Let me ask you; do you wear a T shirt when you go to the gym? Or, if you play golf, is a polo shirt your fashion garment of choice! What about when you go to the mall at the weekend or the supermarket, do you like to wear your favourite sweater?

You probably have brand names on these items of clothing; Nike, Adidas, Polo, Gap or Armani. Do these organisations pay you to promote their brand? I don’t think so! So why not promote your own brand?

WHAT’S YOUR BRAND?

Firstly, I strongly suggest you get a brand if you don’t already have one. It could be the name of your company, a logo, or a feature of your business.
When I started my business in 1993 I named it Fairweather Associates (boring). I then changed it to PowerPlan for a few years. Then in 2002 I had a personal consultation with Dottie Walters in Los Angeles. Dottie, sadly not with us any more, was the founder of Walters Speaker Services, and a leading light in the world of Speakers Bureaus. One piece of valuable advice she gave me was – ‘Alan, get yourself a moniker!’ In other words, a nickname, a brand!

FAME AT LAST

I recently attended a Chamber of Commerce networking meeting. I introduced myself to a group of people as Alan Fairweather. One man immediately said – ‘Ah, The Motivation Doctor!’ Now where he had heard of me, or how he knew me, I never found out, partly because he couldn’t remember either. But he knew that I was an International Speaker and Author and that pleased me no end! But I don’t think he would have remembered “Fairweather Associates”

IT’S THE REAL THING

On May 8, 1886, a pharmacist named Dr. John Pemberton carried a jug of Coca-Cola® syrup to Jacobs’ Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, where it was mixed with carbonated water and sold for five cents a glass. During the first year, sales averaged a modest nine drinks per day. Dr. Pemberton never realised the potential of the beverage he created. He gradually sold portions of his business to various partners and, just prior to his death in 1888, sold his remaining interest in Coca-Cola to Asa G. Candler.

A firm believer in advertising, Mr. Candler expanded on Dr. Pemberton’s marketing efforts, distributing thousands of coupons for a complimentary glass of Coca-Cola. He promoted the product incessantly, distributing souvenir fans, calendars, clocks, urns and countless novelties, all depicting the trademark. And as they say, the rest is history!

You might not wish to have a business as big as Coca-Cola, or Nike or Google. But that should not stop you always promoting your brand.
Customers are much more likely to buy if your business name, your brand, triggers something in your mind.

EMOTIONAL DECISIONS

If I tried to sell you a pair of running shoes and offered you Nike or Apex shoes, which ones would you choose? I’d explain that both brands of shoes are the same quality with the exact same features. In fact, the Apex shoes are a good bit cheaper and will do the same job. The majority of people will, given this choice, choose Nike. Why? Because they are familiar with the brand, they trust the product, and they don’t want to be seen at the gym wearing shoes that nobody has heard of. Remember, people will always make an emotional decision before a logical one.

When I go to the gym, I always wear a T shirt with a picture of my latest book on, or my logo. And believe me; I’ve sold quite a few books that way.
Put your brand on everything you can; your email signature, website, business cards, T shirts, baseball caps and promotional giveaways. You don’t have to spend a great deal of money; just get your brand out there at every opportunity.

And to use the Nike slogan – ‘Just do it!’

To listen to this article or download it to your MP3 player, please click this link

Have you ever wondered why customers buy your product or service?

There are a whole range of reasons. They usually buy to solve either real or perceived problems. They want to move away from pain and towards pleasure. They want to feel better after having made the decision to buy a product or service than they did before.

Customers will buy from you if you meet these criteria. However there are other reasons they will buy from you rather than your competitors.

1 – If they think you’re an expert and a specialist

2 – If they think your product or service is better

3 – If someone tells them to

Are you a Specialist?

Customers want to know that you understand them and their business. It therefore makes a great deal of sense to specialise. Work in a niche and become known for it.

For example – If a customer is in the hospitality industry, and they know that you specialise in the supply of hygiene products to that industry; then you’re more likely to receive a call from them. They know that if they raise a particular problem with you, then you’ll understand.

Wow – what an image

It makes sense to say that, people will come to you if they think your product or service is better that your competitors; so you’ve got to make sure they get that message.

And it’s not all about selling – customers will form an impression of your product or service by the image you project.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying – “you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.”

