Zig On…A Philosophy To Live By

By Zig Ziglar

Wisdom goes back a long way and comes in the form of examples, illustrations, stories, cliches, parables, etc.  One of the oldest bits of philosophy says that “for want of a nail a shoe was lost, for want of a shoe a horse was lost, for want of a horse a rider was lost, for want of a rider a leader was lost, for want of a leader a battle was lost, for want of a victory a war was lost, for want of a plan a nation was lost.” 

One variation of that could well be in the form of some ancient Chinese philosophies which are frequently rich in wisdom and truth and, regardless of their age, many of them are as applicable today as they have ever been.  They frequently carry truths that apply to people and nations, regardless of the century in which we’re living.  One of those gems is this one: “If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be duty in the character.  If there is duty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.  If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.  When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”

This philosophy is both “simple” and “profound.”   “Simple” is “not complex or complicated, as a machine of simple construction.”  I believe you will agree that most of us appreciate some things that are simple and easy to understand, such as truth and integrity.  The word “profound” is “deep, descending, or being far below the surface, not superficial.”  Profound also means humble, as a profound reverence for the Supreme Being.  That certainly gives us something to think about, doesn’t it?  So, think about it and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator.  He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings.  He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars.  See him in action!

 

Quote

If we don’t start, it’s certain we can’t arrive.   ~Zig Ziglar

 

Stop Building Rapport and Start Connecting

by Jeb Blount

The Merriam-Webster dictionary online defines rapport as relation marked by harmony, conformity, accord, or affinity. According to Wikipedia,

Rapport is one of the most important features or characteristics of unconscious human interaction. It is commonality of perspective: being “in sync” with, or being “on the same wavelength” as the person with whom you are talking. There are a number of techniques that are supposed to be beneficial in building rapport such as: matching your body language (i.e., posture, gesture, and so forth); maintaining eye contact; and matching breathing rhythm. Some of these techniques are explored in neuro-linguistic programming.

Rapport is a popular and ubiquitous concept in sales. A module on rapport is included in virtually every sales and leadership training course. You’ll find chapters on rapport in almost every sales book. Many thousands of books and seminars are dedicated exclusively to the concept of rapport. A search on Google for how to build rapport yields a million or so returns. Despite all of this, rapport is among the most misunderstood and misapplied concepts in business. Ask 10 salespeople to explain rapport and you’ll get 10 different answers. Few people really understand the concept of rapport.

Rapport is essentially being in sync with another person to the extent that you are able to influence their behavior. The rapport building process is designed to develop common ground with another person through mirroring and matching body language, voice tone and speed, word patterns, eye movement, and even breathing. In time, according to the experts, when you truly have rapport with another, you have the ability to lead them and change their behavior patterns. A process called neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), which embodies these techniques, including word-pattern matching, eye movement, facial expressions and more, is espoused by many rapport experts as the real key to relationships and influence.

The problem with rapport is that it is just too hard and complex to get into sync with someone enough to influence their behaviors. I’m not saying it is impossible for those willing to dedicate themselves to years of practice to become competent in NLP techniques. However, the reality is, despite promises from experts, these techniques are far too complicated for normal people. Few business professionals have the time or inclination to become experts in deciphering word patterns, eye movements, and facial expressions. Learning to effectively and discretely mirror and match people based on their communication style—audio, visual or kinesthetic— sounds really cool in a seminar, but it rarely succeeds consistently in real world business situations with real people.

This doesn’t mean that finding common ground is a bad thing. Far from it. The more we have in common with others, the easier it is for them to like us. If you find common ground, use it to your advantage to connect with the other person. The dilemma is that the quest for common ground in the guise of rapport building is often awkward, cheesy, and manipulative. Making matters worse are the legions of salespeople who mistake small talk at the beginning of a sales call as rapport building. Taking their cue from misinformed sales trainers, they’ll make dumb comments about some random object in their prospect’s office as if that is enough to initiate a relationship. Far too many salespeople just go through the motions to check Build Rapport off their sales process list so they can get down to selling.

Buyers are not fooled. They find these lame attempts at rapport building gratuitous and insincere. Over time, they become numb to rapport-building efforts. Some think it is funny. I have a friend who is a buyer for a manufacturing company. He has the ugliest picture in his office you have ever seen. He keeps it there for one reason: to watch salespeople humiliate themselves by asking him questions about the picture in an attempt to build rapport. If you want people to buy you, forget about rapport. Remove the word from your vocabulary. Instead, focus on connecting.

