Thank Goodness It's Monday #353

WHAT DOES IT TAKE

TO SEAL THE DEAL?

I am such an old-fashioned kinda sales guy that, if you’ve been around me long enough in a business setting, I might even say to you (with a smile) upon parting --

 “Close Early … Close Often … Close Late.” 

Alpha-dog Blake (played by Alec Baldwin)
sent to "motivate" the salesforce
in the 1992 film
of David Mamet's 1984 play
Glengarry Glen Ross

That’s my version of the classic --

 ABC – Always Be Closing. 

And while “Close early…” and ABC have a dated bit of a Willy-Lowman-like air in these days of “consultative selling,” they’re sales fundamentals that I maintain still have great validity.

It's this simple: Even in this more open and communicative era, asking for the sale moves things along and actually helps both buyer and seller.  

So imagine my surprise when, after a recent protracted lunch meeting where I expected to lock up a long-pending deal, I came away empty. 

Why? In retrospect I realize that things got too casual and personal and friendly and I couldn’t bring myself to close.  

That’s costly. At least in time, if not in dollars as well. So I engaged in a little self-review that I will now share. 

What does it take to close?

Here are some traits shared by good closers. Use them to evaluate how good you are at each.  Consider how, if need be, you will shore up weak spots to boost your profit-producing power. And share them, including any useful insights you can provide, with anyone who represents your interests.

• Courage. You can’t beat around the bush and expect to succeed. Selling is not for the faint of heart. When the time comes to close you must have the courage to do so. 
• Tact. If you keep talking without even attempting to close you risk “buying back” the product or service you’re advocating for. Similarly, once you’ve asked for the order, quiet down (at least until you learn you haven’t yet earned it and can continue “selling.”) 
• Timing. There’s really no “right” point in the sales process to close. The timing varies with the customer, the business climate, and many other factors. There may be an ideal time to close but it can slip by unless you keep probing with – 
• Persistence. Some think of these as “trial” closes. The idea is scatter two or three at various points in the presentation. If one works, you’ve just closed. If it doesn’t, you keep going. I prefer a more situationally aware approach (but that’s the detail of the “Close early … Close Often …” story). Point is: Even when probing closes don’t work, they help you identify and overcome objections. 
• Poise. You can’t let anyone know they ruffle you, even if they do. You have to react quickly, but smoothly, to what they say. You have to make split-second decisions; think on your feet and cope gracefully when confronted with challenges.
• Confidence. Lack of it is palpable and kills deals. If you don’t think you’re going to get the sale, you won’t.
• Good listening skills. Selling -- especially “consultative” selling -- requires you to let the customer do a lot of talking. Well-honed active listening creates the opportunity for you to find out their needs so, in response, you can convey how your product or service uniquely fits those needs.
• Product knowledge. You must be thoroughly versed and vested in your product or service; what it is capable of doing and how it stacks up in the market. If you don’t know all the ins and outs and can’t explain them clearly, your competitors will, but not In a way that will win you business.

Etc., etc. Of course these aren’t the only characteristics embodied in a successful closer. Others include: Promptness, a neat appearance, an inoffensive demeanor, good organizational skills, and putting the customer’s needs first. But when you put all these traits together and embrace them until they become a seamless part of your professional persona, you (and I) will be a world-class closer. 

TGIM Takeaway: Many people fail at selling simply because they cannot bring themselves to close. If the sale does not close itself, they’re lost. And most sales don’t close themselves because prospects don’t make a decision unless you ask them to. 

So can I get your OK on this? Great! Please press hard. There are three copies.

Now let's get some coffee.

Geoff Steck

Chief Catalyst

Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631

201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S. “Half my lifetime I have earned my living by selling words, and I hope thoughts.” British Prime Minister, orator and author Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) said that.

P.P.S.  Let’s close one more deal today, please. Click through below and reserve your seat (seats?) for the upcoming "Live" Business Breakthrough II – THIS THURSDAY – April 26th. 

