haven’t reduced the risk to minus fifty. While there is risk, my brain is still doing a RAM check. If there is no risk, I’ve got nothing to lose. So, how can you reduce risk? TV ads give money back guarantees, trial periods, free test drives. Surely you can be more imaginative than some ad guy. Get that risk down low, like a limbo rocker. How low can you go? Step 6: Let your audience know they’re not guinea pigs. Hey! If you've got a product to sell, and you're not using testimonials, you're missing out big time. Even if the product is yet to be launched, you can have pre-launch tests. It all builds up expectations for your final pitch. This is also another form of risk reduction. If someone else has used your product or service and fallen in love with it, you need to go into the nitty-gritty of that love story. Step 7: Close the sale! I don’t know how many times I’ve seen a wonderful presentation that takes me to cloud nine, and leaves me there wondering, how I'm going to get back to earth. You’ve got to close the sale! Every presentation should end with a call to action and decision on the client's part. There are a zillion books and tapes on closing a sale out there. Learn from the pros, and turn a la dee dah presentation into a full blooded sale! Step 8: Bring on a quirky finale! Every movie and every ad does it. They wrap it up in a way you never expect. There's nothing worse than building up expectations, answering all the questions, and then having a weak ending. Your end has to be like lightning -unexpected, brief and brilliant! It will ensure that your product or service (or quarterly report for that matter) gets maximum attention. Otherwise you’re just making a point with no power! The next time you have to give a presentation, give it some pizzazz so that your customers will remember you and your company, and buy what you’re selling! Top Most bosses want an atmosphere where their team is energized, works well together, has fun, and produces great work? Most bosses, however, expect that to happen spontaneously. They don’t create a plan to make it happen. You’ll rarely find someone who doesn’t believe in the importance of their people, but their actions do not coincide with their words. At the end of the day, they were always more worried about the bottom line than about creating that atmosphere. HR expert and business coach, Karl Staib says you don’t have to choose between the two. “I know how important it is to make money,” says Staib, “but if the employees are happy then believe me, the money will come.” That is, assuming you have a good product/service. As a leader of people in your business you need to encourage happiness in every facet of your business. Staib has created 10 techniques that will help your company be happy and successful. Here are the first five. Check back next month in Part 2 for the last five. 1. Be happy yourself. Being happy yourself can sometimes be more difficult than making someone else happy. If you don’t know how to make yourself happy, it will be very difficult to help the people you manage to be happier. You have to find what makes you happy at work and try to do more of it. Pass on parts of your job that you dislike to an employee who enjoys the type of work that you don’t. Leading by example is important. It’s hard to be unhappy at work when your boss is always happy. 2. Know your people. You must know your employees’ strengths and weaknesses. If you keep giving PR work to an employee who hates it, they won’t be sticking around very long. When you assign work to an employee who enjoys the task, they respect and appreciate you. The happier you make them, the higher quality their output will be. The more you know about the people you manage, the easier it will be to lead them. 3. Make time for your people. You can’t get to know your people without spending time with them. Every leader needs to make time for his or her people. You can do this by: Talking to employees about work-related decisions. Asking them about their challenges at work. Asking them for their opinions about company business. Getting connected by chatting with them about their personal lives. Making time for your people might feel like a waste of time, but it’s worth your effort. They will show more loyalty, become more engaged and show greater productivity. 4. Show people the autonomy they already have. Let your employees know about the perks that they might not be using. Make them aware of the breaks that they can take because it will help them reduce stress and increase productivity. Inform them about anything the company provides that could assist them in dealing with challenges. Make sure they understand the benefits - both formal and informal - your company provides for them. We live in a different world compared to just ten years ago. If you want to retain great employees, consider allowing them more freedom and flexibility as long as they give you the results you need for your business. 