This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey. Find out more about Samantha below.

The world of business zooms by us like a NASCAR racer going for the win. It’s quick, and, if you don’t pay attention, you’ll miss intricate details. Listening effectively is critical not only for your audience, but for your benefit as well. When you present yourself as an effective listener, you are able to better understand the wants, needs, and workings of your clientele, business partners, audience, and associates.

So, what makes one an effective listener? The two ears, one mouth ratio.

Speak less, listen more. Sounds easy, however, effective listening takes a genuine effort. It may appear profound to fathom the idea of talking less, but when doing so it enables you to listen in a manner that helps you interpret what you are hearing in a more effective way. For example, if a potential client is telling you about their recent experience with a business coach who ignored their emails, didn’t answer pertinent questions, and neglected their requests; these are signals telling you what your client sees as important when working with a professional. If you are listening effectively, you will be notating these points and beginning to prepare a response that assures your potential client they are in great hands working with you. You address their concerns and offer ways to demonstrate how you will make them feel comfortable under your care. If you are not listening effectively, you are most likely checking your Blackberry, thinking about the day’s agenda, and eager to end the call so you can forward them an invoice. Notice the difference…it’s incredible and can affect your business success.

Listen to Understand

When you take on the mentality that you want to listen to understand, you are opening yourself up to engaging more with your audience. You are now present with them and, this can help you zoom in on important details that may have been overlooked otherwise. These details can often be so intricate that, when not effectively listening, you’d skim right over them. However, those are often the details that can make or break a business deal, future partnership, or new client signing on to work with you.

The idea of the two ears one mouth ratio is to demonstrate that we have twice as much listening capability as we do speaking. Therefore, it is in our best interest to exercise this capability so we can better our business practices and grow our empires.

Here are a few helpful tips for listening effectively:

1. Prepare and seek to understand – Begin with a clear mind, eliminating all other distractions, (Blackberry, crowded room, checking emails, driving, etc) before beginning your call/meeting. Start with the intent to listen with a mindset that says you are focused on your audience and what they are verbally relaying to you.
2. Hold your response – So often we already have in our minds what we want to say in response, that we aren’t listening to our audience because we are so eager to speak. Give yourself the chance to fully engage with your audience before responding. Hear them out before you reply. You may surprise yourself by finding that the original response you were thinking of is different based on what you are now hearing.
3. Hold judgments/analyzing – It’s easy to already have a judgment of your audience before you finish your call/meeting. Sometimes, you may find yourself already mentally predicting their response. Try to keep these thoughts at bay until you have completed your conversation, then return to review your initial judgments/analyzations. You may find your initial findings conflict with your current findings.
4. Utilize note taking and/or a recording device – It’s wonderful to feel like we can remember every detail of every conversation we have. Save yourself the time and challenge of having to do this through utilizing note taking or a recording device for your calls/meetings. Both methods will help you stay organized, retain important information, and will keep pertinent ideas fresh in your mind. If you find you are more of a visual person, take advantage of the note taking. If you are more audio driven, grab a recording device.
5. Paraphrasing – Paraphrasing is taking what you have heard and using your own words to convey what you feel you’ve heard and understood. It’s a way of summarizing the conversation in words you feel comfortable using. Practicing this also helps you to recall important conversation points and show your audience you were engaged in the conversation. In addition, it supports you as it verbally helps you to continue to understand and interpret the conversation you are engaged in.

Effective listening is an ongoing, important part of business practice. Let the tips above help guide you through effective listening methods that will continue to benefit you and your audience.

.

Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by ky_olsen

This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey.

Having a dynamic team working with you is an incredible, powerful force which will only continue to benefit your business.  Sure, it is great to feel independently successful; to look up at your office building overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with an immaculate interior design, and a client roster so impressive Tony Robbins would be wowed and say,” That was all me!”

Yet, when having the dynamics of a team in place to help you reach and exceed your goals, you can propel your success forward in ways you wouldn’t have thought.

It begins here:  Formulating Your Power Group – creating a group of individuals you feel comfortable, inspired by, and ready to reach new levels with.  Let’s discuss the formula to building such a dynamic group:

Like Minded, Motivated, and Headed Forward

Creating your Power Group will be most beneficial when you find people who match your commitment, energy, vision, goals, and overall practice.

You may feel it best to have a Power Group of people from many different industries or backgrounds to bounce ideas, plans, and projects off of.  Bringing diversity to your Power Group can also help to gather perspectives that may have not been presented to you before.  Ideally, you want your Power Group to have the same vision for moving forward in business and to match your motivation.  This will also help you to stay on track towards your accomplishments and allow you to help your team achieve theirs as well.

