Persuasion the insperational way
7 Steps to the persuasive story for selling ideas

Your favorite song comes on and you’re immediately engaged in humming or singing the lyrics. In your mind, time travel takes place and past memories take over, you’re mentally there reliving your past experiences.

Why does a song, a TV ad or a story have such sticking power for us?Perhaps you’ve heard the joke about every Country Western song having the same theme of the dog dies the wife leaves, the truck broke down and the beer is gone. Obviously more than one Country Music star or fan would indicate there is far more to it than that.

What it does demonstrate is the power of the story. Most songs tell some type of story which makes them memorable and helps us emotionally attach ourselves to them.

Do you want to be more persuasive, more influential and sell more?It has been proven again and again that top persuaders are also master story tellers!

Just think the highest paid people in our culture are musicians; story tellers!So how can you and I become these masters at story telling? …MORE…

5 Secrets to Success
5 Keys from 4 successful CEO's

In just the past week I had the pleasure of invest time with four successful CEO’s and getting their input and views on what has helped them to be successful.

Imagine getting the insight from the founder of the largest research company in the country that was built against the odds.

A man that started out expecting engineering to be his career, only to find himself running a 50 million dollar operation.

Another that really didn’t want to leave home but saw opportunity, and by growing teams has created his own opportunities.

The fourth was over a million in personal debt when he started his company a few years ago and now talks about weighing the money instead of counting it.

Suppose these men just might have something for you?I’ve taken their conversations and put the essence into five key areas for your review. Here they are…MORE…

Changing Minds
The power of what is behind a choice

“I don’t get it!” retorts Joe!

“We had the best price both in cost and trade in, the unit was the most cost effective of the three competitors, yet we didn’t get the deal!”

“You mean after all the preparation and the long meetings we had on that deal they went with someone else?” Bill the sales manager exclaims.

“I thought we had worked out all the numbers to the penny and it was the best logical choice for that guy!

Did the competition give it away?”

“Oh no, we were actually the lowest in price and the highest in trade in! I am at a loss on how we can get them to change brands!” a rejected Joe responds.

Can you relate to the above situation?

Welcome to the club as most people can in one way or another.

Is the above scenario only relative in the sales environment? Regretfully, the answer is No!

How many of us have been involved with an employee (spouse, child, friend, sibling) that isn’t complying with our wishes?

Or how about getting a group of volunteers to buy into an idea that will advance the cause of the organization ten-fold?

Been there, right?.

We plan the presentation; we build up the benefits, and polish the idea or concept till it looks almost too good to be true!

I have done it myself more times than I care to recall!

Seems we have all been in this same scenario, what is it that we need to do differently to get past these hidden barriers? …MORE..

Ive never fired anyone before
How a leader’s beliefs can get in the way2 Apr 2007

Ever had that discussion with someone that shares a problem their experiencing, and as they describe the situation your wondering why they haven’t taken action?

From your view the solution is obvious, yet they seem unable to have the same view or conclusion.

In a recent conversation with a small yet growing business owner, there was that same experience. Ultimately the conversations lead to some awareness on his part as to how his beliefs were getting in the way of his business growth and performance.

Here is a recap of the conversation….MORE...

Happiness Strategies
How a personal strategy can change your life

We have talked a great deal about various strategies in the past several articles. Is it possible to develop happiness strategies?

Ever come across a person that just always seemed to be happy even though their life seemed in the pits?

Or how about the person undergoing some type of medical crisis yet they’re the ones that cheered everyone up.

Just recently I caught an interview about a gentleman that came from poverty; left home at age 14 to live on the streets, built a business worth millions in the oil industry only to have it crash.

Then he built up a business from scratch, worth 3.5 Billion in the debt collection business. Seems he had lots of experience from the other side; the debtor side.

Then only to have a partner’s choices bring it crashing down and cause him to face a life in prison if wrongly convicted.

They even cut his mansion in half as part of his bankruptcy!

For the third time in his life he was dead broke!

All the time his life was happy and he had his wife, whom he met in high school, which kept him looking at life in a positive way.

