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Aikido and the art of selling

Welcome to the latest P-tek newsletter! Winter is drawing near, but it isn't just the nights that that are getting darker at the moment. Even so, with a little preparation and planning the prospects for your business can continue to be bright. In this issue we'll shed some light on useful tips and information to help you beat the downturn.

Chris Barnard, Managing Director, P-tek Development Solutions Ltd

P-tek focus - on Clair Starr

I moved to Suffolk from London almost six years ago, with my two daughters Lauren and Megan. I had always wanted to live in the countryside, so I decided to leave London behind and start a new life.

For the previous ten years I had been a full-time therapist – reflexologist, physico-therapist, counsellor, masseuse and Reiki master – running a successful therapy centre in south London. On moving to Suffolk, I split my time between London and Suffolk. During that time, I also qualified as a life coach, NLP trainer and hypnotherapist.

I sold my practice in September 2002 and shifted all my work to Suffolk. I still teach and run workshops on various holistic therapies across the country to therapists, midwives and expectant parents, but my passion is always people, and at present I am enjoying working within the corporate world.

Two-and-a-half years ago, I approached a friend called Lyndon Samuel about going into business, with me, and so the Evolve Organisation evolved! I had been working as a therapist for ten years on a one-to-one basis, and, although I loved my work, I wanted a new challenge and a partner to work and share my professional life with. Having worked with many clients over the years, I felt that I could achieve more by also changing the environments in which they worked to help reduced unhappiness and stress... I needed to look at the cause, not the symptom.

My background before becoming a therapist was working within the hospitality industry, opening up and managing restaurants, as well as training floor staff and management. I love this environment and have now returned to it again, to develop people'''

The last two years have been a fantastic journey and we have worked in so many different areas, from hospitality, executive coaching and retail training to public-sector coaching and family-run business development... and I am looking forward to my future as I am now living the life I want and love.

Top tips for October

Ari Galper: Aikido and the art of selling

Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, a fight breaks out between two men who’ve had too much to drink.

You happen to be a few steps away and the next thing you know, one of the men turns to you and looks as if he’s going to take a swing at you.

What’s your first instinct? Most of us will do one of two things. We’ll either try to step away, or we’ll raise our arms to deflect him and fight back, which can result in harm to you or to your attacker.

But, if you were trained in Aikido, the Japanese martial art that focuses on diverting an attacker’s energy, you could quickly defuse the situation by immobilising him without harming him in any way.

In essence, you’re defusing the energy that he’s using to try and attack you in a way that takes the conflict out of the situation.

Unlock The Game ™ and the philosophy behind Aikido have many similarities.

Traditional cold calling and selling are designed to focus only on the ‘close’ by presenting – or in too many cases, ‘pushing’ – your solution onto prospects, sometimes even when they’re not interested.

But, if you focus only on your goal of making the sale before having a discussion about the problems that you can help your prospects solve, something happens.

They start feeling that you’re ‘attacking’ them. After all, you’re a stranger to them, and when you start talking about yourself and your solution rather than about them and their specific issues, you immediately trigger their suspicion and cause them to start ‘pushing back’.

This pushback is the resistance or energy that Unlock The Game™ teaches you to diffuse. Then both of you can quickly ‘get on the same page’ and open a natural dialogue that will let you determine whether it makes sense for you to work together.

Let’s look at two real selling scenarios – cold calling and ‘get-you-off-the-phone’ objections:

Scenario 1: cold calling

Suppose you’re at your desk and you receive a call from someone who says ‘Hi, my name is Jack Johnson, I’m with XYZ Company, and we’re a full-solution provider of. . . ’. Is your first reaction to welcome and be open to his call? Or do your mental defences immediately kick in and you shut down against this stranger ‘salesperson’?

Probably the latter, especially if you sense that the caller is focused on his interests and not yours.

That’s why this old-school cold-calling approach triggers the resistance and negative energy that prospects immediately throw your way.

The Unlock The Game™ way to make a successful cold call – ‘successful’ being defined as not triggering rejection – is by beginning your call with, ‘Hi, my name is Jack, maybe you can help me out for a moment?’. That simple question is a very natural way of beginning a conversation with a stranger.

