John Mayer concert in New Yersey - finally

In spring, 2010, I and my daughters wanted to see John Mayer concert in Manchester, UK. This trip was organized in advance. We purchased tickets about 1.5 months beforehand, airplane and hotels tickets and at the last day before the flying we read that John has cancelled the concert due to his illness. We decided to go anyway and extended our stay to Liverpool - the Beatles place.

John Mayer Statement

The same year, on 2 August, during vacation trip in USA we realized that John is close and we managed to go to Holmdel (NJ) to join the concert.

The concert was opened with National Anthem of the USA. To support the concert there was Pat Monahan (Train). There were in fact two concerts in one ticket.

Listen what and how he speaks. I would like politicians and mass media learn to speak.

Desire

Following is my speech prepared based on Toastmasters "The Professional Speaker", Advanced Communication Series manual, Project #3, The Sales Training Speech with the title: "Desire".

Opening

Mr Toastmaster Fellow members and guests.

Tonight we will go together to sales. This training is about - how to be effective in sales and how to avoid situations that potential customer will hate us as a salesperson.

Who is a salesperson please raise your hand?

Our observation
Who likes the way the salespeople sell?
I have received some phone calls from the sales people. They start to sell the product upfront without trying to understand prospects.
The reason we do not like all salespeople is the way they are going to sell the product. 

Real salesperson

Whats in it for me? Why do you care about sales when there are not many people here that are in sales?

We all are sales persons. Take for some simple examples.

• Marriage
• Job interview
• Insurance

Sales is one of most desired skill in today’s commercialized world. 

The people that can sell - win. The people that does not sale - they lose.

Salesperson is problem solving person. Would you not like to live with someone like that.
The knowledge and experience how to sell is universal such as public speaking.

Highly professional
Selling can be highly professional activity. In today’s world salespeople are becoming more crucial than ever before to its companies profitability for better or worst. No doubt about that. They participate in decision making process because they understand long-term benefits of buying.
Being professional salesperson is to understand why it went wrong and what to do about it. Be aware of what is happening when selling and dealing with people to be aware what they are saying and doing. Selling process occurs through the prospect not a through the selling person.

Five steps process

Step 1 - Find out the prospect's needs.

image builders

Selling is not telling prospects what they do should do. It is showing the customers how their image  will enhance when they buy. I as a salesperson with my product or service should be image builder.

interview process

Discover prospect needs, feelings and problems through questioning, establishing and listening. Effective selling is an interview process to:
• gain information
• clarify problems and their causes
• discovering, how the offer can solve these problems

Step 2 - Gain the confidence of the prospect

ask questions and make notes

Ask the question that will probe personal feelings, attitude and emotions.  By asking fact-finding questions the salesperson will get the information and will build sense of trust and confidence. You will show concern by taking notes.

product as the solution

Guide the customer to the product as a solution to the problem. Make customer aware of the difference between the things are now and will be with the product.
Be responsive to person needs contributing to his-her knowledge and growth.

mature decision

The objective is to help to make mature decisions and take fully realized actions. If selling is a conflict prospect will be opponent. Selling is accomplished with the prospect, not at him or her. It is positive problem-solving approach.

conclusion
People will buy a product because they feel the salesperson understand them.

* example 1
Think now about your interview or person you would like to get married. How important is the confidence.

*example 2

I am becoming constant client of one of car Service Company because I like the way they treat me. The day before the visit they text me to memorize. After the service they clean my car. They call the next day to verify whether everything was OK. This way they build my confidence. This example shows long term relationship that when established it works for benefits for both.

Step 3 - Sell a solution

Use drama (D R A M A) to convince the prospect of the solution

Demonstrate 

Demonstrate that your product is a solution for prospect needs. People buy solutions. Put the customer in the picture of the solution. When he/she mentally owns the solution the seller can put it easier in reality.

Reference

The salesperson should put himself in the position that customer is asking for help to build prospect self-image.

*example

The other example are assurance agents. They are to find the best solution from the market and for particular car and driver incorporating the history. They need to be advisers otherwise it will not work. But this approach can be adopted wider and will work.

Arithmetic

Please be careful when using words: spend, buy, and pay to the prospect. Use words such as investment and cost savings.
People buy emotionally and make decision intellectually.

Measure
Product feature vs. benefits. Feature has to do with things benefits have to do with people. The goal is to prove that benefits will do what they claim. The benefits that will address directly to pain, discomfort, low esteem or embarrassment and provide success, recognition, pleasure and approval, the benefits that outweigh the costs.
Please explain the prospect how the solution helped others to move from his negative results to positive ones.

Assure
The prospect will not make buying decision before answering three questions:

• Will it work?
• Is it the best available?
• Will it be the best in the future?

*example 1

Think now again about interview. Are you the best? Will you be the best?

Motivation to buy things begins with feeling or emotion. And to solve a problem you need to understand what prospect feel. Asking questions, listening and guiding a person in process of discovery are a way to communicate empathy. This approach is basis for understanding and human relations, helping people to like themselves better.

Is this not universal way of communication?

People are afraid of making buying mistake. If seller is insincere the client will not buy. The seller should look for win-win solution based on mutually solving the problem

Step 4 - Anticipate objections
You should tactically challenge objections to turn objections into advantages.

Explaining and guiding

not

arguing and pushing.

T O O L S:

phrases:

• As we all know…
• You agree that…
• I can understand how you feel…

why questions:
Do you remember the time you were young? How many times you have asked question why?

