Are you establishing rapport or hurting your business success?

Recently, I had a client call and tell me about her experience on the telephone with someone she had looked forward to hiring. My client called a business owner to inquire about her services. The business owner in her attempt to establish rapport ended up losing the sale. The business owner talked excessively about her hobbies. She talked about how she loved to be outside instead of stuck indoors. Her remarks made my client question her commit to her business and the quality of services she would be providing. Another example of a rapport building blunder was when someone told me about her “Girls Gone Wild” weekend and made it sound like it was a regular part of her week. It left me wondering why in the world I would trust her with my personal or financial information.

Have you made a similar blunder when attempting to establish rapport? We all learn that people do business with those they know, like, trust and see as the expert. Take a moment to think about your past conversations. How may the listener have perceived what you were saying? Are you giving away too much personal information? Does the topic of conversation present you in a favorable light? Does the topic discussed present you as an enterprising person or a Negative Nelly? Were you smiling during the conversation or were you tired and grouchy? Could the listener hear the enthusiasm in your voice over the telephone or did you come across as unknowledgeable or disinterested?

Establishing rapport is key to business success. You must:

1. Active Listening: You must actively listen to what the caller is asking. Answer the callers’ questions concisely and confidently. If you do not know the answer just say you do not know.

2. Be prepared: Be prepared to answer any questions the caller may have and provide a written proposal or contract and references to the caller. Do not act like sending a written proposal or a contract is a foreign concept. It will make you look like you do not take your business seriously.

3. Do not be pushy or nosy: Do not be overly aggressive and ask for a credit card payment within the first few minutes of establishing rapport. This scares off potential clients. Also, do not sound or act offended when the potential client states they must discuss your proposal with their business partners. Do not sound amazed or shocked that they are a business with business partners. You must relay to the potential client that you respect their need to review the documents with their business partners or Board of Directors. I do encourage you to set an expiration date in your proposal or contract when sending one so that someone does not wait a year or two and expect the same fee for the product or service.

4. Follow up: Follow up after the phone call with the potential client. Ensure that they received the contract or materials they requested. Ask to clarify any questions they may have. Do not lose the sale because you assumed they received the information when in fact it was eaten by the email gremlins or lost in the mail.

5. Learn from Your Mistakes: Learn from your blunders. Take time to self reflect after a phone conversation with potential clients and think about what went well during the conversation and what you think you may need to improve upon next time. Use step 4 above to clarify anything you think you could have explained better during the phone conversation. Embrace each conversation as a learning experience.

Falling in love with selling over the telephone is not easy for everyone. Establishing rapport sounds easy to do but often it is not. If you do not know the caller extremely well and cannot see them to view their body language, you may not know you are steering the conversation down a slippery slope. Using my five tips above will help you ensure that you are successful at establishing rapport with new clients. When you master rapport building you will grow your business.

Learn to feel satisfied and bring a project to fruition: Stop being a butterfly.

Are you like a butterfly? Starting one task and then before it is completed you are flying off to start another task? Is your mind buzzing with new ideas and projects? Yet, you have a pile of unfinished projects?

We all the love the feeling we get when we get a new idea or inspiration. However, when was the last time you felt satisfaction in bringing a project to fruition? My five tips below will provide you the feeling of satisfaction of bringing a project to fruition.

1. Know Yourself. What time of day do you perform at your best? Are you a morning person? Are you a night owl? When you know when you perform at your best or are most creative you will be able to plan your schedule accordingly to use your most precious resource wisely; YOU!

2. Examine Your Environment. Who is sabotaging your efforts? Is it you? Is it fear? Is it your belief system? Is it family, friends, coworkers, or the office mascot? You must identify who is sabotaging your efforts and why. Do you not like working on the project? What does completing the project symbolize? Do your family and friends not respect your boundaries? Do family and friends not realize you are busy working? Let them know your office hours and ask them to respect your office hours and the need to get your project completed. Examine your belief system. Do you feel you are not supposed to be successful? Do you feel guilty charging customers and clients because you are doing what you love? Do you fear success? Take time to examine your environment and identify who is sabotaging your success.

3. Focus. Designate a time to complete or work on the project. Set an appointment with yourself if you must. Put the project in your day planner. Turn off all distractions before you begin your project. This can be the television, radio, cell phone, or telephone. You may want to post a note on your front door or office door that says “In Conference – Do NOT Disturb”.

4. Time Your Self. Just as a lawyer, doctor, dentist or other professional allows a certain amount of time for an appointment you need to do that also. Estimate how long the project or task will take or how long you will work on it during your allotted time. Set a timer and see how much you accomplish before the timer buzzes. After the timer goes off reward yourself with a small break. This will also clear your mind and eliminate tension in your body. If the task is not completed, schedule in your day planner another appointment for working on the project. This will ensure you do not get burned out or forget to return to the task or project.

