I went to a primary school parent teacher meeting last night for my daughter. I was interested in particularly in the rating my daughter received for her behaviour in class. Every school report until now she received an ‘Excellent’ rating. This term she received a ‘Good’. Curious, I enquired about this ‘drop’ in rating. The teacher responded that she never likes to give out excellent on anything half way through the year. Do you get the logic behind this? If you do would you mind explaining it to me?
I was immediately reminded of an experiment conducted in 1974 by a school district in Chicago Illinois. You know the type of study, the type that couldn’t be replicated these days because of ethical reasons. One school divided a group of twelve year olds into three different classes. The class was full of high performing students and the teacher assigned to that class was told that ‘great things’ can be expected of the students. The second class was full of ‘average’ students and the teacher assigned was told that some of the students may do well, most will probably be average. The third class was full of the ‘lowest’ performers and the teacher assigned was told ‘just do the best you can!’
True to form at the end of the school year the high performer class achieved the highest results. The average class achieved average results and the low performing class achieved the worst results. The only hitch was all three classes were actually filled with a combination of high, average and low performing students. The conclusion; students can blossom or be stifled by expectations and limiting beliefs of their teachers.
It got me wondering about the impact our limiting thoughts and beliefs can have on the people we interact with every day. What is the impact of expecting less of people based on past behaviour? What could the possibilities be if we expect more from them? Interesting food for thought...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
The Devil Inside – Toward or Away?
At NNC we often discuss some of NLP’s Motivational Thinking Styles and how our patterns of thinking translate into our attitudes, behaviours and ways of communicating. The one that has had the biggest impact on understanding myself and how I interact with others is called Motivation: Toward & Away. This Thinking Style relates to how we are motivated and in which direction we will move – either toward achieving an objective or goal; or away from potential problems or consequences. There is a questionnaire we often give clients to complete which helps them to identify their Thinking Style preferences, but even without this I instantly knew that I was more Away from.
What’s interesting is the conflicts your Toward and Away motivations can cause in life. Being more Away in my thinking has not just been positive in inspiring me to challenge myself and work harder, but has also often held me back from doing many things. Thinking about the things I value most in life, I have a strong desire for success, achievement and personal growth (my Toward values). On the other hand, I’ll do anything to move away from feeling fear, failure, inadequacy or disappointment (my Away values). I can think of hundreds of times when my fear of failure and looking stupid or inadequate has stopped me from trying something new – literally stopped me from having the success, achievement and personal growth that I’ve wanted. Anthony Robbins talks about Toward & Away in terms of Pleasure and Pain…and when the Divinyls sang about it ‘being a fine line’ they certainly knew what they were talking about! Risking the option of pain, humiliation or failure didn’t seem worth the potential enjoyment and accomplishment I might have been rewarded with…….or was it??
Imagine a life where you’re so afraid of what MIGHT happen, that you create that world for yourself before it’s even a reality. And despite never really being able to have a guarantee that you won’t fall on your arse a few times, what’s worse….always wondering ‘what if’, or suffering a few minor setbacks on your way to glory (wow, there can actually be more pain in not doing it, then giving it a try!) So although that little ‘devil’ Away voice is still useful at times - when I want to think practically about how to avoid potential problems or pitfalls - my ‘angel’ Toward voice often spurs me on to look at the solutions to overcome these bumps in the road and summon the courage to at least give it a shot. Let’s face it, for many people public speaking is a fate worse then death and ten years ago I would have joined them in that club. Now I stand up in front of groups delivering training programs as part of my job – still nervous and a little insecure at times, but willing to slap that fear in the face and do it anyway. Who would have thought it? At times I still have to battle with some of my Away thinking, but having some self awareness and focusing on being the ‘Little Engine That Could’ (“I think I can….I think I can…”), then I can continue to look forward rather then backwards and score goals that I never thought possible.
