Whistle while you work and it will all happen!

Do you talk out loud to yourself?  A colleague in the next office frequently does ....to the extent he thought he may have a problem. I argued "of course not!" ...because I also happen to talk to myself a lot. So it was reassuring to read this week that a team of psychologists are backing me up. In a series of tests with volunteers at the University of Toronto the researchers looked at the influence of our "inner voice." That way we have of announcing and explaining to ourselves  something we're about to do. Like tackling self-assembly furniture or explaining to your partner that you're off for a golfing week-end when her mother is due to stay!
Apparently letting the inner voice out can make us more decisive and resolute, improve our self-control, and make us less likely to do things impulsively.
The same day I read about this, I came across another piece of research that showed how whistling while you work can be a huge help. Again I could relate with this concept as I'm sure many other happy whistlers will. It always fascinated me how my old window cleaner Ted would whistle this repetitive non-tune as he scampered up and down his ladder and across window cills with all the instinctive assurance of a mountain goat.

The scientific part of this story deals with our working memory ...kind of like the RAM in your computer. It seems that if we think to much about what we're doing we use up too much RAM and can lock up. Something else I can relate to!  On the other hand if what we need to do is hard-wired into our consciousness then we don't have to think about it ...just do it!
Both of these stories have a relevance to nerve wracking occasions we encounter in business. Like an important pitch or a key presentation. Neither should be "busked!" Something we are all guilty of at times when time pressures encourage us to believe that "I'm better when I'm spontaneous!" Yeah ...right!  Both should be properly planned and prepared and dare I say rehearsed. Then once learned and hard-wired we have to trust our inner self to deliver.
With a few words of encouragement ...or maybe a whistled non-tune!

 For more tips on persuasive communication visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/

Be up front and honest with your sales pitch

"Never sell to a salesman!" So the saying goes ...and I'd add to that "...certainly not on the same day!"

The first attempt came through the letter box. One of those bells and whistles extravaganzas of direct mail from that well known subscription book.    I muttered something like "Blooming Rxxxxxx'x Dxxxxx!" and threw it back on the mat. But then I just had to open it up and view the contents  ...clearly  they had scored well on Attention and  Curiosity.  With so many goodies to investigate I felt immediately involved.  Clever display of the words "Time sensitive" ..."Official"  ..."Medically approved!" ..and "Free!" subliminally communicated  Limited availability ...Reassurance ... Reciprocity. They were getting through to me! Even an apparent handwritten letter from an ex-employee was thrown in to to press the Social Proof button. Yet despite more subliminal urging from the YES envelope ...the contents returned to the hall floor.

The second attempt came over the telephone. Friendly introduction of caller and company and successful attempts to pace me earnt them a point for Rapport. "We're carrying out a survey on media attitudes!" he said.  Yes I should have spotted the old "survey" line, but rapport was doing its stuff. And "media" triggered thoughts of recent correspondence with my MP about the News Corp and BSkyB merger ...so a simple Generalisation allowed me to misinterpret  what the caller meant.
When I subsequently found myself revealing my monthly spend on telephone and internet services the penny dropped. But a salesman has to encourage one of his own. And there was the question - do I lose face and admit I'd got it wrong when taking the call?  So I saw it out to the bitter end ...already thinking how I should reply when Sky or Virgin media inevitably call and tell me I had declared an interest in their services.
Such attempts to camouflage a pitch do of course ultimately back fire. Whether it's disappointment over raised expectations, irritation over timewasting, or annoyance at being mislead. Any of these reasons will prompt us to curtail the interview or cancel the order afterwards.
Which is why I've argued with sales colleagues over the years that upfront openness and honesty ...with its consequential state of trust and rapport is undoubtably the best policy.
It also corresponds with a life long belief that people prefer to buy ...not be sold to!
So whenever I get in front of a prospect I always start off with something like this:
"I believe what I have to talk about will certainly interest you ...but so that I can focus on the particular benefits that will be of interest ...would you mind if we first talk about  your needs."
I rarely encounter a prospect who doesn't respond well to this. I've certainly never met one who was happy to be duped into a sale!

 For more on tips persuasion visit http://persuadability.co.uk/

Presenting with spontaneous creativity!

