How to Win Clients and Influence Referrals

(MoneyWatch) What's the difference between a customer and a client? A customer might be there for a transaction, but a client is there for a special relationship. The term dates back to ancient Rome when citizens would attach themselves to an aristocratic patron for protection and clout. Patrons took care of their clients and they were rewarded for it.

This column is for all of you out there who make your living selling to clients and want to attract more of them. To attract new clients, the best approach is to prove your expertise by giving away valuable information through writing and speaking. Actually, that isn't technically true. You should sell the information if you want to win clients and influence referrals. Here's how.

1. Follow Dale's lead. Unfortunately, many sales and marketing people who learn this truth find the idea of writing and speaking too daunting and even mysterious. Most feel this is only for a select few, but that is a miscalculated view. First comes the problem, then comes research, and finally presentation. Dale Carnegie is the role model to emulate. He wrote the original self-improvement book and was the first superstar of the self-help genre.

2. Do your homework. Carnegie wrote that he had searched for years to discover a practical, working handbook on human relations. He started by reading every scholarly book and magazine article he could find to ascertain how the great men and women of all ages had dealt with people. Then he interviewed scores of successful people to discover the techniques they used in human relations.

3. Speak up. From all that material, he prepared a short talk. He called it "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and it soon became a 90-minute lecture. Then the teacher learned from the students. Carnegie asked attendees to share their stories of how the principles helped them. First, he put the rules down on a postcard, which grew into a leaflet, then a series of booklets, each one expanding in size and scope. After 15 years of experiment and research came the book by the same title in 1937 as that original short talk. Of course, it has been a best seller ever since (if you haven't read it, you really should). The first edition had a print run of a mere 5,000, but the last time I checked it had sold more than 15 million copies.

4. Be the expert. During those 15 years of research, Dale Carnegie became the go-to guy for human relations. Thousands attended his training each year and he prospered. This also resulted in many consulting contracts. He is long gone, but his training company has continued to this day.
5. Make them pay. Those who sell high end services can fill a pipeline with qualified prospects in as little as 30 days by offering advice to prospects on how to overcome their most pressing problems. But don't do it for free. Charge for your seminars and the information will be valued more by your potential clients. The burden is also on you to research great information.

This strategy also helps those people who know, like and trust you enough to refer business to you. You can make these people a special deal: if they know someone who would value what you have to say, then your referral source can offer comp admission to your events on a space-available basis. Look what this does. You make the referral source feel special because they can hook people up. The prospects who attend still value the information more because there is a charge for it, and they feel even better because they didn't have to pay.

Happy Selling

Stephanie Fletcher

This article was written by Tom Searcy, and you can read more at http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505183_162-57415800-10391735/how-to-win-clients-and-influence-referrals/

Love is .....????

Friday was a bit of a milestone for a group of new candidates to become Dale Carnegie Trainers. It was the first event where they were directly exposed to the demands placed upon those that we grant the right to support people who wish to change their lives in our programmes and seminars.

There are 10 core competences in which they must excel and, when running through these, the PowerPoint slide is designed in such a way that the 10th, and more important, competency is at the centre of a circle; at the heart of all the others. This 10th competency is human relations.
For those of you that have read How to Win Friends and Influence People it will apparent that the degree of shift in behaviour needed to be consistent in the application of the thirty principles, is significant for most of us. The overriding message of all these principles is to treat other people as you would wish to be treated yourself. Any debate or discussion following this topic to its natural end is; that to become such a person requires total selflessness. We have to be totally committed to the growth and development of another.

If another's' behaviour is going to shift permanently then their soul must shift too. Without this shift of the soul, being or spirit, the behaviour shift becomes contrived by each human interaction; by thinking and acting on 'Ah, which principle will I use on him or her'.
With all the reading I do on this subject and especially when reflecting on what Dale Carnegie himself says about who we should be for others, then love is appropriately defined as 'being committed to the spiritual development of another'.

Thus to be a superb Dale Carnegie Trainer one must love, not in a romantic sense of course as that is ultimately self serving, through being totally selfless and focussed on others.
Now isn't that how you would like to be treated?

David Pickering

Random Act of Kindness

In a world where turmoil is prevalent it is refreshing to stumble upon random acts of kindness. It is also reassuring that no matter what goes on here in the UK or in the world, us humans still dish out those random acts that make us smile and feel good.

I have come across three acts in less than a week. The first one happened when I was commuting home on the tube and an elderly couple were lost and desperately trying to get to Goodge Street but they just couldn't work out how to get there. They looked distressed especially as the lady had an injured arm and fellow passengers took them under their wing and helped them to get where they needed to go. In a city where people say we don't talk to each other it was lovely to see them being helped from the other end of the carriage. Everyone in the carriage was involved one way or another, even if just to give the couple a reassuring and welcoming smile.