For more about NLP Thinking Styles or completing a profile, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: gina@neuralnetworks.com.au
What’s interesting is the conflicts your Toward and Away motivations can cause in life. Being more Away in my thinking has not just been positive in inspiring me to challenge myself and work harder, but has also often held me back from doing many things. Thinking about the things I value most in life, I have a strong desire for success, achievement and personal growth (my Toward values). On the other hand, I’ll do anything to move away from feeling fear, failure, inadequacy or disappointment (my Away values). I can think of hundreds of times when my fear of failure and looking stupid or inadequate has stopped me from trying something new – literally stopped me from having the success, achievement and personal growth that I’ve wanted. Anthony Robbins talks about Toward & Away in terms of Pleasure and Pain…and when the Divinyls sang about it ‘being a fine line’ they certainly knew what they were talking about! Risking the option of pain, humiliation or failure didn’t seem worth the potential enjoyment and accomplishment I might have been rewarded with…….or was it??
Imagine a life where you’re so afraid of what MIGHT happen, that you create that world for yourself before it’s even a reality. And despite never really being able to have a guarantee that you won’t fall on your arse a few times, what’s worse….always wondering ‘what if’, or suffering a few minor setbacks on your way to glory (wow, there can actually be more pain in not doing it, then giving it a try!) So although that little ‘devil’ Away voice is still useful at times - when I want to think practically about how to avoid potential problems or pitfalls - my ‘angel’ Toward voice often spurs me on to look at the solutions to overcome these bumps in the road and summon the courage to at least give it a shot. Let’s face it, for many people public speaking is a fate worse then death and ten years ago I would have joined them in that club. Now I stand up in front of groups delivering training programs as part of my job – still nervous and a little insecure at times, but willing to slap that fear in the face and do it anyway. Who would have thought it? At times I still have to battle with some of my Away thinking, but having some self awareness and focusing on being the ‘Little Engine That Could’ (“I think I can….I think I can…”), then I can continue to look forward rather then backwards and score goals that I never thought possible.
For more about NLP Thinking Styles or completing a profile, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: gina@neuralnetworks.com.au
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Influence
It was 10am on a Saturday morning and I was walking home from a friend’s apartment in Sydney when a man in construction style clothes, covered in dirt and white paint, came up to me in the street and asked if I would please give him some assistance. As he was so polite, I followed him to see how I could help.
He lead me to his Holden Commodore (probably 5 years old) and began to show me where thieves had scratched the door panel and broken the lock to the drivers side door. He continued to tell me how his mobile phone, wallet and sunglasses were all stolen. He also showed me that the thieves had attempted to start the car by jamming something into the ignition because it too was scratched.
Still unsure of what the man wanted, I asked “so what can I do to help?” He responded by telling me that the car only had about 5 Kilometres of petrol left and that he needed to get to a petrol station to fill up. He then asked me for directions to the nearest petrol station. I gave him directions and he thanked me kindly for assisting him. Just before he let me go, he also asked if I could possibly give him $50 for petrol because he would also need to pay for it and get home. He promised to take my details and pay me back.
I reached into my pocket and I had $20 which I gave to him because he obviously needed the help, of course I did not ask for him to return the money because he clearly needed it and it was no great burden on me.
This was a great lesson for me on the power of influence! As I reflected on the situation, I wonder if the man had simply walked up to me and asked for $50 because his car had been broken into and he needed to get home and didn’t have his wallet or phone… would I have obliged? I seriously doubt it.
The man completely involved me in his story. He gave me a background of what had happened, showed me how it impacted him and the result of what the thieves had done. Because I felt so involved, I felt obliged to help him out of his situation. Walking away at that time would have created a major values conflict for me. How could I walk away and not help this man?
It’s not how you make your request that makes the difference in life; it’s what you do before you make your request that ultimately decides the outcome.
