I immediately thought to myself well yes I have to.

So started a train of thought about what do I blog about? I will blog about that this is my year.

This is the year when everything for me and mine and the people I work with all comes together. I have got so much going on the Training Groups, sales performance courses, personal and business development.

So much going on that I am finding a part of my journey is putting this into context, into a plan. It is all about creating the environment for myself, where I can create environments for other people, in which they can live their dreams. My purpose in life is simply that. To help people create their lives, environments of their Dreams.

Help Create their Dreams.

So if you are up for a laugh, up for a journey, up for keeping in touch and following me and mine. I shall impart some words of wisdom as we go along, please keep in touch and watch this space.

This year is going to be our year for success. If I was to be asked you the questions;

• How long does it take to be successful?
• How long does it take to be excellent?
• How long does it take to achieve your goals?

Well in philosophical terms its a nano second, It is not what you have to do, its not the things we do or the way we do them, it is the way we think. Success is the decision you make to be successful, you create the vision in your mind that illustrates to you, that says to you, what you are being , what you are doing, the environment in which are in. If you can visualise what you want, you can be successful. That is how long it takes to be successful, to be excellent, to achieve all of the goals, all of the things you could possibly want.

In may ways its the visualisation of that success that is the most difficult thing but once you have got that you are there. All that is left to do is work the plan its is as simple as that.

Live your dreams

This week I want to illustrate the amazing value of some of the fundamentals of performance, specifically knowing Who you are and What it is that you want.

One of my current clients is a perfect example of how it all comes together and when the opportunity presents itself – you ACT!

At the beginning of October 2010, Dan & Paula Knowlson were investigating ways of being able to enjoy chocolate without having to consume the additives and preservatives found in big brand products.  They came to the conclusion that by far the best way to achieve this was to make it themselves using natural, organic & raw ingredients – much of it sourced from the UK.

It was one of those moments.  They just knew they’d hit upon something that fits perfectly on so many levels – especially their philosophies regarding health and the environment which when you add to the mix the seasonal advantage (it’s coming up to Christmas) along with the big, huge, massive, incredible bonus is that making your own chocolate is ridiculously easy it was dream of an opportunity.

So with inspiration ringing in their ears and enthusiasm coming out of every pore they set to work developing the ‘Elements For Life’ Raw Chocolate Making Kits.

In no time at all, a standard recipe was established and the best ingredients sourced.  Routes to market along with packaging, labelling and pricing were all scoped out with incredible speed.  They set up a website and started to spread the word about what they were doing worked almost nonstop for 4 weeks in developing this idea to the point where on the 3^rd November 2010 they delivered their first chocolate making kits to customers.

They’ll be the first to tell you that it’s been a rollercoaster of planning, hard work and long hours but they’ve had a smile on their faces every step of the way.  Getting up the morning is a different experience now as they greet each day with energy and purpose.

“I have to say that the chocolate is absolutely delicious. Made all the better because I know it is good for me.”

In Summary Dan and Paula where inspired by and idea that fitted in with their personal philosophy of life and where able to define exactly what it is that they wanted, they developed the idea, they developed the plan, they actioned the plan. Now all that is coming to fruition at exactly the right time to be able to exploit the Christmas market. I think in the long term it is going to be a phenomenal business product and I wish them well.

Find out more about Elements for life and the fabulous chocolate making kits here

Of course to tempt you, an image of the finished product, delicious.

Much of this is explained in my e-book ‘Optimise Personal Performance’ that can be downloaded for free from our website.

So why talk about this now?

Have you watched the film ‘Revolver’?

I was browsing my Facebook friends profiles (as you do) and one of them had Revolver first on their list of favourite films which, knowing the person, I could relate to why they would want to watch it (Guy Ritchie : Jason Statham : Ray Liotta : dark, gritty) but I also thought that there must be more to it than just that so I checked it out.

Talk about deep! OK it is definitely dark, gritty and violent with the main plot line being all about Statham’s character wanting revenge on Liotta but the film is really complicated and very philosophical. In short, it’s all about understanding yourself and your Ego.

One way of considering the ‘Ego’ is the consciousness of your own identity that manifests itself as the little voice you have inside your head that gives a running commentary about what is going on and keeps you safe, guiding you through life etc. The ego does its best to keep us safe so that we don’t harm ourselves physically and psychologically and that’s a real positive. It’s always with us to protect us and help us make the ‘right’ decision, however, the right decision will be in accordance with what it wants not necessarily as to what might be the best thing to do.

Hence one of the core lines of the film;

“The greatest enemy will hide in the last place you’ll ever look” – Julius Caesar: 75BC

Of course the greatest enemy you will ever have is that little voice that stops you doing things that you know are great ideas. Things you know will help you to achieve your goals.

To achieve our goals we have to grow, learn and stretch ourselves outside of comfort zone. Challenge is a natural part of enabling ourselves to better than we were yesterday but that little voice is always there warning us of the dangers and reminding us of the safe places we can stay.

