To Shine or Not to Shine

Kim Zoller at Image Dynamics
// http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/dressforsuccess.htm, says 55% of another person's perception of you is based on how you look. And this includes your shoes.

Every time I polish my shoes I feel better about myself, about the image I portray and I seem to walk a bit taller and with a more assured step in my gait.

When people meet you for the first time, whether just in passing on the street or in a face-to-face relational experience, the other person is taking in everything, and I mean every thing, about you. They are judging you on your smile, the cleanness of your clothes, the lack of wrinkles, do your clothes match and make sense from a style standpoint, and a myriad other tell-tell factors you may have never thought of.

So, how shined are your shoes? Does this matter to you? Why or why not? My friend and co-worker Steve always came to work with his shoes highly shined. That has so impressed me and I still remember even though we haven’t worked together for 25 years. Knowing Steve, this is still a key element in preparing for his day.

Some professionals in the dress-for-success mindset say that if your shoes can’t be shined then you are wearing the wrong shoes. What is the norm in your business environment? What should you do about the norm? Are you going to go along with this mindset, or are you going to raise the bar a notch and begin wearing a more appropriate footwear?

It’s all about presentation – image.

Clean them. Wipe them down. Shine them if possible.

The Power of "Thank You!"

In Germany the word is “Danke” or “Danke Schön”.
In Spanish it is “Gracias”.
The French say “Merci Beaucop”.
Italians say, “Gracie”.
Our Japanese friends respond with “Kanji”.

In any language, for any small act of kindness, the words “thank you” are acceptable and pleasing to any ear and show good graces and great manners.

So, why do we fail to hear these simple words more in everyday life?  That is a question to ponder yet one for which there is no readily available answer.

I was preparing to speak for a group of people on a military base a few years ago, and I stepped out into the hallway a few minutes prior to my speech to catch a breath of fresh air. While standing just inside the doors leading to the outside, I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see a parade of seven individuals headed my way. Being the courteous southern gentleman that I am, I opened the door for this group of people.

Not one person in that group bothered to say a simple “Thank you” to me for opening the door. I was disappointed in their inconsiderate manners. You and I would have shown proper cultural upbringing and expressed this simple response.

“Thank You” is such a simple expression, yet I find few people willing to express it, whether it is a simple act as in holding a door open for someone, for good customer service, or for a myriad of other small acts of kindness rendered in everyday life.

In the course of our days we could utter these encouraging words dozens of times for dozens of reasons.
“Thanks for that great meal honey.”
“You gave great service. Thank you.
“Thank you for stopping by our store.”
“Thank you Mailman. You are always on time.”
“Thanks for your expert knowledge. You really helped us make a smart purchase.”
“Thanks for cleaning up after yourself.”
“That report really was right on target. Thanks so much.”
“Thanks for the improvement I see in your work lately.”
“Thanks for cleaning your room.”
“Thanks for those clear directions.”
“Thanks for holding the door for us.”
“Thanks for the ride.”
“Thanks for not smoking.”
“Thanks for making my life easier.”
“You emptied the trash cans. Thanks so much.”

This is just a sampling of hundreds of things for which we could express our thanks and appreciation.

Being able to express the words “thank you” is more than just a good social skill. It is a sign of a person in touch with themselves and one with an understanding of good social graces. Some wise person once said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”

When someone says “thank you” to me I immediately note several traits about that person and about myself.
1. They have good manners
2. Their level of intelligence seems to grow in my estimation.
3. They become more likeable.
4. I feel better about myself.
5. I am more inclined to pass along my own “thank you” as soon as convenient and appropriate.
6. They become memorable for having said “thank you”.

Never underestimate the power of “Thank You!”

Judging Others

I made a $6500 sale not too long ago. Yes, you read correctly. $6500! He didn’t look very prosperous. He smelled strongly of tobacco, his clothes weren’t the neatest or the cleanest, but he bought my most expensive bed in our store and he paid cash!

I must confess that when he first came in he didn’t impress me. Yes, I was guilty of “judging a book by its cover.”

This wasn’t the first time I have had to learn that lesson.

Remember Susan Boyle, the Scottish singing sensation? She doesn’t look like a singer, but my goodness, wait until she opens her mouth. What a clear, musical, lyrical sound she produces. She is a true song-bird and she has taken the world by storm. In a lineup, would we have chosen her as the one most likely to sing her way into our hearts? Probably not.

How often do we judge others, and miss fantastic opportunities to know someone marvelous and wonderful? Not only do we miss opportunities in sales situations when we misjudge customers, we misjudge meeting and befriending interesting people just because we judge them based on their dress, their skin color, their social standing, their nationality and a myriad of other judgments we dish out at will.

According to Wikipedia, the very common phrase “don't judge a book by its cover" is a metaphorical phrase which means "don't determine the worth of something based on its appearance”. It is probably the most common expression used in English to convey vanity.