He lead me to his Holden Commodore (probably 5 years old) and began to show me where thieves had scratched the door panel and broken the lock to the drivers side door. He continued to tell me how his mobile phone, wallet and sunglasses were all stolen. He also showed me that the thieves had attempted to start the car by jamming something into the ignition because it too was scratched.
Still unsure of what the man wanted, I asked “so what can I do to help?” He responded by telling me that the car only had about 5 Kilometres of petrol left and that he needed to get to a petrol station to fill up. He then asked me for directions to the nearest petrol station. I gave him directions and he thanked me kindly for assisting him. Just before he let me go, he also asked if I could possibly give him $50 for petrol because he would also need to pay for it and get home. He promised to take my details and pay me back.
I reached into my pocket and I had $20 which I gave to him because he obviously needed the help, of course I did not ask for him to return the money because he clearly needed it and it was no great burden on me.
This was a great lesson for me on the power of influence! As I reflected on the situation, I wonder if the man had simply walked up to me and asked for $50 because his car had been broken into and he needed to get home and didn’t have his wallet or phone… would I have obliged? I seriously doubt it.
The man completely involved me in his story. He gave me a background of what had happened, showed me how it impacted him and the result of what the thieves had done. Because I felt so involved, I felt obliged to help him out of his situation. Walking away at that time would have created a major values conflict for me. How could I walk away and not help this man?
It’s not how you make your request that makes the difference in life; it’s what you do before you make your request that ultimately decides the outcome.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Retention Matters
It’s great to be able to acquire new clients. Imagine how much better you would feel if you could also keep the ones you already have?
A large number of the organisations that I visit as part of my travels with Neural Networks, place massive focus on growing their client base through sales activities. What is wrong with placing all your focus on sales activities? Simply put, while they are focusing heavily on getting people through the front door, they may not be noticing the ones leaving via the back door.
A lack of focus on retention activities can also directly relate to the financial performance of organisations. Every year organisations traditionally spend large amounts of money on improving overall sales capabilities and usually align this to their strategic objectives and sales targets to increase revenue generation. Often this turns out to be a wasted investment if they fail to minimise leakage, particularly in relation to existing customers.
One of the things that we heavily focus on at Neural Networks is building value around the products and services that organisations provide to new and existing customers. This is integral in not only ensuring that they meet the customers criteria, but also assists with creating a strong and lasting relationship with the customer based on experience. Further to this, if organisations are not identifying and meeting the true criteria of their new and existing customers every time they have contact with them, they may not be leaving a good impression. Organisations can make it harder for their customers to leave by providing excellent service to them at every opportunity. This way the thought of leaving will not have any reason to enter their mind. People will often pay a higher price and stay where they get good service that always meets their criteria.
There is a real opportunity for many organisations to increase the level of focus that they place on customer service and ultimately retention activities. The idea would be for organisations to place the same level of focus on these areas that they do on sales. This will assist with ensuring that their people are not losing revenue at the same time as generating it. Sales people tend to focus solely on sales activities, because that is their job, and that is what they get rewarded for. It is also easy to identify the rewards that sales people receive for achieving or exceeding target, because this usually takes the form of cold hard cash. A question that I always ask when working in service environments is how do you reward your service representatives for providing great service? The scary part is that I rarely get an answer!
Another interesting observation that I have made recently, is that people in both sales and service environments do not hear the signals that customers provide in relation to ceasing their business relationship. I often suspect that they hear the customer providing a hint, but lack the skill and confidence to be able to retain them. In this instance, they may take the easy way out and find a way to agree with the customer, therefore proactively opening the back door and watching them drive off into the sunset. Addressing this issue is a quick win for many organisations in relation to achieving sustainable growth by plugging the leaks and gaining maximum benefit from acquisition activities. The process can start by simply educating people to listen for the signals and actively respond to the customer’s criteria relating to why they want to change the current situation.
