http://blogs.bnet.com/salesmachine/?p=405&tag=nl.e808
Here’s a ten-second method to build better rapport with a customer. I can testify that it works, as I’ve used it literally hundreds of times. It’s a close to a “Jedi Mind Trick” sales technique as I think you’re ever going to find.
This method based upon the scientific observation that people have what are sometimes called “thought modalities” or, more colloquially, “have their brain wired different ways.” Research has shown that most people favor one of the three different modalities:
- Visual. The person values and responds to what he or she SEES. A visual person will tend to dress flashy, talk quickly, and use plenty of broad hand gestures.
- Auditory. The person values and responds to what he or she HEARS. An auditory person will tend to dress conservatively, talk in an even tone, and use subtle hand gestures, usually synchronized with what’s being said.
- Kinesthetic. The person values and responds to what he or she FEELS. A kinesthetic person will tend to dress casually, talk quite slowly, and make many “checking” gestures, like touching their chin while thinking.
People tend to feel more comfortable with, and prefer to spend time with, other people who share the same modality. They tend to dislike or distrust people who have a different modality. For example, if a prospect is a “visual” and you normally speak like a “kinesthetic,” the prospect is likely to think that you’re dull or stupid. Similarly, if the prospect is a “kinesthetic” and you talk like a “auditory,” the prospect is likely to think you glib or vapid.
Here’s how you use this phenomenon to build rapport almost instantly.
When you have your first real meeting with a prospect, listen to the way that they speak — before you get into the business end of the discussion. A good way to do this is to ask the friendly personal question. I usually use something like: “Before we get started, I’m really curious…how did you end up in such an interesting job/industry/career?”
When the prospect answers, notice carefully the speed with which the prospect talks and the vocabulary that he or she uses. The combination of the two almost ALWAYS reveals the prospect’s primary modality. Example:
- Visual. The prospect will speak very fast and use words like bright, brilliant, clear, demonstrate, focus, frame, glimpse, highlight, illuminate, imagine, light, magnify, perspective, reflect, scan, see, shine, show, viewpoint.”
- Auditory. The prospect will speak at a moderate rate and use works like articulate, assert, audacious, banter, boast, call, crunch, dictated, discuss, edit, note, persuade, promise, recap, ring, say, speak, talk.
- Kinesthetic. The prospect will speak a bit slower than average and use words like bask, blink, bounce, breathe, catch, chop, crawl, friction, heart, impact, impress, move, post, push, sense, sharp, smell, smile, strike, throw, touch, walk, weigh.
This technique really works. It’s one of the main reasons that I’m so good on the phone, and can pretty much get in sync with anyone. By the way, while I’ve practiced this technique for years (I original learned it from Tony Robbins), the specific list of words in this post came from Steve Martin, the author of “Heavy Hitter Selling” and “Heavy Hitter Sales Wisdom”. Smart guy.
Networking after the offer
http://www.theage.com.au/news/management/networking-after-the-offer/2008/07/17/1216163035523.html
Extracts: The minute you get your first paycheck is when you should start thinking about building up your contacts, because getting ahead in your career is directly tied to whom you know.
"Your network is the most powerful resource you can have, and it's free," says Jan Vermeiren, author of Let's Connect!: A Practical Guide for Highly Effective Professional Networking and founder of the Networking Coach website.
Building a network, though, is a skill. Handing someone your business card at a cocktail party and asking him or her to look at your résumé is not networking. Cultivating a relationship over time, however, is.
Successful networkers make themselves visible - they put themselves out there. And they back up that ubiquity with credibility.
The first step toward gaining that credibility is by joining your industry's professional or trade organisation. That's where you'll meet your peers from around the country. Once you're on the inside, ask senior-level co-workers what organizations they belong to and join those as well. But it's not enough to pay your dues and attend the monthly meetings. Get involved by joining one of the committees or run for a board position.
If that's not quite your speed, consider volunteering to do a presentation on your area of expertise at the group's annual conference, or perhaps write for the group's publication. From that point, meeting a wide range of people will be a breeze, since your peers will come to you to ask for advice.