This powerful business-building event is a must-attend for so many reasons (several hundred will be all the like-minded folks you’ll meet.) 

You can check out all of the details, register and pocket significant Friend-of-TGIM Early-Bird Savings here: http://bestsalesyearever.com/. 

BONUS OPPORTUNITY: There are also sponsorship options available that will provide you with high-quality exposure before, during and after the event.

To schedule a call to discuss sponsorship, e-mail: Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #352B

A RIVETING TALE

WITH A TITANIC LESSON 

I have a sinking feeling …

Oh, wait. Maybe I should find a slightly different turn of phrase to begin this TGIM since the intended central theme of it is the presumed-unsinkable ship RMS Titanic. 



RMS Titanic departing Southhampton
April 10, 1912

So, let’s just ask – 

Had enough Titanic talk yet? On this day after the 100^th anniversary of the tragic disaster, I for one have. At least on one level. 

Here’s why: Blame it on Jack and Rose and that movie. I wasn’t a great fan of the now re-released-in-3D 1997 Titanic movie.  

Sorry all you fans. I just didn’t find it all that riveting and compelling, largely because, while I understand there was much historic accuracy, the central theme of the multiple Academy Award winner was king-of-the-world scale fictional hoo-hah.  

That seems to me to be a shame because there were so many real-life dramas involving both the noteworthy and unknowns of the time; plenty of real heroes and heroines as well as “villains” to draw life lessons from. 

But don’t quit reading yet. I do like the rediscovered, reinvestigated real history that’s being aired. And certainly the events surrounding the actual 1912 sinking provide many inspirational moments and even business lessons for the self-improvement-minded among us in.  

So let’s focus on one bit of reality – perhaps the most obvious -- from the tragedy: 

Titanic overconfidence. Boy, you better not be bragging that you’ve got a virtually “unsinkable” ship unless you’ve got your quality-control ducks all swimming in synchronized formation.  

In that spirit: It’s not new Titanic news, but it’s still TGIM newsworthy. It turns on a discovery by Dr. Timothy Foecke. 

 It’s known as The Rivet Theory. Dr. Foecke maintains that the unsinkable ship may have been sunk by defects in some of the smallest, least expensive parts. 

Since 1996, he has been involved in the forensic examination of the structure and mechanical properties of metals recovered from the wreck of the RMS Titanic. His initial report on the hull steel and rivets was published in 1998.  

I’ll sum it up for you: Two of the over 3 million of rivets that held the Titanic together were hauled up from her watery grave in the early rediscovery/salvage days. And -- 

The rivets were riddled with slag. Slag is the undesirable glassy residue of melting. 

In other words: Poor quality control of a critical element in making the ship virtually unsinkable. Striking the iceberg is now thought to have popped these brittle rivets opening the seams between the plates of the ship’s hull and beginning the infamous nautical “night to remember.”  

An aside to Titanic 1997 fans: To his credit, this is actually depicted in the James Cameron film. And I certainly value him as a deep-sea explorer and part-scientist/part-artist in the spirit of Jacques Cousteau. (BTW: A Night To Remember was also the name of a 1953 British film version of the sinking based on a book of the same era, often hailed as most historically accurate). 

TGIM Takeaway: This scientific discovery is a stark reminder of the proverb of childhood: 

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For want of a horse, the rider was lost.

For want of a rider, the battle was lost.

For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.

A version of this cautionary accounting appeared in Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1758 and in a nursery rhyme book in 1898. 

The Oxford Book of Nursery Rhymes notes that a copy of it was “framed and kept on the wall of Anglo-American Supply Headquarters in London during the Second World War.” 

Perhaps it should hang in every business and home. 

Bon voyage for now. I wish you smooth sailing this week. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S. Just coincidence? Another sort-of-riveting tale of seagoing tragedy is Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan.  

Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan
First edition 1898

That’s the title of a novella written by Morgan Robertson in 1898 – 14 years before the actual Titanic disaster; at least a decade before the doomed ship was even begun to be built. The completely fictional story features the ocean liner Titan, which sinks in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg.  

