- How to Create SIZZLING Value Propositions
You know those dramatic commercials on late night TV for slicers and dicers and steak knives and juicers and rotisseries, don’t you?What do all of them, the successful ones, those that stick around and actually tempt you to buy; what do they have in common?They’re crackerjacks at creating VALUE. Literally, theirs sizzle. - The Reverend Kensho Furuya of the Aikido Dojo Los Angeles - 1948-2007
This afternoon I discovered that The Reverend Kensho Furuya, founder of Little Tokyo's Aikido Center Los Angeles, passed away earlier this month, to the sadness of many friends, students, and fellow martial artists.The memorial web page, posted by his dojo community, displays his picture and simply refers to him as "Our Chief Instructor."Some may think this characterization is unduly modest, given the Sensei's many accomplishments. But to be a teacher is a very serious profession, often without immediate gratification and bearing heavy responsibilities for the development of others.Sensei Furuya bore his burden with humility and dedication, sharing this story - What I Respect Most About Wayne Dyer - Author & Book Promoter
Wayne Dyer has written a lot of nifty self-help books, and he has also starred in some very enjoyable public TV shows.So, he has earned every bit of his success, and he has made, and continues to make great contributions to people’s lives.But it isn’t his writing or his ideas or his performances that impress me as much as one thing he did when he was just breaking into publishing.If you follow his lead, you can succeed in book publishing, too, says the best-selling author of 12 books and the popular Nightingale-Conant audio seminar, THE LAW OF LARGE NUMBERS: HOW TO MAKE SUCCESS INEVITABLE. - 5 Reasons to Not Divulge Client References Up-Front
I just got this email inquiry from a prestigious, international hotel chain:Hello:I am interested in getting information regarding your seminars, speeches and training programs. Could you please forward me details of some of your recent corporate engagements with names and phone numbers of the contact person there for reference purposes.Thank you.Not bad, right?It has all of the earmarks of a serious inquiry, one that is ready to award a contract providing the references check out.But wait a second.Before I divulge references, I have found it is essential to know several things, especially whether there is a viable deal in the offing.Here are 5 reasons to NOT divulge references too soon, says a top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING and HOW TO SELL LIKE A NATURAL BORN SALESPERSON. - 5 Ways to Avoid Acting on Stupid Advice
You’ve heard that the path to the netherworld is paved with good intentions, haven't you?Right next to that observation should be a kindred one:Before people experience major life and business reversals or they fail to step-up to the next level of success there is often a flawed tip, a bad piece of advice, or an incomplete or incompetent instruction that was whispered to the falling or stalling that they accepted to their detriment.Here are 5 ways to avoid acting on bad advice, according to a top speaker, management consultant, and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING. - 30 Ways To Not Come Across Like A Salesperson
One of my clients has fallen under the spell of a cult.Specifically, it is a sales training cult that has taught him to repudiate everything he thought he knew about selling, including some of the ideas I gave him."Customers hate salespeople!" his new gurus assert, so no matter what he should never, ever come across like one.If that is his goal, here's my advice, 30 ways to not seem like a salesperson, says the best-selling author of 12 books including SELLING SKILLS FOR THE NON-SALESPERSON. - Should Consultants Cross The Line from Giving Advice To Taking Direct Action
Migrating from giving advice or running a training program to taking on the duties of a manager is known in some circles as "Blood and Guts Consulting" because it's not nearly as tidy or painless as mere suggestion-making.It is especially tempting to do when you're promoting serious change, according to the best-selling author of SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING. - The Latest Wrinkle in Customer Service - Blame the Customer!
Today's warranty service personnel are being trained to fix the blame instead of fixing washers and dryers, according to the best-selling author of MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE, who offers a stunning personal example in this article. - Clothes Certainly "Make" the Person
My Mother, rest her soul, used to speak about the time her Mom made a skirt for her out of her Dad’s old suit.The Depression was tailing off, but still having a profound impact on American life and what we would today, trendily describe as “lifestyles.”Mom spoke with a mixture of pride and ominous foreboding. Her family got by. She was educated and raised with solid values and in turn had careers and a family.But the grip of privation never quite loosened around her neck.We’ve learned a lot about economic cycles since the Great Depression, about how to maintain or restrict credit and liquidity, and how to weather rising and even falling prices.But have we learned the grit, the toughness, the resolve, and the sustained optimism of our forebears? - Telemarketing Gurus Get A Clue - Mark McCormack Is Dead
What I love about telephone sales and the gurus that dwell in this bizarre micro-culture is the fact that they’re almost hermetically sealed off from contemporary life.Talk about frogs that slowly boil to death, the telemarketing industry was in denial about the necessity for self-regulation and improvements in its residential calling campaigns until the very moment the Do Not Call Registry was created.Now, telephone titans are so out of it that they are talking to the dead, says the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and THE NEW TELEMARKETING (TM) AUDIO SEMINAR. - 5 Reasons Sales & Service Reps Don't Follow Scripts
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him cold call, or follow a script to the letter, or stay at his desk allowing absolutely no distractions to intrude into his work process until an official break time arrives.How come?Why is it that the front lines in sales and service, the work-horses of business and industry; why is it that they bray and buck and perennially bite the hands that feed them?In other words, even when they're shown a more effective way of handling conversations to produce higher sales volumes or more consistent customer satisfaction, why do they revert to indirect, seat-of-the-pants means?There are five reasons, according to the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE, YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. - Top Speaker & Best Selling Author Says - "Telemarketing is B A C K"
Like that scene from the horror flick, "The Shining", when Jack Nicholson axes his way through Shelley Duvall's bathroom, telemarketing is just as dramatically asserting - "I'm B A C K"! Taken for dead, this incredibly useful yet widely misunderstood and abused medium is assuming its rightful place in the pantheon of promotional tools, according to a top speaker and best-selling author of such telephone sales standards as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Are Mortgage Brokers Due for Seven Lean Years?
