Pearl of the Day 
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A Self-Esteem Boost
July 23, 2010
Long-time readers of the Pearl of the Day know today's Pearl to be true, but a little reinforcement is a good thing. If you're new to the Pearl, this is a great time of the year to experience this message. Yesterday I walked into a meeting and one of the participants was about as unfriendly and dour as you will see. She was overweight, had some unfortunate facial pigmentation issues, and her personal presentation was not good. I very quickly attributed her attitude to a weakened self-esteem.
Here is what I did throughout the day to show her that I cared about her as a human being. Remember, the first principle of Outfluence is to focus on the needs of other people with whom you come into contact before focusing on your own needs. It can be as simple as acknowledging them with a few kind words and a nice smile. So the first thing that I did was stand, walk up to her, offer my hand and my smile and I introduced myself.
Throughout the day whenever she spoke or I had interaction with her directly I looked her in the eye, focused only on her and treated her as an equal. I respected her. I did my best to offer humor, most of it self-deprecating. By the end of our time together, I was able to coax a beautiful smile out of her that lit up her eyes. If she learns to lead with her appealing smile and sparkling eyes, her imperfections (which she will notice we all have) will give way to the light of her countenance.
Life signs – look for the opposite silent message in the signs. Where the outward sign says unfriendly, the silent sign may be poor self-esteem. That triggers the need for Outfluence.
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By Danny Bowling
Selling is about providing consistently good customer service, and building selling relationships. Outfluence is about thinking of the needs of another person first, and building a personal relationship which may lead to a business relationship, as part of an overall lifestyle. As a salesperson I was confused when supervisors counseled me that the focus of customer service was to exceed the customer’s expectation. With every customer’s need being different, that was hard to put into action. Outfluence teaches to listen for the needs of a person and then to respond thoughtfully, purposefully, and sincerely. Outfluence Fundamental Number 10 is to Listen more and speak less. But in my previous training I was taught to first push whatever the product of the day was to a customer. I always thought to myself if I don’t listen to the customer first, I may talk myself right out of business. At the direction of my employers, I went to see customers and my opening was prepared to synchronize with how long after you strike a match it takes before it burns down to your fingers. I would practice this “technique” over and over until I had it right. Only after I got my sales pitch delivered within the time period specified could I step back and listen to what the customer had to say. Outfluence Fundamental Number 10 leads into Outfluence Fundamental Number 7, which is Be the solution, not the problem. Customers want you as the salesperson to assist them to resolve their problems and to meet their needs. We are supposed to be the experts, right? Fundamental 13 should be obvious to a salesperson, but frequently it is not respected: Honor promises. Customers will respect you much more for the truth than for telling them what you think they want to hear. Using these three Fundamentals of Outfluence alone will energize customer service, strengthen relationships, and lead to a growing bottom line. The results are measurable in a very short amount of time. My sales teams have increased sales as individuals by 40% to 60%. I initiated the Outfluence program in the parts department of a company. Parts sales were averaging $45,000 to $50,000 per month. Within 6 months our team grew those numbers and was able to maintain them at $80,000 to $120,000 per month. Outfluence is not magic. However, the results are so extreme that it feels magical. The President of Men’s Warehouse says about his company’s high level of customer service, “I guarantee it!” I, too, can guarantee that the Outfluence fundamentals put into practice in any company will result in heightened customer service and improved corporate performance. I’ve seen it happen in my company. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites        |
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