More to compare and contrast:  

·         The Titanic was the world's largest luxury liner (882 feet, displacing 63,000 long tons), and was once described as being practically "unsinkable".

·         The Titan of the story was the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men (800 feet, displacing 75,000 tons), and was considered "unsinkable". 

In 1912 Futility was re-printed
with the extended title
 on its cover to capitalize on
the recent sinking of the Titanic.
It's featured the full title ever since.

·         The Titanic carried only 16 lifeboats, plus 4 folding lifeboats, less than half the number required for her passenger capacity of 3000.

·         The Titan carried "as few as the law allowed", 24 lifeboats, less than half needed for her 3000 capacity. 

·         Moving too fast at 22½ knots, the Titanic struck an iceberg on the starboard side on the night of April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic 400 miles away from Newfoundland.

·         Also on an April night, in the North Atlantic 400 miles from Terranova (Newfoundland), the Titan hit an iceberg, also on the starboard side, while traveling at 25 knots. 

·         The unsinkable Titanic sank, and more than half of her 2200 passengers died.

·         The indestructible Titan also sank, more than half of her 2500 passengers drowning.

I guess truth is, sometimes, no stranger than fiction. 

P.P.S.  Mark your calendar then click through below and reserve your seat (seats?) for the upcoming "Live" Business Breakthrough II on Thursday, April 26th. 

This powerful business-building event is a must-attend for so many reasons (at least 249 of them will be all the other like-minded folks you’ll meet.) 

You can check out all of the details, register and pocket significant Friend-of-TGIM Early-Bird Savings here: http://bestsalesyearever.com/. 

BONUS OPPORTUNITY: There are also sponsorship options available that will provide you with high-quality exposure before, during and after the event.

To schedule a call to discuss sponsorship, e-mail: Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank Goodness It's Monday #352

WHAT “THE BOSS”

CAN TEACH US ABOUT LIFE 

It's happening again in my near-the-Meadowlands/Izod Center neighborhood in northern New Jersey. 

Just the other day I saw several people with the condition.  Their symptoms were similar; all were -- 

1.    More positive,

2.    More enlivened, and

3.    More energized than usual. 

Before I could even ask, "What happened?" they all willingly volunteered the answer: 

"I saw Bruce last night." 

Luckily there will be tens of thousands of similarly "afflicted" Garden State-ers and music lovers around the globe this summer because (in case you didn’t know) Bruce Springsteen is back on tour.  

Q: Why does "The Boss" have this amazingly positive effect upon people? 

A: Bruce is energized, excited, and passionate. In other words – 

Bruce is "INTO IT." This "INTO IT-ness" has elevated him to the status of being considered by many as "the greatest live performing act in the world today." 

Now you and I will probably never join Bruce on stage for a set at the Meadowlands or anywhere else.  

But we can take this "Springsteen magic" back to our jobs, our relationships, our classrooms -- all our daily encounters. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Absorb the Springsteen lesson of being INTO IT. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: We need not just be in a job--we can be INTO it.

If you’re a student (and you know I’m a proponent of Life-Long Learning so I maintain we’re all students, in a traditional classroom setting or not) we wouldn't just be in

school--we'd be INTO school. 

And we don't have to be in a family--we'd be INTO our families. 

It’s not just a matter of semantics.  

You see, there's a huge difference between going to work and being a worker.

There's a big difference between going to school and being a student. 

And there's an enormous difference between having or being a child and being a Mom … Dad … Son … Daughter … Sister …Brother or being actively involved in any family dynamic. 

The sooner we can take what Bruce Springsteen does on his stage and in his performances to our own personal "stages" and "performances," everyone will benefit. 

Baby, we were born to run. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S. No ticket required: You can hear Bruce’s nearly-hour-long keynote presentation at the recent SXSW music festival here.  A pointed tribute to heroes (musical and otherwise) of mine, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, begins at 44:25.  