The other day I was contacted by an ailing mortgage broker who lamented that times are tough in his industry.He feels the pain because he has plummeted from being the top performer on the sales team to the bottom. Reeling from the roller coaster ride, he's desperately looking for a quick and proven way to regain his equilibrium.He suspects the answer is to start cold calling, especially now that the torrent of inbound leads has been squeezed off to a trickle by rising interest rates and a cooling housing market.He'll get no argument from me. I firmly believe outbound prospecting by phone is everyone's salvation, especially if they have been living off the fat of the land year after year. It is the only proven sales and marketing medium that YOU CONTROL 100% - Sales Regrets - Gee, Did I Push Too Hard?
Sales Regret is what we feel when we've made a bad move during a presentation, like touching a standoffish prospect on the shoulder, or making a stupid remark, or pushing a prospect into a decision.It's the counterpart of "Buyer's Remorse."Here's what you should do about it. - Success Secret: Forget Your Past Accomplishments!
You probably read somewhere in a motivational book or heard a self-help guru tell you in his audios or videos that it will really psych you up to make a list of all of your past accomplishments.While I think this is very useful if you are DEPRESSED, it can backfire, utterly if you're not. - Warrior-Salespeople Always Go For The One-Call-Close!
Fear wears many masks.But if you are a warrior-salesperson, as I think we should all aspire to become, you have to relentlessly unmask this foe.If you don’t you'll not only dwell forever in the gray-toned world of the timid, but you'll let a lot of vivid and vital opportunities slip through your fingers.One of the ways people deal with fear isn't by quitting or avoiding challenges altogether, but by insisting that they be confronted incrementally."Inch by inch, it's a cinch, and yard by yard it's hard," we tell ourselves.But when it comes to selling this advice is utterly wrong.We shouldn't plan, for example, three-call closes as so many investment advisers are taught. We should always go for a one-call-close. - Get Wet, Get Numb, and Get That Sale!
Yesterday, I put my toe into the swimming pool for the first time this season, and as expected, it met with a very chilly reception.I waded deeper, generously sprinkling myself with the icy water.Then I got numb, and it was at that point that I really started to enjoy myself!Call this immersion, "Getting in touch with my inner Swede," if you like. But I see it as the necessary ritual to starting your sales day, whether it is face to face or on the phone. - 5 Reasons Call Center Coaching Fails
Bill walks around the call center with all of the enthusiasm and charm of a meat inspector."How you doing?" he asks in a monotone. "It's your turn, I guess."He has just invited a phone rep to a coaching session. Three calls will be played and Bill will share his evaluation of each one with the rep.Spying his checklist Bill remarks, "You left out your close in this one.""But otherwise, it's fine. You’'e mostly staying on the presentation, and this is good. Any questions?"And with that, another "deep and meaningful" coaching chat concludes. - What Makes A Cold Call a COLD Call?
Most writers toss the phrase "cold call" around without ever defining what it means.I think it is worth our time to consider exactly what makes a cold call a COLD call.After all, terms are important; just ask two people if they "like" each other or are "in love" with each other. - A Timely "No" Beats A Mysterious "Maybe" Every Time
Lots of people fear rejection, and of course this afflicts salespeople, too.For this reason, some sellers are afraid to close, which is directly asking for assent, and others fear calling back and following-up because they're concerned they'll seem too impatient and aggressive and this will spoil a deal that may have ripened with time.But I believe it is exceedingly helpful to drive each prospect to a commitment one way or another and the sooner the better! - Stupid Rejections From Book Publishers: Q & A With Other Writers
WHY DO YOU WANT TO PUBLISH A BOOK? If the answer is "To be rich and famous," you may have it backwards. Be rich and famous first, and then publishers might be more interested, not because you can write, but because your fame and buying power will make even a "bad" literary gamble a sure thing, financially. If your reason for publishing is "vanity", then the world is set up to serve you, providing you're willing to pay to print your own works, which I'm contending is the aim, de facto, of what used to be considered stalwart presses, but now they have descended to the "vanity" or "subsidy" press level, themselves. - Stupid Rejection Letters from Book Publishers - Volume II
I think it's only fair to share with other authors the absurd logic that book publishers employ to reject our work.Just yesterday, I received this gem, of which I'll explain the back-story:"Hi Gary,I got your message.Book sounds interesting but our sales reps (and the chain buyers) don't go for books like this.Also, when they see that an author has as many books as you do they don't take many copies - they think that the author is just pumping books out and not vested in whether they sell or not.best,MLet me tell you what this note is REALLY about. - Stupid Rejection Letters From Book Publishers - Volume I
I'm the best-selling author of 12 books, all with major publishers, and I've written well over 1,000 articles. I just want to say that for the record, to establish my bona fides, to alert you to the fact that I'm actually one of the few "winners" in the publishing lottery. So, when I tell you that the absurdity of traditional book publishers simply grows worse with each passing year, you might want to take note. I've decided to share with you some of the most stupid rejections that I've received, and continue to get. Here's the story behind one of them. - Don't Just Interview Sales Candidates- Interview Past Managers- Too!
