Communications – Page 49 – thoughtLEADERS, LLC: Leadership Training for the Real World

If You Want to Close the Deal, Go Naked

March 29, 2010/7 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Entrepreneur, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

No one will deny business has become infinitely more complex and exponentially more efficient. Kind of. The challenge we face in the information age is there’s too much frickin’ information. Even worse, you’re usually trying to cut through the clutter to make your sale. It can be you’re selling a product, a service, or an idea to internal customers but the point is you’re always selling something.

Well I have news folks. I found a new trick for cutting through that clutter to make the sale: go naked.

I know how important clarity of communications is to making these sales. Heck, a huge part of my business is based on clear, concise communications training. You wouldn’t believe how much demand there is for tools to help us persuade and influence people more effectively and efficiently. One of the first blog posts I ever wrote was about getting to the “so what?” in a compelling way.

I try to practice what I preach. I try to make my communications succinct and punchy. I don’t always succeed. I’m always looking for new ways to get to “yes” with my audience. The other day I tried a new one. I went naked to two separate and hugely important meetings. And it felt so good I plan on going naked much more often.

Since you all know I kept my clothes on for those meetings (really being naked would be kinda creepy) let me explain what I mean.

It’s Okay to be a Social Networking Clown

March 8, 2010/0 Comments/in Balanced Lifestyle, Communications, Social Media /by Mike Figliuolo

Nothing annoys me more than being told how to do something. It’s okay to have an opinion but to put oneself in a position of authority as an expert and tell others the right and wrong way to do something is a slippery slope. Unless you’re instructing someone on brain surgery, defusing a bomb, or landing a plane, you really have nothing more than opinion.

If you’re at all like me you’re probably sick and tired of people telling you the “right” way and “wrong” way to use blogs, twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, and any other communication tool. Heck, I’ve been guilty of telling you how not to destroy your network by using such tools.

The problem is we forget one major thing – we’re human and we each have individual personalities that are as unique as snowflakes. All these “experts” telling us the “right way” to use these tools squash that individuality and personality. Conformity breeds contentment, boredom, lack of innovation, and general curmudgeonliness.

I’m here to spread a different message today – it’s okay to occasionally act like a clown (and I know clowns can be scary but there’s therapy for that). And if you’re not doing so, you’re really missing out. How dare I say that? Here’s how…

Think about three people you love being around (other than your family). Now why do you like being around them? Likely because they’re interesting. They’re fun. They’re different than everybody else (including you). They make you laugh. They make you think. Sometimes they get you pretty upset. But they’re anything but boring.

Making Your But More Powerful

February 3, 2010/3 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest blogger is Brian Ahearn who has written here before. Once again, we’re talking about buts. Sorry – I couldn’t resist acting like a third grader there. Take it away Brian before this goes further downhill…

A few weeks ago I read Mike’s article Managerial Miscues: The But(t) Sandwich (Reprise) and told him I really liked it but…

The article addressed how people often blow it when it comes to bringing about behavioral changes because all too often they want to appear nice so they say something nice then finish with “but…” and take the other person to the proverbial woodshed. Not effective management.

I teach classes on ethical influence and persuasion and one of the things I talk about with people is the power of transitional words like “but” and “however.” We focus on how to strategically use those words to make the most effective presentation because small changes can make a big impact!

Here’s the basic teaching point for you to remember when it comes to transitional words – people forget what comes before “but” and focus on what comes after. For example, has anyone ever said this to you, “Honey, I love you but…”? Odds are, all you remembered was the hammer falling after hearing the word “but.”

So how can you use your but better?

Managerial Miscues: “The But(t) Sandwich” (Reprise)

January 27, 2010/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

Every once in a while history repeats itself. Those who fail to learn from it are doomed to repeat it. This post is in the spirit of that truism. Today I heard about someone receiving the infamous “but” sandwich form of feedback. Given that, I can’t help but post some thoughts I shared way back in January 08. I’m also posting it for the benefit of the thousands of new folks who read this blog nowadays versus the 11 or so who read it back then (and I know you guys are too busy/lazy to go find this in the archives…). So here’s a good wayback post that is just as true today as it was back then.

