Can You Hear Me Now?

Communicating with others can sure be a challenge. I don’t mean talking with others. I mean communicating with others. There are times when I think I’d like a press secretary like CJ Craig from West Wing- a designated communicator. How great is this to have someone to say what it is you don’t want to say yourself? Even better is to have a speechwriter like Toby Ziegler to write what you don’t know HOW to say. All this support and the real life President of the US still manages to stumble over his own words on a regular basis. I have a couple favorites: the vast majority of our imports come from outside the country and if we don’t succeed, we run the risk of failure. Yep, the man has people to write for him and people to talk for him and he still comes up with pearls like these. It’s like my daddy always said, it is better to keep your mouth shut & appear stupid than open it & remove all doubt!

Speaking isn’t the only hard part about communication- there’s the whole listening thing. I got a real clear picture of this problem last week when I was visiting family in Virginia. Getting info in your head is really about more than listening. I see this info gathering as having 4 parts. There’s the hearing- which is an obvious issue when your parents are 80 years old. I said this is an obvious issue when your parents are 80! This was a real conversation we had on a trip to the mountains. It’s probably a good time to tell you both my parents OWN hearing aides- but only my step-dad actually WEARS hearing aides. He’s driving along. We’ve been in the car for quite awhile. He makes an announcement. He says, “I’m pulling over. I can’t take that squeak!” Mom says, “Right here? Right now? And he says yes. She tells him he is embarrassing her and he shouldn’t do that in public. He shakes his head at her, stops the car & gets out. She covers her eyes as he pops the trunk and adjusts the squeaky cooler. She is now mad and nearly in tears. When he gets in the car she says, “I cannot believe you took a leak in the trunk of the car!” Poor guy. Take that squeak sounded like take a leak to her. We were at the state line before he & I quit laughing.

Then there’s the listening. Hearing and listening are two very different things. And you can do one without the other. Here’s a tip for you: listening is not something you do only with your ears. Guys, go home, ask your wives. They’ll back me up on this. You LISTEN with your eyes too. It really is almost a contact sport if done properly- you throw your whole body into it. Another conversation I listened to while at home went something like this. My step-nephew was talking to his mom about his driver’s education class one day. She asked where he went. He said nowhere. She said I thought you were in driver’s ed today. He says I was. She says didn’t you get to drive the car. He says yep I drove. She says but I thought you went nowhere. He says we did. After a few rounds of this it turns out that they DID go in the car but because there was no destination where they got out- only driving out to a point & then back, that meant going nowhere to him as they ended up where they started. (Kind of like this conversation went!!)

The next piece is another challenge. It is especially challenging for 80 year olds. It’s the remembering part. I’m not talking about what wasn’t listened to or heard in the 1st place, I’m talking about what went IN the head but seems to have fallen out somewhere along the way. This isn’t always bad with your parents- there are some things we may not WANT them to remember so clearly!

The final part is an optional piece of communication for most people but it is a must for my mother. It’s the part where if you have not adequately listened, heard or remembered, you just make stuff up to fill in the gaps. Yep- my mother’s stories are always very interesting- not based in reality in any way but entertaining nonetheless.

Let me give you an example of communication gone awry with my mother. The near bombing in London happened during my visit. She “heard” the news before I did. I use the term loosely here. When I came out of the shower she told me that there had been 20 or more arrests and that there would have been 10 million people killed if the bombs gone off. Yes- 10 million. Now maybe this comes from all her years reading the National Enquirer as the reports I later heard were closer to 1000. I’m thinking this falls in the category of making stuff up. What is hard to figure is whether it was an issue of covering up a problem with hearing, listening, or memory or simply in an effort to hone her tall tale crafting skills and keep me from flying the deadly skies back to Houston. To this day she maintains that the initial report she heard was 10 million. Hard to argue. Did YOU hear the initial report on WSVA Country Radio in Harrisonburg Virginia? I don’t think so.

Now as frustrating as this combination of communication challenges was, I know that there will come a time when I will miss them. The time will come far too soon when those attempts at communication will go the way of West Wing, CJ & Toby and be off the air. So for now, in the family tradition, I’m telling you- 10 million guys from London took a leak in the trunk of my Mom’s car! That’s my story & I’m sticking to it.

Beyond Fade to Black

Closing the deal. Ending the sale. Finishing the contact. Much ado is made about how to initiate sales calls and conversations. There is even great attention paid to techniques in asking for the sale. However, I have encountered no place where you are told what to do after that. This is the graceful exit; the sainara; the closing of the visit.

