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What made their approach different was their use of technology from linguistics and information science, combined with insights from behavioral psychology and general systems theory, all merging to unlock the secrets of highly effective communication.
Science Digest said, “NLP could be the most important synthesis of knowledge about human communications to emerge since the sixties.”
I sincerely wanted to understand this technology, so I completed the Practitioner courses, after which I discovered tremendous personal success with my communication in working with all types of people. My relationships improved dramatically – personally and professionally.
Words That Change Minds, written by Shelle Rose Charvet also sparked my interest and, after reading this outstanding book on how people are motivated, I contacted her. I asked her to train my consultants, project managers, salespeople and mangers on using the powerful Language and Behavior Profile (LAB) tools. I was so impressed with the results, I had my wife join me at a three-day training workshop to improve communications.
I discovered that I was able to communicate on a much different level and could talk to people in their own speaking styles. Consequently, sales cycles were shortened and management briefings were much more effective, no matter which country or culture I was in.
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Connecting the How People Communicate DOT: The difference between losers and winners…is
mastering effective communications. Sales Mapping
uses the best information known to a few in teaching the skills that will create long-lasting relationships.
I wanted to come up with a simple but powerful technique for bundling the key communication concepts in a way people could use them to get the same powerful results.
To make it easier to use and remember, there are 5 parts, all starting with the letter R.
R5 represents Rapport, Record, Release, Replace and Remember. The skills needed to influence, persuade and motivate people are found in each part!
Following are the skills contained in the R5 communication model:
R1 Rapport
Rapport is core to having and maintaining meaningful communications, because it helps to establish . . . Trust!
Without trust, you will face enormous difficulties in your relationships.
Many sales models and books talk about the importance of rapport, but information is missing on “How to get into rapport” and “How to know when you have it.” There are 10 ways to get into rapport with Sales Mapping. Most people are aware of only one or two.
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R2 Record
Listening is just like pushing record on a tape recorder. It is not about talking. It is about capturing the most important non-verbal and verbal patterns and information.
These patterns reveal a person’s motivational preferences, how they like to receive information, their criteria of what is important, and how they make decisions. The key is asking the right questions.
R3 Release
People want to tell you the problem but, too often, you get the answer not the problem. Worse yet, too many salespeople want to present a solution, when they do not know what problem the client is having or the results they expect.
I asked a prospect: “What problem are you having?” He replied, “We need new software.”
That’s the answer, not the problem.
I was asked to speak to a group of salespeople
and I asked, “What is the problem?”
The reply was, “We need to motivate our
staff to get more sales.”
That is the answer, not the problem.
You get one question to ask that gets
to the problem … every time!
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R4 Replace
“What is the point of selling a solution when you do not know what problem you are solving?” In “Release” we have the problem and in “Replace” we are providing a solution, which, by definition, is an answer.
R5 Remember
Customer Relationship Systems track: “What a customer bought.” Sales Mapping tracks: “How People buy.” How do you get to a Best Practice? First, you have a process or procedure. It has to be followed, and then you can learn from what works and what doesn’t work, while making the process better and better.
Connecting the Effective Communications DOT: The R5 model is a powerful and career-changing
communication tool.
Strategy and Tactics
Problem solving comes from understanding the client’s problem and the consequences from that problem. Only then can a solution be developed. A step-by-step system for doing this is contained in the Sales Mapping system. Once it is learned, you can develop your strategy and tactics.
Understanding strategy was best taught by Chinese
military man, Sun Tzu, who wrote his book, Art of War, over www.unleashingthepowerofconsultativeselling.com
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2,500 years ago. The information contained in the 13 short chapters is wisdom that does not ever go out of style. You can learn a great deal about flexibility, competition, leading and winning. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
The importance of understanding tactics, associated with successful strategy in modern times, can be found in Bottom-Up Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Tout. When it comes to marketing, you only need to “get” everything these two gurus have written. They make it very clear that tactics can drive an overall strategy.
Salespeople see strategy and tactics with blinders on.
They do very little in the way of developing an approach and executing a plan that gets the client what they need, which in turns gets the salesperson what he wants.
Clients see their problems as unique and so must you.
Clients are really not interested in what you did for the other guy; they want to know what you are going to do for them.