But you can’t just read this word for word, like a script. It won’t work. That would be like an Aikido instructor teaching a first-time student the physical movements before he or she has learned the philosophy necessary to carry them out.

The same applies here. First you need to integrate a new mindset that changes the goal of your call from making the sale, or getting an appointment, to engaging the person in a natural two-way dialogue.

To do this, your voice has to be low key. You have to avoid communicating any hint of typical ‘salesperson’ enthusiasm, or any sense that you’re trying to direct the conversation to an end goal. Once you integrate the mindset, all this kicks in naturally.

So, if you want to succeed in prospecting and cold calling, become aware of how you might be triggering the resistance or energy that instinctively causes prospects to push back against you.

Scenario 2: ‘get-you-off-the-phone’ objections

Here’s another example. Forget the idea of ‘overcoming objections’. Doing that only triggers more resistance from prospects that’s very difficult to diffuse.

Think about it for a moment. When prospects give a reason why they don’t want to proceed – when they ‘put up resistance’ – you’ve been trained to ‘overcome’ their objections rather than to diffuse their resistance by acknowledging that what they’re telling you is their truth.

By applying the Unlock The Game™ mindset and skills, you diffuse that resistance and remove the conflict from the situation, just as in Aikido.

Here’s the Unlock The Game™ process for dealing with objections:

Defuse the objection with ‘That’s not a problem... (pause)’.
Acknowledge the truth of their objection (see the sample language below).
Reopen the conversation with ‘Would you be open to...’

For example, suppose a prospect says, ‘We already have a vendor’. The path of diffusing and re-engaging would go like this:

'That’s not a problem... (pause)’.
'I wasn’t calling to replace the vendor you’re currently using.’ Here, you’re addressing their suspicion that your only focus is on making the sale and on ripping out their relationship with their current vendor. You’re simply asking whether they would be open to different ideas that might help them solve a problem. This defuses the tension.
3 ‘Would you be open to some different ideas that you might not be using now?’ After the tension is dissolved, this lets you reopen the conversation in a natural way because they clearly understand that your goal is to help them. Then, if things are a match between you, you can decide where to go from there.

Keep in mind that this process will work only if you fully integrate the mindset so it feels as natural to you as breathing.

In short, if you’re using any form of traditional selling, you could be triggering a resistance every time you communicate with your prospect.

But, if you learn this new mindset, along with words and phrases that remove any conflict or tension from the relationship, you’ll have taken your first steps toward your black belt in unlocking the cold calling game!

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game™, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his free cold-calling secrets even the sales gurus don’t know. To receive your ten free audio mini-lessons, visit www.UnlockTheGame.com.

For more information, contact Ari Galper on 020 8150 6147 or by e-mail. His website is another good source.

Bernadette Doyle: What to do about late payers

I often hear people saying, ‘I’m really struggling with late payers. I’ve done the work and it’s just really frustrating. I’m a small business and some of these large companies are taking like 90 days to pay me.’ For many business owners, it seems like there’s nothing you can do about this. It’s just something you have to suffer, something you have to put up with.

So the majority accept this as a ‘necessary and unavoidable evil’. But what if you didn’t have to accept that? What if you actually made it a condition of your business that people paid you in advance or they paid you a percentage in advance?

Please notice your reaction to the suggestion I just made. Because if your instant reaction is, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that. That wouldn’t work in my industry,’ I just want to push you a bit and say, ‘Well, why not? What’s stopping you? Who says you can’t do it that way?’

Because the fact is, if you want to produce extraordinary results in your business, you may need to take extraordinary measures.

I can tell you from experience that the instant you set a condition like that in your business and you say, ‘Actually, I now only deal with clients who pay in advance,’ you know what will happen? The ones that will grumble or the ones that might refuse to do business with you were the ones that were going to be the problem payers anyway.

Several years ago, I did a very interesting exercise where I divided up my client list into ‘dream clients’ (love working them, in fact it’s not like work at all, they pay me on time and in full) and ‘problem clients’ (wish this person had never darkened my door, always asking for extras, quibbling over fees, pay late if at all etc). As I reviewed this list, I noticed a very interesting pattern. Every single one of the ‘problem’ clients had done something during the sales process to flag their ‘special needs’. They had asked for some extras, or a discount, some bending of the rules, some pushing of my usual business terms and conditions.

