Results Blog

Creating Synchronicity in Your Life

Thursday, Dec 22nd, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: achieve desired outcomes, coincidence, compelling positive future, create synchronicity, creating more synchronicity, creating synchronicity, desired outcomes, empowerment, intention, maintain power and control, personal responsibility, positive outcomes, possibilities, potential opportunities, response ability, set clear intentions, Synchronicity, take control, take control of your life

I believe that everything happens to us in our lives on some level as a result of our own making. On some level, either knowingly or unknowingly, we attract our destiny to ourselves.

While I believe we can’t always control what happens to us, I believe we can control how we choose to respond or react to whatever happens to us and that makes all the difference.

When we take “response ability” for everything that happens to us, we maintain power and control and come from a place of empowerment. Accepting “response ability” is not about accepting blame or fault for what happens. It simply means that we accept what has happened and choose to respond not by blaming others or ourselves but rather by choosing to respond with the most appropriate action that will positively move us forward.

On the effect side of the equation, you have your reasons and your excuses for why your life is the way it is. I.e. I can’t make more money because my company won’t promote me. The house is a mess because my teenagers won’t listen to me. I can’t be happy because my husband is out every weekend without me. I’m not valued at work because the boss doesn’t like me. If you remain “at effect” that’s the same as giving up your power or control. This can be a very negative and disempowering way to live your life.

Do you wish to continue to argue for and support your limitations? Wouldn’t it be more empowering to take control of your life and to start creating more synchronicity in order to move towards a more compelling positive future?

Here are some tips to help you maintain a positive “response ability” and to move in a synchronistic way towards more positive outcomes.

Accept your current situation. Accepting your current situation doesn’t mean you have to agree with it or live with it. It simply means you acknowledge where you are presently. Think of it as a starting point. When you accept where you are without blame or excuse, it necessitates taking action.
Look for opportunities. It has been said “when one door closes another one opens”. Doors are being opened for us all the time. We need to be observant and open-minded to notice the potential opportunities that are there for us.
Treat events and disappointments as life lessons. There is no failure only feedback. Every experience we have in some way moves us forward. Either through learning what not to do or by supporting us in getting closer to our desired outcomes. Learn from your experiences. Ask yourself the following question: What do I need to learn from this event?
Be curious about who you cross paths with. I’m always curious about who I meet and cross paths with. What do I need to learn from them? What am I here to teach them? How can they help me? How can I help them?
Accept personal responsibility for change. Your desire and willingness to change is up to you just as my desire and willingness to change is up to me. If you wish to change your current situation you have to be willing to first change yourself. There’s no magic solution. You are in charge of your results.
Set clear intentions. Be clear about your expectations and outcomes. Then let go of the “how” and prepare yourself to be amazed at what unfolds for you. So often, we want to map out all the steps and get stuck when we come across an obstacle in our path. Keep the focus on your goals and intentions.
Create synchronicity. Creating synchronicity is an inside job. Recognize that you have the power to create synchronicity in your life. It starts with your thoughts, your feelings and ultimately, your actions. Success equals right thinking plus right action.

Synchronicity is the coming together of two or more events at just the right time and place. Some people might call this coincidence. When you set your intention for a positive outcome and stay open to opportunities, you are opening yourself up to tremendous possibilities. You have all the resources you need to succeed and the power to achieve your desired outcomes.

10 Ways to Increase Your Intuition for Greater Success

Thursday, Dec 15th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: 10 ways to increase your intuition, act on your hunches, better understand other people, develop and hone your intuition, develop your intuition, enhance business and personal relationships, follow your hunches, gut feeling, hone your intuition, hone your intuitive ability, increase your confidence, increase your intuition, Intuition, intuition skills, intuitive ability, intuitive skills, make better decisions, practice using your intuition, sixth sense, tap into your dreams and desires, tapping into our intuition, using your intuition

Whether you are coaching an employee or making a business decision you are probably tapping into your intuition. Intuition is sometimes referred to as “gut feeling”, “sixth sense” or “knowing”. Regardless of what you call it, we all use our intuition everyday in multiple ways. Often we don’t recognize it as intuition as the information may come to us symbolically or in fragmented bits of information.

thought So why would anyone wish to increase their intuitive ability? Practicing and harnessing your intuition skills will allow you to make better decisions and choices, enhance your business and personal relationships, increase your confidence to follow your hunches, better understand other people and allow you to tap into your inner most dreams and desires.

