Making a Good Impression

Something has been bothering me lately. It seems that lately I have met several people -- professional people -- who offer weak, unimpressive handshakes. I'm not sure why I have noticed it so much lately. Maybe it's because as a coach with ActionCOACH, I tend to notice things that impact business and success. But, it got me thinking about the impression you leave someone with when you meet them or finish a conversation and offer your hand for a goodbye handshake. So, today I want to give you my 5 Keys to Making a Great Impression With a Handshake.

Use these 5 steps to ensure you create the strong, professional image you want to portray in a business setting to impress your customers and prospects.

1 - Smile and be enthusiastic. A sincere smile and a confident tone, both in your body language and your voice, puts the other person at ease. It says to them that you are happy to see/meet them and are looking forward to your conversation. Maintain eye contact as you approach and extend your hand. Looking away or down tells the other person you are timid or uncertain or can portray that you are not sincerely interested in them but are thinking about what you are doing next. Be pleasant and sincere and the conversation will become much friendlier right away.

2 - Avoid the power squeeze and the limp grip. It is not necessary or even appropriate to try to over power the person with a bone crushing grip. A firm grasp is all you need. Don't make it too relaxed or you may come across as weak and no one likes a limp handshake. You risk turning off the client or prospect. The 'dead fish' grip is the one I have run into a lot lately. When you grasp the other persons hand it is virtually limp at the wrist and there is no confidence in the grip -- this is the 'dead fish' syndrome. Firm, friendly and sincere is always the correct way to go.

3 - Grip the whole hand. Never just offer your fingers or half of your hand and never grip the other persons hand in that manner. When you extend your hand, bend your arm at the elbow, thumb pointing up with your fingers extended and close together. Take their full hand into yours so the space between your thumb and forefinger touch the same space on your customers hand. Close your hand around theirs and offer one or two quick short pumps. Do not linger the grip -- make a confident firm grip then release and continue your conversation.

4 - Offer a warm greeting and don't crowd them. As you take their hand make sure to offer a warm professional greeting. You can't miss with something like, "it is a pleasure to meet you," or if this is the first time you have met, make sure to clearly state your name and the greeting. Never leave the person hanging about what your name is. Even if you have met the person before but are not in regular contact with them, offer your name. It relieves them of the need and possible embarrassment to remember your name. Also, when you offer your name they will automatically offer their name back in response, which may help you as well. After your greeting is offered withdraw your hand slowly while still engaging them with your smile and eyes. Withdrawing slowly conveys that you are interested in them and what they are saying. Be sure not to crowd them as well. Stand erect and about three feet in front of the person.

5 - Practice. Ask someone you know and trust to practice with you and give you feedback on your handshake. Ask them to be honest with you. Is your grip to firm or too soft? Does it convey confidence without being overbearing? How is your posture and eye contact? Do you seem friendly and interested? Spend time working on your skill now and it will pay off as you meet people in your professional setting. Whether you are at a sales meeting, networking, interviewing a new vendor, or for a new job, your handshake will convey a lot about you and get your conversation off to a great start.

BE x DO = HAVE

To be meaningful, any change in life or in business has to be dramatic. Minor change is easy to accomplish but results in only minor differences. To increase the sales in your business by say 150% in three months will take massive changes in both your thinking and the way you do things.

In order to HAVE anything in life we all recognize that we have to DO something to achieve it. If you want wealth you must invest. If you want love you must first give it. If you want respect you must earn it. No matter what you want, you need to DO in order to HAVE.

But DOing is not the only thing you need to change in order to HAVE. You must BEcome the person who would have the things or persona that you desire. You must develop the identity, beliefs and values that the person who has those things has. We’ve all heard of the Lotto winner who, within three years, lost the several million he won. He didn’t become the “millionaire”.

Let’s talk a bit about BEcoming. Everyone has an identity that they developed, usually at a very young age. That identity has values and beliefs that can limit you. Perhaps you believe that customers are always looking for a discount. You will attract that sort of customer to your business because of your belief. Maybe you believe that business owners are greedy. What do you suppose you will be when you own your own business?

In order to HAVE something like a million dollars, you have to develop the beliefs and values of a millionaire, and believe me they have an identity that needs to be copied. In fact it is said that you will earn + or – 10% of the earnings of the three people you associate with the most. Why? Because you develop the values and beliefs of these people.

Business is no different.

