I believe that everyone understands that no matter what business you are in- Real Estate, Financial Services, Teaching, Auto Sales any other profession, we are all in the PEOPLE BUSINESS.�� It's been said that fully 85% of your success in life is directly related to your ability to effectively work with people.� So I wanted to pass on a little tip that will make all your dealings with clients or co-workers much more effective.

It's laid out in Dale Carnegie's great book How to Win Friends and Influence People (definitely recommended reading).� If you ever asked someone their "favorite subject", you'd hear answers in a few categories.� Most individuals we've met will respond with something either in the category of an activity (reading, sports, fishing, etc.) or their relationships (kids, grandkids, etc.) and neither of those are the real answer.�� The real answer- without exception- is that everyone's favorite subject is THEMSELVES!� By default, everyone is much more interested in their own life and their own day than anyone else's- and that's OK.� I'm not saying that everyone is or should be totally self-centered.� I'm saying that in your dealings with other individuals, you MUST understand and respect this principle.� The more you can "put yourself in another person's shoes", the better communicator you'll become.� Three tips on how to do it:

�

1.����� Master the skill of LISTENING.� You have two ears and only one mouth, and great communicators will tell you that that's the proportion they should be used in.
How are your listening skills?�

2.����� Take a SINCERE INTEREST in others.� Empathy, compassion, and a real desire to learn about people are some of the most attractive and persuasive qualities you can possess...and they cannot be faked.

3.����� Remove the words "I" and "me" from most of your communications.� When selling, coaching, teaching, or just working with someone, understand that it usually not about you even a little, so don't try and make it that way.

As with any success principle, the art of communicating is a skill that can (and must) be learned if we are going to live to the fullest.� I wish you the best on your continuing journey- make it a truly great day!

�

Roger Seip,�co-founder of Freedom Speakers and Trainers, currently trains professionals across the country in memory, goal setting, attitude, time management, and effective communications. His newest program, P.A.C.T., is an intensive one-on-one twelve week personal coaching program designed for those who are serious about their success. Please click here for more information on�Roger http://www.deliverfreedom.com/speakers_roger.html� or Freedom Speakers and Trainers www.deliverfreedom.com.� Call 888-233-0407 x113 email roger@deliverfreedom.com

RELATED ARTICLES Grow Your Business By Increasing the Value of Each Sale - 29 Ideas to Spur Your Brain There are 3 ways to grow any business:- Get more customers- Get more from each sale- Sell to each customer more frequently.That's it - everything else boils down to some variation of these 3 activities. Selling For Keeps When you are in sales and you come across a customer, you don't want to think of that customer as someone you can only make one sale to, you want to think of them as someone you can make several sales to.I can remember not to long ago when I was in Banking working as a branch manager, when I would meet with my staff every Monday morning to go over their individual weekly goals. Consulting Versus Selling Consulting Vs Selling, How we can make sales by not doing selling but consulting. As we know, everybody loves to buy but hates to be sold. At-ti-tude, n At-ti-tude, n.One of Webster's dictionaries describes the word attitude as:a mental position; the feeling one has for oneself. Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isnt the Same Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isn't the SameNow let's not fall into the old style car salesman's trap ofbelieving that men are interested in what goes on under thebonnet and women are only interested in what colours youcan get and whether it has a vanity mirror.Believe me,and Ispeak as an ex mechanical engineer, I couldn't give a tootwhat goes on under the bonnet. Store Owners - Five Ideas to Increase Sales 1. Animate your window display. EXHIBITORS - Check Your URL How many of you have a corporate web site? Everybody says "Yes".How many of you know its proper URL? OK, most of you. It Isnt A Sale Until Youre Paid Back in the days when I sold for CTV and CBC Television I had a manager that once said " It isn't a sale until you're paid." Most salespeople absolutely HATE calling their customers to ask for payment as they feel like the GOOD GUY and BAD GUY rolled into one!Hey - we have all been there. Sex Sells! An attractive woman has a decided advantage as sales representative over her male counterpart. This "selling edge" is primarily due to the existence of the "glass ceiling" found in most business organizations today. Reviving Dead Clients Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying to recover inactive clients and it's a big mistake. We tend to magnify the problem we had or just want to move on, but sometimes a simple apology and offering to make things right will bring you back a client worth thousands of dollars in billing. Ask for the Business Many times in the process of making a sales presentation to a potential client, we will break down our product piece by piece, explaining all of the features and benefits it has to offer, then we expect our customer to have immediate buy in, and purchase our product based on the presentation they just heard.Unfortunately, it does not work that way. Its Better When They Tell Them You know that word of mouth can grow your business. You hear your customers say nice things about your company all the time. Selling with Purpose Selling With Purpose What is it about selling that makes you afraid?� Do you get nervous at the hint of having to sell?� Is it the fear of rejection that scares you?� Is it the fear of not being able to communicate effectively? Define Your Fear.� What is it about selling that makes you afraid?� Next question, how did you develop this fear?� What is it based on?� a) Many people fear sales because they're afraid of being rejected as I mention. Are You Scaring Your Customers Away? "Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in marketing. It was Saturday afternoon, and started like a typical telemarketing call. Turn Your Wisdom Into a Workshop The Technical Revolution has done a lot for us -- we merely have to pick up a phone or send an email to conduct business. Yet, there still is no substitute for live, personal appearances when you want your teaching to count, and that's why I love workshops. Sell More Products and Services with Testimonials Testimonials are all-important to sell anything. You may already have testimonials for your new book and service, but do you have testimonials for other promotional pieces? Next time you check out a Web site, notice the testimonials. Building Relationships A conversation: The Salesperson: "I don't cold call-I want to build relationships." Wendy: "Huh?" Recently I've had a number of conversations with sales professionals and entrepreneurs who tell me they do not cold call because they want to build relationships with prospects. Stuff We Make Up About Our Prospects ?�Go through the "no's" to get to "yes." ?�It takes X number of "no's" to get 1 "yes. Take the Contract with You I learned something very interesting this week. Thankfully, what I learned was really at no one's expense. Selling To Your Difficult Person We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't understand them, connect with them, or even talk comfortably with them.