In a nutshell, I feel it gets down to three things:
· Get the sales – but realise that this is only step one
· Provide outstanding service to your new and existing customers – do not provide them with a reason to leave
· Pay attention to the whispers before they turn into screams – look for the signals that a customer is providing and actively respond in an attempt to keep them
To talk more about customer service and retention matters, please call me (03)9555 7955 or E: scott@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au/
A large number of the organisations that I visit as part of my travels with Neural Networks, place massive focus on growing their client base through sales activities. What is wrong with placing all your focus on sales activities? Simply put, while they are focusing heavily on getting people through the front door, they may not be noticing the ones leaving via the back door.
A lack of focus on retention activities can also directly relate to the financial performance of organisations. Every year organisations traditionally spend large amounts of money on improving overall sales capabilities and usually align this to their strategic objectives and sales targets to increase revenue generation. Often this turns out to be a wasted investment if they fail to minimise leakage, particularly in relation to existing customers.
One of the things that we heavily focus on at Neural Networks is building value around the products and services that organisations provide to new and existing customers. This is integral in not only ensuring that they meet the customers criteria, but also assists with creating a strong and lasting relationship with the customer based on experience. Further to this, if organisations are not identifying and meeting the true criteria of their new and existing customers every time they have contact with them, they may not be leaving a good impression. Organisations can make it harder for their customers to leave by providing excellent service to them at every opportunity. This way the thought of leaving will not have any reason to enter their mind. People will often pay a higher price and stay where they get good service that always meets their criteria.
There is a real opportunity for many organisations to increase the level of focus that they place on customer service and ultimately retention activities. The idea would be for organisations to place the same level of focus on these areas that they do on sales. This will assist with ensuring that their people are not losing revenue at the same time as generating it. Sales people tend to focus solely on sales activities, because that is their job, and that is what they get rewarded for. It is also easy to identify the rewards that sales people receive for achieving or exceeding target, because this usually takes the form of cold hard cash. A question that I always ask when working in service environments is how do you reward your service representatives for providing great service? The scary part is that I rarely get an answer!
Another interesting observation that I have made recently, is that people in both sales and service environments do not hear the signals that customers provide in relation to ceasing their business relationship. I often suspect that they hear the customer providing a hint, but lack the skill and confidence to be able to retain them. In this instance, they may take the easy way out and find a way to agree with the customer, therefore proactively opening the back door and watching them drive off into the sunset. Addressing this issue is a quick win for many organisations in relation to achieving sustainable growth by plugging the leaks and gaining maximum benefit from acquisition activities. The process can start by simply educating people to listen for the signals and actively respond to the customer’s criteria relating to why they want to change the current situation.
In a nutshell, I feel it gets down to three things:
· Get the sales – but realise that this is only step one
· Provide outstanding service to your new and existing customers – do not provide them with a reason to leave
· Pay attention to the whispers before they turn into screams – look for the signals that a customer is providing and actively respond in an attempt to keep them
To talk more about customer service and retention matters, please call me (03)9555 7955 or E: scott@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au/
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Watch the Recruitment Trap!
I have worked in a number of different roles ranging from HR Strategy through to Operational Management in IT. This means I‘ve spent many years recruiting staff, whether for my own team, being on an interview panel for colleagues, or across an organization as the HR representative. I have to confess that I started out fairly naïve about how to recruit well. I believed the hype that behavioural interviewing was the be-all and end-all of interview techniques. What I came to realize is that this only gives you someone who has had experience in the field you are recruiting for and perhaps you miss out on a complete genius wanting a career change. Not only that, you don’t know whether your organizational culture will motivate them or make them desperately unhappy, or whether the way they work will fit in with your current team.
The other little trap I discovered early on is that we like people who are like ourselves. You know what I mean. They walk into the interview room and you instantly like them. They talk in a way that you can relate to and give most of the right examples. They might not have all the criteria you are looking for but you are willing to forgive them because they are just such a nice person. WATCH OUT!