The Real Secret Is Connecting
There is a quote from Abraham Lincoln that aptly sums up why rapport as a strategy fails. Lincoln said, “If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend.” Rapport is designed not to develop trusting relationships, but rather to influence behavior. Rapport in its purest form is manipulative. People who feel manipulated will be distrustful of your motivations, no matter how pure, and will never feel connected to you. Connecting, on the other hand, is designed to win others over through a focus on their needs. The most effective strategy for winning others over (convincing them that you are their friend) is to start and end by helping them get what they want.

The most insatiable human desire, our deepest craving, is the desire to feel valued, appreciated, and important. The key to connecting and winning others over is, therefore, extremely simple: make them feel important. The real secret to making others feel important is something you have at your disposal right now. It’s listening. Listening is powerful. Quite simply, the more you listen, the more connected others will feel to you. When you listen, you make people feel important, respected, and heard.

Unfortunately, no one is really listening. I realize that is a harsh and general indictment of virtually everyone, but it is true. Why? Because we would rather think about and talk about ourselves, our wants and needs, our accomplishments, and our problems. This is easy to observe. Just go to a networking event, business meeting, or sales call. If people aren’t talking over each other in their eagerness to express their own self-important point of view, they are waiting impatiently for the other person to stop talking so they can start. The vast majority of people, especially salespeople, never make the effort to sincerely listen to others. People don’t like to listen because listening doesn’t make them feel important. Much of the time when they are not talking they are thinking about what they are going to say next, feeling, as most of us do, superior to those around them. Trust me, you are your own favorite person. It is not your fault; it is part of being human, but it is a fact and it is a roadblock to building connections with others—especially in business.

There is real power in understanding this concept and using it to your advantage to build connections. The desire to feel important, valued, and appreciated is more insatiable than any other human craving. Just like you, when people talk about themselves and someone listens, it makes them feel important. Although truly listening to another person requires self-discipline, selflessness, practice and patience, it is not complicated or complex. That is the beauty of connecting. Unlike the complexity of rapport, connecting requires only that you listen to your prospect, customer, client, boss, or peer.

Jeb Blount is the CEO of SalesGravy.com, the most visited sales website on the Internet. A respected thought leader on sales and sales leadership, he is author of three books, People Buy You: The Real Secret to what Matters Most in Business, Sales Guy’s 7 Rules for Outselling the Recession, and Power Principles. He is the author of more than 100 articles on sales and sales leadership and the host of the top rated Sales Guy Podcast. When you buy Jeb’s new book, People Buy You, today, you’ll also receive thousands of dollars’ worth of bonus gifts from sales growth leaders – learn more at www.PeopleBuyYou.com.

 

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July 8, 2010  7:00 pm CDT

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Ziglar Recommends

How Master Persuaders Get What They Want

Is it money, education, talent or experience? Is it their reputation, size of their network, or the  number of people who follow them  on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter?  Is it  job title?   How about product, price, marketing collateral, or brand awareness?  Or maybe it is their investment in the latest technology or gadgets?
Answer: None of the above!
 
The secrets of master persuaders cannot be found on this list, your resume, or in any of your company’s marketing brochures.
If you want to know the REAL secret to what matters most in business, just look in the mirror. That’s right, it’s YOU. Do all of these other things matter? Of course they do, but when all things are equal (and in today’s competitive world, things almost always are),  PEOPLE BUY YOU.

 

Word of the Week

Favonian
“fuh-‘voh-nee-uhn”
Adjective
Pertaining to the west wind; soft; mild; gentle.
As God said to Adam on one of those favonian edenic days, “Pick a bone, any bone.”
– Norah Labiner, Our Sometime Sister

 

Zingers
By Croft Pentz

One need not be smart to say things that are.

An ignorant person is the one who doesn’t know something you learned yesterday.
 
Wouldn’t it be nice to be as sure of anything as some people are of everything?
 
Education is not given for the purpose of earning a living; it is learning what to do with a living after you earn it.
 
Broad-minded: capable of seeing both points—the wrong one and his own.

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Zig On…Reading, Writing and Arithmetic – Not Enough

By Zig Ziglar

Don’t misunderstand – the need for those three skills is so obvious that in our ever-increasingly complex world they don’t merit discussion.  However, according to John Stinson, vice president of human resources at Trans-Canada PipeLines Limited, we’ve got to go much further than those basic skills.  He points out that goal-setting, self-esteem, ethics, learning the language of your business, respecting diversity, integrity, persistence, teamwork, time management and problem-solving are all components that cannot be left out.

