The First Secret of Success - Dedicated to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success. “ ~ Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

  

It was 1978 in Perth , Western Australia that I first became  aware of the wonderfully inspiring work of Dr Norman Vincent Peale.   

A company called American SalesMasters  had a video entitled “ Why Positive Thinkers Get Positive Results “ by Dr Peale and  I used to sell this video (along with other videos on various topics) to businesses .

Part of  the sales process was that I would play this video for groups and then get into a healthy discussion afterwards about the various points and how we could use this inspiring 30 minutes to better our lives.

Time does distort our memories of course , but it seems I must have watched this video 100 times. I could practically recite the entire message!

There was one time  though when I used this video that will be forever etched in my memory. 

I volunteered  to run a viewing in a halfway house. This is a place where people – who have suffered from  such problems as alcohol or drug abuse and have been jailed previously – can be monitored and helped to  allow them to begin the process of reintegration with society.

When I entered the premise and saw the people – maybe a dozen or so – I immediately noticed that they were sedated and lounging about in a very quiet way and I wondered how I could ever get any response from them. Anyway, I introduced the video and the lights were dimmed and away it went. So at the end of the video , the lights went back on and –to no surprise – a number of them were asleep!

I stood in front of the room and thanked everyone very much for inviting me to come along.  Then I proceeded to collect the video and be on my way.

What happened next amazed me. I was packing things up when I heard a voice say “ can we see that again ?” I looked with astonishment at the people – thinking I was dreaming – and then heard a few more voices say  “yes”. I smiled (I was in shock) and of course gladly played the movie again.

After that moment in time, no one could ever convince me that somebody, at least one human being, is learning something when exposed to inspiring and informative material. 

Two other points here. I got to see Dr Peale live and on stage. He was dynamic and spoke with great passion and energy even though he was moving along in years.

And, here is what President Bill Clinton said upon Dr Peale’s passing: 

“ Dr. Peale lifted the spirits of millions and millions of people who were nourished and sustained by his example, his teaching, and his giving.“

Thank you Ray Jacobs for submitting this article. To get in touch with Ray please contact him through the following mediums:

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• ray@rayjacobstraining.com

• Phone: +971-(0)55 460 0708

Your PAGE on Customer Service

You have experienced a variety of customer service and may define them into different levels or categories. 

After talking with numerous people it can be seen the levels or categories could easily be divided into four distinct parts known as PAGE (yet there is a fifth level which most people are unaware of):

• Pathetic – You know this type of service is simply miserable. It is so outrageously disgusting that you get angry, frustrated and in some cases you may simply lose your composure.
• Average – In such a service you expect nothing great from the provider. You simply get served and that is the end of it.
• Good - This is where you feel that you have someone paying attention to your needs and wants. You respect the organisation for their effort
• Excellent - For such a service to happen you believe they have just got it right and appreciate the fact that the service provided is going beyond your expectations

The ultimate level of customer service is Soul Based Service Excellence.

It’s simply perfect. In such a service scenario you made the customer feel as the king/queen in that time span of interaction even if the customer did not purchase a service/product from you. Such a service makes the customer smile.

Soul Based Service Excellence is never about a transaction, it is about feelings, energy and enthusiasm.

The Journey of Self Discovery

It is not that easy to pinpoint just when I became fascinated by the whole field of self discovery and reading everything I could get hold of to gain more information and understanding.

Whilst in 1st year of High School, I received a book entitled “Your Brain and How to Use It “. It occurred to me some decades later that this book may have had a profound effect on my thinking and helped shape the areas in which I spent my time, directed my energies and wished to explore.

I do recall that in my young days it was not difficult to make friends . I loved my  school days – not for the subjects I was supposed to learn – but for the times of tearing around the school yard chasing  after the football or seeing how fast I could run  as against the other boys and how far I could jump  and the like .  

And, I do recall the many hours I spent alone in my own thoughts imagining  I was entering some prestigious event like the Olympics and how I would perform. Well, Olympics and World Cups came and went – and instead of performing in them - I either read about them or watched them on television!

As I think back to my youth and up through my twenties and thirties , I thought it would be a healthy pursuit to attempt to bring back the memories of just what books and articles and videos and people  and countless examples from many Countries  really had an impact on me and others. 

So, I plan to list books and other resources that I feel other people – on their own journey  of course – may well benefit from. Maybe, just maybe, I can help some folks save some valuable time.  So, put on your seat belt, and let us drive across and pick up the lessons and learnings and mistakes and all of the rest of it on our journey.

