Do you ‘kill’ your chances at a sale? Because a potential client hasn’t responded, YET?

Do you ‘kill’ your chances at a sale? Because a potential client hasn’t responded, YET?

Words words words – sticks and stones will hurt my bones but words will never harm me, was the way I had always heard that expression.

Yet, we all understand that words will harm us indelibly and sometimes forever! And you might be ‘killing’ any chances you had at making a sale or creating a strategic partnership or even just getting a referral if you use the wrong words.

I am a business and speaking coach. I train people on almost everything including how they look which includes body language and facial expression. I recently received an email from someone who was marketing their professional headshots and along with that, facial expression training. I was intrigued! I have met many ‘headshot’ photographers but never one who claimed to be a facial expression coach. How wonderful to connect with and maybe trade secrets, marketing ideas or even referrals?

Then I receive this email -

I was trying to reach you several times, but unfortunately never received a reply from you or anyone from your firm. That's why it seems to me that you are not interested in facial expression coaching or making a professional headshot photo session that would completely change your appearance on the web and in social networks.

So if you are really not interested in talking to me, it will be my last letter to you. But if somehow happened that you haven't seen two of my previous letters and you are opened to discuss the details - just let me know. Otherwise, I won't disturb you anymore.

Thank you!

Wow! Chastising me? Now let’s be honest here. I might have dropped the ball. I might have seen a couple more emails from this person and didn’t reply. Life might have changed dramatically and I picked up and had to travel to Australia to do some corporate training an help other people change their businesses and lives. (Oh wait! That did happen! I am in Australia now and it was a whirlwind event that happened in less than two weeks so I might have gotten a tad busy.)

But this person is writing in a manner that really isn’t conducive to maintaining a long-term relationship where I might use their services in the future. Are they?

I NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY! FROM YOU OR ANYONE IN YOUR FIRM!

THAT’S WHY IT SEEMS YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED.

And, do I really want to change my appearance? Because I am happy with my appearance overall but would like to improve how people perceive me or create different perceptions depending on which audience I am marketing to with my headshot? Stronger for my Leadership and Management clients. Softer for my small business coaching and inviting for my relationship workshops. 

You see, while I teach others all of these things, few ever reach out to try to teach me? When was the last time someone offered to turn your no responses into YES responses simply by training you on your facial expression, body language, timing of your close offer? Maybe just on the inflection, you are using when you start closing? (So many things can go wrong and we have no clue, do we?)

But then this email goes on to chastise me - if you are really not interested in talking to me, it will be my last letter to you.

My gosh! I thought I was reading a note from an old girlfriend when I was a kid! OK! This will be the last time I talk to you, Steve Sapato! (HUMPH! And stomps off)

Am I overreacting here? Because this person does not seem like they want to talk to me again unless I apologize.

Are your words important to future sales? YES! Do you make these types of mistakes in your emails? In your drip campaign? Because this FINAL letter from them is ending all communication –  I won't disturb you anymore

Should you go back now and evaluate some of your emails that are in your drip campaign? Better yet, should you invite me in to do some training for your sales & marketing team? On Verbal Attitude? Facial Attitude? Physical expressions (body language)? Do you need me to help your team create effective messages that are conducive to turning a no into a NOT YET?

And isn’t a NOT YET response much better than a no? How about if the right questions can turn the NOT YET into a ‘maybe’ and then into an ‘ok, Yes’ scenario?

Words are only 17% of our communication with someone when we are in person but they are 100% when it’s a text or an email. 

We don’t have the ability to see their eyes change when we hit the sweet spot or see them smile when we get them to agree or frown when we miss that mark.

Words, in the right order, with the right attitude, are our facial expressions to others. And I think this Headshot & Expressions Coach missed the mark badly on this email.

I am Steve Sapato and I am the most famous unfamous speaker and coach in America. You can reach me at steve@stevesapato.com or qlman49@gmail.com (Q = questioning, L = Listening)

Have an amazing day.

What makes you exceptional as a Manager? One thing to make it happen~

When you talk about what makes someone good there are lots of points you can make, but the difference between good and great managers are just a few things. Great managers do a few things that the good managers and lesser managers only think about doing.one else One primary place where Great Managers stand out from every other manager is 'communication'. I know that most managers when you ask them will say that they think they are good at communication. And when I pin them down to specifics, like asking, give me an example of how you communicate with your least important tier of employees they will be aghast and say, all of my employees are important. Of course they are. Now tell me how you just communicated with that tier? They cannot tell me of course because most managers tell their immediate supervisors information and expect that information to be communicated effectively down to all of the employees in their group or organization. The real heart of this is that Great Managers never assume/presume or take for granted what will or won't happen. They check and ask and seek to find out if that information is adequately passed down to all of their people. Great Managers use all avenues of communication, verify that it worked and insure that no one is left out. Great Managers not only use email to send information they also invite response to insure the information was communicated. They will use email, phone calls, text messages and verbal connections to make sure their messages are valued and received openly. Now I ask, what did you last 'send' and how did you make sure the correct info was transmitted and understood by the recipients? Now we are on the right track to being a Great Manager! Steve Sapato is a management trainer and speaker and has trained hundreds of companies and organizations in how to become exceptional. mentalprosperityblog.com

Are you feeling valued at your job? What can you ...

What makes a great manager? According to the experts over 80% of all employees do not feel valued at their jobs.
I know what you are thinking, thank goodness I am not one of them!
Now isn't that close to what you were thinking? Oh sure it could have been 'my people feel valued' or it could have been 'I know a manager who's people don't feel valued'.
Now let's face it, what makes you think your people are not in that 80%? What makes you think you are in the top 20% of all managers in the nation?

And the trouble is ALL managers are thinking the exact same thing! If all managers are thinking that then where does that leave you? and therein lies the problem. Most of us do not see ourselves as the problem! We see ourselves as the exception.

My question is, how will you find out if you are in the top 20%? How will you truly find out and you need to know that 80% of all of the managers who read this blog will not do anything to find out because they really don't want to know. As Yoda might say, question you ask, find out you will.

If you do not take some action after reading this then you are most likely in that 80% and you will deny it until the day you are fired or embarrassed.
And the top 20% are wondering, how do I find out if I am in the top 20%? How do I find out if my people feel valued?
That is what separates the top 20% from all the rest. They take action. They want to know. They need to find out. And they understand you can't just walk up to your employees and ask, "Hey, Bob. Do I make you feel valued at your job?" "Hey Karen, do you feel valued here at work?"

They know that kind of confrontation will never yield the true results you need to know in order to find the truth.

If you as a GREAT MANAGER want to know which of your people feel valued or even better, which of your people do not feel valued than you need to find the proper methods for polling or surveying your people so you get real results and not just a stamp of approval or the "yes" person attitude you want to find.

I can offer you methods to find the truth from your people. Drop me a note and I will send you some links. Don't forget to pass this on to all of your manager friends. And don't forget to subscribe to this blog: http://greatmanagersaremadenotborn.blogspot.com/
And learn more about being better at my website www.mentalprosperityblog.com

I'm Steve Sapato and I will see you at many of the Great Manager events coming to your team soon!

Work out Manager - everything is a lesson.

The lessons are out there and waiting for you. Find your own path. Great Managers Are Made Not Born