Business is a dynamic. You can never sit still as a critical part of business is continuing to develop and enhance relationships for growth.
When I started out in selling I was a great cold-caller - I would cold-call all day just to get that appointment. However, as one gets smarter with experience, I realised that the most powerful business tool today is the ability to network.
We live in a connected world - everyone can reach anyone with just a mobile call or text - you just need the permission to do so. Permission selling - just like permission marketing on the Net - is about having a person willing enough to meet with you with a view to seeing where the value might lie, for them, in spending some time with you and seeing what it is you can do for them. Networking is always about the other person and never about us.
The value of that 'permission-based' meeting is either to identify areas where you can specifically help that person or where they can help you with a referral to, not one, but two other people.
Getting referrals in 'twos' from everyone you meet creates a 'living' network - one that is far more dynamic than just getting a single referral. It has both width - and if you get two referrals from each of the people you were referred to - it has depth. This is what can build powerful foundations to a career or a business.
Showing posts with label eagles of selling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eagles of selling. Show all posts
Monday, 10 March 2008
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Tehran Day 2
The sessions on Selling in Colour and using Advanced Sales Questioning techniques for influencing people went very well today. Lovely people, very friendly and eager to learn.
You feel a little like a rock star with their desire to have photographs taken of you everytime you speak. The other two speakers Paul Archer and Sandro Forte are experienced speakers in this country and almost used to the attention right now.
This is a country of huge potential - great wealth, great size, pro-Western in many ways, that I fear will never accomplish its potential on the world stage. The potential for tourism industry alone is enormous - from fabulous ski runs around Tehran to tropical climates all year round further south - from adventure sports to places of archaeological interests.
Accessing broadband and wi fi here would strain the patience of a saint as well - and my Blackberry for some reason doesn't work here - yet the UK guys on O2 have working mobiles. O2 in Ireland ..hello? The lack of contact is frustrating but one adapts. Life on the road as a professional speaker is always full of trials...!
You feel a little like a rock star with their desire to have photographs taken of you everytime you speak. The other two speakers Paul Archer and Sandro Forte are experienced speakers in this country and almost used to the attention right now.
This is a country of huge potential - great wealth, great size, pro-Western in many ways, that I fear will never accomplish its potential on the world stage. The potential for tourism industry alone is enormous - from fabulous ski runs around Tehran to tropical climates all year round further south - from adventure sports to places of archaeological interests.
Accessing broadband and wi fi here would strain the patience of a saint as well - and my Blackberry for some reason doesn't work here - yet the UK guys on O2 have working mobiles. O2 in Ireland ..hello? The lack of contact is frustrating but one adapts. Life on the road as a professional speaker is always full of trials...!
Sunday, 6 January 2008
New Year Plans
The New Year has begun and we are all quickly back into the swing of things. Funny how things quickly return to normality after the holiday season.
However, some exciting journies over the next few months - first to New York where I will be doing some radio interviews about Rebel Island and then to Tehran in February where I will be running a series of sales seminars.
The Eagles of Selling audio programme should also be released in February - incorporating 2 Minute Selling, Selling in Colour, Advanced Sales Questions - The Power of Influence and Stop Hesitating - Start Selling. In addition, I am working on a corporate licensing programme making the G2S coaching system available in-house for corporates as a coaching and mentoring skills training for managers.
Plus 'Rebel in a Business Suit - a Handbook for R-Evolutionaries' will be completed and the practice requires a lot of attention as well as we are opening the business in London within the next 6 weeks also.
Busy eh?
However, some exciting journies over the next few months - first to New York where I will be doing some radio interviews about Rebel Island and then to Tehran in February where I will be running a series of sales seminars.
The Eagles of Selling audio programme should also be released in February - incorporating 2 Minute Selling, Selling in Colour, Advanced Sales Questions - The Power of Influence and Stop Hesitating - Start Selling. In addition, I am working on a corporate licensing programme making the G2S coaching system available in-house for corporates as a coaching and mentoring skills training for managers.