Feels like Family

In my professional experience, I have found myself to be most successful when building solid relationships with those in my Power Group.  This is due to my Power Group being a group of individuals who, on top of having the same overall goals, motivations, and energy, are also helpful, supportive, and encouraging.  These are people I look to in moments of challenge for guidance, for thoughts, ideas, and suggestions.  You may find this  to be beneficial for you, too.

Also, I feel safe with this group of individuals as I trust their opinions, advice, and input.  Considering these points when formulating your Power Group can also help you to feel energized knowing you have a group of people who want to see you succeed, are rooting for you, and are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

Brainstorming and Challenge

Another great point about Team Dynamics and formulating your Power Group is not only the availability to brainstorm with one another, but also in challenging one another to reach the next level.  This is where matching each other’s energy in the group is incredible.  When all parties involved share motivation, the group’s energy becomes unstoppable.

Having your Power Group as a resource for bouncing around new thoughts and ideas, while also challenging one another, can lead to even more opportunities than you originally created.  This allows new ideas to form, new ways of breaking boundaries to generate, and creating new successes for you and your team to benefit from.

Accountability

Your Power Group is also great for creating an agenda, dividing it amongst equal parties, and creating accountability structures to ensure you are on track.  For example, you may be the Sales and Marketing expert on your team and have created a Marketing Plan.  This plan may require the design of a website for your clientele; therefore, you bring a Graphic Designer on board.  You may also look to a professional to handle your Accounting, and an Assistant to handle your daily calendaring, emails, trips, etc.

Or, in another example, you may have a Power Group that consists of people who you meet with once a week via conference call to cover a topic of discussion the group had agreed to the week before.  Therefore, every week covers a specific topic/agenda of focus and each member equally participates on the call, and with discussing the given topic.

Team Dynamics in the form of a Power Group = empowerment, progress, productivity, and comradeship.  It is a win-win situation for all parties involved and will only add to your incredible victories as a professional.

.

Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by wishymom

This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey.

The word “image” circulates around the planet like a breath of air, clinging to each of us, and illustrating to the world who we feel we are. Without consideration towards our image, the opportunities in business we desire will breeze right past us, zooming in on those who have created an image of integrity, class, and respect.

Clients come to me at times and question why they are not generating any new business. They are extremely knowledgeable in their fields, have a great product/service, and are using strong marketing strategies. Many times, I find they are just simply missing key points to presenting a reputable image, and through my consulting work we work to help them fine tune those areas of opportunity.

Here are helpful, key areas to review and consider for your professional image:

Online presence – With the internet providing mainstream communication, it is a place to boost your image and to lay a foundation which identifies you as professional, poised, and full of integrity. Create a profile within your networking sites that will outline your area of expertise. List your skills, talents, and specific focus. Look at your website background. Is it clean? What message does it deliver? What message do you want to deliver? Be careful with photos. Photos instantly create a label.

Sure, it would feel great if people knew the real you, but they are going off of what they see online, especially at first glance. For example, if you want to be viewed as professional, do not post photos which are extremely revealing or incredibly casual.  Even if you are in a profession where you are promoting your appearance, you can post photos which highlight your best features and still represent you as respectable.

Wardrobe – We are judged on our wardrobe, whether we realize it or not. Have you ever walked into a business meeting and noticed a young woman in an extremely low cut blouse and short skirt or, a young man in jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt? Or, how about when going to the grocery store you see someone walking around in their pajamas? What were your initial thoughts? As much as we all want to be respected for who we are inside, our image is our personal billboard. So, how we dress indicates how others portray us.

Of course, we dress to occasion. When attending an event we may be in semi-formal attire, and when meeting friends for lunch, we may be in casual attire. Yet, in business scenarios, professional attire commands a respect. It says to the world that we are composed and polished. So, take a look at your wardrobe. Does it tell the story that you want? Does it appear misleading in any way? Is it too revealing, too casual, too formal?

Language – How we speak, write, and communicate also labels us. If you are the CEO of your company, and are tweeting something along the lines of, “Dats coo, hit me up later,” what do you feel your audience perceives? Or, if promoting your material and the headline says, “Nu Muzik!” what are you telling readers about you? This is a critical point to consider.

Many times we don’t even think twice about what we say, we just want to get the word out. Just remember, how you communicate is up to you. How others perceive you is also up to you. If you want to be viewed as intelligent, your communication needs to follow suit. If you want to be viewed as an Executive, your communication needs to follow suit. Think carefully about what you are saying, writing, or texting before you deliver.

Overall Conduct – Whether at an event, online, or in a meeting, conduct represents your image. Too often we don’t think about this in detail. It can help our image or harm it. For example, when we’re online in social networking sites, we have every opportunity to empower our image. If we are sharing personal information, we need to be aware of what we’re saying, and decide if it’s appropriate for the world to see. Remember, the Internet is the World Wide Web and everyone is watching.

