Sales Leads by Phone: Why Reaching People Is So Hard and What to Do About It
By Michael A. Brown | Partner Channel Magazine
“Reach” means live, human-to-human phone communication with your intended prospect or customer. “Reach” is not necessarily a full marketing or sales conversation yet, but is at least a real-time exchange of words. Merely reaching b-to-b prospects and customers is one of the greatest challenges in phone-based marketing and sales. To wit:
On what portion of outbound calls do your callers reach their intended contact live? Is anyone at or above 50%? 25%? Who is in single-figures? How many attempts does it typically take to reach? How much does a reach cost? How many of you actually know?
Nowadays, you can dial until your fingers turn blue to no avail. I know a company whose calls are well-crafted but whose reach-rate is 1.7% in three tries. You can leave voicemail messages until you are hoarse, and AT&T says 4% – at most – will return the calls. To be sure, reach-rate varies by industry, level of contact, and prospect versus customer. However, I have identified four across-the-board reasons for the “reach” challenge:
Intellectual triage
Some business people, especially executives, consciously budget their time, appointments, and calls. Interruptions are their nemeses, so the only unscheduled calls they accept are “critical” calls from known callers. To all others, they make themselves unavailable. Of course, that means the marketer or sales person must first earn a phone appointment! The two key methods for doing so:
• Communicate first in a medium other than phone to provoke an inbound inquiry.
• Influence the administrative assistant to schedule a call of exploration of a possible matchup with your firm based on a relevant event in the prospect’s business life.
Overload and\or Overwhelm
Many business contacts cannot keep up with their jobs. They “tread water” and\or “fire-fight” every day. They include the survivors of layoffs who must handle the work of two or three former colleagues as well as people at startups who almost always are stretched thin. Your unexpected call is one more thing to attend to, so when their Caller ID shows a number they do not recognize, they either ignore it or let the call go to voicemail, from which they delete most messages without listening.
E-mail is faster
Sight is faster than sound. Prospects and customers can read your sender name, address, and subject line in a millisecond, and then either continue or delete. But live or recorded voice messages require actually listening and synthesizing the words, which takes time. E-mail wins the race for attention.
Unfortunately, e-mail clutter largely negates the medium’s speed advantage. That is why we must send only directly relevant and timely e-mail, with powerful, compelling, custom subject lines, to increase the odds of being read and considered. Good e-mail can provoke subsequent good phone.
Marketers’ Malpractices
There is way too much bad phone. And bad phone provokes resistance to all subsequent phone. Here are examples of bad phone:
• Undifferentiated, out-of-the-blue calls.
• Calls placed by unprepared reps who know nothing of their prospect companies, contacts, account history, or their own products/services.
• Calls placed by discredited devices such as predictive dialers and robo-callers.
• Depositions not dialogue. All pitch, all the time.
If you want to reach people, don’t do these things!
There is no “silver bullet” for reach. And given the realities of the b-to-b world and the economy, do not expect an incremental improvement any time soon. However, you can and should take these positive steps to boost your “reach-rate” …
• Analyze your marketplace and the typical day-pattern of your three most frequent levels of contact. Look at the call records in your CRM system or contact manager to determine the times of day when your calls have been completed and not completed. Continue or change accordingly.
• Call early and late in the day, especially when calling high-level contacts. Also, call executives at 25 or 55 minutes after the hour. That is when they are most often at their desks.
• Ask gatekeepers and administrative assistants for their guidance about the best times to call Mr./Ms. Big as well as the times to avoid. Ask about typical meeting and travel schedules and plan your calls around them. Also clarify when to phone versus e-mail versus postal mail versus in-person.
• Actually rehearse your voicemail messages and listen to them yourself before sending them. How do they sound? Boring? Compelling? How would you, yourself, respond? DO NOT request a callback because you will not get one. Rather, make the case for visiting your Web site. Then state your intention to call again, learn their reaction, and go from there.
• Test your marketing media mix, contact timing, and frequency. Amend as warranted. Drive inbound response via non-phone media. Call second or later in the communication sequence.
