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How important is Liked - Respected - Trusted?

Mark Weisberger — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:30:00 GMT

How you are perceived is of great importance when it comes to gaining greater success!

The three words: "liked," "respected," and "trusted" are often grouped together. It is important to step back and review the role of each when it comes to communicating information, ideas, viewpoints and leadership.

Liked: This is a common term used to describe people who have a special "connecting" quality. They are fun to be around. Usually, they are good story tellers or good joke tellers. They make us laugh and enjoy the moment.

Respected: Think of those that you respect. Some individuals we respect, we know on a personal basis; others we may have never met. In some cases, we may not even like the individual but we respect them. Respect is often based on integrity, the track record of delivering what was promised, making the hard decision instead of the easiest, communicating the reasons for a decision, communicating with honesty instead of "shades of honesty" or half truths, sharing knowledge, being up front, admitting to mistakes and taking responsibility.

Trusted: The third of the "big three." When we step back, we often discover that we can enjoy the interaction with those we like but in some cases we do not respect or trust that individual. Trust is often considered the pinnacle. It is also the most "perishable" of the three. It can take a lifetime to build and a millisecond to destroy.

Trust is the unique quality, that when all things are equal, tip the balance in your favor.

Each of us is constantly communicating and each interface gives us the chance to project the "big three."

It is important to remember that from the standpoint of value to you it boils down to Trusted - Respected - Liked!

Pause...put them in your order. Today is the day to begin your application!

Successful Communicating!

John Connellan

John Connellan is the founder of The Executive Technique. I recently had the opportunity to participate in the Listern Train of Thought Training with John, it is excellent and is full of Common Sense Selling. This is one of his recent tips. The Executive Technique MasterThe Executive Technique was started in Chicago in 1975, with the sole mission of helping companies and individuals maximize their person-to-person communication skills and techniques helping them to be more effective and confident in everyday communication.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Common Sense Buying - Share your hobbies for the holidays

Mark Weisberger — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:30:00 GMT

I have had fun learning digital photography and taking pictures of family and friends. Mostly I enjoy taking action pictures. I am often asked by people what camera to buy and here are my thoughts.

I know photographers who are artists. However, I take mostly action sports pictures for fun and memories. Some people over analyze the bells and whistles of the cameras and compare picture quality for a poster sized print with a magnifying glass, if this is you read no further.

For Fun, I recommend a Point and Shoot

These are the pocket size cameras that start at around $100. They take good snapshots and are great for trips. Again I have had very good luck with Canon and still use a 5 year old digital ELPH. The new Canon G11 is an excellent camera that has many of the features of a DSLR.

When choosing a P&S, I highly recommend trying them in the store. Things to consider are size, speed, optical zoom and options.

Size – The ultra compacts look great but can be too small for some. For example, people over a certain age may prefer a larger P&S because the buttons are larger and easier to find. I prefer the really small because it fits in my pocket. Go somewhere and try the different sizes.

Speed – How fast does the picture take once you push the button? This can range from immediate to what seems like an eternity. Again, try it out. If the photographer is not perfectly still during this time gap or the subject is moving, you may get a blurred picture.

Optical zoom – How far will you be from most of your subjects? Some P&S cameras have a very short zoom range that may be perfect for snapshots, these may not be so great if you are taking pictures in a distance. Also, digital zoom is nice but the picture quality degrades quickly, even for 4x6 prints.

Options – There are too many to go through, but check them out. For example, I like having an old fashion viewfinder along with the display, for some this doesn’t matter. Check it out.

For sports and quality prints, I recommend a DSLR. (Digital camera that allows you to change lenses) This is also for fun…

For sports you want a high camera speed. What I mean is fast focus, minimal shutter delay and high frames per second. For a sports lens you also want speed. Some lenses focus faster than others and you may want a zoom. It is best to have a high aperture (small f-stop); this makes it faster and lets you take pictures in low light.

My preference is Canon and is based on my experience with their cameras. Canon makes three levels of DSLR. Nikon is also a great camera but I have never owned one. My suggestion is to stay one of these two brands.