A really cool thing happened today – I had a referral come to this blog from a prestigious newspaper’s website forum on career and management styles. At first I was like “Wow! I’ve been noticed by a leading periodical.” Then I read the content of one of the posts on the site and lost my mind. No – the post wasn’t something bad about me or my blog. It was offering advice that made me cringe as a professional manager.

The advice was about how to give critical feedback to your team members. It suggested:

“Use the ‘sandwich technique.’ When delivering a critique, it’s important to censure the behavior, not the individual. One of the easiest ways to encourage receptivity is to preface your criticism with a positive statement about the person’s job performance or character. Once you’ve fortified his ego, deliver the bad news. Ensure that he received the message, and knows how to correct the situation. Then close the conversation with an affirmation.”

Pardon me. I just had an embolism.

The Best of thoughtLEADERS 09: Why Your Team Hates You and Other Gems

December 29, 2009/1 Comment/in Career, Communications, Customer Service, Leadership, Social Media, Strategy, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

I’m an idiot (no comments). I almost forgot to give you this year in review list of the BEST posts we’ve published this year. This list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work as judged by you the readers (with a little of our discretion thrown in). We’ve also included a few hidden gems we think deserve another shot in the spotlight. There’s also a kicker bonus post on the list just for good measure (it’s a “wayback” – and speaking of wayback, check out the photo on the trophy… yes… that’s me ’80’s style baby!).

Enjoy. Share. We’ve loved writing them. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading them. Thanks for your incredible support in ’09 and best wishes for ’10! We hope to be a part of your future success!

Enough sentimentality. Here’s the best stuff we’ve written all year:

Most Viewed and Forwarded Post: 10 Reasons Your Team Hates You (They Just Won’t Say It To Your Face). This post was viewed over 20,000 times. In 2 days. Wow. I’m pretty sure I pushed every button I could when I wrote this (insecurity, paranoia, a 10 point list, etc.). Learn the 10 most destructive behaviors you can exhibit as a leader (and learn how to fix them).

Do You Want Magic to Happen? Just Pick Up the Phone

December 14, 2009/4 Comments/in Career, Communications, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

Your business needs all the help it can get. A big part of that help comes in the form of customers, partners, and associates you hire. The problem is, all of those things are hard to come by.

Sure it’s easy to find them on the Internet. LinkedIn brings you a bevy of new candidates, websites point you to potential business partners, and if you don’t know how to find your customers, you need to step away from the computer right now and go file for unemployment.

For many of you it’s hard to convert all this information into real impact. Sure there are thousands of websites out there and profiles to look through but it’s not clear how to move all that data into the real world.

Even worse, I’m sure you know that one person who’s a rainmaker. They’re constantly landing new clients. New partnerships pop up on every side of them. Their team is always fully staffed with great talent. And we hate them for it. They make it look so easy.

I’m here to tell you that you can be that rainmaker. What’s the difference between you and them? They know how to punch 10 digits into this odd little machine called a phone. Here’s how it works:

Want People to Think You’re Brilliant? Then Don’t Say a Word

December 7, 2009/13 Comments/in Communications, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

We judge people based on our interactions with them. Their clothes, their looks, their coiff (yes, I’m looking at you Blagojevich), and most importantly, what they say. But remember, we are also judged by others on the same basis.

In difficult financial times, you’re eager to make a great impression. You want to blow away senior management with how brilliant you are. You want your customers to love you. You strive to influence business partners to work with you. The thing is, you’re probably trying too hard.

I recently had a couple of experiences that reaffirmed an important lesson I learned long ago but have occasionally forgotten. One of those experiences reminded me I hadn’t been applying the lesson and the other experience confirmed the power of the technique.

There’s one surefire way to guarantee people think you’re amazing: don’t say a word.

You read that correctly. Shut your pie hole and great things happen.

Did You Blink? 4 Leadership Trends You Can’t Afford to Miss

November 23, 2009/1 Comment/in Communications, Customer Service, Innovation, Leadership, Sales, Social Media, Training /by Mike Figliuolo

It’s been a crazy year. Bank implosions, wars, Adam Lambert not winning American Idol… craziness I tell you! It has also been a crazy year for leaders. Leading organizations through a turbulent economy has been a Herculean effort.

Fortunately for me, I sit in a position where I can watch leadership trends unfold across the many industries and companies we work with here at thoughtLEADERS. We’re blessed to have the opportunity to train some of the brightest client organizations out there.