At the time, because I didn’t know any better, I yielded to their requests because I thought I ‘had to’, and because I thought it was ‘good business’ to be flexible. Yet, in every single one of these instances, their first request had just been the thin edge of the wedge and the start of a whole series of special requests.

So even if, on the face of it, it looks like you’re losing a client or two by putting a condition like payment terms in place, the fact is you’re losing the problem clients. Because the customers that were going to pay you on time, the customers that value you and aren’t going to quibble over your fees or drag their heels over paying your invoices will comply with your requests because they recognise the value of what you’re offering and they accept this as a term of doing business with you.

The bottom line is YOU get to determine the terms on which you do business. If you let your clients dictate the terms, then don’t be surprised if you live to regret it. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at the Client Magnets website.

If you liked this article, then you’ll love Bernadette Doyle’s Marketing Mastermind group for regular intense spoonfeeds of her personal marketing and success strategies.

For more information, contact P-tek Development Solutions Ltd on 08701 125101, by fax on 07092 029439 or by e-mail.

Managing change: moving in a positive direction

Stuart Lindenfield explains how outplacement and transition planning play a vital role in keeping morale high and business requirements on track during large-scale organisational change.

Every day, we are faced with news of projects being placed on hold, businesses being restructured and announcements of merger and acquisition activity.All changes create a need for the HR community to integrate and harmonise often disparate and international workforces.

Very often, a major change like a merger or acquisition can effectively reset the team ‘clock’ within an organisation by impairing business performance.

The negative impact of change

So how can you minimise the negative impact of change on an organisation? Well, firstly, it is important to establish shared goals as early in the process as possible and then create the space and impetus for change to happen. However, in many organisations, this is consistently and repeatedly undermined by a failure to manage communication and to control the ‘fallout’ from structural changes and redundancy.

Studies have shown that up to 25% of high achievers, the drivers of intangible assets bought in an acquisition, will leave a company within 90 days of a major change being announced. Typically, such individuals are not shown the opportunity inherent in the new organisation and do not like the way in which the process is managed. Watching their peers being ushered out the door and listening to whispered uncertainties by the watercooler is a far stronger communication than the press release announcing the merger, and any information on the company intranet.

Thorough transition planning can help to avoid these risks by improving the quality of immediate communication and enabling line management to offer a more detailed and consistent set of reasons to support the change programme. In addition, the provision of outplacement support for individuals leaving the business has repeatedly been shown to reduce the undercurrents of dissent within the business.

Transition planning and outplacement support contribute to faster delivery of business objectives by predicting and mitigating the negative factors before they can impact on morale and change implementation. They help organisations fulfil their legal obligation to mitigate the impact of redundancies, whilst helping individuals re-establish and revitalise their careers.

Eight essentials

A company’s greatest asset is also its greatest threat. The way people are supported, managed and directed before, during and after change can seriously affect your employees’ future career – and the future of your business. Here are eight essential tips on how to fulfil your legal and moral obligations while improving staff morale, motivation and productivity.

1 Select a suitable transition services provider

Evaulate who would be the best partner to achieve your priority outcomes. Check their credentials; meet with their delivery people (not just their salespeople). Don’t simply focus on price. A ‘mistaken’ choice of provider will prove extremely costly. Support the chosen provider in creating an understanding of the support available to affected employees through group awareness sessions – your provider should be happy to offer these on a complimentary basis.

2 Create a high-level transition plan

If the provider has genuine project management expertise, they can help design a high-level project plan which will minimise any unnecessary upheaval and disruption pre, during and post implementation. This will detail the who, what, when and how of the entire transition process, and is designed to support the affected individuals whilst achieving organisational objectives.

3 Design selection criteria and redundancy package plans

Check compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements, including BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) notification. Ensure selection criteria will stand up to scrutiny.

4 Consider redeployment opportunities – seriously!

The law requires companies to ‘mitigate the impact of redundancies’. One obvious way of doing this is through redeployment. Often companies do not have the time/resource in the midst of change to address this properly. Through a rigorous job design, redeployment, and assessment development process, a competent transition services provider can support this activity with you and save you a lot of money and expertise at the same time.