Once you make contact with that particular person, it's important to have a short, snappy description of your job when you're asked, invariably, what it is that you do. Think about it and refine it, since it's your main hook that will get a potential employer interested in asking you more questions.
Don't forget to return the favor. Helping other people meet professional contacts builds your credibility. Plus, they're more inclined to introduce you around too.
Also remember to network with your co-workers, especially the ones who started their careers around the same time you began yours. Those people are as likely to become future decision makers as you are, so stay in touch with them after you leave your current job. Just a simple email every few months asking how things are going will suffice.
"Those people can be your ambassadors to other people," says Vermeiren. "The real power in the network is in the second degree - not your people, but the people they know."
Get to know colleagues across departments too. Most professionals deal with a range of people they never actually meet because they communicate via phone or e-mail. Instead of maintaining that phone/ internet relationship, invite them out to lunch. You never know when having a support network in another department might come in handy.
Using websites like LinkedIn is useful, but the best way to network is to do it in person. Says Misner, "Until we're living in a Star Wars world where we have meetings in a holographic circle, meeting face to face is still the most powerful way to do it."
LinkedIn: The Useful -- and Profitable -- Social Network
http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/sviokla/2008/07/linkedin_the_useful_and_profit_1.html
Microsoft monetized desktops, Google monetized eyeballs, LinkedIn monetizes the social network.
One way to create a great fortune is to ride the next wave, and my money’s on LinkedIn. Bain Capital, Greylock, Sequoia, and Bessemer Ventures -- four very savvy venture firms -- recently invested $53 million dollars in the company at a billion dollar valuation – which means they think it is worth at least ten. Unlike Facebook, Linked-In is already profitable, and they took capital to grow faster.
Who cares? Well everyone should because they sell access to professionals. I have personally found it useful for recruiting, business development, and research. How much do you need to pay to get access to over 25,000,000 professionals? Does $7,000/month sound reasonable? That’s what you can buy from LinkedIn. Peter Merholz recently blogged on this site about use of LinkedIn in recruiting. My question to all of you is: Are you using LinkedIn? If so, how? Let’s share some stories about it. If not, why not?
Not everybody is paying attention to how fast Linked-In is growing; it took Linked-In over 400 days to recruit its first million participants, and only 19 days to gather its 20th million. Today, rumor has it they are over 25 million participants and growing. Their goal is to be the globe’s largest professional network, and that clarity of purpose helps avoid many of the issues that Paul Michelman experienced in his attempt to mix business with pleasure in his recent Facebook presence. Going to LinkedIn is like going to a convention – you may find some fun, but you know people are there for commerce.
They make money by selling access to people -- not just eyeballs. Personally, I have found it useful to find old business colleagues and start discussions that are turning into business for my firm. My colleague Chris Curran used the Linked- “InMail” product, which charges you to send email to people you don’t already know, to reach 200 LinkedIn participating CIOs. This feature -- selling email access within Linked-In to other members of the network -- is a core revenue generator for the firm. Chris received more useful responses from the 200 CIOs he found in LinkedIn than he did from a mass mailing to thousands.
Chris is not alone. I find friends use LinkedIn as a way to access experts, and the company is on its way to creating the world’s largest network of participating experts, which I think will swamp firms like Gerson Lehrman, which sell access to deep expertise. Nielsen should watch out too because LinkedIn will have millions of consumers -- especially business consumers -- to question, and thereby provide world’s largest, and most dynamic consumer panel.
Not only that, but the Kellogg School at Northwestern University recently announced that they are using Linked-In as the engine of their alumni network. As a graduate of Harvard Business School, I tried to get my alma mater to join the wave, but so far, our alumni network is still closed – which I think is a mistake. Harvard, like all organizations, should participate in this growing network, while still creating their own group as a distinct, but connected space. Like with the Internet, the largest, and most capable network will win.
