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The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

The “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” by John Maxwell has become a leadership classic, found on every leaders bookshelf. John Maxwell is the founder and chairman of The INJOY and a world renown author of more than 30 books, with more than 7 million copies sold. Some of his best titles include:

Many of his titles have landed on the best seller list in publications such as the New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CBA Marketplace. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership surpassed the 1,000,000 shipped/sold mark early in 2003.

Overview

  1. The Law of the Lid – Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness. Leadership ability is always the lib on personal and organizational effectiveness. Whatever you want to accomplish is restricted by your leadership ability.
  2. The Law of Influence – The true measure of leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less. If you don’t have influence you will never lead others. To change organizations you need influence. Leadership is not based upon holding position, leadership is about your ability to influence.
  3. The Law of Process – Leadership develops daily, not in a day.Leadership is learnt over time, it’s the capability to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers. Successful leaders are learners.
  4. The Law of Navigation – Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. Leaders have a vision for their destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who they’ll need on the team to be successful, and they recognise the obstacles long before they appear on the horizon.
  5. The Law of E.F. Hutton – When the real leader speaks, people listen. Don’t listen to the claims of the person professing to be the leader. Instead, watch the reactions of the people around him. The proof of leadership is found in the followers. “Being in power is like being a lady – if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” – Margaret Thatcher
  6. The Law of Solid Ground – Trust is the foundation of leadership. To build trust, a leader must exemplify these qualities: competence, connection, and character. Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible.
  7. The Law of Respect – People naturally follow leaders stronger than themselves. People don’t follow other by accident. They follow individuals whose leadership they respect. Followers are attracted to people who are better leaders than themselves.
  8. The Law of Intuition – Leaders evaluate everything with a leadership bias. Leadership depends on more than just the facts. Leaders see trends, resources and problems, and can read people. The law of intuition is based on facts plus instinct and other intangible factors. A leader has to read the situation and know instinctively what play to call. Leadership is more art than science.
  9. The Law of Magnetism – Who you are is who you attract. Leaders are always on the look out for good people. In most situations you draw people to you who possess the same qualities you do. The better leader you are, the better leaders you will attract.
  10. The Law of Connection – Leaders touch a heart before they ask for a hand. Effective leaders know that you first have to touch people’s hearts before you ask them for a hand. The heart comes before the hand. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. To connect with people in a group relate to them as individuals. It’s the leader’s job to initiate connection with the people.
  11. The Law of the Inner Circle – A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. All great leaders have surrounded themselves with a strong inner circle.
  12. The Law of Empowerment – Only secure leaders give power to others. The people’s capacity to achieve is determined by their leader’s ability to empower. “The best executive is the one who has the sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and the self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it” – Theodore Roosevelt.
  13. The Law of Reproduction – It takes a leader to raise up a leader. More than four out of every five of all leaders that you ever meet will have emerged as leaders because of the impact made on them by established leaders who mentored them. People cannot give to others what they themselves do no possess. The potential of an organisation depends on the growth of its leadership.
  14. The Law of Buy-In – People buy into the leader, then the vision. The leader finds the dream and then the people. The people find the leader, and then the dream. People don’t first follow worthy causes. They follow worthy leaders who promote worthwhile causes.
  15. The Law of Victory – Leaders find a way for the team to win. Leaders believe that anything less than success is unacceptable. And they have no Plan B. That keeps them fighting.
  16. The Law of the Big Mo – Momentum is a leader’s best friend. You can’t steer a ship that isn’t moving forward. It takes a leader to create momentum. Followers catch it. And managers are able to continue once it has began. But creating it requires someone who can motivate others, not who needs to be motivated. Getting started is a struggle, but once you’re moving forward, you can really start to do some amazing things.
  17. The Law of Priorities – Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment. Apply the Pareto Principle, If you focus your attention on the activities that rank in the top 20 percent in terms of importance, you will have as 80 percent return on your effort. As a leader, you should spend most of your time working in your areas of greatest strength.
  18. The Law of Sacrifice – A leader must give up to go up. Sacrifice is a constant in leadership. “When you become a leader, you lose the right to think about yourself.” – Gerald Brooks
  19. The Law of Timing – When to lead is as important as what to do and where to go. Only the right action at the right time will bring success. If a leader repeatedly shows poor judgement, even in little things, people start to think that having him as the leader is the real mistake.
  20. The Law of Explosive Growth – To add growth, lead followers – to multiply, lead leaders. The key to growth is leadership. “It is my job to build the people who are going to build the company.” – John Schnatter. To go to the highest level, you have to develop leaders of leaders.
  21. The Law of Legacy – A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession. Just as in sports a coach needs a team of good players to win, an organisation needs a team of good leaders to succeed. A legacy is created only when a person puts his organisation into the position to do great things without him.

