Archive for the 'Listening' Category

Listening is a skill that we develop. Done well it can increase knowledge, build relationships, and generate ideas. Done poorly it can lead to a breakdown in loyalty and respect. We are all in situations everyday where we must listen to others. It may be our spouse or kids, it might be a boss or co-worker, or it may be an important customer or supplier.

John Maxwell, in his book Becoming A Person of Influence, gives us 9 things we can do to become more accomplished listeners.

1. Look At The Speaker: True listening is giving the other person your undivided attention. It means turning off the TV, putting down the newspaper, and focusing on what the other person is saying.

2. Don’t Interrupt: Show respect to the other person by not interrupting. Most people react poorly to being interrupted in the middle of what they are saying. If you step on their ideas it’s like stepping on their toes.

3. Focus On Understanding: Listen with your eyes to pick up both content and feelings. Show empathy and acceptance and focus on the message and a possible message behind the message.

4. Determine The Need At The Moment: Is the other person sharing with you to receive comfort or do they want you to solve the problem? Are they just venting or are they trying to persuade you to do something? You may find the other person’s needs may not match your expectations. Finding the person’s current need will help you put the conversation in the proper context.

5. Check Your Emotions: Do you become highly emotional during certain conversations? If so, check your emotions and let the other person finish explaining their point of view or ideas before you respond. By taking a deep breath or counting to ten before responding, will let you more clearly express your ideas.

6. Suspend Your Judgment: As John says… you can’t jump to conclusions and be a good listener at the same time. Take the time to hear the whole story or you may miss an important point.

7. Sum Up At Major Intervals: Comment on what is being said and craft the response in a personal way. Sum up what is being said at regular intervals. As the speaker finishes a subject replay their major points before going on to the next one and make sure you understand the message.

8. Ask Questions For Clarity: In your conversations ask follow up questions and seek clarification. Become a good reporter. If you ask in a caring and non-threatening way, you’ll find the other person will open up and share their experiences with you.

9. Always Make Listening Your Priority: No matter how busy you become, remember the importance of being a good listener. Focus on what the other person is saying and hear them out.

In my years that I spent in sales I quickly discovered the key to increasing sales was to become a better listener. When I would listen and ask follow up questions I could find out what my customer truly needed. It was then much easier to offer products and services that matched their needs.

In our early years of marriage my wife and I attended a weekend marriage conference. In those three days I learned to truly listen to my wife. By becoming a better listener I became a better husband. I can truly say that heartfelt and focused listening is the key to a happy marriage.

Focus on these tips in your next conversation. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Technorati Tags: Listening, John Maxwell,

Pick up a new iPod Touch from Apple and you’ll enjoy video and music like never before. Take your new iPod within a 100 feet of any Starbucks coffee shop and you’ll instantly be connected to their wi-fi network. With one touch you’ll be able to download the music that is playing in the store or any other music on iTunes directly into your new iPod touch.

The prices for each song are the same as regular iTunes and this marketing move is brilliant.

Here is how it will work: When an iPod touch owner is near a Starbucks (isn’t there one on every corner?), a Starbucks button will appear on the display, which will allow users to buy whatever song is playing inside the store with a single tap of the finger and also the last 10 songs played. The iPod touch will also get free access to the iTunes Store from Starbucks as the result of the partnership announced between Starbucks and Apple.

With a 3.5 inch wide screen display, built in wi-fi web browser, and a touch screen interface this new iPod will fly off the shelf at $299.00. You can see the promo video of this amazing device here. Amazon and other retailers should have the new Apple product line in stock within a few weeks.

Technorati Tags: ipod, apple, starbucks

I was tagged the other day by Liz Strauss over at Successful Blog with the question… Why on earth Do You Blog? This is an important question as I spend quite a few hours a week in the blog-o-sphere reading, writing, and exchanging ideas. Blogging to me is about community and communication. It’s listening to others, forming my own opinions and communicating my thoughts with others.