Sales Mapping gives you four tactics to pick from and explains how to use each one.
What if you met your prospect’s boss, the final decision maker, in a chance meeting in the elevator and he asked you, “What are you going to do for us in solving our problem?” What would you say?
Sales Mapping gives you a process to answer this question and, as a bonus, it will set you apart from your competition.
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Connecting the Strategy and Tactics DOT: Sales Mapping gives you the steps for using
strategy and tactics. It is a process that enables you to competitor-proof your bid.
Having an action plan
A sales project requires four basic elements: resources, time, money and, most importantly, scope. All these elements are interrelated. Each must be managed effectively. All must be managed together if the project and the project manager are to be a success.
✔ Resources - People, equipment, material
✔ Time - Task durations, dependencies, critical path
✔ Money - Costs, contingencies, profit
✔ Scope - Project size, goals, requirements Where are we in the sale? What is our next step? Who is working on the proposal? What are the keys to winning?
What are we delivering and when? What is our plan?
These are just some of the questions salespeople are asked, and a few actually have a plan. No, I do not mean in their head, but one that is documented, distributed, followed and, most importantly, managed by them.
The good news is that project management is well
documented and standards do exist. What has been missing is a project management approach in sales.
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Connecting the Project Management DOT: A sales project management system for tracking,
communicating and delivering the needs of your client.
Letting the presentation get in the way of the message
Salespeople devote tremendous amounts of time and
energy in creating compelling presentations. The problem is, most of this is lost on prospects or clients. Presentations, if poorly planned, are largely a waste of time.
Salespeople hate to hear this, as the presentation is the hammer in their sales toolbox. It is their security blanket, their comfort zone, and they do not want to give it up.
Giving a lecture, even one that includes multimedia elements, is boring. The salesperson attempts to teach by telling. The big problem with this method is that hardly anyone remembers what they heard. How much do they remember – maybe half?
Salespeople follow the 80/20 rule. Eighty-percent of talking about their company and its solutions and why they are the best fit. What’s missing is, “What’s in it for the customer?” “How will this solve their problem?” “Will they get the results they want?”
Your competitors are doing the exact same thing –
giving the same kind of presentations and making the same arguments. Many salespeople lose it at the presentation.
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effort into it or do not have a plan. Salespeople see a presentation as a meeting without any preplanned actions.
This is a waste of the client’s time and theirs. The skills involved should be the same as a professional speaker because, in sales, this is what you must be.
An effective presentation is built on these elements: Planning ... Content ... Action ... Rehearsing ... Follow-up These are the ingredients of success.
Connecting the Presentation DOT: Planning and delivering a well-structured
presentation at the right time, for the right reason, resulting in the right action being taken.
SUMMARY: Sales Mapping is Connecting the dots of: Best practices to
Communication skills to
Strategy and Tactics to
Sales Project Management to
Presentation
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~ CHAPTER FOUR ~
Rapport: The Foundation
of Communication
So let’s get started in understanding R1 - Rapport.
Rapport is defined as: “A state of mutual trust and respect existing between two or more people. Rapport is the primary basis for all successful communication.”
Wow! This is a very powerful definition. “Rapport is the primary basis for all successful communication.” Why?
Because it creates: “A state of mutual trust and respect existing between two or more people. ”
What happens when trust does not exist between you and the client?
✔ Phone calls are not returned.
✔ Information needed to prepare a proposal is hard to get (if you get it at all).
✔ Difficult demands are made in price and proposal delivery.
✔ Bottom line…you lose the deal!
How do you get into rapport? Well, if you are like most of my workshop attendees, you will answer the question by,
“Finding out what you have in common with the other person.”
First, make an effort to find out if the person you’re interacting with has any of the following in common with you: www.unleashingthepowerofconsultativeselling.com
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✔ People you might know inside and outside
of business.
✔ Industry or trade associations you belong to.
✔ Hobbies you are interested in.
✔ Geographic location, where you grew up
or lived.
✔ Family members.
✔ Restaurants frequented.
Why is finding out what we have in common so important?
Think of what you like about a very good friend. Do you like the same things? Do you like the same hobbies? Now answer this question as honestly as you can, “Are they just like you?”