If you want to draw customers to your business rather than your competitors, then everything about it must make a good first impression. You – your business name – business cards – your people – vehicles – stationary – web site – leaflets and brochures – everything and anything about your business.

I recently passed a delivery truck from a local bakery. It was the oldest, dirtiest vehicle I’ve seen in a long time. I don’t thing I’ll buy any of their pies!

Get people talking

Customers will come to you if someone else tells them to. That someone will be one of your unpaid sales-force who say wonderful things about you, and your business, to other people.

They may be someone who has met you, has been impressed with you and what you have to say. Or they may be an existing customer or client who has experienced your superb customer service. They might just be someone who has heard about how good your products and service really are.

It’s not about what you want to sell to your customers; it’s what they want to buy. So if you want them to buy from you, keep thinking from the customer’s point of view.

If you want to listen to this or download it to your ipod or MP3 player please click here.

• ---

• Don’t Discount: Here’s Why(inc.com)

  ---

Let me tell you a quick story. When I left school and started looking for a job as an apprentice engineer. I was repeatedly told, ‘It’s a bad time to find a job.’ It was, and it took time and effort.

When I decided to leave engineering and find a job in sales; I was repeatedly told, ‘It’s a bad time to find a job in sales.’ It was, and it took time and effort.

When I decided to give up my job and start my own business in 1993; I was told by lots of well meaning people, ‘It’s a bad time to start a new business.’ It was, and it took time and lots of effort.

I don’t know about your job or your business, but when has it ever been a good time to find a job, or get promoted, or start a business, or find new customers, or sell more of your product or service?

If you want success in 2012, then what you need is lots of BRAIN ENERGY and lots of BODY ENERGY!

Sure-fire tip number 1 is – Build your Brain Energy.

Imagine that you’ve just been rejected for a bank loan, or you’ve just been turned down for promotion or a potential customer has rejected your proposal. Perhaps a publishing company has rejected the book that you’ve slaved over for the past couple of years.

If you react with – ‘Oh no, not again, I’m really fed up with this. These people are a real pain. They’re making a big mistake. What am I going to do now?’

This sort of reaction drains your brain of energy; it adds to your stress levels and destroys your self motivation.

Reacting drains the brain – thinking less so.

Get the thinking part of your brain working and say to yourself – ‘I’ll make an appointment today with a better bank! I’ll show my employer how good I really am or I’ll find a new job. I’ll phone the next potential customer on my list right now! And the next publishing company will see the potential in my book!’

There are also many minor situations that happen every day that’ll drain the energy from your brain. Let’s say you receive a parking ticket; pay the fine right away; get rid of it, forget it and move on. Moaning and complaining about it drains your brain and the fine still has to be paid.

Do not, and I repeat, do not say – ‘Oh no, what am I going to do now!?’ Every time you say – ‘Oh no,’ your brain has a huge drain of energy.

Build up your brain energy by using lots positive self-talk.

Your level of success in terms of your happiness, emotional wellbeing and anything else you desire is a direct result of how you talk to yourself. The most important relationship you’ll ever have is the one you have with yourself.

Listen to the self-talk that goes on in your head and ask yourself – ‘Is what I’m saying allowing me to be confident, on top and going for it?’ If so – great!

‘Or is it holding me back and stopping me achieve my goals?’ If this is the case – STOP IT, change the program!

Think about the things you say to yourself and make every statement in the present tense.

Don’t say, for example – ‘I’m going to make a success of this business’ or ‘I’m going to get organised,’ or ‘I’m going to lose weight and get fitter’ or ‘I’m going to be much more confident.’

Say – ‘I am totally in control of my life. I am totally confident and positive. I’m achieving my goals. I have determination and drive.’

What you’re actually doing here is re-programming your subconscious. If you talk to yourself in a positive way, that’s what your subconscious will focus on and you’ll have lots of brain energy

Sure-fire tip number 2 is – Build your Body Energy

The body and the brain are linked together so when the brain drains of energy so does the body. However, the body also does a lot of running about, up and down off the seat and often takes a bit of a beating.

For it to work well, it needs to be in good condition in the first place. We all know by now that if we eat too much or eat the wrong things, smoke too much or drink too much alcohol, then our body is in danger of breaking down.

If you want more body energy, then you’re going to have to do some exercise. (Do I hear you saying – ‘I need the body energy before I can do the exercise!?’) You know as well as I, that if you take more exercise, you will have more energy.

