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Do you believe that everybody could be a potential customer?
Do you believe that every time you interact with the public you have the potential to expand or damage your business?
Is every order welcomed in your organisation or just the lucrative kind?
Do you accept that customer complaints are unique opportunities to build relationships with clients. Indeed they allow you to convert your customer into a friend - the goal of any effective marketing strategy.
Remember, customers may leave but friends don't.
I heard the following story last week that reinforced my view, that every interaction with the public should be treated as sacred.
This man visited my colleagues shop with a very small job. He had damaged a small part of a wooden blind. As he was renting the accomodation where the accident had happened, to cut down costs he wanted to fix rather than replace the damaged item.
Most of the competition had turned their nose at the job, and suggested that he buy a total new blind. My colleague though overwhelmed with work took it upon himself to fit the small job into his schedule, and by end of the day the problem was corrected. The job took five minutes, so he handed the blind back in full working order at zero cost.
The client was very appreciative.
Five months later, my colleague was pitching for one of the biggest contracts of his life - approximately four hundred units. At the scheduled meeting with the architect, he asked what companies were competing for the deal.
"None," said the architect. "Our client has requested that you get the job."
Who was the client?
You guessed!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 08:34 AM
"The world is like a mirror you see? Smile, and your friends smile back."
Japanese Zen saying
"A man's mind, stretched by a new idea, can never go back to its original dimension."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
"What we think, we become."
Buddha
"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves."
William Shakespeare
"We are always getting ready to live but never living."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 11:01 AM
One of the biggest obstacle to personal growth is that popular inner voice that proclaims "I am not good enough."
It stops you from going for that dream job, proceeding with your business idea, chasing that promotion and so on.
The fact is that if you reviewed some of the success strategies you have used in the past, consciously or subconsciously, you would see that you have what it takes to live a life of magic and adventure. Put simply, you are good enough.
The choice is yours.
Revisit these winning strategies on my new Cd "Good Enough- now go get it."
For a taster, check out our latest Podcast.
Enjoy.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:41 AM
Three years ago we started a weblog with the intention of inspiring, informing and challenging people around the world to go for that dream job, pursue that business idea, go for their soulmate, honour those inner whispers, upgrade their skills base and so on.
The website as reported in last week's Sunday Times now features in the top five on on nearly all major search words in Google. com
(Personal development speaker - personal development author -personal motivational author - Kevin Kelly -qualities of a sales person - even personal development guru!!)
More importantly, we have a growing number of visitors from all around the world which truly inspires me. From Brunei to Alaska, California to Kenya.
Thanks a million - Keep visiting and sharing the information. If you have any ideas or comments please email us at kevin@kevinkellyunlimited.com
A special thanks to Michael Heraghty, a true internet genius and my new Kid on the block, Gary Allen. Also thanks to Mick Fitzgerald for promoting the idea of a Podcast - it is now the number one feature on the site.
"When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous."
Wayne Dyer
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 01:20 PM
One of the biggest challenges in life is highlighting your personal truths. Without doubt many people spin their way to life.
If you ask a group of people are they happy, the majority will give the politically correct answer. However, if you examine their physiology, review their results in life, investigate the type of poeple they are attracting into their lives, you will find that their answer in no way reflects the truth.
A recent article in Science magazine by Daniel Kahneman, Alan Krueger, Norbert Schwarz, Arthur Stone and Prof. Schkade highlights the gulf between our conscious answers ie the spin and the truth.
The five professors analyzed data for 374 workers who were asked every 25 minutes during the workday about the intensity of various feelings. Those with higher incomes didn't report being any happier, but they were more likely to say they were anxious or angry.
They also found that people with higher incomes tend to spend more time working, commuting and engaging in obligatory nonwork activities, such as maintaining their homes. All of these are associated with lower happiness.
"People who are richer aren't having a better time," Prof. Schkade concludes. "But if you ask them about their lives, they report being a little more satisfied" than those who are less affluent.
So how do we uncover our unconscious truths?
Initially as mentioned, look to your results in life - these are the real print out of your thinking.
Next highlight the source in the understanding that your adviser did the best they could with their personal software. However it is imperative you choose differently in the future to disempower this limiting pattern.
Become the guardian to your mind and keep the gate closed to ideas/ thoughts that reinforce the limiting pattern.
It is a journey, but one worth taking if you want to truly tap into your potential.
Enjoy.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:50 AM
Andriy Shevchenko was denied a place at a sports university when he was 16 because he was not good enough at football.
He may not be playing for Liverpool, but he is still a good player! -just!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:53 AM
I heard a very amusing story over the weekend from a business colleague.
They were training in a new salesperson and decided to go down the canned presentation route.
The plan was fairly simple or so they thought!
Step one - Ring the client.
Step two - Make rapport with client.
Step three - give the client product information.
As all of the instructions were written out on an A4 sheet that the trainee got there was little room for error.
Can you guess what happened next?
"Hello - my name is John from XYZ Ltd. Make rapport with client!I would like to tell you ....."
Meanwhile on the subject of the merits/ demerits of canned presentations, I am a strong believer that sales is a transfer of energy and enthusiasm and that each sales situation may require a completely different approach to the last.
On many occassions, you will be with someone who loves to hear the sound of their own voice.
Advice to sales person - Keep quiet! Interject only to ask questions that include details on your unique selling points.
In some situations, you will be dealing with people who process information visually so talk, talk, talk wont turn them on!
And so on....
Canned definately can not in my opinion.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:44 AM
Have you noticed that more and more people are making presentations rather than having conversations?
What?
Check out a new communication pattern that is spreading across the world and learn how to become a power persuader in this new environment on my latest podcast.
Enjoy, share and discuss.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:37 AM
A Chinese entrepreneur has registered the image of Zinedine Zidane's headbutt as a trademark for beer and hats under the name Tietougong (Iron Head Kung Fu).
The trademark is a silhouette of the point of impact between the midfielder and Italian Marco Materazzi.
"As soon as I saw the headbutt, I could feel the commercial opportunities," said Mr Zhao, "This was the talking point of the World Cup seen by billions of people."
After registering the trademark for beer, hats, shoes and clothes at a cost of 2,000 yuan (£150), Zhao put the logo up for auction online for 1m yuan.
Pain is the shell that encloses opportunity or money talks, conscience walks!
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 09:46 AM
"The challenge will not wait.
Life does not look back.
A week is more than enough time for us to decide
whether or not to accept our destiny."
The Devil and Miss Prym - Paolo Coelho
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 01:25 PM
What has repetition got to do with building rapport?
Find out the link on my latest Podcast.
Enjoy.
Posted by Kevin Kelly at 07:50 PM