Recommendation

What I liked most about this book is that the leadership insights are practical and can be used daily to improve our leadership ability. I feel that this book should be the required reading for all of us who are striving to become practicing leaders. I found the book to be easy to read and the examples provided were good. I strongly recommend this book be read by leaders at all levels. The book creates a great foundation from which to build your leadership knowledge and begin your personal leadership journey.

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19

08 2009


by Jeff Compton
posted in DRIV Strategies
1 Comment

Influence: How And Why People Agree To Things

  • One of the most illuminating books I have read in a long time! JC

Influence: How And Why People Agree To Things

by Robert Cialdini

Influence: How and Why People Agree To Things by Robert Cialdini teaches us the basics of how people are influenced. It breaks influence into six key factors:

  1. Reciprocation
  2. Consistency and Commitment
  3. Social Proof
  4. Authority
  5. Liking (the person who is trying to influence us)
  6. Scarcity

Each of the above points is detailed in a chapter. Academic studies and examples are given in a very engaging fashion. Some of the studies are for the birds. For example, mother turkeys, who are known to be caring parents (as far as birds go), tend to respond only to the “cheep-cheep” sound of their chicks.

Hearing the cheep-cheep, the mother turkey coddles and cares for the young turkey chick. It is a short-cut response that nature has given turkeys to know how to behave. It tends to work well in nature. But, tricky scientists recorded the cheep-cheep sound and placed the recording into a stuffed Polecat, the natural enemy of the turkey, and found that the mother turkeys adopted the stuffed polecat. Coddled it and cared for it.

That was quite amazing, as the usual response of a mother turkey to a stuffed Polecat without the cheep-cheep recording is an outright assault on the Polecat. This reflexive behavior tends to work most of the time, but sometimes is inappropriate. The mother turkey is responding in what Cialdini refers to as a “click, whir” method. Once some reactor sets off a signal (click), the mother turkey plays its own internal tape (whir) which signifies the appropriate response.

Only, sometimes, the response is not appropriate. And, some predators have learned the mimic strategy to trick their prey. Now, this may be useful if your goal is to be adopted by a turkey (or maybe its something that could protect you from a wild turkey attack!), you say, but how does this apply to me?

The answer is that people themselves have “click, whir” behavior. Because people wish to avoid the work of making decisions, they have internal tapes they run which tell them how to respond under various conditions. Most of the time our internal tapes are appropriate. But, sometimes, they are not. And some human predators have learned to exploit our “click, whir” behavior. Often, these predators come in the form of salespeople.

Cialdini discusses how to say “No” to each of these six influence factors by being aware of how influence works and reading your internal gut feeling.

This book is excellent reading for anyone who wants to learn how to influence others. Job hunters, managers, and marketers will benefit from reading this book. Although we do not suggest you try to use this knowledge in a devious way, knowing how to approach asking for a request is useful. Investors can benefit also.

For example, “social proof” states that we often look to others to determine what is correct behavior in a situation. We most look to others to deem what is correct in times of uncertainty. This can lead to “pluralistic ignorance.” Everyone is assuming that the other guy knows what he is doing and we follow. Manias and gross overvaluation of publicly-traded stocks come to mind.

In an attempt to avoid the hard work of thinking, we follow the herd off the cliff, blindly assuming where everyone else is going must be safe. As stated in Influence 95% of people are followers and only 5% of people are leaders.

Often, we are most likely to follow “experts.” This is the authority factor above. We tend to believe and follow anyone who we assume is an expert. However, following experts can also lead to problems.

Influence points out that about 10% of medication administered by hospitals may be in error. This is a serious problem and can obviously lead to death.