The second instance happened to me. I went into my local Pret a Manger to get a muffin for my breakfast and the staff insisted on giving me a free cup of tea. I thanked them very much for being so kind (I actually said just that). I later found out that this happened to another lady and my work colleague. It is reassuring to know that Pret a Manger like to make people's day by giving them a freebie, and in return they gain custom. It's a win win situation.

The last act of kindness was an article I read in The Big Issue. I still had last weeks in my bag and decided to have a read and imagine my delight when I came across an article where a Big Issue vendor found a stray cat with an injured leg and decided to take him to an animal shelter for help. They bandaged him up and James, the Big Issue seller nursed him back to health. When the cat was better the vendor opened the door to his shelter to let the cat go on it's merry way but the cat refused. The cat (now known as Bob) decided that he liked this particular person and wasn't going anywhere. And so now you will find Bob, The Big Issue Cat with James, selling the Big Issue in Covent Garden and Angel. What a wonderful story of kindness. If you click on the J-Peg you can read all about it. I believe it is now being made into a book and Bob has his own Facebook fan page too! I also hear from a certain Big Issue seller in the know, that Bob the cat has changed the vendor's life, from being somewhat wayward to a man with responsibilities.

It really is great to hear and see random acts of kindness and when it happens to you it really makes you feel good.

At Dale Carnegie our founder recognised that Human Relation skills are paramount in building relationships with everyone, from friends and family, co-workers and clients. For instance such simple, basic but powerful things such as remembering someones name or smiling. It all adds up. If you would like to find out more, why not check out our website for our courses or maybe join our Facebook fan page.

And I will leave you with this thought.......can you imagine what the world would be like if we all did one random act of kindness each day.............?

Helen Mills
Financial Controller

A helping hand

This week I read two very interesting news items which really made me think.

Firstly, there was a granny in Northampton who foiled a jewellery robbery by running across the street, and hitting youths with her handbag as they were trying to smash into a jeweller’s store with sledgehammers. Yes you have read this right, an elderly lady decided that she wasn’t going to stand and watch four or five youths with crash helmets on attack and try to rob a jewellers (please note, she was the only one who went to help). Instead she took a stand. And none of the youths hit her, instead they tried to flee but I believe were eventually captured. If it sounds unreal, have a look on You Tube!

Secondly David Beckham, an international football star and probably one of the most famous people in the world today, stopped to help a motorist who had broken down. Everyone else kept passing the motorist but not David Beckham, he decided to see if the driver was ok and helped push the car out of the way.

Two completely different incidents in the same week. One involving an unknown elderly lady and one involving a superstar....but both with the same thing in common....offering help to someone in need.

And the thought struck me....how often do we help those in need without thought for ourselves. And how often do we do this without expecting anything in return. I don’t know about you but I always remember being told when I was growing up that we should never give to receive.

Now I’m not suggesting anyone tries to stop a robbery with courage and a handbag, but for most of us the offer of help could be listening to a colleague who really needs to talk to you, either on a work or personal matter. Help to carry a buggy up a flight of stairs at the train station during rush hour when a mum is struggling. Seeing a colleague over-worked and offering to help them out in any way you can, even if it’s just fielding telephone calls. Or it could be just what David Beckham did, assist a stranded driver.

There’s another old quote which I will leave you with....and again is so true ‘Actions speak louder than words’.

If you are interested in finding out about Human Relation Principles at Dale Carnegie then why not join us for a preview of the course on 23rd March.

Helen Mills
Financial Controller
www.london.dalecarnegie.com

The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch

What a week in the world of football. As a Manchester United fan and like many of the Red Devils, I was shell shocked by the revelations made by the club regarding the imminent departure of Wayne Rooney. There have been many stories plastered in the papers, uploaded on to websites as well as the extensive coverage on television and radio whilst this saga unfolds.

However, I would like to shift focus altogether on to Sir Alex Ferguson. Arguably the greatest manager in English football history. I believe he has achieved his success not only because of his managerial and coaching ability but also through the use of key principles.

Many players have left United in the past, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and countless others and not once in all of Sir Alex's reign has he criticized, condemned or complained. Even when the Glazers took over the club and placed a huge debt over its head, he simply got on with his job. Sir Alex has also developed raw potential into world class talent and achieved this through honest and sincere appreciation of his players. Many of his players have talked of his continual support and how they see him as a father figure. He has the ability to create a winning team, but more importantly has been able to keep them hungry for more by arousing an eager want for success within his team. He always makes other people (namely his players) feel important.

With Rooney, Sir Alex has shared that he is a special player and the door is always open to him. Rooney has since closed the door and thankfully for United fans he will stay at the Theatre of Dreams after agreeing a new contract with the club.

