Hi Persuader,

We live in a world of distractions and this, I feel, is an understatement. We have so much coming at us from all arenas. . . Even as I sit here typing this, I’m getting alerts that I have new e-mail, I’m getting instant messages from my assistant,  the dog wants to play, nature calls, I’m thirsty, the phone rings.  Phew.  It’s exhausting just to write a paragraph with all of the other things intruding on concentration and focus.

There’s an old saying, ‘If you chase two rabbits, both will escape.’  By scattering our energy, we are not giving adequate attention to the important task at hand.

Alexander Graham Bell once said, ‘Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.’

There are so many things we can and may be thinking about when we are interacting with a prospect or client. Our internal dialogue may have us worried about our breath or maybe we’ve got something stuck in our teeth. We might be worried about what the mechanic is going to tell us when we call them back or if the kids got to school on time. Issues large and small will battle for our attention and really what we need to be doing is focusing on our prospects and moreover, focusing intently on our prospects criteria and values.

I think of this focus as a flashlight. For example, if we aim our flashlight at a wall out in front of us, we might think we’re seeing quite a bit.  But say there’s something on a shelf that you really want to see. . . what do you do? Well, if you have a flashlight like mine, you have the ability to make the beam wider or narrower. When it gets narrower, it penetrates further. And when it’s wider, it shows me more space, but less distance.  By beginning to focus laser-like on one aspect, we can see more clearly what we want to see (in this case, what we want to know is what our clients want).

As persuaders, I would say one of the things to focus with our flashlight upon is the identity of the person that we’re talking to.

What did I just do? I adjusted the flashlight. I got clearer about where I wanted to focus.

I like to imagine that the client is a white board, I’ve wiped clean, wiped myself clean, and now they’re writing themselves onto that board of which I’m becoming a part of.  If we can focus on identity as persuaders, this would be a key area for which we can develop parts, a key area that we can frame and reframe. It’s a very powerful area.

The whole point of what we’re s persuaders is to learn to shine that light in various ways to best understand and provide what it is that our clients and prospects want. So take a deep breath the next time you are interacting with a prospect, and really focus that beam on them shutting out all other distractions.

Kenrick

Hi Persuader,

A friend and marketing genius I know recently said to me, “A recession is a transfer of wealth from the scared to the bold.”  This statement stopped me cold in my tracks.  It’s an incredible revelation and a whole new frame around this the current predicament we find ourselves in.

Money is still being spent out there, folks.  The million dollar question is, is this money going to be spent with you or is it going to be spent with your competitors?  Say there’s been a decrease in spending by 5 or 10 percent.  If you do the math that means 90 to 95 percent of the money is out there for the picking.

What distinguishes a skilled sales professional, business owner, real estate agent or financial planner from the rest is the realization that now is the time to boldly hone your message and target your clientele and the ability to enact this honed message.  What does that mean?  For one thing, it means that now is not the time to skimp on your marketing.  Now is the time to reach out to your prospects and clients and delve deep into their values, their needs, their core drives and utilize your persuasion skills fully.

Most people believe that persuasion is something that is done externally to someone else.  This is only half the story.  Persuasion is something that we first and foremost need to apply to ourselves.

To that end, I’m going to share with you the first thing you need to do in this fear-based economy.  This is a revolutionary idea. It’s invaluable.  And yet, it’s somewhat scary.  It’s what is making my students more money than their competitors and helping to keep their clients from straying at the same time that they’re acquiring new clients.

No one likes to be yelled at, no one likes to be on the receiving end of anger or frustration or disappointment or fear or devastation, and yet my advice to you is: get comfortable with being the recipient of all of this.  Here’s the big secret:  Allow your clients to vent.  Most sales professionals will try to diffuse this or wiggle out of it.  Many will become defensive and unload excuses.  Simply put:  Sit there and take it.   I promise that the venting process will allow your prospect or client to release this fear and anger and disappointment.  It’s not going to eliminate it, but it will go a long way to getting them to the point where they are again open to receiving your message.

This most certainly gives you an incredible advantage!

Warmly,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

“We shall never have more time. We have, and always had, all the time there is. No object is served in waiting until next week or even until tomorrow. Keep going... Concentrate on something useful.” --Arnold Bennett

Hi Persuader,

Okay, so sometimes I just don’t feel like writing. And sometimes I just don’t feel like working. And on occasion, I’ll admit it, I just don’t feel like going to the gym. And I can always think up so many other things to do, like organize my receipts, or walk the dog, or catch up on my TiVo viewing. . .

And sometimes I even procrastinate on one thing by doing another thing which I was previously procrastinating on. For example, sometimes I don’t want to write so much that I’ll choose the gym as an alternative.

For the most part, though, I’m lucky. I love what I do and I have overcome my minor bouts with procrastination by working with my other-than-conscious mind and working with my intention to set my daily, weekly, monthly and yearly courses, setting watermarks along the way to make sure I am succeeding in my goals.

Procrastination is avoidance. But sometimes there is value in procrastination, sometimes avoiding one thing can push you into another.

In the business world, time is of the essence, so time management and getting things done is king. Having a way to manage any serious procrastination problem is vital. Procrastination is a habit and habits can be broken and rerouted. When you break an old habit, however, it’s important to have a new one in its place, a system for dealing with the ruts that we’ve gotten into over time. (Many times you’ll see a smoker nibbling on carrot sticks as a temporary alternative to get them over the hump where their hand/mouth habit is concerned.)

Understand that your intention is what is setting you on the path to avoidance. And by switching this intention and having a solid resolve for what you want to do and how you’re going to do it, you are setting your other-than-conscious on a mission. This works only if you train your other-than conscious mind properly.

Try this: have a conversation with your other than conscious. Ask it for its help in turning a new leaf on getting things done. Set small goals at first, goals that you are certain you can keep, because you are training your other-than-conscious to work on your behalf. So if you say, ‘I’m going to take out the garbage’, take out the garbage. That’s totally doable. And if you say, ‘Okay, tomorrow I’m going to make two phone calls which I will follow up on with letters’, make those two phone calls and write those two letters.

Visualize yourself keeping your appointments with yourself, following up on your intentions, and getting things done. By creating this synergy with your intention, other-than-conscious, imagination and your deep desire to accomplish what you need to accomplish, you have the ability to push past any procrastination problems you might encounter.

Here's to victory over procrastination!

Kenrick Cleveland