Wednesday, 7 September 2011
HR Diary: 18 Ways to Improve Your Body Language !!!
HR Diary: 18 Ways to Improve Your Body Language !!!: Improving your body language can make a big difference in your people skills, attractiveness and general mood. What you do might be interp...
18 Ways to Improve Your Body Language !!!
Improving your body language can make a big difference in your people skills, attractiveness and general mood.
What you do might be interpreted in several ways, depending on the setting and who you are talking to. You’ll probably want to use your body language differently when talking to your boss compared to when you talk to a girl/guy you’re interested in. These are some common interpretations of body language and often more effective ways to communicate with your body.
First, to change your body language you must be aware of your body language. Notice how you sit, how you stand, how you use your hands and legs, what you do while talking to someone.
You might want to practice in front of a mirror. Yeah, it might seem silly but no one is watching you. This will give you good feedback on how you look to other people and give you an opportunity to practise a bit before going out into the world.
Another tip is to close your eyes and visualize how you would stand and sit to feel confident, open and relaxed or whatever you want to communicate. See yourself move like that version of yourself. Then try it out.
You might also want observe friends, role models, movie stars or other people you think has good body language. Observe what they do and you don’t. Take bits and pieces you like from different people. Try using what you can learn from them.
Some of these tips might seem like you are faking something. But fake it til you make it is a useful way to learn something new. And remember, feelings work backwards too. If you smile a bit more you will feel happier. If you sit up straight you will feel more energetic and in control. If you slow down your movements you’ll feel calmer. Your feelings will actually reinforce your new behaviours and feelings of weirdness will dissipate.
In the beginning easy it’s to exaggerate your body language. You might sit with your legs almost ridiculously far apart or sit up straight in a tense pose all the time. That’s ok. And people aren’t looking as much as you think, they are worrying about their own problems. Just play around a bit, practice and monitor yourself to find a comfortable balance.
1. Don’t cross your arms or legs – You have probably already heard you shouldn’t cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or guarded. This goes for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open.
2. Have eye contact, but don’t stare – If there are several people you are talking to, give them all some eye contact to create a better connection and see if they are listening. Keeping too much eye-contact might creep people out. Giving no eye-contact might make you seem insecure. If you are not used to keeping eye-contact it might feel a little hard or scary in the beginning but keep working on it and you’ll get used to it.
3. Don’t be afraid to take up some space – Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin.
4. Relax your shoulders – When you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax. Try to loosen up by shaking the shoulders a bit and move them back slightly.
5. Nod when they are talking – nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker.
6. Don’t slouch, sit up straight – but in a relaxed way, not in a too tense manner.
7. Lean, but not too much – If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you’re confident in yourself and relaxed lean back a bit. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.
8. Smile and laugh – lighten up, don’t take yourself too seriously. Relax a bit, smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous and needy. Smile when you are introduced to someone but don’t keep a smile plastered on your face, you’ll seem insincere.
9. Don’t touch your face – it might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation.
10. Keep you head up – Don’t keep your eyes on the ground, it might make you seem insecure and a bit lost. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon.
11. Slow down a bit – this goes for many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed. If someone addresses you, don’t snap you’re neck in their direction, turn it a bit more slowly instead.
12. Don’t fidget and try to avoid, phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table rapidly. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across. Declutter your movements if you are all over the place. Try to relax, slow down and focus your movements.
13. Use your hands more confidently instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. But don’t use them to much or it might become distracting. And don’t let your hands flail around, use them with some control.
14. Lower your drink. Don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart as it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.
15. Realise where you spine ends – many people (including me until recently) might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore crane the neck forward in a Montgomery Burns-pose. Your spine ends in the back of your head. Keep you whole spine straight and aligned for better posture.
16. Don’t stand too close –one of the things we learned from Seinfeld is that everybody gets weirded out by a close-talker. Let people have their personal space, don’t invade it.