Why don't we spend more time and invest more effort in interviewing past managers of our candidates? Don't their styles also have a lot to do with the overall success of their "players?" If I'm a salesperson, for instance, and it's your job to recruit me, wouldn't it be useful to know that my last manager elicited my best achievements by utterly leaving me alone and staying out of my way? That may or may not be your style. Wouldn't it be a good thing to know BEFORE you hire someone? - Cold Calling is Like Shaving- If You Don't Do it Every Day- You're a Bum!
When I was selling and then managing salespeople at Time-Life, we found inspiration by calling a recorded line that had a daily message from the telephone sales guru, Jack Schwartz. Jack was a successful life insurance salesman before launching his telephone training business, and he used every provocative line he could conjure. One of the most memorable was: "Selling is like shaving, if you don't do it every day, you're a bum!" I used to laugh at this one because my face hosted a full beard at the time.But I got his drift.I'd like to make the same point about cold calling. - Gee - I Can't Wait to Cold Call!
The best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! still loves to cold call. In this article he tells you why. - Cold Calling Pro Says Don't Ask Questions Too Soon!
The best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! says we can overdo the amount of participation we require on the part of buyers and create more problems than we solve. Specifically, we should avoid asking too many questions up-front, particularly during cold calls, this international cold calling pro explains. - Why Use a Coach?
When you have someone else to whom you must report, even if you're paying the person, and perhaps especially because you're out of pocket, you tend to stick to the knitting and get more done than you would if you were only accountable to yourself. - Today's Documentaries Are Getting Super-Sized Results
The best use to which I put my now-cancelled Netflix subscription was in ordering documentaries that are never in ample supply at my local video stores.Three recent docs have changed our world, if you've been too busy watching "Mission Impossible" for the twelfth time, to notice."Super-Size Me," about the filmmaker that decided to go on an all-McDonalds diet and chronicle his deteriorating health, actually sparked a national debate on obesity, and the Golden Arches took the rare step of dropping their up-selling campaign known by the questions, "Would you like fries?" and "Would you like to super-size that?"Former Vice President Al Gore's now famous slide show, "An Inconvenient Truth," about the unprecedented climate changes we've been experiencing, is making global warming doubters seem like the flat-worlders of Christopher Columbus' time.And "Who Killed the Electric Car?" about GM's decision to recall and then crush its EV-1 fleet of electric vehicles has created so much bad press for the once gigantic but now downsized car maker that it has just promised to issue the Volt, by the year 2010, an electric vehicle it showcased recently. - The 5 Phony Fears of Cold Callers
"Of course you're afraid to cold call", the smug article writer said; it's only "natural". I don't believe that and neither should you. The fear of cold calling isn't innate. We don't instinctively leap away from phones when we hear them ring, as we do when venomous snakes rattle underfoot. Your hand isn't hard wired to recoil with the phone in it when you hear a "no" or an objection, the way it flies off a piping hot stove. People are afraid of cold calling, to be sure, that's what they say; but they've learned this very undesirable and self-debilitating response. Specifically, they're intimidating themselves with these 5 PHONY FEARS, according to the best-selling author of 12 books, including the classics, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - 5 Reasons Experienced Salespeople Should Cold Call
There are five reasons everyone should cold call, at least occasionally, and this includes sales managers, according to the best-selling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone - I Wrote the Book on Cold Calling!
"Despite the rise of the phone factory, or as it is better known, the call center or contact center, I have never found anyone with my gifts. Specifically, nobody has cracked the code of persuading folks to buy by phone as I have," says the best-selling author of 12 books, including such classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Congratulations Cold Caller, You Walked into a Gold Mine!
Yesterday I was having an animated, robust conversation with a potential strategic partner who said, after we exchanged ideas and got to know each other:"Congratulations, you walked into a gold mine!"She went on to say that there are tremendous opportunities to get a lot done together, and by simply having made a cold call to the top person, her boss, and by meeting with her, the strong number two in the organization, I launched one heck of a rewarding venture.It is THIS RESPONSE that makes cold calling so exciting and worthwhile. Literally, you never know what kind of opportunity you’re going to inaugurate with a simple phone contact, according to the best-selling author of REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! - Should You Take Karate or a Public Speaking Class?
Most responsible dojos and martial arts instructors screen prospective students by asking at least a few pertinent questions. For example, "Why are you interested in learning karate"? If a punk just offers a sadistic smile or he drools, "I want to kill the Boys Vice-Principal at my high school with my bare hands!" instead of a responsible, socially acceptable answer, he is politely turned away. Some folks will say "self defense" or "I want to build my self-confidence", which are perfectly suitable replies.But why don’t they buy a gun or take a Dale Carnegie course? These will do the trick a lot faster, won’t they? - Even Consultants Get The Blues!