The Power of Networking
http://www.aim.com.au/publications/bkchapters/influence_ch5.html
Extract: Many people think that networking is something that you do, rather than a way that you live. Networking is a life skill, rather than something you do only when you want something. The basic principles of networking discussed here are based on the following three universal laws:
- The law of abundance. There are plenty of opportunities for everyone – plenty of ideas, clients, customers, jobs and so on. Just because your diary is empty does not mean that there are no opportunities around. Great networkers believe in an abundance of opportunities.
- The law of reciprocity. What you give out comes back tenfold. If you give out help, you get back help; give out love, you get back love; give out information, you get back information. The challenge, of course, is that although for you the giving is instant and in the short term, the receiving may not happen for some time. Also, what is returned may not come from the person to whom it was given. However, great networkers believe firmly that what you give out comes back tenfold.
- The law of giving without expectation. This occurs when you give without an expectation of receiving something. You do something for someone not to get something back, but because you want to help them achieve their goal.
http://blogs.bnet.com/bnet1/?p=478&tag=nl.e713
The Find: Giving a reason, any reason, may help you persuade others to do as you ask.
The Source: More tips on polishing your persuasion skills from the authors of Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive as related by the blog, Marginal Revolution
The Takeaway: Last week we drew on Yes! to blog about how business leaders could employ the principle of “social proof” to their advantage, and this week tips from the book are popping up in the blogosphere again — this time on the blog of economist Tyler Cowen. Cowen relates an experiment carried out by behavioral scientist Ellen Langer and her colleagues, which involved someone trying to cut in line to use a photo copier.
Langer set up three scenarios:
- A stranger approaches someone waiting in line to use a photocopier and simply asks: “Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” Sixty percent of people agreed to allow the stranger to cut in line when faced with this direct request.
- Next, a stranger made the same request but added a reason: “May I use the Xerox machine, because I’m in a rush?” Nearly everyone (94 percent) agreed.
- Finally, the stranger approached and gave a totally senseless reason for the request, but still employed the word ‘because’: “May I use the Xerox machine, because I have to make copies?” Despite the inanity of the reason, 93 percent of people still complied with the request.
The conclusion: if you want to persuade someone to buy a product or complete some task, give them a reason. Of course, a good reason is best, but even if you think your reason is less than compelling, this research suggests that listeners are more likely to comply than if you had given no reason at all.
How to Use the Nonverbal Advantagehttp://www.bnet.com/2422-13724_23-204509.html?tag=nl.e713
Extract: Ninety percent of what you communicate to colleagues and clients has nothing to do with what you say. In this video, author Carol Kinsey Goman explains how to build trust and credibility without saying a word.
100+ Smart Ways to Use LinkedIn
http://www.linkedintelligence.com/smart-ways-to-use-linkedin/
This resource is intended for people who…
- are new to LinkedIn and wondering how to use it to help you in your business and career
- have been using LinkedIn a while but felt like you haven’t really been accomplishing anything with it
- are trying to persuade their friends to join LinkedIn and want to communicate the value proposition
- think there’s no real value in LinkedIn (and those who want to rebutt them)
Business Development / Marketing / Sales
A Tool to Help with Reference Selling - Dave Stein
Getting More Than Just Answers - Diane K. Danielson
How to Use LinkedIn to Build Your Business - Liz Ryan (via The Virtual Handshake blog)
Market Your Company on LinkedIn - Gordon Choi
Using LinkedIn for Market Research - Loren Baker / Jason Calacanis
Secrets LinkedIn Can Tell You About Your Customers - Matt Asay
