Your “likability” affects your personal and professional success?
Your ability to quickly establish and maintain a connection with others, even in challenging circumstances, is a primary key to success for all of us, especially for those of us in sales.
Your “Likability” can be determined in less than 60 seconds and if someone decides they don’t like you, they will not listen to you, and will discount everything you say, and certainly will not buy from you, no matter what the value offering is.
Take the challenge and evaluate your “Likability Skills” by reviewing the 10 GOOD, BETTER, BEST, “Likability” standards I have shared below.
For reference,
The GOOD practices are expected behaviors for all professionals.
The BETTER practices will put you in the top 70% of all sales people.
The BEST practices, when mastered, will be life changing for you and everyone in your personal and professional circles.
Good Practices
Do You Always Smile?
The best thing you can do when you meet someone for the first time is simply smile!
This is a basic expectation for getting people to like you instantly – and it is free:-)
Smiling is contagious and most of all, it is motivating and energizing for you as well as others. Try this time next you are in a crowd of strangers. Just smile gently and see what reaction you get back. At the very least, everyone will wonder what you are smiling about.
Do You Ask For And Remember Names?
When you first meet someone, ask them their name and if their name is unusua
l ask them how it should be correctly pronounced and even ask where it is from.
Be sure to write down their name and address them by their name early and often in the conversation – that will also help you remember it.
To most people, the sound of their own name is the most beautiful sound in the world!
Do You Make and Maintain Eye Contact?
In any conversation, look at the person you are talking to and maintain eye contact as appropriate. This will also help you follow what they are saying.
I try to look the other person in their right eye. It helps me focus and I’ve read that it helps me connect to the emotional side of their brain.
If you can’t get used to the idea of looking people in the eye, then practice looking into your own eyes in front of a mirror. This can be quite a confrontational exercise for some people but it will do wonders for your own self-acceptance.
Better Practices
Do You Listen To Others Completely?
The greatest gift you can give a person is your undivided attention. Practice your listening skills by focusing completely on that person and being mentally, physically and emotionally present.
Take note and repeat what is shared
Stop your mind from wandering and focus on what they are saying. Make the other person feel important. It will help you and assure them that you are listening if you take notes and repeat what they say. Your undivided attention tells the other person that you genuinely value them.
Show genuine interest by listening and not talking .
The emphasis here is on being interested rather than ‘interesting’. Be genuine about this and do not fake it. Be curious and be prepared with great open ended questions to help guide your conversation. Want a proven script? Click here to receive a copy of the ValueMatch Inquiry form.
Focus on what they have to say and what they care about and stay on their agenda. Resist the urge to talk about yourself and when you have the opportunity couch what you say using their words, ideas and values. I call it painting what you have in the ambient light of their values.
The key is to be completely present for the other person and to truly listen with your mind and your heart.
To learn more about how you can improve your Listening Check out this recorded webinar on How to Stop Talking and Start Listening the ValueMatch way.
Do You Show Empathy and Build Rapport?
As you listen, build empathy and rapport with your new friend.
Focus not on just the words but the nuances of what they are saying. For example, do they sound excited or bored when they talk about their life?
You will also pick up clues and remember what to talk about later in your conversation – they will be impressed with what you have remembered.
By truly empathizing with the other person, you will get to understand better their point of view. And people just adore those who are interested in what makes them tick and cares about them!
Do You Listen for Opportunities to Provide Value?
Look for ways of making connections with what they need. Someone might need information, a better understanding or they might need a friendly ear, additional support or even access to services they don’t know how to find.
Identify something you can help with and make commitments to follow up. By following through as promised, you give your self an opportunity to show that you are for real and can be counted on to reliably follow through on other, more important things.
You will soon create a reputation as someone who can be trusted, is reliable, and someone who delivers!
BE YOUR BEST
Do You Resist The Urge to Give Advice?
Sometime during a conversation, you may be tempted to simply butt in and talk about yourself or even offer a solution.
Always remember that people and especially prospects will believe what they say much more than what you suggest. Be prepared to ask good questions, listen to their comments, and most important, ask clarifying questions to help you and them get to core concerns or desires.
By helping others discover needed insights and answers on their own, you become a truly valuable advisor.
When I first started providing sales training and consulting, I was on a mission to single-handedly change the world, and began “coaching” every person I met! I soon got their backs up and I must have come across as cocky, arrogant and a “Mr Know-it-all”.
This is the rule that keeps me out of trouble: Never respond to a direct question or answer. Always ask a question about a question and about an answer before I talk.
Most of us know the answer to our own questions. You can become a trusted and valuable advisor by simply helping others hear themselves and come to their own correct conclusions. You will be surprised at how much folks will appreciate you as you help them identify and articulate what they want and what they should do to get it.
Are You Always Be Positive Around Others?
Everyone likes to be around someone who is positive, energetic and optimistic. We should leave the gloom and doom to others.
As I heard someone say once – some people light up the room when they enter it, others light it up when they leave! Which one would you rather be?
At a networking or social event wouldn’t you rather speak to the happy confident looking person or the one who looks miserable?!
Life is short and we may as well have a sense of humor.
Be the person who only shares good things about others or nothing at all. Never gossip about others. My wife has always said, “be wary of gossipers, because if they do it in front of you, they do it behind your back and can’t be trusted”.
If people know you as a positive person who doesn’t get involved in gossiping, they will know you can be trusted and you will soon have a reputation as someone with integrity.
Are You Friendly and Open Toward Everyone?
Always be careful not to make judgments based on your own first impressions. Making an early judgment based on limited information can be very risky.
I have a close friend who is a very successful rancher and businessman. My friend drives an older green work truck and most days he is comfortable wearing his work overalls. More than once, I have seen business people underestimate my friend base on his appearance and make incorrect assumptions only to regret it later.
People will gauge you on how well you treat strangers – so make it a life long habit to be always pleasant, respectful and friendly to all who cross your path.
Are You Grateful and Act With Integrity?
Do you go through life being grateful for all you have and saying thankyou as often as possible?
Always thinking and remembering how richly you have been blessed is empowering and inspiring to you and to others. Being grateful helps you be truly happy and that emotion can penetrate others and give them hope and confidence.
Who you are stands out more brightly and loudly than anything you do or any words you say, ever can.
You can be grateful for your future success as well. I believe that what you think about, what you feel you deserve and what you believe will happen, already has happened. What’s the harm in conducting yourself in an outwardly thankful manner?
Think about how your demeanor, attitude, and behavior changes with a prospect after you have made a sale. Why not let that same grateful attitude replace the fear of failure from the very start of every interaction?
Congratulations!! I’m sure you passed with flying colors.
Want To Energize Your Team?
I have been very fortunate to have worked in the senior living industry for more than 30 years. I have been privilege to work with and learn from some of the brightest and most successful leaders in our business.
Recently, I have had the unique opportunity to work side by side with some very talented sales teams on the front lines and with them, make the adjustments needed in order to be successful, even in the face of the Covid crisis.
If I can be of help to you or your team, please reach out. I would be happy to learn about your situation and share what I have learned.
William J. Nowell
President and Author of ValueMatch Selling
ValueMatch Plus a PPMS company
602-284-0124
[email protected]