This will necessitate change in our thinking, and change always involves stress – but unemployment and bankruptcy also involve considerable stress.  John Stinson says, “If you don’t have the ability to handle change and move on, you’re going to be in trouble.”  The need for change increases as the world changes, and the needs of our customers change accordingly.  The employee must change by growing in skills and willingness to adapt.

This analogy will make the point: From 1972 until 1991, American exports of automobiles to Japan declined roughly 2%.  German exports of automobiles to Japan in the same time period increased over 700%, and they worked under the same restraints that Americans did.  Here’s the difference: The Germans recognized that the Japanese drive on the left-hand side of the road, their steering wheels are on the right side of the car and their cars are smaller.  Solution: Put the steering wheel on the right, make the cars smaller and the Japanese will buy them.  When the American Jeep Cherokee, built to meet Japanese wishes, arrived in 1992, it was an immediate hit in Japan.  Message: Prepare yourself to meet the needs of the marketplace and I can assure you that employers will be looking for you – particularly if you’re really good at what you’ve prepared yourself to do.  Think about it and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator.  He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings.  He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars.  See him in action!

 

Quote

We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin’ thinkin’ which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes.      ~Zig Ziglar

 

Reflections on Your Greatness

By Michael Dalton Johnson

Our lives are often swept along by the duties and responsibilities we have assumed. We don’t have time to reflect on the course of our lives. If your obligations and commitments seem to control your life, you’ll find these observations useful.

You are great.  You are far greater than you imagine. You are a unique entity given the power to create your own life. When you look outside yourself for self-definition you are giving your power away. However, when you understand and accept that you alone possess the power to define yourself and your life, there are dramatic changes. You will find new clarity, focus and confidence. You’ll also find that using this incredible gift is both exhilarating and challenging.

You are in charge.  Think of your life as a movie. You are the writer, director, producer and star. You choose your co-stars and extras. Whether the movie is a smash or a flop is in your hands.

Your thoughts determine your outcomes.  This is one of the great mysteries. There are a lot of theories about this phenomenon but no one really knows how it works. However, it does work and reveals the astonishing power of your thoughts.  If you think you are average, you are. If you think you can’t win, you won’t. Conversely, if you see yourself succeeding, you will. If you expect great things to come to your life, they’re on their way.

You bring others with you. Your courage and confidence to examine your life and make changes will have a profound effect on those around you. When you lift yourself up, others are lifted up too.

Your life. Your responsibility. The first and most important rule is to take responsibility for everything that happens in your life. Following this rule puts you in command. Winston Churchill said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”  While I’m certain he was talking about fighting wars and leading nations, his statement applies to your life as well.
 
You have the power. Life will inevitably send you your share of setbacks, problems, disappointments and losses. These things are beyond your control. How you react to them is not. Listen to the voice within you and realize you have a choice. You have the greatness to persevere, to forgive, to smile, to lift yourself and others up and to move on.

Michael Dalton Johnson is the Publisher and Founder of SalesDog.com.  To receive your free subscription to SalesDog’s sales tips and inspiration newsletter, click here.
 

 

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Zig Ziglar interviewed by Chris Widener

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Word of the Week

Nolens volens
Adverb
“no lenz vo lenz”
1.  Whether willing or unwilling
Spending time with Zig will increase your positive outlook nolens volens.

 

Zingers
By Croft Pentz

Knowledge is like money; the more a man gets, the more he craves.
 
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.
 
Education covers a lot of ground, but it does not cultivate it.
 
Philosophy is the last refuge of thinkers.
 
A man who acquires knowledge and does not use it is like a farmer who plows his field but doesn’t sow it.

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Zig On…Pass the Test

By Zig Ziglar

She passed the test – can you?  Major surgery requires not only a skilled surgeon, but a number of skilled assistants to make certain that everything happens as it should.  They function as a team.  No one person, regardless of how brilliant they are, could pull off a major operation alone. 

Recently, in a major medical center, a new head nurse was starting her first assignment.  She was in charge of all the nurses on the operating room team.  She had full responsibility for performing all the duties nurses perform.  When the surgery was complete, the surgeon said, “Okay, it’s time to close the incision.  I need the sutures.”  The new head nurse responded, “Doctor, you used twelve sponges; we’ve only removed eleven.”  The surgeon assured her that all of the sponges had been removed and he was ready to suture.  She replied, “Doctor, you used twelve sponges; only eleven have been removed.”  With a bit of irritation in his voice, the doctor said, “I will accept full responsibility.”  At that point, the nurse’s temper flew and she apparently stomped her foot and said, “Doctor, think of the patient!”  When she said that, the doctor smiled, lifted his foot and revealed the twelfth sponge.  He looked at the nurse and said, “You’ll do.”  Her integrity had been tested; she passed with flying colors. 

