• Do you think you don’t have to worry about selling because it’s not in your job description?
• Do you think that selling is using sleazy tactics to manipulate customers into buying something they don’t need?
• Do you think that you can’t succeed in sales unless you’re an outgoing extrovert?

At some point throughout our day we’re all faced with an opportunity to influence the outcome of a situation in our favour. Some people do it a lot better than others.

This isn’t because they hold any special position of power, social standing or authority. It’s because they stop thinking about their own needs and start thinking of the needs of others. Seems a little counter-intuitive right? But it works.

Want to learn how to explode your business success and gain massive popularity amongst your peers? Read on…

The most successful sales people I know are never thinking about what they ‘get’ if they ‘convert’ the sale, they’re always thinking about ways in which they can further satisfy the needs of the other person. How can they best be of service?

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napoleon Hill

You see, sales isn’t about making money, it’s having the ability to care. The ability to care enough to truly understand another’s needs and satisfy those needs to the best of your ability.

That’s why I’m allergic to “the hard sell” or “pressure selling”. If it’s hard, you’re doing it wrong.

Ever heard someone use the term “you could sell ice to Eskimos!”? Yeah, I get that all the time. Is it because I’m a gun salesman? Nope. Is it because I manipulate people into buying? Na-Ah. Is it because I have cheaper prices than everyone else? Not even close!

I would love for you to subscribe to this blog, hire me one-on-one to Pick My Brain or book me to Speak to Your Team, but offering those services for a limited time only in a pressure environment is not only ridiculous, it would destroy the value in my offer. Instead I seek to understand, to learn and to listen to your requirements, and then deliver the most applicable content at just the right time to maximise the value I bring to the table.

I’m not advertising, I’m reminding you that I’m here for you. I’m available when you need me. I’m a resource that you can tap whenever you need. If that time isn’t right now, that’s cool too – If I can be of assistance in the future, please let me know.

The difference between poor sales people and high-performance sales people is their ability to care about others. Seek out the solution that will change their world, not just their day, and you will have a customer for life. It’s not hard when you care.

OK OK, I get it. But how do I make more money by caring?

It’s actually very easy.

If selling is about caring, and caring is about understanding needs, how do we establish those needs?

Ask questions. Wait, that didn’t have enough emphasis, try again: ASK QUESTIONS!

“Every time you ask a question, you are inviting someone to talk. People like talking, so don’t be surprised if you finish up being popular and very successful.”

All steps in selling is asking questions. Never tell, always sell.

Establishing a need. Until someone has a problem, you can’t offer them a solution. Don’t start talking about yourself, ask questions first to establish a need. I want to know what I can do to help you. The more needs (questions) you establish the more reasons you win the sale. You’re looking for the most “yes” answers to your questions as possible.

Once you have established the need(s), you then summarise them back to the person to ensure you haven’t misinterpreted anything and show you have cared by listening.

Then, make a statement as a question.

For Example:

Ask lots of qualifying questions:

• Do you have a heap of great ideas but aren’t sure how to make them work?
• Have you started a business that isn’t making the money you’d hoped?
• Could your team benefit from increased focus  and motivation?
• Would your business grow if you could attract more repeat business from your existing customers?
• Would it be valuable for your team to understand how to maintain their momentum & performance?
• Would you like to learn how to position ‘you’ as a powerful point of difference in your industry?

Summarise their responses back to them as a question:

“So if I understand correctly John (insert name), your team could really benefit by maintaining their focus, learning how to increase repeat business and generating much larger sales by understanding needs… is that right?”

Statement as a question:

“John, I speak to business leaders, managers and entrepreneurs who have the challenge of increasing sales, building long-term customer relationships and retaining high quality staff. I help them uniquely position their business, communicate their value to the customer and drive sales through strong buyer relationships.

If we organised a time for me to speak with your team about consistently exceeding expectations in your business, do you think that is something you’d be interested in?”

Caveat:

Never offer a service until you have absolutely confirmed a need for it.

My Need:

Would you please now show me that you care by leaving a comment below and sharing this article?

Do you agree or disagree? How else do you grow your sales through communication?

The conversation was electric, the time flew by in an instant and we never once had to stop to gather our thoughts. Once we started we couldn’t stop. The interruptions from cafe staff almost didn’t register and we went way over the time we had allocated, making me late for my next appointment. We were in our FLOW state. The state of mind where endless energy seems to take over you, nothing seems like hard work, you’re focussed, energised and passionate.

“Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.” 

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the cafe watching us yesterday because I don’t recall a single thing that happened around us. I had my blinkers on and didn’t once stop to regard the hustle and bustle of the cafe clientele surrounding us. We were so engaged and in tune with our conversation, we seemed to surpass the time-space continuum.

It’s in moments like these that you truly discover your calling. Your answer to “What should I do with my life?” or “What really makes me happy?”. It is your number one goal to find this space in your life, embrace it and let it carry you on a journey of work that doesn’t end in burn out, stress or a heart attack.

The conversation I shared yesterday really re-affirmed for me that I am on the right path. The things I value the most in my work are continuous learning, sharing and teaching. My life is now my message. The beautiful thing about that single conversation for me was that the man sitting opposite me, who was equally enthralled and engaged, is 40 years my senior.

Here we were, a dynamic duo, comprising of one half youthful enthusiasm and equal parts grey-haired wisdom, discussing some of the deepest drivers of successful individuals across the world. Nothing else mattered.

The inspiration, motivation and energy I took away from that chat had nothing to do with the espresso I consumed whilst sitting there. He and I connected on a different level. “He got it”. “I got it”. We never judged each other, we never felt superior or inferior. We never dictated. We were two individuals with an entire generation between us who got lost in the value we could give to each other. This was my biggest lesson.

Upon reflection, I realised that I achieved my flow state not by consuming, taking or aspiring to something, but by giving, sharing and listening intently.

“The more I learn, the more I realise how little I know.” – Socrates

It was this moment of gratitude and reflection that allowed me to retain the learnings he had shared with me, so I could then share them with others. On his advice, I later summarised our conversation in the form of a “brain dump” of dot points and emailed it back to him hours after our meeting.

This simple step forced me to not only recall the details of our wide and varied conversation but to synthesize, distill and articulate those ideas onto paper. As result, my brain can easily recall every idea we discussed and I have also formed a set of notes that I can refer back to in the future.

Learning is fundamentally important but retaining something by DOING is even more important. How often do you stop to take notes from a good book you’re reading? It crosses your mind but how often do you actually do it? By the time you’re on to the next chapter you’re already losing a wealth of information that your brain cannot store because you haven’t yet asked it to reproduce it.

I am now in the practice of forming a daily writing habit and noticing remarkable results in my pursuit of knowledge and education.

Some of that writing I share with you here if I feel it would be valuable to you, others I share privately with a group of mentors and some is just for me. Regardless, I sit down and put pen to paper every day. It can be hard to start sometimes and other times it can be hard to stop. It’s quickly becoming a ritual that cleanses the mind, slows me down and frees me from what feels like a never-ending accumulation of ideas.

Speaking works in a similar way to writing by asking the brain to dig deep into it’s repository of wisdom, and to then communicate it in words that articulately convey the message.

This is one of the reasons I feel at home in front of an audience and get so much energy in return – because I’m learning while I’m speaking. I’m increasing my own knowledge by being forced to recall experiences, stories and advice that I’ve received throughout my entrepreneurial career and repackage the lessons I have learned from each one.

I almost feel guilty that what I do professionally is also what I do to further my own self development and growth. Ultimately however, this is what we should all aspire to find – that space in our lives where we feel our contribution to others is making a real difference, and the reward we receive for that contribution is encouragement to continue that work.

Our ability to change ourselves from a ‘take’ mentality, to a ‘give’ mentality, is synonymous with our ability to change the world.

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – Napoleon Hill

What is your experience in finding your flow state? What are you doing when you are happiest? When do you contribute the most to others? Do you feel a sense of reward in your work? Are you excited about getting out of bed each day? Let this post only be the beginning our discussion by posting your comments below…

This article unleashes some powerful new tricks to deal with nay-sayers, deflect their negativity and keep you steadfast on your path to success.

Read on, because these methods have been the corner stone of my entrepreneurial success, the reason why I’ve been able to channel my aspirations into real action and serious results.

Guarantee your success with unstoppable momentum when it matters most.

Imagine deflecting the negative speak that you attract every time you dream something big, set stretch goals or start your next phase of world domination. Imagine setting yourself apart from the “going-to’s” and joining the elite club of “DOers”. The people who actually get sh*t done. If actions speak louder than words, DOers are the one’s who garner the accolades, praise and applause.