17. Mirror – Often when you get along with a person, when the two of you get a good connection, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language a bit. To make the connection better you can try a bit of proactive mirroring. If he leans forward, you might lean forward. If she holds her hands on her thighs, you might do the same. But don’t react instantly and don’t mirror every change in body language. Then weirdness will ensue.
18. Keep a good attitude – last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language and can make a major difference. For information on how make yourself feel better read 10 ways to change how you feel.
You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping you head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.
Take a couple of these body language bits to work on every day for three to four weeks. By then they should have developed into new habits and something you’ll do without even thinking about it. If not, keep on until it sticks. Then take another couple of things you’d like to change and work on them.
What you do might be interpreted in several ways, depending on the setting and who you are talking to. You’ll probably want to use your body language differently when talking to your boss compared to when you talk to a girl/guy you’re interested in. These are some common interpretations of body language and often more effective ways to communicate with your body.
First, to change your body language you must be aware of your body language. Notice how you sit, how you stand, how you use your hands and legs, what you do while talking to someone.
You might want to practice in front of a mirror. Yeah, it might seem silly but no one is watching you. This will give you good feedback on how you look to other people and give you an opportunity to practise a bit before going out into the world.
Another tip is to close your eyes and visualize how you would stand and sit to feel confident, open and relaxed or whatever you want to communicate. See yourself move like that version of yourself. Then try it out.
You might also want observe friends, role models, movie stars or other people you think has good body language. Observe what they do and you don’t. Take bits and pieces you like from different people. Try using what you can learn from them.
Some of these tips might seem like you are faking something. But fake it til you make it is a useful way to learn something new. And remember, feelings work backwards too. If you smile a bit more you will feel happier. If you sit up straight you will feel more energetic and in control. If you slow down your movements you’ll feel calmer. Your feelings will actually reinforce your new behaviours and feelings of weirdness will dissipate.
In the beginning easy it’s to exaggerate your body language. You might sit with your legs almost ridiculously far apart or sit up straight in a tense pose all the time. That’s ok. And people aren’t looking as much as you think, they are worrying about their own problems. Just play around a bit, practice and monitor yourself to find a comfortable balance.
1. Don’t cross your arms or legs – You have probably already heard you shouldn’t cross your arms as it might make you seem defensive or guarded. This goes for your legs too. Keep your arms and legs open.
2. Have eye contact, but don’t stare – If there are several people you are talking to, give them all some eye contact to create a better connection and see if they are listening. Keeping too much eye-contact might creep people out. Giving no eye-contact might make you seem insecure. If you are not used to keeping eye-contact it might feel a little hard or scary in the beginning but keep working on it and you’ll get used to it.
3. Don’t be afraid to take up some space – Taking up space by for example sitting or standing with your legs apart a bit signals self-confidence and that you are comfortable in your own skin.
4. Relax your shoulders – When you feel tense it’s easily winds up as tension in your shoulders. They might move up and forward a bit. Try to relax. Try to loosen up by shaking the shoulders a bit and move them back slightly.
5. Nod when they are talking – nod once in a while to signal that you are listening. But don’t overdo it and peck like Woody Woodpecker.
6. Don’t slouch, sit up straight – but in a relaxed way, not in a too tense manner.
7. Lean, but not too much – If you want to show that you are interested in what someone is saying, lean toward the person talking. If you want to show that you’re confident in yourself and relaxed lean back a bit. But don’t lean in too much or you might seem needy and desperate for some approval. Or lean back too much or you might seem arrogant and distant.
8. Smile and laugh – lighten up, don’t take yourself too seriously. Relax a bit, smile and laugh when someone says something funny. People will be a lot more inclined to listen to you if you seem to be a positive person. But don’t be the first to laugh at your own jokes, it makes you seem nervous and needy. Smile when you are introduced to someone but don’t keep a smile plastered on your face, you’ll seem insincere.
9. Don’t touch your face – it might make you seem nervous and can be distracting for the listeners or the people in the conversation.