• When you do reach them live, make 100% sure you deliver a powerful, compelling “reason for my call” based on them not you, followed by the Golden Rule: “Is this an okay time to speak?” Ask before telling and learn before selling. Give first, get second. Then issue a call to action!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
sales and marketing
The Next Evolution of E-mail Marketing
By Virginia Weinstein | Partner Channel Magazine
Stop and think for a moment. Do you remember your first e-mail address? I do. It was back in 1994 as I was a freshman entering Virginia Tech. Over the past 16 years, I have had multiple personal and professional e-mail accounts. Today I have four active e-mail accounts. Back in 1994, I would never imagine checking my e-mail on my phone or using it for marketing. E-mail is not just a marketing vehicle; it has become a way of life. We have become addicted to the digital lifestyle. We want to know what is happening. We want to be connected. How often do you check your e-mail on your phone? What is the first thing you do when you get to work? More than 50 million people check e-mail five times by 11:30 a.m., and 60 percent of those people check it on their mobile devices.
The Wall Street Journal wrote an article in October 2009 stating that e-mail is dead because of the rapid growth of social media. Ironically, on the day it was published, it was the top article “e-mailed” from The Wall Street Journal’s Web site. E-mail is alive and well. E-mail matters, but not the way it used to. Today it has a different purpose and a different use. As we begin the next evolution in e-mail marketing, you must prepare yourself and your company’s marketing strategy to change with it.
E-mail is here to stay. Prepare your inbox for the future.
When we send out business e-mail messages, our audience is divided into four categories.
1. “The Almost Untouchables:” These are the unsubscribers, typically less than 1 percent of your audience. Historically we have usually ignored these people. After they unsubscribe to our monthly newsletter, we give up on them and note to ourselves, “they don’t like my message, so I’ll stop talking to them”. In the new evolution of e-mail marketing, these people have the potential to damage your brand. They feel your message isn’t relevant or your company is communicating with them too frequently. Your job as a marketer is to re-engage them. Maybe they do like your brand; they just don’t want you in their inbox. They need to be contacted by another means such as direct mail or via social media.
2. “The Chatty Cathys:” Social influencers have a low response rate but a high reach. In the past, we would have removed these people from our distribution list because they weren’t responding. They don’t always open our newsletter and click on the articles. These people are busy and probably won’t purchase from you. However, they will tweet about your products and promotions. They will use word-of-mouth marketing to talk to their clients about your company and services. Social influencers are very busy people and don’t have time to read your newsletter in detail, but they share your message with others, increasing your return on investment (ROI) on your e-mail campaigns.
3. “Future Meal Tickets:” These folks make up 80 percent of your list. These people have opened at least one e-mail out of the last three. They want to be (as in wanna-be’s) involved in your brand but aren’t sure how. They raised their hands saying “market to me.” They took the time to give you their e-mail addresses, and want to get involved; it just might be the wrong time. This is why it is so critical to use a nurture marketing campaign such as a monthly newsletter to be in front of them month after month. If you have inactive wanna-be’s, send them an invitation for feedback on your newsletter and in return offer something for their time
4. “The Junkies:” These people are addicted to your products and services. They buy from you, and you can measure a dollar amount from them. You receive front-end revenue, but this is only the short term. Eventually they won’t spend any more money with you because they have been tapped out on your product. They are limited in the total revenue they give your company.
In the past we typically did e-mail messaging to the above audiences when there was interest, consideration, or intent to buy. We still need to do that, but we need to nurture prospects and customers along the way. Use e-mail marketing and social media through all touch points: awareness, interest, consideration, intent to buy, purchase, usage, and cross sell/upsell. That means you need to be e-mailing both prospects and customers.
Creativity takes a new approach with e-mail marketing. In the past, we would say that the call to action needs to be at the top. Those old school rules are going to the wayside as we introduce video and RSS feeds into our e-mail marketing. Today good content/message wins over good creative design.
People want a message that is more engaging. Your e-mail needs to act more like a landing page or work like an application on an iPhone. People are more likely to use social media to forward your message when it has a link on the landing page to a video and not just e-mail text. People don’t go to the web and search e-mail; they search video. If you don’t integrate your e-mail efforts with social media channels in 2010, your results could be at risk.
People will save an e-mail if it contains value for them. E-mail longs for an actionable “contact me at a later date.” Unlike telemarketing, where you can say “call me back in a month”, when you review your inbox, each message stares at you – file it or delete it.