Plus 'Rebel in a Business Suit - a Handbook for R-Evolutionaries' will be completed and the practice requires a lot of attention as well as we are opening the business in London within the next 6 weeks also.
Busy eh?
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
Busy Week
This week's a busy one for me.
I have just completed filming a piece for an new internet TV channel for sales and small business professionals and then this evening I am presenting in front of a 100 sales people at an event called The Closers Club at Dublin's Westbury Hotel.
There I'm discussing the '6 Secrets of Networking' and hoping to present the message about how networking is the professional business development tool of the 21st century. It reduces time wasted on cold calling, allows you to target qualified prospects and allows you to build rapport and trust with them in a relaxed surroundings - all of which is a great start to looking for a meeting at a later point when you can make any formal business pitch. Check out the practice website for more articles on networking in the sales section.
Tomorrow I am meeting the Private Secretary to the President of Ireland for lunch to discuss networking on a more global scale - the network of the Irish disapora - and I am also scheduled to be profiled for the Rebel project in the careers sections of The Times (of London).
Finally, I make my debut singing Sinatra at a charity event for cancer on Friday with a 25-piece big band at Ireland's largest sports stadium Croke Park.
Then to bed for the weekend......
I have just completed filming a piece for an new internet TV channel for sales and small business professionals and then this evening I am presenting in front of a 100 sales people at an event called The Closers Club at Dublin's Westbury Hotel.
There I'm discussing the '6 Secrets of Networking' and hoping to present the message about how networking is the professional business development tool of the 21st century. It reduces time wasted on cold calling, allows you to target qualified prospects and allows you to build rapport and trust with them in a relaxed surroundings - all of which is a great start to looking for a meeting at a later point when you can make any formal business pitch. Check out the practice website for more articles on networking in the sales section.
Tomorrow I am meeting the Private Secretary to the President of Ireland for lunch to discuss networking on a more global scale - the network of the Irish disapora - and I am also scheduled to be profiled for the Rebel project in the careers sections of The Times (of London).
Finally, I make my debut singing Sinatra at a charity event for cancer on Friday with a 25-piece big band at Ireland's largest sports stadium Croke Park.
Then to bed for the weekend......
Friday, 28 September 2007
Networking
Networking has been the predominant theme for me this week.
Starting with a 'tekkie brekkie' for engineers in a Dublin hotel with Engineers Ireland, where I endeavoured to educate professional engineers into the secrets of networking, to attending a high-energy meeting of the May Street Economic Forum in Belfast yesterday.
Professionals of all kinds need to understand that networking is the business tool of the 21st century. For sales and business development people it's a powerful tool for sales growth and for professionals, their own career growth. It allows you to expand your networks of influence far and wide, increasing your personal power, brand and opportunities - and all of it without having to pick up a phone and calling someone you have never met.
There is a whole psychology to networking within a room and none of it has to do with the traditional stereotype of the 'brass-necked conversation hijacker' who launches themselves into the middle of other people's conversations. Networking can be learnt - check out my Eagles of Selling programme.
The secret to networking is that its always about the other person - your interest is in them, not you. People like to be listened to, it helps them relax and feel valued and it positions the listener in a very positive frame with those to whom they listen. If you can get permission to engage, you get permission to develop a powerful future relationship. It's a social skill too - many's the time I've had men and women come up to me afterwards saying that they wished they'd learnt these skills prior to getting married...!
Your own networks can also be highly diverse - as I said, networking brought me from a room of professional engineers in Dublin to Belfast business people looking to revitalise the city's community and economic spirit after decades of conflict and then to connecting with colleagues in New York through the e-networking medium Skype.
Reach out - see where it takes you.
Starting with a 'tekkie brekkie' for engineers in a Dublin hotel with Engineers Ireland, where I endeavoured to educate professional engineers into the secrets of networking, to attending a high-energy meeting of the May Street Economic Forum in Belfast yesterday.