5. Reward Your Self. It is hard work being the boss or being a solopreneur. There is no one around to give you a pat on the back or say “Great Job”. You need to recognize your accomplishments and reward yourself. The reward does not have to cost a lot of money. It may be as simple as taking a walk around the block to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It may be going to lunch with friends or buying yourself some fresh flowers for your office. Record your accomplishments in a journal so that you can self reflect at a later date and time. Use positive self-talk to remind yourself how great you truly are.

You are your most precious resource. You must respect and honor your time. You must finish your projects or eliminate the ones that no longer bring you joy. Eliminating the clutter and having a plan will ensure that you are more productive. When you enlist my five tips, you will no longer be the social butterfly. You will be the respected and profit earning head of your business or organization. You will feel satisfaction that you have completed a project and you will ready to focus on your next moneymaking idea.

Twitter Tip Thursday – TwitPic

TwitPic

http://twitpic.com/

You can upload photos from your phone  or from the website. Go to the website and log in with your Twitter account information. How easy is that?

Have fun but remember…if you would not want your mother or grandmother to see the pics do not post them. Also, if you are job hunting think twice before you post.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Article Writing, Growing Your List and the Squeeze Page

 

Are you a business owner wanting to grow your business? The answer is in your “list”. You can build your list by writing articles, blogs, and sending out a newsletter to promote your business. People buy from experts. Establish yourself as the expert in your niche by writing.

Article writing is easier than you think. You pick a topic that is your passion and offer the reader tips, your opinion, and your insight on that topic. Because you are writing on a topic that is your passion the article writing process will be effortless.  You will be able to write an article within 10 – 20 minutes because you are writing on a topic that you know very well and are the expert on. You can recycle your article by posting it on your various blogs and social networking sites. You can also use the article in your newsletter and offer it to others to use in their newsletters too. Go Green…recycle, recycle, recycle.

Now, after you have written your article you will want to include a resource box at the end of the page. This will include a call to action. You want the reader to go to your website. The website you will want the reader to visit will be your Squeeze Page. This way the reader is only afforded the opportunity to read one page of information and he or she will leave their email address and other contact information to receive a free product such as a special report, ecourse, or coupon. When the reader visits your main website, too many distractions such as multiple pages, buttons to click, and information to read can cause the reader to not leave his or her information. You want to capture his or her email address so you can add him or her to your “list”.

Grow Your Business NOW by writing articles, posting them to your blog and social networking sites, and driving traffic to your Squeeze Page.

Coach Jaynine turns Dreams into Reality. She teaches business owners how to develop their presence in the community by having the necessary systems in place so they are seen as the EXPERT. Jaynine has over 20 years experience as a United States Marine, psychotherapist, and business owner. If you are ready to be the expert, increase your revenue and take your business to the next level contact Jaynine today at www.coachjaynine.com or 910-539-2810.

Are you a conversation monopolizer? Conversation is a two-way exchange of information

Conversation is a two-way exchange of information. There seems to be an epidemic that has affected each of us. Lately, people keep telling me how they just got off the phone or went to dinner with someone who did all the talking and they did not get to say anything other than an occasional “hmmm” “oh my” “really” “yes” “you don’t say”. This is not engaging in a conversation. This is being an audience member.

If you are guilty of doing all the talking, I encourage you to stop and share the stage. Ask questions and actively listen to the other person. I have identified three types of conversation monopolizers.

1. The 1 Upper – this person has done whatever you just told them you did but they did it on a more grandiose scale. Thus, leaving you feeling defeated. I suggest that even if you can one up the person because you really have been there or done that…stop yourself, bite your tongue, and let the person enjoy basking in their glory.

2. The Know It All – this person thinks he or she knows how you should be conducting your life or business within seconds of introducing yourself to them. The best thing you can do is just nod your head in agreement with your best fake smile because if you try to argue or state your position they will continue to give you unsolicited advice anyway.

3. The Martyr – this person is never having a good day. They are the sacrificial lamb to all their family and friends and they love it. When you meet this person, I suggest you run…run very fast and get away. Their negative energy is contagious and you do not want to catch it.

I encourage you to implement my six steps for polite conversation.

1. Ask about the other person first before telling your news.

2. Actively listen to the tone of their voice and the words they are saying. Often times you may hear a discrepancy. If you hear, a discrepancy probe further and focus on them.

3. Share the stage. When you share your news, remember the person has news to share too. Enjoy the exchange of words. Enjoy having a real conversation.

4. Do not 1 Up the other person. Let them bask in their glory.

5. Do not be The Know It All; because guess what, you do not know it all.

6. Don’t whine or be negative. It is very draining to others.

When you implement my six steps for polite conversation, you will be the person that others love to engage in a conversation with.

 

Jaynine Howard is the owner of Dream Catcher – Business Coaching. She has over 20 years of experience helping others design systems and strategies that increase their productivity and credibility. If you are ready to take action and earn more money, contact her today at www.coachjaynine.com. Sign up to receive your free e-course Networking Detox: My 5 Secrets to Networking Success today at www.networkingdetox.com