Most everyone I know is also at peak energy when they are working toward a worthwhile goal. It seems that the journey itself always serves as a larger reward than reaching the destination.

Creating and marketing Cyrano has been the biggest goal I have ever pursued and the journey has been incredibly rewarding. When I (literally) dreamt of Cyrano some ten years ago, I woke up my wife and said that we had been given a gift from God that was going to make us rich.

I was correct, but I wasn’t right.

Cyrano has made us wealthy beyond our wildest dreams. We have become wealthy in terms of new business contacts, opportunities and most importantly… friends. Fortunately, wealth can never be taken away from us, whereas riches (money and things) can be lost in the blink of an eye.

Lately, everything seems to be accelerating at an exponential pace. Opportunities (big ones) are surfacing on an almost daily basis. Talented, smart, well-connected businesspeople are contacting me regularly to discuss advanced marketing concepts. It seems that after a decade of drought, more people are finally opening up to the idea of customizing their communications. You can’t imagine how rewarding it feels to finally get validation of your ideas and beliefs after being misunderstood for so many years.

And, the biggest prize of all? The friendships we’re forming!

I was recently introduced to a rather special couple: Bob & Betty Ann Golden.

Betty Ann and Bob exhibit every attribute that make us feel so wealthy. They are the modern-day embodiment of Dale Carnegie’s philosophies shared in How to Win Friends and Influence People. They have proven to be generous, open-minded toward new ideas, passionate about their own personal and professional development, and focused on helping others along their success journey. They have taken the time to learn about my goals, dreams and challenges, and have taken actions to help me.

They are connecting me with the right people. They are contributing wonderful ideas to help create new programs (that will help others), and they have recently invited me to join their successful marketing team at SendOutCards. I gleefully pounced on the opportunity.

As I move forward with the Golden’s and SendOutCards, I will be documenting our collective successes and failures. Sharing knowledge and wisdom with others is my favorite pastime!

The Golden’s are showing why “giver’s get”! Together, we are forming a club of likeminded, helpful people called The Giver’s Group.

Patty and I are flying out to spend a few days with the Golden’s. When we return, I will begin posting more about the group, our vision and who will benefit by participating!

Days passed and the axes began to lose their edge. The breadth and depth of each cut decreased. In response, the lumberjacks swung harder and faster… harder and faster… harder and faster.

By the end of the week they collapsed in exhaustion. After a weekend of rest, they attacked their work with renewed vigor on Monday morning. Nonetheless, they were swinging dull axes.

The supervisor was smart. He implemented mandatory 15-minute rest breaks every two hours. During each rest period he had the workers hone the axe blades on a grinding wheel.

Each lumberjack finished the workday with energy to spare and a sense of accomplishment. Output exploded while morale improved.

Perhaps this story serves as a reminder for how important it is for the people you lead to have “mini-breaks” while they sharpen their skills.

What about you?  In today’s turbulent, unpredictable economy we have a choice: We can lose our edge or sharpen it.

My business partner (Dr. Tony Alessandra) and I have more than 50 years experience running our own companies and working with businesses of all sizes and industries.

During our careers, we have weathered several recessions. During each one, we have noticed a predictable pattern of decision making that seemed logical at the time, but proved to be detrimental later on.

One of the more important functions for survival is (ironically) one of the first to be reduced or eliminated… training.

Training and sharpening skills pays off immediately. However, it is expensive for many small and medium sized businesses to either hire a full-time internal trainer or bring outside experts into your business to provide insights and guidance.

What if it were possible to have access to the very same experts that the Fortune 500 companies can afford but only pay a tiny fraction of the cost?

New, Affordable Technology to the Rescue!

Tony and I have joined the exclusive Faculty of iLearningGlobal.tv because of their vision to bring the world’s finest personal/professional development system to the desktops of every business owner, manager, sales professional, rainmaker and employee around the world.

Can you imagine having Brian Tracy, Jim Cathcart, Don Hutson, Patricia Fripp, Harv Eker, Chet Holmes, Ivan Misner, Bill Bartmann, Hyrum Smith, Stephen M. R. Covey, Jay Abraham and several other business luminaries train your sales team?

Would you enjoy having Tony, Patricia Fripp and Dan Clark train on customer service?

How about getting your best marketing ideas from me, Jay Abraham, Terri Murphy and Tom Feltenstein?

Here’s the most amazing piece of news: Any company can now access the best training materials for less than $200/month! That’s less than $7.00 per day to have these experts available 24/7 for your entire company staff!

