I recently went out to dinner with a business friend who owns a medium sized manufacturing company with just over 50 employees. Over a couple of cocktails he started to express to me his frustration with his people. He claimed to pay them well, provides a comfortable work environment, and offers a respectable benefits package. Regardless, he wished his people were more dedicated and professional in their attitude. He yearned for the old days when there was more pride in workmanship (and you thought I was the last of the whiners). I’ve known my friend for a long time and know his management style; he works well with people and although he insists on organization and structure, he tends to empower his workers to assume responsibility as opposed to micromanaging them to death. Frankly, I know a lot of people who would love to work in his environment, yet he still had this problem of employee attitudes and asked me for my thoughts on it.

I told him what he was experiencing was a simple matter of moral decay. Regardless of the work environment he provided and his interpersonal relations with his employees, there are other forces at work, namely our eroding system of values. I explained the following to illustrate the point:

* It used to be a person’s word was his bond. If he made a verbal commitment, you could count on it. Today, lying and deceit are commonplace in just about every corner of our society. Consequently, our expectations to honor a commitment have been lowered and, even worse, we have lost faith and trust in our fellow man.

* We used to have dedicated workers who cared about their work and doggedly saw a task through to completion. Now, we no longer associate our reputations with our work products. This may be because we have laws today making it difficult to reprimand or fire anyone regardless of their performance. Further, we now suffer from the “99% complete” syndrome whereby we never seem to finish anything with the excuse that, “We’ll get around to it.” In other words, determination and pride have been replaced by indifference which erodes production and opens the door for competition.

* We used to respect our bosses and were loyal to our companies. As long as you were employed by someone, you bit your tongue and endeavored to help the company succeed. For example, I knew a loyal Boeing employee who steadfastly refused to fly on anything but Boeing aircraft. Today, concepts such as corporate loyalty and respect are a thing of the past as employees no longer trust management, and management doesn’t trust its workers, all of which leads to an inordinate amount of back stabbing and political maneuvering. It’s no small wonder that today’s employees are regarded more as free agents as opposed to team players.

To me, morality means giving of one’s self, putting aside our self interests for the common good of all. However, if in fact such things as honor, courtesy, pride, respect, sacrifice, courage, dedication, commitment, loyalty, honesty, perseverance, integrity, and professionalism, are adjectives of the past, then we are indeed witnessing the moral decay of our society. Actually, it’s rather remarkable we have progressed as far as we have as a species, but it makes you wonder how much farther we would be if we had the moral fortitude to overcome greed, corruption, and other vices. As Samuel Clemens correctly observed, “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.”

Interestingly, American morality seems to change whenever we change presidents from one political party to another. I can think of no other single event which benchmarks a change in our culture than the passing of the presidential torch. Consider for example, the social changes incurred in the transition from Eisenhower to Kennedy, from Carter to Reagan, and Bush to Clinton. A change in Presidential party signals a change in social norms and moral priorities.

So what can be done about deteriorating moral values? You would think that our religious institutions would have a significant role to play here. Not necessarily. There are those who go to church simply to absolve themselves of their sins from the preceding week, not to correct any character flaw. After being “cleansed” they revert back to their indiscretions. No, we need to lead by example, reward accomplishments and truly penalize violations as opposed to looking the other way. There will always be those who are morally handicapped and persist in attempting to undermine our system of values, but we owe it to ourselves and our posterity to persevere. Our ability to surmount moral corruption defines who we are as a civilization.

Years ago, Arnold Toynbee said succinctly, “Civilizations die from suicide, not by murder,” meaning our social problems are actually self inflicted. If we can cause the problems, I would like to believe we are strong enough to solve them, regardless of the price to be paid. Going back to my friend’s problem, what is needed is a little inspiration, hope, belief in ourselves, a little brother/sisterhood, and a legal system that doesn’t stifle morality, but rather promotes it. Regardless of the magnitude of the job, from major to menial, workers must believe they are leading an honorable and worthwhile life. There is nothing wrong with ambition, as long as it doesn’t lead to incessant politics. There is nothing wrong with personal achievement/recognition, as long as teamwork doesn’t suffer. There is nothing wrong with criticism, as long as it’s constructive, not destructive. Basically, we just need some common sense and respect for the human spirit.