The ego, is not always serving our best interests.

Another significant line from the film.

“The only way to get smarter is to play a smarter opponent” – Fundamentals of Chess 1883

The smartest opponent you will ever play is that little voice. If you are aware you are in the game and, if you are aware of the Self that you are then you can play that opponent and you can become better through knowing yourself much more significantly and, much more deeply. Becoming aware of that little voice so that you are able to monitor it constantly.

You CAN do the right thing, not just the thing that the little voice says you should be doing.

Designed specifically to highlight and raise awareness regarding the sales function and the salesperson, this free morning gave the delegates a really good insight into all of the aspects required for ultimate sales performance.  Andy Jackson explored the qualities and attributes required to be a great salesperson and then Andy Entwistle went through fundamentals of the universal sales process which when combined produce the Ultimates Sales performance. Challenging the audience with the thought that we often KNOW what’s required but often fail in the application.

Long story short (I like short) those who attended said they really enjoyed the morning as it “… demonstrated really well where it is we need to improve and the fact that the USP programme will help us to build our ability and confidence in the area of sales and business performance.”

Everyone who attended felt that the time was well spent and that booking onto the USP programme is an investment they couldn’t afford NOT to make.

Check out the programme in more detail at www.ultimatesalesperformance.org and get in touch to reserve your place on the 5th November.

It’s true to say though that we experience and react to the principle of scarcity all the time. It’s part of our software! We place a greater value on anything that which we perceive to be scarce, rare and/or is difficult to acquire. Have you ever noticed that no matter how many times you give a child a toy mobile phone, they’ll always want yours? The mere suggestion of a fuel shortage will result in queue’s at the pump and if you tell a customer that you might have to ration supply, they’ll buy much, much more – as illustrated in a study described in Robert Cialdini’s book Influence : Science and Practice

A company’s’ sales staff, were asked to present their offer in three different ways:

1. A standard sales presentation
2. The standard sales presentation plus information that there was a scarce supply of the product
3. The standard sales presentation plus information that there was a scarce supply of the product and finally that the news that the scarcity of supply was also limited meaning the scarcity was not generally well known.

The results of the exercise were quite startling. Compared to the standard sales pitch the second tactic with additional information bought approximately twice as much as the first set. The third tactic however, knowing the product was scarce and that the information was also scarce resulted in order levels of 6 times more than on a normal day.

Cialdini says “Apparently the fact that the news about the scarcity information was itself scarce made it especially persuasive”

A second experiment also illustrates how powerful the Scarcity principle can be. In a consumer preference study people were given a cookie from a jar. Half the participants were offered a cookie from a full jar, the other half, cookies from a jar with just 2 cookies in it.

When the cookie supply was limited the cookie taste rated higher on both taste and as a consumer item, even when more costly than the readily available cookies. In many ways though, this study did not prove any result that were not already known.

“Once again we see that a less available item is more desired and valued the real worth of the cookie study comes from two additional findings” – Cialdini

However an extension to the experiment proved interesting. The experimenters sought to answer the question: Do we value more those things that have recently become less available to us, or those things that have always been scarce?

One group of participants were only given the two-cookie jar and experienced scarcity from the beginning.

Another set of participants were initially shown the 10 cookies and then, before getting a chance to sample had them replaced with the other jar of 2 – they actually saw their supply of cookies becoming scarce.

It was this drop from many to few (abundance to scarcity) that created a more positive reaction to the product than having a limited supply from the outset.

The question is “So what! It’s all very well knowing this but how does it apply to me?”

I’d love to know.

Please send in your experiences and comments concerning this, indeed any of the principles of influencing – how you’re using them; how they’ve worked for you and how we can all become more aware of how we can positively, powerfully and ethically influence people so that we can achieve our goals.

We have a dedicated site for the launch at www.ultimatesalesperformance.org. Head over have a look and register for updates if you please.

It is not JUST about selling Products and Services, Its about selling yourself.

For many businesses the last couple of years have been tough – for some, really tough although there are businesses that have survived quite happily and others that have not just survived but thrived in the challenging economic environment.

So what’s made the difference?

At this point you might expect us to say that “The secret to their sales success is …” or perhaps “The one defining quality that sets them apart is …” well we can’t do that because we don’t believe that it’s possible to identify one particular trait that determines success or failure.

So go on come and take a look and leave some feedback on the discussions page at www.facebook.com/andyjackson.org and book your seat on the taster sessions. Details of dates times and venues at www.ultimatesalesperformance.org.

See you there.