These are just some of the fundamentals Sir Alex has applied in order to become and then remain successful. These principles are inherent in highly successful people. Just take a moment and think about what has been achieved by Richard Branson and Warren Buffet. Now, consider other high achievers you know; friends, a teacher, colleagues or your local businessmen and women, who have gained phenomenal success and you will see they also apply these simple and effective principles. These qualities are not reserved for the gifted few. Anyone can gain the same success, by applying the proven techniques described by Dale Carnegie in his book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

If you aspire to the successes of people such as Warren Buffet then follow his lead and enrol on the Effective Communications and Human Relations programme which is based on the aforementioned book.

Not convinced?

Then come along to the free preview of the programme on November 4th and see for yourself. Click here to register

Amar Garcha
Sales Consultant

www.London.dalecarnegie.com

Play Win Win

Volcanic ash, its dominated the news and sent major disruptions to travelers worldwide, clearly the biggest event to rock aviation since 911. During the airport standstill, I was curious to see how companies directly involved were handling the pressure from their customers, so I rang the British Airways customer service line. Immediately a voice prompt informed me that the call centre was experiencing immense volumes of calls and if my enquiry was not urgent, to call back at a later time or visit the website, I waited a few minutes and thought I would try my experiment on a different airline (one not quite as heavily affected by the crisis).
So I rang Qantas, again, the same voice prompt, high volumes, visit the website, but this time I waited and was connected. I opened the conversation by being as nice and friendly as possible, I spoke to “Vicky”, I asked her how the past week had been for her. She was surprised by my first question and said she had been working around the clock dealing with calls, trying to help people who were stuck all around the globe. Realizing I needed a reason for my call, I enquired about a flight for later in the year. She didn’t dismiss my enquiry even though it clearly wasn’t urgent and at the end of our 3 minute conversation I had got the quote I was looking for, thanked her for her help, and she said, “thank you so much for being appreciative… By the way, that is the very best deal you will get at that time of year and if you want to get a good seat best do it on the phone so we can help you if there is an upgrade available”.

I understand my situation is different to those that were stuck all over the world who have missed weddings, holidays etc, however, taking it out on people like Vicky wont help their cause – I know for a fact she didn’t want the volcano to erupt, but it did.
There are things we can control and things we cant. The Volcano is clearly out of our control, how we deal with what it brings it is purely our choice. Taking the call centre as an example, I used two of Dale Carnegies principles and put them to the test, which got me a positive result.

Principle 13: Begin in a Friendly Way.
I began by asking her how she was, sympathizing, then agreeing it has been a crazy time in her industry. How many people before me had started the conversation with: “Look, I am stuck in Geneva and have had it up to here with your company”. This puts Vicky offside and ultimately hinders your chance of getting what you want.

Principle 17: Try Honestly to See Things From the Other Persons Point of View.
I doubt Vicky wants people to be stuck in Geneva missing their families and friends, I also highly doubt she wants to be working around the clock dealing with a crisis. Both these things are out of her control, but what is in her control is that she can help you get a better seat or bonus frequent flyers in the future, my point is, always aim for win win.

Next time you are about to call a customer service line out of frustration, first think about what you ultimately want to get from the call, then think how you can play win win to get the result!

Angus Firth
Performance Consultant

http://www.London.dalecarnegie.com/

Defeating the winter blues…Why wait…DO IT NOW…

We are in to week six of 2010 and still having to face the weather from snow flakes to sunny mornings. Leaving for work in the freezing cold, getting home after work in the dark and freezing cold! Those credit card statements from all the overspending over the festive period arriving on the doormat. And not to mention those extra pounds gained from tucking into a few too many extra mince pies at Christmas. It’s no surprise that people feel low, associating the start of the year with the blues.

However, a new year should not be doom and gloom and one way that we can overcome this is to have positive thinking. Here at Dale Carnegie we follow the mantra ‘Cultivate a Mental Attitude that will bring you Peace and Happiness’.

To do this follow these seven tips:

1. Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope.
2. Never try to get even with your enemies.
3. Expect ingratitude.
4. Count your blessings – not your troubles.
5. Do not imitate others.
6. Try to profit from your losses.
7. Create happiness for others.

With these in mind I am off to a spaced learning programme by Dale Carnegie “Effective Communications and Human Relation Skills” on March 9th. We are responsible for our own actions and the sooner we make positive changes the quicker we will achieve our goals. Contact us @ Dale Carnegie where we can work together in improving your performance to improve your company’s performance. Some of our key programmes are listed below:

• Effective Communications and Human Relations
• Executive Leadership
• Leadership Training for Managers
• Sales Advantage
• High Impact Presentations

Mohsana Khatun
Performance Consultant

http://www.london.dalecarnegie.com/