Since a great deal of my coaching revolves around having a laser-focused target, I was bothered by the fact that my own message wasn’t very clear.

Some of you joined my list for motivation and self-help tips. A few of you bought my books and CDs and fewer still eventually contacted me about my services as a coach for both business and career issues.

Your responses to my survey, for which I am extremely grateful, confirmed what I suspected.

Some of you joined my list for practice development tips. You didn’t think books and CDs about overcoming fears were of much value, but quite a few of you consulted me about ways I can help you grow your business or practice.

I debated-mostly with myself-whether to create two e-letters or have half of my subscribers look for what they needed somewhere else, but Sunday (right before the Super Bowl), I came up with a better solution: Two small tips in each letter-one for practice building, and one for motivation. Or, a tip that works for both. Today’s message is for both groups…

Whether you’re making a sale, asking for a referral or interviewing for a position, the people you work with are usually tuned to one station–WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”).

“I’m not getting enough of the people I sit down with to hire me,” Rick, a financial advisor, told me.

“I keep getting job interviews,” Mara, a CallCenter trainer who is a casualty of a recent merger, exclaimed, “but I don’t get offers.”

In both cases, I discovered the same problem:

They spent their time talking about their skills, their abilities and their experience, with too little of the time spent discussing what the prospective client and employer needed.

Rick was proud of-and spoke eloquently about–his licensing and certification, his list of prominent clients and his assets under management. Mara spoke about her accomplishment-packed resume.

“Be Impressed, Not Impressive,” was one of Dale Carnegie’s rules for successfully connecting with people, in his classic book, How To Win Friends and Influence People.

I suggested to Rick that he would do much better if he started his interview-and spent most of it-engaged in conversation about his prospects:

“I’d like to spend most of our time during this meeting finding out about you, if that’s okay. I’m guessing you had something specific on your mind when we set up this appointment. Why don’t we start with that?”

I suggested to Mara that she learn as much about each company and their training departments before her appointments as she could, and then ask them more about what they’re doing as a company and what they were looking for in a trainer.

A few days later, I heard from both Rick and Mara. Rick landed a new client–a local doctor he had been hoping to work with. Mara received her first job offer.

Be Impressed, Not Impressive. Spend most of your time with someone making him or her feel that you’re tuned into his or her station and you’re bound to have better results.

If I can help you develop better business relationships, contact me right away. In the meantime, keep
REACHING…

Sandy