Professionals of all kinds need to understand that networking is the business tool of the 21st century. For sales and business development people it's a powerful tool for sales growth and for professionals, their own career growth. It allows you to expand your networks of influence far and wide, increasing your personal power, brand and opportunities - and all of it without having to pick up a phone and calling someone you have never met.
There is a whole psychology to networking within a room and none of it has to do with the traditional stereotype of the 'brass-necked conversation hijacker' who launches themselves into the middle of other people's conversations. Networking can be learnt - check out my Eagles of Selling programme.
The secret to networking is that its always about the other person - your interest is in them, not you. People like to be listened to, it helps them relax and feel valued and it positions the listener in a very positive frame with those to whom they listen. If you can get permission to engage, you get permission to develop a powerful future relationship. It's a social skill too - many's the time I've had men and women come up to me afterwards saying that they wished they'd learnt these skills prior to getting married...!
Your own networks can also be highly diverse - as I said, networking brought me from a room of professional engineers in Dublin to Belfast business people looking to revitalise the city's community and economic spirit after decades of conflict and then to connecting with colleagues in New York through the e-networking medium Skype.
Reach out - see where it takes you.
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Adventures in Asia
I recently enjoyed running a seminar for a group of people hosted by KrisTEL Communications in Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia which is celebrating 50 years of independence from Britain this year.
Fantastic group of people and a great response - my thanks to Amita Krishna MD of KrisTEL for the invitation.
Asia is fantastic - talk about customer service - there was nothing people were not happy to do for you - and I mean happy. Special mention to all the staff in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I arrived in KL the morning before - early - family in tow and No 2 son asleep in my arms - wasted after a long trip. Expecting to hear the response one would expect in the West (room not ready so you'll have to wait until it is) - I was resigned to sitting in reception for 6 hours.
Not a bit. Greeted professionally and warmly by my name - they announced that our rooms were not ready...BUT they had arranged an apartment for us to sleep and refresh ourselves until our rooms were ready.
We were immediately escorted to our room and room service delivered an excellent breakfast promptly. On being moved to our rooms later that day and finding them not as requested, without a word or even a hint of upset on behalf of the staff (you can never be sure how you'll be greeted in this country with even minimal requests) - we were promptly moved to another apartment where we spent the rest of an amazing 4 days in KL.
Well done to the management and individual staff at the Mandarin Oriental in KL. They exemplified one of the traits of the rebels - the value of service to others. Not just from a business perspective but also at a personal level. The desire to serve others to the best of one's ability and the satisfaction to be gained from doing this.
We'll be back.
Fantastic group of people and a great response - my thanks to Amita Krishna MD of KrisTEL for the invitation.
Asia is fantastic - talk about customer service - there was nothing people were not happy to do for you - and I mean happy. Special mention to all the staff in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. I arrived in KL the morning before - early - family in tow and No 2 son asleep in my arms - wasted after a long trip. Expecting to hear the response one would expect in the West (room not ready so you'll have to wait until it is) - I was resigned to sitting in reception for 6 hours.
Not a bit. Greeted professionally and warmly by my name - they announced that our rooms were not ready...BUT they had arranged an apartment for us to sleep and refresh ourselves until our rooms were ready.
We were immediately escorted to our room and room service delivered an excellent breakfast promptly. On being moved to our rooms later that day and finding them not as requested, without a word or even a hint of upset on behalf of the staff (you can never be sure how you'll be greeted in this country with even minimal requests) - we were promptly moved to another apartment where we spent the rest of an amazing 4 days in KL.
Well done to the management and individual staff at the Mandarin Oriental in KL. They exemplified one of the traits of the rebels - the value of service to others. Not just from a business perspective but also at a personal level. The desire to serve others to the best of one's ability and the satisfaction to be gained from doing this.
We'll be back.
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