Archive for April, 2012
Become an Authority: 6 Steps
Posted: April 26, 2012 by Alison in Food For ThoughtTags: $5 billion, Authority, Business, Google, Market segmentation, Sales, Tom, Tom Searcy
EXPLOSIVE GROWTHÂ |Â Tom Searcy
Source: http://www.inc.com/tom-searcy/become-an-authority-6-steps.html
If you want the world to recognize you as an expert, you need to know your stuff–and know your turf.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately talking with companies about their “areas of authority”: those issues, technologies or market segments for which they see themselves as more than an expert. It takes real confidence (and a decent amount of moxie) to declare itâand once you have, you need to be able to withstand the slings and arrows of competitors who would challenge your claim.
What defines authority? You probably need a few things to support your claim.
1. Know Your Turf
I am the foremost authority on key account sales. I’m not kidding: Google “key account sales expert” and you’ll see me. I’m not the foremost expert on all sales, or on sales training, or other market segments. I know my section of the market. What is the segment over which you can claim authority?
2. Be a Standard Bearer
The authority in any market either knows or sets the standards. What defines excellence, or average and unacceptable performance? What do the most credible providers bring to the table, and how should an informed buyer be considering potential providers?
3. Be Current, Relevant & Engaged
The authority knows what is going on. You know the new entrants on the scene, technologies that work, the latest in regulation, recent (and likely) mergers and acquisitions, and who is moving and shaking. The authority is a clearinghouse of knowledge in that space.
4. Set the Trends
Forward-looking language, questions and answers are indicators of authority. Sometimes market drivers shape the future, while at other times your response will set pace and direction.
5. Publish & Speak
You should be a vocal authority in your segment. Among the ways to publicly define the conversation: White papers, blogs, books, articles, videos, keynote speeches, panel discussions, and interviews.
6. Declare Yourself
After all of these more grandiose ideas of authority, let me get back to the first and smallest step: Declare yourself, your authority, and your turf. It doesn’t have to be a press conference; it could be as simple as the sign on your door, or a tagline on your website.
If you are the authority, then step up to the microphone of your market and declare it. Just make certain you have the stuff to back it up. As a great writer once noted, “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
Read more:
Author, speaker and consultant Tom Searcy is the foremost expert in large account sales. With Hunt Big Sales, he’s helped clients land more than $5 billion in new sales. Click to get Tom’s weekly tips, or to learn more about Hunt Big Sales. @tomsearcy
7 Simple Ways To Say âNoâ
Posted: April 23, 2012 by Alison in Food For Thought, Office PoliticsTags: Mean, Mind, Person, Saying No
Editorâs note: This is a guest post from Celestine Chua of The Personal Excellence Blog.
Source: http://zenhabits.net/say-no/
Do you have difficulty saying ânoâ? Are you always trying to be nice to others at the expense of yourself?
Well, youâre not alone. In the past, I was not good at saying ânoâ, because I didnât want to hurt the other personâs feelings.
For example, whenever I get requests for help, I would attend to them even though I had important work to do. Sometimes the requests would drag to 2-3 hours or even beyond. At the end of the day, I would forgo sleep to catch up on my work. This problem of not knowing how to say ânoâ also extended to my clients, business associates and even sales people.
After a while, I realized all these times of not saying ânoâ (when I should) were not helping me at all. I was spending a lot of time and energy for other people and not spending nearly as much time for myself. It was frustrating especially since I brought it upon myself. I slowly realized if I wanted personal time, I needed to learn to say ânoâ.
Why We Find It Hard To Say âNoâ
To learn to say âNoâ, we have to first understand whatâs resisting us about it. Below are common reasons why people find it hard to say no:
- You want to help. You are a kind soul at heart. You donât want to turn the person away and you want to help where possible, even if it may eat into your time.
- Afraid of being rude. I was brought up under the notion that saying âNoâ, especially to people who are more senior, is rude. This thinking is common in Asia culture, where face-saving is important. Face-saving means not making others look bad (a.k.a losing face).
- Wanting to be agreeable. You donât want to alienate yourself from the group because youâre not in agreement. So you confirm to othersâ requests.
- Fear of conflict. You are afraid the person might be angry if you reject him/her. This might lead to an ugly confrontation. Even if there isnât, there might be dissent created which might lead to negative consequences in the future.
- Fear of lost opportunities. Perhaps you are worried saying no means closing doors. For example, one of my clientsâ wife was asked to transfer to another department in her company. Since she liked her team, she didnât want to shift. However, she didnât want to say no as she felt it would affect her promotion opportunities in the future.