Why is it that hospitals have such a problem with errors in medication? Despite the training and knowledge of R.N.’s, they tend to unquestioningly follow the instructions of the doctors. Even if the instructions don’t make sense.

Cialdini tells the story of a man who complained of an earache. He had an ear infection and the doctor prescribed eardrops for him. On the prescription, the doctor wrote, “Place drops in R ear.” As the doctor was in a hurry, he abbreviated “Right” with R.

Sure enough, the trained nurse obediently followed the instructions and placed the required number of drops in the patient’s anus. Neither the patient nor the nurse questioned the instructions, as they came from an authority.

Read Cialdini’s Influence: How And Why People Agree To Things. Even if you never feel the need to be adopted by a mother turkey, maybe it will keep eardrops out of your anus, help keep you from buying things you later regret, and help you understand how influence works. We highly recommend this book.

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09

08 2009


by Jeff Compton
posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment

Business Motivation by Nancy Wurtzel

Here’s a great article by Nancy, enjoy…

Business Motivation

Motivation. It’s a complicated subject that is studied by many and understood by few. Virtually every aspect of human life — from the mundane to the life-changing — is guided, swayed and altered by motivating factors.

For instance, what to have for dinner may be motivated by a desire to lose or gain weight. Whether or not to attend a business seminar may be motivated by the speakers, location and cost. When and where to buy new clothing may be motivated by a long list of personal preferences as well as the changing seasons and weather conditions.

Even reading this article is a motivated behavior. Do you like the style of writing? Are you curious about the subject matter? Do you have a desire to learn new information? Do you have enough time to finish reading? If the answers are no, you probably won’t continue reading!

But since you have continued, you are obviously motivated. You want to learn more about how to get and stay motivated, and how this motivation can help you become a better business owner.

THE BUSINESS OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the most powerful driving forces in the workplace. It can mean the difference between tremendous success and failure.

Motivation stems from two sources. The first part of motivation is external or extrinsic (outside the person) sources. Other motivating factors come from internal forces, which are mainly your thoughts, patterns and collective experiences.

However, humans are unique, so what motivates Jack will not necessarily motivate Jill. You — and only you — will be able to determine what works.

Take the time to examine what internal and external factors are motivating you as a business owner. What can you do to enhance and refine your motivation to make yourself more productive and more fulfilled?

Here are seven keys to motivation that may prove helpful.

1. INSPIRATION
Inspiration is critical to getting and staying motivated. If you are not interested in your business, your motivation level will never be high and you won’t be able to sustain interest for very long.

On the flip side, if you are energized and excited about the work you are doing, you will have more persistence, energy and intensity.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would be surprised at the number of people who choose a business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not interest them in the least. These individuals will grow weary and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you don’t really enjoy your work, then think how you can re-focus your small business to better match your needs. Or consider making a change entirely. That’s pretty drastic advice, but inspiration is that important.

2. SETTING GOALS
Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you didn’t set goals, you would be adrift with nothing to strive for and no charted course to follow.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually. Include “mini-goals” that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days or weeks as well as the more ambitious “grand-goals” that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Yes! Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day.

3. NETWORKING
Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is networking with other small business owners. One person can’t move huge mountains. However, when a number of people begin working together the mountains are suddenly only small hills — simply challenges waiting to be surmounted.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. Mutual support is motivating. So, make it easier on yourself by connecting with others either in your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of the business. Working together, a networking group can help its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve problems faster and more efficiently. Sharing ideas, expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of networking groups. And, don’t forget about sharing costs, possibly by buying in bulk or with joint marketing projects.

Your own personal team of business owners will help re-energize you when the burdens of running your own business seem too much. With your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process. Certainly, you will feel less alone.

4. REWARD YOURSELF
Small business owners will always have to work hard, but all work and no play is a huge mistake. Your motivation will soon begin to fall if you never take any time away from the demands of running the business.

So, plan frequent rewards for yourself. No, it doesn’t need to be a trip to Hawaii (although this is a great idea). Your reward can be as simple as a lunch out with an old friend, a matinee with your significant other, an afternoon of shopping or a relaxing massage.