The question is, how many of us, under identical circumstances, would have risked offending the surgeon, remembering that there was a possibility we had miscounted?  But this nurse felt the patient’s life and health were at stake and she, without hesitation, did the right thing.  Over the long haul, that’s the best way to get to the top and stay there.  Take that approach and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator.  He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings.  He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars.  See him in action!

 

Quote

Make motivation a habit and you will get there more quickly and have more fun on the trip.         ~Zig Ziglar

 

Hard Choices, Right Decisions

By Lee Colan

A reduction-in-force (RIF) is one area where leaders can potentially make a bad situation even worse. In fact, effectively conducting RIFs is an area where a significant “Knowing-Doing Gap” exists. In other words, there is an abundance of available information to help us effectively conduct a RIF, but many leaders do not apply this information to their practices. Applying the tips in this report can help you make the right choices in the face of a hard decision like reducing your workforce. Engaging the hearts and minds of all your employees is particularly relevant when you are reducing your workforce.

Nearly half of all companies who conduct RIFs experience reductions in productivity – which makes matters even worse. In addition, companies experience softer, yet equally debilitating effects of a RIF. Following are the percentages of surveyed companies who expressed these negative by-products of conducting a RIF:
• 86% experienced lower employee morale
• 78% saw eroded trust in management
• 35% observed less effective teamwork
• 55% expressed reduced ability for their employees to manage stress
William’s Law states that a system’s response to a request for change is best predicted by knowing the outcome of the last change. Therefore, it makes good business sense to take the time to plan for tough changes like a RIF. You will reap the benefit of greater acceptance to subsequent changes you will require of your organization.

The end of this report provides a checklist to help you effectively make the best of a bad situation. I do not pretend that this checklist will make a RIF easier to conduct, just more effective toward meeting your short- and long-term business objectives. There are three phases: before, during and after the RIF. I will go into more detail in the before phase because, like any project, if a RIF is well-planned, then implementation goes more smoothly.

Before the Reduction
The key to this phase is self-knowledge. Gain a better understanding of your business by conducting a simple 80/20 analysis of the profitability of your different products, services, geographies, market segments, etc. This analysis will reveal the 20% of your business that accounts for 80% of the results. If the 80/20 rule holds true in your organization (and it does!), this means that the most profitable 1/5 of your organization (sales force, products, regions or whatever slice you want to take) is 16 times more profitable than the remaining 4/5. Make sure that this less profitable 4/5 is meeting a business need or eliminate it. Unless the lowest performing parts of your business are strategic, cut your losses (do not throw good money after bad).

Next, identify your organization’s top five expense drivers. Then, reduce expenses first in areas that do not compromise your long-term plans (possibly travel, contractors, express mail, overtime). Be cautious about eliminating team rituals that are at the core of your culture. Consider a “share the pain” approach to expense reduction (e.g., across-the-board salary cuts, unpaid days off, 4.5 day work week, increased employee cost sharing for benefits).

Charles Schwab took a “share the pain” approach. They cut executive salaries and bonuses, tightened discretionary spending and asked employees without direct customer contact to take three unpaid Fridays off during the next three months. Although Charles Schwab ultimately had to cut 5,000 jobs, they sent a strong, positive message to employees and the market about what they value and how they operate. More importantly, Schwab had harnessed all of the organization’s intellectual capital to help sustain its competitive advantage.

Southwest Airlines is another good example of reducing expenses before reducing headcount. While most of the airline industry reacted to the economic downturn with swift, deep job cuts, Southwest looked at more creative ways to reduce their expenses. They created a win-win financing arrangement with Boeing to defer delivery of planes that they were contractually obligated to purchase while still enabling Boeing to book the sales. This move freed up cash until things turned around. To date, Southwest has not eliminated any jobs and continues to capture market share. Both Schwab and Southwest put substance behind the often hollow motto, “Our employees are our most valuable resource.”

The realities of your business may require you to reduce headcount. If so, make sure that you do the right thing – from a legal, employee relations and market perception standpoint. Resist the convenience of an across-the-board cut and use this opportunity to get rid of your ‘C’ and ‘D’ performers. Even if you are closing a location, try to re-deploy your best performers elsewhere. One of our clients had to eliminate 70% of its sales force, but they knew that the remaining 30% of its salespeople accounted for 90% of the organization’s revenues – the 80/20 Rule at work!

