Cold Calling. What is it happening?

It’s funny…

Sales people blame prospects because they don’t give them enough attention.
Sales people blame sales people cold calling.
Sales people would like to sell more but they don’t want to talk to a new prospect by cold calling.

Receptionist don’t like cold calling.
Executives don’t like cold calling.
Executives blame sales people because they don’t make enough calls!

I think I made my point here. The question then is, Why?

Why would Sales people like to make more cold calls?
Why don’t Executives know how to make cold calls?
Why don’t Telesales trainers like to make cold calls?

AND THE ANSWER IS…

We need to bring Curiosity in a second through a Cold Call, but this is not an easy task because each person is different and each person can be impulse by different motivations.

The more impulsive we can be in the shortest period of time, the more present our prospect will be. Being in the present and grabbing people’s attention is the way to engage them.

To find out more, come along to our “Effective Communications & Human Relations “preview on 16th November at 6.00pm at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel.

Jose Bort
Performance Consultant

Be Ready for this Funny Old World

So there it was, just round the corner, this blaze of white. Fresh, beautiful and vibrant.
This sudden warm spell of the last few days here in the South East had caused a Viburnum to burst into flower. A hand written sign said that it was more usual for this to occur in April or May. Was it six months early or six months late. I don't think the Viburnum cared less.

Nobody knows of cause. That is, nobody but the Viburnum. Something had happened that caused it to just go ahead and flower. Being true to itself and the influences of nature it just did what it knows best. No, what if's, maybe's, I wonder's, perhaps or am I dressed properly, is this the right thing to do. It just got on and did it.

Delivering our latest Executive Leadership Programme caused me to reflect that if we are going to get the most out of our life we should be like nature - natural and responsive to what is going on around us.

How many of us, I wonder, sleep walk through life. I know I did. Not noticing all the opportunities that presented themselves, not going with the flow and resisting when resistance what not appropriate or necessary. That was then and this is now, and being much more aware of the world, I sought to understand what had happened to the Viburnum.

What an obvious parallel with life. So next time you find you have missed the opportunity to flower. Wake Up. And as the Nike ad says - just do it.

Call me if you want to know more about waking up to life as it happens.

David Pickering

Business Consultant and Trainer

How To Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age

With Dale Carnegie Training turning 100 years old next year, we have some brilliant new releases being launched throughout the year, to celebrate this fantastic achievement.

The newest addition to the Dale Carnegie World, is the release of the new book, How To Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age.


Dale Carnegie’s principles have endured for nearly a century. Since its original publication in 1936, his timeless classic How to Win Friends & Influence People has gone on to sell 15 million copies World Wide. Now, introducing new readers to Carnegie’s words of wisdom comes, How to Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age, a new guide for a new era. The book includes advice for bloggers but keeps the rules of the 1936 original.




In Jolie O’Dell latest review, he states how Dale Carnegie original techniques are as relevant today, as they were in 1936. “Handal says this book’s revamping brings something new to the table. It not only shows us how to avoid hurting ourselves with our online behavior; it also tells us how we can take these online tools and be proactive about using them to benefit our careers and lives.” http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/06/win-friends-influence-people/




How To Win Friends & Influence People in the Digital Age, is out now to purchase, and is a must-have guide for anyone who wants to find success on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and any social media format today and in the future.




I leave you with the top 5 principles to follow in order to know How To Win Friends and Influence People, which are just as relevant 75 years on:




1. Don’t critize, condemn or complain
2. Give honest, sincere appreciation
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want
4. Become genuinely interested in other people
5. Smile

Stephanie Fletcher
Marketing Assistant
www.london.dalecarnegie.com
0207 379 4323

The end of an era....

This week the world mourned the death of an inspirational and visionary man. Steve Jobs made an impression on the world. He changed the world. He inspired generations of people and showed how with hard work, dedication and perseverance, you can turn an idea into a world leading product. That anything is achievable.

He touched the lives of millions of people, some famous, most of us not, and I think it’s safe to say that without Steve Jobs, the world of computing and all it’s devices would not be where they are today

A few months ago I came across Steve Jobs commencement speech at Standford University and in all honesty, it was one of the most amazing and inspirational speeches I have ever heard. How fortunate those graduates were to have Steve Jobs address them as they embark on their future. I would love to know if any of them really listened to him and took his advice. If you haven’t watched it, then I urge you to do so. It’s amazing, thought provoking and inspirational.

Here is an excerpt from it:

(After being fired from Apple).....”Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”

For anyone looking to make life changes there are books you can read, videos you can watch and programmes you can attend and like Steve says, don’t settle. The world really is your oyster.

Steve Jobs death has had a profound effect on me – I was quite surprised to be honest just exactly how it has affected me. I am a user of Apple products and have been for some time now, but it’s not that. It’s that the world has lost a creative genius at such a tender age of 56 and that in itself is tragic.

I’d like to leave you with some quotes that have been in the press since his death:

Barrack Obama - "Steve was among the greatest of American innovators - brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it. The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."

Bill Gates, his friend, competitor - "I will miss Steve immensely. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

Carol Bartz, former Yahoo Boss - "He got to where he was because he had a vision and a purpose. It's easy to try and please everyone, but he kept to his principles."