Our new online system contains:

• DVD-quality, high-definition, full-screen streaming videos
• Short (6-10 minute) topic-specific videos:
• Audio Programs
• E-books
• Live Webinars
• Whitepapers
• Faculty Blogs

Imagine having every employee gleaning applicable advice from experts in every field, and doing it from their own desk!

Within a year, everyone in your company can become experts in their fields of endeavor… and by only investing about 20 minutes each day!

If someone told you that you could bring the world’s leading trainers, speakers and consultants into your company for less than seven dollars each day, would you believe them?

I am presenting you with this opportunity right now.

Unlike traditional training, our E.D.G.E. (Expert Directed Guided Education) system provides spaced repetition to ensure that concepts stick.

Unlike reading books, our E.D.G.E. system distills ideas down into short, bite-size chunks that can be learned in minutes (as opposed to hours).

Also, you can either go through entire courses for subject mastery or you can search for immediate help in specific areas.

Please watch this short video as I demonstrate the power and potential of iLearningGlobal E.D.G.E. from my desktop.

When you are finished viewing, I strongly urge you to contact me for details and getting you and/or your company signed up and growing today.

Here’s to your smart decision to helping your staff swing razor-sharp axes!

I may be reached by calling 1-330-848-0444 x2 or email: Scott (at) PlatinumRule.com

Follow-Up versus Follow-Through

By Scott Zimmerman, Partner in The Cyrano Group

&

Dr. Tony Alessandra, Partner in Platinum Rule Group

What is your “follow-up reputation” in your business?  Is it ‘always and promptly’?  Or, is it ‘usually fairly timely’?  Or, could it be ‘doubtful it will get done’?  The highest performers keep their promises and exceed the expectations of their prospects and clients.  Be a bear about this one.  It isn’t a task to be dreaded; it is an opportunity to be seized.  You can set yourself apart with good follow-up skills.

What is the difference between “following up” and “following through”?

If your prospect declines or delays the decision to do business with you, you still have obligations to that person, which requires following up. If they do become your customer, you need to follow through; ensuring that every promise is completely fulfilled.

Let’s take a look at the bad news first: No sale! Time for following up with this prospect.

First, the prospect deserves to be sincerely thanked for her time and for giving you an opportunity to exchange information. A hand-written note is always appreciated and sets you apart from a vast majority of salespeople that take shortcuts.

Next, you need to stop and objectively reflect upon the circumstances that caused the prospect to say, “No, thank you.” Depending upon the situation, you may have a high likelihood of landing the account sometime down the road.

Here is a list of questions that you should ask yourself when debriefing each sales call:

• Did they decline because I proposed a solution before fully exploring their needs and collaborating solutions with them?
• Did I do my best possible job of asking questions; encouraging them to share their ideas, or did I do too much “presenting” of my ideas and possible solutions?
• Did I adjust to their pace (faster versus slower) and to their priority (task versus relationship)?
• Am I confident that I helped them make the best possible decision that is in their best interests?
• By behaving respectfully and professionally, have I left the door open for doing business later if their situation changes?
• Based on their reasoning for not buying, might the situation change in the future?

True sales masters become comfortable hearing “no”, as long as they have gotten to the real reason(s) for the answer.

After careful, objective analysis, you are now fully prepared to follow up with this prospect. We believe that in many cases you can often turn a “no” into a “yes” if you execute customized, long-term follow-up campaigns.

It is common for salespeople to be in the right place (a qualified prospect), but at the wrong time. Many prospects, if empowered to educate themselves over time, can—and often do—change their own minds. However, no one likes to have to do so in front of a salesperson.

There are two different types of follow-ups that you can execute; each serves a specific function.

The first is a standard type of follow-up. The salesperson sends literature, case studies, testimonials and other “value proposition” information designed to further educate the prospect about the value your product/service delivers. Sometimes this does work, but no matter how cleverly disguised, it might convey a message similar to: “You didn’t say ‘yes’ during our discussion, so here’s evidence that may help you change your mind.”

While this “traditional” practice of marketing is acceptable, it can be improved. Although educating prospects is never a bad idea, “attention erosion¹” is making it harder to get your messages received, read and digested. Businesspeople today are over-taxed, stretched thin and have little time to spare reading your literature and newsletters.

However, we bring good news: The second type of follow-up makes the first type much more effective…

Dale Carnegie taught us that to get what you want, first help others get what they want. He said that if we live our lives helping others achieve their goals; everything we desire will come back ten-fold. We heartily agree.

