7 tips on Getting Results From a Salesman

How is a salesman driven to achieve outstanding results? Your first thought might turn to monetary gain but that is only a piece of the puzzle. A salesman is successful, if they show a knack for connecting with people. Salesman are friendly and want to ultimately please their client. If they are motivated by pleasing others, does it not reflect on how they like to be treated?
Here are 7 steps to connect with a saleman in your organization.

1. Approach them Informally
2. Be relaxed and sociable
3. Let them verbalize thoughts and feelings
4. Keep the conversation light
5. Provide written details if you are requesting something
6. Give public recognition for individual accomplishments
7. Use Humor

Good luck and email me with any success or questions
www.matthrowe.com

8 Tips When Speaking to A Task Driven Boss

Your boss is your boss because he or she has been put in that position to deliver results. As the pressure grows and project deadlines are approaching, it can feel that they are frank, assertive, blunt, demanding and displays a lack of empathy. In times like these, here are eight simple things you can do when you enter a conversation with them.

1. Make communication breif and to the point
2. Respect their need for autonomy
3. Be clear about rules and expectations
4. Let them initiate
5. Show your competence
6. Stick to the topic
7. Show independence
8. Eliminate wasting time

When you speak their language in times of stress, you will find that they may turn to you when promotions or opportunities arise.

Good Luck and please leave comments with your success or issues.

7 tips to speaking with accountants?

I remember working on a project at a large company and needing help from multiple team members. I would take my project to the accounting team to assist in budgeting, entering the room with optimism and leaving with frustration. I made the classic mistake of entering a conversation not thinking of my audience. I presented the project as if I was presenting to team members like me. If you have been following my blog you will recall that we are different people and different things sound better to us than others.
Here are the top 7 things I should have done while presenting;

1. give clear expectations and deadlines
2. show dependability
3. demonstrate loyalty
4. be tactful and emotionally reserved
5. allow precedent to be guide
6. be precise and focused
7. value high standards

Try these when you need help from accountants.

Let me know when they work?

Good Luck and you can get more info at www.matthrowe.com



 

I need you to drive!

Where do you need help with communication?
What are your frustrations?
Are you not listened to?
Is it hard to get your point across?
Not getting what you want?

Drive this blog so it is something you want

Leave a comment and if you don't I will keep guessing and that will suck for everyone. 

The magic pill for making a positive difference

We want to make a positive difference and if you don't, go find a small shack in the woods and leave us alone.
So I said in the title there is a magic pill and there is! It comes down to one word........LISTEN!
Yes I said it, LISTEN, spend time today with the next person you speak with.
It takes no skills or special talents, all you have to do is shut up.
Practice with the next conversation you have.
Step 1 - Ask a question
Step 2 - Actively listen
Step 3 - Repeat
Good Luck!

Do you prefer being spoken to or listened to?

Email me at matthrowe@gmail.com if you have questions regarding any of my posts. 







 

Are you motivated to try?

If we are not motivated to take action, the outcome will be fair at best.
If you are speaking to someone that has recently broken your trust, the motivation to make a positive interaction is going to be poor.The motivation to keep yourself from verbally bashing them is going to be difficult.
What would happen if you tried with every ounce of your soul?
Think of the practice you can achieve when you attempt to steer a conversation when you don't want to.
You excel as a person during times of difficulty. If we want to be seen as better conversationalists we must practice during all conditions and situations in our lives.

If you try when it is not ideal can it alter your perception and attitude, putting you in a positive frame of mind? 

Leave a comment
This works for me but does it work for you?

visit www.matthrowe.com for more great information

3 Steps to Leading a Conversation - Part 3- Leading

We are now at our 3rd and final step of leading a conversation. This is now the part when you as a friend, get to help the audience excel.
In the first two parts, we have matched and paced Bob through his struggles with the bank. Once we have paced Bob and you feel his tone calm and his body language relax slightly, it is now time to lead him. We want to be very careful, we do not want to tell Bob what to do or get impatient. We need to ask genuine questions that lets Bob come to his own conclusions. You can start to add humor and encouragement in this final step opening Bob to further help from a good friend.
It might go something like this:

You - Bob you rock and if the banker had one ounce of your ambition and drive he would own the bank.
Bob - Thanks for listening to me and I am sorry I went off the handle for a minute.
You - That's what friends are for, can I help you research other options and ideas you might have?