OK, to break this down a little. We can think of social proof in a couple of ways:

1.Relative proof

2.Authoritative proof

Relative Proof

Giving examples of people or particular social groups that use your services or products, proves to your target market that people they can relate to socially, are already doing what it is you want them to do. Again it’s one of those things we see all the time in advertisements; kids having fun playing with toys; vibrant, energetic people consuming health drinks; business people being effective & productive using branded laptops. Relative social proof is especially effective when used during sales presentations, for example:

An energy representative knocks on my door saying we can offer you cheaper energy you’re your current provider (sound familiar?). They compare their standard rates to my household bills and can prove a reasonable saving. Great I thought, signed on the dotted line and off they went.

2 doors down, the rep knocked on my neighbours door, saying “Your neighbour Mr Jackson has just signed up with us. He sees the value in it as we can save him x pounds every month.” Said neighbour says “Well if it is good enough for Mr Jackson it is good enough for me.” And promptly signs on the dotted line.

A few days later the confirmation letter comes explaining that as the supply is sub-contracted the actual rate will be x pounds + y pounds which works out the same as my current provider. I cancelled the change over and they said OK. I trundled two doors down, explained to my neighbour what I was doing about it and they did the same.

Authoritative Proof

Here we’re using people who are recognised as having authority when it comes to the product, service, business or industry: Key opinion leaders in an industry or environment, professional or consumer bodies such as the ‘Which?’ magazines and reports. If something is reported as being of top quality according to a list of trusted criteria, consumers trust the source and will be positively influenced and are much more likely to commit to the action you want of them.

A really powerful way of using social proof in business is to get testimonials and/or endorsements.

Testimonials are regarding as reports by credible users who generally extol the virtues of the product or service

An Endorsement can be either relative or authoritative, but usually applies to the association with a celebrity or established expert who may not have actual experience through purchasing the product or service.

Social Proof is all about referencing relative and authoritative examples in order to influence people to take a similar action.

Limit Options, is a popular influencing technique. If you limit the amount of choices you give, to say two or three, you increase the ease which people can make decisions. When there are a host of different choices people find it difficult to compare . The number of times people will walk away, if there is too much choice, significantly increases with more options.

A market stall with a couple of different types of jam, marmalade and honey had a roaring trade and felt that expanding their offering was the way forward. They added preserves, chutneys and mustards and more choice of flavours and manufacturers of jams and marmalades. Trade dropped, there was too much to choose from, people could not make a decision as to what they actually wanted.

With white goods retailers, is it not uncommon, especially when sales are on, to see sold stickers on popular items. This prompts the potential buyer to think that availability it limited. This will motivate people to make a quick decision.

Offering a deadline or limited time offer works in a similar way. Buy now! Don’t miss out! Sales ends Sunday!

Better get that today I cannot make it back before the sale ends!!

People assign more value to an opportunity when they perceive it to be less available.

In every area of our lives you only really achieve if you know what it is that you want. In business if you know what you want you can direct the right questions to a particular client and get the results and response that you want.

Doing a customer needs analysis will help direct this line of questioning and ensure you get the result you want, by knowing what they need and how that fits with what you can provide.

When going into any meeting you need to know; What is it that you want?

Let me break this down a little, there are 3 types or levels of goal that I will take in with me:-

Primary goal – The thing you would most like to achieve. If you can come away with your Primary Goal achieved – it’s job done!

Secondary goal – If you are faced with an obvious obstruction to the primary goal, what do you do? Fall back to the secondary goal which might be to establish a need from the client to come back with a proposal that would fit their interpretation of their requirements. This would allow you to go back and get the sale at that point.

Tertiary Goal – You have not achieved a sale and there really had not been an understanding of requirements or further need. What do you do next? What are the next actions to take? How do we take the business relationship forward?

Do understand that communication lines are still open at this point.

Having a Clearly Defined Goal helps us to guide and direct what it is that we do on our interactions with anyone in any meeting, sales, training sessions and almost any human interaction.

Why are you there? What is it that you want to achieve? That, will direct exactly what it is that you do and how you interact on a moment by moment basis.

With vision you know you are on the right road. With vision you know are travelling in the right direction. There may be diversions along the way; different means, routes and challenges but the destination is the same.

In business a vision of what the business is and needs to achieve, linked in with clear goals (Financial, operational, organisational, team and cultural), will help prepare us to adapt to change when it happens as in invariably does.

Now Sat Nav is all well and good but sat nav does not give you landmarks or things to look out for that let you know you are, actually, heading in the right direction.

Turn Left, Turn Right, Continue.

Was that the correct Left turn, could we have missed the Right one. Continue for how long? (Until someone or in this case something tells you to change direction).

So I decided to plan my route how I would a business plan. For the sake of this example. I bought a Map. It tells me the roads, the local area information, landmarks all things that build my confidence in the route I am taking and that I will arrive at the right place in the time I have allotted.

What I am saying is use your vision for your business like a road map, don’t blindly follow other peoples direction and advice, although advice should be take on board, Take a step back and look at the options along the route that fill you with confidence that you are doing the right way and will get where you want when you want.

A fabulous holiday with the family with sunshine and refreshment.