Walk Your Talk

One of my coaching clients is a communications consultant, specialising in significant (read: difficult, emotional, stressful) conversations. In a recent session, she mentioned that she felt uncomfortable promoting her services until she had more business experience.

But I pointed out to her that she already has plenty of relevant experience - for example:

• As an experienced salesperson, she's had to communicate effectively with clients and prospects;
• As a State manager and team leader, she's faced many tricky communication issues with her team - sometimes on personal, emotional and stressful issues;
• And as an active friend, daughter, sister and wife, she's had her fair share of communication issues in her personal relationships!

So she's got real, practical, hands-on experience with the sort of things she teaches her clients.

And that's better than all the theory in the world.

Experience matters. Many "experts" don't walk their talk; they don't practise what they preach. When you can draw on your own experience and have the maturity to step outside it and put it in context, you provide a richer, truer and more significant service to your clients.

It's not enough to have the experience alone. After all, that just gives you the authority to speak from one person's viewpoint. But it's also not enough to have the theory alone, either. You need both.

Are you faking it?

Can you honestly say that you're living proof of the things you claim to teach? Are you the poster child for your own keynotes, seminars and workshops? Or are you worried that some day you'll be "found out"?

"You Are Being Lied To".

Not my words, but the title of an excellent report by U.S. speaker Larry Winget. In it, he says,

"I know many of the world's leading customer service speakers and writers. Call them. You will be lucky to get your call returned.

I know many of the leading experts on leadership. Most of them can't keep employees working for them because they are such lousy leaders.

The relationship experts aren't usually in a relationship. The humorists aren't funny. The financial experts are broke. I even know experts on ethics and integrity who don't pay their bills.

These people clearly are not experts. They may be well known and they may have given lots of speeches and sold lots of books, but they aren't true experts."

Think it doesn't matter? Think again.

First, there's the basic ethical question about whether you should be teaching stuff you can't even live yourself.

But even if you don't believe that's a problem for you, there's the practical issue that people will find out, especially in the Age Of Google. And that can destroy your credibility and authority.

Consider this, for example: The day after Al Gore released his movie An Inconvenient Truth as part of his worldwide campaign for action against global warming, an investigation revealed that Gore's own household uses more electricity in a month than the average U.S. home in a year! However much Gore protested that there were special reasons for that, in many people's eyes, his credibility was immediately shattered.

So are you walking your talk? If not, take a different path or tell a different story.

Getting Through to the Technical Buyer

When you're delivering a message in a sales presentation, the person receiving the message might not be the only person who you have to convince. Solution: Get in front of the "economic buyer" - the guy/gal who signs the cheques.

Easy, right? Wrong.

It's not always easy to get to that person directly. More importantly, it might not be enough to convince that person alone. They might have final authority on spending the money, but they'll take advice from others about the purchasing decision.

In addition to the economic buyer, you might face the user buyer (who'll actually use the product) and the technical buyer (who decides how the product will fit into the organisation's structure).

The technical buyer might in fact be the person you most have to convince. Online marketing company Enquiro Research has released a free report, Marketing to a B2B Technical Buyer, which gives detailed ideas and guidelines for marketing to this species.

This is one of the best free research reports you'll ever read. I urge you to visit their site and download it now.

Goodbye, dear brand - I knew you well

I've just finished reading "Forced Focus - The Essence of Attracting and Retaining the Best People", by a client and colleague, Penny Burke. It's not just a great read for organisations looking to attract and keep employees; it also has value if you're working on your own organisation's brand. This is an essential concept for delivering a consistent message inside and outside your organisation.



I'm going to share one idea I love from the book (one of many!)

When Penny works with organisations on their branding, she uses some "Brand Personification Tools" to help them identify their brand. One tool I love is the "Brand Eulogy". Penny kindly gave me permission to include that extract from the book here:

"Another exercise I have used successfully as part of a Forced Focus approach to brand personification is encouraging people to eulogise a brand. A bit weird I know, but bear with me. First, you ask people to pretend that the brand in question is a person who has come to life, and can interact with you on a human level. Then you ask them to express how they would feel if that brand suddenly 'died'.

I ask people to actually write the eulogy for the ex-brand, and then reflect on the emotions they are feeling. I recently conducted a research study for Noodle Box, the Asian noodle chain, and included the eulogy writing exercise in the course of my research. This is one of the responses I received:

'Oh Noodle Box ... I didn't know you for very long, but the time we shared was magical. So tasty, so convenient, and oh, such good service. You always made me feel so special, like I was the only customer, when really your loyalty is spread over the vast region that is Melbourne. There is no substitute. Wednesday nights will never be the same. I only wish you'd lived long enough to share your blessing on an international scale – you had such potential.'

Pretty remarkable, huh? That sounds like a brand that has engaged with their consumer. Even more interesting however is the eulogy that I frequently see in employer branding workshops. They generally go something like this, which is from a company that shall remain nameless:

'It's sad you've passed away – but I'm more worried about me than I am about you. Even though I saw you every day I’m not sure I ever really knew you. You used to talk at me all the time. But I never really felt you were that interested in me. Oh well, I guess I'll miss you, but I'm sure I’ll find another friend.'