When you sit down to consider your plans for 2010, remember this:
1. Getting a solid commitment to opt-in messaging is key. E-mail is about building relationships. Spammers couldn’t care less if you asked to receive their e-mail. Your e-mail results will work better if you follow permission-based e-mail marketing. For more ways on how to build a good opt-in list, visit www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com under the Consultants’ Corner.
2. Get back to the basics. I can talk about the future of e-mail marketing, but if you don’t have monthly e-mail communication with your audience or have a 10 percent open rate, adding video or putting a message on Twitter isn’t going to help. Clearly, you need to find out why you only have a 10 percent open rate and fix your current strategy. Did you send to your opt-in list? Do you send e-mail regularly? Did it provide value to them or just talk about you, Microsoft, your company, and you?
3. Have an e-mail calendar planned. Do you have a 2010 e-mail calendar? (If you don’t, you can download one at http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com/consultants-corner-downloads.php.) If you said yes, congratulations – you are one of the few. Just like other marketing efforts, you should have a 2010 e-mail calendar noting messages you intend to communicate with your prospect and customer base throughout the year. The strategy and vision you put on the front end will help drive the vision through the organization the rest of the year. If you are feeling overwhelmed, just plan out the next three months.
4. Get social with e-mail. Social media isn’t going away, so you should consider how you can integrate your e-mail marketing with it. It doesn’t have to be leveraged in every communication – but determining and testing how social media can benefit your business is something to think about.eight than any impersonal ad campaign can muster.
As we enter a new decade, we need to rethink everything and reinvent. Author Seth Godin gave this prediction on his blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com):
“90% of your sales will come from word-of-mouth or digital promotion by 2011. How do you change what you’re doing today to be ready for that?”
My prediction: the next 18 months will introduce significant changes on how you deliver your message, and e-mail marketing is about to get better. I bet that during the fourth quarter of this year, we will be messaging differently than we do now. So get ready, get set, and begin with the next evolution of e-mail marketing. Make it revolutionary: grab your prospects and customers like never before.
By Virginia Weinstein | Partner Channel Magazine
Stop and think for a moment. Do you remember your first e-mail address? I do. It was back in 1994 as I was a freshman entering Virginia Tech. Over the past 16 years, I have had multiple personal and professional e-mail accounts. Today I have four active e-mail accounts. Back in 1994, I would never imagine checking my e-mail on my phone or using it for marketing. E-mail is not just a marketing vehicle; it has become a way of life. We have become addicted to the digital lifestyle. We want to know what is happening. We want to be connected. How often do you check your e-mail on your phone? What is the first thing you do when you get to work? More than 50 million people check e-mail five times by 11:30 a.m., and 60 percent of those people check it on their mobile devices.
The Wall Street Journal wrote an article in October 2009 stating that e-mail is dead because of the rapid growth of social media. Ironically, on the day it was published, it was the top article “e-mailed” from The Wall Street Journal’s Web site. E-mail is alive and well. E-mail matters, but not the way it used to. Today it has a different purpose and a different use. As we begin the next evolution in e-mail marketing, you must prepare yourself and your company’s marketing strategy to change with it.
E-mail is here to stay. Prepare your inbox for the future.
When we send out business e-mail messages, our audience is divided into four categories.
1. “The Almost Untouchables:” These are the unsubscribers, typically less than 1 percent of your audience. Historically we have usually ignored these people. After they unsubscribe to our monthly newsletter, we give up on them and note to ourselves, “they don’t like my message, so I’ll stop talking to them”. In the new evolution of e-mail marketing, these people have the potential to damage your brand. They feel your message isn’t relevant or your company is communicating with them too frequently. Your job as a marketer is to re-engage them. Maybe they do like your brand; they just don’t want you in their inbox. They need to be contacted by another means such as direct mail or via social media.
2. “The Chatty Cathys:” Social influencers have a low response rate but a high reach. In the past, we would have removed these people from our distribution list because they weren’t responding. They don’t always open our newsletter and click on the articles. These people are busy and probably won’t purchase from you. However, they will tweet about your products and promotions. They will use word-of-mouth marketing to talk to their clients about your company and services. Social influencers are very busy people and don’t have time to read your newsletter in detail, but they share your message with others, increasing your return on investment (ROI) on your e-mail campaigns.