Things to look for:

Pixel counts-most all of the DSLR's are 10 mega pixels or more. This is fine for almost any home use of the image. If you are viewing on a computer or normal size prints you will not notice a difference of anything over 10mp. I have made prints with my 10mp camera of 16x24 and they look great.

ISO-Canon cameras have an ISO of 100-1600+. This means that you will be able to take pictures in cloudy or dark conditions. This is part of the speed equation mentioned earlier, the higher the ISO the faster the shutter speed. Also, the higher the ISO the higher the noise level which will add a grain to the picture. Personally I can live with some grain if I can get a good picture of sacking the quarterback.

Raw format-all cameras take pictures in a jpeg format. It is nice to have Camera Raw also. I will not go into detail but this will give you extra flexibility in some situation that will help overcome a poorly exposed picture.

Camera Bodies:

The Canon Rebel is the entry level (price only, not functions)DSLR. They take very good pictures but are slower to focus and slower frames per second (3). On the good side they are small and light.

The next level up is the 40D/50D and 7D. The 7D is the newer model. The 40D is what I currently use and it takes great pictures. These have very fast frames per second (6) and have fast focus. These models are heavier and larger than the Rebel and are more rugged.

The top level is the Mark series. In my opinion these are for professionals. These camera bodies are faster, waterproof and heavier. They are also much more expensive. But if you have the muscle and money, go for it.

Camera Lens

A really good lens on any of these cameras will take great sports pictures. You can go crazy over lenses, which is what makes a DSLR so flexible. I would recommend starting with a lower priced lens (kit lens) then upgrading later when you know exactly what you want. You can easily spend more money on a lens than a camera body and will see a huge difference in picture quality.

I use a Canon 70-200 2.8L lens. I have had it for several years and really like it. It's one of the white lenses like the pros use, so it looks like you know what you are doing - even when you don't. It is heavy and many people do not like the extra weight. It is hard to hold without a monopod for very long.

I also have a Canon 70-300 and it will take good sports picture in good daylight. It is smaller and lighter but is not as fast.

I use the Canon 17-85 for close ups and like it as well. I usually take this one skiing because it is smaller and lighter.

There are non-Canon lenses from Tamron, Sigma and others. They are usually less money but do not always take the best picture. Again - my opinion.

I have had good luck with www.bhphoto.com. They have a great selection, good prices and helpful staff. They have a great store in NYC that is fun to visit if you are in town.

Have fun taking pictures.

Mark Weisberger-Share your Common Sense

Treat everyone you meet with respect

Mark Weisberger — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:11:00 GMT

Influence in a sales situation can come from any level of your prospect's organizational chart. Obviously you want to respect the CEO’s administrative assistant, but do you know for certain that the receptionist is not the CEO’s daughter-in-law? What about the systems analyst, the marketing assistant, the training room coordinator…

A common sense rule is to treat everyone you meet as you would like to be treated. You never know who has the ear of the decision maker. What is the harm of being pleasant? It is easy to be pleasant, even when you disagree with or are impatient with someone.

Profit from your Common Sense – Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Sales Tool or Sales Distraction

Mark Weisberger — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:54:00 GMT

Social media is the hot topic being discussed related to sales. Can it be used in the world of enterprise selling? I believe that there are uses for social media in sales and the use will increase with higher adoption rates and more functionality. Social media applications have been introduced as standalone communication solutions similar to how email, PowerPoint and sales force automation were first made available. DO NOT expect social media to replace good selling fundamentals and sales process. My initial thought is that social media will help with suspect/prospect communication and collaboration to support Sales 2.0.

While social media has the potential to increase productivity, it can become a distraction or obsession. When PowerPoint was first available it was great because it replaced the Kodak projectors and slide trays, but I also remember sales people spending hours building new presentations, clearly not the best use of their time. The same can be said for the initial implementations of sales force automation, many of the productivity benefits were wasted during the implementation. It is now hard to imagine a sales process without these tools. The typical life cycle phases for sales tools are:

Ignore It ------ Waste time on It ------ Incorporate It ------ Can’t live without It

I believe we are in the “Waste time on It” phase with social media. The key will be understanding how social media can be used to increase productivity and then move on to the “Can’t live without It” phase with minimal distraction from real selling. My suggestion is to think how you may want to use it for selling, and then pass it along to the field marketing or sales enablement team for buildup and rollout.