A long-term assignment is wrapping up and you're about to saddle-up and mosey down that dusty road into the warm, golden sunset.Hold it.What's wrong with this picture?If you're a consultant, instead of being that stoic, lean and mean stranger, who rides into town, sets things right, or who stirs them up, depending; you're more likely to be, at the end of that engagement, a wobbly basket case who can barely summon the gumption to press the elevator's down button.The best-selling author of SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING: HOW TO HAVE A GREAT SECOND CAREER, explains why the end of an assignment often brings the blues instead of bliss. - I'm Cold Calling Right Now-Are You?
There's quite a debate raging between article writers that are claiming their cold calling tips work best and others that contend cold calling is a waste of time.Who's right?Neither.How come?They're so busy stroking their keyboards that they don't have time to actually do what they're claiming to do. - Article Marketing: Why Buy the Cow When the Milk is Free?
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, author of the Nightingale-Conant audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How to Make Success Inevitable," says five factors are at work that militate against the idea that writing as many articles as you can is a great marketing idea. - Five Reasons to Lose Sleep Tonight
If you read my title and think I’m going to give you a list of items to worry about, that will keep you awake tonight, and heighten your paranoia, sorry, you're wrong. I'm actually going to give you 5 POSITIVE reasons you should deprive yourself of some sleep. - Cold Calls plus Great Graphics = Better Results!
Most folks you're going to communicate with in America, and perhaps in the Western civilizations, are VISUALLY ORIENTED."Seeing is believing," is their motto.They are more open to being approached by email than by phone.To compensate, you need to invest in spiffing up your email follow-up communications, according to this best-sellling author of Reach Out & Sell Someone and You can Sell Anything by Telephone - 5 Ways Cold Calling Lists Are Magical!
After cold calling all day, the best-selling author of "Reach Out & Sell Someone and You Can Sell Anything by Telephone!" reveals the 5 ways great lists can be magical! - Cold Call With Your Boots On, Pilgrim!
When I moved into management at Time-Life, one of my reps would occasionally climb on top of his desk and sell. He enjoyed the view from 10 feet in the air, and he lorded over his prospects, who felt his voice sounded extra-authoritative.I get the same "high" from selling with my cowboy boots on.At this very moment, in fact, I'm wearing my Lucchese "Mad Dogs." With them on, I'm about 6-5 or 6-6.(With ‘em off, I’m 4-4. Now those are some tall heels, partner!) - Should You Take One of Their Free Customer Reward Cards?
Dr. Gary S. Goodman's wallet is so fat with loyalty program cards that it barely fits into his pocket.Worse, according to this top speaker, international consultant, and President of Customersatisfaction.com, most of these clubs and frequency plans are NOT REWARDING AT ALL. - Four Ways to Deal With A Nasty Negotiator
We've all had the experience of negotiating with someone who is just not our cup of tea, so to speak. Our negativity toward the person can range from mild discomfort to barely disguised hostility. When this happens, it’s easy to think, "If it weren't for him, we'd reach an agreement a lot faster!" Here are four productive ways of dealing with a nasty negotiator: - How to Make Sure That Reference Doesn’t Hurt You!
n a perfect world, all of us would have impeccable credentials and gushing references. Even Trudy would have them. Who is Trudy? I fired her for multiple reasons, not the least of which was the fact that she crashed a company car and wasted a lot of desk time flirting on the computer. "I'm a natural blond" one of her missives cooed. Within about six months of her departure I got a phone call. "I realize I didn't leave under the best of circumstances", she said, nearly weeping with contrition, "but I'm job hunting right now". - How to Conquer Daunting Distractions
How many times, at work or at home, have you been pressed by difficult personalities and tasks that just seem to multiply?At some point, you feel overwhelmed, that you can’t go on, the distractions are too difficult.Here are five things to keep in mind that will help you to conquer them, according to the best-selling author of PLEASE DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! and top speaker and consultant. - 5 Clues You're in The Wrong Job or Career
Five clues that you may have chosen the wrong job or career. - Sell to Your STRENGTHS!
When selling, each person should highlight his strengths. But most don't so this, for 5 significant reasons, according to top speaker and seminar provider, and best selling author of 12 books including HOW TO SELL LIKE A NATURAL BORN SALESPERSON. - 5 Reasons Right Now is the Best Time to Cold Call!
I love those timid trainers that try to convince sales novices that there are good, better, and best times to make sales calls.Baloney!There are 5 reasons this advice is utterly bogus and RIGHT NOW is the best time to cold call according to top speaker and best selling author of such classics as YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! and REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE. - Want Great Coffee?
I had been spending more and more on coffee, and getting less and less.It was acidic, weak, and stale.I’d go into a Starbucks or a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, order their offering of the day, or dark roasts, and the results were the same.Utter disappointment.Add to that the fact that I had to relentlessly sweeten the brews with more packets of Equal than ever before, and you would think I was a total junkie that needed a heavier fix just to get the same high as before.Yet this is the weird part. I was drinking LESS coffee than ever.I simply wasn’t enjoying it nearly as much.My wife had the solution all along - Negotiation: How Badly Do You Want the Deal?
In this enjoyable article, top negotiation speaker, consultant, and seminar producer shows why "He or she, who wants the deal more, loses!" - Guaranteed Selling: I'm Sure You’re Going To Love It!
Recently, top speaker and sales and marketing consultant, wrote an article about the awesome value of using guarantees in selling.When properly crafted and communicated, they lower buyers’ perceived risks, making them inclined to agree faster, more often, and to purchase in larger quantities.But there is a warning that should come along with using them.You have to make sure that your MESSAGE doesn’t backfire, according to this top-rated seminar leader and popular radio and TV expert commentator. In this article, he provides the exact language you should use to get the best results. - Salespeople: Build Your Sales by Eliminating Their Risks!