Using LinkedIn to Make the Sale - Al Chase (excerpt from The Virtual Handshake)
Warm Calling via LinkedIn - Alex Iskold
Career Management / Personal Branding / Resumes
Becoming a Recognized Subject Matter Expert on LinkedIn - Barbara Rozgonyi
Brush Up Your Resume - CarlenLea
Enhance Your Resume with LinkedIn Testimonials - Harry Joiner
LinkedIn and Career Management - Jason Alba
LinkedIn as Resume 2.0 - Scott Sehlhorst
Your Reputation: Create a Permalink - Todd Defren
Job Search
Best Practices for a LinkedIn Job Search - Konstantin Guericke (via Dave Taylor)
How Do I Use LinkedIn to Find a Job? - Dave Taylor
How to Use LinkedIn to Find a New Position - Eric Mariacher
How to Find a Job Using LinkedIn - Liz Ryan (via Dave Taylor)
LinkedIn and Your Job Search - Alison Doyle
Following Up on Inside Connections at Potential Employers - Scott Allen
Searching the Hidden Job Market for Opportunities - Debra Feldman
Using LinkedIn to Prepare for Your Job Interview - Darlene McDaniel
Recruiting
Companies Use LinkedIn to Find Top Talent - Desire Athow
Growing Your Network
Grow Your Network While You Don’t Need It - Eric Mariacher
Growing Your Network Online - Kathie Thomas
LinkedIn as Cult Builder - Matthew Reinbold
Keeping in Touch
Borrowing the Expertise of Others - Eric Eggertson
Meeting Face-to-Face
Breaking the Ice at a Meeting with LinkedIn - Pete Johnson
Using LinkedIn to Fill Out Your Business Trip - Scott Allen
Using LinkedIn for Travel - Marc Freedman
Connecting with People in Your Network When Traveling - Stewart Rogers
Organizing and Extending Groups
Using LinkedIn to Create a Granfalloon - F. John Reinke
Pros and Cons of LinkedIn for Alumni Groups - Andrew Shaindlin
Miscellaneous
Introducting Your Network to Each Other - Scott Allen
Using LinkedIn to Find Celebrity Guests - Stan Relihan
Unpredictable Benefits of LinkedIn - Nathan Gilliatt
LinkedIn a Box - Brendon Connelly
Specific Jobs / Industries
10 Ways Journalists Can Use LinkedIn - Penelope Trunk
LinkedIn for Startup Entrepreneurs: 5 Reasons to Join - Dharmesh Shah
Five Ways IT Managers Can Get More Out of LinkedIn - Shane Schick
Five Ways Authors Can Profit from LinkedIn - Mahesh Grossman
Lists
How to Change the World: Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn - Guy Kawasaki
20 Ways to Use LinkedIn Productively - Web Worker Daily
Making Your LinkedIn Business Network Pay Dividends - Tatsuya Nakagawa & Peter Paul Roosen
Top Reasons to Use LinkedIn - Various, compiled by Chris Pirillo
Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/01/ten_ways_to_use.html
Most people use LinkedIn to “get to someone” in order to make a sale, form a partnership, or get a job. It works well for this because it is an online network of more than 8.5 million experienced professionals from around the world representing 130 industries. However, it is a tool that is under-utilized, so I’ve compiled a top-ten list of ways to increase the value of LinkedIn.
- Increase your visibility.
- Improve your Google PageRank.
- Increase the relevancy of your job search.
- Make your interview go smoother.
- Gauge the health of a company.
- Gauge the health of an industry.
- Track startups.
- Ask for advice.
- Integrate into a new job.
How Top Talent Uses Networks and Where Rising Stars Get Trapped
http://www.accenture.com/NR/rdonlyres/9D263CA5-85A9-41C2-A7BB-904A4E03A2DE/0/HowTopTalentUsesNetworks.pdf
Recent research suggests that as much as 90 percent of the information employees take action on comes from people in their network. As such, the quality and scope of an employee’s network has a substantial impact on his or her ability to solve problems, learn when transitioning into new roles and implement plans of any substance.
The solution, however, is not simply the more-is-better approach to networking so commonly advocated in self-help books. While hard-driving salespeople may thrive by building large ad hoc networks of loosely connected relationships, most top performers succeed by developing targeted networks that extend their abilities. Rather than simply adding more and more people to their Rolodex, rising stars need to adopt a thoughtful approach. They need to know how to increase and decrease connectivity in ways that enhance productivity and performance.
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