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.

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.

Accomplish More In Less Time
Although it may seem like it at times, multi-tasking is not about piling on the work to the point of exhaustion. It’s about training the brain to channel energy in an efficient and effective manner so you can accomplish more in less time.
Believe it or not, one of the hallmarks of learning to multi-task is to actually slow down to accomplish more.
This week Promotional Consultant Today will look at techniques to help you mentally slow down and learn how to master the essential business skill of multi-tasking.

Source: Dr. Ron Knaus is a psychiatrist, and sports medicine physician who works helping clients reach peak performance levels. His clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and business executives. He has received board certifications from the American Osteopathic Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.

    Sounds evil, doesn’t it? Well it’s not meant to be. The buying and selling process are seldom a 50/50 proposition. If there is an edge, I believe it belongs to the seller. Saying it and achieving it are two different things.
If you want a mutually successful outcome with your potential customers try to gain the upper-hand in these three critical areas: Knowledge, Communication/Language and Relatability.

NOTICE: PPAI’s Promotional Consultant Today e-newsletter is now available exclusively on the DailyBoostTM website.  
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