3. “Future Meal Tickets:” These folks make up 80 percent of your list. These people have opened at least one e-mail out of the last three. They want to be (as in wanna-be’s) involved in your brand but aren’t sure how. They raised their hands saying “market to me.” They took the time to give you their e-mail addresses, and want to get involved; it just might be the wrong time. This is why it is so critical to use a nurture marketing campaign such as a monthly newsletter to be in front of them month after month. If you have inactive wanna-be’s, send them an invitation for feedback on your newsletter and in return offer something for their time
4. “The Junkies:” These people are addicted to your products and services. They buy from you, and you can measure a dollar amount from them. You receive front-end revenue, but this is only the short term. Eventually they won’t spend any more money with you because they have been tapped out on your product. They are limited in the total revenue they give your company.
In the past we typically did e-mail messaging to the above audiences when there was interest, consideration, or intent to buy. We still need to do that, but we need to nurture prospects and customers along the way. Use e-mail marketing and social media through all touch points: awareness, interest, consideration, intent to buy, purchase, usage, and cross sell/upsell. That means you need to be e-mailing both prospects and customers.
Creativity takes a new approach with e-mail marketing. In the past, we would say that the call to action needs to be at the top. Those old school rules are going to the wayside as we introduce video and RSS feeds into our e-mail marketing. Today good content/message wins over good creative design.
People want a message that is more engaging. Your e-mail needs to act more like a landing page or work like an application on an iPhone. People are more likely to use social media to forward your message when it has a link on the landing page to a video and not just e-mail text. People don’t go to the web and search e-mail; they search video. If you don’t integrate your e-mail efforts with social media channels in 2010, your results could be at risk.
People will save an e-mail if it contains value for them. E-mail longs for an actionable “contact me at a later date.” Unlike telemarketing, where you can say “call me back in a month”, when you review your inbox, each message stares at you – file it or delete it.
When you sit down to consider your plans for 2010, remember this:
1. Getting a solid commitment to opt-in messaging is key. E-mail is about building relationships. Spammers couldn’t care less if you asked to receive their e-mail. Your e-mail results will work better if you follow permission-based e-mail marketing. For more ways on how to build a good opt-in list, visit www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com under the Consultants’ Corner.
2. Get back to the basics. I can talk about the future of e-mail marketing, but if you don’t have monthly e-mail communication with your audience or have a 10 percent open rate, adding video or putting a message on Twitter isn’t going to help. Clearly, you need to find out why you only have a 10 percent open rate and fix your current strategy. Did you send to your opt-in list? Do you send e-mail regularly? Did it provide value to them or just talk about you, Microsoft, your company, and you?
3. Have an e-mail calendar planned. Do you have a 2010 e-mail calendar? (If you don’t, you can download one at http://www.thepartnermarketinggroup.com/consultants-corner-downloads.php.) If you said yes, congratulations – you are one of the few. Just like other marketing efforts, you should have a 2010 e-mail calendar noting messages you intend to communicate with your prospect and customer base throughout the year. The strategy and vision you put on the front end will help drive the vision through the organization the rest of the year. If you are feeling overwhelmed, just plan out the next three months.
4. Get social with e-mail. Social media isn’t going away, so you should consider how you can integrate your e-mail marketing with it. It doesn’t have to be leveraged in every communication – but determining and testing how social media can benefit your business is something to think about.eight than any impersonal ad campaign can muster.
As we enter a new decade, we need to rethink everything and reinvent. Author Seth Godin gave this prediction on his blog (http://sethgodin.typepad.com):
“90% of your sales will come from word-of-mouth or digital promotion by 2011. How do you change what you’re doing today to be ready for that?”
My prediction: the next 18 months will introduce significant changes on how you deliver your message, and e-mail marketing is about to get better. I bet that during the fourth quarter of this year, we will be messaging differently than we do now. So get ready, get set, and begin with the next evolution of e-mail marketing. Make it revolutionary: grab your prospects and customers like never before.
sales and marketing
What I Learned From A Successful Small Business Owner About Sales
By Coach Jeremy J. Ulmer
Yesterday I stopped in a large Fortune 500 retail chain to make a small purchase. As I was checking out, the clerk was looking at an inventory list that she was working on when I came to the counter, she hardly looked up, and then proceed to check me out. She muffled an obligatory “Thanks” and handed me my receipt quickly as she began to look back at her inventory list.
I thought to myself, wow, if I was the CEO of the company, I would not be happy with the customer service. As a consumer, however, I quickly shrugged it off and accepted it as poor service that was not out of the ordinary, until today.