So, the question comes down to this; Do we still possess the fortitude to do what is morally right? That is a question for each of us to answer and for our heirs to judge.

Tim Bryce is a writer and management consultant located in Palm Harbor, Florida.
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Copyright © 2008 Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

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Tags: interpersonal, business, moral, ethics, ethical

In today’s highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant market advantage based on your professional skills alone. Developing trusting relationships with your clients is vital to your business success as well. No matter what business you are in, the most powerful value-added contribution you can make to any business relationship is the trust factor.

The trust factor is even more critical in today’s business climate with the level of trust in Corporate America continuing to be at an all-time low, and suspicion of “all things corporate” remaining on the rise. To make matters worse, large corporations and small businesses alike continue to use antiquated techniques, such as gizmos and gadgets, to try to win over new clients. When instead, they should be trying to address the heart of the matter by utilizing trust-building techniques that will most effectively resonate with consumers and new prospects.

Clients and prospects are in search of trust in their business relationships, but building trust and credibility does not happen overnight. To cultivate trust, it takes the risk of being open with clients and prospects. This enables them to perceive you as a real person—one with strengths and weaknesses that come into play as the relationship develops. When trust is reciprocal, you will find that your confidence in others is rewarded by their support and reinforcement of what you also stand for as a business entity.

What is Trust

What is trust? Trust can be defined as a firm belief in the honesty of another and the absence of suspicion regarding his motives or practices. The concept of trust in business dealings is simple: Build on an individual’s confidence in you and eliminate fear as an operating principle.

Letting Go of Fear

Let go of fear, which restricts your ability to relate to others. Letting go frees you of behavioral constraints that can immobilize your emotional and professional development. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being hurt, fear of the unknown—all these are roadblocks to developing and growing a trusting relationship with clients. Let go of your fear of losing an account or not having the right answers. Leave all your fears at the client or prospect’s doorstep.

Other critical steps in cultivating trust are knowing who you are and knowing your potential value to your clients. The relationship that forms because of this can have a tremendous impact on your sales. People don’t just buy from anyone. They buy from people they can trust. The rapport and credibility you can establish with the trust factor go a long way toward building a client’s confidence in your ability to meet his business needs.

Trust has both an active and a passive component in a business relationship. The active feeling of trust is confidence in the leadership, veracity, and reliability of the other party, based on a track record of performance.

The passive feeling of trust is the absence of worry or suspicion. This absence is sometimes unrecognized and frequently taken for granted in our most productive relationships.

Building Trust With Care

So how do you build trust with clients? First, you need to care about them. Obviously your clients care about your knowledge, expertise, and accomplishments. However, they care even more about the level of concern you have for them. Successful trust building hinges on four actions: engaging, listening, framing, and committing. The trust factor can be realized once we understand these components of trust and incorporate them in our daily lives.

Engaging clients and prospects occurs when you show genuine concern and interest in their business and its problems. Maintain good eye contact and body posture. Good eye contact signifies openness and honesty. And your body language and other forms of nonverbal communication speak volumes about your attitude toward them. By the same token, you want to be cognizant of your client’s or prospect’s eye contact and body language.

Listening with understanding and empathy is possible if you think client focus first.
Let the client tell his story. Put yourself in his shoes when you listen to his business concerns, purpose, vision, and desires. Show approval or understanding by nodding your head and smiling during the conversation. Separate the process of taking in information from the process of judging it. Just suspend your judgment and focus on the client.

Framing what the client or prospect has said is the third action in trust building. Make sure you have formed an accurate understanding of his problems and concerns. Confirm what you think you heard by asking open-ended questions such as “What do you mean by that?” or “Help me to understood the major production problems you are experiencing.” After you have clarified the problems, start to frame them in order of importance. By identifying the areas in which you can help the client, you offer him clarity in his own mind and continue to build his trust.

Committing is the final action for developing the trust factor. Communicate enthusiastically your plan of action for solving the client’s problems. Help the client see what it will take to achieve the end result. Presumably, what you have said up to this point has been important, but what you do now—how you commit—is even more important. Remember the old adage “Action speaks louder than words.” Show you want this client’s business long term. Complete assignments and projects on budget and on time. Then follow up with clients periodically to see how your partnership is faring.

