A twitter friend of mine, @GarrettPierson invited me to answer several thought-provoking questions about “what success takes.” My answers to the questions, along with the answers from several other successful business people, will be included in his upcoming book, “What Success Takes,” so keep your eye out for it. In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy the following video presentation regarding what leads to success in life.
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What Success Takes
Can Negotiation Skills Get You Better Deals?
“You’ll never know if you don’t ask.” - Unknown
One day I decided to contact a company selling 900#s as a business opportunity. No, I wasn’t going to use it to sell any of the services 900 numbers were commonly known for in the late 80s and early 90s. I was going to use the number to offer marketing coaching services. Good idea? I certainly thought so.
Anyway, with a list of companies selling 900# services in hand, I picked up the phone and started on what turned out to be a short search. You see, seconds later, I was on the phone with a rep for one of the companies on my list. He asked me a few questions and then launched into his presentation. It sounded as if he was reading a script! After he was finished, I quickly asked about the investment required to start.
Beliefs Impact Negotiations
“In Business As In Life – You Don’t Get What You Deserve, You Get What You Negotiate” – Chester Karrass
Do you believe that statement? I don’t! However, at first glance it seemed to be a very valid statement to me. Then I began remembering several contradictory experiences which caused me to conclude that, to become a successful negotiator–you must believe that you deserve what your asking for!
One of these experiences occurred during a beautiful sunny, but cool, early fall day in South Carolina. A colleague and I were considering a business proposal that included meeting nearly 100 fascinating people, making a difference, earning a significant amount of money and a beachfront view. Irresistible offer? It was–until the following words were spoken in a rather firm tone:
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Negotiations Made Easy
Sometime ago a friend, client, and business partner of mine informed me that the VP of Finance at a company contacted him for advice. In their face-to-face meeting, this young gentleman, who was fresh out of college, humbly admitted that the company which used to generate about $25 million a year was quickly approaching Niagara Falls’ edge.
You see, unfortunately the company’s executives made some errors in judgment that apparently threatened to wipe the company out. In fact, by the time that initial meeting occurred, the company was over three quarters of million dollars in debt without any significant revenue. By the way, it was the only time I’d ever met men willing to admit they were in over their heads.
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Perceptual Persuasion
What is Perceptual Persuasion? Hold your horses! First, let me tell you a brief story.
One summer’s day, back when I was a tall and skinny teenager, sleeping late into the day after staying up all night, I was awakened by a noise outside my bedroom window. Initially, I lay there slightly startled but as the noise continued, it became apparent that someone was attempting to open my window. As you might imagine, my heart began pounding as I rose from my bed and headed toward the window.
Slowly, I peeked out the blinds to see what the burglar looked like, so that I could describe him to the police later. While peeking through a small space in the blinds, I definitely saw the burglar, and I was completely shocked! You see, the person attempting to break into my home was someone who I called “friend!”
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Strategic Influence Objective Number One Explained
On Thursday, November 20th, I posted an article to this blog titled Three Strategic Influence Objectives. In this post, I will briefly explain what you should do to achieve the #1 Strategic Influence Objective which is…
Focus on being deepest in peoples’ hearts, instead of only being top of mind
The fact is, actually accomplishing this objective is more about who you are, than what you do. Quite frankly, I could stop right there and end this post. Couldn’t I?
I mean, you’ve come across people online and offline who have touched your heart, haven’t you? I certainly have. I’m curious. Have you noticed any commonalities? Here’s what my personal experience and research has uncovered:
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Three Strategic Influence Objectives
Monday night, David Bullock, the sales and advertising optimizer, joined me on my BlogTalkRadio show Immediate Influence. You’ll be interested in knowing that David is also a brilliant marketing and business development consultant. The topic of my conversation with David? Tripling your customer base!
You might want to listen to that show, now, before reading the rest of this post. It’s easy! See the BlogTalkRadio image over there in the far right column? Just click the player.
You might be asking, “Is it necessary for me listen to the show before reading this post?” No, it’s not… though I highly suggest it because we discussed some key actions for you to take in order to thrive in this economy.
One key action to take in any economy is to think strategically before using a particular Social Media and/or Social Networking tool (i.e, twitter, Friendfeed, tumblr, facebook, LinkedIn) to accomplish certain marketing objectives (e.g. attract targeted traffic, generate qualified leads, and convert leads to buyers).
Make sense?
Let’s back up a moment and take a look at how to think strategically. After all, it’s what we’re suppose to do before using any Social Media/Social Networking tool or any other marketing channel. Simply put, thinking strategically requires you to clarify what you or your company must represent in the minds of your target audience in order to accomplish your objectives. For example, if you want to generate tons of qualified leads from twitter, long-term, you will need to build relationships, gain trust, be liked, be popular, and become a trusted advisor and recognized expert. Get the picture?
Feel like you’re back in high school? It’s okay if you do. Rest assured, you aren’t alone!
Pssst, don’t tell anyone this. I feel the same way sometimes.
Moving on.
As you consider what you or your company must represent in the minds of your customer, I’d like to know something. Did you notice that these strategies are what powerful and influential people have in common? If you want to enjoy long-term success in the age of Social Media and Social Networking, it would be a good idea to master influence.
With that in mind, instead of only contemplating marketing, I humbly request that you also ponder these three Strategic Influence Objectives (SIO) to attain more fulfilling and satisfying results with your marketing efforts.
- SIO #1 Focus on being deepest in peoples’ hearts, instead of only being top of mind.
- SIO #2 Focus on compelling people to tell others about you without even having to request it.
- SIO #3 Focus on solidifying yourself as a powerful resource of exclusive information which ultimately leads to deepening your customers/clients/prospects belief that you are the expert of choice.
With your success in mind,
Ron
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