Now I know you think you don’t have the time. You may also be the type that doesn’t want to go to the gym and lift heavy things or leap about in an aerobics class; however, I am totally convinced that you need to take some exercise that makes you sweat a little.

I’m sorry, but walking the dog or a round of golf doesn’t count, it isn’t the kind of exercise I’m talking about. Golf is great and it’s good for the stress, but it doesn’t make you sweat.

If you’re going to walk then walk fast for a distance, enough to push up the heart rate and increase the breathing.

Again, get your internal program right and start to think how you can make your exercise enjoyable. I see some people at the health club making the whole business a real chore. They get on a bike or a rowing machine and try to kill themselves for twenty minutes. If that’s your thing then fine, but please don’t make it a chore, plug into the sound system and catch up with what’s on TV.

If you’re really not into exercise then please make sure you have other activities outside of your workplace and make them fun. Too many people are going home and slumping in front of the TV – successful people don’t do that.

A laugh and a sweat a day – keeps the stress away!

Make no mistake about it; if you look after the Body and the Brain:

Success is yours in 2012

Don’t you just hate the word ‘No?’ Yet when you’re trying to sell your wonderful products and services to some lucky person, they continually hit you with the big ‘N’ word. Are these people stupid or something; don’t they know a good deal when they see it?

There are a few big ‘N’ phrases and I’m sure you’ve heard most of them: ‘No thanks’ ‘No way’ ‘No, you’re too expensive’ ‘No, we already deal with someone else’ ‘No I don’t agree’

If you’re in the business of finding new clients or customers, or trying to make more sales, you will hear the ‘N’ words more than other people. So why do we get them, and how do we minimise them?

There’s good news and bad news.

First, the good news; when your potential customer says ‘No,’ they may not be telling the truth. The bad news is that, most of them wont buy what your selling anyway; but don’t cut your wrists just yet ‘cause there is more good news.

If you can find out exactly what your potential customer means when they say ‘No,’ then you have a much better chance of improving your success rate and making more sales.

What you need to realise is that, there is no smart answer to a customer’s resistance. Sales people are always looking for the “things to say” that will deal with resistance. However, how can you possibly have an answer, if the customer isn’t telling the truth in the first place?

Many sales people believe the customer when they say – ‘You’re too expensive.’ They then start offering discounts, or walk away complaining that their product or service isn’t competitive enough.

Why, why, why?

Why do customers say ‘NO?’ Well, I don’t want you to burst into tears, but the First and most important reason is that – they may not like you! That doesn’t mean that they dislike you; it just means that they don’t know you. They haven’t built any trust or a relationship with you.

So, get them to like you, be trustworthy, use their name, smile, be friendly, and a fantastic listener!

The Second reason could be that, they haven’t understood what the heck you’re talking about. Maybe you haven’t spoken clearly enough, or you’ve used too many technical terms and jargon. This can make you sound like a real ‘smarty pants’ and that takes us back to the first reason. The answer to this is simple; use language the customer can understand, and keep checking their understanding by asking questions.

The Third reason may be that the customer wasn’t listening. They might have been distracted by something; their colleagues, their children, your big blue eyes, or the fact that they’re tired, hot and need a comfort break! The trick is to keep checking when you’re making a sale – ‘Are you comfortable Mr Customer? Would you like something to drink? Did you understand that last bit, or did I make it confusing?’

Fourthly; they may not be the right person. The person you’re speaking to, may tell you that they deal with someone else; however, they may not be the decision maker. To make sure you’re speaking to the right person, be brave; ask the question – ‘Is it you who will make the final decision, or do you suggest I speak with someone else?’

The Fifth reason could be that, they don’t like change. Sometimes your potential customers like to stay in their comfort zone; they don’t want some salesperson telling them they have to change their way of doing things or change their supplier.

Even although they could possibly save money, or make their life easier; people are generally reluctant to change. It’s therefore important to outweigh the customer’s reluctance, by emphasising the benefits of your product or service.

Also, keep selling yourself, and appeal to the customer’s emotional side; don’t’ be too logical. Remember, human beings will almost always allow their heart to rule their head when buying something. Appeal to the customer’s emotions; keep telling them how they’ll feel when using whatever it is you’re selling. How good they will look, or how others will feel about them.

Lastly, it may just be that the customer genuinely doesn’t want or need, or have the money for what you are selling.

