Changing Behavior Part I, by Ellen Martin
October 30, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Behavior change is one of the keys to successfully becoming more productive and more organized. Setting up routines for maintenance is the most important step in the organizing process. This is the step that requires the most dedication and hard work on the part of the individual or organization. Regular maintenance is what keeps a space organized. Routines ensure that your desk stays clear and your calendar and to do list are manageable. Getting organized whether in your office or at home takes a level commitment that most don’t realize.
Baby Steps
Taking small steps in the beginning of the routine developing process will show that this approach really works. For example, when I begin work with a client we will identify one small task that can be worked on daily over a couple of weeks. Once that task is mastered we move on to another. Eventually everything falls into place and routines are ingrained. When working in the home the most common first step is keeping the kitchen counter clear of paper and objects that don’t belong. The objective is to spend some time each evening putting things where they belong. If they don’t have a permanent home at least getting them to the room in which they belong is an excellent bit of progress. In the office we focus on the desktop. Stop work each day about 30 minutes early and get everything on the desktop put away either where it actually belongs or at least a temporary holding spot.
Ellen
Organizing Your Space. Simplifying Your LIfe.
www.organizationalexperts.com
Customize Your Presentation for Any Audience (Part 2 of 3), by Myra Corrello, PhD
October 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here are three more tips to help you connect with any audience:
- Use statistical analogies that are special to them. Effectively conveying statistics is often a challenging necessity. Most of us don’t process statistical data as easy as more conceptual information. Often, it’s hard to grasp the magnitude of what the statistics are supposed to convey. Your goal should be to look for measures your audience are very familiar with and then use those numbers as comparisons to the new data you’re presenting. For example, when I speak about the geographic devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I often compare the square mileage of the audience’s county or state (a size they’re very familiar with) to the total square mileage of the hurricane’s devastation. Often, the comparison is over 100 times the familiar comparison level. That catches attention. Especially if it is portrayed as a graphic. There are numerous websites full of interesting statistics that can be used for this type of comparison. Be creative!
- Tell a story and feature one of their referent leaders as the main character. One of the most effective ways to increase your presentation effectiveness is by crafting a great story that incorporates your key messages. Professional speakers rely heavily on signature stories as the cornerstone of their presentation – beautifully blending together ideas and emotions. A great story connects with your audience on emotional, personal, and intellectual levels. Increase the impact of the story by personalizing it to each new audience. Find a good sport within the organization that everyone knows and likes. Make that person the “star” of your story. Your meeting host will be a great source for identifying an ideal target. This is an especially effective technique if the story is slightly humorous. Just make sure to keep the story respectful and in good taste.
- Feature an item from the morning paper. Community news creates an instant common bond. Even better when you creatively weave it into your key points. If your presentation is in a different locality, you will score big points as an outsider for the extra effort to meet them on their turf. A local sports victory, a school recognition, or a new cultural attraction can be a great source of community pride. Find a way to give them kudos for their community accomplishment while reinforcing a key message in your presentation.
Using familiar statistics, a popular co-worker, or an item from the morning paper can make your presentation feel fresh and updated. What other techniques have you used to give your presentation a more customized touch?
Myra
Helping Individuals and Organizations Increase Their Image, Influence, and Impact
MyraCorrello.com
5 Ways to Use LinkedIn for Job Search
October 22, 2008 | 1 Comment
If you are looking for a new job, LinkedIn.com is one of the most important places to be. Here are 5 Ways you can used LinkedIn in the job search process.
1. Present Yourself with a Professional Profile
Creating a profile only takes a few minutes but creating a profile that gets you the job you want will require a significant investment of time and energy. Like a resume, your profile should highlight your greatest accomplishments so employers who view your profile can quickly see why they should hire you.
2. Get Solid Recommendations On Your Profile
Get in touch with former managers and request a LinkedIn recommendation from them. Next, if you work directly with clients, you may want recommendations that highlight your strengths from a client perspective. Tip: If you have received complimentary emails in the past from bosses or clients, repurpose those emails by replying back to the author asking if they would be willing to post their words of recommendation on your LinkedIn profile.
3. Use Job Search to Identify Available Positions of Interest
The Job Search tool on LinkedIn is unique from other Job databases because you can see who in your network is connected to someone in the company that has posted the job. Tip: Request a personal introduction to the job poster by someone in your network who is connected to the person posting the job.
4. Use People Search To Identify Hiring Personnel
On LinkedIn, you can search people by various information such as keywords, titles and location. For example, if you are a CPA moving to Atlanta and need to begin your job search. Here is what you could do: Search people by
Industry: Accounting Industry
Location: Near 30303 (an Atlanta zip code)
Title: HR
Your search results will show who fits these criteria in your network and in the greater LinkedIn network.
5. Answer Questions in Your Area of Expertise to Increase Your Exposure
To gain greater exposure and put a spotlight on your areas of expertise, search Answers on LinkedIn for questions related to your expertise. Answer as many as you can to the best of your ability. By entering the conversation, you will be exposed to new contacts many of whom may be recruiters or employers who are looking for an expert in your industry.