Today, I stopped in a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “Hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. I was then left to myself to complete my shopping. I checked out and he looked me in the eye, said, “Thank you, I really appreciate your business” as he reached out to shake my hand.
Wow. As I walked out, I felt really good about the interaction, just because he looked me in the eye and said a genuine “Thank you” with a handshake. That was it. That is all he did. Granted, maybe a handshake at a large retail store would be different, but maybe not a bad thing? Certainly a “Thank you.” while looking someone in the eyes would be appropriate.
What I learned from him is that the little, tiniest customer service experiences can have a huge impact on customer loyalty.
In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact:
1. Look people in the eye when you shake their hand.
2. State a genuine “Thank you.” when you have earned new business, set an appointment, or gained a commitment. Also, hand written “Thank You” notes never go out of style.
3. Always be early or on-time.
4. Never be late.
5. Be prepared.
6. Listen much much much more than you speak, please.
7. Smile and learn to laugh easily. (Both are contagious, good for your health, and make you more likeable)
8. Follow up when you say you will.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Be kind and thoughtful.
By Coach Jeremy J. Ulmer
Yesterday I stopped in a large Fortune 500 retail chain to make a small purchase. As I was checking out, the clerk was looking at an inventory list that she was working on when I came to the counter, she hardly looked up, and then proceed to check me out. She muffled an obligatory “Thanks” and handed me my receipt quickly as she began to look back at her inventory list.
I thought to myself, wow, if I was the CEO of the company, I would not be happy with the customer service. As a consumer, however, I quickly shrugged it off and accepted it as poor service that was not out of the ordinary, until today.
Today, I stopped in a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “Hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. I was then left to myself to complete my shopping. I checked out and he looked me in the eye, said, “Thank you, I really appreciate your business” as he reached out to shake my hand.
Wow. As I walked out, I felt really good about the interaction, just because he looked me in the eye and said a genuine “Thank you” with a handshake. That was it. That is all he did. Granted, maybe a handshake at a large retail store would be different, but maybe not a bad thing? Certainly a “Thank you.” while looking someone in the eyes would be appropriate.
What I learned from him is that the little, tiniest customer service experiences can have a huge impact on customer loyalty.
In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact:
1. Look people in the eye when you shake their hand.
2. State a genuine “Thank you.” when you have earned new business, set an appointment, or gained a commitment. Also, hand written “Thank You” notes never go out of style.
3. Always be early or on-time.
4. Never be late.
5. Be prepared.
6. Listen much much much more than you speak, please.
7. Smile and learn to laugh easily. (Both are contagious, good for your health, and make you more likeable)
8. Follow up when you say you will.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Be kind and thoughtful.
sales and marketing
What I Learned From A Successful Small Business Owner About Sales
By Coach Jeremy J. Ulmer
Yesterday I stopped in a large Fortune 500 retail chain to make a small purchase. As I was checking out, the clerk was looking at an inventory list that she was working on when I came to the counter, she hardly looked up, and then proceed to check me out. She muffled an obligatory “Thanks” and handed me my receipt quickly as she began to look back at her inventory list.
I thought to myself, wow, if I was the CEO of the company, I would not be happy with the customer service. As a consumer, however, I quickly shrugged it off and accepted it as poor service that was not out of the ordinary, until today.
Today, I stopped in a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “Hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. I was then left to myself to complete my shopping. I checked out and he looked me in the eye, said, “Thank you, I really appreciate your business” as he reached out to shake my hand.
Wow. As I walked out, I felt really good about the interaction, just because he looked me in the eye and said a genuine “Thank you” with a handshake. That was it. That is all he did. Granted, maybe a handshake at a large retail store would be different, but maybe not a bad thing? Certainly a “Thank you.” while looking someone in the eyes would be appropriate.
What I learned from him is that the little, tiniest customer service experiences can have a huge impact on customer loyalty.
In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact:
1. Look people in the eye when you shake their hand.
2. State a genuine “Thank you.” when you have earned new business, set an appointment, or gained a commitment. Also, hand written “Thank You” notes never go out of style.