The only way to find out which of these six points is the truth, is to keep asking questions; listen carefully to the customer, and watch their body language.

Remember that – ‘You’re too expensive’ could mean – ‘I don’t understand what you’re saying’ – ‘You’re making me feel foolish’ or – ‘My son-in-law works for your competitor.

When a potential customer raises an objection; make sure you know what they really mean before you deal with it. Only then will you start to hear more often – ‘Yes we do want it!’

To listen to this post or download it to your Mp3 player, please click this link.

Taken from National Business Research Institute

I will be speaking at this event on ‘How to Deal With Difficult People’

I look forward to meeting you there

THE NEXT GREAT LEADER

Leadership and Management in a Changing World:

February 22 – 23, 2012
(8:30 AM to 5:30 PM)
CSB HOTEL – International Conference Center,

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Malate Manila

“All of the topics are relevant to our business. The convention was well organized. I liked the constant follow-up communication via email and text.” - Ronald R. Dee           “I liked best the speakers with excellent ratings and as well the topics discussed. 80% of the speakers gave very inspirational, informative talks with very good presentation materials. As always, ARIVA! staff are very lively, friendly and well organized. Very good, very recommendable.” - Rubi J. Dacillo “Very organized, very friendly and cordial, very professional. It was a successful and great convention. Thank you and more power to ARIVA! God bless you more!” - Josephine O. Lopez         “I liked the Samurai Leadership presentation, I learned a lot. Songs of the Christian fellowship with prayer in between and Pido Aguilar’s inspirational words, easy to apply in daily life. Ricky de Vera’s the best speaker. I love Pido! ARIVA!’s SMS reminder were good! Useful.” - Suzanne Kattleya Liwanag “No bad comment. I have always been amazed with how ARIVA! organize their events compared to other seminar organizers such as Mansmith and Salt & Light. Your people and marketing efforts are very visible before, during event proper and after.” - Shellah Marie “Ella” Pabalan           “I liked the resource speakers, Ricky, Pido and Abbygale. They made the audience interact/ response. It was a well orchestrated convention set-up from the ushers in the street to registration, to food serving complemented by end-of-day awards/ freebies. It well prepared, systematic and a complete package. Overall, ARIVA! gave the best convention I ever attended. Excellent choice of resource speakers, venue, food, audio-visual set up.” - Reginald Arizabal Tagavilla “Speakers are very skilled and topics are very informative. Speakers were able to deliver their topics with clarity and very well delivered. The style of speaking/ lecturing was not boring. It was a well organized event, program well arranged.” - Johara D. Gurat     “ARIVA!’s an excellent organizer, very organized and complete package with entertainment. Really recommendable to all my friends. All speakers are good and knowledgeable. Everything is excellent, perfect, we learned a lot.” - Steve A. Tamayo       “ARIVA! you’re the best! More good seminars to come. I am hoping for more of this seminar, gathering all the best speakers ever. I was inspired and motivated of the overall seminar and I’ve learned a lot.” - Kim A. Caravana “Great combination of topics and speakers. Good job!” - Anonymous   “The event was well organized and really informative. All of the speakers are knowledgeable, experienced and interesting. I am looking forward to attend another event/ program of ARIVA! The experience was great!” - Rosalinda M. Asuncion       “Kudos to Sir Pido, one of the best speakers I’ve encountered in my life and Ms. Abbygale Arenas too. The convention was very helpful and informative. It helped us understand more of our roles not just as managers/ supervisors but as employees as well. It helped us more to be an effective and efficient managers/ supervisors. ARIVA! knows what customer service is all about. Serviced with a smile. Accommodating and approachable.” - Joy Yatco

JANUARY 2012
3rd Business Economic Briefing Conference 2012

Date: January 26, 2012

Fundamental Selling Strategies and Techniques

Date: January 27, 2012

Collaborative Leadership Skills for HR Professionals

Date: January 27, 2012

FEBRUARY 2012

Strategic Talent Acquisition: How to Find, Connect & Engage Top Talent

Date: February 9, 2012

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management: The Purchasing Functions and Processes

Date: February 16, 2012

THE TRAINER’S TOOL KIT: Training The Non-Trainer to Become Professional and Extra-Ordinary Facilitators
Date: February 16, 2012

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE: How to Win and Keep Customers Coming Back