If we’re at an event and we are networking, yet are drinking in excess and are not thinking clearly, this will impact how others perceive us in such situations. If we are scheduled for a meeting, yet show up 20 minutes late, are dressed casually, and are unprepared, those meeting with us are casting judgment. Thus, overall conduct reflects every aspect of our image.

Another aspect of conduct is how we respect others. As a professional, you have the opportunity to engage with people of many backgrounds, walks of life, and experiences. If you are shunning someone because they are not famous, or because they are not as educated as you are, or because they are male and you only want to do business with women, this will affect your overall image in ways that you may have not considered.

For example, if you are a consultant seeking to assist others, yet are speaking of others negatively, what does this say about your business? If you are a doctor, yet are not fully reviewing your patients’ charts and looking for every possible way to help them, what does this say about your practice? Consider respecting all walks of life, even if they are not pertinent to what you are looking to do. You never know who knows who, and the one person that you’d least expect to be relevant to your business, could be the one person who holds the key to you opening new doors of opportunity.

Your Image is Your Personal Billboard.

You deserve to be appreciated for the professional you are, so make your billboard shine! The world awaits!

.

Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by cr55

Greetings Folk Media family! Here is another Power Topic from the “Ammo for Your Arsenal” Business Series. This article, “You Believe; They Buy,” is covering the essential steps to ensure you are well prepared to present your product/service to your audience and boost your results.

When you have made a purchase, one that you love, how passionate was the person about their product you bought from? Or, how about when you have chosen a Real Estate agent? Interior Designer? Lawyer? Did they appear enthusiastic, confident, energetic, and excited about their product/service? Chances are if you bought/hired them/etc, they were.

Having conviction and full force belief in your product/service is the way towards increased profits, incredible sales, and a thriving empire. People want to feel the passion you have for your business. They want to hear in your voice, and witness in your expression, the love you feel for your product/service. Many consumers begin their product/service search with speculation and suspicion. Some feel nervous about spending money, others may feel unsure of the necessity of the item of interest, and some may need to feel confident in their choice and you can help them through your guidance. It starts with you! If you believe, they will buy.

So, it sounds simple, right? It starts with preparation. Being prepared before you present, pitch, and articulate will help you bring in more clientele as your confidence will undoubtedly skyrocket, leaving your audience feeling thrilled to partake in your product/services. What steps can be taken to ensure you are confident in your product/service and have unwavering faith that your audience is making the smartest choice buying from you, hiring you, etc. versus choosing a competitor?

Here are 5 helpful steps to empower your presentation:

Research – Know your product, know your service, and know every intricate detail! There can never be too much research or education within your business. Learn about what you are offering your audience, research every angle, understand the lingo, and be incredibly knowledgeable that you are able to overcome any objection and answer any question you are given. Knowing, is half the battle.

Reach out to Mentors/Colleagues – Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. Don’t be! Ask away! Ask those you have seen succeed in your field the questions you need in order to follow the suit of success. Ask your colleagues to hear your pitch, listen to your presentation, and brainstorm with you new ideas. Ask your mentors to sit down with you and review your business plans for your product/service. This is priceless information you can obtain and these people are there for your resource! Ask and you shall receive.

Compare/Contrast – It’s important to review what others in your field are doing and compare your product/services to theirs. What about your business sets you apart from your competition? What makes your business incredibly unique? Why would consumers feel they made the best choice purchasing from you/hiring you/etc? Comparing and contrasting your business to others goes along with point 1–research. This will allow you to gauge where you may want to consider improving, revamping, or updating your current offerings. In addition, when you are informed as to how others in your field are performing, you can utilize this knowledge to help you fine tune your presentation to shine above the rest. After all, you are amazing; it’s time to let your audience feel the same way about your business and your product/service!

Practice Your Pitch – Practice, practice, practice! This is essential as it will help you smooth out your process, catch any errors, and perfect your presentation. I consistently am practicing as I find it helps me to feel more certain of my presentation and, it also helps bring new thoughts/ideas my way to work with as well. Take the time to practice every piece of your presentation, pitch, etc. before you begin engaging with your audience. Think about this: when some of the world’s greatest public speakers, who are experts in their field, entertain an audience of 20,000+ people, rest assured, they have practiced. Even if you feel you have the presentation down pat and can recite it in your sleep, practice! This step will only benefit you from utilizing it.