If your budget and time will allow, take a few days off for a short trip or simply schedule a vacation from work for a few days. Make it a real vacation — even if you don’t leave town — so no checking email, voice mail or the fax machine. You need to get away, unwind and renew yourself. This “down” time to regenerate will help improve your attitude and perspective. It sounds corny, but you will come back to your business with a new sense of motivation.

5. EXERCISE
While it isn’t always immediately apparent, there is a powerful connection between the mind and the body. It is vital for every small business owner to take breaks and exercise — everyday. If your body isn’t healthy, your motivation will certainly suffer.

These exercise breaks don’t have to be huge blocks of time, and you needn’t spend money joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer. Start by walking briskly for 30 minutes before, during or after work. After you have incorporated a walk each day, then try doubling the time or doing two walks each day.

Whatever works for you is best, but the important thing is to start. You will begin to feel better.

After the walking is part of your routine, add some basic light weights. Buy a tape or go online to find out how to properly use the weights so you won’t injure yourself.

You can keep the weights under your desk, and use them for just a few minutes at a time. Buy a timer the next time you are at the grocery store. Set the timer for for three minutes to start and then add a minute or two until you’re up to 10 or 15 minutes each day.

Some small business owners have a television at work and they schedule a CNN break along with their weights. This way, they are catching up with world and local news while simultaneously getting some moderate exercise.

8. ORGANIZE
Organization is critical to motivation. How can you feel good about your work, when you can’t find important papers or you are constantly late returning messages? Your business will falter and your motivation will suffer.

Some people just can’t get organized. If you are one of them, then consider bringing in someone — a business friend, family member or professional — to help you get the clutter and mess cleaned up. You will be amazed at how this one important step will help you get back on the organizational track. Don’t stop there. Now really get organized by creating business systems that will help you streamline your operations.

The real challenge will be keeping yourself on track by maintaining these systems. For many, it is a daily challenge, but if you use your organizational systems you’ll be free to think about other important issues.

7. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS AND AUTHORS
As small business owners, it seems we are bombarded with motivational ideas and materials– tapes, books, CD’s, seminars, workbooks, videos and more. Why are there so many different motivational products, authors and speakers? Because people are buying these materials. Used effectively, they are effective and therefore they sell!

However, there are so many different motivational gurus that it is often difficult to see through the clutter to find someone that makes sense for you — someone who can get you “fired up” about working and improving your business.

Try talking to your mentor or networking group members to see who they might recommend. Start being aware of the motivational industry and how it might help you become more enthused and positive about your business. Do some light research of your own to find some authors and speakers that interest you.

Before you invest in motivational materials, you can probably find some inexpensive ways to obtain the materials. Check out your local library, tune into your local PBS station, buy materials with a networking friend, visit used bookstores or buy used materials online. Don’t make a huge investment, because you will probably want to sample many different viewpoints.

But do these materials really work? Yes, but only if you make the effort. Just like exercise, you have to work the muscles — in this case your mind muscles.

It is up to you to take that information and apply it to your own life and business. Really use the motivational ideas over a period of time and you will begin to see results.

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING
Motivation is what moves us forward in our daily and business lives. Take the time to examine your motivating factors and use some of these keys to improve your focus and renew your enthusiasm. If you keep on track, the motivation momentum can’t help but carry you forward.

Nancy Wurtzel is the founder and owner of All About Baby, an online store located at www.allbaby.com. All About Baby offers more than 300 personalized and memorable baby gifts for young children. The site also features interesting and helpful child-related content. Ms. Wurtzel has over 25 years of marketing and communications experience. She consults with small businesses seeking to enter the marketplace or grow their existing e-commerce business.

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15

07 2009


by Jeff Compton
posted in Uncategorized
1 Comment

Gratitude and Giving Will Lead to Your Success

Here is another article that has made an impact!

Gratitude and Giving Will Lead to Your Success

By David J. Pollay

Positive Psychology News Daily, NY (David J. Pollay) – June 2, 2007, 12:01 am
Think of some of your life’s achievements.  It’s okay.  No one’s watching.  Go ahead.  What accomplishments make you proud of yourself?

Now think about how many of these life accomplishments did you achieve completely on your own?  Let me answer that question for you.  The answer is, “none.”  Our successes always come with help.

The real question is, “Can you name the people who were a part of each of your successes?”  Who are they and what did they do?  Write down their names.  Think about these people.