Here are 10 ways you can begin to practice using your intuition to hone your intuitive ability.

Look at newspaper photos. Read a newspaper by first looking at the photo only without reading the corresponding headline or story. Make up a story about the photo you are looking at. Then read the story to see how accurate your impression was. The more you practice this the easier it will be to look at a photo and be able to accurately tell the story.
Guess who is calling. Whenever the phone rings try and guess who the caller is before you pick the phone up. You will be amazed by how often you will get it right. Track the success of your guesses and notice how quickly you make progress.
Think about someone you know. As you think of someone you know, see them clearly in your mind. Notice how long it takes for the person you are thinking about to call you. Document your results.
Ask a question. Using a regular coin assign “yes” or “no” to heads or tails. Then ask yes/no questions and flip the coin to get answers. Notice and journal how you feel as you receive answers to your questions.
Pay attention to your surroundings. As you go about your regular day notice numbers, billboard messages, signs and anything else in your environment that may be considered a message for you. Nothing is random. Everything is meaningful to you. Often that very issue that you are wrestling with in your thoughts is displayed as a sign right in front of you; all you need to do is pay attention.
Shuffle a deck of cards. Shuffle a regular deck of cards. Then predict whether the card you are about to turn over is red or black. Then turn over the card. Track the percentage of correct predictions and notice how much better you get over time. Once you’ve got that down, practice predicting whether the card you are about to flip over is hearts, diamonds, spades or clubs. Keep track of your progress.
Predict a song. While listening to the radio, try and predict what song will come up within the next hour. Then listen for the song to be played. Keep listening for your song to play and hear how often your prediction is correct.
Randomly eavesdrop on conversations. Pay attention to snippets of information from a conversation you might overhear in a public place. Often these random pieces of information can be strung together to make meaning for you about a personal or business situation you might currently be dealing with. Listen for answers to questions you have.
Randomly flip to a page in a book. Pick a book from your bookcase and begin flipping through it, stopping on a random page. Begin reading anywhere on the page and you will be amazed at how relevant what you are reading relates to whatever is going on in your life at the moment. Practice this regularly to gain valuable insights.
Act on your hunches. The best way to practice intuition is to act on your hunches. Often we get a gut feeling about a situation and then ignore it, only to later wish we had paid attention to it. Use your hunch just like you would another piece of valuable information.

Intuition is a skill like any other. You can develop your intuition by applying it consciously and through regular practice. The more you practice your intuitive ability the more confident you will become in using your intuition. For many of us, tapping into our intuition is an unconscious process that bypasses our logical analytical mind. As we become more consciously aware of our intuitive ability we can begin to integrate information we receive in our surroundings from all our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell as well as from our intuition. As you become more comfortable using and tapping into your intuition, notice how much more easily it is to make personal and professional decisions, know what you really want and confidently move forward towards achieving your goals and dreams.

Life Lessons Learned From My Favorite Holiday Movies

Thursday, Dec 8th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, Personal | Tags: A Christmas Carol, Holiday Movies, It’s a Wonderful Life, Life Lessons, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, White Christmas

One of my favorite ways to spend time during the holidays is to kick back with family and watch a good holiday movie. When I reflect back on some of my favorite movies I can appreciate some valuable life lessons and how wonderfully illustrated they are in these classic films.

• It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). This movie is about an angel who helps a desperate man see how valuable his life is by showing him what life would be like had he never been born. The holiday season doesn’t go by without watching this classic movie at least once. It’s a great reminder to appreciate and be grateful for all that you have and all that you are. Don’t take anything for granted. Consider maintaining a daily gratitude journal where you record everything you are grateful for on a daily basis.

• Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964). This was a TV movie about a misfit reindeer looking to be accepted. I grew up watching this wonderful animated film about Rudolph; a reindeer who felt like an outcast and yet his oddity was truly a gift. It reminds me of just how different we all are as individuals. It’s our individuality that makes us both unique and special at the same time. Honor your uniqueness and your special talents and treat them as the gifts they are. Acknowledge others as well for their unique and special talents.

• A Christmas Carol (1938). This classic follows Ebeneezer Scrooge, a cruel man who is visited one Christmas Eve by 3 ghosts guiding him through his past, present and future. It’s been remade several times over the years and the story still warms my heart. It’s about self reflection, recognizing that you have choices and that it’s never too late to change your ways. No matter who you are, what you’ve done, you can change.