Passion – This step is one that, through your research, preparation, and practice, will seep out of your pores as you find yourself excited about your product/service. The more you know, the more you will be eager to share your business with others. You will find yourself full of energy and adrenaline, ready to conquer the world and share your amazing product/service with your audience. It is an incredible feeling and will help you catapult forward in your business! If you currently are in a position where you are lacking passion, think about the positive attributes of your job now and what steps you will need to take to reach a career that is evident of you living your passion. Passion is like fire; once it is ignited, it will reach everywhere! This is an amazing thing! Believe in yourself, believe in your product/service, prepare yourself, and you will be unstoppable!

These steps are designed to help you continue to leverage your business forward, regardless of what product/service you have to offer. Focus on your goal, stick to it, and take the time to be prepared. Quality counts and you want to be a showstopper when you are representing your brand. Utilizing the above steps will assist you with empowering your product/service delivery. The more you believe in the worth of your produce or service and are assured of your business, confidence will radiate from you. Your audience will feel your belief in your business and will be there ready, with money in hand! ?

.

Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by

This post is written by guest author Samantha Casey.

Greetings Folk Media family! I feel honored to be guest blogging for you and sharing with you my business series, “Ammo for Your Arsenal.” This series is designed to bring you empowering advice, tips, and tools that will help you in your day to day business as Professionals. Whether you are the CEO or are just beginning in the business world, this series will provide information which will be useful in all arenas. This Power Topic covers the art of Less Promise, Greater Delivery. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery…”

What exactly does that mean? It’s a short phrase yet, encompasses the formula to your success.  For business professionals, regardless of the industry we are in, or position we hold within the company, the critical element to our lifeline is the ability to satisfy our clientele/audience/fanbase. Without them, we don’t exist. We want to provide every essential necessity to ensure they return to us for their services because they Trust and Believe in our business. We want to build relationships; lasting relationships with people who feel they know us, can relate to us, and are comfortable with us as their service provider.

Let’s break this down a little further. Each half is the ammo you will need to continue growing your business, clientele base, and retaining those you already have loyal to you.

Less Promise: aka “Under Promise”

This is where many find themselves in hot water. It is easy to meet a potential client, business colleague, future investment partner, etc and find yourself promising them the moon, stars, sun, and every planet in existence. If you are capable of delivering that, yes, do it! However, it is much more wise to under promise what you will be offering, and wowing your audience when you exceed their expectations by light years. Err on the side of caution here. Confidence is key in how you present yourself and it is very easy to get caught up in wanting to impress your audience, with the result of promising more than you can follow through on, because you are so determined to bring these guys onboard. You can do that without delivering false expectations and your impression will be one that is deemed respectable. This relates to something as simple as when you state you will forward an email or as to when you commit to a project deadline. You want to create commitments which are realistic for your business model and are sure to be honored. Your word is one people will NOT forget–keep it simple; whether in an email or verbally spoken, your word is a contract of its own.

Greater Delivery: aka “Over Delivering”

Over delivering is simply exceeding the expectation you have set forth from what was originally promised to your audience. This is where you have promised a Honda, but have delivered a Bentley. You have committed to a delivery and have executed that delivery by means which are far beyond what your client was originally asking of you.

If you are a Graphic Designer, perhaps you promised your clientele a finished website in two weeks, but have delivered the final product in one. If you are a Recording Artist, perhaps you promised your fans a chat session on Twitter, but have gone live on UStream to interact instead. Over delivering can be appreciated in simple ways but the key to this is: you have delivered MORE than you had committed to. Your audience will thank you, your clients will trust you, and your image will be noteworthy as one filled with integrity. It is critical that your delivery is greater than what you have promised your audience. When you come through, your audience will be awed. Your clients and colleagues will remember this…and this is how you WANT to be remembered! You want to get in there and consistently build a solid reputation!

The Quickest Way To Destroy Yourself

As I know you are aware, the business world is full of many people who cut corners, are dishonest, and talk fast in order to earn a quick buck. Don’t place yourself into that mold due to not keeping your commitments; once in there, you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get out! Your image will be destroyed. In the long run, more will be coming out of your pocket to salvage all that you have lost along the way therefore; taking the easy road is one that will detour before you reach the road of success. So, steer clear of that mold. Promise what you know you are capable of delivering, and take the time, even a moment, to commit to take it a step further by delivering more. Less promise, greater delivery.

The road to success begins with committing, and following through. Ultimately, this ammo will give you the essential tool to build your credibility and reputation as sound, reliable, and one that is focused on ensuring your clientele/audience/fanbase is satisfied. You do not want to tarnish your word. Negativity spreads like wildfire and it is much easier to be labeled with a sour image than it is to retain a credible one.

Keeping Your Commitments = Keeping Your Business

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery”

Make this your business mantra! Repeat it, use it, and follow it. It is your blueprint to creating a phenomenal and triumphant empire.

.

Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by LarryLens