I am interested in how others are currently using social media for selling. In other words, let us all benefit from your distractions!!

Profit from your Common Sense – Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Lead-In phrases

Mark Weisberger — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:51:00 GMT

Everyone does it and it is OK - to a degree. Sales presentations are typically full of buzzwords, meaningless phrases and old clichés. Pay close attention to the phrases you commonly use and how often you repeat them – If you don’t, your prospect will. I have heard of prospects actually counting how many times a salesperson/presenter says a certain phrase or lead-in.

Some examples are:

     If a sales person begins every statement with," to be honest" (honestly,
     I will be honest with you, etc) the prospect will begin to wonder when
     a statement is less than honest.

     A while back I sat through a colleague’s presentation and he kept repeating,
     "It’s all about …" for each topic he presented. "It’s all about ease of use",
     "It’s all about security", "It’s all about ubiquitous interoperability", "It’s all
     about quality service"… At the end of the presentation no one was sure
     what it was all about.  Personally, I would recommend NEVER using this phrase.

Others lead-ins include:

     "Look, …" Only say this if the person is looking out the window at something more interesting

     "Listen , …"

     "At the end of the day, …."

     "The bottom line is …"

     "Mission Critical"

     "Hey, we're not here to boil the ocean..."

Used sparingly these phrases can help make a point or draw the prospects attention to what is truly important, just be careful how often you repeat yourself.

What are some of the catch phrases or lead-ins you have heard backfire on sales people?

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Sports, fear, failure, hard work and common sense.

Mark Weisberger — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:42:00 GMT

I ran across this in an old file today and wanted to pass it along. This is a great read by Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball, Liar's Poker, Coach and other good books. Here is the link to the story, Coach Fitz's Management Theory, which was originally published in the New York Times on March 28, 2004. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/28/magazine/coach-fitz-s-management-theory.html

As a parent of high school athletes, I have seen what Lewis describes first hand. This also relates to the sales profession in that discipline, hard work, sacrifice, teamwork and good common sense must be practiced every day.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Scouting for Common Sense Selling

Mark Weisberger — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:45:00 GMT

The son of a childhood friend just earned his Eagle Scout. It made me think of my own experience in scouting and becoming an Eagle Scout many years ago. Scouting was a great experience and a huge influence on my sales career.

To name a few lessons - I learned work ethic, how to set goals, to explore, respect for others, confidence and how to prepare. I will always be an Eagle Scout and a professional sales person.

I have highlighted some of the basics that Scouting teaches below:

    Scout Motto - Which could also be the motto for Common Sense Selling.
        Be Prepared

    Scout Slogan - Common Sense Selling is customer focused.
        Do a Good Turn Daily

    Scout Oath - Professional Sales requires commitment and dedication.
        On my honor I will do my best
        …
        To help other people at all times;
        …
        mentally awake, and morally straight.

    Scout Law - It is hard to imagine that any of these don't apply to Common Sense Selling.
        A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind,
        obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

These definitions are straight out of the scout manual.

        Trustworthy - A Scout tells the truth. He keeps his promises. Honesty is part
        of his code of conduct. People can depend on him.

        Friendly - ... He seeks to understand others. He respects those with ideas
        and customs other than his own.

        Courteous - A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position…

        Brave - … He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right …

Scouting Home                                            Notable Eagle Scouts

Scouting, as well as other youth organizations, has contributed to the success of many business leaders. Having a strong belief system, being prepared and helping others, along with good common sense will go a long way towards being a professional sales person.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

Common Sense Selling - Don't forget to listen

Mark Weisberger — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:18:00 GMT

Don't forget to listen

Listen, Listen, Listen. The folks who have sold with me knew this was coming. The only way to understand what your prospect needs and what will make them act is to listen. Previously I wrote about the 5 W's with an H. If you are going to spend your time and the prospects time asking good questions, listen to the answers. Write them down. Listening is an active exercise and requires practice. If you don't listen to your prospect, you may lose to a competitor that did.

When you forget to listen you risk alienating your prospect by wasting their time.