If you must reduce your headcount, apply a structured process to ensure that you keep your best employees (performance and attitude). This will help you avoid discriminatory decisions. Prepare your managers with scripts and a clear process to follow on the announcement day. Arrange for severance, outplacement and community resources for the affected employees (state unemployment agencies, local libraries, industry networking/support groups). The more support you can afford to offer, the better you are protecting your organization’s reputation as a preferred place to work. Don’t forget to prepare release letters for employees depending on the type of consideration they are given.

Self-knowledge also applies to the people side of your business. Be aware of the perceptions of your employees. The best way to control this (and avoid creating an “organizational blind spot”) is to communicate honestly about your plans and challenges. If you are dishonest with your employees regarding your plans and challenges, your employees will know it.  Executives who underestimate their employees’ intelligence typically overestimate their own.

See the Leading the Way Through Tough Times: The Power of Assumptions report for a model of how your own assumptions about tough times ultimately affect your entire organization.

During the Reduction

The keys to this phase are consistency and speed – consistency in your decision-making, communication and the speed of orchestrating the RIF. Make the announcement mid week. This gives affected employees access to outside services. At the same time, the weekend is in sight and allows surviving employees to process the reduction and refocus by Monday.
 
Prepare packets for affected employees that contain necessary checklists, information, contacts and resources to facilitate a smooth transition.

Communicate individually with each affected employee. Share the same reason for the RIF with each exiting employee (e.g., cost control, reorganization, realignment, etc.). Remember, whichever term you use, it all means the same thing to the affected employee. Balance respect for the exiting employees with the security needs of your organization (e.g., computer and building access, organization property, credit cards, and cell phones). Where you find this balance depends on your type of business and your underlying assumptions about your employees.

After the Reduction
The keys to this phase are focus and discipline – focus on future performance expectations and use discipline in executing your plans. Since your own behavior and the culture you have created have already pre-determined the level of organizational discipline, focus is the only one of these two keys you can control at this point. See Sticking to It for more on discipline.

Continue your communication with employees. This time do more listening than talking. Be honest with yourself and your employees about the prospects for future changes. Conduct more frequent meetings than usual during the month after the RIF. Provide opportunities for survivors to express their concerns. At the risk of sounding too psychological, we continue to witness illustrations of the saying, “Unexpressed emotions don’t go away, they just rear their heads in uglier ways.”

Refocus survivors on new performance goals and roles. Be explicit about how the organization will support the achievement of these new goals. Simply saying, “We are going to raise the bar” without explaining the why, when and how will only build employee resentment. Enlist your employees in solving the problem (getting your organization back on track). Remember, the RIF only addressed the expense side of your business. You should have kept your organization’s best minds and attitudes to grow your revenues, so make sure that you use them!

The following RIF Checklist reflects the principle that successful projects consist of 90% planning and 10% implementation. There is much more to do before the reduction (planning) to ensure that it goes well during and after the reduction (implementation).

Reduction-in-Force Checklist
Before the Reduction
1. COMMUNICATE with employees about the state of your organization.
2. Conduct an 80/20 analysis. Cut your losses (do not throw good money after bad).
3. Identify top five expense drivers. Reduce expenses first in areas that do not compromise your long-term plans.
4. Consider a “share the pain” approach to expense reduction.
5. Apply a structured process to ensure that you keep your best employees (performance and attitude) and minimize legal exposure.
6. Prepare your managers to consistently and quickly announce the reduction.
7. Arrange for severance, outplacement and community resources.
8. Prepare release letters and notices for employees, if appropriate.

During the Reduction
1. Make the announcement mid-week.
2. COMMUNICATE individually with each affected employee.
3. Provide an informational/resource packet for each employee.
4. Balance respect for the affected employees with security needs of your organization.

After the Reduction
1. COMMUNICATE to surviving employees. This time do more listening than talking.
2. Provide an opportunity for surviving employees to process what has happened.
3. Refocus survivors on new performance goals and roles.
4. Enlist your employees in solving the problem (getting your organization back on track).

Making the right decisions helps you make the hard choices.
Lee J. Colan, Ph.D., is President of The L Group, Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based consulting firm. He is a high-energy leadership advisor, author and leadership expert.  He has built a track record of successfully managing the challenges of rapid organizational change. Lee possesses an in-depth understanding of business, people and organizations. He blends this understanding with his corporate management experience to help leaders and companies grow.

Success 2.0

Zig Ziglar

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Word of the Week

Mendicant
Noun
“men dih kunt”
1.  A beggar; especially, one who makes a business of begging.
2.  A member of an order of friars forbidden to acquire landed property and required to be supported by alms.

The town is trying to decide what to do about the lone mendicant in the downtown square.

 

Zingers

By Croft Pentz

Definition of advice: those who need it don’t heed it; those who heed it don’t need it.
 
