Most of us in sales have heard it said that “when you’re tellin’, you ain’t sellin’.” Very true. The key is to listen to the other person. That way you can learn about their wants, needs and desires. When teaching people how to prospect via telephone, I explain that there are actually two reasons to encourage the…
Last Thursday afternoon in St. Louis, Dixie Gillaspie and I having been seated for lunch, the waiter made his initial approach to our table with a bit of an…attitude. He was coldly polite and acted as if he’d rather not be there at all. In fact, he literally looked “pained” to even be there. And, indeed,…
Over the first three parts, we’ve focused on our responsibility for ensuring that what we intend to communicate is understood by the other person. Yesterday, we discussed Heather’s excellent point that – still – when it comes right down to it, people will interpret according to their own belief systems. Most of the time, this…
In Part Two, we saw that one aspect of taking responsibility for effective communication was the realization that most people – in not focusing on understanding what you or I meant to say – will simply interpret our words based on their own belief systems. And, that despite this, it’s still up to us to…
In Part One we saw that it’s important to take responsibility for things like making sure that the coffee you are pouring actually makes it into your cup as opposed to on your hand. And, we began to look at how the same holds true with conversation. I’m thinking back to an online chatroom discussion…
Early one morning, with no time for a Dunkin’ Donuts run, I made the two-minute drive to the Circle K, a local convenience store, and poured myself a cup of hot coffee. All of a sudden, I felt a sizzling, burning feeling. The good news was that “my cup runneth over.” The bad new was that it…
A reader asks, “Bob, what is the difference between one who is persistent and one who is stubborn?” I’d say that persistent means you keep on trying as long as you feel there is legitimately a positive result that can be obtained. Stubborn would mean that you keep trying even when you know there is…
Sure, it isn’t just what you say, but how you say it. We know that. But, could powerful, effective and persuasive communication be even more than that? How about “when and where” you say it? We’ve all heard the expression, “now is not the time and place to discuss this.” So, the best communicators make…
In his book, The Speed of Trust, author Stephen M.R. Covey quotes Mahatma Gandhi as saying, “The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.” While reading that quote during a recent presentation, I thought about a person who, about a year ago, sent me an email asking if they could…
“Dan Davis…’HDH Sports!” His voice was deep and booming, and the studio microphone caused it to echo with spectacular richness. He was the sports anchor for WHDH a.m., big-time radio in Boston in the 70’s and 80’s. And he was really good. Also, turned out to be a great guy. While interning at WGTR a.m. (small-time radio…
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