I think a great blog post is like a great speech. It should have four components to communicate properly… Head, Heart, Hands, and Humor. Think about the following items and you’ll see what I mean..

1. Head: A great post should make you think. This can be some new ideas or a compelling story. Regurgitated facts and figures don’t work well here. The ideas may be controversial, contentious, or even down right crazy. But they make you think, and that’s what draws people in.

2. Heart: When you add feeling to the equation you add heart. A compelling blog post may leave you feeling happy, sad, or even mad. You may not agree at all with the author or be drawn in with overwhelming emotion. If there is no passion in the post, you’ll quickly click elsewhere.

3. Hands: Does the post ask you to do something… to take action? A great post always closes the sale. The action may be to donate money, write a letter, or click a link. It may come in the form of changing your thinking or taking action to solve a problem. If a post is truly powerful it will ask to to make a difference and act.

4. Humor: A little humor goes a long ways. If we take ourselves too seriously we risk alienation. Is there a sentence or two in a post that brings a smile? Can we take the serious and lighten it up with some levity? Adding some wit, comedy, or even a little absurdity will make even the toughest pill easier to take.

I know of five blogs that exemplify these ideals. So Kim, Marco, Dwayne, Dave, and Deb, I would like to know why you blog?

I love reading blogs. I get a lot of great information from sites like Lifehacker, Lifehack.org, and Slacker Manager. There is always something new to learn or some new gadget or software to try out. These sites make blogging very useful. I may be the first to know about the latest technology with posts from Gina, Leon, and Bren.

In the business field I love to read Rosa’s blog, Talking Story, and routinely check in with members of her Ho’ohana community. Her offshoot blog, Joyful Jubilant Learning is now a daily staple. I have to check in from time to time with Steve Pavlina and see how he is doing on his latest adventure. He may be polyphasically sleeping, getting off coffee, or leading a blogging workshop.

Three of the hardest working bloggers are always amazing me with their tenacity and great posts. Dwayne Melancon of Genuine Curiosity comes up with the best tips for business travel, while Troy Worman keeps up on at least 100 bloggers and Phil Gerbyshak is determined to make it a great day for everyone.

While all of these blogs are on my daily RSS feed, three blogs have surfaced recently that fit into a little different niche. They all provide great content but they all have something else in common. They are all entertainers. I would like to highlight each one of them so you can join me in enjoying their humor and enlightenment.

The Raspy Humorist
When you first visit 43 folders, you’ll find many articles on personal productivity and time management. The whole site and the name are based around David Allen’s wildly popular book “Getting Things Done“. But there is something else that quickly becomes apparent. The writing is humorous and relates to real life situations. Author Merlin Mann has a dry wit and an amazing way with words. I love his stuff, because he writes about really serious things but puts them into the situational humor of everyday life.

But even better than his writing are his podcasts. Most are short commentaries on life and all are laugh out loud funny. His quick pace and use of metaphors really add to the entertainment value. You can subscribe on iTunes or from his site.

The Master SOB
I received an e-mail a while back stating that I was an SOB. At first I was offended… who was this Liz Strauss and how dare she call me an SOB? I looked a little further and a smile quickly came over my face. She had actually called me a Successful & Outstanding Blogger, which was a great compliment.

Liz writes daily on her Successful-Blog and is the master collaborator. She publishes a weekly newsletter and does one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen done with a blog… she turns hers into a chat-room every Tuesday night. Her newsletter comes out every Tuesday morning and she publicizes her Tuesday open-mic night. Many of her readers join in the fun. She routinely gets over 300 comments in one evening to her blog. The link love from Technorati and Google is amazing.

The Dynamic Duo
Podcasting is a new phenomenon and many of the ‘casts I listen to are from one person. Podcasts are like listening to the radio and many of them have good information but the audio may be less than appealing. Some have poor audio quality and others are monotone and monotonous. But there is a shiny star in this new medium. Authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba of the Church of the Customer blog have great chemistry together creating one of the liveliest podcasts on iTunes.