Machines are so nearly human that they can do things without using any intelligence. 

The nice thing about dictating letters is that you can use a lot of words you don’t know how to spell.
 
A college education never hurt anyone who was willing to learn something afterward.
 
The trouble with some people is that they are educated beyond their intelligence.

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Zig On…Use What You’ve Got

By Zig Ziglar

Dunsmuir Shell is a large, profitable Shell station in Victoria, British Columbia.  Mr. Dunsmuir has a unique approach which has enabled him to build a successful business.  Most readers of this column would not like to make a career of pumping gasoline in a service station.  Dunsmuir Shell recognized that and capitalized on it. 

When customers pull into his station, four well-trained, courteous, enthusiastic, motivated young people converge on the car.  One opens the door and invites the driver to step out.  One reaches inside, unlatches the hood and checks the oil.  The first one proceeds to vacuum the car thoroughly.  The third one starts pumping the gasoline and immediately grabs the materials to wash not only the windshield, but all the windows.  The fourth checks to make certain there is the proper amount of air in all the tires.  It’s a friendly place to do business.

The turnover in personnel at Dunsmuir Shell is extremely high – which is expensive – because he trains and motivates his people well.  Actually, he encourages the turnover because he tells each one of the young people that the next person who stops in to buy gasoline might be their next employer, so they should give especially good service.  As a result, when people need a motivated, enthusiastic, committed young person for their business, they stop by Dunsmuir Shell to buy gasoline and make an effort to recruit that young person.  Frequently, of course, they do exactly that.  Dunsmuir, however, has a waiting list of people who want a job.  They start with him and move elsewhere.  In the meantime, Dunsmuir has had an extremely effective employee and the young person has learned some valuable lessons about getting ahead in life.  Interestingly enough, when those young people get better jobs, guess where they buy their gasoline?  That’s building something of value on your lot in life.  Take that approach to life and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator.  He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings.  He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars.  See him in action!

Quote

What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination.       ~ Zig Ziglar

 

Even If Your Existing Clients Aren’t Buying, Serve Them

By Tom Hopkins

In a perfect world, we’d be so well organized and good about fulfilling our sales and service duties that we’d never neglect any of our clients. But, we’re human. Things happen. And, we will find ourselves in positions where we haven’t given our best service to a client or two. It’s easy to do in the current economic climate when existing clients tell you they just aren’t buying. You still have to make sales. So, you invest the majority of your time on finding new business instead of servicing the old. The result? Neglected clients.

Hopefully, this doesn’t happen to you often. However, accountability is the name of the game in sales. You are compensated based on how satisfied your clients are. If you aren’t happy with your compensation, chances are some of your clients aren’t happy with your service. Even if they tell you things are slow and they’re not ordering, you must keep up the same level of service you provided them when they were making regular purchases. If you can’t possibly do that, you’ll soon find yourself in some awkward situations with them. Again, with accountability comes the admission that you just haven’t done your job to the best of your ability.

As difficult as it may be to work up the courage for it, your best approach with a neglected client will be the same one used when you first gained their business. If your primary method of contact with them was an in-person meeting, you should get eyeball-to-eyeball with them again. If you first earned their business over the telephone, call them.

You can expect the ignored client to be anything from neutral to giving you the cold shoulder to being outright hostile about your lack of service. And you will deserve whatever they give you. However, once you decide the value of keeping their business is more important than a bit of being taken to task or having them threaten to leave you, it’s not so hard to do.

The first step is to admit your lack of service to them. No excuses. The words you use will be critical. Try something along these lines, “Ms. Joplin, I know I haven’t given you my finest service. I hope you will accept my sincere apologies and allow me to continue to assist you with your pest control service.” You may learn that they’ve already found another provider. If that has happened, you’ll have to work hard to earn the right to their business once again.

If they really haven’t minded being left to their own devices, they’ll tell you and you’ll move right into a discussion of what’s been happening with them or their company—listening to cues as to how you can help them now with products or just better service.

When a client gives you the cold shoulder and makes it difficult for you to regain their trust, you have to humble yourself and slowly work your way back into their good graces. Trust, once broken, is so hard to recover. But, it can be done if both parties are willing. You may need to start with no sales, but service. Or, you may be able to begin with a smaller than ever order. Let them hear your regret and commitment with something like this: “I realize you may not be happy with me right now. However, I’m hoping you’ll consider placing just a small order with me now to allow me to provide you with the level of service you deserve.” By providing extra care and proper follow-up service, you should soon find yourself earning their full trust and business.