"Thank you for coming today, I don't think you have what we are looking for..." is the response you can expect if you tell the prospect everything you have to offer before listening to what is important. I have heard this referred to as spilling the candy in the lobby.

Prospects will tell you why, when and how they will buy your solution if you listen. Don't just hear what they say directly; take note of every side comment, wisecrack and objection.

You will identify problems your prospect may have that you do not solve well. This gives you the opportunity to find a solution, a workaround or politely back out of spending any more time.

With a strong understanding of your prospects issues, you will be able to have a credible 2-way conversation with any level of the prospect organization-even the CEO.

At a minimum, listening is a show of respect, appreciation of time and professionalism.

Non-verbal listening is also very critical. Non-verbal listening is watching body language, facial expressions, eye rolls and yawns while someone is talking.   You will find out very quickly who is getting the attention and respect of the audience, your team and theirs.

Share with your selling team what you learned, then incorporate what you heard and observed into your sales strategy.

      "To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all
       true conversation" - Chinese Proverb

Comment with your examples of when someone did or did not listen to a prospect and the outcome.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling
Mark Weisberger

The Seven C's of Common Sense Selling

Mark Weisberger — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 19:38:00 GMT

The Seven C’s of Common Sense Selling are: Comfort, Competition, Confidence, Community, Communication, Competence and Customer Focus. Each one of these could be a stand-alone topic that may be discussed more in the future.

Comfort – Be comfortable in the skin of a professional sales person. Embrace the fact that you are a professional sales person. If you are more focused on the “next” position, you will not be focused on winning. I have had titles from district marketing rep to EVP, but have always thought of myself as a professional sales person. This is a common trait among many senior sales executives across the globe.

Competition – Identify and understand your competition. NEVER think that you have no competition. In this tough economic environment, there is always competition for the budget dollars. Get to know all of your competitors; direct, internal politics, other projects (new and existing), resources and straight up budget cuts. Understand your exposure, then professionally position and sell against all competitors.

Confidence – Be confident in yourself, your selling team, your executive team and your offering. If you are not confident with any of this, understand why, talk about it and put together a plan to overcome the lack of confidence.

Community – Embrace your sales team as a “TEAM”. Everyone on the sales team should contribute; a professional sales person gets the best from each team member. Take advice, give advice, and set the direction.

Communication – Document the sales strategy and sales plan for each opportunity. Keep the sales team and management updated on current status and what is left to do. Professional sales people are comfortable with a transparent sales process and seek two-way communication.

Competence – Know what you are selling, why it is important, your competition, your prospect and what could happen if your prospect does nothing. If you are not certain about something, ASK.

Customer Focus – Stay focused on the prospect/customer needs and how you can make them successful. Keep the selling team focused on solving the customer issues. Be customer specific.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling

5 W’s with an H

Mark Weisberger — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:55:00 GMT

The best way to find out what a prospect really needs is to ask the right questions. It is OK to ask yes or no questions, but you may be getting misleading or incomplete information. If you want to get the real answer ask questions that begin with Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

Rudyard Kipling wrote about this in the poem with:

    I keep six honest serving-men:
    (They taught me all I knew);
    Their names are What and Why and When
    And How and Where and Who.

Profit from your Common Sense - Good Selling

What is Common Sense Selling?

Mark Weisberger — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 01:36:00 GMT

Common Sense selling is a huge contributor to the success of a professional sales person. Common sense alone will not make you successful in sales; it must be combined with a solid sales methodology, sound sales strategy, detailed tactical plan and a passionate selling team. Don’t forget to apply good common sense to any sales situation.

Common Sense Defined

Sound judgment not based on specialized knowledge; native good judgment.

    Synonyms: acumen, cool, experience, good reasoning, good sense, gumption, horse sense,
    horse sense, intelligence, levelheadedness, logic, mother wit, practicality, prudence, rationality, reason,
    reasonableness, sense, sensibleness, sound judgment, sound sense, soundness, sweet reason, wisdom,
    wit, wits

    Antonyms: foolishness, impracticality, insanity, unreasonableness

Profit from your common sense - Good Selling

"common sense." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 14 Mar. 2009. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/common sense>.

"common sense." Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition. Philip Lief Group 2008. 14 Mar. 2009. <Thesaurus.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/common sense>.