Thank you Ray Jacobs for submitting this article. To get in touch with Ray please contact him through the following mediums:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• ray@rayjacobstraining.com
• Phone: +971-(0)55 460 0708

Customer Service & Its Many Challenges

We have all been customers. We have all interacted with somebody trying to sell us some product or service. 

We have all walked down the streets of where we live, work or play and noticed people that appeared to be different than us. Different how? Different in their physical appearance. Different in the way they spoke. Different in their upbringing and many other differences. 

At around the age of 10, I was able to work in my Parents delicatessen in Sydney, Australia and at times my job was to open the shop and serve the customers who came through the door.  Now, when you are 10 and would rather be out playing than ‘working’, I am not quite sure of what type of  service I would have provided! 

But a few decades later it occurred to me that these early experiences helped shape my thinking and left me curious about how we  ought to interact with each other  in a much more dignified and respectful way.

So, throw all of the above  into the mix and let us talk about this thing called Customer Service. Given that organizations have invested billions in attempting to teach their people to serve their customers well, it seems that there are just as many customer complaints, just as many disgruntled customers today as ever.

So, what is going on? Why does it seem we have not advanced much at all?

Well, let us get back to basics. Customers are people. People are driven by emotions. And, emotions  and behaviors are driven by beliefs.  Which raises some interesting questions.  

As you think about your upbringing and school and College days, how much help, guidance or training did you receive in the areas of understanding and handling of emotions ? What training did you receive about the makeup of beliefs and how beliefs impact your life and well being in countless ways?- 

My best guess, is that if you are like most people, very little. And, I am guessing that you now have a little insight as to what we have to address if we are to improve customer service.

Thank you Ray Jacobs for submitting this article. To get in touch with Ray please contact him through the following mediums:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• ray@rayjacobstraining.com
• Phone: +971-(0)55 460 0708

Objection - Your Price is too HIGH!!

In an earlier article I had discussed about  LARA's Secret to Managing Objections. 

All of us have had objections during the sales process. There are many reasons for objections yet some organisation (or more specifically people) still manage to sell the services or products. 

Most sellers are under the impression the main reason for objection that leads to a rejection of a sale is due to price. Maybe it is true or maybe its not. In some cases, this may be true but for the remaining cases is this the only reason.

So, the question arises then how is it possible for Mercedez Benz to sell thousands and thousands of cars year on year. It is considered as one of the most expensive cars in the world yet year after year it manages to sell again and again.

Rather than focusing on the price factor as the cause of objection its about time for you to consider the following possible reasons for the objection:

1. You need to be clear of your USP (Unique Selling Point/Proposition)
2. You have to comprehend BAF (Benefits, Advantages, Feature) of your offerings
3. You should pay a closer attention to UPB (Unique Perceived Benefit)
4. Your RAP (Research, Analysis, Planning) requires improvement
5. Your communication skills (verbal, non-verbal, written) have to be fine tuned
6. Your listening and questioning asking skills need to be focused

Now its time to look at it from the perspective of what the customer/client may actually mean by saying "Your Price is Too HIGH", this is a silent language:

1. I just cannot afford it
2. I can get it at a lower price from another vendor
3. I do not want to buy from you or your company as I am unable to trust you (there is a credibility issue somewhere)
4. I am unable to see the ‘value versus cost proposition’ (benefits to me vis a vis the price)
5. I just need and want more information
6. I felt you saw me just as a money transaction rather than a person who needs help and guidance

Many a times we focus of the first six reasons thus are unable to read the silent language of the customer/client i.e. view it from the customers perspective.

It is crucial for anyone in sales to be aware that sales is the same as customer service. So, rather than thinking of the customer in terms of Always Be Closing (ABC) it is about time to think of them in terms of Always Value Before Closing (AVBC).

As a salesperson you have only one objective when engaging in a sale and that is to have a service mindset. You are there to help, serve, assist and guide the customer to a solution that will fulfill their needs and wherever possible their wants.


My name is Rohit Bassi and I am the founder of In Learning. My mission is about sowing the seeds of passion to help you outperform yourself by enhancing your core critical skills of communication, leadership and collaboration. I have delivered workshops to the likes of Oracle, Harley-Davidson, Emirates NBD, Emaar, Alshaya, Baskin Robbins, Mazda and many more. Please feel free to contact me via rohit@in-learning.com or call on +971-(0)55-553-2275.

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