In order to HAVE amazing customers, and amazing businesses need amazing customers, you must develop your business into one that will attract amazing customers. What is an amazing customer? It is specific to your business. Only you can define for yourself the characteristics of your amazing customer. Perhaps it includes a customer who always pays cash. Maybe one who sends you lots of referrals. You must identify who your amazing customers are and what these customers want. You must know how these customers shop. You must BE the place where these customers want to shop.

And the same is true of an amazing business. It is one where your amazing customers shop. It consistently delivers more than your customer expects. The amazing business attracts these amazing customers.

Once you are the business, then you must DO the things that make these customers know what the perfect business will do for them. Imagine, if you will, an owner of a Jaguar leaving his automobile at the local garage that looks as though it has never seen anything better than a ’64 VW Microbus. Not likely. If you want the customer to come you must BE the business to which he will come.

If you are the person or business that attracts the people in your ideal target market then they will come. Just remember you must Be as well as Do in order to Have.

To learn more about how to BE the person you need to be to succeed check out my book Achieving Unlimited Success. I'll help you define what you want from life and develop the plan and habits to guide you to HAVE what you want.

“If It Doesn’t Add Up, Don’t Do It”

Business coach, Dennis Kelley wrote recently about the “Language of the Numbers” and the importance of understanding what the numbers are telling us. At the risk of being blunt, business is all about making a profit. So if your numbers or business strategies aren’t adding up to business profits, don’t do it, or do it differently; plainly spoken “If It Doesn’t Add Up, Don’t Do It”.

At Action Coach of Akron/ Canton we teach clients that a successful business is, “a commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you”. This means your business must give a good return on investment plus a full wage for every hour you spend working in your business. You can then pay someone to do your job and the business profits are not affected.

Our quote, “if it doesn’t add up, don’t do it” can be applied in all areas of your business. Advertising is an example. If an ad is run and does not get an immediate response, there is no point in keeping that ad running. It is wasting precious time and money. Change the ad or where it is running.

Increasing your team must also add up in dollars. Perhaps a business should consider setting training and operating systems in place so less expensive team members can be hired to follow the systems, rather than hiring seasoned veterans who have the “head knowledge” of how it should be done. Alternately perhaps the business should look at new machinery or technology instead of more team members.

If you want to buy a business the figures also must add up – or have the potential to do so. Make a list of the criteria the business must fill and make sure this list is completed before you commit yourself. Many people buy into something believing it would fulfill their needs, only to discover the figures were inaccurate or did not add up. If you are not sure, get help. Two heads are better than one, and prevention is better than cure.

A great idea when looking at a business is to check the industry average and see how your business compares. Given that four out of five businesses go broke in the first five years, you may want to be better than average.

Finally the bottom line where your figures must add up is in net profit margin. To get this figure a business must add all expenses, including an appropriate wage for all the hours put in the business, plus interest on the capital you put into the business. This will give your real margins.

“If It Doesn’t Add Up, Don’t Do It” must be applied regularly. Don’t wait until the end of the financial year to find if you have made a profit. Business is work, but it should also be fun.

The Language of Business is Numbers!!

Numbers are the language of business or your SCOREBOARD in the game of business. If you are challenged by the numbers of your business you are not alone. Many owners struggle to understand the financial statistics that are so critical to the health of any business. Most people do not get this education in school and many times do not take classes in financial management in college. The task of understanding your numbers can be intimidating at times and we tend to shy away from things that we do not understand.

The key with numbers is to gain a good working knowledge so you can make quality decisions to positively impact your success. A good accountant and/or bookkeeper can assist you getting the specific and critical numbers you need to interpret in your business. Accountants and bookkeepers have much more to give and do than just your tax returns. Use them to increase your knowledge and get your money’s worth. A coach will then help you to use this information on a weekly or monthly basis in order for you to use it to YOUR advantage in a practical sense.

Putting together the scorecard that you review on a regular basis is one of the keys to business success. At a minimum EVERY business should have an income and expense budget, a cash flow budget and the key performance indicators needed to understand how the business is performing. It is also critical to produce and review performance against these budgets as well as a Profit and Loss Statement, Balance Sheet, and Cash Flow projections. Obtaining this information and analyzing it on a regular basis will keep your business on solid ground.

Making decisions in business without this information can quickly lead to major problems. In fact, a business that is doing really well in sales and growth can get into as much trouble as a business struggling in these areas if the owner doesn’t know the language of business … their numbers! Learn your numbers, and if you need help take ACTION today and ask for it. Your business depends on it!