Date: February 17, 2012

3rd Annual Convention for Leaders & Managers

Date: February 22 – 23, 2012

MARCH 2012

Sharpening Work Skills for Better Secretarial & Administrative Performance

Date: March 8, 2012

Competency-Based HR Management Series 1:

Date: March 8, 2012

How to Be a Motivational Manager: An Essential Guide for Leaders and

Managers Who Need to Get Fast Results with Minimum Stress

Date: March 9, 2012

EVENT MANAGEMENT THAT WORKS!: How to Manage Corporate Events Successfully

Date: March 15 – 16, 2012

Effective Collection Strategies and Receivables Management
Date: March 16, 2012

EXCEPTIONAL EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: Mini-MBA for Executive Assistants, Secretaries and Admin Professionals
Date: March 16 – 17, 2012

Fundamentals of Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers
Date: March 21 – 22, 2012

<P style=”PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0p

I’ve spent many years studying successful managers whether they were in business or in sport, trying to establish what makes the good guys so good. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that these managers and coaches know:

1. How to do all the business parts of the job
2. How to do all the human parts of the job

There’s no doubt that a manager can have a certain level of success if they’re good at the business part of the job, but not so good at the human part. Some managers can go through their whole career by being competent in all the business and technical aspects of the job.

It takes more

Does a sales manager need to know about selling, of course she does. Does an IT manager need to know about computer hardware and software, of course he does.

Does a football coach need to know how to play football, of course he does.

It’s going to be pretty difficult to manage your team if you don’t know how to do what your team members do. However contrary to what some people believe; the successful manager doesn’t have to be as good at the job or as knowledgeable as their team members.

If you look at the careers of some of our successful sports coaches you’ll find some guys who were pretty average players. Many of them were nowhere near as good as some of the star players they coach today. However that hasn’t stopped them becoming successful as coaches and managers.

It’s important to have the knowledge about the industry or business that you’re in, and understand how your team members do their job. However that’s not what will ultimately determine your success as a manager.

Mike Krzyzewski the basketball coach, says in his book ‘Leading with the Heart’ – “It’s important for a leader to focus on the technical details of his industry or business. But it’s vital to focus on details related specifically to people in the organization.”

People make profits

To be a successful Motivational Manager you’ve got to know the business you’re in, but more importantly you’ve got to know how to get the best out of your people.

In my career I worked for seven companies, three of which I joined as an experienced manager. Of the three I joined as a manager, one sold car maintenance products, the next one sold tools and industrial supplies and the last one sold beer. Three totally different industries with different customers and cultures.

I can remember some of my new team members saying to me at each company I joined, “It’s different in this business, you’ll find it difficult because it’s not the same as you’re used to.” (Do you think they were pleased to see me?)

Of course it was a different industry but managing the team members wasn’t different, and that was what I was hired to do.

At interview stage, even senior managers had reservations about my lack of knowledge of their industry. However, when I joined these organisations I made it my business to find out as much as I could about the industry and the products. I never became an expert in the products or services, but I sure knew how to manage their people, communicate with them on a human level and bring in the sales.

The ironic thing is that most organisations will help managers become better at the business factors, but do very little if anything with the human aspects.

Managers have traditionally developed the skills in finance, planning, marketing and production techniques. Too often the relationships with their people have been assigned a secondary role. This is too important a subject not to receive first line attention.

William Hewlett (1912-2001, American businessman, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard)

Make no mistake about it; if you want highly motivated employees who deliver business results, then you better spend more time on the human and less on the business aspects. Because people make profits!

To listen to this article or download it; please click this link

Do you want customers that stay with you and don’t buy from your competitors? Do you want customers who say nice things about your business to other people? Do you want customers who pay you on time, and accept the fact that you might be a bit more expensive than other suppliers?
Of course you do, but how do you perform this miracle? It’s dead easy really; you only have to consider two factors: be Reliable and be Likeable.

Reliable products and service are not enough

It almost goes without saying that it’s vital to have a reliable product or service. Most businesses spend a great deal of time and money ensuring that their product does what they say it’ll do, and striving for exceptional customer service. However, if you do this consistently, don’t expect any ‘brownie points’ and it won’t ensure stay, say and pay.

Providing reliable products and service is vitally important, however after a while, customers start to take it for granted.