Recruiting someone similar to you might be what your team needs, but more often than not you are not creating the balance that you need in order to deliver on your operational demands. I learnt from a colleague how wonderful it is to have someone challenge you during an interview and then to consider how that challenge might play out in the workplace. It could make your company grow, allow you to grow in your career by broadening your perspective, or just be a lot of fun.
Working with NNC I have been involved in the development of a recruitment strategy that makes a distinct step away from the (now) traditional behavioural/skills based recruiting. We focus on natural talents and the values that motivate someone at work. We also have some other clever tricks that we use like modeling your top performers to see what it is that makes them so good so we can use that information. Combining this with understanding how someone’s emotional intelligence contributes to their role, we have a recruitment process that gets it right the first time. And what we love most is being able to pass this process over to you so you can keep on recruiting right.
If you want to know more about how to establish a successful recruitment process for your organisation, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: roz@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au
Rosalinda
The other little trap I discovered early on is that we like people who are like ourselves. You know what I mean. They walk into the interview room and you instantly like them. They talk in a way that you can relate to and give most of the right examples. They might not have all the criteria you are looking for but you are willing to forgive them because they are just such a nice person. WATCH OUT!
Recruiting someone similar to you might be what your team needs, but more often than not you are not creating the balance that you need in order to deliver on your operational demands. I learnt from a colleague how wonderful it is to have someone challenge you during an interview and then to consider how that challenge might play out in the workplace. It could make your company grow, allow you to grow in your career by broadening your perspective, or just be a lot of fun.
Working with NNC I have been involved in the development of a recruitment strategy that makes a distinct step away from the (now) traditional behavioural/skills based recruiting. We focus on natural talents and the values that motivate someone at work. We also have some other clever tricks that we use like modeling your top performers to see what it is that makes them so good so we can use that information. Combining this with understanding how someone’s emotional intelligence contributes to their role, we have a recruitment process that gets it right the first time. And what we love most is being able to pass this process over to you so you can keep on recruiting right.
If you want to know more about how to establish a successful recruitment process for your organisation, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: roz@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au
Rosalinda
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Different Maps of the World
Respect of others
Many of us were brought up to believe or at least have heard the old Elizabethan saying ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ In plain English it means ‘treat people they way you would like to be treated.’
Following this noble value is probably not a bad way to live your life….or is it? Think about it carefully. Many people take this ideal too far with staff, partners, children and friends. - urging others to do what we decide will be good for them!
It’s a very common attitude. If I like eating lightly cooked eggs, baked beans and mushrooms I may assume everyone else does too. I had a personally experience recently when I invited my best friends over for dinner and served one of my favourite meals only to find that they had recently stopped eating dairy products. Imagine my annoyance that my friends didn’t want this great meal I have cooked as I put half a lasagne in the bin!.
This same attitude prevails in the business world today. You should do things they way I think they should be done or they way I do them. When a colleague or staff member comes to us for guidance on how to complete a task we may respond with ‘how we think it should be done.’ Perhaps we should change the Elizabethan saying to ‘Impose unto others as you would do unto yourself.’
Unique Maps of the world
Each of us has different tastes. Different views. Different needs. Different ways of thinking. Each of us experiences the world differently.
Imagine drawing a map of the route you take to get from home to work regularly. That map would be your unique representation of your journey to work every day. Now imagine I looked at you map and said ‘actually you map isn’t the best route, you should go this way. Use my map instead of yours.’ How would you react? Most of would be entitled to think ‘what makes your map better than mine? Isn’t there almost always more than one way routine? And isn’t the best routine in the eye of the beholder?
I think this is a good metaphor for how many people try to influence staff today. They often impose their map of the world (on how things should be done) on staff and with the same act invalidate any other views. Should they be surprised when they face resistance or discomfort from staff?
“But I meant well…!”