Now, I’ll bet you’re feeling a bit or even a burst of gratitude.  You have just reminded yourself how important others have been to you in your life.  You have not traveled alone.

Most of us feel some amount of stress when we think about what it will take to achieve our dreams.  We think, “How in the world are we going to get from here to where we hope to be?”  Luckily, the answer is, “not alone.”  Other people will help us.

So what’s the best way to achieve your life goals?  Here’s the first answer.  Look to the people who have already helped you.  Thank each one personally and privately.  Tell them why they are important to you and how they helped you succeed in the past.  Let these people know how valuable they are to you.  If you feel that you’ve thanked someone before, consider doing it again in an even more meaningful way.  Keep these people in your corner.  University of Michigan psychologist Christopher Peterson wrote in his book, A Primer in Positive Psychology, “In our experience with many dozens of gratitude letters…they ‘work’ 100% of the time in the sense that the recipient is moved, often to tears, and the sender is gratified as well.”

Gratitude researcher Robert Emmons recently reviewed the growing evidence that feelings of gratitude improve the quality of our lives.  In one study he found that people who “wrote up to five things for which they were grateful or thankful” on a weekly basis “exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week.”  Positive Psychology co-founder Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues also discovered that when people took a few minutes each evening to write down “three good things” that happened to them during the day, their happiness increased and their depressive symptoms decreased.

Emmons found in another study that people who feel gratitude are more likely to help others.  Emmons wrote, “Gratitude leads not only to feeling good, but also to doing good.”

So what’s the best way to achieve your life goals?  Here’s the second answer.  Think about who else could help you.  Through a lens of gratitude, think about how you could repay them in advance for their support.  What could you do for them now?  How could you help them in some way?  Your commitment to helping them will demonstrate two things:  You care about what they care about, and you appreciate the role they could play in your life.

You will stand out as a giver, and leave the takers of the world standing in line.  Your new contacts will be grateful to you.  And we know what happens when people feel gratitude.

Gratitude and giving will lead to your success.

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15

04 2009


by Jeff Compton
posted in DRIV Strategies
1 Comment

Mastering the Psychology of Persuasion

As you know if you read this blog, DRIV Strategies is a blended combination of motivation, communication and psychology all designed to get the maximum results in you, your relationships, managing people,  customer service and sales.

What I would love to use this blog for is to give you information, articles and other things I develop or fine on the web. that is germaine to DRIV.

Here is a article of found on the web concerning selling…

By Russell Riendeau, Ph.D.

Mastering the Psychology of Persuasion
April 06, 2009
Think you’re so smart at selling and managing? Test your “gut instinct” skills and answer these questions.

By Russell Riendeau, Ph.D.

• Does guilt work better on men or women?

• Which of these is better at recognizing a liar: police officers, teachers, or dogs?

• Are women or teenagers more prone to fear motivation?

• Who would you trust to hold your expensive camera while you went to the bathroom at crowded sporting event: a man or a woman?

• Is either the fear of fire or excessive water more dangerous to the average person?

• Are musicians more likely to excel in math, physics, or psychology?

• Is superstition a valid approach to decision-making when it comes to making a purchase over $3000?

• Are left-handed people more prone to some mental illnesses, accidents, or seeking positions of power?

• Would you be willing to get one painful shot in your arm from a licensed professional or 150 less painful shots in your arm from a licensed professional?

As you read these questions, your brain started to formulate answers based on personal experience—i.e., your perceptions of the world. Mentally, you were looking through old picture albums, searching for familiar faces, dialogues, memories, facts, and figures to confirm your initial internal response. Your present age, gender, race, religion, stereotyping, prejudices, superstitions, ignorance, and bias also played a role into forming your answers. It’s all part of being human.

And while these questions may at first appear to have clear yes or no answers, in reality, there are no definable correlations to them. All of these questions have exceptions to the rule. “It depends,” is the best practical answer. And yet, all answers you came up with in your head may have value if you’re in the sales and management profession.

Let’s take a look at some of these questions more closely. With regard to left-handed people and power: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama are all lefties. Power hungry? Maybe. What about women and fear motivation? Women show fear differently than men, but handle it fine—maybe even better than men. What about sniffing out liars? Lying is about being misleading, and dogs are pretty good at sensing when a person is friend or foe, intending to harm their master, or in trouble.