10. Keep you head up – Don’t keep your eyes on the ground, it might make you seem insecure and a bit lost. Keep your head up straight and your eyes towards the horizon.
11. Slow down a bit – this goes for many things. Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed. If someone addresses you, don’t snap you’re neck in their direction, turn it a bit more slowly instead.
12. Don’t fidget and try to avoid, phase out or transform fidgety movement and nervous ticks such as shaking your leg or tapping your fingers against the table rapidly. You’ll seem nervous and fidgeting can be a distracting when you try to get something across. Declutter your movements if you are all over the place. Try to relax, slow down and focus your movements.
13. Use your hands more confidently instead of fidgeting with your hands and scratching your face use them to communicate what you are trying to say. Use your hands to describe something or to add weight to a point you are trying to make. But don’t use them to much or it might become distracting. And don’t let your hands flail around, use them with some control.
14. Lower your drink. Don’t hold your drink in front of your chest. In fact, don’t hold anything in front of your heart as it will make you seem guarded and distant. Lower it and hold it beside your leg instead.
15. Realise where you spine ends – many people (including me until recently) might sit or stand with a straight back in a good posture. However, they might think that the spine ends where the neck begins and therefore crane the neck forward in a Montgomery Burns-pose. Your spine ends in the back of your head. Keep you whole spine straight and aligned for better posture.
16. Don’t stand too close –one of the things we learned from Seinfeld is that everybody gets weirded out by a close-talker. Let people have their personal space, don’t invade it.
17. Mirror – Often when you get along with a person, when the two of you get a good connection, you will start to mirror each other unconsciously. That means that you mirror the other person’s body language a bit. To make the connection better you can try a bit of proactive mirroring. If he leans forward, you might lean forward. If she holds her hands on her thighs, you might do the same. But don’t react instantly and don’t mirror every change in body language. Then weirdness will ensue.
18. Keep a good attitude – last but not least, keep a positive, open and relaxed attitude. How you feel will come through in your body language and can make a major difference. For information on how make yourself feel better read 10 ways to change how you feel.
You can change your body language but as all new habits it takes a while. Especially things like keeping you head up might take time to correct if you have spent thousands of days looking at your feet. And if you try and change to many things at once it might become confusing and feel overwhelming.
Take a couple of these body language bits to work on every day for three to four weeks. By then they should have developed into new habits and something you’ll do without even thinking about it. If not, keep on until it sticks. Then take another couple of things you’d like to change and work on them.
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
India on the streets!!!
India on the streets
We have all had that one uncle who keeps on reminding you how India is
terrible. He tells you about how every government authority takes bribes -
from the RTO to the ration shop to the municipality. He will tell you how no
government department does its job well - the potholed roads, abysmal
conditions at government schools and poor healthcare all being examples to
support your uncle's theory. It is hard to argue with him, for he is right.
Things don't work. There is no justice. Power talks. Equality doesn't exist.
All of this, even though uncomfortable to hear, rings somewhat true.
However, the uncle goes on to say this: "Nothing will ever change." He is
convinced that our society is damaged irreparably, and India is destined to
live in misery. Uncle Cynic goes on to doubt almost everyone, assumes the
worst in people, and anyone who is trying to improve the country is branded
as someone with a hidden agenda.
This is where i think the uncle gets it wrong, horribly wrong. For it is one
thing to point out the problems, it is quite another to give up trying to
fix them. Cynicism is not a counter-argument, it is an attitude. For the
fact is we still have good people in the country: in society and even in
government departments. It is just that they are crushed.
I don't want to give you the reasons why you must support Anna Hazare. It is
almost beneath Anna's dignity that he actually has to beg or make a case for
support when he is fighting for you, against an abusive, corrupt regime.
Still, let me do a quick recap of the facts.