This year, we’ve seen four major trends take center stage. If you’ve missed them, you’re missing huge opportunities to improve your organization. As a leader, you need every edge you can get so I encourage you to explore these trends and figure out how you can take advantage of them. So in no particular order, here are trends you can’t miss as a leader:

3 Keys to Getting Projects Approved by Slow Decision Makers

November 9, 2009/5 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Leadership /by Mike Figliuolo

You have a brilliant idea. It’s going to transform your business. It will help you get a huge leg up on your competitors and drive tons of money to the bottom line. Heck, if you can get this thing implemented you’ll probably get a big fat bonus and it’ll be a great holiday season at your house.

Here’s the catch – this idea is a little risky. It’s not fully proven in the market. There’s a chance of failure and with it, the loss of any investment the business makes. On balance, the risk-adjusted return from the project is astronomical but you have to get past the most difficult gate of all: the senior decision maker who has to approve the idea.

That’s no mean feat. Realize that many of these decision makers are busy and they might not have the same risk appetite you do. They might have a strong financial interest to NOT take on large risks (e.g., they have a large bonus coming if they hit their numbers this year and the risk of losing the investment you’re seeking would torpedo that bonus).

So how can you move the business forward in a climate where senior management is slow or hesitant to make a decision? Here are three things I’ve found to be extremely helpful in those situations.

Lessons from Leonidas the Spartan King: Why Shrinking Your Business is Smart

November 4, 2009/2 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Entrepreneur, Guest Blogger, Social Media, Strategy /by Mike Figliuolo

Today’s guest post is written by Brian Ahearn (no, that’s not his picture at left). Brian’s one of the most knowledgeable guys I know on the subject of influencing people (which is why he’s been a guest here before). Enjoy!

I conducted a workshop recently called Principles of Persuasion. During a break, one of the students said she’d had a conversation with her five-year-old son and expressed parental surprise over something he said. She told him she was going to a meeting about leadership at work. He told her they had talked about leadership at school and he knew what a leader was. He said leaders were people who had followers. Simple and to the point, his definition was right on. Out of the mouth of babes!

Let’s look at this leader/follower idea as it applies to the online world. If you’re on Twitter then you follow people and people follow you. In a sense, for those who follow you, you’re a leader. You might be a leader by virtue of your expertise in an area or simply because people find you interesting. But, by definition of our young friend, people have chosen to follow you and therefore you’re a leader.

Are You Telling Customers You Don’t Care if They Die?

November 2, 2009/5 Comments/in Communications, Customer Service, Sales /by Mike Figliuolo

If you have kids, you know the nauseating feeling of one of your kids going down for the count and having to rush to the emergency room. I had that wonderful experience very recently. What I learned from that visit to the ER is businesses can make very strong statements about how little they care about their customers simply through the processes they use to run the organization.

I’m betting you have a few standard business processes that leave your customers and prospects feeling like you don’t care if they die. First let’s understand the ER story then evaluate how it might apply to your organization. Yes, I’m back on the kick of talking about how stupid policies can destroy customer relationships.

My daughter was curled up in a ball on our couch. She was grabbing her stomach and howling in pain. After a quick set of questions, I made the decision to take her to the ER. I’ve done some consulting work in health care so I understand and appreciate that the ER is also a business.

Once we arrived, she laid down on a couch howling in pain while I was subjected to a barrage of questions to get her registered. Net time: 5 minutes. We then headed to triage. That’s when it started getting stupid and infuriating.

5 Reasons No One Reads Anything You Write

October 21, 2009/4 Comments/in Business Toolkit, Communications, Guest Blogger /by Mike Figliuolo

Please give a warm welcome to our guest blogger Chandra Clarke who is the founder and president of Scribendi.com.

It’s cool to complain about “information overload.” It’s less cool to realize you’re a big part of the problem.

Yes, you.

When we think about information overload, we tend to think about web sites, RSS feeds, videos, and podcasts – things other people produce. But you know what? You produce information too. Tons of it. Go have a quick look at your outbox. How many e-mails, memos, manuals, and reports have you sent out today?

Know what else? Nobody is reading it. Here’s why:

Hanging light bulbs with glowing one isolated on dark blue background

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