Being well equipped when a nay-sayer comes along makes it easier to deflect their belittling ambitions. We are all already equipped with the tools required, we simply need to know how to use them.

The secret lies in your mind – it’s a matter of positive perspective.

The human mind is ridiculously powerful, used correctly it’s an absolute game-changer – I’ve never worked with a successful individual or company who didn’t invest in improving and understanding the power of their mind. Best of all, we’ve all got one!

First, let’s understand why nay-sayers exist and do what they do, because in most cases their behaviour is not intended as vicious.

The Vision Principle:
Those with a smaller vision for the world around them naturally react to aspirations outside their vision by pulling shreads off those who dare to dream bigger. It makes them uncomfortable and threatened because they do not value anything outside their own vision. This isn’t a bad thing and it’s not their fault, it’s just imperative to understand. Those with an equal or larger vision for their life than yours (at least subjectively), react encouragingly towards your dreams.

It’s easy to observe this in your daily interactions, people with a success mindset don’t feel threatened and instead encourage you to see the bigger picture:

“Those who have smaller dreams and vision than you will automatically pull you down. Those who have an equal or larger vision than you will say “good on you, go for it!”.”

It’s easy to workout who you should be spending the most time with. The peer circle you surround yourself with is fundamentally important. You can prepare, deflect and otherwise be a nay-sayer-ninja, but ultimately the less you experience the better.

The comments, jibes, raised eyebrows, lectures and explanations from nay-sayers as to why you CAN’T do something never helped anybody. They instill feelings of doubt, fear, rejection, remorse, guilt and inability before you ever truly get started.

Rest assured there are some easy ways to beat them:

1. Don’t Listen. Sounds too simple right? Wrong. The human brain listens both actively and passively and fortunately we can control the former. Make the firm decision BEFORE encountering your next nay-sayer not to give a !@#$. You already know that their reactions are simply a reflection of the vision they hold for their lives, which is fine, leave them to get on with what’s important to them and confidently move forward.
2. Reframe It. With enough practice you can reframe anything positively. Look for the lesson or opportunity in their comments and use it to motivate you further. You’ve already committed to achieving the success you want so reframing their negative energy into more fuel for your success-rocket is the fastest way to diminish the negativity. If someone tells you your idea sounds “too risky”, take comfort in knowing that where there’s risk, there’s reward and thank them for reminding you that you’re on the right track.
3. Don’t Share It. I’m all for setting goals and openly sharing them with people who I respect to hold me accountable to my dreams. I don’t need to explain the power of writing your goals down, posting them online or sharing them confidently with others to spur you on to achieve what you said you will. BUT (you knew there was a but…) if you know someone is your harshest critic and does nothing but exude negative energy, don’t share your aspirations at all. Instead, work tirelessly behind the scenes and then surprise them with your new found freedom, success and happiness (Take that! Ka-Pow! sound effects). Likewise, if your someone who always shares their goals and never achieves them, SHUT UP and just get it done. You’re only encouraging more nay-sayers based on your previous track record of never reaching the finish line.
4. Flood It Out. Regardless of your efforts, they will still get at you occasionally – don’t worry it happens to us all. The best way to deal with negative comments and stop nasty self-doubt from taking over, is to flood it out with positive reinforcement. Now is the time to get a big head, pat yourself on the back, tell yourself how good you are and seek praise from others (go on, I give you permission). STROKE THAT EGO. Yes, well all need a little to keep us going. Go back and read testimonials or references you’ve received in the past, find that thank-you letter you received after exceeding expectations, re-live great moments from your life or call someone who you know looks up to you. Positive reinforcement is not self-indulging behaviour, it is necessary for success (You can dooooooooooo it!).
5. Affirm Your Ability. For the longest time I would always squirm when I heard (or read) the word “Affirmations”. It was a term that was taken, abused and tarnished by wannabe self-help gurus who’s lives changed forever when they saw the book “The Secret” on Oprah. I mean come oooooooonnn! (Clearly I still have some pent up anger issues here, sorry about that). The truth is, affirmations, or “self talk” as I prefer say, are extremely powerful when used correctly. Using positive self talk to reaffirm and reassure ourselves that we’re on the right track is more powerful than any of the above points combined. You are in control of your life, you can change for the better and you will be a tremendous success in your industry or niche. No one has a greater ability to help you through tough times than you do. The secret is to prepare before the tough times and read your affirmations out loud every morning (cheesy I know, but just try it). Start by writing down what you want for your life in present tense on a piece of paper that you will see everyday. Then read it, read it and read it some more.