3. Always be early or on-time.
4. Never be late.
5. Be prepared.
6. Listen much much much more than you speak, please.
7. Smile and learn to laugh easily. (Both are contagious, good for your health, and make you more likeable)
8. Follow up when you say you will.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Be kind and thoughtful.
By Coach Jeremy J. Ulmer
Yesterday I stopped in a large Fortune 500 retail chain to make a small purchase. As I was checking out, the clerk was looking at an inventory list that she was working on when I came to the counter, she hardly looked up, and then proceed to check me out. She muffled an obligatory “Thanks” and handed me my receipt quickly as she began to look back at her inventory list.
I thought to myself, wow, if I was the CEO of the company, I would not be happy with the customer service. As a consumer, however, I quickly shrugged it off and accepted it as poor service that was not out of the ordinary, until today.
Today, I stopped in a small business and made another small purchase with a very different customer service experience. I was greeted with a friendly “Hello” and smile from the owner right when I walked in and was told to ask if I needed any help. I was then left to myself to complete my shopping. I checked out and he looked me in the eye, said, “Thank you, I really appreciate your business” as he reached out to shake my hand.
Wow. As I walked out, I felt really good about the interaction, just because he looked me in the eye and said a genuine “Thank you” with a handshake. That was it. That is all he did. Granted, maybe a handshake at a large retail store would be different, but maybe not a bad thing? Certainly a “Thank you.” while looking someone in the eyes would be appropriate.
What I learned from him is that the little, tiniest customer service experiences can have a huge impact on customer loyalty.
In the world of sales, make sure you are doing the simple little things, to have a huge impact:
1. Look people in the eye when you shake their hand.
2. State a genuine “Thank you.” when you have earned new business, set an appointment, or gained a commitment. Also, hand written “Thank You” notes never go out of style.
3. Always be early or on-time.
4. Never be late.
5. Be prepared.
6. Listen much much much more than you speak, please.
7. Smile and learn to laugh easily. (Both are contagious, good for your health, and make you more likeable)
8. Follow up when you say you will.
9. Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
10. Be kind and thoughtful.
sales and marketing
How to Influence Employees to Get Things Done Correctly on Time Without Using Positional Authority
Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica | Article Marketing Experts
Can you achieve results without authority?
The simple answer is yes.
The challenge is how to do it.
Each of us have a limited amount of authority. And the positional authority that comes with our title enables us to have some influence, but far less than what is required to get the work done. In order to get things done on time and with the highest quality expected so you can meet the demands and expectations of our customers and those with whom we work, we need to rely on others. And to do that, we need influence – but the right kind of influence.
Influence is a Leadership Quality and a Management Skill
Influence is the ability to achieve our objective (to get work done) when we do not have complete control or enough authority to accomplish our objective. Influence is not manipulation. Done well and done right, influence is also not:
• A demonstration of power
• A method to gain greater control
• A way to promote your personal agenda
• A way to look good to others in the organization
• A means of self-promotion
Influence is about mutuality.
While influence is a powerful tool for getting work done, there are barriers that can stand in your way of influencing others. These barriers cause us to rely on positional authority to get things done.
10 Barriers You Need to Overcome to Influence Employees and Your Peers
1. Fear – This is the number one issue that stops us from using influence to get work done. And fear appears in many forms. It can be the fear of failure, the fear of being rejected, the fear of appearing foolish, the fear that we are not good enough. Regardless of what you are afraid of, fear stops us dead in our tracks. We don’t succeed, we don’t exert influence because we’ve convinced ourselves before we even start that we may not or will not be successful.
2. Inability to develop real relationships -- People work with people they like. They buy from people they like. They provide support to people they like. To think otherwise is to miss an important component of organizational success. It is impossible to exert influence on someone with whom you have not developed a real and positive relationship.
3. Poor responsiveness -- The quicker you respond the more responsive you appear. And if response is important to the person you want to influence, you have just made a positive impression on them, and have often added value by a giving them something they were interested in.
4. Overselling – This is not just an issue we see in sales people; it is an issue we see throughout an organization regardless of an individual’s position. Overselling is annoying and it also communicates uncertainty in your position. When a person says yes, and you continue to try to convince them– what are you really communicating?
5. Quitting at No – Now, nobody likes rejection. Yet “no” is sometimes the response we get when the timing of the request is wrong (i.e.,“no, not right now”or “no, I need more information”). Oftentimes, an objection is not a rejection. It’s a request for more information and an opportunity for further discussion. Don’t let no be an immediate lost opportunity.
