The Top 10 Commandments Of Work.

I’ve been making a list over the past six months of commandments about work. I get requests all the time to bundle them up into a post. So here they are:

1. Be the go-to person in your area.

Know your industry inside and out, you won't do well if you just know your job. Learn what's happening, who's up, who's down, any new processes and practices, who are the stars, etc.

2. Cultivate and consistently grow your contacts.

You can never have too many friends, colleagues, or connections.Learn how to communicate, both written and verbal. Most people stop once they start a job — this is death for any career. It's not only what you know — it's who you know too.

3. Ensure your superiors and clients ALWAYS look good.

This is not the same as brown-nosing — do the right thing and take care of the people that sign your check. When they move on to bigger and better things they will call, every time.

4. Know your strengths and weaknesses well.

Strengthen your strengths and keep a tab on your weaknesses so they don’t sabotage you.

5. Be totally honest in everything you do.

Even if it hurts in the short run. Solid ethics always trumps sharky snarkiness.

6. Don't ever get trapped into a dead-end position because you're scared of change.

Move. Change is good and will open new doors. Trust me.

7. Treat everyone from the CEO to the janitor with the utmost respect.

Yes, you do have time for everyone — I start conversations with security guards. When my battery is dead, guess who offers a quick jump?

8. Never stop learning.

Stay hungry for knowledge and experience. Not only does it feed itself, it becomes fun.

9. Listen. Don't talk all the time.

People you meet everyday have the most interesting and powerful things to say that can change your life.

10. Mix with other successful people.

To play better tennis you must play tennis with better tennis players. Seek their advice, listen to what they say, and apply it. Go find where they live.

Can you think of any others? Which ones have rung true for you in your career so far?

Understand WHO You Really Work With.

"To succeed in business, you need to know WHO you work with." Sounds pretty simple and straightforward — but the reality is most people don't subscribe to this tenet.

They spend their time worrying about themselves. And their past failures — their future deliverables. And all the people and things which will impede their progress and set them back.

Worry. Worry. Worry.

It's time you step back and begin to clearly understand WHO you work with.

If you work in corporate, WHO really are your colleagues? Who's your boss? What drives them? What excites them? How can you help them get more excited? How can you be the perfect puzzle piece that fits their puzzle piece?

If you own your own business, WHO are your customers? Who drives prospects to your business? Who's on your team? Again, be the perfect puzzle piece.

The big question is HOW. It comes down to three things:

1. Understand what their main driving force is. What is important to them — what is THE burning issue that keeps them up at night? Ask them questions and LISTEN.
2. Develop a clear communication channel to work with them. Dechipher the best way to interact with them and how best they absorb information. Then consistently deliver information in that manner.
3. Engage to compliment their actions. See how you can help them deal with their burning issues. They're not looking for quick solutions, they're looking for partners — someone to just LISTEN to them.

What other ways do you employ to understand WHO you work with?

10 Ways To Guarantee Clients.

Okay — let's get down and dirty with this post. You want clients, you know they're out there, and it's just a matter of getting them to see you and closing them effectively. Here are 10 ways you can get A LOT closer to some of your best clients, pull them in, and make them YOURS:

1. Develop Value & Status It's simple: The more expensive a product is, the more the prospect infers better quality. The more it makes them successful, more hip or more accepted by their peers the more they value it. How can you build in value and status into your product offering - from the minute they hear of you to the final closing sale statement?
2. Be Prepared Know who your best prospects are, where they are located, where they go, what they do, when you can approach them, how you can approach them, and the most important — why they need you. If you have these answered (I've taken many of my clients through this in about an hour), your success rate will double.
3. Look Professional You are in business. The more that you define 'business' and the less you define 'hobby', the more successful you will be. Bottom line — you have to spend money to make money. Look the part, dress professionally, carry professionally designed and printed cards, have a professionally produced web site — play the part.
4. Act Confident & Composed First impressions are key — you need to have the right attitude and appearance. Smile, approach the prospect, be the first one to speak, welcome them, smile, look into their eyes, be interested in them, stand straight and tall, stand up/no sitting when meeting, don't carry a lot of bags and SMILE. You know your business cold — act like it.
5. Take Action . . . Frequently So many people get themselves all ready to go out and conquer the marketplace, but are afraid of taking the next step by actually doing it. Get out there and touch your prospects. Make that phone call RIGHT NOW. Send that letter TODAY.
6. Ask Lots of Questions & Listen Make this meeting about THEM, not you. Learn all about their day, their business, their goals, their obstacles, their business interactions, their vendors, their family, and even their shoes. The more that you learn about them, the easier it is for you to position and inculcate your products and services into their life.
7. Deliver Solutions Selectively When I sell a prospect, I don't barrage them with a myriad of offerings and services. I ask questions, listen, and pitch a single solution. If they bite, great. If not, I ask them what's holding them back, and then I either modify my current offering or pitch an alternate solution. Too many people try to show the whole store in one sitting — that's a mistake.
8. Go For The Close Too many people out there don't know how to close. Here are a few simple close phrases that you can use. Remember, once you say it to a potential client, shut up. Let them respond. Too many people blabber on and lose all the power of a perfect sales close. (many of these come from my friends on the LinkedIn Group, Sales Playbook!): - "How does that sound to you?" - "Does that sound fair?" - "When would you like for us to get started?" - "If everything looks good, why don't you go ahead and approve this and I will take care of all the details." - "So, let's do this. I will be here every step of the way to make sure everything goes exactly as we discussed." And my favorite: "Sounds like you want to go ahead with this."
9. Go Above & Beyond Once you get them as a client, don't sit back and catch your breath. This is the most important time to quickly manage their expectations and serve them. Follow up and send them a thank you email and mail a personalized, hand-written card. Endeavor to deliver the first step of what you agreed upon ASAP, exceed their expectations. This one little action will define your relationship for a long time.
10. Be Persistent If they need to think about it, give them space, but ensure that you have a solid follow up date and time to get back to them. If you can, make it an in-person meeting and try to bring additional information or answers they might need to that meeting. If they turn you down, it's usually about fear of spending money or lack of information about your product/service. These are two areas that you can remedy pretty quickly with some basic follow-up sales questions.