Anna did a fast in April, which became the nation's movement and spread
virally. Concerned, the government agreed to make a good Lokpal Bill, shook
hands with the activists and in principle agreed to Anna's version, designed
to truly check corruption. Since then, the government has insulted Anna's
team, thrown away their draft, and come up with its own almost pointless
draft of the Lokpal Bill.
The draft the government is presenting to Parliament will not check
corruption. Only 0.5%, or one in 200 government officials are under its
purview. Your corrupt ration shop, RTO, passport office, panchayats or
municipal authority will not be covered. State scams will not be covered -
yes, the Adarsh society scam or the Jharkhand scams are all out of its
purview. The prime minister is excluded as well. Ever heard of a corruption
law in a democracy that only applies to a certain section of people?
The government is throwing magic dust in your eyes - and counting on India's
illiterate and ignorant to not know the difference. However, you reading
this are educated. You know when wrong is being committed. You know that
while you have lived your life with corruption, you do not want your
children to do the same. A bad Lokpal Bill may not affect you today - but
tomorrow it will hit you when your child does not get a college seat, when
your hospital gives shoddy treatment, when your government work doesn't get
done. We live in a poor country - poor not because we don't have what it
takes to be rich, but because our leaders have let us down. We have given
them too much power, and they consider our vote as a mandate to steal and be
incompetent. They hate accountability. However, without accountability, our
progress will stall. There are countries where the average income per person
is 50 times more than in India. Don't we deserve the same?
Thus, whatever your personal view on Anna, it is not him but his cause that
needs support. The government can crush a few activists. However, it cannot
crush India on the streets. A peaceful, firm, decisive protest is every
Indian's birthright, and must be exercised in times of need. Come Monday,
and we Indians have a job to do. We have to save our country's future.
A word for the government too. Just what exactly are you thinking when you
are trying to shove an impotent law down people's throats? And what makes
you feel that threatening, crushing or insulting Anna will take away
people's need to rid India of corruption? Anna did not create an
anti-corruption sentiment, he merely tapped into it. Crushing Anna will not
take away that sentiment. It will just make it fester more. Right now, the
movement is still controlled. By going back on your word, displaying
arrogance and not listening to the people, you are risking the country's
descent into chaos. Be careful. Accountability is much easier to deal with
than anarchy. Fix the Lokpal Bill now, please.
Finally, for the people of India, it is time to prove Uncle Cynic wrong.
There is a bigger truth than his 'nothing ever changes in India'. That truth
comes from the Gita, which states "Nothing is permanent". The Gita also
says, "When the pot of sin overflows, something happens to restore order."
Now, it is up to you to determine if the pot of sin has overflowed. It is
for you to say what it means for Indians to act out their dharma. And you,
and only you, will decide if it is time to come on the streets.
(The writer is a best-selling novelist and an IIMA alumnus)
We have all had that one uncle who keeps on reminding you how India is
terrible. He tells you about how every government authority takes bribes -
from the RTO to the ration shop to the municipality. He will tell you how no
government department does its job well - the potholed roads, abysmal
conditions at government schools and poor healthcare all being examples to
support your uncle's theory. It is hard to argue with him, for he is right.
Things don't work. There is no justice. Power talks. Equality doesn't exist.
All of this, even though uncomfortable to hear, rings somewhat true.
However, the uncle goes on to say this: "Nothing will ever change." He is
convinced that our society is damaged irreparably, and India is destined to
live in misery. Uncle Cynic goes on to doubt almost everyone, assumes the
worst in people, and anyone who is trying to improve the country is branded
as someone with a hidden agenda.
This is where i think the uncle gets it wrong, horribly wrong. For it is one
thing to point out the problems, it is quite another to give up trying to
fix them. Cynicism is not a counter-argument, it is an attitude. For the
fact is we still have good people in the country: in society and even in
government departments. It is just that they are crushed.
I don't want to give you the reasons why you must support Anna Hazare. It is
almost beneath Anna's dignity that he actually has to beg or make a case for
support when he is fighting for you, against an abusive, corrupt regime.
Still, let me do a quick recap of the facts.