If any of your clients are angry because of your lack of service, and are more than happy to tell you about it, look at the bright side. They’re still talking to you—even if it’s not with words you like to hear. Since you know you deserve it, let them vent. Eventually, they’ll run out of steam and calm down. Get them talking about how they would like to have their needs served. Once you are onto the positive topic of how you’ll work with them in the future, you may just find yourself keeping their business.

If they truly enjoy your product or service, you may just need to apologize and promise to do better now and into the future. It’s best if you are specific about how you’ll do that. Here are some words to get you started: “I’ll personally deliver your first order and help your staff check it in. Then, I’ll follow up with both you and your point person about the effectiveness of the product. If you have any further challenges with it or with me, I want to know so I can rectify the situation immediately. After that, I’ll be in touch on a monthly basis. In fact, why don’t you just tell me when and how you’d like me to stay in touch? I’ll add that to my calendar for follow-up right now.” Practice delivering these words with sincerity. If a situation of neglect has occurred, you had better be sincere about rectifying it. If you deliver your preplanned script too quickly, it will come across as if you’re worried or frightened about losing their business. You never want to operate from a position of fear. Always operate from an attitude of servitude if you want to achieve real success in your selling career.

If your clients are having challenges with your product that you’ve ignored, that’s a different story. Ignore them long enough and they may just go away—to the competition—but they’ll damage your reputation (and possibly that of your company) along the way. If you’re a true professional in this business, you won’t let things get that far. Staying in touch on a regular basis should prevent this from happening.

It’s easy to be loyal to someone when you’re personally acquainted. Think about where you do business. Do you always go to a certain dry cleaner or grocery store? Is it just because they’re convenient? Or, is going there a habit that began with excellent service? Have you even done any comparison shopping to find out if there’s a better business for your needs? Chances are you continue to frequent certain businesses because you know them and they know you. There’s a high level of comfort there.

We are creatures of habit and don’t often seek out change unless we’re unhappy where we are. But how did you get there in the first place?

I have frequented the same dry cleaner for years. Initially, I started going there because it was convenient to my home. I have since moved to a different neighborhood but still go to the same cleaners.

In my daily travels around town, I probably pass three or four other dry cleaners that may have the same service (or better…or more economical) and might even be more convenient for me but I don’t even give them a second glance. I’m loyal to my dry cleaner. Why? Their staff always greets me with a smile. Many have been there for years and know me by name. They do a good job and my items are always ready on time. They’ve gone the extra mile for me on a few occasions when I needed a rush job or minor repair. It all boils down to this: they make me feel good about doing business with them. Ultimately, that’s our goal as sales professionals. Do your clients feel good about doing business with you? If not, you have some work to do. Consider your clients as the individuals they are and come up with better ways to serve their specific needs. Individualized attention is a long way from neglect.

 If your clients do continue to do business with you because you make them feel good about doing so, congratulations! You’re bound to achieve success.

Excerpted from master sales trainer Tom Hopkins’ newest book, Selling in Tough Times (Hachette Books, 2010). For more information, visit www.tomhopkins.com.  Come hear Tom live on June 15th at 10:00 am on FREE Success 2.0 webcast.  Register here.

 

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June 15th

10:00 am CDT

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What’s New at Ziglar

Newly Released!!
Ziglar’s Qualities of Success was created with a focus on helping people succeed. This program is designed to help you grow personally and professionally in four critical areas: qualities, abilities, skills, and attitudes. By focusing on these core areas, you gain characteristics of success, professionalism, excellence, and perhaps the very best return of all: improved overall performance.

Read more.

Word of the Week

Trice
“Trys”
A very short time; an instant; a moment; — used chiefly in the phrase “in a trice.”
Once you focus you can complete this task in a trice.

 

Zingers

By Croft Pentz

It’s what you learn after you know all that counts.
 
He who can take advice is sometimes superior to he who can give it.
 
The reason some people say nothing worthwhile is there’s nothing worthwhile inside.
 
Knowing that you don’t know much is knowing more than most.
 
Half knowledge is worse than ignorance.

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Zig On…Tying Your Shoes

By Zig Ziglar

Roger Crawford was sixteen years old before he could tie his own shoes and even then it was Velcro that made it possible.  But he excelled in other areas like sports, becoming a star tennis player.  While in high school he was a championship player, winning over 95% of his matches.  He continued at nearly the same pace in college and has succeeded as a pro.