The answer is “Yes”. We like them because they are just like us. We all have experienced meeting new people and, within a few minutes, we decide if we like them or not. Why is that? Because we are deciding if they are just like us.
People buy from people they like. This is not the only thing, but this is very important in gaining rapport. We tend to trust those who like the same things we do, versus those who do not.
Common Sense Language
People process information using their five senses, but primarily through sight, sound and touch. If you say, “Show me what you are talking about,” you are communicating by 52
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using pictures in a seeing or “Visual” channel. If you say,
“Sounds good to me,” you are communicating in a hearing or “Auditory” channel. If you say, “That does not feel right to me,” you are communicating in a feeling or “Kinesthetic” channel.
Why is this important? Have you ever tried to tune your radio to a specific channel and the reception was not clear?
You can hear sounds but you cannot make them out? We all have different channels we use, depending on the situation and, just like the radio example, we can hear a sound but we cannot make out the picture or feeling.
How many of us are guilty of trying to help someone who is from another country by talking slowly and loud when answering a question? No matter how much we raise our voice, they still will not understand us.
In the language of senses, this also happens. My wife tends to be more hearing or auditory while I tend to be more seeing or visual. She says, “You have not heard a thing I said,” and I respond, “You have not seen anything I have shown you.”
We are both right. I did not hear it and she did not see it. Guess what? Neither of us got the result we wanted from this conversation.
I was once presenting to a client who said, “Tell me what you are proposing again and how your solution will sound better to my team versus your competition.”
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“Tell you,” I replied, “let me show you, by drawing a picture on the white board of what we can bring to you, focusing on our solution to your team’s problem and clearing up any questions that you might have about my company versus the competition.”
Review my prospect’s language. What language is he communicating in? What about my language? His was much more hearing or auditory while mine was much more seeing or visual.
What do you think happened when the prospect was
asked by his team how the presentation went with me? He replied, “He never really told me how his proposed solution was the right answer for us; it just did not click for me.” What are the hearing words in his response?
Extra points if you said click.
I went back and my team asked, “Well, how did it go?” I said, “I drew him diagrams showing him the big picture, but he just did not understand. I do not see us getting the deal without more work.”
How many seeing or visual words did you see?
Bonus points if you picked “big picture” .
We may be speaking the same language, but we are not always tuned to the same channel. Words are coming out of our mouths, but the intention of our communication is lost.
Answering the following questionnaire will give you an idea of which channels you prefer.
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Before you begin, a few rules:
Rule Number 1 - There is no right or wrong answer.
Rule Number 2 - You can and will have multiple
choices. Some people have more
than one way of processing
information.
Rule Number 3 - Can you be all three:
Auditory, Visual and Kinesthetic?
Yes.
Rule Number 4 - Can you be any combination?
Yes.
Rule Number 5 - Can you favor one over another?
Yes.
Rule Number 6 - Which is better to have?
See Rule Number 1.
Circle all that apply in each section:
VISUAL (seeing)
1. If a white board or flip chart is available, I like to use it.
2. I prefer learning to use a computer or a new
application by first watching someone.
3. I will create a picture in my mind or go back to one I know, when I am listening to someone.
4. I like to explain things by drawing a picture of what I mean.
5. When giving or getting directions I like to describe the landmarks that will be seen.
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AUDITORY (hearing)
1. I prefer to hear how to use the computer or new applications by listening to the steps and “how-to’s”.
2. When getting or giving directions I want to hear how to get there. I want to get the street name
and distances.
3. I may repeat to myself internally or out loud what has just been said.
4. I listen and can remember the details of what has been said.
5. I process information by hearing details and statistics.
KINESTHETIC (feeling)
1. I am a doer.
2. When asking or giving directions I want to be
pointed to the right direction and I will get a
sense of how to get there.
3. I prefer to learn to work on a computer or a new application by just getting started and asking
questions if I get stuck.
4. I find that when I’m in a meeting, words come
and go because I listen more for the feeling
behind the words.
5. I would rather take a walk, exercise, or get involved in sports than watch TV or read a book or magazine.
Now add up how many you have for each channel:
_____Visual _____ Auditory _____ Kinesthetic 56
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What Language Do You Use?
Which language do you favor?