If you want to build sales faster than ever before, and close the toughest prospects, follow this tip from legendary sales and negotiation guru, best-selling author, and top convention speaker and seminar provider. - Warm-Up Your Chilliest Cold Calls With The Congratulations Approach
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author of a dozen books, including such telemarketing classics as REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE! knows how hard it is to develop new business if you don't have an original sounding hook.That's why he loves what he calls THE CONGRATULATIONS APPROACH. It can instantly heat-up the chilliest cold calls, as he explains in this practical and instantly useful article. - Am I Nuts? Why Don't I Put My Web Site Link Into My 1,000+ Articles?
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author of 12 books and more than 1,000 articles received an email from an Ezinearticles reader who raises some very important questions about article marketing as well as my unconventional approach to it.He thought you might like to "eavesdrop" on their exchange and find it beneficial. - 5 Tip-Offs Your Counterpart is a Better Trained Negotiator Than You Are!
Nobody likes to be snookered, to be taken advantage of, and this is especially so when we’re negotiating.If we're hoodwinked or conned when dollars and cents and promotions and salaries are at stake, it’s especially painful.Before you rush off to that next job interview or performance evaluation, or you race to bargain for that new car or enticing house, open your eyes and take the measure of the people you’re negotiating with.It may save you money, embarrassment, and even your career!Here are 5 tip-offs that they may be more skilled at the game than you are, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, keynote speaker, negotiation seminar producer, best-selling author, and radio and TV commentator. - 10 Ways to Play-The-Clock in Negotiating
You've heard that "Time is money." It couldn’t be truer than in the negotiation environment, so play-the-clock well, and you’ll end up a winner, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman. top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and international consultant. - Are You Ready to Commit To Improving Customer Service Results?
Have you ever wondered exactly what an intellectually honest person sounds like?Let me share a brief passage from one of Dr. Albert Ellis' books, HOW TO REFUSE TO MAKE YOURSELF MISERABLE ABOUT ANYTHING.Speaking of his early career he recalls:"For several years I was a highly successful psychoanalyst and thought that I was greatly helping my clients by exploring the gory details of their early life and showing them how these experiences made them disturbed—and how they could understand and remove these early influences."How wrong I was!"Ellis goes on to disclose that his "cures" were actually making some people worse by tethering their focus to the past, and subsequently, he went on to pioneer an improved, vastly shorter, and more effective form of assistance he called Rational-Emotive Therapy or R.E.T.Likewise, typical Customer Service "therapy," or as it is more commonly called, Customer Service Training and Development, fails to produce concrete results, until it is re-focused, says top consultant, and best selling author of 12 books, including MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. - 5 Insights Regarding Ezine Marketing
A nice chap from Australia, with some four decades of business experience emailed me after seeing that I have more than 1,000 articles posted on the web. He wants advice regarding Internet, and especially Ezine marketing. Here's what I shared with him, which I hope will help you, too - Global Warming's Gift to Sales Managers
You think you've covered every imaginable topic in your sales meetings. You've praised, criticized and humored your troops, sometimes in the same run-on sentence. You've heard a litany of excuses from underachievers and from the "undead," the perennially under-quota zombies."It’s tough out there!" they lament."Yeah, you should try getting back into the field and you'll see!""The competition is eating our lunch!""Our prices are too high!"And then the ultimate challenge:"This new product (or service) simply can't be sold!" - Consultants & Coaches: Don't Let Your Clients Deskill You!
Do you remember that brave guy who jumped into the icy Potomac River to save some of the passengers from a plane that slid off the runway into the drink?Without doubt, he was a hero, hurling himself into harm's way as he did.But the greatest threat he faced wasn't the frigid water or the potential of the damaged jet to explode. It came from the very people he was endeavoring to save.As is the unfortunate case so often, drowning people inadvertently drown their would-be saviors, because they're panicking. So, we end up with a tragedy on top of a tragedy.A similar, though less dramatic phenomenon occurs in consulting and coaching, according to Dr. gary S. Goodman, top speaker and best-selling author of 12 books, including SIX-FIGURE CONSULTING (AMACOM). - Success Secret: It's Great To Be A Goodman!
Maybe you're like meA certain swagger runs in your family.Man, woman, or child you're just a little cocky, if not unbearable.That's not altogether bad. For one thing, it raises your aspiration level, a key ingredient in success according to Harvard research."It's great to be one of us", says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top convention speaker and best-selling author, in this humorous article. - Negotiation: Do You Want a Good Deal or a Great House?
People can plunge themselves so deeply in dickering and trying to beat the other party that they forget negotiating is about optimizing as well as maximizing.Sure, we want to save as much as we can, but what we really need is VALUE. Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker and trainer and best-selling author shows how this principle applies to real estate negotiations. - Customer Service Managers: Are You Going to Make Your Troops March?