You know the offenders- they simply don't know how to say goodbye. Maybe it's that whole "parting is such sweet sorrow" thing. I have had sales people as well as personal acquaintances and even family members find it necessary to make the departure ritual longer than the actual visit. I call this the preamble to the actual leaving. I think we can credit Cher,at least in part, for creating this phenomenon also known as Farewell Tours 1-3.

Then there are those who are at the other end of the spectrum. There is no preamble with these folks. In fact, the leaving may be so sudden & unnoticeable that you miss it if you bow your head to sign the sales contract they dropped off. I call this the fade to black. A great cinematic move if your tale has a weak ending, but not so useful in a sales environment- & downright weird in a social environment.

So here's the technique. There are really just 4 simple steps:
1. One sentence prologue.
Here's where you STAND UP and make it clear you are blowing this popsicle stand. Not the words I would suggest in the corporate setting but they will do in most social venues. In business it is generally appropriate to say, "I must be on my way."
2. Issue praise.
Indicate that the experience was a positive one from your perspective. "It was great seeing you again", "this meal was fabulous", "I am glad we were able to coordinate our schedules to go over this proposal".
3. Thank them.
Thank them for their time, consideration, purchase commitment, picking up the dinner tab. Thank them for including you/ inviting you. Thank them for listening to your proposal; for teaching you about their business & their needs. People LOVE being thanked. Be sincere. Do not minimize this piece. Volunteer organizations have learned that their greatest weapon in recruiting volunteers is simple appreciation which is frequently most eloquently conveyed by those two little words: "thank you".
4. Talk about the next meeting.
This is your action item for them. Every good speech should end with some level of call to action for the listeners. The more specific the better. This requires a smidge of forethought on your part as to when you plan to see them again. "See you at next week's Toast Master's meeting, if not before". Always allow for spontaneity- & the fact that you'll actually see this person tomorrow in a different setting but simply forgot. This is the step that says "this is an on-going relationship". This is obviously a grand idea in sales! If you're working on closing a deal with a new client you may be very specific as to when you'll be calling them to see what questions they may have after reviewing your written material in more detail; running your proposal by the actual decision-maker, etc. If this is a social setting & you have no clue when you'll see them again you still need to complete this step. The ol' "see you next time" will work.

The accompanying pieces to this are:
1. eye contact
2. physical contact

The eye contact is pretty self-explanatory- do keep what you know about their cultural considerations in mind here.

Moving in for closer physical proximity at the close of a meeting is very appropriate. The level of contact is dependent upon the nature of the meeting- & perhaps upon the advice from your corporate attorneys. In business the firm handshake is the gold standard. There are business contacts where more contact is acceptable & appropriate- such as the touch on the shoulder or the 2 handed hand shake. Hugs have their place. Use your brain here. The point is that simple, brief physical contact is a classic part of closing an encounter of whatever kind.

That's it. The next time you're saying so long, get on with it. Remember the importance of final impressions. You don't want to wash away their memory of a positive sales call with a weak fade to black exit. Or you may be saying goodbye for longer than you intended.

Selling Ice to Eskimos

Do you know what it takes to sell ice to Eskimos? First of all, let me tell you what it doesn't take.

It doesn't take weekly deliveries of colorful ink pens to their icy hut.

It doesn't take a meeting with the Vice President in charge of making ice to explain the logistics of ice making to the Eskimos.

It doesn't take an MBA, or an MA, or a BA or even BS.

It doesn't take the "Super Duper One of A Kind Sales Special This Week Only".


It DOES take establishing a need for the ice. Plain & simple. As Jeffrey Gitomer says, people hate to be sold but they love to buy. If they need something they will buy it. But how do you establish their need?

Discovery is the first and most important component to sales. And it requires the least amount of education & the most common sense.

Rule #1 (which you'll note is also a top rule in my Customer Service Blog) is to remember God gave you 2 ears & 1 mouth for a reason. Divide your sales call into thirds. Use your left ear 1/3. Your right ear 1/3. And you'll notice that only leaves 1/3 for your mouth. Yep. That's right. The average sales person spends 80% of the time talking. The average sales person will never sell ice to Eskimos. Ask them what thier needs are & shut up while they tell you. It makes your job dramatically easier if you use THEIR words and THEIR needs to make the sale.