Did you discover that you like all of them but one a little bit more, or did you like one and not the others? So what does all this mean? Depending on the topic or situation, it shows that you process information more quickly and understand it better using certain channels.
To illustrate my point, so it can resonate with you and help you grasp my meaning, this is what each channel represents.
Visuals (seeing) people need to see the whole picture. You see in pictures, colors, and shapes
and, as people talk to you, often you go back in
your mind’s eye to recall a picture. If one is not there, you create a picture of what it would look
like. You talk fast and many times use your hands
to help show people what you are talking about.
Auditory (hearing) people talk slower so they can hear their words, tones and sounds. You like
to hear all of the facts and get the detailed
information.
Kinesthetic (feeling) people appear relaxed and speak slowly with pauses in between phrases.
You make decisions based on a gut feel. You take
detailed notes and appear to be very quiet as
compared to the rest of the group.
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The following is a sample list from each language.
VISUAL
AUDITORY
KINESTHETIC
See
Listen
Touch
Appear
Hear
Grasp
Focused
Deaf
Catch on
Mental image
Rings a bell
Sharp as a tack
Manner of
Pull some
Hazy
Speaking
strings
State your
Dim view
Not following you
purpose
Foggy
Harmonize
Make contact
Crystal clear
Describe in detail
Hang in there
Come to
Imagine
Hidden message
grips with
Manner of
See to it
Slip through
speaking
Tunnel vision
Unheard of
Get a handle on
Dim view
Well informed
Concrete
Voiced an
Plainly see
Pain in the neck
opinion
Get a perspective
Rings a bell
Slipped my mind
Illuminate
Be heard
Tap into
Reveal
Resonate
Throw out
Clear cut
Loud and clear
Know how
Twinkle
Tune in/out
Catch on
Shortsighted
Word for word
Boils down to
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Learning to speak in another person’s language, whether it is visual, auditory or kinesthetic, will get you into rapport at a deeper level, and quickly. Both of you benefit because you are communicating in the language in which they prefer to process information.
I have been blessed by traveling and working in over 20
countries. I always found that if I attempt to speak another person’s language, they smile; and, not only do they help me, but our relationship improves. Every foreign language has a richness of describing and communicating situations, events, problems, results, prices, requirements, etc.
Lost in Translation
We sometimes lose so much in translation that we do not realize we are losing a potential client. We may have talked ourselves out of it or failed to show them the vision or let them touch the product.
Because we speak in the language we favor, we miss all of the cues, simply because we did not know another language existed.
On a personal note, here is an example in translation.
My wife and I were driving home from dinner one night and she said to me, “Rich, I want to hire an interior decorator.” “Why?” I asked. She answered, “Because I want her to hear my vision.” I replied, “Don’t you see a vision, not hear it?”
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We both laughed because we understand each other’s language. She cannot see the vision, no matter how much time I take drawing her pictures, because she prefers to hear the words. In fact, she calls them word pictures.
Often she will say, “Oh yeah, I have to draw you a picture.” And I, of course, need to remember to tell her, not to show her, but to give her the details, because the big picture will not do.
Before we both learned about the different languages of the visual, auditory and kinesthetic world, our relationship, at times, suffered. We got results from our communication that neither of us intended. But results we got, and it was not always productive.
Imagine the difference you can make in your own
professional and personal relationships with the knowledge you have just gained?
Using these communication techniques gives you the ability to have your message received clear as a bell. It allows your audience to catch on and have a concrete understanding of the point you are trying to make, because you are revealing what you intend to communicate in a language others use to process information.
Whew! Hope I covered all my visual, auditory and
kinesthetic bases with that last paragraph.
Carefully listen to words, voice patterns and body movements of the person you are communicating with.
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Listen and observe and decide which language you think they are using. If you think you know the language they are using … test it. Start speaking in their language and observe the results.
Try saying: “My guess is that you would prefer to get information from me that ( insert one of the following: shows you, OR, details information along with specifications in writing, OR, allows you to test drive to get a feeling) of how our service/product will provide the results you are seeking.
Is this right?” Based on their answer, you will know if you chose the wrong words and which channel you should use with them. You must now speak in the language they prefer.
Just like learning a foreign language, you will find it difficult at first but, with practice, it becomes much easier.
A good way to practice this is to use your standard presenta