In the final analysis, trust stems from keeping our word. If we say we will be there for our clients, then we should honor that commitment by being there. Trust results from putting the client’s best interest before our own, from being dependable, from being open and forthcoming with relevant information. It is impossible to overestimate the power of the trust factor in our professional lives. Truly, trust is the basis of all enduring, long-term business relationships.

Robert Moment is an innovative business strategist and author of ,”"It Only Takes a Moment to Score”" and upcoming book “”Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service”". Robert show entrepreneurs how to successfully build and grow profitable service-based small businesses. Visit http://www.howtostartyoursmallbusiness.com and download the FREE Special Report “” 17 Profitable Ways to Turn Your Ideas into Wealth.”"

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Tags: communication, skills, interpersonal, training, presentation

We live in a frenetic world and we are being brutally manipulated.

Every day literally and digitally thousands of messages, some overt and some subliminal, are being shot into our brains.

Our minds are being cleansed of rational thought and action and pushed to impulsiveness by clever, designing marketers and their cloned true believers.

If you are in the marketing business, you know that the online gurus are becoming slicker and their billfolds thicker.

Eat some humble pie: These guys and gals who are the next generation millionaire marketers are developing cookie-cutter methods which are well-grounded in how our mind works and how to make us lower our psychic guards through trigger words and images.

Are you up to dealing with these manipulators?

Are you ready to know what you need for success without being sold the Brooklyn Bridge in every email promotion you receive?

Well, I have got great news for you. My checklist of 10 guidelines for whether or not you should reach for your wallet and sell your soul to the next slickest pitch artist is guaranteed to lessen information overload. Keep these 10 guidelines posted by your computer ready for reference or folded into your billfold or purse.

1. Is this offer aligned with my goals? You do have goals, right? If it clearly isn’t aligned with your path, put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.

2. Do you need or just want such a product or service? Need means that it is or soon will become essential to the prosperity of your business or personal life. Want means it would be nice to have but is not essential in any level of my existence. The need item should then be compared with other similar products which can be uncovered using any number of search engines, review sites and online auction sites. The want items should be added to your goals list and a date for acquisition noted.

3. Do you trust this person or company? Is their identity masked or totally concealed? If so, the rule of thumb is to trash it. When the person or company is easy to determine, then contact them. Ask a reasonable question about the product/service that requires more than a rubber-stamp answer. If the response is wooden and plastic, then trash it. If the answer truly addresses and resolves your concern, then buy it.

4. If the marketer says that he or she is the only honest broker in a world of liars and thieves, then you will know that he or she is a liar him- or herself. This ploy which I call the “Savior Approach” is bound to weaken your psychic defenses. When you have been screwed by such linguistic gymnastics several times previously, you should know better than to jump. But it’s hard to resist. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks later.

5. Steer clear of any offer which is time sensitive. You know the takeaway-type offer I’m talking about: “This offer will only be available for the next 72 hours,” or “You will never see this offer again.” Both statements may even be true, but here is something to consider: Any product which finds success will be copied and offered at a more competitive cost down the pike. Put the offer in your digital or real file cabinet and reevaluate it a few weeks or months later.

6. Unsubscribe to any marketing publication which sends you three or four offerings per day(!) without giving one ounce of personal coaching or information for free. They somehow got you on their hook with a slick, initial offering; now it is time to wiggle your way out of their net and clean out your mailbox of such opt-in junk mailings.

7. Assuming you have a goal in mind when you turn on the computer, don’t let the newest and best marketers add you to their mailing list unless their information is definitively related to your goals. This is especially true for information junkies (such as myself) who are mesmerized by well-tailored copy and new ideas. I want to buy everything and read everything, but that is a formula for the poorhouse. Find your product or niche, and then run with it minus the information baggage.

8. Never buy an ebook or a software application which you don’t plan to read or use promptly. If you have tens or hundreds of such materials stored on your desktop in in the bowels of your PC, either trash them or read them first before you buy the newest hot item.

9. Listen to as many teleseminars or recordings of the people you want to buy products from. When you listened to these self-proclaimed gurus in more than sound bites, if they sound suspicious, seem arrogant and only seem to plug their latest launch…dump them. Your intuition is usually correct.