“Treat others the way they want to be treated,” is our mantra. It’s The Platinum Rule^®. By blending the Carnegie philosophy with ours, then adding a mix of cutting-edge technology, we were able to create a new method of following up with everyone in a customized, effective manner that ensures marketing messages are received with open arms (and open minds!).

Goal-specific Communication is the act of sending people (prospects, customers, clients, colleagues, referral partners, etc…) information that helps each of them achieve specific goals or seize a new opportunity.

If you take the time to ask interesting questions and pay careful attention to answers, you can now leverage technology to automate follow-ups that send articles, tips and ideas to each of your contacts that match their goals, challenges, interests and preferences.

Pay careful attention to this statement: If you send people helpful information—especially if it is unrelated to what you sell—you will position yourself as a helpful, thoughtful professional, and not as a pesky, pushy salesperson.

For example: Let’s say that Scott is calling on a sales manager and exploring ways to possibly help the sales team develop new skills and create more effective marketing messages. While Scott’s company happens to provide solutions in these areas, he also discovers that the prospect is relatively new to his position and has not received formalized management training. Additionally, he learns that they invest large amounts of time, focus and money attending several trade shows.

After the sales call, Scott executes a “blend” of follow-ups for this prospect. Using The Cyrano Marketing System, he selects a series of articles written by experts in the areas of interviewing, hiring, managing and interpersonal communications; all containing information that the prospect would find helpful in becoming more successful in his career. These are “relationship building” messages; chosen specifically to help this prospect become a more effective manager. These messages contain no information about Scott, his company or his products; they only serve to help the prospect.

When the prospect receives a few emails or articles mailed from Scott, he begins to perceive Scott as someone who is thoughtful, and also as someone who takes action on his ideas. As you might imagine, this type of communication begins building a bridge between Scott and each prospect.

When Scott calls back, he immediately offers to introduce the prospect to one of his colleagues that happens to be an expert in trade show marketing and long-cycle lead conversion. Couple that with the helpful articles on management skills, and Scott has earned the respect of his prospect by adding value at each touch point of the relationship.

More importantly, this approach dramatically increases the odds that when Scott sends “value proposition” information (literature, case studies, etc…) that the prospect will receive each message with an open mind.

By truly helping each prospect, Scott has earned “mind share” with each person. By matching messages to the goals, preferences and interests of every prospect, Scott eliminates “attention erosion”. People in Scott’s Cyrano database actually anticipate his follow-up messages!

If Scott discovers that the timing is poor with a prospect, he “fills the time” by sending helpful information to him. If the prospect suggests that Scott call back in six months or so, he tells Cyrano what type of articles to send, when he wants them sent, and asks for Cyrano to remind him to call back at the appropriate time. In other words, Scott doesn’t get frustrated when he is in the right place at the wrong time. Instead, he simply leverages this to his advantage. By filling the time gaps with showing the prospect that he cares about their success, Scott ensures that when he calls back, his phone calls are eagerly accepted and/or his voicemails get prompt return calls.

As many thought leaders often remind us: If you want to get everything you want, first help others get what they want!

While conducting our sales training programs, we are often asked if adapting to different styles and/or sending helpful information may be “manipulative.”

Our stock answer is, “It depends”.  If you do it right it is not.  If you handle it with a win-lose approach it certainly can be.

If your intention is to help other people; help them make decisions that are in the best interest of their company and/or career (even if it means not buying your product or service), help them achieve more, help them solve problems and help them succeed, then you are in no way practicing any form of manipulation. You are living The Platinum Rule. You are leveraging the power of persuasion in a positive fashion to create win/win outcomes in your business relationships.

However, if your intention is simply to make a sale, mislead another person or do anything that is even 1% less than ethical, then we can confidently state that are using adaptability, technology and persuasion in a manipulative fashion.

As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in his best-selling book Blink, almost every person has the innate ability to detect authenticity in another person in mere seconds. As importantly, they do it on a subconscious level; without even knowing they are doing so.

If your intention is pure, prospects and clients will subconsciously be compelled to want to do business with you. Conversely if your intention is to make money, push people into making buying decisions and/or manipulation, then no amount of training, psychology or technology will help you build a long-lasting career in sales.

Here are some important questions you should pose to your sales manager and to your marketing manager:

• Are we effectively leveraging information gleaned from the field (sales calls)?
• Is our contact management system (or CRM) being used to full capacity?
• Are we effectively communicating with everyone in our database?
• Does every one of our prospects know about each product and/or service that we offer, and why they should be buying from us?
• Are we effectively cross-selling to each customer who makes a purchase with our company?
• Should we consider matching our benefits to behavioral styles of our prospects?
• Since it is now possible to automate customized follow-ups (even if salespeople forget), would we grow our sales if we added effective technology to our process?
• Do we have a system for developing leads, cross-selling, increasing customer retention and growing referrals?

