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Tag: business

The $12,392,786.00 blog post

I have had the good fortune of meeting, counseling, and sitting in business seminars with intelligent, driven, successful individuals — and they just want to become better. Industries range from music to publishing, finance to social good, art to real estate. Age, life experience, and stage of life vary; students, fathers, midlife, C-level, nearing retirement, starting up.
Despite a plethora of variables, I’ve noticed a few themes that come up again and again. In fact, they repeat themselves so frequently I wish I could bottle them for distribution, sending them around the world to inspire people to do more and dream big.
I’m sharing them here in hopes they resonate with you.
Why $12,392,786.00? Because I believe if you act, the following nuggets will add value to your work and life. And if you’re really diligent, you’ll see benefits worth even more.
———
We get in our own way. Believe it, accept it, move forward.
Be willing to listen — to the point someone could convince you to throw your idea out the window or drastically change it.
Don’t wait. Do it now.
No one is going to give you permission.
You have a choice. Don’t be seduced into thinking otherwise.
Relationships are important. The “unexpected ones” often prove to be the most valuable.
Milk the in-between spaces. In-between jobs, appointments, calls, relationships, events, ideas. They hold more potential than you think.
There are an infinite choices. Pick one. If it fails, there will be another.
No decision is irreversible.
Question. Ask lots of them.
Who (or what) can you connect? Everyone can bridge two people, two ideas, two companies. And it will multiply.
Stop trying to sell to people you don’t know. Start with the people you do.
Be vulnerable. Connect, reach out. People cherish authenticity.
What are you really saying? Get honest with yourself and with your audience. Cut the crap and get real.
Don’t assume. You never know whose talents can help you and how.
Set dates otherwise you’ll never get it done.
Pick up that pen, make that call, stop waiting to begin.
There is no perfect.

Steal skills from another industry

There are certain tools that are transferable, regardless of industry or job title.

Step inside Tiffany’s. You’ll see plenty of couples and women roaming around. Inch closer to the diamond cases and eavesdrop. You won’t hear any hard selling from the staff. The product speaks for itself. If you’ve come to Tiffany’s, you want the name on your finger.

The good sales people say very little. When they do speak, they repeat what information the customer has already provided, using empathy to build rapport with the shopper. Active listening, reframing, and reflecting statements make clients and buyers feel heard, acknowledged, respected.

What is this? Motivational interviewing. The same techniques you might find in a group therapy session, the same phrasing and tools a substance abuse counselor might use with her client, are being channeled onto the sales floor:

  • Pointing out a couples’ ring selection might not mirror their commitment to each other — creating discrepancy
  • Accepting a customer’s reluctance as momentum to move conversation onward — rolling with resistance
  • Supporting the buyer, giving them confidence about their purchasing decision — supporting self efficacy

And questions. Lots of questions. Open ended, asking for permission — questions that help the seller gather information about the buyer and their buying needs, their spending patterns, helping identify the likelihood of the sale.

“Can we look at the princess cut?” “What does that design remind you of?” “Do you mind if we step over to this case to look at our signature bands?”

What could you borrow from a different industry? Could you lend skills to someone in another field?