There are very valuable individuals sitting out there behind desks, walking into our retail establishments, and in those offices. They need your goods and services. Find ways to win their friendship, and above all else, Never Judge a Book by Its Cover!

The Law of Cause and Effect

Brian Tracy, in his book Million Dollar Habits, reminds us of this law:

"The Law of Cause and Effect says that if you do what other successful people do, you will eventually get the same results other successful people get. This is a universal law. The law itself is neutral. It works for everybody, everywhere." Pg 55 Brian Tracy

So what do we need to begin doing that other successful people do in order to increase our value and improve our successes in life?

The reverse is – what do we need to stop doing?

Great questions!

I constantly analyze my sales and productivity in terms of others whom I consider to be better than I. What do they do verses my own interpretation of what I do, and why is it better or more successful?

While reading, I notice certain phrases and expressions used and the layout and style of certain authors. I pay attention to the “feel” that is coming through other writers’ works and then seek ways that I might adapt some of what I see and experience.

Do you study others in your profession? If they are successful, they bear close observation. In sales, I’ve seen all dimensions of the good, the bad and the ugly. (Thanks Clint Eastwood.) From the good, I learned more acute listening skills, and some quality body language skills.

How about this: let’s find good role models, people we trust, people who are successful. Study them, learn from them, copy them, analyze them and then reproduce their good character traits and skill sets and see how it impact our lives.

Remember Brian’s quote above:  If you do what other successful people do, you will eventually get the same results other successful people get.

I’m going for it!

Behind Every Sale Is a Person

Behind every sale is a person. You may call this person your customer or client, but regardless of what you call them, they matter in whether your business flourishes or flounders, survives or sinks, makes a profit or plummets in sales. . If you constantly keep this thought in mind you will do well in whatever people business you find to occupy your time. Every person with whom you interact wants these things.

I love what Spencer Johnson, M.D. and Larry Wilson wrote in their powerful little book called The One Minute Sales Person.
“People buy for their reasons, not ours.
People buy for how a product or service makes them feel.
People buy for prestige and a sense of empowerment.
People buy for added value.
People buy because you help them get what they want.
People buy for the good feelings they want about what they bought.
People buy trust and service.”
(The One Minute Sales Person, Spencer Johnson, M.D. and Larry Wilson)

People buy for their reasons, not ours.
I had preferences on the feel of certain mattresses when I sold them, but often customers had their own preferences when making their choices. I could tell them all of the data that mattered in how mattresses are constructed and how they felt, but people bought for their own tastes and preferences, not mine. Remember this always.

People buy for how a product or service makes them feel.
Feel is such a personal matter, but the bottom line is that it really does boil down to how a customer feels and if they can see themselves using a particular product. I remember selling a mattress to a lady simply because it had a Fur Elise pattern in the quilting layer.

People buy for prestige and a sense of empowerment.
How many people buy the same kind of golf clubs as Tiger Woods? Products that are successfully marketed use power words and phrases and popular personalities to promote these products simply because of the power of prestige.

People buy for added value.
What else will your product do for me? Will I be more handsome? More desirable? Will I attract that all important job by wearing your clothes? What attributes can you bring in that will let people know about the added value your products or services bring to the table?

People buy because you help them get what they want.
You help get what they want by listening, looking and observing body language, expressions and hearing the spoken and non-spoken hints that your customers give away. Speak in terms of the other person’s wants and needs is basic to relating to people.

People buy for the good feelings they want about what they bought.
People want a good value for their money spent. If you show them value and quality, be very clear in telling the story of that particular product. Sell benefits. People want a good deal but they want great quality.

People buy trust and service.”
In case you haven’t noticed, there are some less-than-ethical sales people in the workforce today. Customers want to be able to trust you, but they have been burned too many times and their trust factor is shot. I often have to work hard during the first twenty minutes of a sales presentation simply earning my customers trust. I have to present myself as knowledgeable, and I have to come across as sincere, trustworthy and someone who shows that I can be trusted. I want to enter into a partnership with my customers, not just a salesman/customer relationship. I can be your biggest ally if you’ll allow me to help you.

What are your attitudes toward your customers?

Behind every sale is a person. And that person wants respect and to be made to feel important.

Catch People Doing Something Right

Catch me if you can, but catch me doing something right!  Tom Peters wrote about this philosophy in his book In Search of Excellence. During my good fortune to work for Sylvan Learning Centers I had opportunities to perpetuate this good philosophy. Let me tell you about it.

When I worked for Sylvan Learning Centers in Texas we adopted this philosophy of “Catch People Doing Something Right”. Not only were we in the business of tutoring students and helping them fix skill gaps in their learning in specified subjects, but a huge part of our philosophy was to build up the self-esteem of our students.