These are very important questions for your team to consider.

While it is important for you to learn how to adapt to each prospect or customer during your sales process, it is equally as important for you to market/communicate effectively to ensure that you have a steady stream of qualified prospects, your current customers feel appreciated and thought of often, and you never lose another client due to perceived indifference.

The basic premise is that people of different personality types do not want the same outcomes from their interactions with other people. Dr. Alessandra suggests that we make small adaptations in our relationships (based on observing the other person’s degree of assertiveness and openness) to reduce interpersonal tension.

He is 100% correct.

My research in one-to-one marketing has proven that people of different personality and/or behavioral styles respond differently (and predictably) to specific types of marketing messages.

Similarly, people will perceive your behavior either positively or negatively depending upon their style; not the behavior itself.

Here’s an example: An insurance salesman writes up a large policy for a married couple. Being thoughtful, he sends each of them a “thank you” gift; each worth about $25.00. The gift itself is irrelevant, but the gesture is viewed differently by each spouse. The wife (a Socializer) tells all her friends what a great guy he is. The husband (a Thinker) is upset because he thinks they have over-paid for their policy.

Same salesperson; same gesture… two different perceptions! What “brand” is created in the mind of both customers? She thinks he’s thoughtful. He thinks he’s been swindled; the cost of the gifts could have been deducted from the premium!

Dr. Alessandra teaches us to increase our flexibility and versatility (a term he calls “adaptability”). By adapting to the observable behaviors in others, we can create a different “brand” in each of their minds.

It is entirely possible to have four different people talk positively about you; each of them liking you, but each one describing completely different behaviors!

Directors (assertive and task-focused) like you to be:
• A no-nonsense conversationalist
• Competent and prepared
• Someone who sticks to the facts and meets deadlines

Socializers (assertive and people-focused) like you to be:
• A lively conversationalist
• A supportive listener to their stories and dreams
• Someone who saves them time and effort

Relaters (cooperative and relationship-focused) like you to be:
• An empathic conversationalist
• Friendly and pleasant
• Someone who listens well and is trustworthy

Thinkers (cooperative and task-focused) like you to be:
• A logical conversationalist
• Precise and detailed
• Someone who stops talking when the topic is covered

Adjusting the pace and focus of your conversations makes it entirely possible to build a positive brand with people of all four behavioral styles:

“He really does his homework.”

“He really cares about my success.”

“You can take his word to the bank.”

“He cranks out more work than the rest of the team combined.”

Dr. Alessandra has written and published several books regarding the importance of adding adaptability to a consultative sales process. I was fortunate to collaborate on the most recent: The Platinum Rule for Sales Mastery.

Becoming flexible in your approach to others is a valuable skill that not only increases sales, earns promotions, builds friendships, but also helps leaders make the critical shift from position power to personal power.

If you are serious about earning the top levels of income in your sales profession (or becoming a more charismatic leader, a more loving spouse, a more sensitive parent, etc…), you must be willing to emulate the behaviors of more effective people. Here are the attributes that describe top producers:

• Flexible
• Adaptable
• Disciplined
• Reliable
• Helpful
• Kind
• Considerate
• Thoughtful
• Conversant
• Honest
• Trustworthy

These are the types of words you will want your customers, prospects, bosses and colleagues to use when they talk about you.

If your reputation is less than stellar today, please don’t worry. The past is the past and truly has nothing to do with the future you can shape for yourself… starting this very minute! During my speeches and workshops, I encourage my audience to shift their focus from the future to their current habits. I’m a firm believer that if we quit focusing on results and start focusing on our decisions, habits and processes, the results will improve on their own.

Replacing bad habits with good ones will begin a transformational process within you. During the next year or two, you will meet new prospects, colleagues and potential referral partners. These people have no idea about the previous (or current) “version of you”. They will form their judgments on the behaviors they see in the “new and improved” version of you with absolutely no thought about how you used to behave.

Therefore, you can choose to re-create yourself anytime you desire… and why not right now?

