Project Exponential

Month: May 2012

  • Are you just as intentional offline?

    Social media platforms are ideal networking resources, places to find like-minded individuals and spark creative rainstorms. Brands and customers and clients and students and businesses can deepen experiences.

    1. Customers can voice the impact products have in their lives.
    2. Contests engage audiences.
    3. Features demonstrate the breadth and reach of services.
    4. Employee knowledge can be showcased.
    5. Range of expertise is amplified.
    6. Employee investment propels company value, as people care more and are held accountable for their words.
    7. Really good community organizers act as matchmakers, connecting environments and individuals.

    Our interconnectedness has made it that much easier to collaborate with other key players and start dialogue with those who might otherwise be out of reach. The opportunities are seemingly endless, accessible, immediate—yours for the taking.

    But it doesn’t stop online.

    Don’t forget about what’s waiting for you once the laptop closes and you power your device down.

  • “What floor?”

    There are countless tactics that can strengthen the genuine enthusiasm and personality of a brand. Companies shell out thousands of dollars to learn things like:

    • How to communicate, in an appropriate and relevant way
    • What to say so people will listen
    • How to best stimulate audience interest and involvement
    • Where to go to find the latest trends and news

    Are you just as intentional with your personal brand? Do you look for situations that force you to flex?

    Your “elevator speech” isn’t effective if you don’t ride elevators.

  • Give yourself permission.

    Suddenly it happens. I’m not sure when or how, but you find yourself in an assigned role, doing tasks that aren’t necessarily meaningful to you. You realize you’re living a life that feels predefined. The things you do and the the people you meet “just happen.” You’re caught in a cycle of routine and predictability, and you can’t quite put your finger on what’s missing.

    Somewhere along the way, we forget we have the great power to make daily decisions. Decisions that matter to us, that reflect a more authentic image of ourselves and are independent of our environment and the people around us. Decisions that create.

    Our days become filled with brightness and meaning when we make choices to step towards what makes our heart sing. You don’t have to wait for a special occasion, a dinner or a curated experience. You don’t need an assignment to make it happen. You don’t need someone else’s permission.

    Find one decision you can make to get you closer to where you want your life to be. Commit to follow the direction of your passions, to present a more authentic you, to run your life — if only for today.

    Permit yourself.

  • Steal skills from another industry

    There are certain tools that are transferable, regardless of industry or job title.

    Step inside Tiffany’s. You’ll see plenty of couples and women roaming around. Inch closer to the diamond cases and eavesdrop. You won’t hear any hard selling from the staff. The product speaks for itself. If you’ve come to Tiffany’s, you want the name on your finger.

    The good sales people say very little. When they do speak, they repeat what information the customer has already provided, using empathy to build rapport with the shopper. Active listening, reframing, and reflecting statements make clients and buyers feel heard, acknowledged, respected.

    What is this? Motivational interviewing. The same techniques you might find in a group therapy session, the same phrasing and tools a substance abuse counselor might use with her client, are being channeled onto the sales floor:

    • Pointing out a couples’ ring selection might not mirror their commitment to each other — creating discrepancy
    • Accepting a customer’s reluctance as momentum to move conversation onward — rolling with resistance
    • Supporting the buyer, giving them confidence about their purchasing decision — supporting self efficacy

    And questions. Lots of questions. Open ended, asking for permission — questions that help the seller gather information about the buyer and their buying needs, their spending patterns, helping identify the likelihood of the sale.

    “Can we look at the princess cut?” “What does that design remind you of?” “Do you mind if we step over to this case to look at our signature bands?”

    What could you borrow from a different industry? Could you lend skills to someone in another field?

  • Universal worry: “Am I good enough?”

    “Do I belong in this group?”

    “Does what I have to say matter?”

    “Are my ideas valuable?”

    These are questions that have plagued the most brave, the most confident, the most successful among us. At some point in time, most people have had these thoughts.

    The difference lies in the answer.

    Successful people know how to convince themselves “YES!”

    And even if they don’t believe it, they pretend anyway.