10. Your monthly self-training expense should be budgeted. If you are about to go over budget with this “must have” application or ebook proclaiming you’ll be making $3,000 in the next 30 days…go to your dream stealer or a negative person in your life. Explain to them that you want their opinion for what you plan to buy, and then, to the best of your knowledge, lay out what the ebook or application is supposed to do. If that neggie is neutral toward the idea or even wants to buy one too, go for it. Otherwise, sit on it until the next month. Don’t rob from Peter to pay Paul.

Noted motivational coach and multi-millionaire marketer Anthony Robbins said: “Stay committed to your decisions,but stay flexible in your approach.”

The easy way to avoid success is to spend, spend, spend and then read, read, read.

I just know you can show some discipline. And when you show discipline, you will become laser focused. And when you become laser-focused, you will absolutely achieve what you want.

Be creative without always reaching for your wallet.

If you want to take advantage of niche opportunities in Japan, subscribe to the Japan Business Insider Newsletter and use the 4000+ directory of English -language websites for Japan. To learn more, go to here.

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Tags: ethics, skills, work, interpersonal, management

Selling has a murky reputation, ask anyone. Salespeople are infamous for their deceptive practices. Would you buy a used car from a salesman?

I said all of that to get it out of the way before you thought it. Yes, it’s clear that sales is an activity without the shining reputation of politicians, lawyers, real estate agents and journalists. Ok, I am kidding, there.

So what am I on about in suggesting that honesty has an important place in selling? There are two reasons. The first is the rather obvious moral one; it is a good thing for other people, society and the planet if there is more rather than less honesty.

The second is not as self-evident. When a person deceives, or rather attempts to, he or only makes a so-so job of it. What I mean is that even if they can manage to utter deceptive words, body language, micro gestures and delivery give the game away.

With all the news about terrorism and security issues, there has been much coverage of how information is obtained when suspects are interviewed. One key indicator of deception is hesitation in supplying (making up) an answer. The other is that when a person is lying, it takes so much brain effort that they don’t produce the body activity which is normal when someone is giving a description of an event or situation which has really occurred.

I’m passing on this information to you but there’s really no need, because everybody always reads body language all the time. That is a very definite statement, so let me give you the justification. Before humans evolved speech, they, like other animals, still communicated with one another. A mixture of grunts, squeals and body language was the medium. Everybody became skilled at it – since survival depended on being able to recognise danger.

We still have that mechanism. It operates unconsciously all the time. The way it informs us about the intentions of others isn’t by delivering a word-message. Instead we get feelings. You take to someone, feel relaxed in their company, or are put-off and made cautious when you sense falseness.

If a person is honest in what they say, their body language confirms the words. Certain gestures are characteristic of honesty. And because our skill at reading body-language is so acute, we can spot fakers very fast. So even when a politician is schooled in such gestures as the ‘open palm’ and the ‘direct gaze’ other micro-clues give them away. Look at dancers who wear ‘professional smiles’ for an example.

A great thing about honesty in sales is that it permits you to be spontaneous and genuine in your enthusiasm for what you are selling. Enthusiasm is catching and highly convincing. What’s more by being honest you avoid any nagging doubt about the value of what you are doing for your customers.

If this seems pollyanna-ish to you because there are situations where a ‘white lie seems justified, be careful. People aren’t stupid, you’ll get found out and when that happens you’ve lost repeat business and referrals.

Try being honest – you might like it :-)

Close more sales and increase your income with free professional Sales Training Tips

Here’s how to hire a Really Good Salesman

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Tags: communication, skills, interpersonal, training, presentation

In today’s highly competitive economy, it is difficult to maintain a significant market advantage based on your professional skills alone. Developing trusting relationships with your clients is vital to your business success as well. No matter what business you are in, the most powerful value-added contribution you can make to any business relationship is the trust factor.

The trust factor is even more critical in today’s business climate with the level of trust in Corporate America continuing to be at an all-time low, and suspicion of “all things corporate” remaining on the rise. To make matters worse, large corporations and small businesses alike continue to use antiquated techniques, such as gizmos and gadgets, to try to win over new clients. When instead, they should be trying to address the heart of the matter by utilizing trust-building techniques that will most effectively resonate with consumers and new prospects.