Rule #2 is to probe their need like a 9 year old boy picking at a scab. Help them feel their pain. Sales is about meeting an unmet need. The more critical and painful the need, the more likely the sale. The average sales person tries to make their customer feel comfortable- because that makes them feel more comfortable. The average sales person can't sell ice to Eskimos. You're not there to be their friend. You're a skilled surgeon there to explore their needs, and fulfill them therby saving their life. That is way better than being their pen pal- although it would be easy for them with all those useless pens you drop at the hut d'Eskimo.

Rule #3 (you'll like this part, it's the 1/3 where you get to use your mouth) is where you educate them about how you can meet their need. This is NOT a data dump of every feature & benefit of the wonders of ice. It is connected ONLY to the needs THEY identified or you clarified during your probe. And it is both the features AND the benefits. The feature is what your product does- in this case one feature is it makes stuff colder. The benefit is how it will meet Mr. Eskimo's unmet need. Now the MICE don't endorse him using it to freeze baby seals, in fact we'd just as soon freeze Mr. Eskimo at that point (see blog on business ethics). But if Mr. Eskimo is a big fan of Coca Cola and likes that clinking noise in the glass & prefers to have the purified water version not the version chipped out of the snow where the reindeer trod, THAT is the benefit to him.

3 easy steps and you, too, can sell ice to Eskimos. Stay tuned for more Sales tips including proper relationship building & differentiating a commitment to buy from nice noise. If your sales force needs a critical dose of training, call the MICE at 713-732-1340 or check out the website at www.miceseminars.com.

Customer Service Tips

We provide a presentation/training focusing on Dealing with Challenging Customers. Today is one of those days I was reminded why.

Here's a few tips.

Make the 1st words out of your mouth, "I am sorry." This is not a legal plea of culpability. It is an expression of regret over the negative experience had by someone else.

Never pass up a perfectly good opportunity to keep your mouth shut. God gave you 2 ears & 1 mouth for a reason. Listen. As Covey says, seek first to understand THEN to be understood.

Watch your body language. Unfold those crossed arms. Make eye contact. Open yourself up literally & figuratively. Now is not the time to multitask. Studies show that if you give a complainant your undivided attention, you will spend less time in the long run with a more successful outcome than had you tried to finish your paperwork & answer an email while dealing with the problem.

Take notes on the issue. This speaks volumes. The issue is important enough for you to write down. An additional benefit is the need to get to your office where you have pen & paper which helps escort an irate customer away from the traffic flow of others.

Outline a plan of action. Follow the plan & follow up with the person to demonstrate success BEFORE they follow up with you.

And finally, and most importantly to the MICE as they reflect upon their relationship with Tigger Charles the cat, never, ever, make someone mad who has the power to eat you alive. This translates to a preventative approach to customer service- don't hack 'em off in the 1st place. Apart from humans, the whole animal kingdom lives by this concept. Certainly those of us with opposing thumbs can manage to grasp this fact.

For more tips and techniques, book a training for your workgroup or organization this month. If you do so, in honor of their relationship with the feline world , MICE will make a donation to Abandoned Animal Rescue- see the Community Event page on the website for more details. We hate to say it, but it really is the cat's meow.

Integrity

Igniting your workplace with a sense of integrity and joy- the mission of MICE. Truth be told the joy naturally follows from the integrity. Ever worked in a place that lacked integrity? I'm betting you didn't have much joy there did you? What is it that makes a place be filled with integrity?

Websters defines integrity as an unwavering commitment to a firm moral code. In the eye if the MICE, it is doing the right thing no matter who is- or isn't- watching.
Take the grocery cart back.
Don't detour to go to Walmart after your sales call & submit that on your mileage report.
Show up where you say you'll be- when you say you'll be there.
Keep the deal you said you'd make.
Don't "borrow" the powerwasher from work.
Eat your green vegetables.
Expect to earn your salary- there is a reason it is called work.
Listen to your customers.
Inform and educate your customers.
Tell them the truth.
Don't hide debt in off-balance sheet subsidiaries.
Refrain from price gouging.
Staying in a workplace that lacks integrity will soil your soul.

and a few specific ones for our friends in healthcare:
Adhere to the patient's wishes.
Ask patients their names- AND what they want to be called.
Tell them your name & what in the heck you're doing to them.
Worry about your scope of expertise not your scope of reimbursement.
Inform the patient- even if the new knowledge may cost you as a practitioner money.
Create a medical treatment plan not an insurance cost/benefit plan.
Remember "getting creative" is often a translation for "Fraud".
Demented patients do not benefit any differently from weekly psychotherapy than they do from a volunteer visit.
They actually benefit more from a visit from their dog.
Don't order a dermatology consult on an actively dying patient.
Find out what quality of life means to your patient before initiating heroic measures in terminal
conditions.
Remember that no one ever has to die in pain.
Greet every day with love in your heart.