• White Christmas (1954). Who doesn’t love Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. This movie is about expressing generosity, lending a helping hand and appreciating old friends. It’s a terrific reminder to reflect on the spirit of the holiday season, remembering what the holiday season is really about. For me that means staying in the present moment and taking time to appreciate those around me and to share valuable time with friends and family.

In summary, as you navigate through the holiday season this year remember some of life’s simple lessons:

1. Be grateful and don’t take anything for granted

2. Honor your unique skills and talents

3. Choose to change the things you don’t like about yourself

4. Remember the spirit of Christmas – be generous , lend a hand and appreciate your friends and family

From my home to yours, Happy Holidays everyone!

Powerful Presentations: 4 Easy Steps to Making Interesting Presentations

Thursday, Dec 1st, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: Captivate an audience, Grab attention, Great presenters, Impactful presenter, Interesting presentations, Learner, Learning and teaching systems, Learning styles, Making better presentations, Making interesting presentations, Powerful presentations, Presentation, Presentations, Speakers

Why is it that some speakers captivate an audience from the very start of their presentation while other speakers don’t?

Great presenters have structure to their presentations and a consistent format they use to ensure fabulous presentations every time they speak to a group. Great presenters understand that individuals within the audience have different learning styles and they know how to grab the attention of each.

Based on the work of David Kolb and Bernice McCarthy, the 4-Mat System is one of the most widely used learning and teaching systems today. The 4-Mat system is an easy and practical way to prepare presentations. Based on this system, there are 4 basic learning styles: “why”, “what”, “how” and “what if”.

Why learners need to have their why questions answered before they will be interested in hearing about the “what”, “how” or “what if”. They need reasons and relevance. As a presenter, you need to answer the question: “Why” is this topic important to the audience. They learn best by listening and sharing. The more reasons you can offer to answer the question “why” or “why not”, the more likely you will capture the interest of the “why” learner/participant who will represent the largest portion of your audience at about 35%. I once observed a presenter who went right into the “what” of his presentation skipping the “why” only to have “why” questions popping up throughout his presentation, slowing down the flow and confusing the heck out of the audience.

What learners are more patient than why learners so they will patiently wait to have why questions addressed. They will be interested in “what” the topic is all about. They will want to know the specifics about the topic. They will want to know as much information as you can provide on the topic to deepen their understanding. So it is important you fill up their “what” before you move to addressing the how. These learners learn by thinking through ideas. About 22% of your audience will be “what” learners.

How learners will patiently wait for the why and what information to be provided. They are interested in “how” it works. They want to know about how to apply the information. They will be interested in trying it out, experimenting or practicing and learn best by testing theories in ways that make sense. About 18% of your audience will be “how” learners.

What if learners, the most patient of learners, will sit through the why, what and the how and they will be most interested in the application of the material. What would happen if? What if I did this? They will look for the hidden possibilities. They will patiently sit through the presentation and then have a list of questions to ask during the question and answer period. They learn best through trial and error. They will represent about 25% of the audience.

Here are the 4 easy steps to ensure consistently interesting presentations:

1.   Start your presentation with a thorough list of reasons why your topic is of importance. Use wording like: “Here is why you want to know about this topic.” Share with your audience all the benefits of knowing about the topic to gain their interest and keep them interested in learning more.
2.   Then tell the audience what your topic is all about. Here is where you get to share everything you know about the topic. Use wording like: “Here’s what the topic is all about” or “Here’s what you need to know about this topic”.
3.   Then tell the audience how to. This might include describing steps of a process, providing a demonstration, doing a group activity or exercise so that they get to experience the presentation content. “Here’s how to do x”.
4.   Lastly, you should include a question and answer period at the end of your presentation so that what if questions can be fully answered.

Be the speaker that captivates his/her audience from now on.

Perception Is Projection

Thursday, Nov 24th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: attitudes, beliefs, focus, past experience, perception, perception is projection, projection, values

Why is it that two people watching the same accident have two totally different accounts of what just occurred? They both saw the same accident-yet, they processed two very different versions.

According to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the book Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience, we take in 2 million pieces of information per second, yet we can only process 134 bits per second. How then do we determine which 134 bits of information to focus on? We choose those 134 bits of information based on our values, beliefs, attitudes, past experiences, memories and how we process information.