We would look for small things a student might do in a positive behavioral way and then reinforce this good behavior by some kind of “reward in the moment” method.

This philosophy has huge implications for students and adults as well. Some of the behaviors we looked for and rewarded were:
-If we saw a student pick up a piece of paper and deposit it in a nearby trash can
-A student who kept all four legs of their chair on the floor during the learning session
-Smiling and a good attitude
-Trying their very best, even if they were struggling and not getting it perfectly
-Staying focused on one’s own assigned school work without daydreaming

When a student was caught doing something right, we would reward them instantly with a positive word specific to the act and then give them a token which would be used to purchase small toys in our Sylvan store after each class session. The verbal praise was just as important as the token.

How about you? Do you appreciate it when someone in your life recognizes and acknowledges some action of yours? Of course, we all love that kind of recognition.

Have you mastered the art of catching people doing something right? Anyone can catch people doing something wrong. But to turn the tables and recognize them for doing something right and rewarding them instantly right on the spot, now that is fresh.

Tips for Catching People Doing Something Right
1.  Do it as soon as possible and as close in time proximity to the actual good deed. Milk goes stale if left out of the refrigerator for a few hours. Don’t let too much time lapse between the deed and the acknowledgement. Your words will have the most impact the closer they come in connection with the deed performed.
2.  Praise in public. Criticize in private. This is still great advice for catching people doing something right.
3.  Make the acknowledgement fit the deed. Every act is not deserving of balloons, a brass band and a plaque. Sometimes just a simple few words lasts for days.
4.  Make sure and spread around the good cheer and positive reinforcing words. Most of us will always have our favorite person that we love to heap praise and compliments on, but make sure and spread the positive praises around to include your whole team as often as possible.
5.  Be sincere in your words of affirmation and be specific. “Carl, I loved the way you listened attentively to that nice lady just now. You head her out, let her speak her mind without interrupting and then provided the perfect solution. That was a model example of excellent customer service. Thank you.”
6.  The more you catch someone doing something right the more they will want to do the right things, and that, my friends, oils the human relationship experience, improves the bottom line and makes for an enjoyable environment at home, at work and anywhere else we choose to practice this character trait.
7.  If you point out something someone has done right, they are more likely to repeat and model the correct behavior. Can you relate to this statement? I can.
8.  Use an indirect compliment. Once my manager asked my opinion on what I felt were some key mattresses we should have on hand in our store. About twenty minutes later I called him back and gave my recommendations. He thanked me, confirmed my choices and added that he agreed with my suggestions. I felt esteemed for that moment and it lasted much of the day.

Catch people doing something right, and tell the world!

Be Present. Be In the Moment.

Don’t you love it when someone with whom you are engaged in conversation actually listens and looks at you? When I leave someone like that I am thinking “I like that person. They have great manners. They made me feel important.” The art of “being present” when engaged in conversation with someone is one of the key people skills that sets you apart from the rest of the field.  Your customers require it, your friends merit it, and you show good people skills when you demonstrate this trait.

Be Present by Listening
I developed the habit a long time ago that whenever someone entered my office I would stop whatever I was doing, turn to face them directly and give them my undivided attention. If I was typing on my computer, I would remove my hands from the keyboard. If I was reading, I would put down my reading material so that I might concentrate fully on them and what they had to say. I wanted them to feel important. I wanted to be present with them for this moment in time.

Attention shows respect, and respect is a great way to make someone feel important. If you call me on the phone, and it is convenient for me to take your call, I will stop typing, reading, or working, and tune in to our conversation. I owe you that kind of respect and attention. After all, you ARE important.

Be in the Moment
In retail, there is a rule called “Floor Awareness” in which every sales person is supposed to become aware of the floor at all times and note when a new customer comes into the store. The objective is to make sure that every person is given proper attention. If I am with a customer and another customer enters the store, I will make sure I stay tuned into the first customer and whatever they may be saying, and at a convenient pause in the conversation I’ll excuse myself with clear reasoning as to what I’m about to do with a word of assurance that I’ll be right back.

Use Appropriate Eye Contact
I remember meeting Congressman Chet Edwards when I was living in Waco, Texas. We had a brief two-minute conversation after an event at which he spoke. Even though there were dozens of other well-wishers awaiting their turn to speak to him, Congressman Edwards never took his eyes off me. He stayed completely tuned into our conversation. I have always remembered his focus and attention. He stayed present in our conversation and he never looked over his shoulder to see the next person with whom he was to speak. What a great role model.

Always remember, there is a human being at the other end of your transaction, and that human being wants one thing only from you. They want to be made “to feel important”.

Remember, every person you meet is wearing an invisible sign around their neck that says, “MAKE ME FEEL IMPORTANT.” (Mary Kay Ash, People Management)