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker, and best-selling author says simply ORDERING people to do their jobs is the last thing most managers wish to do, yet it is necessary. In this article you'll learn how one company soared in its industry wide customer service rankings after it learned the value of imposing DISCIPLINE on its CRS's and managerial staff. - How To Spot A "Replicant" - A Phony Author And A Purchased Article
Is this Ezine article an original? Or is it something that has been sold to thousands of other writers, enabling each to claim authorship, for a fee? Here's a way to detect and to deter phonies, according to genuine author of more than 1,000 articles, numerous best-selling books, and internationally acclaimed speaker and consultant. - Small Businesses Need Sales Scripts, Too!
Scripting has been employed in selling for at least 80 years, and perhaps a lot longer.It is the use of patterned sales talks, predictable and reliable conversational strategies that garner consistently high sales, and beat "winging-it," using whatever pops into mind.There is a basic misunderstanding about where scripts apply. Some believe they’re only useful in high-volume tele-selling and customer service applications.But in reality, they are used by small businesses every day, sometimes very successfully and at other times very poorly, as top speaker, sales and negotiation trainer, and best-selling author explains. - 5 Reasons Customer Service Reps Should Record Themselves
Major call centers use centralized equipment that records ALL calls, and generally this is thought to make the rep evaluation and coaching process easier and more efficient.On one level, it does. Calls can be “drawn” by evaluators on a random basis with no obvious intrusion into conversations. Reps are believed to be behaving as they normally would, not trying to spiff up their chats simply because they know they’re being monitored or judged.However, I believe what appears to be a primitive means of recording calls is preferable. Reps should record their own conversations using portable, “hand held” equipment while at their individual workstations.There are 5 reasons this improves achievement and efficiency, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker and trainer, and best selling author of 12 books including MONITORING,. MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE (Jossey-BASS/JOHN WILEY). - 3 Steps to Appealing to Customer Values
Would I continue to patronize an airline that is consistently fifteen minutes late, but which treats me like a prince? Or, would I defect, giving my loyalty to a no-frills, cattle-call carrier that ignores me but gets me to where I need to go on time? - Aunt Cecile's Tremendous Negotiation Tip
The idea that you simply MUST ANSWER all questions posed to you is absolute nonsense in a negotiation. As I observed, there are hostile and disabling questions that simply must be ignored. - Losers Ask "Why?" and Winners Ask "How?"
I thought of something this morning while reading a very interesting article in the paper about gamblers, those that succeed and those that lose everything and hit rock bottom.The losers are stuck asking themselves: "Why did this happen to me? Why did I lose?"Losers seek a cosmic or at least a psychological explanation or handy excuse for their mishaps.Winners have a setback or experience a loss and ask: "How did this happen and how can I do better next time?"Want top win? Change the questions you ask yourself, advises Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator. - A Sales Tip You Can Use: Don't Step On Your Buyer's Toes!
Salespeople blow it all the time by stepping on their buyers' toes, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top sales speaker, best-sellling author, and sales seminar expert. This problem is easily avoidable according to this international consultant and popular radio and TV commentator. - Why More Customers Aren't Complaining About Shameful Service
I earn a living training service folks and their managers to be better in their occupations, so you might expect me to not bite the hand that feeds me; to be respectfully silent about corporate miscues. - Top Customer Service Speaker Shares His 10 Favorite Customer Service Lies
(1) Your call is important to us.If this were true, companies would staff adequately and not discourage call volumes through daunting electronic menus, long waiting times, and incessant prodding to seek alternate help at web sites. It is precisely because calls are UNIMPORTANT that they are handled so poorly. - Your Service Sucks!
I didn't realize how bad service had become until recently when I tried to get a brand new dryer repaired under warranty. - Secrets of Self-Defeating Salesmen
"I'll show him; I won't call him back!""I don't need his business. There are plenty more where he came from.""Maybe he can thin other people's margins, but not mine!""I'm going to quote just one price and he can take it or leave it."These are just a few of the lines self-defeating salesmen use to rationalize their often bizarre behavior, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, best-selling author, convention speaker, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Monitor, Measure and Manage Your Arbitrary Customer Service Reps
When reps have the power to act arbitrarily, service suffers, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, and best-selling author of 12 books including, MONITORING, MEASURING & MANAGING CUSTOMER SERVICE. (Jossey-Bass/John Wiley) - The Zen Chair & the Art of Staying Positive
I just got off the phone with a business associate who shared some bad news.I was particularly displeased because she didn't convey the right information in a timely way, and that's what fouled the deal; or at least that's what I was telling myself as I was on all fours in my office.She couldn't have broken the news at a worse time.I just sliced open a box containing my new office chair, which I have to assemble, one of my least favorite activities.This is a chance to practice a little Zen, I thought.Let's see just how positive I can be right now - With Teens, Make Sure to Distinguish Temporary from Permanent Understandings
Teenagers are like those trapped wolves you hear about who look a lot like tame-able dogs, but the second they’re in captivity, they do everything to break free, including the unthinkable: chewing off their feet to emerge from the traps that you so carefully laid for them.They’re wild at heart, to borrow the title from a memorable movie from a decade or two ago.One of the sanest things we can do is to distinguish temporary from permanent understandings with them, according to top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator. - Forget What They're Getting: Focus on Your Wins When Negotiating
Too often, we gauge our results from a negotiation based on what we perceive the other party is getting from the deal. If we think they’re asking for something "they don't deserve," our mission shifts from getting what we need to preventing them from getting whatever it is, however minor, that they're demanding. - Here Are the 4 Keys to Success - HOSS
Just as I was taking my first sip of a fresh coconut on the world famous Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, a rail thin, haunted looking youth of about 10, lurched in front of me and crudely demanded money, a handout.This wasn’t your typical American plea for assistance, "Spare change, Mister?"It was a guttural, spiritual attack, meant to pummel the listener into compliance, to wobble after feeling a concussion grenade.Though he doesn't know it, he possesses one of the four critical ingredients to succeed in any walk of life, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author. - Facing the Martial Art of Life
If you feel you’re peaking in your dojo skills, maybe it’s time to take them outdoors into the bright sunshine and the dark alleys of reality.Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and Black Belt in Kenpo Karate says you’ll find enough self-doubts and fears to conquer there that you could ever ask for! - Writers Gotta Write!