To illustrate this point, let’s have some fun.
•   Look around the room you are currently in and notice all the items in the room that are colored white (for some of you this might be easy, for others you may have to really look carefully for “white” items).
•   Now, close your eyes and try to remember all the items in the room that were the color “black”. Notice how challenging this task is given that I directed you to look for the colour “white”.
•   Now, open your eyes and look around the room and notice just how many “black” colored items you missed when asked to recall them. There are just as many “black” items now that you are noticing them as there was when you were only searching “white” items. The only thing that changed was the focus you were giving to the two different colours.

This is just one example of how differently two people might see their respective worlds.

How do you see the world?
•   Are you a glass half full person or are you a glass half empty person?
•   What is the first thing you see, hear or feel in any situation?
•   Are you looking for and noticing the positive side of things or do you gravitate towards the negatives, the risks and what is wrong with the situation.

Both scenarios are present – the positive and the negative-you, the observer, gets to choose how to interpret the situation.

Oh sure, you have your reasons for seeing things a certain way. We all have baggage we carry around with us that affects how we view the world. To quote Dr. Phil, “how is that working for you?” If it’s working and you are truly happy in every area of your life, great. However, if there is any area of your life that isn’t working, look at how you might change your perception of the situation so that you are experiencing the most positive 134 bits out of the 2 million bits of information available.

Here are 5 steps to help you more positively focus your attention:
1.   Ask yourself… What perspective you are currently holding as you evaluate a particular situation.
2.   Ask yourself… What other perspectives are possible that you may not have considered to this point.
3.   Ask yourself… Which perspective would offer you the best and highest positive potential for an optimal outcome.
4.   Holding the best and highest positive potential perspective… What are some actions you could take.
5.   Go ahead and take positive action!

Your world is a mirror that reflects back to you what you are seeing, hearing, feeling and sensing. Your perception truly is a projection of what is going on in your inner world. Here’s the good news-you get to choose how you interpret any situation. So choose wisely.

Overcoming Mountains To Reach Your Goal

Tuesday, Jul 5th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: Goal Setting | Tags: achieving your goal, celebrate milestones, focus on the goal, Goal, goals, Inca Trail, Machu Picchu, reaching goals, sense of accomplishment, sense of purpose, vision

Ever wonder why goals seem so impossible to reach at times?

Last month I travelled to Peru to hike the Inca Trail and visit Machu Picchu. It has been a personal goal of mine for some time to visit the ruins, hike the trail and to fully experience the country and its people.

To hike the Inca Trail you have to be in good physical shape. Our trek was 42km over 4 days, which seems easy enough. However, climbing over 3 mountain passes at high altitudes reaching over 4200 meters above sea level at 60 degree inclines is no small feat, especially for an overweight middle aged woman. But, I was determined to do the trail and to overcome any mountains in my way.

Here’s what I learned about reaching goals while hiking the Inca Trail:

1. Have a clear vision. My goal was to hike the Inca Trail and reach Machu Picchu while fully enjoying the process of getting there. Often we are not clear with our goals. This causes us to meander without a clear sense of purpose. The more clarity we have on the goal the easier it is to stay focused on what’s most important.

2. Maintain focus on the goal. As I hiked those 4 days I kept telling myself that the view from the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu would be worth it. I kept telling myself that completing the trail would be a great sense of accomplishment and pride. These constant reminders really kept me grounded and on task.

3. Keep moving forward. Day two of the hike was the hardest part of the trek; 12km on a steep angle up towards appropriately named “Dead Woman’s Pass”, the highest point on the trail. One minute of hiking, two minutes of resting all the way up the slopes until I finally reached the peak. Admittedly, I was slower than most hikers but, the important thing was to keep moving forward in the direction of my goal. Eventually I would get there on my own time. What’s important is that you continue to take steps forward no matter how big or small.

4. See obstacles as opportunities. There could have been many obstacles real and imagined along the trail if that was what I had chosen to focus on. There were steep slopes; difficult rocks to climb, breathing issues and blisters on my feet. I chose however to focus on the opportunities. My very slow but steady pace meant that I met lots of wonderful and interesting people from around the globe also hiking who stopped to chat with me and encouraged me to keep going.