Ben is the serious one, and Jackie is the Sparkplug. While their marketing and word of mouth podcasts offer great information, the interaction between the two provides great entertainment. These two really should be on the radio with a daily broadcast. They are that good!

Conclusion… while blogging is great as a learning and information medium, be sure not to miss the entertainment value. Bookmark these sites and make sure to download their free podcasts from iTunes on your iPod so you can take them with you wherever you go.

Technorati Tags: podcast, customer evangelism, lifehack

Over the past year I’ve had the pleasure of reading and listening to a number of great books. Books that motivate and inspire and have changed my life for the better. I thought I would share my list with you today.

Most of these titles have been audio books that I have listened to while walking, driving, or just relaxing. The majority have been part of my MBA on the Run program. The thing that really sticks out about the whole experience is how much I have learned while doing mentally unproductive things such as driving or exercising.

Audio books that I have downloaded on my iPod just work well for me. I listen while going back and forth to work and while at lunch. It’s easy to jot down notes and you can easily stop or rewind the audio at any time. Over the next few months I will be reviewing these titles on my other blog, MBA on the Run.

I would like to encourage you to give audio books a try. You can buy the CD collections from Amazon or download the titles from iTunes. If you have an iPod or other Audio player you can take this learning experience wherever you go.

Enjoy…

Leadership Titles

• The First 90 Days: Michael Watkins
• Fit To Lead: Christopher P. Neck
• 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: John Maxwell
• 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leaders Day: John Maxwell
• Coach: Lessons On the Game of Life: Michael Lewis
• Becoming A Person of Influence: John Maxwell

Networking-People Skills

• How To Win Friends & Influence People:  Dale Carnegie
• How to Make People Like You: Nicholas Boothman
• 25 Ways to Win With People: John Maxwell
• Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn: Peggy Klaus
• Never Eat Alone: Keith Ferrazzi

Business-Entrepreneurship

• The Wal-Mart Effect: Charles Fishman
• Millionaire Upgrade: Richard Parkes Cordock
• The E-Myth Revisited: Michael E. Gerber

Life Hacks & Organization

• Making a Good Brain Great: Daniel G. Amen
• Stumbling on Happiness: Daniel Gilbert
• 60 Second Procrastinator: Jeff Davidson
• Getting Things Done: David Allen
• Ready For Anything: David Allen

Success & Motivation

• Integrity: Dr. Henry Cloud
• The Success Principles: Jack Canfield
• Racing to Win: Joe Gibbs
• The Seven Hidden Secrets of Motivation: Todd Beeler
• Failing Forward: John Maxwell
• Today Matters: John Maxwell

Marketing & Branding

• Primal Branding: Patrick Hanlon
• All Marketers Are Liars: Seth Godin
• The Wisdom of Crowds: James Surowiecki
• The Big Moo: Seth Godin & Group of 33
• The Tipping Point: Malcolm Gladwell

Financial

• Rule #1: Phil Town
• Little Book That Beats The Market: Joel Greenblat
• Rich Dad-Poor Dad: Robert T. Kiyosaki

Innovation, Technology, & Creativity

• The World Is Flat: Thomas L. Friedman
• The Ten Faces of Innovation: Tom Kelley
• 10 Quick Steps to Blogging: Bryan Hoff
• On Writing Well: William Zinsser
• Blink: Malcolm Gladwell

Storytelling

• The Alchemist: Paulo Coelho
• The Fred Factor: Mark Sanborn
• Don’t Eat The Marshmallow Yet: Joachim de Posada

Inspirational-Spiritual

• If You Want To Walk On Water: John Ortberg
• The Purpose Driven Life: Rick Warren
• The Greatest Salesman In The World: Og Mandino

Your business is like a blank canvas to your prospective customers. They want to know what you are about, where you came from, and where you are taking them. It is critical that you tell your customers an authentic and compelling story. Having a great product or service isn’t enough anymore. Your competitors have great facts and figures. They may have better prices, a better location, and even great employees… but they don’t have your story.