P.P.S.  It’s not Izod or quite so impressive a venue but, I promise you, there will be INTO IT-ness – 

Mark your calendar then click through below and reserve your seat (seats?) for the upcoming "Live" Business Breakthrough II on Thursday, April 26th. 

This powerful business-building event is a must-attend for so many reasons (at least 250 of them will be all the other like-minded folks you’ll meet.) 

You can check out all of the details, register and pocket significant Friend-of-TGIM, Ultimate Bargain, Pre- Early-Bird Savings here: http://bestsalesyearever.com/. 

BONUS OPPORTUNITY: There are also sponsorship options available that will provide you with high-quality exposure before, during and after the event.

To schedule a call to discuss sponsorship, e-mail: Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com.

I look forward to seeing you there.

We Hid Some Matzoh ...

WELCOMING THE SPRING HOLIDAYS

In my household we generally prefer a humanist approach to "religious" holidays, all the while acknowledging and honoring cultural and family traditions.

President Obama
hosting a White House Seder
in 2009.

In this spirit, we'll celebrate Springtime renewal and rebirth with our version of a Passover Seder on Friday evening.

 

President Obama and family
joined by the Easter Bunny
for the traditional
White House Easter Egg Roll,
also in 2009

And ...

Remembering that the so-called "Last Supper" of Christianity is rooted in a Passover Seder, we'll keep the connection in mind as we keep an eye out for bunnies, brightly dyed eggs and candy treats on Easter Sunday.

At our Seder we'll use a Haggadah (the book that guides the order of the Passover meal; Haggadah means "telling") that has been adapted over the years from a variety of sources, from the classic Maxwell House text to quite secular references.

In many Passover observances the meal (which includes four cups of wine) involves long discussions of what transpired, why and how it should be interpreted through the ages. This can consume a big stretch of time and, despite traditions that are meant to include the participation of young people, can actually be a bit wearing on all gathered -- wine consumption notwithstanding. 

So here's a time-saving solution. When I searched my computer for the past year's edition of our Homegrown Haggadah to update for 2012, I found this Two-minute Haggadah, a bit of humor I saved from sources unknown some years ago.

I found it entertaining and hope you do as well.

****

The Two-Minute Haggadah

A Passover service for the impatient.

Opening prayers: Thanks, God, for creating wine. (Drink wine.)
Thanks for creating produce. (Eat parsley.)

Overview: Once we were slaves in Egypt. Now we're free. That's why we're doing this.

Four Questions: 1. What's up with the matzoh?
2. What's the deal with horseradish?
3. What's with the dipping of the herbs?
4. What's this whole slouching at the table business?

Answers: 1. When we left Egypt, we were in a hurry. There was no time for making decent bread.
2. Life was bitter, like horseradish.
3. It's called symbolism.
4. Free people get to slouch.

(Heat soup now.)

The four kinds of children and how to deal with them:
Wise child—explain Passover.
Simple child—explain Passover slowly.
Silent child—explain Passover loudly.
Wicked child—browbeat in front of the relatives.

Speaking of children: We hid some matzoh. Whoever finds it gets five bucks.

The story of Passover: It's a long time ago. We're slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh is a nightmare. We cry out for help. God brings plagues upon the Egyptians. We escape, bake some matzoh. God parts the Red Sea. We make it through; the Egyptians aren't so lucky. We wander 40 years in the desert, eat manna, get the Torah, wind up in Israel, get a new temple, enjoy several years without being persecuted again.

****

To All: Spring is the season of new growth and new life. Every living thing must either grow or die; growth is a sign and condition of life. The most significant growth for a human being takes place inwardly. We grow as we achieve new insights, new knowledge, new goals.

My wish for you: Zeisen Pesach … Happy Easter … Shalom … Peace …

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S. I'll email you a copy of our slightly longer, bit more traditional, Homegrown Haggadah if you reach out to tgimguy@gmail.com. Just put Haggadah 2012 in the subject line. I'll bounce back an attachment asap (hey, I've got a lot of eggs to hardboil for both traditions). 