Anna did a fast in April, which became the nation's movement and spread
virally. Concerned, the government agreed to make a good Lokpal Bill, shook
hands with the activists and in principle agreed to Anna's version, designed
to truly check corruption. Since then, the government has insulted Anna's
team, thrown away their draft, and come up with its own almost pointless
draft of the Lokpal Bill.
The draft the government is presenting to Parliament will not check
corruption. Only 0.5%, or one in 200 government officials are under its
purview. Your corrupt ration shop, RTO, passport office, panchayats or
municipal authority will not be covered. State scams will not be covered -
yes, the Adarsh society scam or the Jharkhand scams are all out of its
purview. The prime minister is excluded as well. Ever heard of a corruption
law in a democracy that only applies to a certain section of people?
The government is throwing magic dust in your eyes - and counting on India's
illiterate and ignorant to not know the difference. However, you reading
this are educated. You know when wrong is being committed. You know that
while you have lived your life with corruption, you do not want your
children to do the same. A bad Lokpal Bill may not affect you today - but
tomorrow it will hit you when your child does not get a college seat, when
your hospital gives shoddy treatment, when your government work doesn't get
done. We live in a poor country - poor not because we don't have what it
takes to be rich, but because our leaders have let us down. We have given
them too much power, and they consider our vote as a mandate to steal and be
incompetent. They hate accountability. However, without accountability, our
progress will stall. There are countries where the average income per person
is 50 times more than in India. Don't we deserve the same?
Thus, whatever your personal view on Anna, it is not him but his cause that
needs support. The government can crush a few activists. However, it cannot
crush India on the streets. A peaceful, firm, decisive protest is every
Indian's birthright, and must be exercised in times of need. Come Monday,
and we Indians have a job to do. We have to save our country's future.
A word for the government too. Just what exactly are you thinking when you
are trying to shove an impotent law down people's throats? And what makes
you feel that threatening, crushing or insulting Anna will take away
people's need to rid India of corruption? Anna did not create an
anti-corruption sentiment, he merely tapped into it. Crushing Anna will not
take away that sentiment. It will just make it fester more. Right now, the
movement is still controlled. By going back on your word, displaying
arrogance and not listening to the people, you are risking the country's
descent into chaos. Be careful. Accountability is much easier to deal with
than anarchy. Fix the Lokpal Bill now, please.
Finally, for the people of India, it is time to prove Uncle Cynic wrong.
There is a bigger truth than his 'nothing ever changes in India'. That truth
comes from the Gita, which states "Nothing is permanent". The Gita also
says, "When the pot of sin overflows, something happens to restore order."
Now, it is up to you to determine if the pot of sin has overflowed. It is
for you to say what it means for Indians to act out their dharma. And you,
and only you, will decide if it is time to come on the streets.
(The writer is a best-selling novelist and an IIMA alumnus)
Thursday, 14 July 2011
HR Diary: “The 8 Most Crucial Sales Skills”
HR Diary: “The 8 Most Crucial Sales Skills”: "SKILL #1: Building the Buyer-Seller Relationship . Salespeople need to develop a better understanding of the buying process that c..."
“The 8 Most Crucial Sales Skills”
- SKILL #1: Building the Buyer-Seller Relationship. Salespeople need to develop a better understanding of the buying process that customers actually follow-the real decisions they make, and when they are made. Then salespeople need to match their sales process with the customer’s buying process. When this is done, salespeople begin to walk arm-in-arm with the customer as they arrive at the best possible solution.
- SKILL #2: Planning the Sales Call. Most companies today lack a well-defined sales process. Very few have documented the sales practices that lead to strong commitments from customers. As a consequence, salespeople don’t plan sales calls properly. For instance, every call should end in some kind of commitment from the customer-an agreement to do something that will move the process forward.