I can remember the days when a motor car was difficult to start on a winter’s morning. When a telephone engineer took a week to fix your phone, and a retail store wouldn’t take back an item you’d purchased. Yeah, I really am that old!

Nowadays, cars start first time, engineers fix your phone remotely on the same day (well sometimes) and retail stores replace, or give back your money immediately.

We now take this kind of reliability and service for granted.

It’s  nice to be nice

To give your business the competitive edge and ensure stay, say and pay, you, your business and your people need to be likeable. Too many organisations forget that their customers are humans and the thing about humans is – they don’t always make decisions logically.

Customers are driven by their emotions and they make decisions about organisations based on their interaction with the people in the business. They’ll even forgive your mistakes if they like your people and your business.

10 Tips

So what do you need to do to ensure the likeability factor? Run your eye down the following list and see how many you can tick off:

• We always have a genuine smile for every customer
• We are warm and friendly to all customers
• We listen carefully and make it obvious that we’re listening
• We use the customer’s name and our name appropriately
• We give the impression that we care and are interested in the customer
• We empathise with problems and complaints and respond quickly
• We occasionally do something to pleasantly surprise the customer
• We always keep our promises
• We give the impression that we’re fun to deal with
• We treat the customer the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated

(The We means everyone in the business, be they sales people, delivery drivers, accountants, engineers, managers or directors.)

How well did you do? If you’ve got lots of ticks then you probably have lots of customers who like you.

Just a word to the managers and employers amongst you; run your eyes down the list again and replace the word customer with the words employee or staff colleague.

How many ticks did you get this time? Lots of ticks mean your staff like you and it probably follows that your customers do as well.

Have you noticed how being likeable cost so little? A lot less than advertising or other promotional activity required to replace lost customers.

Working a little bit harder on the emotional connection with your customers will increase your likeability factor and ensure they – stay, say and pay.

If you wish to listen to this post or download it to your MP3 player; please click this link.

Do you have any difficult employees in your business? Managing people and particularly difficult ones, is the hardest job in the world. No one shows you what to do; there are very few training programmes, and most people believe it is just something you can or can’t do.

The reason it’s such a hard job, is that every human being is different. Just because you successfully manage one in a particular way, does not mean to say you’ll be successful with others. Humans are the most complex and complicated pieces of equipment you’ll ever have to deal with. Many of them have similarities but every one of them is different and they all work in a slightly different way. They are totally driven by their emotions and are unlikely to respond to any logical argument.

Who are they?

So, what do we mean by a difficult person? It could someone who bullies, manipulates, annoys you and causes you unhappiness and stress. They say or do things you don’t like or find offensive and unacceptable. And, of course, this creates problems in the workplace. There are a whole range of behaviours that we may classify as difficult. I could list at least sixty, but not all of these are difficult for everyone. Some people may regard a complainer as a difficult person, whereas others couldn’t care less if someone complains or not.

Why tell me why?

You’ve no doubt asked yourself why some people are difficult. Stress can cause people to be difficult and they get stressed for all sorts of reasons. Often it’s just their inability to deal with aspects of their job and their personal life. They tend to blame other people and circumstances, but most often they have the answers within themselves.

It’s fair to say that people sometimes have problems that are out with their control. A death in the family, breakdown of a marriage or a relationship, problems with children, or they may have health issues.

It’s often the case in the workplace, that people find difficulty in doing their job and finding help. Although they may not admit to this, they might feel inadequate and express their frustration by complaining, being negative and difficult.

Some people are not conscious of how they’re perceived by others. They believe that their behaviour is quite normal and are unable to understand why some people see it otherwise.

We all see the world differently from each other. But some people’s programming causes them to become annoyed when others don’t see it as they see it.

Some people’s lack of self-confidence and belief in themselves, often causes them to be angry at the world. They believe that other people are out to do them down and that everything is against them.

Acknowledgement will help

Are you frustrated by that difficult employee who never seems to do things quite right and takes up so much of your time and attention? It’s very easy to fall into the trap of condemning that person as a no-hoper or a problem child. But have you ever considered why they might be behaving badly? It could be that they have a massive need for acknowledgement.

A human’s need for acknowledgement is so strong that they’ll sometimes behave badly to get that acknowledgement. I’m sure you’re aware of children who behave badly in school just to get attention – well, adults do it too.