5. Enjoy the views along the journey. My son raced forward and took a nap along the trail at one point. I on the other hand, got to see many varieties of birds, interesting plants and flowers and magnificent vistas as I slowly progressed forward.

6. Celebrate milestones often. When I finally reached “Dead Woman’s Pass”, the rest of my hiking group was already there to greet me and cheer. Each member of our hiking group remained at the top cheering as the rest of the members also reached the peak. It was only the halfway mark of day 2 but a great milestone to celebrate. Once all of us had reached the top, we took photos to enjoy the moment and capture it forever.

7. Stop to revel in achieving your goal. When I finally got to Sun Gate and saw Machu Picchu in its full glory I instantly felt emotion bubbling up inside me. The trek gave me a peek into the history and culture of the people and the country, experiencing the same trek as the great Incas. It also gave me a great sense of accomplishment for being there in that moment to enjoy what I was seeing and experiencing and a feeling of “I did it”. Many of us get to our goal and don’t stop to revel in accomplishing it, but rather go onto the next goal or the next challenge. It’s important to take a moment, be in the joy of achieving the goal and celebrate it fully.

Overwhelmed? 7 Ways to Regain Control

Tuesday, Mar 15th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: change your thinking, de-clutter your mind, feeling overwhelm, loss of control, maintain your focus, out of control, overcoming overwhelm, Overwhelm, panic, prioritize, regain control, regaining focus and control, release stress, sleepless nights, stress, stretched to the limit, ways to regain control

Over the past 5 years, since I began my professional coaching practice, I have seen a dramatic increase in the number of people experiencing overwhelm. This heightened feeling of being stretched to the limit can contribute to increased sleepless nights, increased levels of stress, a sense of loss of control or panic, increased feelings of guilt and an overall decreased level of self-confidence.

According to a study conducted by Catalyst* in 2009, “55% of employees are stressed to the point of feeling extremely fatigued and out of control”. Studies conducted by Statistics Canada highlight that “Men and Women age 35-54 report the highest degree of stress” with “working women more likely than working men to report high levels of perceived life stress”.

Sound overwhelming? If you can relate to any of the above, consider some ways to overcome overwhelm, reduce stress and regain control:

1 Make a list of everything currently on your plate. Many people who claim they are overwhelmed have difficulty coming up with more than 15-20 items on their “to do” list. The very act of writing down the things you need to do (or are overwhelmed about) helps you de-clutter your mind.

2 Review and prioritize the list. How many of the items on the list are truly “must do” items? Review the list carefully and determine if anything can be delegated to others. Consider those items that are “nice to do” and remove them from the list. Prioritize the remaining list. Looking at the list objectively helps to minimize the feeling of being overwhelmed.

3 Control what you can and let go of what you can’t. Many people put a lot of attention on things they have no control over. Ask yourself if this thing you feel overwhelmed about is something you have control over or not. Focus your energy and attention on what you can control.

4 Be okay with an 80% solution. How much is your time and energy worth to you? Perfection is rarely expected nor appreciated and yet so many of us spend countless hours trying to get things perfect.

5 Release stress. According to Statistics Canada, “Canadians who are physically active report lower levels of stress.” Regular exercise can help lower stress and build resilience. Other ways to release stress include: deep breathing exercises, meditation, getting sufficient sleep and laughter.

6 Turn negative thinking into positive thoughts and actions. Are you focusing on “how bad things are” or “how much work you have to do”? Learn to change your thinking to more positive thoughts. Focus instead on all the good things that are happening to you or around you or focus on how much you have accomplished today. Maintaining your focus on your progress rather than on how much there is left to do will help you maintain a sense of balance and optimism.

7 Change your perspective. Sometimes we are so immersed in the details of things that we lose sight of the big picture. There is usually much less emotion and much greater objectivity from a bigger broader picture view of the situation. When you find yourself too close to an emotionally charged situation, ask yourself how the situation would look from the ”10,000 foot above” perspective?

While regaining focus and control may feel like an uphill battle, overcoming overwhelm is possible when you put yourself first, step back and truly consider your options and possible actions.