There's a classic number in American musical theater, "Gotta Dance!" that sums up the creative urge.If you're creative, and this doesn't pertain only to writers, singers, dancers, actors, and performers; but to entrepreneurs and to scientists, you don't have any choice over the matter.You must do your thing, or you die, at least, emotionally. - How to Write 3 or More Articles from One Great Statistic
A part of the Ezine publishing game is to get as much mileage from your writing as you can.This could involve spinning off multiple articles from the same premise, or breaking a large topic into several sub-topics, and then exploring them separately.With more articles you can drive additional eyeballs to your web site and obtain better search engine rankings, so it pays to be creative in your elaborations. - Add Nine Years To Your Life Without Diet or Exercise!
There are so many diets and exercise programs out there that promise renewed vitality that you can get dizzy just considering their pro’s and con’s.Which one should you believe?There was that prestigious west coast professor who touted near starvation as a path to a long life. He researched rats, finding that he could extend their tiny lifetimes by a substantial amount through “caloric restriction.”I don’t know how happy they were, but they were skinnier, and yes, they stuck around, probably looking for food, for a statistically significant greater amount of time than the chubbier control group.What happened to that lean scientist?He died fairly young, when you consider that he didn’t make it out of his seventies.Remember Dr. Atkins, another diet guru? He’s dead, too.What we need is a sure-fire way to expand our lives without diet or exercise, and here's mine, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator. - New Year’s Resolution: Try Unplugging!
On January 4, 2007 I’ll be celebrating one year without cable or satellite TV service. That makes me a little unusual, to say the least.According to the A.C. Nielson Company, the average American can be expected to invest the equivalent of 2 full, nonstop months watching TV next year, and a total of nine years in a 65 year lifetime.That works out to about 4 hours per day.Here's what Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, best-selling author, and popular radio and TV commentator has accomp[lished with the extra time. - Negotiation: Sometimes That Item is Worth the Full Asking Price!
Most people foster an image of the expert negotiator as the one who seems capable of getting a discount on anything.“Joe, you’re going to need bypass surgery right away, and it will cost about $10,000.”“Doc, is that the very best you can do?”“Okay, Joe, just because it’s you, I’ll do it for half.”Of course, savvy negotiators do better than others when it comes to the give and take of bargaining, but sometimes the very best at the game will tell you that they AREN’T necessarily looking for a discount.In fact, sometimes they’re more than happy to pay the retail price, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top negotiation speaker, best-selling author, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Let’s Just Make It Friday
Every seller has been afflicted by the buyer who neither says yes nor offers an objection.He is the fence-sitter, the person who seems almost biologically unable to arrive at a decision, no matter how much prompting you do.So, how can you get a sale if he won’t at least give you an affirmative grunt?It’s tough, unless you come to the situation armed with a very special type of close, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Selling Them Again Tests a Customer's Loyalty
What right-thinking consumer really says: "Gee, I've always bought my life insurance from Ted and even if his rates are nearly double that of another source, I must keep doing business with him. I'm a loyal client and I owe it to him and to his family!" - So, Let’s Move Forward and I Know You’ll Be Pleased, Okay?
Why waste time?In the title of this article, I have given you my favorite, all-time close:“So, Let’s Move Forward and I Know You’ll Be Pleased, Okay?”It works like a charm, but why?Here are five reasons, according to top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - People Don’t Buy Relationships, They Buy Specific Proposals
There has been a lot of ink spilt over the topic of customer relationships.But people don’t agree to developing relationships, as a general rule.They buy specific proposals, says top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Hey, Sales Guru: Don't Try To Teach Me Anything!
"I could be in front of buyers right now, earning a commission. Instead, I'm stuck here, listening to a sales guru who probably earns half of what I earn!""Who does this guy think he is? I don't care how many degrees or phony speaking certifications he has after his name. He's never sold MY PRODUCT to MY CUSTOMERS, so all of these clever formulas are just a lot of theoretical garbage.""I'll tell you this. Nobody ever bought anything from anybody he hated. If they like you, they'll follow you to the ends of the earth. If they don't, I don't care how sharp your selling skills are.""If we didn’t get a chance to play golf and to throw back a few, these yearly sales meetings would be a total waste!"This is what your trainees and audiences are really thinking, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator.Are you equipped to handle it, sales guru? - Why Should Bill Be Concerned about Co-Worker Megan’s Customer Service?