Acknowledgement is about recognition or attention from another person. It can be physical such as – a pat on the back, a touch or a handshake. It can also be psychological such as – a word of praise, a compliment, even a “hello!” It can also just be time spent with the person.

Physical and psychological attentions are absolutely vital to human beings. We all need it and we need it every day. However, it must be said that every human being has a different level of need for acknowledgement. Some people need a lot, others less so.

You get more of what you reward

Here’s one way to manage a difficult employee. Try concentrating on what they do well and tell them about it. Spend less time with and even ignore them when they behave badly. It’s not uncommon for managers to invest 90 per cent of their energy responding to negative performance and only 10 per cent strengthening positive performance. If you reward good behaviour – you’ll get more of it. If you reward bad behaviour – you’ll get more of it.

Don’t let them get to you

Prevention is always better than cure and can make your life a whole lot easier when managing difficult people. As stated earlier; human beings are almost totally driven by their emotions. It therefore makes sense to communicate on both a human and business level when dealing with another person. This is about all the simple things like using their name, being warm and friendly; listening and showing that you’re listening. It’s about increasing your likeability factor. It’s not about be nicey-nicey; it’s just harder for people to be difficult if they feel that you genuinely care and are interested in them.

It’s also important not to get hooked by the other person’s behaviour. Stay out of it emotionally and don’t rise to the bait.

Some words are better than others. Telling the other person to calm down or that they can’t or that they’ll have to do something, can often exacerbate a situation.

It’s also important to be aware that the other person may not see a situation they way you see it. They see the world differently from you and believe that what they say, how they behave, and their expectations are all acceptable.

Managing difficult people is a challenge we all face at some time in our life and prevention will always be better than cure. It’s important to choose your behaviour and not allow the difficult person to choose it for you. Don’t allow yourself to be Hooked by what other people say or do; always think before opening your mouth or taking action. Choose to be Assertive when you need to; allowing yourself to be Submissive or Aggressive, will make life much harder for you.

When faced with a difficult person, be it a colleague or a customer; always be aware that they may see the world differently from you. Empathise with their viewpoint and offer solutions that ensure a win-win outcome.

If you want to know more, then check out the book –

Related articles

• Managing Difficult People – You get what you reward (managedifficultpeople.com)

Do you want a highly motivated team who don’t take time off work, don’t keep looking for other jobs, and make a positive contribution to your business? Well there are three things you need to do:

1. Spend some quality time

I didn’t say “quantity time” I said “quality time.” One or two minutes of quality time on a regular basis are far more productive than a one hour review every year.  You need to get to know the individual members of your team better, and they need to get to know you. It will help you build a relationship with the team member. You’ll gain a much better understanding of them, and how they’re handling the job. It will also give the impression that you care about them and show that you’re there to help with problems both personal and business.

Spending quality time will encourage opinions and ideas to flow from them, and allows you to explain the company’s mission. It gives them a feeling of being in on things which is a big motivator. It will also help you build an early warning system of any problems both business and personal.  Finally, it builds team spirit and morale.

2. Give feedback and coach

You need to regularly tell each member of your team when they’re doing well and when not so well. I read some recent research that suggested 65% of employees in the US received no recognition at work in the past year. My experience tells me that it’s much the same throughout the world and much worse in some countries. Some managers still believe – “Why should I praise people when they’re only doing what they’re paid to do.”

It’s also important to tell people when they’re not performing. There are too many managers who either ignore poor behaviour or come down on the person like a ton of bricks when they do something wrong. There are particular ways to give feedback and coach and they need to be learned.

3. Be a believer

We’re now getting into the area of empowerment which was first introduced in the 1980’s and became a bit of a management buzzword. However, I believe that it’s one of the most promising but least understood concepts in management today.

I’m a fairly down to earth practical sort of person; I’m not big into management theories, unless I can see the benefits for me – I see a great deal of benefit for managers and team leaders in Empowerment.

It’s about utilising the knowledge, skill, experience and motivational power that’s already within your people. The majority of people in teams and organisations throughout the world are severely underutilised.

Your team have probably more to offer in terms of skill, knowledge and experience, and if you utilize that, you will achieve your business goals and you’ll motivate them.

To listen to this article or download it; please click this link.

Related articles

• Middle Managers Make It Happen (managedifficultpeople.com)
• Motivating Employees: Raising the Bar (thinkup.waldenu.edu)