If you have specific questions regarding how to use LinkedIn for Job searches, please post them as comments and I will answer them in a future post! Thanks for joining the conversation.
Michelle Cullison, New Media Strategist
Daystar Digital Development, Inc.
We develop and implement measurable web marketing plans to help businesses grow.
Are You a Leader?
October 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
No, I didn’t ask you for your job title or position. I asked if you are a leader.
Just because a person has a title, doesn’t mean that they are truly a “leader”. Likewise, all leaders don’t necessarily have a leadership title or position. You can be a leader wherever you are and in whatever you do.
We each have opportunities to lead in our everyday life – despite our station in life, education level, position, years of experience, and yes, title. It’s really a matter of doing whatever we do with enthusiasm, energy, and pride. This is an approach that I personally adopted some time ago, and it is something that I am really passionate about.
Leadership guru, (and one of my favorite authors), John Maxwell, describes leadership as positive influence. I love this definition because I do believe that without influence, you won’t be much of a leader. A person can graduate from the top of the best business schools, solve technical problems like a wizard, reason circles around the best thinkers in the world, have years of technical and situational experience, and still be more likely to fail than succeed – unless, they have the appropriate people and social skills.
Are you a leader? A good measure of your leadership ability is to ask yourself this question: “If you had no title or ability to reward or penalize others, could you still get them to follow you?”
If you answered yes, then you are a leader! When you do your job, regardless of how menial or seemingly unimportant, with enthusiasm, energy, and pride, you are serving as a leader. When you go above and beyond what others might think is your job, you are a leader. When your daily actions and efforts have great positive impact on those around you, you are a leader.
Another question I like to use is, “Do you consistently do the right thing, even when no one is watching?” If you can answer yes, then you are a leader. One of my favorite quotes is from William Shakespeare: “To thine ownself be true.” This pretty much sums up the concept that to be a true leader, you must have integrity. If you have integrity, others will notice, trust you, and be inspired and influenced to behave the same way.
Even if you don’t currently have the title of “leader”, if you behave as a true leader would behave, you can improve your organization and your own career.
So what are some other characteristics of a true leader? Let me know what traits and behaviors top your list. Think of a great leader that you know. What words would you use to describe him/her?
Looking forward to hearing from you…
To your success,
Jennifer
Ledet Management Consulting
Grow Your People. Grow Your Business
The 5 Foundational Steps to Sales Success – Part 2, by Tiffanie Lyon
October 9, 2008 | 1 Comment
Here are the first 3 foundational steps to sales success from the previous blog posting:
Step #1- Believe in your value: You provide a product or service of high value. Bring back the passion for what you do and share the benefit they receive by investing in you and your company.
Step #2- Fine-tune your USP (unique selling proposition): This is your elevator pitch. You might believe in the value you offer and have passion for it, but how do you convey this to others when they ask what you do?
Step #3- Build rapport, trust and relationships with people: People buy from people they like. Be real. Be genuine. Be approachable. Now let’s continue with the last two steps that are more tactical sales techniques. But don’t fear! They still will be in your nature and somewhat easy to implement:
Step #4- Communicate with strategic questioning and active listening: When you first begin a dialog with someone, especially if you’re trying to qualify them to see if they are a viable candidate to purchase your product or service, it’s beneficial to use open-ended questions (“how”, “what”, “why”). You want to be genuine and sincere and really try to understand them, before trying to be understood (from Stephen Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People). In the next feature article below, I go in more detail on this topic and provide actual examples and a downloadable form.
Strategic questioning is moot if you don’t use active listening to really absorb the information and process it. Active listening involves 1) you are listening with a purpose, 2) you give your un-divided attention to the person and 3) you verify your understanding. Verifying simply means you will use confirming statements to repeat back what you heard to make sure you understand. For example:
“Let me make sure I understand you correctly:”
“If I heard you correctly:”
“Let me confirm what I think I hear you saying:”
Step #5- Understanding the sales process for getting the results you want: Everybody has a sales process, but not everybody recognizes it. It’s important to understand your own sales process so you will know your next steps and ideally shorten the process to make sales faster.
Some people have a fast sales cycle (instant-3 days) and others may have much longer sales cycle (3 weeks- 12 months or more). Again, this is NOT high pressure selling; it’s just having a “system” that will get you results. If you’re following the first 4 “steps” and selling from within, the sales process will flow seamlessly. For you visual folks, the sales process is likened to a sales funnel-prospects go into the funnel and as they move through the funnel they are going through the steps of the sale and then ultimately come out the bottom as a new customer. An example of a sales process might be:
- Identifying a new opportunity
- Approach/begin a dialog
- Schedule appointment (face to face or telephone)
- Analysis Complete (this is your questioning)
- Proposal submitted (if appropriate)
- Contract signed (if used)
Keep these 5 foundational steps in mind and you WILL see that implementing sales techniques and selling your services is easier than you thought. Happy Selling! ☺
Tiffanie Lyon
Lyon Sales Institute
Sales is not a Dirty Word