The conversation has turned around all by taking the time to Match, Pace and then Lead.

When you try these concepts and push for better interactions, your life can take drastic moves upward.

Have you ever been beat up mentally and a good friend turns it around with a smile and genuine care?
Leave a comment to prove the power of a good friend.

Visit www.matthrowe.com for great ideas on DiSC

3 Steps to Leading a Conversation - Part 2- Pacing

In part one we discussed matching, the essence of entering into the world of our audience.
The second part of leading a conversation is pacing.
I am a triathlete and during this journey, have run many races. I have had friends who were better runners than myself, offer to pace me during a marathon. The basic idea is for the better runner to slow their pace in order for me to hold my target goal pace exactly. My goal while running with my pacer is that I am pushed to not sink farther behind.  How is pacing a conversation different? In truth it is not, as good conversationalists we are going to slow our pace to the matched level of Bob (the gentlemen from part 1). Once we have genuinely matched Bob, we are now going to briefly jog along with him.
It might go something like this;

Bob - I was  relying on the bank to see it my way, and I am so torked that they throw that ridiculous "economy" BS whenever they feel like it. (said with less anger but frustration)
Me - You know how banks are they can and will use any excuse in the book. I think it is the only company on earth that doesn't understand customer service. Did he offer any suggestions?
Bob - No, he looked at me like I was lower than him and that really pissed me off.
Me- It sucks that you got that special gem today but you know that your a rock star when it comes to figuring things out.

 As you can see we did not spend a great deal of time pacing with Bob. When you match the audience you must have a plan to get out. You want to make sure Bob has the time to get his anger off his chest but as a good friend it is your job to support him. More times than never we will get angry over a situation and latter feel terrible over our perceived overreaction.
When you feel Bob has lowered his tone and has begun to pace along with you, it is time for Part 3 - Leading.

As with all things, matching, pacing and leading effectively is an art and with practice you will find that you can be seen as a great listener. 

When was the last time you felt terrible about your reaction? (Never, Sometimes, Always)
 If you want to teach your friends how to pace and develop an incredible support network pass this on.

Good friends grow with us. 

3 Steps to Leading a Conversation - Part 1- Matching

I said leading a conversation in the title, not dominating it. We need to be clear because I have not met anyone yet that likes to be bullied into a way of thinking. So for all pushy sales professionals out there...... sorry.

The first part of leading a conversation is Matching. When someone enters our world with us and attempts to feel how we are feeling there is an immediate connection. Great speakers and conversationalists do this without thinking. They match their audience and become part of their world building trust and acceptance into the tribe.
The first step is to match the tone, intensity, and general feeling of your audience and it might go something like this;

Bob - Can you believe that jerk at the bank, he does not understand what I am going through! (said with anger and intensity)
Me - What is wrong with him, if he only had a chance to feel one ounce of what you might be going through!(said with intensity and less anger)

Bob is not ready to come out of his state of anger but needs a companion to empathize and match his particular feelings. Even though we might not feel that way on a regular basis, we need to have our feelings confirmed before we can ever move on. Remember this is step one of a three step process so we are not ready to lead Bob from anger to a different way of thinking. Once you and Bob have been in the state together and you have open dialog about the jerk at the bank you are ready to move onto step 2 Pacing.
Stay tuned for the next part tomorrow.

How often do you feel you are not listened to (Constantly, Sometimes, Never)?
Leave a reply in the comment section.