An example of some of my recent affirmations that I am reading out loud daily (in the bathroom mirror):

• I am a genius. I always apply and share my wisdom.
• I am an internationally acclaimed professional speaker who travels the world sharing my message.
• I am location-independent of my work. I am free to travel the world with the toolbox in my brain.
• I change lives positively with every interaction and encourage others to find their way of contributing their best work to the planet.
• I am happy, positive and loving in my relationships. I exude contagious positive energy to those around me.
• I live my life at full capacity, with freedom to do what I love and to love what I do.

Bonus Tip: You’re reading this because you’ve chosen a different and more interesting path for your life. You are determined, dangerously ambitious and driven to excel. Remember that if it was easy, everyone would do it. Nothing exciting happens in the middle of your safety net, it’s those who get out on the edge and stay out there, pushing the limits that truly achieve great things. Give yourself permission to have all that you deserve, you are in the minority of society that gets things done, so get out there and make the world a better place for us all.

With your help, the comments on this post could greatly improve upon or completely surpass the value of this post. There is no right or wrong answer, let me know how you deal with your nay-sayers…

Only a small percentage of entrepreneurs are also inventors. Conversely, most inventors are not entrepreneurs. Most entrepreneurs iterate on preexisting ideas to the point that the inventions represent marketable value propositions upon which sustainable companies can be created.

If necessity is the mother of invention, obsession is the father of innovation. Innovations are often sussed out by entrepreneurs who cannot let go of an idea. Most successful entrepreneurs are compelled to succeed by creating something from nothing, not by the lust for money, power or fame. ‘Creation’, not ‘conceptualisation’, constitutes who is an entrepreneur and who is a dreamer. Dreaming is great, but if you never wake up and act upon your dreams you might as well stay in bed.

Go get ‘em!

———

If we haven’t met before, I’d love to meet you! You can find out a little bit about me here and get in contact with me here. Are you on Twitter? You can follow me here: @mikeboyd

Politics aside, times of crisis bring out those with true leadership skills. The efforts of yourself, your team, the SES, military, rapid response teams & everyday volunteers have been nothing short of amazing.

Constant media updates and information have ensured the further safety of thousands more and reassured many anxious residents of their situation. It’s in times like these that make me proud to be a Queenslander.

Let’s band together and look out for our mates. 

Regards,

Mike

Coffee is an essential part of daily life. Queues are not.

Consumed in many forms, shapes and sizes, coffee brings people together, provides a much-needed buzz and a warm hug when you need it most.

It’s addictive and you will hunt, seek and find it in times of need. It will warm you on a crisp winter morning, be in the presence of great highs and lows, big deals, small intimate moments… coffee is a part of life.

• Coffee is an essential part of daily life
• Coffee is a warm hug when you need it most
• Coffee is an accepted addiction
• Coffee is a conversation starter
• Coffee is culture
• Coffee is ritual
• Coffee is a social stimulator
• Coffee is meeting fuel
• Coffee is a deal negotiator
• Coffee is time out
• Coffee is personal
• Coffee is status

How do you value your coffee?

Check out Brisbane’s Best Coffee Guide on Foodspotting.

Dear Mike,

Just wanted to thank you for organising a great Hive event on Tuesday night.  I wasn’t aware of the company or speaker before the speech but really learned a lot about an area I didn’t even know existed previously, and gained some interesting perspectives that I can apply to my own industry.  Plus, as always, I met a bunch of interesting people.

I used to organise an entrepreneurs club at UQ, so know it can be a thankless task (!), but just wanted to say thanks for your and the team’s efforts organising The Hive throughout the year.  I always enjoy attending and look forward to 2011.  Congratulations on a job well done.

Regards,

Jordan W Birchall

–

Tuckeria Pty Ltd

Trading as Tuckeria Fresh Mexican

w – www.tuckeria.com

e – (removed for privacy)

m – (removed for privacy)

a – Shop 13, 421 Brunswick St

Fortitude Valley QLD 4006

Plug: If you haven’t tried Tuckeria Fresh Mexican in Brisbane you must it’s amazing!

My reply email:

Mate, thanks so much for this. I truly appreciate you taking the time out of your day to send this through.

We run The Hive out of love for what we do, because we’re passionate about entrepreneurship and the crazy life that that brings. Needless to say, sometimes it’s the last thing I feel like doing on a Tuesday night, yet we keep pumping them out to maintain the community.