Imagine two customer service agents, Bill and Megan, who sit on the far sides of a room containing about 200 of their peers.Bill struggles on every call to provide the best care possible, going out of his way to curb his temper when customers inappropriately challenge or even insult him.Megan is wrapped up in herself and it shows. She sounds curt and impatient and gives off the impression she’d rather be doing anything but taking calls.These two sit so far away from each other, more than 150 feet to be exact, that they could almost be working in different buildings. Nonetheless, they’re impacting each other in very meaningful ways, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, top speaker, international consultant, and best-selling author. - Simple Pay Plans Can Make Sales Explode!
Last week, I conducted a new seminar in Sao Paulo, Brazil. My audience consisted of about one hundred sales managers, directors, and business owners, and we covered in depth the topic of motivating and compensating sellers.I unveiled a pay plan that in my experience is the very best one of all. It keeps top sellers’s noses happily to the grindstone and it produces overall equity.Someone who sells three times more will earn triple what his peer earns. But this isn’t a harsh commission-only plan.Anyway, it is very simple.I asked everyone in the room if THEY would like to be paid this way. Nearly all would, and would their salespeople like it and perform well under it?Yes, again, was the answer.But how many of them felt they could recommend it and have it be adopted?Very few hands went up.Why?The plan seems “too rich” one of them pointed out. It’s “too good” another one said. I think what they were really saying is it’s too obvious and too simple, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Five Ways to Beat Writer’s Block Today!
This is the latest in a suite of articles I have written about the affliction known as writer’s block, where our productivity plummets or stalls, entirely.I’ve said it is a malady that occurs more by choice than by chance, and there are even several perverse satisfactions we glean from it, including sympathy and attention from others.But here are five things you can do to beat it today, says Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commenttaor on radio and TV. - Five Satisfactions from Suffering Writer's Block
Writer's block is a malady that afflicts hundreds of thousands of writers, worldwide.Suddenly, productivity plummets or stalls, and one's mood tanks, as well.Usually, it is seen as a curse that no one would wish on himself.But lately, I've been thinking writer's block and most creative stoppages offer some bizarre satisfactions to sufferers.Here are five of them, some of which you might recognize, suggests Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Writer’s Block Is a Choice
In a recent article I surprised myself by saying:“Writer’s block is a choice. It isn’t a villain who shackles you and then either decides to free you or to keep you in his evil clutches. You bring it onto yourself…”I was surprised because until the moment I uttered those words, I believed, at least in part, that a block is like depression, that it can overtake us, without any participation on our part.I’m changing my mind about this because I have examined those times when I have succumbed to blockages.Here’s are five things I have noticed that might help you, says best-selling author, top speaker, international consultant, and popular radio and TV commentator. - Customer Service Mistakes Can Be Entrepreneurial Opportunities!
I called Domino’s Pizza the other night as I was watching the USC-Notre Dame game on the tube.Expecting to get exactly what I had purchased twice during the past three weeks, I quickly dialed the phone and recited my order:“I’ll have the three medium pizzas with unlimited ingredients. Here’s how I’d like them. Two with triple mushrooms, and one with double pepperoni, and a single serving of mushrooms, onion, and beef, please.”“We can’t do that,” the voice responded flatly.“Why, not?” I shot back. “What’s the problem?”“You can’t double one ingredient. They have to be different ingredients,” he claimed.“You must be in MANAGEMENT, am I right?” I challenged, knowing only a dumb bureaucrat could enforce such a senseless rule, recalls top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Credentialing: An Essential Part of Promoting Yourself & Your Small Business
You’ve just opened your own small service enterprise or coaching or consulting practice and you want to earn some business.Millions have done it before you, and millions more will do it afterwards.But why does it seem so tough?One reason is credibility. When you’re just starting out, you don’t have much, so your prospects will be reluctant to believe your assertions about the good you can do for them.How can you get them to trust that you’ll deliver if you don’t have a blazing track record?One answer is that you need CREDENTIALS that portend a positive outcome, that signal the probable value to come.Here are a few examples of how to do this and to jump-start your sales, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - What Can Writing 1,000 or More Articles Teach You?
I feel like one of those senior businesspeople who writes his memoirs about deal-making; looking back on zillions that went awry and a few that broke the bank.Having penned more than 1,000 articles, many of them for Ezines, here are five things I have learned that you might find beneficial to know, according to Dr. Gary S. Goodman, top speaker, international consultant, and popular commentator on radio and TV. - Why Cold Calling Detractors Don't Belong In Sales Work
I’ve had it up to here with self-appointed sales experts who pop-off with nothing but disrespect for cold-calling.They don’t know what they’re talking about and they appeal to the worst possible motivation in other salespeople: The desire to get something for nothing.Cold calling takes work, and genuine salespeople don’t mind that one bit. As Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay Packers coach said, true winners love to not only be on the field of play, but to leave it, exhausted, knowing they did their best.Show me someone who boasts that he “Prefers to work SMART, and not HARD,” and I’ll show you: (1) Either a certified genius who has found or built a perpetual motion machine; or (2) A liar, who not only deceives himself, but others, too.I tell them this: IT IS SMARTER TO WORK HARDER. - Five Ways Cold Calling Beats Competing Methods
You've probably been a little confused by the ads and articles that say opposing things.Some tout cold calling as a great tool, while others claim it is a waste, passe, and too difficult.As I’ve pointed out in my best-selling books, REACH OUT & SELL SOMEONE and YOU CAN SELL ANYTHING BY TELEPHONE, it is a phenomenal way to get business, providing you do it well.There are at least five ways that it beats the pants off of alternative sales techniques.
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