Today he is worth millions by helping others to create happiness strategies in their lives.

Here are some of his strategies….MORE...

Getting Decisions
Two strategies to help others make a choice
19 Mar 2007

Just last week we were talking to Robert Jonas about how he gets his top 20% producers to increase their sales by some 30%!

Now some are saying, “Another sales article! Let’s get something that applies to the rest of us!”

The fact of the matter is that these two ideas or strategies do apply to anyone we are trying to get some type of decision or choice from.

It really doesn’t matter if we are in a selling situation, coaching an employee or getting a family member to make a choice. The ultimate outcome is getting a choice made.

Just this afternoon I had a discussion where a family was pushing John to make a choice. They were applying pressure in various ways to get John to make a choice the family felt he should. The results were showing up as even more resistance from John, and him wanting to go the other way!

Pushing just never seems to work, unless you want to build more resistance to your ideas.

So what can we do?

Ok, here are two ideas that...MORE...

Right Thinking Strategies
Developing the process 10 Mar 2007

Oh my god!
The time is changing this weekend, will my computer work? What about my PDA? How am I going to be able to deal with the change?

Monday will be a disaster because of this!

Switching to Daylight Savings Time is a simple change. But, just imagine how many people probably had these same fears going through their head.
Granted, if you’re in charge of a Fortune 100 Companies computer system, you may have good reason for concern.

Of course if you were in charge of that huge computer system you would have a strategy in place along with an implementation plan.

My question for you is this, if you have a plan in place, what is your strategy relating to; your career, your business, and most importantly your personal life?

If you stop and think about it, a strategy directs your thinking and view of a given situation and its solutions. Just suppose you have a great plan but no strategy, how much power has the plan lost?

What happens when the plan fails or hits walls?

I believe you can relate to this;...MORE..

Removing Resistance
Two of the many Omega Strategies


Joe’s had a tough time getting production numbers for the month. He’s done a great job, getting plenty of prospects to listen to his presentations, yet he keeps getting the big stall. No decision is always a decision!

As he checks his email he finds a note from Business Architects regarding the teleconference that evening with Dr. Knowles on “How to Overcome Resistance.”

Joe thinks to himself, “I wonder if this guy might have some answers for me. Sure can’t hurt to listen.”

That evening Joe closes his office door and dials the phone.

As he listens to what Dr. Knowles and Harlan have to say, he gets excited. The pen in his hand is going as fast as it can to get all the information down. “Wow, this makes so much sense but I never thought of it that way before!”

What is being presented that has got Joe captivated? ...MORE...

Selling Sally
Unbelievable sales growth by reducing resistance.
24 Feb 2007

I should have thought of that!” “How did he come up with that approach!”

That was my reaction when Gary May gave a brief overview of how he took a small sales force and created sales growth that makes a fighter jet with the afterburners on seem slow.

So they take a $20,000 to $100,000 purchase and sell far more than their competitors, do it in one sales call with higher margins while closing in the 80% range!

Now this is a fairly mundane yet expensive and required product such as your company phone and switch gear. Add in a competitive market with multiple suppliers and conservative buyers in the UK.

Two years ago Gary takes the book The Psychology of Persuasion, and applies the concepts to his sales force and product. The numbers tell the rest of the story!

The numbers, taking over 70% of their market, closing 80% of the sales on the first call, closing 70% of their customer’s customers and their top people earning in the $600,000 range! These are all US currency, not UK pounds!

Interested? …..More….

Qualifying, What is it? 2-8-07
Tools to save you and your customer time

It’s Tuesday and I’m meeting with an executive for a large equipment organization. It’s an interesting conversation, as it’s indicated the sales force is very busy with customers wanting equipment, managers are even asking for more bodies to handle the volume of calls and customers. Sound like a dream?

Then the question comes, “What volume of business are they doing or how many are they closing on?”
“That’s the problem, I’m guessing the actual closing ratio is only 15-20%!” and we start wondering who is in the driver’s seat.

“What?” I ask, “I would expect 30-50% or maybe more, what is not happening here?”