*http://www.catalyst.org/publication/231/work-stress

Impact and Influence: A Key Competency for Top Performers

Tuesday, Feb 8th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General | Tags: Ability to impact and influence, Ability to persuade, Build your confidence, Career success, Convince others, Getting things done through others, Impact and influence, influence others, Key competencies, Key competency, Strategic, Strategic influence, Top performers

The ability to impact and influence others is a key competency frequently identified in top performers. While we assume salespeople are good at impacting and influencing, the ability to impact and influence others is often the number one competency in helping, service, managerial and leadership roles. Learning to increase your ability to impact and influence others can make a big difference to your career success.

What is Impact and Influence?

Impact and Influence as a competency is the ability to persuade or convince others to support an idea, agenda or direction. Sometimes we refer to it as strategic influence. It involves taking a variety of actions to influence others including establishing credibility or using data to directly persuade or address a person’s issues or concerns.

Impact and Influence is often linked to organizational awareness. Understanding who the key decision makers are, who wields the power and who the influencers are, enables you to be more strategic in your dealings and approaches with stakeholders in order to get your desired results.

Here are some ways you can increase your ability to impact and influence others:

• Be Confident – Confident people command more attention. Do what you can to build your confidence. That could mean doing more research or homework on the topics you are trying to promote or influence. Practice speaking in front of a mirror until you like how you are coming across.

• Be an Observer – Successful people really do listen twice as much as they speak. Learn to observe others: what they say, how they say it, what they value, how they communicate both verbally and non-verbally, through their body language. Study and observe your audience until you understand what makes them tick.

• Build Relationships – Get to know your key stakeholders and build rapport with each of them. Rapport is the first step in building stronger relationships and the key to effective and more meaningful communication.

• Ask Questions – The best way to understand your client or prospect is to ask lots of open-ended questions. Ask questions to better understand their needs, wants and desires. This will help you better plan your communication strategy with each of them.

• Communicate Effectively – How well do you know the communication style and/or preference of the person you are trying to influence? Knowing whether they are visual, auditory or kinesthetic can assist you in better targeting your communication and your message.

• Know Your Outcome – What is it that you are hoping to achieve? What does success look like? Be clear on your desired outcomes.

• Be Strategic - Plan and do your homework. Have a plan and work your plan. Know who your stakeholders are and find out as much as you can about each of them. Determine how and when you will communicate with them. Follow your plan and change as you go. Incorporate your learning into any changes you make. Keep your focus on your goal.

Increasing your impact and influence capabilities will increase your credibility and your success in getting things done with others and through others. The stronger your ability to impact and influence others the more likely you too will become a power player, a key influencer or an organizational decision maker – the choice is yours.

Using Neuro Linguistic Programming Techniques to Get Better Sales Results

Thursday, Feb 3rd, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) | Tags: better sales results, buying, close the sale, establish need, establish value, influence others, influencing others, neuro linguistic programing, Neuro Linguistic Programming, neuro linguistic programming techniques, NLP, rapport, sales pitch, sales process, sales results, sales tips and techniques, selling, selling process, selling techniques, selling to prospects, win-win

We’re all in sales whether we want to believe it or not. When was the last time you had to sell your boss or colleagues on an idea you had, or put together a proposal to increase your project budget? When was the last time you had to convince your kids to do something they should have been doing anyway? Whether you are selling a product, a service, a concept or simply influencing others to get to your desired outcome-you are selling!

I find the following 5 step sales process an easy framework to use and remember:

1. Establish and maintain rapport
2. Understand your client or prospect
3. Establish a need/establish value
4. Link the need/value to your product or service
5. Close the sale

NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) is the study of excellence and excellent communication and how to reproduce it. Your ability to communicate effectively is key to your success in any sales interaction.

So, let’s consider each of the steps in the 5 step sales process and see how NLP fits in.

1. Establish and maintain rapport
93% of what we communicate is done so unconsciously. It’s important then to be aware of how you are communicating so that you can consciously build rapport. Maintaining eye contact when you are speaking or listening to another person is one way to stay connected. Leaning forward and tilting your head slightly to one side when you are listening demonstrates that you are fully engaged and listening to the other person. Matching and mirroring body language, voice and words is another way to build and maintain rapport. Any resistance you encounter simply means you haven’t established enough rapport and a good indication to go back and build additional rapport. Building rapport is the first step in achieving better results in sales or in any communication interaction.