Achieving Unlimited Success book launch

I am pleased to announce the completion of my new book titled Achieving Unlimited success; How to Get Out of Your Own Way and Live the Life of Your Dreams (Aviva Publishing, NY.) The book will be released at the end of March and is available for pre-sale today. Visit http://www.achievingunlimitedsuccess.com/to learn more and order a copy.

All of us have the extraordinary coded into us. Many times we just need to get out of our own way to achieve the success we seek in life. In this book you will learn how to identify what you truly want from your life and create a success plan to get you there. By identifying what has been holding you back and creating a plan for your life you will be able to accomplish anything you desire.

Whether that is a highly successful business, a strong career, a 6 or 7 figure income, or something more, this book will teach you what you need to know to create the life you want. The task of achieving unlimited success in your life is yours. Take action today to begin building the business and the life you desire. Nothing can hold you back once you have identified what you seek and commit to taking action on your plan. Order your copy today and begin your journey!

Building Trust in Your Business

Over the past several months there have been many instances where consumers have been left with trust issues about business. From E. Coli in spinach, to lead in toys -- there have been many concerns about product safety lately. Add to that the trust concerns consumers have about price increases in energy, food and health care and trust in business would seem to be taking a hit.

It's interesting then that a recent study called the "Edelman Trust Barometer of 2007" indicates that 58 percent of U.S. college-educated opinion leaders age 35 to 64 say they trust business, up from 44 percent in 2002. That is a significant increase over the last five years. The study indicates that overall, people trust local brands more than global ones. That could be a major factor in the message you convey to your clients and prospects.

Another interesting finding is that, "People are nearly twice as likely to believe a regular employee of a company as they are the CEO," says Laurence Evans, president of StrategyOne, the research arm of Edelman. Typically, your customers are interacting with your team members on a day-to-day basis so empowering your team to make decisions and take action to WOW a customer will pay big dividends in your customer satisfaction levels.

Take the time to train and build credibility with your team. Create a culture of truthfulness and integrity in your business and this culture will come out when serving your clients. If they trust you and they believe you then they are much more likely to buy from you ... and come back for more!

Build Your Referral System

Referrals are your best source of future prospects and can be one of the most economical prospecting methods you will ever use. However, before asking for referrals effective customer service techniques must be implemented.

Before you can ask clients for referrals, you must be sure they are pleased with the product or service they have received. Prior to implementing a successful referral process, effective customer service techniques must be practical, or they are unlikely to be carried out. Most of the customer service techniques are simple and can be easily carried out. This is about doing what you say you will do. Remember: Always under promise and over deliver.

Great customer service builds great relationships.

Be attentive to customers, it will gain customer loyalty and acquire new customers. When customers receive proper attention, they often feel that they are getting their money's worth and that their needs are being satisfied. It is also important for sales professionals to solicit customer opinions often about how products or services can be improved so that customers feel valued. In addition, sales professionals and then-clients can brain-storm regarding cost-saving methods, thus creating customer loyalty by accommodating customers' needs. By taking time at the beginning of a sales negotiation to create better customer service, sales professionals can ensure that customers' needs are being met while maintaining good relations.

Sales professionals need to work "smarter" to meet customers' needs instead of simply closing sales. These simple, inexpensive methods of customer service will establish good relations with customers, which is the prerequisite for requesting referrals.

When should you ask for referrals?

Is it better to ask clients for referrals during the sales closing or during the client follow-up? According to several sales process experts client follow-up is the best time to ask for referrals. Wait until you know that the customer is pleased with your service.

There are several ways to implement the referral process.

1. The direct approach, which involves asking customers for referrals after the customer-service techniques have been implemented. If customers do not immediately give recommendations, then the sales professional could mention colleagues or businesses associated with the customers. This will help customers to remember their business contacts, and usually they will give referrals.
2. Offer incentives to customers for referrals. For example, sales professionals/management could offer a 10 percent discount on the next purchase or contract after customers' referrals become new customers.
3. Give gifts to show appreciation. This can be as simple as inviting customers to lunch (under the presumption of showing appreciation), at which time you can easily request a referral.
   

Requesting referrals and implementing the referral system are both very basic. First, build a relationship with customers. Once you are confident that a customer has a favorable attitude and opinion of you and your company, it is the ideal time to begin requesting customer referrals. These referrals include the customer's colleagues, friends, or competitors, which can create a huge network and more sales. It is mandatory, once a referral system is implemented, that you create, maintain, and improve relationships with new customers while continuing to build networks.

Always remember these new customers are candidates for additional referrals. Sales professionals who continue to build this process and improve their customer relations will see a significant improvement in their overall dollar sales and number of customer accounts.