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Name of author Rick Baker, P.Eng.

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Sales Tweet #54

by Rick Baker
On Sep 30, 2010
Sales Tweet #54 Ernest Seller wonders what he can learn from the things his best Clients keep in their offices.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
OK, that thought spent about a nanosecond in Ernest's mind. Then it was immediately replaced by a thought about the Pittsburg Steelers, Ernest's favourite NFL team. Then that [troubling] thought was replaced by a thought about spaghetti - were he and his wife heading out for spaghetti tonight? The spaghetti thought was replaced by a thought about Fluffy, the little dog who helped Ernest run his childhood lemonade stand [see Sales Tweet #15]. Yes Ernest's mind works like lightning...it sets a lot of fires and nobody can figure out what causes it.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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CHANGING FOR THE BETTER: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things - #11

by Rick Baker
On Sep 29, 2010
As mentioned in prior blogs, when you boil it down people only do 3 things:
  1. Good Habits,
  2. Bad Habits, &
  3. New Things.
At least, that's a simple way to sort out how our time is spent.
Many people believe they waste time. Many people feel they do not have enough time.
We feel time is precious and we are annoyed when we feel it is lost and wasted.
Many people consume even more time, stewing over the time they know they have wasted.
That means they must be troubled by their Bad Habits or by trying New Things that did not work.
Some expert advice should help reduce this problem.
Brian Tracy wrote a book, 'Time Power', to help people make the best use of their time.
Here are Brian Tracy’s 7 Action Exercises to Improve Your Time Management
  1. Select one area where you would like to improve your time management. Start to work on it immediately.
  2. Think back to a situation where you performed at your best. Replay this in your mind when you face new tasks.
  3. Talk to yourself positively all the time, repeating affirmations such as "I always use my time wisely".
  4. Imagine everyone around you is looking up to you as a role model for personal efficiency.
  5. Think about teaching a time-management course to your friends and colleagues. What would be the most important lessons?
  6. Think about the areas of your work that give you the most satisfaction and resolve to be even more productive in those areas.
  7. Resolve today to act to become one of the most efficient, effective, and productive people in your field. Take action immediately.
NOTE #1: Brian Tracy and other experts, for example Jim Estill, believe Time Management/Leadership is the key place to start to develop the skills a leader must possess to be successful. Brian Tracy states that clearly at the beginning of ‘Time Power’.
NOTE #2: All time management/leadership experts are emphatic about the value of setting clear Goals. I have never read expert advice stating we should not set clear Goals. Experts are saying we need to set clear Time Management/Leadership Goals.
NOTE #3: Experts have differing views on positive affirmations as described by Brian Tracy in Exercise #3 above, which overlaps other Exercises including #2 and #4, probably #5, maybe others. The value of positive affirmations is becoming a contentious topic.
Footnotes:
  1. Brian Tracy link – http://www.briantracy.com
  2. Jim Estill link – http://www.jimestill.com

Tags:

Change: Creating Positive Change | Habits: Good Habits, Bad Habits, & New Things | I'm too busy! - I don't have time!

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Sales Tweet #53

by Rick Baker
On Sep 29, 2010
Sales Tweet #53 As Gitomer says, people hate to be sold but they love to buy. You can expect people will love to buy today.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Jeffrey Gitomer's stuff is a must read for sales people. His books are eye-catching and most of them are available on CD. So, we can listen to them and learn while driving or relaxing after hours. He is right, many people do love to buy…that is, many people do get an emotional kick out of the buying experience. Watch your Clients - do they show signs of loving to buy?

Tags:

Sales | Thought Tweets

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Sticky SUCCESs

by Rick Baker
On Sep 28, 2010
There is no need to read on if the following apply to you:
  • You had to put in a new set of phones and a new set of internet lines to handle your recent avalanche of new Client business.
  • When you give instructions to your staff you are always surprised by how quickly the instructions are understood and followed to the letter.
OK, for those who face challenges like the ones I face…
 
Chip Heath and Dan Heath provide advice on how to improve the way we communicate our ideas.
 
http://www.madetostick.com a link to their book – ‘Made to Stick’
 
For the Heath brothers, communications succeed when they are Sticky.
 
Sticky messages = messages that are understandable, memorable, and effective in changing thought or behaviour
 
The Heath brothers provide a summary to help us remember their advice…
 
The Heath brothers’ Six Principles of Sticky communications:  SUCCESs
 
Simple: Sticky messages contain a core message, which is shared with an audience in a compact package
 
Unexpected: Sticky messages contain an unexpected element, which surprises the audience, makes them pay attention, holds their attention, and sustains their interest
 
Concrete: Sticky messages contain concrete details, not abstract concepts. This helps the audience understand and remember the message. And it allows people to bridge the gaps between their thinking.
 
Credible: Sticky messages cause people to agree and help people believe. Experts provide external credibility. Convincing details help the audience experience internal credibility.
 
Emotional: Sticky messages make people care. They appeal to us as individuals: they appeal to self-interest and they appeal to sense of identity.
 
Story: Sticky messages contain stories, which tell people how to act and give people the energy to act. Sticky messages inspire.
 
Whether we are leading, managing, supervising, marketing, selling, or working to persuade co-workers we can use the Sticky SUCCESs Checklist to test and improve our communications. [Sticky SUCCESs Checklist]
 
Footnote:
  1. We should use the Heath brothers’ Sticky SUCCESs Checklist as a filter when we consider marketing of Value Propositions [VALPRO] and Differential Advantages [DA]…i.e., this checklist is a very helpful guide to better TARMARVALPRODA communications.

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Marketing | Sales

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Sales Tweet #52

by Rick Baker
On Sep 28, 2010
Sales Tweet #52 Don't strangle your sales calls…stop choking your Clients with facts, figures, graphs, and analytics.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
When you mention numbers you will cause your Client to think about numbers. The Client's mind, a Buyer's mind, will call up the tools a Buyer uses to analyse numbers. Unless performed with care and skill, that will take you farther away from closing a sale…not closer.

Tags:

Communication: Improving Communication | Sales | Thought Tweets

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Sales Tweet #51

by Rick Baker
On Sep 27, 2010
Sales Tweet #51 Ernest Seller's horoscope says he will interrupt buyers again, again, and again today.
 
The Thinking Behind the Sales Tweet
Ernest has lots of important stuff on his mind. He has an exciting life, the best family, the best set of friends, the best job in the world, the best product in the universe, etc. He never runs out of important stuff to talk about.

Tags:

Thought Tweets | Ernest Seller

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