- Not burning bridges. Some people take ânoâ as a sign of rejection. It might lead to bridges being burned and relationships severed.
If you nodded to any of the reasons, Iâm with you. They applied to me at one point or another. However, in my experience dealing with people at work and in life, I realized these reasons are more misconceptions than anything. Saying âNoâ doesnât mean you are being rude; neither does it mean you are being disagreeable. Saying âNoâ doesnât mean there will be conflict nor that youâll lose opportunities in the future. And saying no most definitely doesnât mean youâre burning bridges. These are all false beliefs in our mind.
At the end of the day, itâs about how you say ânoâ, rather than the fact youâre saying no, that affects the outcome. After all, you have your own priorities and needs, just like everyone has his/her own needs. Saying no is about respecting and valuing your time and space. Say no is your prerogative.
7 Simple Ways To Say âNoâ
Rather than avoid it altogether, itâs all about learning the right way to say no. After I began to say no to others, I realized itâs really not as bad as I thought. The other people were very understanding and didnât put up any resistance. Really, the fears of saying no are just in our mind.
If you are not sure how to do so, here are 7 simple ways for you to say no. Use the method that best meets your needs in the situation.
1. âI canât commit to this as I have other priorities at the moment.â
If you are too busy to engage in the request/offer, this will be applicable. This lets the person know your plate is full at the moment, so he/she should hold off on this as well as future requests. If it makes it easier, you can also share what youâre working on so the person can understand better. I use this when I have too many commitments to attend to.
2. âNowâs not a good time as Iâm in the middle of something. How about we reconnect at X time?â
Itâs common to get sudden requests for help when you are in the middle of something. Sometimes I get phone calls from friends or associates when Iâm in a meeting or doing important work. This method is a great way to (temporarily) hold off the request. First, you let the person know itâs not a good time as you are doing something. Secondly, you make known your desire to help by suggesting another time (at your convenience). This way, the person doesnât feel blown off.
3. âIâd love to do this, but âŚâ
I often use this as itâs a gentle way of breaking no to the other party. Itâs encouraging as it lets the person know you like the idea (of course, only say this if you do like it) and thereâs nothing wrong about it. I often get collaboration proposals from fellow bloggers and business associates which I canât participate in and I use this method to gently say no. Their ideas are absolutely great, but I canât take part due to other reasons such as prior commitments (#1) or different needs (#5).
4. âLet me think about it first and Iâll get back to you.â
This is more like a âMaybeâ than a straight out âNoâ. If you are interested but you donât want to say âyesâ just yet, use this. Sometimes Iâm pitched a great idea which meets my needs, but I want to hold off on committing as I want some time to think first. There are times when new considerations pop in and I want to be certain of the decision before committing myself. If the person is sincere about the request, he/she will be more than happy to wait a short while. Specify a date / time-range (say, in 1-2 weeks) where the person can expect a reply.
If youâre not interested in what the person has to offer at all, donât lead him/her on. Use methods #5, #6 or #7 which are definitive.
5. âThis doesnât meet my needs now but Iâll be sure to keep you in mind.â
If someone is pitching a deal/opportunity which isnât what you are looking for, let him/her know straight-out that it doesnât meet your needs. Otherwise, the discussion can drag on longer than it should. It helps as the person know itâs nothing wrong about what he/she is offering, but that you are looking for something else. At the same time, by saying youâll keep him/her in mind, it signals you are open to future opportunities.
6. âIâm not the best person to help on this. Why donât you try X?â
If you are being asked for help in something which you (i) canât contribute much to (ii) donât have resources to help, let it be known they are looking at the wrong person. If possible, refer them to a lead they can follow-up on â whether itâs someone you know, someone who might know someone else, or even a department. I always make it a point to offer an alternate contact so the person doesnât end up in a dead end. This way you help steer the person in the right place.
7. âNo, I canât.â
The simplest and most direct way to say no. We build up too many barriers in our mind to saying no. As I shared earlier in this article, these barriers are self-created and they are not true at all. Donât think so much about saying no and just say it outright. Youâll be surprised when the reception isnât half as bad as what you imagined it to be.
Learn to say no to requests that donât meet your needs, and once you do that youâll find how easy it actually is. Youâll get more time for yourself, your work and things that are most important to you. I know I do and Iâm happy I started doing that.
Celes writes at The Personal Excellence Blog on how to achieve our highest potential and live our best life. Get her free ebook â101 Things To Do Before You Dieâ by signing up for her free newsletter.
Friday Humor: That Pain in My Neck
Posted: April 20, 2012 by Alison in Just For FunTags: Crabby Road, Friday Humor, Funny, Just for Fun