Thank you Steve for being an inspiration.

Helen Mills
Financial Controller

Networking in style

On Tuesday evening I attended a good seminar held at Altitude 360 Bar, Millbank Tower. The event was organised by Cisco & The Daily Telegraph regarding the Olympics, about the level of preparation businesses need to undertake during those times. The games will no doubt affect not just people getting into work but also business operations, stock levels, and the level of employee engagement as no doubt there will be more exciting things to do and see during that time!

The location played a big part on why people attended but also because they were giving away 100 free video cameras. Lots of incentives but most important lots of useful connections.

So before we start thinking about and plan for the Olympics, I'll leave you to enjoy the snap shots I took from the 28th floor.

LIMITLESS

On the 19th of September 2011 the unthinkable was achieved as the light barrier was broken for the first time. I accept that at the time of writing the results are being checked and rechecked, but as it stands the world-wide scientific community has been in shock with these extraordinary claims.

What seemed impossible....no longer is. If you know your history you would know that there was a time when many people thought the Earth was flat or that we were in a geocentric universe.

Based on this new evidence, I think that some self-reflection is in order. Think about it, what can you achieve that you thought was completely beyond you?
About a year ago, I left the comforts of working in the family business to pursue a career with Dale Carnegie as a performance consultant. This year I am about to start the long and arduous process of training to become a coach / trainer. I have been informed that it is very challenging to balance both the role of a consultant and a trainer successfully. When you spend more time on one the other area the other suffers and so forth.

This has just made me even more determined to succeed. Luckily for me all the tools are here for me to succeed, the people, the training, my mentor. I know if I don’t make it, it will be simply because I am not trying hard enough.

To ensure that I stay focussed throughout the process I have goals. I have mapped out the next five years for myself with key milestones to be achieved along the way.
You must hear that all time....”it is important to have goals”......”it is important to write them down”...and so on. You hear it all the time because it’s true.

We help improve the performance of companies by improving the performance of their people. I use this sentence with pride on a regular basis but appreciate that it can be misleading. Most people automatically assume that we only work with the largest companies and conglomerates. Even though we are proud that many of the big players in any industry are amongst our clientele, in the last year here in London almost 70% of our business was with either individuals or small to medium businesses.
So if you fall into one of the latter categories please note that we offer a complete range of courses, from your webinars, one / two day seminars and longer time spaced programmes.

If you are interested to find out more please visit our website (www.london.dalecarnegie.co.uk) and talk to one of our many consultants who would be happy to arrange a complimentary consultation to help you gain some clarity as to where you should be focussing your time and energy to get the results you are looking for.




I would like to leave you with a couple of quotes the first by Albert Einstein and the second by Richard Bach.

“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.”

“There is such a thing as perfection...and our purpose for living is to find that perfection and show it forth....Each of us is in truth an unlimited idea of freedom. Everything that limits us we have to put aside.”

Amar Garcha

Shifting performance through improved attitude !

We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is to rely on the one source of strength we have and that is our ATTITUDE.

I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to people and 90 percent how we react to it. It is all a matter of attitude. A positive attitude doesn’t just happen. It’s something you have to work at all the time. At Dale Carnegie we get our graduates to understand that behaviour change does not happen just because they have graduated from a 3 day intensive personal development programme. Behaviour change is a long term process that requires the individual to want to change fundamentally.

With a positive, optimistic attitude, each of us can overcome adversities and prove negative attitudes and predictions to be wrong. A positive hardy attitude is of primary importance in dealing with life challenges. Persons with positive attitudes have a clear focus, well-defined objectives and enthusiasm for life. This has nothing to do with how bright they are it is all attitude.

Attitude is our reaction to life’s every day experiences. Attitudes are personal feelings that we create and control. We, therefore, need to use our energies to bring about positive attitudes, thus empowering ourselves with good feelings that improve all aspects of our lives physically, socially and intellectually. Our attitude is a big determining factor of our own destiny as individuals and employees. A website that I have found of interest that maps out your personal rhythms/attitudes http://www.facade.com/biorhythm might give you some food for thought around this topic.

All of us, at one time or another, express the three different types of attitudes: positive, negative and neutral. “Those with a neutral attitude are sometimes the most challenging to deal with. We often try to avoid contact with those carrying a negative attitude, “the critics of the game of life.” And we are drawn to those with a positive attitude, “the players of the game of life.”

So how do you adjust your attitude toward the positive and maintain that attitude?“Listen to yourself talk and listen to the voice within. “You have to pursue happiness. It won’t come knocking. You have to find the good things in each day, and you have to stop shooting yourself, stop berating yourself for something that didn’t work quite right.”

To maintain that sunny disposition, try starting each day with a pep talk to yourself; make it a habit to enjoy the good moments; express, rather than suppress, your feelings; and surround yourself with a positive environment, by decorating your home or office with things that give you pleasure.

So if you are looking to shift your own attitude or that of your team, then get in touch with one of our consultants today .

Mark de Stadler
Performance Consultant
Dale Carnegie London