How about holding your camera while you hit the bathroom? How bad you have to go is the real determinant. Lastly, the shot-in-the-arm issue. Young people think nothing of getting a painful tattoo from some strange dude, yet won’t get a vaccination in a sterile doctor’s office to prevent the risk of getting a sexually transmitted disease.

When it comes to selling in a recession, sales managers and sales professionals must reconfigure selling strategies (persuasion) that will be more effective and sustainable in a fear-based and emotionally charged recession like we have today. You are influenced and persuaded into decision-making every single day, whether you want to admit it or not. Did you buy your wife roses because you really wanted to, or because you feared her wrath if you didn’t bring home the flowers? Guilt, as you see, is just one powerful tool.

Here are the most recognizable persuasive elements we experience in society:

Habitual patterns. Trigger words or fixed action patterns, automatic behavior patterns, and biases help people organize thoughts and actions.

Consistency and commitment. MacDonald’s hamburgers taste the same from Russia to Denver.

Reciprocation. “I love you. Will you buy my guitar?” The person may be more influenced to buy the guitar as a way to return the gesture of the stated love. Guilt falls under this category.

Likeability. We like people like us. First impressions, and all.

Social proof. Everybody is buying, saying, eating, reading, etc., so I must also.

Authority/power. Law is law and rules are rules.

Scarcity. The more we want something and can’t get it, the more valuable it can appear.

Fear or gain. Research shows fear of loss is stronger than the desire for gain.

Now that you armed with these valuable insights into human behavior and tendencies, what can you do to reset your sales and marketing presentations to capture the right emotion and persuasive trigger of your customer? What can you present that will engage as many different emotional cues, as well as logical cues, for them to buy your product or service?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Brochures and Website material. Use words and images that elicit stronger emotional appeals, in addition to the practicality of your product or service. Value is critical, and an emotional appeal to the real cause of the pain the customer would feel by not buying your product is the true target of your sales pitch.

2. Provide the data. Saying “We care about our customers” is weak. Everybody says that. Give facts: 85.3 percent of our customers are from referrals! Now that’s compelling. Show how much people save, earn, smile, laugh, or relax when they buy from you.

3. Dates don’t matter. “We’ve been serving customers for 54 years!” So what? Longevity in business doesn’t carry the same weight it used to. Yahoo! and Google, for example are less than 15 years old, but are as well-known companies as GE and Microsoft. Persuade with a compelling advantage.

4. Match marketing materials with your sales team’s ability. A great-looking, emotionally charged brochure must fit the salesperson making the presentation, or else it’ll flop. If your salespeople can’t say the words that are hard to speak, then the message is lost and sales falter. Train your team to present the data, the emotion, and the benefits in a way that is assertive, close to the heart, and rewards them to make the sale.

5. Train your sales team to avoid the very tactics of persuasion they’re being trained to embrace. The fear of job loss and stress of customers saying “no” in a recessionary climate is both stressful and demotivating. Contract with a proven trainer to teach your team to learn how to modify their internal and external behaviors in order to build resilience to the negativity. A better-than-industry average commission plan and measurable goals with benchmarks aren’t bad ideas, either.

6. Explore ways to imbed your product or service into the typical habits and behavior patterns of your potential customers. Example: If you sell Website development, send examples/data to show how others are updating their sites to capture new sales with new technology. Bankers love data and low risk; focus your pitch to show less risk when buying your service.

7. Tie your sale into a common theme that month, year or decade to enhance recall, retention, and common ground. People join and are part of associations to feel part of the tribe’—to gain access to special knowledge. Your ability to allow them the “secrets” is a powerful tool.

Every decision you make is a result of some form of persuasion infiltrating your emotions to influence your behaviors and thinking. The more elements of persuasion you become familiar with, the better you’ll be able to judge which approach is the right one for the selling situation.

Russell Riendeau, Ph.D., is a behavioral scientist, senior partner of The East Wing Search Group, and co-author of “The CEO’s Guide To Talent Acquisition: Finding Talent Your Competitors Overlook.” E-mail him at russ@eastwingsearchgroup.com.

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12

04 2009


by Jeff Compton
posted in DRIV Strategies
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