Simple question “why?” will uncover real objection. Objections are buying signals and guides to the prospect thinking and if we explain away the objections we have buying customer.

buying decision
Allow the customer to feel he has made a buying decision.

*example

I was not ready for change of car insurance company for several years and I was paying more. Finally assurance agent has convinced me to make a decision to change that providing arguments.

step 5 - make a close
The close is the goal and you need to have strong desire to close. You finalize the close when the prospect is ready and convinces about savings and benefits.

C L O S E
Comparison
Ask the prospect to make minor decision on color, model, and features

Loss
Motivate the buyer through fear or loss when he or she delay

Opinion
Ask the question about benefits he or she will enjoy. “Don’t you think it will help you in the job?”

Story
Most effective vehicle as people persuade based on action of others

*example
Refer to other people or groups that have benefited.

Summary
Sales is a simple five step process . You learn the needs, gain the confidence, provide a solution, anticipate objections and close the sale.

E a s y? 

Just five steps. You can make it to sell yourself in an interview or to get married or to sell a product or service.

This way you build the desire for the product and you make it.

How to win a day in 12 steps

1. Start a day, early

• If you want your day to be effective start it early and allow one hour break (for a sleep) between lunch and dinner. This will keep you strong  more hours.
• make a break before you get tired to keep your brain and body fresh.  
• if you feel tired or asleep immediately make a break or short sleep
• find many occasions for short relax

2. Gymnastic

• Do gymnastic to make your body and brain focused from the morning
• Include brain gymnastic exercises

3. Eat the light breakfast

• During many short brakes you can continue eating.

4. No news, no computer

• Do not start a day with radio, the news, e-mails, web-site, radio
• let your brain think on the things you are going to do today

5. Work with paper and pencil, first

• prepare cards (size about: 9 x 9 cm, 4 x 4 inches) and pencil.
• this size will give you some space to write details on the reverse side if needed.

6. Collect fresh ideas

• You woke up with the idea in mind that everyday is a new life.
• Write down, on the front side of card, you think are important and are in your brain this morning.
• Use separated cards for different  things. This can be list of what you are going  to, ideas, problems .

7. Prioritise, group, decompose

• Put card on the desk and move them to group and prioritize
• on the back write more details whenever you have idea.

8. Choose

• Choose what you will focus on today.

9. Do it

• Once you have decomposed what you are going to do start doing it.
• Now you can switch on a computer and do the research that is needed to do the work.

10. Decompose

• For everything that you are going to focus on today use spare cards and proceed with decomposition.
• Examples
• to prepare presentation take a separated card for every paragraph that comes to your mind and put the cards in sequence of presentation.
• when writing a book you probably have a lot cards for higher lever  chapters, so proceed with decomposition 

11. Archive

• take picture of cards and the sequence
• make a log of ideas broken by finding dates for later use

12. Review

• Review several times a day and celebrate every small achievements
• At the end of the day review what you have done

Happy customer

Opening

We as customers believe

• Customer is a king
• Customer comes first
• Customer is always right

Many, but not all, companies remember this.

Outline

I am going to give two opposite examples of customer treatment.

Next I want to focus on things that are important to make customer happy.

First example is a "phone call to customer service"

I had problems with the service and I called customer service for assistance.

I was welcomed first by IVR system and after one minute of pressing keys I was given a message that my call was important and next I was listening and paying to the music for about 30 minutes before conversation started. The customer service representative could not solve my problem, did not know what they offer and was not nice. I asked for his name and this resulted in disconnection.

I did not have a feeling I was a King.

How to find domain name for web site?

How to find domain?

It is not possible to find free ".com" domain for commonly used words. So we have to look for more unique and this will take some time.  In order to succeed I suggest systematic approach that I define bellow. This can take several session and few days. I guarantee that using this method you will be able to find huge number of ideas for your domain name to be able to choose from.

You need only following steps:

• Find keywords first
• Prepare cards
• Find names
• Test names
• Register your domain

Find keywords first

Keywords

1. Take list of topics, product and services and description your subject your site is going to address and make a list of keywords from it.

2. Substitute long words with shorter words for example word "perfect"  could be replaced by "best"

3. Choose more meaningful words for group of words that have similar meaning, for example: "revenue", "income", "increase" could be replaced by word "profit"

Get that job!

Introduction
Who thinks that job is important subject in his/her life? Job is important for most of us. When we are running a business we are also in permanent job hunting. However if we are top talent we do not have to worry about.

Status quo
The situation on the job market gets worst due to downsizing of global economy. As the result of crisis many position disappear forever. People loose job for following reasons:

• Too long assignment
• Too small experience
• Too high salary

Are you in the cloud?

Cloud Drives Platforms

We use computers. Therefore we have computer files. But there is a cloud - computer cloud.  It can do a lot and be used as a virtual storage.
It has also feelings. Look at the message I got few days ago: "Recently your  Dropbox has been feeling kind of lonely :-( ". A human cannot ignore so warm message. Three main criteria to make decision on using the cloud are: safety, capacity and price.

Safety
One of the most important factors is data safety.  We can lose pen drive or can be broken or stolen by competitors. All ideas can go forever to nowhere.  I do not have any data backups.  But how many backups we need and how often?  According to Global Backup Survey in 2009 majority of the respondents do not have any backup and two of every three respondents lost pictures or files. Computer cloud stores our data and does backups. So the key problem is solved.