2. Understand your client or prospect
The best way to understand your client or prospect is to ask lots of open-ended questions. Asking questions will allow you to get to know your client/prospect better and will allow you to identify if there is a need for your product or service. Find out what’s important to them, how they think and process information. Watch their eye patterns as they answer questions to see where they go inside to access internal information. Notice the predicate words they use most often. Do they prefer visual words and descriptors like “I see, I can imagine” or do they have a preference for auditory words “I hear what you mean”, “That rings true for me” or are they most comfortable with kinesthetic phrases like “I get what you are saying” “I feel your passion”. Having a good grasp on your client or prospect’s needs as well as understanding their communication style and preference will better prepare you to communicate with them in a way that will resonate with them.

3. Establish a need/establish value
Once you have established a need, you need to establish value. Would they see any value in solving their problem, or improving their situation? Reinforce their value proposition by asking something like: “Then it would be valuable for you to solve this, wouldn’t it? Is this something you would be interested in or not?” This is an important question as they may have a need but not see any value in solving it. Most sales people waste 80% of their time on people who don’t buy. You want prospects/clients who will buy so ensuring they value solving their problem is essential to your sales pitch.

4. Link the need/value to your product or service
In the sales process, you are really not selling a product or service. You are selling an emotion. 90% of our mind is unconscious, emotional or irrational while only 10% of our mind is conscious or rational. We think that it’s our rational mind making the decision but the fact is that all our memories, feelings and emotions are stored in our unconscious mind. And most of our decisions are made unconsciously. Connecting with your prospect’s or client’s emotion is the key to your ability to successfully close the sale. For example, a prospect looking at buying a new house may see value in a walk-in closet. You connect her to the feeling she will have when she wakes up in the morning, walks into her closest and feels great about being able to easily see and pick out her clothes in the morning. That feeling will connect her to the house you are selling.

5. Close
If you have successfully followed steps 1 to 4, the close should be easy. Simply ask for the order. Assume the sale all the way through and look for the win-win opportunity.

In the selling process someone is always buying. Either the prospect is buying your product, service, proposal, idea or you are buying the objection. The question is, who is the better salesperson?

NLP–The Study of Excellence in Communication

Thursday, Jan 20th, 2011 by admin | Leave a Comment
Filed under: General, NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) | Tags: Communication, desired outcomes, Excellence, Neuro Linguistic Programming, NLP, Positive Changes, Results, Thinking Patterns

NLP is the acronym for Neuro Linguistic Programming. The study of excellence in communication (with yourself and others) in order to create the results you want!

Why is NLP important to know about?

• If you are looking to make positive changes and improvements in your life or in the lives of others, than NLP can help make those changes quickly

• If you are feeling stuck, unsure of how to move forward, than NLP can move you forward

• If you aren’t achieving the results you want in life, than NLP can provide you with the tools and techniques to identify desired outcomes and assist in getting you to your goals

• If any of the above rings true for you or you know exactly what you want, NLP can assist in getting you there quicker and easier

NLP is an approach to understanding and directing human experience, communication and behaviour.

Let’s look at NLP a little closer:

Neuro is about the nervous system. Our life experiences are processed through our 5 senses – visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), kinesthetic (feeling/touch), olfactory (taste) and gustatory (smell). NLP is based on the premise that we experience our world through the 5 senses and translate sensory information into our thought processes both consciously and unconsciously. Our thought processes activate the neurological system which affects our physiology, our emotions and our behaviours.

Linguistic refers to our language and other non-verbal communication systems through which we make sense of the world, capture and conceptualize experience and communicate what we experience to others. In NLP, linguistics is the study of how we use our words to speak or influence our experience.

Programming addresses how we code or mentally represent experience. Our personal programming consists of our internal processes and strategies, i.e. thinking patterns we use to make decisions, solve problems, learn, evaluate, and get results. NLP is useful to recode our experiences and organize our internal programming so we get the outcome and results we want.

To simplify, NLP is the study of excellence in communication (with yourself and others) in order to create the results you want!

NLP is described as both an art and a science of communication, the key to learning and it’s about what makes you and others tick. It’s also been described as the route to getting the results you want in all areas of your life.

NLP is about increasing choices. An attitude about life and a technology which empowers you with the tools and abilities to change anything you want in your life that’s not working for you. Anything and everything is possible if you set your mind to it. By changing your mind and your attitude it does change your life! So many people spend time focusing on the negatives – the many things in their life they don’t want. They have the choice and power to focus on what they want instead and attract desired positive results.

Change is up to you!

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