Organizations that openly encourage employees to think, dream and invent, create the possibility of standing out. And standing out is the only way to compete in this information blurred and “over-commoditized” economy.

     Service that stands out encourages customer loyalty. Workplaces that stand out encourage employee loyalty. At a time where there seems to be so little loyalty by either party, a bold commitment to being remembered is a critical advantage.

     If the point of being in business is to develop a loyal customer base — those customers who return and bring their friends, it is not going to happen by doing what others do. Standing out is about creating something original, exciting and dynamic.

A Diverse Workplace

     Stand Out thinking starts with the permission to let yourself invent. This happens in an open and accepting environment. It happens when your workplace is diverse in both background and experience and when all employees are required to openly invent, think and participate in decision-making, as well as say what is on their minds. This is way to invite the new, the different and the great.

     Yesterday and today Promotional Consultant Today is focusing on two areas to help you get back in touch with your Stand Out abilities.

Creative Thinking

Build a culture of creative thinkers in your organization by the following:

·         Allow employees to invent and take calculated risks. Reward excellent failures; punish mediocre successes. Encourage greater thinking. If you are not failing every now and then, chances are you are not doing anything innovative. Visibly applaud creative efforts that focus on value, profits and customer service. Applaud employee reach and innovation.

·         Break a few rules. Identify the rules that do not add value for a customer, business or process. Challenge pattern thinking by constantly questioning everything. Be sure it is the best way to do something, respond or make a difference. If not, suggest a change. Stand out as an employee who focuses more on value than rules.

·         Invent a Creativity Zone — an area of the workplace that is committed to extraordinary thinking.

·         Invent the “Creativity Team” — a team assembled to generate ideas to solve an issue, invent something new, create an event, etc.

·         Require an idea a day from each employee. Create a new theme each week to direct employee thinking. Insure that the only requirement is that the idea must not look like what is already done.

·         Create an idea journal and add to it each day.

     Think unique, valuable, exceptional and exclusive. Think success by focusing on what makes you different and distinct. Then help your employees show up to get it done, step up to do it right and Stand Out to be remembered.

     Source: Jay Forte is a performance speaker, consultant and founder of Humanetrics, LLC. He applies years of research, along with his training as a CPA, to help organizations maximize performance and profits through improved employee productivity, creative thinking and customer service. He is the author of Own It! Getting Your Employees to Think Like Owners.

Planning is at the hub of the wheel and is the most vital aspect of every salesperson’s approach — both to selling and living. In planning, decide how you will use each hour of your precious time — from outlining the objective of each sales call to what you’re going to read or study on a particular day to continue your lifelong sales education.

     With planning at the hub, the Wheel of Activity has five additional parts, or spokes, which dictate the effective use of time: prospecting, selling, service, personal and study.

Prospecting

     While few would say that prospecting is their favorite sales activity, without prospects, you won’t have many customers. Therefore prospecting is essential to successful selling. Set aside time every day for prospecting and make it an ongoing activity — a part of every day, every week. Prospecting is a salesperson’s gold mine.

Selling

     It doesn’t do much good to have ample prospects if you don’t follow up. Every industry has its own prime or “golden” hours, during which you’re most successful at contacting and meeting with prospects. Spend this time only selling. Shelve less productive tasks until later.

Service

     Remember your customers and they’ll remember you. Closing a sale should be the opening of a relationship. This requires ongoing communication and interaction. To regularly interact with your clients between sales, spend 10 to 15 minutes daily calling one or two customers or clients for the sole purpose of learning how they are doing. These small deposits will yield tremendous future rewards.

Personal

     According to The Boston Globe, Americans work longer hours than the citizens of any other industrialized nation and sleep, on average, only six hours per night (as opposed to the recommended eight).

     Juggling the demands of work and home life can leave many of us feeling overworked and exhausted, to say the least. That’s why it’s important to schedule time for fun and relaxation. This means finding time for yourself and loved ones as well as finding time off from work to relax and recharge your batteries. When you plan recreation time just as you do work time, you’ll be able to relax more fully knowing that work responsibilities are handled.