“Obviously they are not qualifying the customers and are functioning as order takers and information clerks!”

The issue of effectively qualifying a customer seems to be more prevalent today in many industries. This similar conversation happens at least a couple times a month.

If this is true then let’s take a look at what this idea of qualifying is all about. ....MORE...

Sold Before you Say a Word
How preconditioning affects our choices
2 Feb 2007

It’s been one of those days; Ben has made several calls today with mixed results. One has really got him pondering what he is doing wrong. A customer decided to go with a competitor whose salesman has a questionable reputation. The competitive sales person promises a great deal, most of which he and his company rarely delivers. The product quality is ok yet not equal to Ben’s equipment.

Ben had questioned the customer about the purchase decision only to get a vague answer about feeling better about the other company despite the known reputation and pricing was not the issue.

As Ben pulls up to the coffee shop to take a break and clear his mind, he sees a salesperson from a different company, Susan, she is also taking a break and they sit down together for coffee. Ben tells his story about the lost sale and how he doesn’t understand what he did wrong or missed. Susan indicates she might have some insight as she knows the customer and some of his connections.

“You see Ben, this customer knows John at BBC and he thinks this other sales person walks on water, even though BBC has had problems with him and his promises. I bet John told your customer to trust this guy even though your customer knew about the problems BBC had been having.” Says Susan.

“That doesn’t make sense!” retorts Ben.

“You’re right” says Susan, “It is not logical, but you have to understand most people do not realize how preconditioning affects their decisions.”

(For those of you not in sales, hang on, this applies to all communications.) .....MORE...

10 Points of Persuasion
Ideas you can use today and get results from your sales and teams.


Jolene is a manager with 20 people on her team; they just received the top production and sales award from the company for the third year in a row!

Gerald, another team manger approaches: “Jolene, congratulations. I need to get some of what you have! How do you continually get this performance out of your team?”

“Thank you, Gerald, I know you always want to improve your team and I would gladly fill you in for the price of a good lunch.” Replies Jolene.

“Tomorrow, we’ll take a longer lunch at the restaurant down the block and it’s on me!” States Gerald with anticipation.

“11:30 to beat the crowd?” Is her response.

Its 11:30 and Jolene and Gerald get a booth in a quiet corner to discuss the strategies she uses to get more commitment from her team. ...MORE...

Getting the team moving
Incentives that work for the long haul!

It’s January in the North Country, as I board the plane I see some familiar faces, executives from one of my client companies.

“So where are you heading?” I ask him.
“Taking my team to Vegas for a week of golfing!”
“The whole group or just the top 20%?” I ask.
“Oh it’s wonderful, over 90% made the cut this year based on our production goals, the largest group we’ve ever taken!” (40 sales people on staff)

Apparently our training and their incentive program had a good effect!

What about your team’s performance?

Then late last week I had conversation with another client and discussed how they could set up an incentive program that would work.

During the conversation, the question arose as to whether he should spell out that the rules state the poorest perfromer gets fired as a way to put some teeth into the program.

I strongly suggested he not proceed down that path! I wanted him to look at what his real objectives and outcomes were in implementing a program.

Our discussion that followed, was very similiar to many others I have had with managers struggling with the same situation.

I have placed the recap of that conversation below.. .....More......

Big Fish or Little Fish
Managing sales quality versus quantity

Does this situation sound familiar?

Bob just made a career change from a stable salaried job with plenty of work to an independent contractor status on straight commission.

He sent me an email asking;

“How do you deal with all the ups and downs, handle the financial end when you don’t know what this month’s income is?”
Another question he had; “What about the size of the sale, should I just chase the big ones? But I feel I need to do some smaller sales too, which is better?”
Then he asked; “How do I find a balance?”

Would you say Bob is in a flux?
Or more like a pickle?
Can you relate?

Here is what I suggested to Bob: ...More....

Creating Your Own Business Culture
2 Key Basics

The big question that we get asked is,

“How do I go about changing our business culture?”