There's obviously a huge difference between the two eulogies, and it's not hard to see which one reflects the stronger brand engagement. While exercises such as this don't lead to a specific outcome, like the brand pyramid process, they do shed valuable light on where the brand is now, and how it is perceived both internally and externally."

So what would people say about your brand if it died? Is it brand or bland?

Forced Focus is available from Penny's Web site essencecomms.com.au.

The Three Keys to Sales Validation, by David Penglase

Whenever you're delivering a message that requires action, the other person is asking three questions in their mind:

1. Why this?
2. Why you?
3. Why now?

You must answer all three - otherwise they won't take action.

A friend and client, David Penglase, recently wrote about this in the context of sales success. He gave me permission to reprint an extract of the article from his journal.

Consciously or subconsiously in the psychology of consumerism, clients go through a series of validation questions to help them make their buying decision.

I was chatting recently with my good friend Gihan Perera who is one of Australia's leading experts on leveraging value, and he reminded me of three questions that were important for any consumers.

The 3 Vital Keys to Sales Validation

1. Why Me?

Here are 3 questions to help you apply this first vital key to sales validation.

1. What is your personal philosophy or premise about what you sell?
2. What significantly outstanding experience(s) have you had that gives you passion for what you sell?
3. What makes you the expert in what you sell, and who says so?

2. Why This?

Here are 3 questions to help you apply this second vital key to sales validation.

1. What problem do your target clients have that your products and services will fix?
2. What are the alternatives that clients have to buying your products and services?
3. Why is the product or service that you're recommending to the client right for them personally?

3. Why Now?

Here are 3 questions to help you apply this third vital key to sales validation.

1. What are the consequences if the client puts off buying from you?
2. What will be the benefit for the client (other than the value they would expect to receive) if the client buys from you now?
3. What will happen next when the client does buy from you (the actions and chain of events)?

When you take the time to ask yourself these questions, and then frame your answers to enable you to present them at various stages in the prospecting and selling process, you'll have achieved the 3 Vital Keys To Sales Validation, and helped your prospects and clients to make wise buying decisions.

David operates the sales resource site SalesCoachCentral.com.

Network marketing without stalking your friends

Network marketing is often touted as the answer to running a successful small business - using a simple, proven formula that anybody can do. But it also has a reputation for exploiting friendships and relationships for financial gain. In the network marketing game, some cynics call themselves "NFL members" - that is, No Friends Left!

What's the truth? Is there a way to do network marketing without stalking your friends? Yes, according to Kim Klaver. In her free report, "Friends, Lies and Network Marketing", she gives 12 tips for ethical, pressure-free success in network marketing.

Here are five of the tips:

1. Tell them up-front that you're selling.
2. Ask for referrals, not sales.
3. Use enthusiasm, not hype.
4. Recommend the smallest package.
5. Skip the therapy.

It might sound simple, but it's easy to get carried away with the hype of the marketing companies.

Read this report. Even if you're not involved in network marketing, it offers excellent ideas on delivering important messages in ways that are remembered, not rejected.

Is your writing letting you down?

Even in these days of information overload, a clean, crisp well-written piece can cut through the clutter and create lasting impact. Unfortunately, most people think they're poor at writing, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The good news is that you don't have to be a Hemingway, Shakespeare of Jane Austen to write a compelling article, report or even a book. Learn how to express yourself in writing - clearly, concisely and in a compelling way.

Berkeley puts its courses on YouTube

The University of California Berkeley is publishing many of its courses free on YouTube.

How can you do the same? Are your key messages available widely for the world to read, or are they hidden away in the offices - or worse, only the minds - of your organisation? Making them public doesn't diminish their value; it enhances it.

TeleClass on Publishing a Book

Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing is one of the best marketing consultants around. He's running a free teleclass soon about book publishing. Here's the blurb, if you're interested:

In case you missed it in More Clients, I'll be holding a
special free teleclass on book publishing with John Eggen
on Wednesday, October 10 at 1:00 Pacific (4:00 Eastern).

The title is: "Creating a Book that Attracts New Clients
and Generates Multiple Streams of Income"

If you've ever thought of publishing a book but aren't
sure what to do or where to start, this teleclass will
give you the information you're looking for.

I've worked with John over the years to introduce his
hands-on publishing programs to 161 of my clients
with great success. John really delivers.

Now John's about to launch a new program soon, so
I've asked him to do this special teleclass with me.

If you've ever considered publishing a book, this teleclass
is the place to be on Wednesday the 10th.

To sign up for the teleclass just go to:

www.mypublishingopportunity.com/actionplan

See you on the TeleClass!

Robert Middleton
Action Plan Marketing

Who are the heroes in your stories?

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of creating magnetic, memorable messages. And one of the reasons stories work is because they have a hero, who we can identify with. Use this list of heroic characters to understand the different types of hero, so you can incorporate them into your stories for greater impact.

Learn how to craft powerful stories here.

Always be persuading

In public speaking courses, beginners are taught that a speech has one of three purposes: To entertain, to inform or to persuade. But what if you looked at every presentation as an opportunity to persuade - even if you're informing or entertaining as well?

In this free report, To Inform Or To Persuade?, David Brenner makes exactly this point. It's a quick and easy read, and particularly relevant for you if you make presentations in the workplace.