Study

     School is never out for the salesperson. A true sales professional is one who has committed to lifelong education and self-improvement. If the average salesperson committed to reading only 15 minutes each day, he or she would read more than 18 books annually. How much more effective could you become by committing yourself to 15 minutes of educational time each day?

     When you incorporate the “Wheel of Activity” into your professional and personal life, you will become more effective. You will find each day that you are becoming happier and more successful — as a sales professional and as a person.

The Testimonial Close works by providing evidence from a credible source. If your customers do not trust you, they are much more likely to trust someone who seems similar to them.

Examples
1. “I regularly receive letters from happy customers. Here are a few from XYZ Corporation who are regular customers.”
2.  “We have several customers who are happy to act as reference sites for us. Would you like me to arrange a visit?”
This week Promotional Consultant Today looks at different closing techniques including: The Personal Closure “Trap,” The 1-2-3 Close, The Bonus Close and the Courtship Close.
Source: David Straker, author of five books and the website www.ChangingMinds.org, He is principal consultant of Syque, a consulting and publishing company.

     How many times have you started a new project, reached for a new goal, or set out to accomplish something big, only to abandon the project or goal soon after starting?

Why do people often start out with grand aspirations and then throw in the towel relatively soon? Terror. In fact, the terror barrier is the No. 1 reason people don’t achieve their goals.

Everyone has a comfort zone — a mental place where they feel at peace. If you stay in your comfort zone too long, you don’t grow and achieve new things. However, when most people step out of that zone, they hit the terror barrier, become frightened, procrastinate and make excuses to validate why they should give up and go back to their old ways.

If you want to stretch yourself, set high goals, or learn new skills, you must step up and get out of your comfort zone. This week Promotional Consultant Today will examine five strategies to overcome the terror barrier you so you can push through to your ultimate objectives.

Set Goals That Are Emotional To You

Logical goals never make anyone’s pulse increase. Yet many people set their goals very mechanically, such as “Increase my sales by 10 percent.” Because people don’t get excited about the goal, they’re not willing to go the extra mile to reach it.

The key to creating emotional goals is to start with visualization - creating a picture in your mind of achieving your end result. For example, if you want to increase your sales, envision yourself at your company’s year-end meeting, standing on stage and receiving the Salesperson of the Year award. Hear the crowd applauding. Feel the pride of being recognized as the best. That’s an emotional goal.

Next, write down the goal. But be careful. Don’t start writing the individual action steps — that actually stops people from reaching goals. Too many people think they need to know exactly what to do and how to do it before they can start toward their goal. However, if you spend too much time thinking of the details and action steps, the terror barrier will start to creep in.

First, decide on the goal; you can map it out along the way. Rather than create action steps, write down 10 reasons why you want to achieve the goal. You will need this list later when the going gets tough.

Tomorrow we’ll look at getting off track and taking action toward your new goals.
Source: Ingunn Aursnes is an author, consultant and owner of Quantum Leaps Consulting, LLC.

Don’t Let Negativity Be A Barrier
Those who prevail in difficult times are the ones who steadfastly refuse to allow negativity to form a barrier to their success. They instead deliberately and diligently take constructive action, thereby refreshing and reinvigorating their minds and their spirits, enabling them to take more action, which refreshes and reinvigorates.
This week Promotional Consultant Today will review 14 tips to help get you back on track. Yesterday we looked at four, and today we’ll examine five more.

Source: Francie Dalton is president and founder of Dalton Alliances, Inc, a Maryland based consultancy specializing in the communication, management, and
behavioral sciences. Her new book, Versatility, published by ASAE, is available by clicking here.

Take A Break, Work More Effectively
Strong work ethic or not, you can and should justify taking a break. In fact, you need to take breaks — regularly and frequently. Rest periods and vacations break work routines and help you work more effectively.
Taking time away from your regular activities shifts your thinking from its habitual, stuck patterns and helps you see more clearly. You can see what’s working and what’s not, and you’re more likely to think of new ways of doing things.

Source: The Inner Journey.