6. Perfectionism -- Too often, we believe that unless a project, proposal, request is perfectly framed, it cannot move forward. This is dead wrong. Perfection sends an unintended message of you being indecisiveness and in the worse case it can create immobilization. While you may believe you are striving for perfection, the other person wonders what’s taking you so long.
7. Over-Expressing Personal Beliefs -- Some managers and executives just can’t seem to keep their opinions to themselves. Have you heard a manager criticize their peers, their tenants, their subcontractors with statements such as “they just don’t get it”. Another danger is to express personal political or social beliefs such as “the democrats version of healthcare is socialized medicine” or “teachers are overpaid and they underperform”. Expressing personal beliefs has a way of tearing through an organization and irritating others. (By the way, these two examples are examples only and do not reflect either of our beliefs.)
8. Lack of Focus -- It’s difficult to get work done or to garner much respect if you go from one project to another; one idea to another; one strategy to another and finish nothing. Often people will just give up, quit listening or no longer support your efforts.
9. Poor Impression Management (Executive Presence) -- This is not just about looking the part. It’s about being the part. It’s about managing your image thoughtfully and not artificially. Like it or not, unsuitably presented, tired, overweight, out of shape, sloppy people present a poor and unconvincing image.
10. Lack of Gratitude -- People like recognition; they like to know they are appreciated; they like to be noticed in a positive way. Ignore this at your peril. Remember, if you are unwilling or think it’s unnecessary to recognize and express appreciation for others, your chance of influencing them is remote.
Is One of the Top 10 Barriers Holding You Back From Influencing Others?
We have often found that one or more of the above behavioral traits is present in individuals who believe (or who others believe) are less successful then they either want to be or can be. These behaviors are the intangibles that inhibit good performance. We believe these intangibles are so important to recognize and attend to (if you see these in your own thought processes or behaviors) that should you refuse to address them, you will come up short of exerting the influence necessary to get work done on time the right way.
Sara LaForest and Tony Kubica | Article Marketing Experts
Can you achieve results without authority?
The simple answer is yes.
The challenge is how to do it.
Each of us have a limited amount of authority. And the positional authority that comes with our title enables us to have some influence, but far less than what is required to get the work done. In order to get things done on time and with the highest quality expected so you can meet the demands and expectations of our customers and those with whom we work, we need to rely on others. And to do that, we need influence – but the right kind of influence.
Influence is a Leadership Quality and a Management Skill
Influence is the ability to achieve our objective (to get work done) when we do not have complete control or enough authority to accomplish our objective. Influence is not manipulation. Done well and done right, influence is also not:
• A demonstration of power
• A method to gain greater control
• A way to promote your personal agenda
• A way to look good to others in the organization
• A means of self-promotion
Influence is about mutuality.
While influence is a powerful tool for getting work done, there are barriers that can stand in your way of influencing others. These barriers cause us to rely on positional authority to get things done.
10 Barriers You Need to Overcome to Influence Employees and Your Peers
1. Fear – This is the number one issue that stops us from using influence to get work done. And fear appears in many forms. It can be the fear of failure, the fear of being rejected, the fear of appearing foolish, the fear that we are not good enough. Regardless of what you are afraid of, fear stops us dead in our tracks. We don’t succeed, we don’t exert influence because we’ve convinced ourselves before we even start that we may not or will not be successful.
2. Inability to develop real relationships -- People work with people they like. They buy from people they like. They provide support to people they like. To think otherwise is to miss an important component of organizational success. It is impossible to exert influence on someone with whom you have not developed a real and positive relationship.
3. Poor responsiveness -- The quicker you respond the more responsive you appear. And if response is important to the person you want to influence, you have just made a positive impression on them, and have often added value by a giving them something they were interested in.
4. Overselling – This is not just an issue we see in sales people; it is an issue we see throughout an organization regardless of an individual’s position. Overselling is annoying and it also communicates uncertainty in your position. When a person says yes, and you continue to try to convince them– what are you really communicating?
5. Quitting at No – Now, nobody likes rejection. Yet “no” is sometimes the response we get when the timing of the request is wrong (i.e.,“no, not right now”or “no, I need more information”). Oftentimes, an objection is not a rejection. It’s a request for more information and an opportunity for further discussion. Don’t let no be an immediate lost opportunity.