Thank Goodness It's Monday #351

HEAR THE RIGHT MESSAGE 

Here's a cheerful little story that should make you smile after a week of Supreme Court palavering and campaign trail politicking about Healthcare Law: 

Groucho Marx (as Detective Sam Grunion)
and aspiring actress
Marilyn Monroe (as Grunion's client)
in the last Marx Brothers movie
Love Happy (1950)

A few days after examining his oldest patient, a doctor encounters the elderly man walking down the street. His arm is wrapped around a beautiful woman who is clearly generations younger. And the very senior citizen is grinning from ear to ear. 

“Well," says the doctor greeting the man, “You're really doing great, aren't you?”


“Just doing what you said, Doc,” the man agrees. “You said, get a hot mamma and be cheerful.” 

"I didn't say that," the physician replies.

"I said, ‘You've got a heart murmur. Be careful.’” 

Cute, right?

But also insightful. 

While health and fitness certainly play a role in our well being and success, our outlook plays a vital role as well. A mounting body of scientific evidence tells us that cultivating a "positive mental attitude" is as important to our well being as watching our diet and getting adequate exercise and rest. 

Equally exciting evidence comes from a study of people who have already had a heart attack.  They were randomly assigned to two groups before going through a standard cardiac rehab program for an entire year. 

·         Some patients just went through the regular rehab program, going to the hospital three times a week.

·         Others also watched a comedy video while they were there for their rehab procedure.  Each patient got to choose the video watched, so they presumably selected one that was funny to them. 

At the end of one year: The comedy-watching group had suffered significantly fewer additional heart attacks during the 12-month period, along with fewer episodes of cardiac arrhythmia.  The patients who watched comedy videos also had significantly lower blood pressure (there were no blood pressure differences between the groups at the beginning of the study).  

So, even if you’ve heard the old Hot Mamma joke before – 

I hope you smiled. Humor plays an important role in promoting cardiac health even if you’ve already had a heart attack. 

TGIM Takeaway: We should take both versions of the doctor's advice to heart (so to speak) -- what he actually said and what the elder patient chose to hear.  

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: No doubt we should be careful of the habits we incorporate into our lives. But perhaps the "habit" we should be most careful to cultivate is a cheerful attitude.  

It's good for the mind, body and spirit. 

Cheers, 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S. So, realizing his patient was hearing impaired, our doctor was able to have his patient fitted for a set of nearly invisible hearing aids that allowed the elderly man’s hearing to be restored to 100%.  

After a period of adjustment, the senior citizen went back to the doctor for a final evaluation. The doctor was quickly able to confirm, “Your hearing is perfect.” 

And the physician added, “Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”  

The gentleman replied, “Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. I’ve changed my will three times!”

Thank Goodness It's Monday #350

USE MARCH MADNESS AND PYRAMID POWER

TO ACHIEVE UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS

Nearly 100 TGIM’s ago, shortly after his death, I posted (not here) about the legendary UCLA basketball and “real non-sports life” coaching wizard, John Wooden. Although departed from this realm for several years, his guidance will likely be shared well into the future; it’s so universal and actionable. 

So, with March Madness 2012 grabbing headlines, (and because my colleague Kim Players recently cited Coach Wooden on Facebook and thereby unleashed a flood of worth-recalling memories), I’m taking this opportunity to reprise that classic TGIM.  

Hope you find it worthwhile and, if you recall it, I trust you’ll benefit from the “tickler” value of its (slightly edited) repetition. 

HOW YOU CAN TAP INTO PYRAMID POWER

Pyramid power, in some contexts, refers to alleged supernatural or paranormal properties of the ancient Egyptian pyramids and objects of similar shape.  

In the 1970s it was a hot topic with a number of bestsellers featuring the phrase. 