Clients and prospects are in search of trust in their business relationships, but building trust and credibility does not happen overnight. To cultivate trust, it takes the risk of being open with clients and prospects. This enables them to perceive you as a real person—one with strengths and weaknesses that come into play as the relationship develops. When trust is reciprocal, you will find that your confidence in others is rewarded by their support and reinforcement of what you also stand for as a business entity.

What is Trust

What is trust? Trust can be defined as a firm belief in the honesty of another and the absence of suspicion regarding his motives or practices. The concept of trust in business dealings is simple: Build on an individual’s confidence in you and eliminate fear as an operating principle.

Letting Go of Fear

Let go of fear, which restricts your ability to relate to others. Letting go frees you of behavioral constraints that can immobilize your emotional and professional development. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of being hurt, fear of the unknown—all these are roadblocks to developing and growing a trusting relationship with clients. Let go of your fear of losing an account or not having the right answers. Leave all your fears at the client or prospect’s doorstep.

Other critical steps in cultivating trust are knowing who you are and knowing your potential value to your clients. The relationship that forms because of this can have a tremendous impact on your sales. People don’t just buy from anyone. They buy from people they can trust. The rapport and credibility you can establish with the trust factor go a long way toward building a client’s confidence in your ability to meet his business needs.

Trust has both an active and a passive component in a business relationship. The active feeling of trust is confidence in the leadership, veracity, and reliability of the other party, based on a track record of performance.

The passive feeling of trust is the absence of worry or suspicion. This absence is sometimes unrecognized and frequently taken for granted in our most productive relationships.

Building Trust With Care

So how do you build trust with clients? First, you need to care about them. Obviously your clients care about your knowledge, expertise, and accomplishments. However, they care even more about the level of concern you have for them. Successful trust building hinges on four actions: engaging, listening, framing, and committing. The trust factor can be realized once we understand these components of trust and incorporate them in our daily lives.

Engaging clients and prospects occurs when you show genuine concern and interest in their business and its problems. Maintain good eye contact and body posture. Good eye contact signifies openness and honesty. And your body language and other forms of nonverbal communication speak volumes about your attitude toward them. By the same token, you want to be cognizant of your client’s or prospect’s eye contact and body language.

Listening with understanding and empathy is possible if you think client focus first.
Let the client tell his story. Put yourself in his shoes when you listen to his business concerns, purpose, vision, and desires. Show approval or understanding by nodding your head and smiling during the conversation. Separate the process of taking in information from the process of judging it. Just suspend your judgment and focus on the client.

Framing what the client or prospect has said is the third action in trust building. Make sure you have formed an accurate understanding of his problems and concerns. Confirm what you think you heard by asking open-ended questions such as “What do you mean by that?” or “Help me to understood the major production problems you are experiencing.” After you have clarified the problems, start to frame them in order of importance. By identifying the areas in which you can help the client, you offer him clarity in his own mind and continue to build his trust.

Committing is the final action for developing the trust factor. Communicate enthusiastically your plan of action for solving the client’s problems. Help the client see what it will take to achieve the end result. Presumably, what you have said up to this point has been important, but what you do now—how you commit—is even more important. Remember the old adage “Action speaks louder than words.” Show you want this client’s business long term. Complete assignments and projects on budget and on time. Then follow up with clients periodically to see how your partnership is faring.

In the final analysis, trust stems from keeping our word. If we say we will be there for our clients, then we should honor that commitment by being there. Trust results from putting the client’s best interest before our own, from being dependable, from being open and forthcoming with relevant information. It is impossible to overestimate the power of the trust factor in our professional lives. Truly, trust is the basis of all enduring, long-term business relationships.

Robert Moment is an innovative business strategist and author of ,”It Only Takes a Moment to Score” and upcoming book “Invisible Profits: The Power of Exceptional Customer Service”. Robert show entrepreneurs how to successfully build and grow profitable service-based small businesses. Visit this site and download the FREE Special Report ” 17 Profitable Ways to Turn Your Ideas into Wealth.”

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Tags:communication, skills, interpersonal, training,