Pass this onto your friends it might get them to start matching you!
Your friends are your friends because they get YOU

Excitement

Have you ever been so excited that the words flew from your mouth like great tasting throw-up? I have found that I do not throw-up on complete strangers (often), I tend to do it to my closest friends and family. Is this what makes them my friends? They have tasted it and thought "It's not so bad", similar to watching a train wreck."
What makes conversation so difficult in our most extreme times of excitement and anger? It has been proven that during these times, the area in your brain that controls thought turns off and our fight or flight response takes over. The military teaches soldiers to control the physical attributes to this response. You can use similar tactics to control an unfavorable response when you speak.
The next time you find yourself in this position you have to show control (take a deep breath) and think of one spot or place in your mind that no one else can touch, your happy place (thank you Adam Sandler I will be forever grateful).
If you like throwing-up when excited you may not need the trigger for excitement and your friends might miss it.

To Speak or Not To Speak

When was the last time you went out with friends, met with work associates or wrote content in your favorite social media port (yes this is a form of communication). Did you replay conversations in your head or think about what you said in Facebook after the encounter was over?
If we care this much, then why do we not take more time perfecting our craft?
We are given the ability to communicate at birth in one form or another. A baby will cry to gain the attention of the mother and we are all blessed that we grow out of this or at least some of us do. I could create a list of the top 100 ways to communicate and not scratch the surface.
Due to its ease and accessibility we take for granted the power of speech and the ability to communicate in various ways. If I was born with the gift of music, I would take time to hone my craft. Since I was born with the ability to talk and many of you know this to be true, then why don't we hone this craft?  

Is technology a double edged sword?

I would be hard pressed to find anyone that made the statement "Cell phones are the worst invention ever." I usually hear things along the lines of, "my cell phone is the greatest and worst thing that ever happened to me."
I was raised in a generation where cell phones only came in cars or was similar to the phone the plastic green army guy used. (I am not that old and no I did'nt use my cane to type this)
When I met with my friends I had to physically meet them. We talked, exchanged looks, made fun of each other and genuinely connected. What I see today is different. Kids have a constant leash VIA airwaves and when you want to connect with your friends, you either go on a social media site or text. The nervousness, anxiety and quick on your feet thinking is removed. OMG what if a boy/girl wants to talk to my face, let me just text them so I can control my reactions and response.
Some of the most humbling experiences of my life came from making social mistakes. (friends and family will attest to this)
Growth comes from mistakes and being humbled, not being ready for everything.

"These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of a pacific station that great characters are formed. The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties. Great necessities call out great virtues. When a mind is raised, and animated by scenes that engage the heart, then those qualities which would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman."
Abilgal Adams 1744-1818

Experimenting

In academia we have labs that force us to try an experiment deemed "safe" from our teaching professional. As we grow and learn we try new things, for example, what happens when I cut my sisters hair or make my own parachute?
At what point in our lives do we stop experimenting and choose the safe route?
It has been noted that Thomas Edison experimented over 10,000 times with the light bulb before it worked. Is the pain and stigma of failing so over powering that we discredit the experiment before we ever put pen to paper.
What tiny experiment can we take today to make one step to making our own light bulb?

Making a Choice

"Life gives you choices , not chances, and it's what you do with those choices that determines the quality of your life."
- Mikki Williams-

Everyday we all have to make choices and if we decide to take a year off from brushing our teeth, you can kiss off your carrier for Colgate literally. All choices do not slam doors but they can open others like your new adventure hunting coon with your new teeth.
What if you took a year off from listening? ie. body language, eye contact, key words
If we are only the sum of all of our choices, then how is your growth toward a better you.
You may find it easier to show up 100% and the countless doors that you can open.

What has Disney done to us?

Um....I'm sorry you didn't change in 3 seconds and you lost me.
All joking aside I am 34 years old and when I was a young lad the scene did not change on TV but every 7 seconds and now on average it is 3 seconds.
What happened to the parents old saying "go out and play," is it dead?
What service are we doing for our children? The current generation is being called the boomerang generation it is being composed of kids that want constant feedback and entertainment. When they get thrown from college into the working world is life harder for them or are the senses numb to sacrifice and waiting?
Look at conversations today, I was attending a local networking event and while having a conversation the gentlemen(under 25 years old) pulled out his phone and proceed to attempt to hold a conversation with me and the individual on the phone receiving his texts. REALLY? I know at times I can be boring but that made me feel old and unimportant. What happened? Say all the funny things you want but is this going to be the new style of communication?