It’s all done with the best of intentions, of course. Other people’s views are ignored because we assume that everyone is like us and that our approach is best. There is no need to ask what the other person’s would like or how they would like to be treated, because we have good intentions.
“You should be grateful…!”
With this common way of thinking you may not check whether the other person is happy with our generous advice because we are acting with good intentions. As long as we mean well they should be grateful for what we do for you – whether they want it or not. Whether or not it is appropriate. Whether or not they like it.
Action Points
Any leader who wants to be more effective at influencing their staff needs to understand their map of the world and start adding to the map rather than trying to impose your map on them. At Neural Networks Consulting (NNC) we put this philosophy at the heart of all our training. You should ensure it is at the heart of your leadership training too. Other actions you can take include
1. Aim to walk in their shoes. Take a real interest in what is important to each of your staff. In what they like and dislike. In what they fear, enjoy, believe and value.
2. Spend the next two weeks understanding their ‘map of the world.’ Ask a lot more questions and make a lot less statements. Turn your Transmit button off-and turn your Receive button on.
3. Use more Open rather than Closed questions.
4. Listen to answers you get and utilise the information from these answers in the conversation.
To find out more about how NNC can assist your business check out our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au/ or contact me on P: (03) 9555 7955
E: andrew@neuralnetworks.com.au
Respect of others
Many of us were brought up to believe or at least have heard the old Elizabethan saying ‘do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ In plain English it means ‘treat people they way you would like to be treated.’
Following this noble value is probably not a bad way to live your life….or is it? Think about it carefully. Many people take this ideal too far with staff, partners, children and friends. - urging others to do what we decide will be good for them!
It’s a very common attitude. If I like eating lightly cooked eggs, baked beans and mushrooms I may assume everyone else does too. I had a personally experience recently when I invited my best friends over for dinner and served one of my favourite meals only to find that they had recently stopped eating dairy products. Imagine my annoyance that my friends didn’t want this great meal I have cooked as I put half a lasagne in the bin!.
This same attitude prevails in the business world today. You should do things they way I think they should be done or they way I do them. When a colleague or staff member comes to us for guidance on how to complete a task we may respond with ‘how we think it should be done.’ Perhaps we should change the Elizabethan saying to ‘Impose unto others as you would do unto yourself.’
Unique Maps of the world
Each of us has different tastes. Different views. Different needs. Different ways of thinking. Each of us experiences the world differently.
Imagine drawing a map of the route you take to get from home to work regularly. That map would be your unique representation of your journey to work every day. Now imagine I looked at you map and said ‘actually you map isn’t the best route, you should go this way. Use my map instead of yours.’ How would you react? Most of would be entitled to think ‘what makes your map better than mine? Isn’t there almost always more than one way routine? And isn’t the best routine in the eye of the beholder?
I think this is a good metaphor for how many people try to influence staff today. They often impose their map of the world (on how things should be done) on staff and with the same act invalidate any other views. Should they be surprised when they face resistance or discomfort from staff?
“But I meant well…!”
It’s all done with the best of intentions, of course. Other people’s views are ignored because we assume that everyone is like us and that our approach is best. There is no need to ask what the other person’s would like or how they would like to be treated, because we have good intentions.
“You should be grateful…!”
With this common way of thinking you may not check whether the other person is happy with our generous advice because we are acting with good intentions. As long as we mean well they should be grateful for what we do for you – whether they want it or not. Whether or not it is appropriate. Whether or not they like it.
Action Points
Any leader who wants to be more effective at influencing their staff needs to understand their map of the world and start adding to the map rather than trying to impose your map on them. At Neural Networks Consulting (NNC) we put this philosophy at the heart of all our training. You should ensure it is at the heart of your leadership training too. Other actions you can take include
1. Aim to walk in their shoes. Take a real interest in what is important to each of your staff. In what they like and dislike. In what they fear, enjoy, believe and value.
2. Spend the next two weeks understanding their ‘map of the world.’ Ask a lot more questions and make a lot less statements. Turn your Transmit button off-and turn your Receive button on.
