How To Fail Successfully
Let's face it: At one point or another, you're going to fail in some way at your job. It could be something major such as missing a deadline, or something as minor as being five minutes late to work. No matter the magnitude, it's going to happen. Once you accept that, the real question becomes how you fail, i.e. how you handle it.There are two ways you can handle failure: You can either crash and burn or you can glide to safety. Obviously, the second path is the road you want to take. To do this, you need to keep three things in mind when you fail:Don't panic - As a basic rule of thumb, panicking will never help you in any situation. When you panic, your more than likely going to make whatever happened worse because you're not thinking clearly. For instance, if you are late to work and you start panicking, you could make yourself even more late. This could happen if you do something drastic like try a "shortcut" that ends up being a wrong turn, costing you time. Always stay calm and think logically about what you are doing. This is the only way to minimize your problems.Have a "Get Well" plan - The only thing worse than failing at something is to not have a plan on how to fix it. This plan is sometimes referred t

10 Reasons To Turn Your Customer Service Into A Cross-Selling Platform
Cross-Selling is a great way to boost revenues and profits by gently persuading existing customers to purchase an additional product during service conversations.There are ten really great reasons your CSR’s should make an effort to cross-sell to existing customers and clients:(1) You Already Have The Customer’s Attention!This may sound obvious, but it’s a critical fact. Marketers wrack their brains thinking of clever ways to simply get prospects to focus upon their offers. When you have existing customers on the phone, you don’t have to compete with other companies for their ears—they’re already tuned into you, and only you. From a communication perspective, your signal-to-noise ratio is extremely favorable, so you may as well take advantage of this fact.(2) You Can Customize Your Offer On The Spot!One of my clients cross-sells insurance. When clients phone in with a question about their homeowner’s policy, they’re treated to a quick offer that can save them money on their auto policy. The information as to what insurance clients currently have with the agency is displayed prominently on the CSR’s screen, so reps can always offer a pertinent, additional policy.(3) Customers May Be In A Perfect Mood To Buy More!At a famous camera-maker’s four service centers, r

Effortless Networking: How to Connect With Someone Quickly
"How do I connect with someone quickly?"This may seem like a simple question, but it's actually a little more complex -- and perhaps you know that already. When I work privately with clients on such a topic, it takes a few months!Still, here are two steps you can take right away, to connect quickly with someone, no matter what the situation. What are you listening for?In other words, how will you know when you've "connected" with someone?For instance, will you recognize the "connection" when you hear the other person say something in particular? Or when he or she has a certain facial expression? Or when you feel a particular way physically (i.e. gut feeling)? And so on.If you take the time upfront to figure this out, when you're talking with someone you'll be able to more easily recognize these moments -- and take advantage of them.This may not necessarily be a simple question to answer. But when you do, it'll serve you well in many different contexts. Listen for it!Pay attention and actively look out for opportunities to "connect", as you've defined above.This seems obvious, but it can be a difficult step!When we start talking with someone, we start with the best of intentions.ct talking points that will summarize your speech content. Your speech should be interesting and meaningful to the audience, as well as focused on meeting their needs or expectations.

2. Building blocks for success.

As speakers, we all learned there are three main building blocks which comprise a speech. The first component is the speech introduction where the objective is to capture audience attention. Ask a compelling question, offer a quotation, cite a statistic, or begin with a challenging statement. Follow this up with the main points you intend to convey within the body or content part of the speech. The second building block is the content. This is where you will fill in the details of the key points that you alluded to in your introduction. Each point should be supported with factual data, if appropriate, stories, quotations, or statistics. These details will further reinforce your speaking points, making it easier for the audience to retain information, while at the same time, deepening their learning experience. Finally, the conclusion or closing of your speech is where you will summarize the points that you made during your speech. Draw conclusions from your prior points, relate them back to your introductory remarks, and then close with a strong sentence or two.

3. Analyze your environment.

In order to effectively communicate with your audience, you need to know some things about them. First, you need to know who they are. Understanding who they are will allow you to tailor appropriately your vocabulary, approach, and delivery. Are you speaking to a company or to a professional organization or to a public group? Are you speaking to adults, teenagers, or children? Second, you need to determine the audience expectations. Why are they coming to listen to you? What are they hoping to learn? What do they plan to do with what they learn? This will help you in selecting a speech topic that is focused on solving a problem or fulfilling a need. Third, you need to understand your role. Are you a keynote speaker, a workshop presenter, a speaker invited to provide entertainment? Your role will influence your approach and the visual aids that you use. And, fourth, you need to know where you are presenting, the actual physical environment. Will you be speaking in a small conference room, a large auditorium, in a place of worship, or possibly in an open area at a convention? There are many aspects that influence your speaking environment. The more you know prior to speaking , the easier it will be to deliver a powerful speech.

4. Say it well.

As a speaker, your craft is based on words. There are so many things to remember about speaking well. First, be careful of the words you select. Opt for simple words, rather than complex ones. Instead of using the word "demonstrate", use the word "show"; instead of the word "numerous", try the word "many". Make it easy for your audience to understand you by using word

in your introduction. Each point should be supported with factual data, if appropriate, stories, quotations, or statistics. These details will further reinforce your speaking points, making it easier for the audience to retain information, while at the same time, deepening their learning experience. Finally, the conclusion or closing of your speech is where you will summarize the points that you made during your speech. Draw conclusions from your prior points, relate them back to your introductory remarks, and then close with a strong sentence or two.