With this power, model pyramids were said to preserve foods, sharpen or maintain the sharpness of razor blades, improve health, function as a thought-form incubator, and cause other dramatic effects. 

It's not clear who coined the term "pyramid power." It’s one of many pseudoscientific theories regarding pyramids. Personally – 

I think they’re bunk! 

So what’s up with this TGIM?  

I also think there’s -- 

One noteworthy exception: On December 2, 1973 (how’s that for precision).

I came across a Pyramid Power example that I guarantee you is effective beyond a doubt and – when fully understood, mastered and implemented – can change your life. 

Want to see this Pyramid Of Success? On December 2, 1973 the New York Times Magazine arrived with this cover:

It’s all very stylized and of the period but – 

 Hey, man. It was the early ‘70s.  

I snipped off that cover, rubber-glued it to an old shirt cardboard and kept it my top desk drawer at work until the glue ate through the newsprint and the whole thing crumbled to dust. 

But now I don’t need it because the image is only a mouse click away. 

Too “hip” for 2012? I don't think so. You see, the original Pyramid Of Success was developed by the legendary basketball coach:

John R. Wooden

Born and raised in Indiana, Wooden began developing the foundation for the Pyramid in 1934. The core Pyramid Of Success was complete 14 years later, when Wooden was named head coach of the UCLA men’s basketball team although he continued to refine it over the years. (There's a giant, printable version available at Coach Wooden's official site.)

It took another 15 years for UCLA to win its first of 10 NCAA basketball championships under Wooden. Wooden achieved unprecedented success with his program. The “superstars” he coached, and the lives he shaped, are many and many are legend. 

And speaking of “many” -- Many people believe that John Wooden is the greatest team-sport coach OF ALL TIME! 

He died June 4, 2010 at age 99. The obits and the sporting press featured much of his story but, to my surprise, few featured The Pyramid. 

Maybe one is reason is: The Pyramid Of Success is not about basketball. In fact the Pyramid Of Success has nothing to do with sports, wealth or power.  

Huh? The Pyramid Of Success is about –  

Life and leadership. Lasting personal and organizational success is enabled through personal and organizational leadership.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Read what it says in the compartments of The Pyramid and all around it's edges. If my "cover version" is a bit too 70's funkadelic to spend time perusing, click through and find a more eye-friendly one.

It's not about hoops; it's about life. To understand the Pyramid Of Success, you must first know Wooden’s -- 

Definition of Success: 

"Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

Wooden had a single altruistic and focused purpose: He wanted to provide his players with a roadmap for a full and productive life after basketball. He maintained that success on the basketball court would be icing on the cake.  

When a new team member was recruited, the next morning that player would find in his mail box an 8 1/2 X 11 mimeographed sheet which contained a pyramid of carefully and neatly ruled boxes.  

Because he believed the principles of the Pyramid should be shared freely, Wooden chose not to have the Pyramid Of Success copyrighted. 

There is a John R. Wooden Course and any number of Wooden/Success books and personal improvement tools. But the furthest thing from his mind was selling books and profiting from the Pyramid.  

Because overwhelming evidence exists that proves the validity and reliability of Wooden’s principles, the Power of his Pyramid Of Success transcends the smoke and mirrors of other mystical-minded Pyramid promoters.  

His Pyramid worked well before the ‘70’s hoo-ha. And it continues – and will continue – to work its particular magic for decades to come. 

TGIM Takeaway: Success is about continuous effort to learn, continuous effort to improve, and continuous effort to make your life and the world a better place. 

I’m not going to comment on or interpret the Wooden Pyramid components for you. I won’t because I can’t and I shouldn’t. Sharing it with you should be enough.

Go. Discover for yourself.  

Tap into its Power. And make of it all you can.  

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 

P.S. “It is easier to reach our potential when we learn the value of including others in our quest.” That’s the John Wooden quote that Kim Players shared and sparked this look back. Thanks, Kplay! And welcome, one and all, to the quest.