3. Use more Open rather than Closed questions.
4. Listen to answers you get and utilise the information from these answers in the conversation.
To find out more about how NNC can assist your business check out our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au/ or contact me on P: (03) 9555 7955
E: andrew@neuralnetworks.com.au
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
How People Buy
Like many women, I’ll openly admit that I like to shop! However, it wasn’t until I started working at Neural Networks Consulting (NNC) that I truly understood what was behind my purchasing decisions and how crucial this process is for all salespeople to know.
Being a fairly rational and practical person it would be nice to say that my buying decisions are motivated by having a logical need. But if you get right down to the nuts and bolts of it….they are purely emotional. Let me give you a classic example on purchasing a pair of shoes. I’m nowhere near Imelda Marcos, but I do have one side of my whole closet taken up with different types of shoes – thongs, sandals, high heels, sneakers, canvas casuals, boots....the list goes on. Now if I was completely honest I would have to say that I probably only regularly wear about five different pairs depending on the occasion. In fact, I still have some hidden in there that I’ve never actually worn! So what is it that compels me to keep buying them?
It’s more then just the logical features and benefits that many salespeople cling to. It’s all a matter of understanding my emotional buying criteria at the time. How much taller and more powerful will I feel? Will my legs look longer and slimmer? Will they look cute with that outfit? How sexy and feminine do they make me feel? Are they warm, supportive, comfortable etc. etc. etc…..? And where does price fit into the equation? We may buy based on emotion, but we justify our decisions with logic and this is what my husband hears when I get home carrying another shoebox under my arm. “They were half price. I needed them for work. They are good quality so they’ll last me for ages.” Realistically that didn’t have anything to do with the underlying reason for buying those shoes, but sometimes we need that logic to get us over the line and be able to talk ourselves into (or out of) making that final decision.
So if you’re working in a sales environment stop flogging product based on features and benefits, expecting these to motivate everyone in the same way. Spend the time exploring what the emotional buying reasons of your customers are and you’re much more likely to have sales success.
If you’d like to know how NNC can help you or your organisation become more effective salespeople, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: gina@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au
Being a fairly rational and practical person it would be nice to say that my buying decisions are motivated by having a logical need. But if you get right down to the nuts and bolts of it….they are purely emotional. Let me give you a classic example on purchasing a pair of shoes. I’m nowhere near Imelda Marcos, but I do have one side of my whole closet taken up with different types of shoes – thongs, sandals, high heels, sneakers, canvas casuals, boots....the list goes on. Now if I was completely honest I would have to say that I probably only regularly wear about five different pairs depending on the occasion. In fact, I still have some hidden in there that I’ve never actually worn! So what is it that compels me to keep buying them?
It’s more then just the logical features and benefits that many salespeople cling to. It’s all a matter of understanding my emotional buying criteria at the time. How much taller and more powerful will I feel? Will my legs look longer and slimmer? Will they look cute with that outfit? How sexy and feminine do they make me feel? Are they warm, supportive, comfortable etc. etc. etc…..? And where does price fit into the equation? We may buy based on emotion, but we justify our decisions with logic and this is what my husband hears when I get home carrying another shoebox under my arm. “They were half price. I needed them for work. They are good quality so they’ll last me for ages.” Realistically that didn’t have anything to do with the underlying reason for buying those shoes, but sometimes we need that logic to get us over the line and be able to talk ourselves into (or out of) making that final decision.
So if you’re working in a sales environment stop flogging product based on features and benefits, expecting these to motivate everyone in the same way. Spend the time exploring what the emotional buying reasons of your customers are and you’re much more likely to have sales success.
If you’d like to know how NNC can help you or your organisation become more effective salespeople, contact me on T: (03) 9555 7955 E: gina@neuralnetworks.com.au or visit our website at http://www.neuralnetworks.com.au
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