3. Analyze your environment.

In order to effectively communicate with your audience, you need to know some things about them. First, you need to know who they are. Understanding who they are will allow you to tailor appropriately your vocabulary, approach, and delivery. Are you speaking to a company or to a professional organization or to a public group? Are you speaking to adults, teenagers, or children? Second, you need to determine the audience expectations. Why are they coming to listen to you? What are they hoping to learn? What do they plan to do with what they learn? This will help you in selecting a speech topic that is focused on solving a problem or fulfilling a need. Third, you need to understand your role. Are you a keynote speaker, a workshop presenter, a speaker invited to provide entertainment? Your role will influence your approach and the visual aids that you use. And, fourth, you need to know where you are presenting, the actual physical environment. Will you be speaking in a small conference room, a large auditorium, in a place of worship, or possibly in an open area at a convention? There are many aspects that influence your speaking environment. The more you know prior to speaking , the easier it will be to deliver a powerful speech.

4. Say it well.

As a speaker, your craft is based on words. There are so many things to remember about speaking well. First, be careful of the words you select. Opt for simple words, rather than complex ones. Instead of using the word "demonstrate", use the word "show"; instead of the word "numerous", try the word "many". Make it easy for your audience to understand you by using word

who they are will allow you to tailor appropriately your vocabulary, approach, and delivery. Are you speaking to a company or to a professional organization or to a public group? Are you speaking to adults, teenagers, or children? Second, you need to determine the audience expectations. Why are they coming to listen to you? What are they hoping to learn? What do they plan to do with what they learn? This will help you in selecting a speech topic that is focused on solving a problem or fulfilling a need. Third, you need to understand your role. Are you a keynote speaker, a workshop presenter, a speaker invited to provide entertainment? Your role will influence your approach and the visual aids that you use. And, fourth, you need to know where you are presenting, the actual physical environment. Will you be speaking in a small conference room, a large auditorium, in a place of worship, or possibly in an open area at a convention? There are many aspects that influence your speaking environment. The more you know prior to speaking , the easier it will be to deliver a powerful speech.

4. Say it well.

As a speaker, your craft is based on words. There are so many things to remember about speaking well. First, be careful of the words you select. Opt for simple words, rather than complex ones. Instead of using the word "demonstrate", use the word "show"; instead of the word "numerous", try the word "many". Make it easy for your audience to understand you by using word

here you are presenting, the actual physical environment. Will you be speaking in a small conference room, a large auditorium, in a place of worship, or possibly in an open area at a convention? There are many aspects that influence your speaking environment. The more you know prior to speaking , the easier it will be to deliver a powerful speech.

4. Say it well.

As a speaker, your craft is based on words. There are so many things to remember about speaking well. First, be careful of the words you select. Opt for simple words, rather than complex ones. Instead of using the word "demonstrate", use the word "show"; instead of the word "numerous", try the word "many". Make it easy for your audience to understand you by using words with less syllables. Of course, you must tailor the terminology to your specific audience. The words you use in a speech to the chamber of commerce will be different than the words you will use when speaking to a more specialized group like attorneys or doctors. Second, use short sentences. They have more impact and the audience will retain the content more easily. However, make sure you vary the length of your sentences so your speaking doesn't sound choppy. Third, employ various techniques of vocal variety. Change your voice volume to emphasize certain points. Depending on the subject matter, you might use a regular speaking voice, but in another part of the speech change over to a commanding voice or one with a humorous tone to it. And, by all means, avoid speaking in a monotone voice as it will certainly bore your audience. Obvious as it may seem, practice your speech several times to check your articulation. Make sure you are pronouncing each word fully, beginning to end.

5. Timing is everything.

Suffice it to say, beginning your speech on time is important, but ending it on time is even more important and a hallmark trait of a professional speaker. An audience will stop listening when your speech is scheduled to end. If you don't finish on time, you might be out of luck as your audience has probably stopped listening. Respect your audience, otherwise you might not be invited back to speak again. And, respect the speakers who are scheduled to speak after you. If you have difficulty with timing, you need to practice more and reduce your speech content. Summarize points more succinctly, take out filler words, or even eliminate speaking points which are not vital to the content. When you are presenting your speech, have someone in the audience give you time signals when you want to be alerted to the amount of time left. Or, you can turn your watch so that the face of the watch is on your inside wrist. When you are gesturing, you can casually glance at your watch to gauge your time. Either method will allow you the chance to eliminate material to complete your speech on time.

6. I can see clearly now.

Visual aids are great to use when speaking, except when the audience can't see them, or they detract from the presentation. Visual aids can help the audience to understand complex points with more ease. Visuals are easier to recall than words, they provide variety to your presentation, and are a wonderful tool to prompt you through the key points of your speech. When preparing visual aids, use black or dark blue lettering on a white background to provide the highest contrast. Avoid using bright colors, even against a white background as the eye has trouble distinguishing them. You can utilize a variety of visual aids from PowerPoint slides, to flip charts, to overhead transparencies, to written handouts which allow for participant note taking. Refer back to analyzing your environment, to determine which type of visu