6. Perfectionism -- Too often, we believe that unless a project, proposal, request is perfectly framed, it cannot move forward. This is dead wrong. Perfection sends an unintended message of you being indecisiveness and in the worse case it can create immobilization. While you may believe you are striving for perfection, the other person wonders what’s taking you so long.
7. Over-Expressing Personal Beliefs -- Some managers and executives just can’t seem to keep their opinions to themselves. Have you heard a manager criticize their peers, their tenants, their subcontractors with statements such as “they just don’t get it”. Another danger is to express personal political or social beliefs such as “the democrats version of healthcare is socialized medicine” or “teachers are overpaid and they underperform”. Expressing personal beliefs has a way of tearing through an organization and irritating others. (By the way, these two examples are examples only and do not reflect either of our beliefs.)
8. Lack of Focus -- It’s difficult to get work done or to garner much respect if you go from one project to another; one idea to another; one strategy to another and finish nothing. Often people will just give up, quit listening or no longer support your efforts.
9. Poor Impression Management (Executive Presence) -- This is not just about looking the part. It’s about being the part. It’s about managing your image thoughtfully and not artificially. Like it or not, unsuitably presented, tired, overweight, out of shape, sloppy people present a poor and unconvincing image.
10. Lack of Gratitude -- People like recognition; they like to know they are appreciated; they like to be noticed in a positive way. Ignore this at your peril. Remember, if you are unwilling or think it’s unnecessary to recognize and express appreciation for others, your chance of influencing them is remote.
Is One of the Top 10 Barriers Holding You Back From Influencing Others?
We have often found that one or more of the above behavioral traits is present in individuals who believe (or who others believe) are less successful then they either want to be or can be. These behaviors are the intangibles that inhibit good performance. We believe these intangibles are so important to recognize and attend to (if you see these in your own thought processes or behaviors) that should you refuse to address them, you will come up short of exerting the influence necessary to get work done on time the right way.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Weight Loss Diet Radiofrequency Assisted Lipoplasty A Liposuction Alternative
Weight Loss Diet Radiofrequency Assisted Lipoplasty A Liposuction Alternative
Health,Fitness
Weight Loss Diet Radiofrequency Assisted Lipoplasty A Liposuction Alternative
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Related Articles - Health, Weight, Loss, Diet,
Health,Fitness
Weight Loss Diet Radiofrequency Assisted Lipoplasty A Liposuction Alternative
individual accepted option headed for liposuction is Radiofrequency Assisted Lipoplasty. This new to the job medicinal process representing treating fat plus cellulite is a mode representing patients headed for distinguish dramatic outcome clothed in a relaxing mode by thumbs down downtime.
RFAL produces outcome 560% nearer than additional forms of non-surgical dealing now presented. The the human race has waited a elongated epoch representing an easier liquid representing uninvited fat saving, plus RFAL exactly melts fat very suddenly plus exclusive of pain.
with a grow of telephone lines frequency headed for surrender volumetric section exclusive of harmful the epidermis, the process factory headed for melt equally subcutaneous plus unhealthy gut fat (that equal liposuction cannot treat), lessen cellulite, reshape glitch areas, intensify skin plus lessen wrinkles. in attendance is thumbs down insidious surgery, raw needle injections, swelling, scars plus thumbs down downtime representing recovery. Patients must not be present bowled over headed for distinguish outcome of positive headed for 3 inches clothed in border loss plus positive headed for 10 pounds of weight loss clothed in immediately 6 weeks.
nation who boast by now tried diet plus carrying out except boast glitch areas of surplus fat clothed in special areas, such because the hips, buttocks, thighs, deep knee, backside, stomach, better arms, cheeks, jowls, chest, plus waist.
safe candidates are:
- nation who boast had a liposuction surgery plus hardship maintenance
- nation who don't lack headed for undergo insidious liposuction surgery
all through the dealing countless nation consider insufficiently before thumbs down sensation next to every one. a number of nation consider a itchy before reheat sensation beneath the applicator before electrodes. This hunch frequently decreases before disappears following a little hours because the personality becomes worn headed for the sensation. This sensation bottle diverge depending ahead the situate living being treated.
The dealing process is comparable thermal curative knead which is self-same comfortable headed for the unwearied plus hand. Health Weight Loss Diet
Related Articles - Health, Weight, Loss, Diet,
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