You'd be surprised at how few have the grit and the courage to adhere to these standards and demand them in their workplace. I met such a person today. She walked away from money and convenience and ease in the name of ethics and integrity- on multiple occasions. She simply has no stomach for grey areas when it comes to doing the right thing. She has paid dearly both personally and professionally for these high standards.

comfortable salary $320,000
retirement plan $1,000,000
health benefits $1,500,000
vacation, etc $600,000
ability to look self in mirror priceless- & that comes with a free dose of positive role modeling
for her kids.

What are you teaching your kids?

What do you see when you look yourself in the mirror?

If it is not the joyful face you deserve, see us at www.miceseminars.com. We'll make you say cheese. :)

Powerful Presentations

Just came back from a meeting of the Home Based Business Committee branch of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce. I was an invited speaker on how to make effective presentations. Talk about having to practice what you preach! Being that my Motivation, Inspiration, Consultation & Education adds up to MICE, I thought the title of my talk was most appropro: The Power of Grilled Cheese.

The essence of what I delivered was that making a powerful presentation is as easy as making a grilled cheese sandwich. The 1st piece is the slice of bread. This is your opening. It has to be fresh or you'll lose your audience. None of this "I flew in from Vegas & boy are my arms tired hooey". It has to be firm. Strong voice & confident posture. Whole grain bread here- none of that wimpy stuff. You have to catch them in your mouse trap at this point- grab their attention- tell them what you're going to do for them & why they should listen- in this case, I'm making giving a presentation to hundreds of folks as easy as making a grilled cheese sandwich.

Next is the cheese- this is your content- the whole point of making the sandwich in the 1st place, right? In theory, more cheese is better, but if you ever tried to make a grilled cheese with more than 3-4 slices of cheese max, you'll know that doesn't work out so well. Too gooey- even by MICE standards. No one can retain more than 3-4 key points- at best. Adult learning is compromised not only by our limited attention but by our limited capacity to sit & be still.

The butter is a key piece and the buttering up of the audience needs to start early. What I mean is meeting & greeting your audience so you know them, what brought them to see you present, what their expectations are, and so you can include them in the context of your talk. It also fosters friendlier faces in the crowd so you don't have to go thru the whole naked visualization thing.

Finally there is the 2nd slice of bread. It should match the 1st. No really. I'm pretty sure that you make your grilled cheese sandwiches with the same type of bread on either side. Not rye on one side & a hot dog bun on the other. The conclusion should link back to your opening. Like my article I wrote on the importance of Advanced Directives & the Terri Schiavo story- you can see it on my website at www.miceseminars.com on the Cheesebits page. I started with freedoms and rights as Americans and ended that same way- the freedom of choice Terri would never know. Many presenters I know end up with more of an open faced sandwich- no clear closing- just sort of the proverbial fade to black. The most clear way to mark your closing is to create a call to action on the part of your listeners.

Here it is. Go make your own grilled cheese sandwich so the next time you are called on to make a presentation it- & you- are ready to step up in such a way that is just likley to earn you more cheese!

For more info on topics we present or how we can coach you, check out the website.

Appetizer Cheese

Here it is. The MICE march forward into a new era of blogging. The cat (Tigger Charles) told them they were going to find their cheese had been seriously relocated if they didn't get on with the technological journey. Not being creatures to ignore a cat who has waged battle with a snake this very day- & emerged victorious, I might add- off they marched.

MICE will be providing the education portion of the name for nurses & social workers Tuesday & Wednesday this week- 1 hour of ceu credit each. One is on "Dealing with Difficult Families" which addresses caregiving issues and the struggles families & those who serve them. The second is "Ethical Issues in Artificial Nutrition & Hydration at End of Life". Pretty self-explanatory I'd think. That one stands in tribute to the lessons we should have learned from Terry Schiavo had we not become re-entrenched in our own innate denial in the 13 months since her death.

If you're in the need of such education, check out http://www.miceseminars.com to see how to contact the proverbial Big Cheese for more info.

That's it. 1st blog blogged. Off to floss the cat's teeth with our tails.