You can look at Roger and see that he has a “handicap.”  As Roger explains it, however, most people’s handicaps cannot be seen, but they’re just as real and in many cases more pronounced than his.  Roger was born with one leg missing from the knee down.  He doesn’t have normal hands complete with four fingers and a thumb.  As a matter of fact, he has only two extensions from where fingers normally are and yet he uses those two extensions to accomplish some remarkable successes.  Roger is one of those people who don’t complain about what he does not have, but rather makes full use of what he does have.  This is the attitude which enabled him to become the first severely handicapped athlete to compete in a NCAA Division college sport. 

Roger doesn’t pretend it’s been easy, but then life is seldom easy for most of us.  Today Roger Crawford is one of the most effective public speakers in our country and a very successful published author and family man.  He speaks to companies almost literally all over the world and they range from the Fortune 500 to the trade and educational associations.  My suggestion to all of us is to adopt more of the Roger Crawford attitude.  I believe that if we do, I really will SEE YOU AT THE TOP! 

Zig Ziglar is known as America’s motivator.  He is the author of 29 books and numerous audio and video recordings.  He brings his message of hope to thousands on the stages at the Get Motivated Seminars.  See him in action!

 

Quote

The most practical, beautiful, workable philosophy in the world won’t work – if you won’t.        ~Zig Ziglar

 

3 Ways to Be a Positive Leader

By Jon Gordon

In a world filled with busyness and stress I find that too often leaders can act like hard-charging, fast-driving bus drivers that have a vision and goal within their sights and they’ll run over anyone–even their own employees–to reach their destination. I know this well because early in my business career I was that kind of leader and I have had to work hard to change my approach.

I realized that any hard-charging leader can create success in the short term, but it would take a positive leader with a people and process-driven approach to build a successful organization for the long term. As John Maxwell said, “If you are all alone at the top, you are not a leader. You are a hiker.”

No one creates success alone. To win in business, you must win with people. Running over people will only get you so far. To create true and lasting success you must nurture and invest in your people. Here are three essential ways to do this.

 1. Care about them – The main question every employee in every organization is asking is, “Do you care about me; can I trust you?” Employees want to know if you care about them. If you do, they will be more likely to stay on the bus and work with you. Employees are more engaged at work and will work at their highest potential when their manager cares about them.

 2. Develop a relationship with them – Author Andy Stanley once said, “Rules without relationship lead to rebellion.” Far too many managers and leaders share rules with their people, but they don’t have a relationship with them. So what happens? The people rebel, and they disengage from their jobs and the mission of the team. I’ve had many managers approach me and tell me that my books helped them realize they needed to focus less on rules and invest more in their work relationships. The result was a dramatic increase in team performance and productivity. To develop a relationship with your employees, you need to build trust, listen to them, make time for them, recognize them and mentor them.

 3. Appreciate them – The main reason people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. For example, Doug Conant, the CEO of Campbell Soup, has written more than 16,000 thank-you notes to employees in the past seven years and created a very positive business in the process. It’s as easy as saying (or writing) “Thank you.”

It’s a simple truth: When you care about your employees and the people you work with, they are more likely to stay on the bus and work harder, with more loyalty and greater positive energy. In turn, they are more likely to share their positive energy with your customers, thus enhancing service and the bottom line. The greatest customer service strategy has nothing to do with customer service, but it has everything to do with how you treat your employees. If you model great service, they will provide great service.

Remember, leadership is not just about what you do, but what you can inspire, encourage and empower others to do. Instead of running over the people in your team/organization, invite them on the bus with you and engage them to help you create an amazing and successful ride.

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and international bestselling author of several books. His latest release is Soup: A Recipe to Nourish your Team and Culture. Jon helps individuals, organizations and teams develop positive strategies for enhanced leadership, teamwork and sales performance. Learn more about Jon and his latest book at www.Soup11.com.

 
Success 2.0

Tom Hopkins
LIVE
June 15, 2010
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Ziglar Recommends

My friend and international bestselling author Jon Gordon has released a new book that I think you’ll find quite useful. It’s called “Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture” and it’s about how to create a winning team and culture of greatness.

It’s a quick entertaining read that will give you some really practical insights on:

**How culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits, and habits deliver results.
**Creating relationships that are the foundation upon which successful careers and winning teams are built.
**Building trust, creating unity, and enhancing team engagement (amongst your staff, volunteers, etc).

To celebrate the launch, Jon is giving away a free downloadable SOUP ACTION PLAN with the purchase of a book today. The Action Plan is a 32-page document that will help you apply the strategies and principles from within the book. Details on that offer and more about the book can be found at http://www.jongordon.com/soup-promo.html

 

Word of the Week

Ephemera
Noun
“e fem er a”
Some things short-lived or of no lasting significance.
I collect ticket stubs, gum wrappers and other ephemera.

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