People often ask me, of all the different tips and advice I have written and spoken about over the years, do I have a favorite that stands out above all the others?
Of course, communication and selling through relationships are complex topics and a lot of things need to come together for success therein, but I do have an answer that, if we do this over and over through the course of our selling and personal lifetimes, will generate an astonishing bank account of goodwill and benefits.
Each time you encounter someone, when you finish the encounter, step back and ask yourself the following question:
What was my impact on that person’s feelings, right now, as I walk away or hang up the phone?
If the feelings are negative for whatever reason, of course that is counterproductive (unless there is some sort of justified disagreement in play).
If you have left the person feeling better about themselves as you walk away, that is an awesome gift.
But here is the reality . . . and the opportunity . . .
The vast majority of the time the residual feelings will be neutral. You will come and go and nothing special will have happened in terms of touching the other person in a positive, memorable way.
Unfortunately, neutral is the norm because we are all busy and don’t have the time to try to touch everyone positively along the way and discipline ourselves to ask these questions after each encounter.
Actually, that is not true. It takes absolutely no more time to give someone a positive compliment then it does to say something neutral or say nothing at all. So, it is not a matter of time. It is a matter of focus and a tiny little bit of self-discipline. And besides lifting the spirits of the person you just encountered, guess what . . . it makes us feel better too.
So called “state inducers,” people who consistently lift other peoples’ spirits, whether they are business people, doctors, teachers, actors, neighbors or friends are the most popular people on the planet.
It is absolutely free to join their ranks and when you sell for a living, it is a very, VERY powerful club to belong to. Do it . . . again and again and again. Watch (and feel) what happens!