- SKILL #3: Asking the Right Questions. Most salespeople do not ask the right types of questions, even if they prepare questions prior to the sales call, which most don’t. The impact of poor questioning skills is enormous. It leads to resistance in the form of stalls and objections, bad presentations that offer improper solutions, failure to differentiate from the competition-and missed sales opportunities.
- SKILL #4: Business Acumen. If you’re going to help your customer become more successful you need to know how businesses work in general, how your customer’s industry works, how your customer addresses their target market and how your firms offerings can help them better serve their own customers. Without business skills, you’ll never have the credibility needed to sell
- SKILL #5: Actively Listening. Sales pros miss important cues and information by talking too much itself and their products. It’s much more important to shut up and let the customer talk. Yes, you should guide the conversation, but then listen and digest properly we learn so much about what the customer really wants, so that you can position your offering appropriately.
- SKILL #6: Presenting Meaningful Solutions. Most salespeople claim that this is the skill they are best at. In fact, we as managers tend to hire people who have “the gift of gab.” In reality, quality is far more important than quantity when it comes to making presentations. When salespeople zero in on presenting only specific solutions to previously agreed-upon needs, they rarely fail.
- SKILL #7: Gaining Commitments. If you really think about it, the only reason to employ salespeople is to gain customer commitment. Yet, when asked, most salespeople admit that this is their weakest skill. Research suggests that almost two thirds of salespeople fail to ask for commitment on sales calls. Any effective sales training program must have a solid solution for this problem.
- SKILL #8: Managing Your Emotions. The way sales pro explain to themselves the causes of their successes and failures is vitally important. Developing a style that sees adversity as temporary and isolated builds the mental toughness, emotional resilience and patience to bounce back from setbacks and be proactive when the time is right.
Monday, 4 July 2011
Stay away from Anger... It hurts ... Only You!!!
The Buddha explained how to handle insult and maintain compassion. One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. "You have no right teaching others, he shouted." You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake."
Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?"
The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "It would belong to me, because I bought the gift."
The Buddha smiled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself."
"If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy."
The young man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. "You are right, o Enlightened One, "he said. "Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower."
The Buddha answered kindly, "Of course. I teach anyone who truly wants to learn. Come with me."
Beautiful Quotes
If you are right then there is no need to get angry, And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.
Patience with family is love,
Patience with others is respect,
Patience with self is confidence and
Patience with GOD is faith.
Search a beautiful heart not a beautiful face.
Beautiful things are not always good but
good things are always beautiful.
Do you know, why God created gaps between fingers? So that someone who is special to you, comes and fills those gaps by holding your hands forever.
Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?"
The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "It would belong to me, because I bought the gift."
The Buddha smiled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself."
"If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy."
The young man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. "You are right, o Enlightened One, "he said. "Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower."
The Buddha answered kindly, "Of course. I teach anyone who truly wants to learn. Come with me."
Beautiful Quotes
If you are right then there is no need to get angry, And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.
Patience with family is love,
Patience with others is respect,
Patience with self is confidence and
Patience with GOD is faith.
Search a beautiful heart not a beautiful face.
Beautiful things are not always good but
good things are always beautiful.
Do you know, why God created gaps between fingers? So that someone who is special to you, comes and fills those gaps by holding your hands forever.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
How to Win a Client and Keep him Forever!!!
Today’s corporate and business industry has seen a change like never before. Business and professional dealings have become more relationship-based than just product or price-based. Whatever you are out there to sell, whether holidays or education, the demand and the budget are already there.
To build a strong and loyal client base, you need to do more than sell; you need to build a relationship with them. Once that is done, your market share and performance to deliver results will rise considerably. Product and price being a constant, we prefer to deal with people who we get along with. Here are some simple yet powerful tips to build strong relationships with clients and make them loyal to your brand.
FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CLIENT LIKES
In most of my meetings, I often ask: “What do you like?’ What are your hobbies? What makes you happy?” One client told me the colour purple made her happy. I once sent her a custom-made purple diary with a note, “I saw a purple diary and thought of you”. Another client said he had a hobby of collecting pencils from hotels. Over three months, I collected pencils from all the hotel rooms that I stayed in, and sent him a shoebox full of pencils. My clients were so delighted. This was not just another gift, it was a gesture of friendship, of letting them know subtly that you care about them and what is important to them. I have such a strong relationship with them that they are the biggest promoters of my work.
GO WITH THE POSITIVES
Before you meet a client always do some research about them. LinkedIn, Facebook and Google will you give you information that will help you establish the relationship that will help your career soar to new heights. I hunted a client down on Facebook and his status spoke about his passion for directing plays for children. I brought that up in my meeting and complimented him for following his passion. We spoke for a solid two hours about ideas on theatre-based education and at every idea, encouraged him and complimented him for his energy and zest for creativity. My client is not only a super performer at work but he is also now the creative director at a theatre academy where he works over weekends. Business with him is one SMS away and no matter how busy his schedule is, he always accommodates my proposals.
KEEP YOUR PROMISE
In today’s fast and furious business environment, promises are made only to be broken. When you break your word to a client, it is the beginning of the end of your relationship. If trust is the foundation, then build it consciously. Make a promise and keep it. In every meeting that I attend, I always make a promise, whether personal or professional, and I keep it. In keeping my promise, I am letting the client know he can trust me. Even if the promise is, “I will send you a copy of my book,” or “I will email you the proposal in two hours,” I make sure the copy of my book leaves by courier the same day and the proposal reaches him in two hours. Everyone is out there selling a product and negotiating a price. That is hard work. Be different. Go out there and sell your credibility, your trust and your guarantee to a fulfilling relationship, and you will have clients that will grow to be your dearest friends and your greatest promoters.
To build a strong and loyal client base, you need to do more than sell; you need to build a relationship with them. Once that is done, your market share and performance to deliver results will rise considerably. Product and price being a constant, we prefer to deal with people who we get along with. Here are some simple yet powerful tips to build strong relationships with clients and make them loyal to your brand.
FIND OUT WHAT YOUR CLIENT LIKES
In most of my meetings, I often ask: “What do you like?’ What are your hobbies? What makes you happy?” One client told me the colour purple made her happy. I once sent her a custom-made purple diary with a note, “I saw a purple diary and thought of you”. Another client said he had a hobby of collecting pencils from hotels. Over three months, I collected pencils from all the hotel rooms that I stayed in, and sent him a shoebox full of pencils. My clients were so delighted. This was not just another gift, it was a gesture of friendship, of letting them know subtly that you care about them and what is important to them. I have such a strong relationship with them that they are the biggest promoters of my work.
GO WITH THE POSITIVES
Before you meet a client always do some research about them. LinkedIn, Facebook and Google will you give you information that will help you establish the relationship that will help your career soar to new heights. I hunted a client down on Facebook and his status spoke about his passion for directing plays for children. I brought that up in my meeting and complimented him for following his passion. We spoke for a solid two hours about ideas on theatre-based education and at every idea, encouraged him and complimented him for his energy and zest for creativity. My client is not only a super performer at work but he is also now the creative director at a theatre academy where he works over weekends. Business with him is one SMS away and no matter how busy his schedule is, he always accommodates my proposals.
KEEP YOUR PROMISE
In today’s fast and furious business environment, promises are made only to be broken. When you break your word to a client, it is the beginning of the end of your relationship. If trust is the foundation, then build it consciously. Make a promise and keep it. In every meeting that I attend, I always make a promise, whether personal or professional, and I keep it. In keeping my promise, I am letting the client know he can trust me. Even if the promise is, “I will send you a copy of my book,” or “I will email you the proposal in two hours,” I make sure the copy of my book leaves by courier the same day and the proposal reaches him in two hours. Everyone is out there selling a product and negotiating a price. That is hard work. Be different. Go out there and sell your credibility, your trust and your guarantee to a fulfilling relationship, and you will have clients that will grow to be your dearest friends and your greatest promoters.
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