5 Create a communication plan

A comprehensive plan that describes what needs to be communicated, to whom, by whom, how and when to ensure a minimum of confusion and misunderstanding. Err on the side of more communication, and ensure that the management team are always willingly available to answer any concerns and queries.

6 Organise separation interview training for line managers

Not all line managers find the ‘giving of the news’ an easy thing to do. When it goes wrong there can be serious repercussions. Those who have to deliver the bad news, and manage and support their people through a difficult period, require support themselves. In some cases they may even find themselves in the same predicament. You may also wish to consider security measures, and ‘pick-up’ support on the so-called ‘Tell Day’. Look to your provider for this support.

7 Provide ‘managing change’ support for those not leaving

Maintaining morale and motivation is crucial during times of major change. Staff may need help in exploring the risks and opportunities presented by the change. Guide them in discovering their personal strengths and challenges in their response, and provide them with the knowledge, tools and motivation to take control, refocus and move forward towards personal and organisational success and productivity. Your transition services partner should support this with you.

8 Ensure highest quality of outplacement support is provided to departing individuals

Today’s departing employee may be tomorrow’s customer. New research shows that business leaders believe that the quality of outplacement support provided to exiting employees has a strong bearing on the reputation of the employer, and their ability to retain key staff.

Conclusion

Organisational change is a fact of life in today’s changing global workplace. Increasingly, organisations in the public and private sector are consolidating, merging, acquiring and restructuring in order to maximise the use of their human capital and thus remain competitive and profitable.

Change brings with it pertinent challenges and frequently requires a reduction in staff numbers. This process can be a potential minefield for employers and poor planning and application often leads to the loss of top performers, increased litigation from disgruntled employees, reduced output/performance, low morale and unwelcome negative PR. Key to avoiding such issues is to turn to an experienced partner who can help key stakeholders navigate through and successfully plan for the employee separation process.

Stuart Lindenfield, Head of Transition Services at Reed Consulting, is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading experts on career management, with a strong track record of helping individuals enhance their careers and organisations successfully manage transitions.

For more information, contact P-tek Development Solutions Ltd on 08701 125101, by fax on 07092 029439 or by e-mail.

Getting that edge: business and management training at the University of Essex

Managing and Thriving Under Pressure

Presented by Camille Nickson

‘Managing and Thriving Under Pressure’ is the second in Essex’s series of FREE networking events during 2008/09, taking place at the University of Essex’s Colchester campus. These events are designed to provide informative tips and techniques to support your business in a fun and interactive way, with the opportunity to expand your network of contacts and thereby increase your business opportunities.

This event would benefit small and medium-sized business people who would like to develop an insight into their preferred ways of interacting with others, taking in information and making decisions in an interactive and fun networking session delivered by an expert.

Isn’t it odd how we need to be pushed beyond the edge of what we think we can handle before we discover that we’re capable of so very much more?

This free session should give you better understanding of how to:

• control pressure and tension at work

• improve your own performance and enjoyment of work

• set yourself up for success

• recognise how your own behaviour can help/hinder your performance.

There is an increasing requirement on most people in business today to increase productivity, profitability and quality, sometimes resulting in pressure and the need to manage conflicting demands. This session will provide you with some top tips and easy to apply techniques to thrive when under pressure.

Make sure you find time to join us!

RSVP by 5 February 2009, stating your name, address, organisation and contact details, to Louise Cattrall (telephone: 01206 872519, e-mail bmt@essex.ac.uk) or register online at the events webpage. Places must be reserved in advance. The events webpage also has travel directions and further information on business and management training courses at Essex .

Need to book a room?

For conference room bookings close to Ipswich town centre, please call:
Rupal Patel, Business Centre Manager on 01473 381400, ext 1419, or go online here for more information. Alternatively, you can e-mail them here.

Taking it further

Did you find something useful in this newsletter? If so, why not forward it to a friend, and let them sign up for their own copy?

If anything in this newsletter is of interest to you or if you want any further information about P-tek Development Solutions Ltd and what we could do for you, please telephone us now on 08448 011 733 or fax us on 07092 029439.

Alternatively, you can e-mail us or visit our website. We'd be delighted to hear from you!