Your story is what sets you apart. The story is what makes your cup of coffee, your widget, or your service different. Tell a great story and customers will flock to you. Give them a book with blank pages and they will go elsewhere. A story is like a first run movie, it needs a compelling plot with interesting characters.

A good story starts at the beginning. It’s the “once upon a time” section. Where did you come from?… How did you get started?… Who helped you along?… As Marketer Patrick Hanlon explains in his book, “Primal Branding“, businesses need a “creation story.” He expounds…

If brands are a narrative, then the creation story is the beginning of the tale. All belief systems come with a story attached. Brands that start in the middle of their story are like walking into a movie that’s already started; you spend the next few minutes trying to figure out what’s going on. But consumers don’t take the time. They just keep walking.

Does your business have a creation story? Does your business bible start at Genesis or are there some pages missing? Think of some of the most popular businesses and you’ll usually find a story of ordinary people creating something new. It might be Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak building a rudimentary computer in a garage. Maybe Ray Kroc and the revolutionary McDonalds franchise comes to mind. How about Larry Page and Sergey Bren designing a new search engine called Google? Great stories start from the beginning.

Like a great speech, your business story must transition from the opening to the main story. Paint us a picture and bring in the characters. Let us know what makes your cup of coffee worth $3.00. Tell us about the jungles of South America where the aromatic coffee beans are grown. Bring in Juan Valdez and his passion to produce the best coffee in the world. Add the wind and the rain and put us in the middle of the story. Tell us about the aroma and let us know it’s good to the last drop. When we can see ourselves in your story you have created a passionate customer.

The better your story matches our worldview the more apt we are to buy your product. Find out who your customers are and craft the words and pictures to match. You can’t sell to everyone but you can tell compelling stories to groups of people with similar interests and tastes. If you are trying to sell meat to vegetarians you probably won’t get to far, but if you have a story about a better turnip or a fresher carrot, customers with this worldview will flock to your stores.

In his book, “All Marketers Are Liars,”  author Seth Godin  gives us some simple advice…

“Every consumer has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell. That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of the worldview, and it will be heard.”

What’s in it for them?… is a great question to ask. When you can answer that question definitively, you can mold your stories to your customers interests and tie them in with their needs and wants.

Dorothy Leeds in her new book, “The 7 Powers of Questions“, notes that questions get people to open up…

Why do questions work? For one simple reason: Most people love to talk. Most of all, they love to talk about themselves, and they love to talk about the things that interest them.

The lesson here is to ask questions and draw your customers out. The better you know your customers the better your stories will be.

Good stories have names and places. They solve problems and make the world a better place. They overcome adversity and help us find happiness. Make your stories interesting, fresh, and compelling. Part of a great narrative is to add some drama. What happens if your customer, heaven forbid, buys your competitors product? What great experiences do they have when they buy your product? Contrast and comparison add to the plot.

On almost any good book, the back cover has reviews and testimonies from readers. The same goes for your business. Your existing customer’s stories, experiences, and reviews are a great way to build your word-of-mouth business. As compelling as your story may be, a customer’s story may carry more credibility and offer your prospective clients a different reason to do business with you. Use them frequently on your printed materials and your website and be sure to weave your customer’s stories into your own.

Finally… a great story must have a conclusion. More than an ending… a climax! The climax of a good story implores a response. It’s not enough for the audience to “soak it all in.” They need to be compelled to do something with it. Ask for the sale, and close the deal. Provide that revelation moment for your clients when the light bulb comes on and they decide to take you up on your offer. Bring them to that split second ah-ha when the decision is made.

An effective story has a payoff. It may be a sale or a word-of-mouth referral. It may be an emotional experience. It may challenge your customers to take action. A truly remarkable story may do all of the above.

Simply stated… Tell A Story, Make A Point!

Telling Your Story is the first of five items that join together to create business SPARK. Up next in our continuing series is Product Excellence.