5. Help them find meaning in their work. People need to believe that the work they do is worth doing, and has meaning beyond their immediate contribution. Otherwise they see no point in putting in extra effort. Show them how what they do contributes to the big picture. Give them opportunities to see how everything fits together – how what they do affects others and how everyone working together creates the great whole of your company. More than anything else, employees want to feel that they contribute their skills to something beyond what they can see, and that what they do makes a difference in the big picture. Join us next month for the last 5 steps in creating and keeping happy employees. Karl Staib is a superpower coach who loves working with entrepreneurs; his website www.workhappynow.com is dedicated to implementing and developing techniques that produce great business results. Top Let’s face it – a lot of us are addicted to being digitally connected. Whether it’s our smart phones, email, or the internet, we just can’t cope with being out of touch. Getting email on my phone keeps me up-to-the-minute with everything that’s going on at work. Easy access to quick text conversations means there is almost no such thing as being too busy to talk. Surfing the internet on my phone also gives me quick access to information no matter where I am. I never have to look at a map because the GPS on my phone guides me to where I'm going. Technology is a beautiful tool, yet a lot of people are talking about whether the way we use our mobile devices and computers is out of balance with the rest of our lives. Do we really need to surf, tweet and email from our phones/computers all the time? Think back to a time when people could only reach you through your home telephone. If you were out shopping or visiting with friends, you wouldn’t find out who called until you got home and checked your messages. Now, you can’t get through dinner without someone’s cell buzzing with a call or text and that ever-so-quick check on who’s calling, followed by the split-second decision whether to take the call or not. When my kids were growing up we had a rule that we did not answer the phone during dinner. While we were at the table as a family, that was priority time. Whoever was calling could wait until after we’d finished to speak with us. Especially when they were teenagers this become a battle, but in the end, everyone valued and appreciated the uninterrupted family time. If you’ve started feeling a little enslaved to your computer or personal phone devices, or perhaps even more importantly, if you can’t imagine the thought of disconnecting even for a few hours, you may want to think about the impact it could make on your life and your business. Writer, Tammy Strobel went on a “digital sabbatical” and blogs about her experiences on http://rowdykittens.com. The tag line of her website is “Social change through simple living”. She documents some wonderful benefits of her digital “fast”, and her insights are interesting. Here are some of her suggestions for lightening up on our digital addictions. 1. Use your time wisely. Time is money, especially in business. It is a non-renewable resource and something you never get back once you spend it. The way we use our time and what we trade it for should be considered with care. If you’re checking email or twitter incessantly, responding to every text and phone call no matter where you are, or what you’re doing, you might reconsider how you’re using your time. How many times a day do you check your email, twitter or facebook account? What could you be doing with your time instead that would result in positive things like relationship-building, or focusing on business tasks? 2. Tame the all consuming email addiction. How many of you have an email addiction? Do you check your email every time you see or hear the 'new mail' prompt? Do you check it periodically 3, 4, 5 times a day? “What if someone has a question?” you might ask yourself. “What if one of my clients needs me?” The “what if” scenarios will drive you crazy, but they are largely meaningless. So your client can’t reach you at 12 pm. Will it be the end of the world if you don’t get back to him until 1:30? Could you use the actual number of minutes (hours?) you spend checking your email each day doing something more productive? What might you accomplish with that time? 3. Observe your behavior. What are your digital habits? Do you check email on your phone? Do you immediately respond to texts, tweets or emails? Do you check in on Facebook more than a few times a day? Do you start getting twitchy if you are out of reach of your phone, or are someplace you can’t have it on (e.g. a movie theatre)? Do you turn to your digital tools when you are lonely, or bored? Observe and understand the patterns in which you use digital media. Are they really helping you in your business, or are they simply distracting you and drawing your attention away from other things. 4. Focus on the important. Be intentional about how you spend your time. Make sure that every day you are giving focused intention to the things that are important to your business. Sales activities, planning, marketing, human resources – whatever those things are for you. If your time is being eaten up by digital demands, you may be ignoring things that are important to your development as a person, and the development of your business. It falls in Stephen Covey's "URGENT, NOT IMPORTANT" quadrant and distracts you from achieving what's really important. 5. Unplug and get creative. Getting creative doesn’t require an internet connection. It’s amazing what can happen when you step out from behind the computer or your mobile device. Most killer ideas come when you are unplugged - taking a walk or cooking a meal. Remember that ideas come in odd moments, so make sure you keep a journal with you at all times. Try scheduling one day a week where you are free from tech. Leave your gadgets at home and do something non-tech related. Go for a bike ride, make a beautiful dinner or volunteer at a non-profit. Loosening technology’s grip can actually be good for you and your business. Top Community Futures White Horse Plains 56 Royal Road North Portage la Prairie Manitoba R1N 1V1 Tel: 204-856-5000 Toll Free: 1-888-WHP-CFDC (947-2332) Fax: 204-856-5006 [email protected] www.whpcfdc.ca Published in cooperation with Your Corporate Writer - www.ycw.ca