Speak and Grow Richer

Each day we read about bailouts for the banking and automotive industry. However, there are other industries that need help. The speaking industry is down and it's affecting thousands of professionals.

We've asked some of the top speakers in the U.S. to share their thoughts.

Top Three Tips to Improve Business:

1. Develop Leadership with a Positive Edge: Leaders who have positive expectations create positive outcomes. They will expect to find a solution to a problem, the potential gains in difficulties, and new opportunities in complex times. Positive expectations produce tangible profits.

2. Cultivate a Culture of Positivity: Research confirms that a happy company is a profitable one...and that optimism can be learned. Invest in teaching staff the strategies of optimism to improve sales, problem-solving, and relationships. Optimists are flexible, personally accountable and resilient: traits needed in today's economy.

3. Down with Negativity, Up with Appreciation: Negative thinking and behavior can spread like wild fire in an organization, dampening enthusiasm, motivation and effectiveness. Appreciation can also spread throughout an organization, creating an upward spiral of productivity, creativity and growth. A commitment to appreciation has a huge pay-off in terms of organizational, team and individual accomplishments.

Dana Lightman, Ph.D. www.danalightman.com

Tips how organizations can improve their businesses...

1 - Ensure that every person in your organization knows and understands the vision/mission to the extent that there is an understanding of what action they must take continuously to support this message and how they specifically need to provide VALUE to their organization and its customers.

2 - Have a complete and thorough understanding how human resource processes and laws have changed (and are continuing to change) since the new administration has taken over. In particular, knowing the new HR laws can provide a more positive working environment and keep you out of trouble.

3 - Explain to every employee that regardless what their job function is, they contribute to the VALUE provided by their organization. Help them to understand how to calculate the $$ value and cost of each and every customer so they handle each interaction in a positive and motivational light.

Jerry Fritz, Dean www.ppcc.edu/workforcetraining

Three Tips For Succeeding In Business (and your personal life)

1. Always do more than you are paid to do. Deliver more than is expected. Open early or close late, if it helps your customer. If a customer is waiting to get into your business or store, admit them, serve them, ready or not. Never say, “Sorry, we don’t open until 8 a.m.” or “We close at 5 p.m.” Treat them like you’d like to be treated, only better!

2. Enjoy what you do. Be Happy and Enthusiastic in everything you do. Look for ways to improve product, service and/or delivery. Think like a prosperous owner/manager would think, “How can I make this experience, or product, more enjoyable, useful or meaningful for the customer?” Then, come up with ways to do it efficiently and economically.

3. Become an alert, interested LISTENER…to your customers, employees, suppliers and competition. What are they doing that you should, or could, be doing? Ask questions. Become truly, genuinely interested in others. Be attentive. Talk less, listen more. People will respect and appreciate you for it. To become an effective salesperson, ask questions. Find out exactly what the other person wants or needs, then show them how your product or service fills that need.

Earlene Vining

1. "Speak Words That Empower You"

We need to be especially careful about the words we speak out loud when things aren't going the way we want. What you say out loud in the midst of troubling times has a great impact on how long you stay in those situations and how deeply you are affected by the situation. The words you speak amplify your feelings and trigger mental images. If what you think is what you get, then what you say is what you ask for.

The inevitability that your words will affect your attitude, and thus your situation, is a spiritual law that always works to perfection, whether what you are saying is positive or negative. The moment you open your mouth to say something, you ignite the begining stages that lead to enormous creative power. These times are tough. Why make them tougher than they have to be.

2. "Enjoy The Process"

When I'm speaking to groups I show them how to acquire the attitude they need to succeed in all levels of life "While enjoying the process." There within lies the key phrase, my friend; "While enjoying the process." Why is this phrase so important? Because It's a major consideration that most people leave by the wayside, especially when the pressure is on to achieve their goals, there are tight deadlines to be met and things aren't going exactly as planned. That's when the stress level becomes overwhelming and self-doubt, uncertainty, fear and a host of other negative emotions become dangerous mindsets. Without ever realizing it, people allow enjoyment and their abilty to laugh and have fun to become secondary at a time when it's most necessary.

Studies have shown that those who make conscious choices to enjoy themselves and laugh throughout the day, are more creative, productive and resilent to challenging situtions.

3. "Laugh Off The Stress"

Humor is your natural defence mechanism. It's a prescription from your humor being (a part of your higher self) to cure the emotional chaos that attacks you day to day. To deny yourself the right to find the humor in the midst of all the chaos is like denying yourself treatment that can cure an illness. So do yourself a favor and laugh, for crying out loud. Make a conscious effort to find the humor in all challenging situations. The moment you start laughing in the face of even your greatest fear, you instantly shift into a higher state of awareness.

Steve Rizzo www.steverizzo.com

The root of the problem is EXPOSURE vs. BEHAVIORAL CHANGE. Sitting in a class for a couple of hours or days is a good way to EXPOSE salespeople and sales managers to new skills and concepts. However, new skills often feel strange and uncomfortable. Many salespeople and sales managers worry that attempting to use the new skills with real, live prospects or customers will cost them sales and hard-won credibility. So, they abandon the new skills and continue to rely on "old" behaviors that are more comfortable for them.

This is the 6-step process I recommend clients follow if they want to accomplish lasting BEHAVIORAL CHANGE:

1. The desired changes must become part of management's daily dialogue with salespeople and sales support personnel. This shows that management is serious about implementing the changes. (It's not just "the flavor of the month.")

2. Sales managers must learn how to help their salespeople become comfortable executing the new approaches. This means they need to become proficient in the new skills themselves and be prepared to oversee frequent practice sessions for their salespeople.

3. Salespeople are trained in the new approaches. This training can be delivered in person or via webinars/teleconferences.

4. Sales training skills and concepts are repeatedly practiced by salespeople until they become second nature. This is accomplished through role plays and other interactive training activities.

5. Sales managers hold their salespeople accountable for using the new approaches. They make it clear that these are NOT OPTIONAL activities!

6. Sales managers consistently and repeatedly inspect their salespeople's activities to confirm they are actively applying the new approaches.

Alan Rigg www.8020SalesLeader.com