I do not have a great memory!  I believe it to be quite large ...as you'd expect at my age! But my filing system and search facility or should that be faculty, are barely average on a good day. Unless of course we happen to be talking about acronyms! Then I just can't forget as these two favourites from way back on the CV illustrate:
Work Study Analysis (c1966):- 1:Select 2:Record 3:Examine 4:Develop 5:Install 6:Maintain.
...Rarely used now but unforgetable thanks to S.R.E.D.I.M.  
Kraft Foods Promo-Display Criteria (c1976):- Position + Impact + Message + Price + Ease of self-selection + Stock availabilty + Stability.    
...Of by-gone interest but forever inscribed through P.I.M.P.E.S.S.  
I don't know why my brain finds acronyms so powerful but I know it likes them and responds very well to them! I think it may have something to do with my left-brain right-brain balance?

 Which in my case suggests a leaning towards things of the left-side such as lists and logic, but also a "rightish" passion for imagination and day-dreaming. Something often mentioned in school reports.
This manifests itself in a particular way when I try to write a presentation or a training programme. Try as I might I cannot anticipate and write the content in full and final detail. Not a problem uniquely mine by any means ...a great proportion of people I work with face the same difficulty. When circumstances demand that I write a script in this manner I can guarantee that on delivery day I'll think of something a lot better to say. So the end result is that the script becomes a constraint.  That apart, there are often occasions when an informal talk is the order of the day and working from a script just isn't right. But if you're like me you'll still need a flight plan to fly by or there's no knowing where you'll end up or when!!
Is this sounding familiar? If it is and you're like me then try out this scriptwriting strategy:

1. Write your script out in the usual way. Sorry you're not getting away with it! Choose your style, set your objectives,  map out the key topics, and write the words. But don't worry about perfect grammar and spelling. This is just for you to read.
2. Read your script several times to yourself to hear the messages and their meaning and to get the timing right.
3. Identify KEYWORD(S) that relevantly describes each key message throughout the presentation.
4. Create an acronym from the Keywords.  Play around with them if you need to, to get acronym-friendly keywords.
5. Finally for reassurance and the visual confidence that this gives, list the Keywords with first letter in bold on a pocket-size card. Visualize the acronym on the card in your pocket.

So why do I think this works for me? I believe that my brain needs to lean on the orderliness of its left hemisphere to then allow itself confident free-rein into the creative right-side. Something that Tony Buzan discusses in his The Power of Creative Intelligence. 
So give this method a try and don't be surprised if it's the best presentation you ever made.


for more on persuasive communication visit http://persuadability.co.uk/

What really is the most important step in the sales process?

What is the most important step in the sales process? Well like I said three posts ago is has to be Qualification. Qualifying of needs, wants, underlying preferences and beliefs. However if the question had asked for the most important skill I would  have to say Handling Resistance would be an equal-first choice.

And I say that because as a persuasion skill we observe it every day in exchanges of opinion between: business colleagues, fellow travellers, TV talent show judges, football pundits, and critics of anything from art to books to cookery. Actually we don't see it so much as see the absence of it as "exchanges" descend into heated and often bad-tempered  disagreement!

When you step back and think about it ...it's not difficult to understand why this happens ...and with a little bit more thought how to avoid it.

The "bad" feeling happens because we don't like our opinions being dis-respected. And that's because our opinions all stem from our beliefs and values system ...something we are highly protective towards. After all much of it came from grannie

So I'm OK about you disagreeing with me ...but when you tell me that I'm "wrong to think that way" you instinctively trigger off an attack on my beliefs and values.
And it's not just saying it. You're involving my subconscious here. And it is hyper-sensitive to audio-visual signals. Which explains the instinctive trigger bit. So interrupting me ...a shaking head ...a dismissive tone of voice can all be such triggers.
Are you starting to get the picture? Right then, here are four good habits that will help avoid these problems and get more people agreeing with you:
Good habit No.1: Listen attentively and patiently. Let me hear and see that you're interested in what I'm saying. Encourage me to explain and elaborate.
Good habit No.2: Don't tell me that I'm wrong. You may think it but don't say it ...or show it!
Good habit No.3: Show respect for what I'm saying. Develop some natural sincere responses like: "Fair point" "I understand why you say that" "I can see why that's important to you."  Mutual respect is an essential pre-cursor to agreement. Start by showing me some.
Good habit No.4: An important part of the psychology this! Make me feel that rather than arguing with me you're actually discussing my doubts or concerns. Rephrase my statements (eg: "Telesales is a waste of time") into a question. "Yes you understandably question it's role Bob ...what are your main misgivings?" With these aired you're then able to align your points of view with them and move towards agreement.

I reckon (not researched!)  that disagreement is 80% bad communication and behaviour.  Letting somebody know that you respect their opinion, and implicit in that share their beliefs and values, sees you 80% of the way to gaining their agreement. 
Something that grannie would be very happy about!