It’s little gestures like your email that inspire us to do it all again next year with another great bunch of people.

The Hive wouldn’t exist without the people who come along like yourself to learn, share & link up with like-minded entrepreneurs. So let me turn it around and say THANK YOU to you for your continued support and participation in this great community!

Have a brilliant Monday!

Cheers,

P.S. Do you mind if I use your email in a blog post?

Mike Boyd

e: (removed for privacy)

w: www.mikeboyd.com.au

p: (removed for privacy)

t: twitter.com/mikeboyd

Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t, so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.

Sent from my iPad

Remember, we all think it but rarely ever say it – stop what you’re doing right now and pick up the phone or send a thank you note to someone who’s made a difference in you’re life or business recently – it’ll make their day (and probably yours too!).

In the spirit of Jordan’s email, I’d like to take this opportunity to extend his thank you to Nick McIntosh and Walter Haas who have helped me deliver The Hive Brisbane events for another year – you guys rock and there’s no way I could do it without you! Thank you.

Every day, we drive 15 minutes to pound the pavement on the river boardwalk between New Farm and Hamilton. While we live in a green, leafy part of the Brisbane CBD, we chose to make the effort to drive to the river front. We enjoy walking into our future each day.

Taking in the details of our prestigious surroundings motivates us and reminds us that we have to work and play hard and smart. The trendy bars and cafes, riverfront mansions, European cars and million dollar yachts (Mike’s particularly fond of the large cruisers moored outside the One Macquarie complex) are all material items we would like to enjoy. Don’t get me wrong, we genuinely want to make a positive contribution to our environment and are passionate about changing the world but alas we also enjoy nice things.

However, rather than enjoying the instant gratification living and consuming such niceties now, we are choosing to endure the hard yards and bootstrap Cupstart. In the not too distant future it will be our reality on our own terms and we will appreciate every minute of living the life with the freedom to enjoy it.  But first, the bloody hard work…

It’s not an easy task and temptation to give in and enjoy it all now rises from time to time, but we will keep pounding the pavement and using the river as our inspiration knowing that one day it will be our reality.

Claire

the coffee queue #pubcon http://yfrog.com/gvipkzj

November 10, 2010 8:54 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@ireckon

Darryl King

Lining up for coffee is one of my biggest frustrations and yet a lot of us do it everyday!

It’s amazing how often people on Twitter tweet about coffee. You can achieve some amazing insights into a market by following along the conversations of your potential customers.

If you’re not familiar with Search for Twitter, try going to http://search.twitter.com and entering the key words for your product or service.

For example, if you run a limousine service in Brisbane like LimoByJames, you could monitor the tweet traffic mentioning Brisbane Airport or flight delays (click the links for an example of these search terms in real time).

I'm at Brisbane Airport (BNE) (11 The Circuit, Brisbane). http://4sq.com/7T5xqD

November 9, 2010 2:59 pm via foursquareReplyRetweetFavorite

@limobyjames

limobyjames.com

The opportunities are endless. Spend some time considering what your customers are troubled by, or like to share, and then follow along, participate and engage in the conversation.

Mike

It’s fair enough to work hard, but as most will appreciate that’s not the be-all and end-all of achieving the success you desire. We have to work smarter. If we want to stand out, make our mark, change the world and give Cupstart every chance – we need to innovate and add value wherever we can.

We recently sat down for a brainstorming session to determine our goals and allocate the resultant actionable tasks. After much debate, we agreed on our 3, 6 and 12 month goals based on target volumes of cups turned over through the system. While our gut feel is that our goals are a slightly uncomfortable (good) stretch, it is hard to gauge what the public response and subsequent adoption will be in an untested market.  How high, is too high?

With our goals in mind, we then worked through the key business areas (legals, technology and web development for Mike and PR / copy for Claire) and brainstormed the key actions for each area that would best set us up for goal achievement at our first milestone: 6 months. We had a lot of great ideas for expansion and the future but if they didn’t help us reach the initial goal we decided to put them on the back burner.  A few hours, half a bottle of wine and actions written in black ink, we now face the hardest part of the process: action!

While we’ve been taking massive action from day one, it’s time to get laser-focused on specific and actionable goals to keep us moving towards our targets for the company.

We look forward to smashing through our 6 month milestones and will report back when we do!

Mike & Claire