Here’s a random list of ideals from which to choose. Pick the ones that resonate within you, print them and keep them visible. Commit to improve in these areas; making small improvements each day:

• Become an interactive, empathic listener
• Take an active interest in others’ ideas, dreams and goals
• Shift your intention from making sales to finding ways to help others
• Invest at least one hour each day to work on your personal and/or professional development (I will later reveal new technologies that accelerate your growth)
• Replace local news and fiction-based novels with input that nurtures your mind and soul
• Pay careful attention to spend time with people who are positive, optimistic and growing
• Become a valuable resource for all you encounter

When people perceive you as a kind, considerate, helpful person, you will enjoy a career full of opportunities handed to you, introductions and referrals offered without request and a steady stream of repeat business.

While my work primarily revolves around helping companies grow sales, I’ve discovered that improving our personal brand also makes for better leaders, managers, co-workers, employees, spouses and parents.

Simply stated, improve yourself and you improve your world.

Here’s a great saying: “It’s funny how others changed when I changed me.”

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.” — Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

Charlie's energy and wisdom altered the course of my life!

Those words forever shifted the course of my life and they can do the very same for you. Charlie inspired millions of people to invest in their own personal development.

In May of 1998, I read that quote in John Maxwell’s book called “The Success Journey” and took those words to heart. I quit reading novels and newspapers and devoted my time ingesting information that nourished my mind and my soul. I purposely sought new relationships with optimistic, successful and growing people.

Five years later I found myself wealthy with friendships and new business opportunities. Five years after that, I was asked to join the faculties of Candogo and iLearningGlobal. I can’t wait to see what life brings five years from now.

Oh, the books I’ll read and the people I’ll meet!

Now please understand that isn’t about me; it’s about you. Mentors have lifted me up in spite of all my shortcomings and I want to try to “pay it forward”.

These words are my labor of love. Charlie once told me that it sometimes took him up to eighteen hours to write a single page in his books. He cared that much about his words; he cared that much about making a positive impact on me… and you.

If these words inspire just one single person to replace one bad habit with one productive one, then I will have succeeded. If just one person makes one better decision then I will have made a difference.

My question to you is this: How will you make a difference?

You don’t have to be the exact same person in five years, you can become a better version of the good that you already are! Yes, you already are enough. You already have enough. You are ready to make massive contributions to the world. However, there’s no reason why you can’t continually add to the goodness within you.

Five years from now, the difference within you will be directly proportional to the time you invest in your own development.

“Affordable fast food” evokes what thought?

“Genius” brings what name or names to mind?

Our brain naturally sorts things into categories; it’s how we maintain sanity. We unconsciously begin “labeling” things the moment we encounter them. Once something occupies a “slot” in our mind, it’s rather difficult to move it to a different slot.

Once we know someone one way, it can be disconcerting to know them a different way. Have you ever bumped into a client at the grocery store, sporting event or a nightclub? Remember the awkward pause as your brain sifted through all the possibilities of your relationship was with this person? The reason you were so confused was because you were seeing a familiar person in an unfamiliar setting.

You “labeled” him or her as “businessperson” with no context of “shopper”, “sports fan” or “music lover”. You “branded” them as a “client”. “Client” is the position they occupy in your mind.

What is “Branding”?

Companies spend incredible amounts of money trying to “brand” a positioning in our minds. The term “branding” comes from the Old West when cowboys used branding irons to sear the name of their ranches into the hides of their cattle. Metaphorically, marketers are trying to “burn” their slogans, mottos, logos, catch phrases and images into our consciousness.

Your personal brand can easily be determined by what others say about you when you are not present. Here are some examples:

“No one’s better at brainstorming. His ideas come faster than you can write them down.”

“He’s exceptionally book smart, but sometimes lacks common sense.”

“She’s very dependable.”

“He’d be late for his own funeral.”

Do you ever wonder what types of adjectives others use to describe you?

• Assertive
• Wishy-washy
• Unreliable
• Connected
• Effective
• Cooperative
• Controlling
• Daring
• Empathic
• Helpful
• Domineering
• Talkative
• Deliberate
• Considerate
• Generous

Notice how each of these attributes (positive or negative) are based on your observable behaviors.

This should strike you as very good news.

You see, you can choose to change your behaviors at any time.

Trainers and coaches mistakenly talk about “attitude”. Changing your attitude rarely creates lasting changes. However, changing your behaviors will always lead to a lasting change of attitude.

Try smiling for the next fifteen minutes and see what happens to your mood. Write down everything that you have to be sincerely grateful for. See what happens to your mood. Simple, isn’t it?

Behaviors control attitude. Behaviors can be changed. Therefore, changing behaviors changes attitude.

Forget improving your attitude; focus on changing your behaviors!