We believe in keeping it as simple as possible, even though this is not a simple process or issue. There are two very basic and core elements that every leader needs to concentrate on to change or build their business culture.

1. The first is their Vision and Mission, (yes you have heard this before, or have you?) What is it you want to be when you get there, but more importantly, who do you want to be on the way there? ....More...

Why Change Business Culture? 3rd in series
4 Reasons to check your culture! Click here for PDF file

John has just made a major decision and finalized the purchase of the company. He had been the sales manager for several years and asked the family ownership if he could eventually buy in.

Now the whole ship is his and he has some very different objectives than the former family owners. It does not take John long to realize he needs to make some significant changes in order to meet his goals.

As we look at the former culture, the family was comfortable and had a nice profitable business was paid for. John now finds himself with a culture that will hold him back rather than move him forward. After all, he now has a large payment to make each month after buying the business.

Obviously there will be many changes in the company as John moves forward; the challenge is determining what culture he needs to create and how to create it.

Take this challenge; ....More...

Business Culture Creation 2nd in series
Where does business culture come from? Click here for PDF

Jerry is a new hire with the BBB Company. It’s the end of his first week and he is confused. The way they function here is so different from the larger conglomerate he interned at.

There they deliberated on everything from the type of toilet paper to use to the next big customer they wanted to target. These deliberations included research, spread sheets and people defending their take on the issue.

At this newer start-up company they rarely have a sit down meeting! The lines of authority are blurry at best and decisions are made in minutes, some times with discussions that seem more like arguments.

Jerry finds himself frightened by the lack of structure yet intrigued by the fast pace and the willingness of leadership to accept mistakes.

He is experiencing two very different cultures! Neither is right or wrong, they just are!

So where does culture come from? ...more...

Business Culture 1st in a series
Where management stops and Leadership begins. Click here for a PDF File

In the past month I’ve had multiple conversations about business culture with organizations wanting to alter or change their current culture.

These organizations felt so strongly about this potential change they are willing to invest substantial assets to make it happen. So what is culture all about?

Have you ever heard two people in the same profession talk about where they work; one expounding how great a place it is to work and how people are lined up trying to get in? The other indicating they feel like a cog in a wheel and wish they could find another place to work. These views are most likely the results of the two different business cultures!

Imagine working at Microsoft or Apple in their beginning years and what that would have been like. Now imagine working for a company today that is 20 some years behind in technology and thinking. You’ve just experienced two very different cultures!

With that in mind is it any wonder companies that want top performance are talking about and examining their own culture!

As I began working on this article ...More...

Trust, The Power Word in Sales
4 Keys to developing long term trust.

We started out on an advanced concept of dealing with resistance from customers. As we got started I could see the looks of confusion and frustration. This was not going to be easy to get through to them.

“Ok, that’s great”, says one participant, “but we will never get the time to do this. They hang up on us before that! Can you help us get them talking long enough to get to that point?”

Now I had to hide my frustration and tossed the prepared material to the side. “Ok, give me the skinny on what you’re dealing with!”

Did I get them talking then! For 10 minutes they unloaded on being unable to crack the tough customers that would not even give them the time of day. Have any of them yourself?

So here is what we did…..MORE

Did you sell something today?
5 Areas that can improve sales!
Click here for PDF File:

Joe had a full day with 9 appointments. He comes back to the office with his head hung low, feeling rejected. The boss asks, “Did you sell something today?”

“Not one dang thing”, retorts Joe, “The competition is killing us!”

I wonder how many salespeople and sales managers have had similar days.

A recent list of statistics on salespeople from www.JustSell.com is as follows:

• 62% fail to earn the right to ask for a commitment!


• 86% ask the wrong questions and miss opportunities!


• 82% fail to differentiate themselves from competitors!


• 99% do not set the right objectives for the sales call!


• 95% talk too much and listen to little!

They did not supply the source of these statistics; however I suspect the vital numbers are accurate. I am constantly in conversations with business owners and their management team hearing similar concerns being expressed.

Let’s just assume the numbers are accurate. Agreeing to that; let’s take each one examining the cause, then the cure. .....More....