I recently got to be a guest on the Innovabuzz Podcast with my friend Jürgen Strauss. We are both members of Pick My Brain which is a community based on the opportunity to sit and chat with others about a specialty that they have. Check out Jürgen's profile here and check out Chris' profile here.
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Making a contribution in life and business
Do you want to help people or make a contribution? Helping people implies that they have a problem and can put people on the defensive. If we contribute then we are a guide along the path. We can collaborate with people and maybe find a beneficial solution. On this podcast, Sales Made Easy with Harry Spaight, we talk about:
- The Red Chair Experience
- What was the inspiration for the book
- What can you you get from the book
- What is a red chair experience and how do you find yours
- How to contribute to others success.
Affirmations in Your Life
“I’m an artist; affirmation is like catnip to me.” – Andrea Riseborough
Are you someone that feels the tug and need for affirmation? I am that type of person. I can be left to do a job and when I am finished it is not enough for me to know that I have done a good job. I like to hear that other people think I did a good job as well. Once I hear that I can move on but if I do not hear that I start to wonder if they think I am doing a decent job. That can lead to too many conversations in my head that usually do not end well for me.
Building Value with Danielle Putnam of The New Flat Rate
Do you know how to build value? What kind of value do you build? One that is valuable to you or those around you? Can you transfer that value or better yet, help others to see the value for them?
Whether you are selling or a business owner you need to know how to build value, not just for you but for everyone else around you. As a business owner, you must learn how to help your employees feel valued. As a salesperson you must help the customer see the value in your product or service.
Have you had a life long dream come true?
You have dream that you have been working on for a while. You have been putting in the work. Making the changes in your life, sacrificing, and now you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. You are at the starting line for the 5K you have been training for. You are on the plane headed for the destination that you have saved for years to visit. You wrote a book, it has been edited, and you finally have a book cover design that brings it all to reality. How are you feeling at this point? Nervous, excited, happy that this long process is finally coming to an end?
When You Survive This
This title could be a mantra, a reminder of what you want or need in your life. It could be a speech given by a coach or a mentor that inspires you to push through the tough times or the grief. It could be something that you say to yourself over and over to help remind yourself of the great things to come. It is a short story, and the above is only a small clip of the total short story. Learn more about the author Peter Chyikowski.
What Impression Are You Leaving?
Being in sales, this quote may challenge you to say not me. You want to make sure that the message is getting across to your customer or that you were able to persuade them. Yet, they may be thinking of nothing more than how you made them feel after you have gone and cannot remember what you said or did while you were in their presence.
You Can Never Go Back
I used to think that I could always go back to things, and they would be the same as before, a friendship, a romantic
relationship, even a chore around the house. The reality is you can never go back to the same situation with the same expectations! You have changed, they have changed, and maybe even the situation has changed. Things are constantly changing all around us and they change us. Though nothing may have physically changed, I have walked away from puzzles and returned hours or days later to find the solution staring me in the face. My perspective did change. When it came to relationships, it took separation from some of those for me to realize this truth. I wanted to go back to the way things were and the comfort or familiarity of that relationship, but I could not. I did not realize it, until much later, that things have changed, sometimes significantly on either side or both sides. I would get frustrated by the lack of emotional connection because I was looking for a familiar feeling or positive memory. That was in the past and it was hard to realize or come to grips with that. Every day we are making steps towards positive or negative growth whether we want to or not, we never stay the same. I heard this when I was in my late 20’s or early 30’s and it has always stuck with me. At times, I could see this clearly and not so much at others.
If you are in sales and you think that you can pick up where you left off, you might find that the situation has changed, a lot. People have good days and bad days. People change jobs and their personal world changes outside of you and them. The world keeps spinning even though we do not want to admit that some times. So, what can you do to stay connected with your clients? It's called nurturing the leads. If you are not spending time connecting with your clients, whether via email, phone call, text or even stopping in to see them, then you are not helping your clients or nurturing the relationship. You may actually be losing them. If you keep in touch with the clients, you will change as they change and you will both see the change. It will be easier to connect and help them out as their needs have probably changed as well.
Connect with us via social media or set up a time for a free 30-minute conversation to see how you can keep up with the changing times.
3 Keys to offering maintenance agreements
Do you struggle with low call volumes for the technicians in the slower months? Would you rather send a technician on a call then send them home at noon? What can you do to help them understand the importance of the annual maintenance agreement? Some service techs are great at offering annual maintenance agreements (AMA’s) and some struggle with it. Like most items that the technicians offer it usually comes down to three things.
What advice would you give your younger self?
This is a great question to ask when you are talking to someone with much more experience in your industry. Generally, they will tell you to look out for this or that. Get your accounting on track from day one, charge the proper amount for your services, build a savings for a rainy day. Sometimes we want to do all things in the business, sales, install, accounting, etc. And there is no way we can do all those things effectively long term. Sometimes, we do not have a choice but to do all those things but when we can afford to give them up one by one, it frees you up to do the things that you love to do.