Here is your Saturday STORY on: SOLVING PROBLEMS: Most people solve problems by thrusting themselves headlong into them and hoping they come out smelling of roses. How much attention should you give to a problem? As much as is needed! How best to resolve a problem is initially based upon your store of knowledge and experience. Most every day the smaller problems are resolved using this store; if we don’t pause for thought as a bigger problem arises, we’ll rush in using this store of principles and beliefs. Pausing will allow us to consider whether we need to add to that store with new information for this new and larger problem. Time may be of the essence, but accuracy has a far better way of equipping you for life. Find the time to acquire the information you need to solve the problem. To RECOGNISE you’re not properly equipped to solve a problem is half the battle. It is no sin, you will not lose face, your pride will still be intact and your peers will not ridicule your efforts to approach the problem in the proper manner. In today’s story we have displayed honesty and fair play, which is a rare quality in business. But when so much emphasis is placed upon tactics, it is good to hear a story such as this. THE WINDOW SALESMAN Allow me to introduce you to Terry, a window salesman from England. If I take you back about 20 years, you'd know Terry as a complete newbie... a not-long-since teenager who was wet behind the ears in just about everything he attempted. The kind of person who couldn't sell false teeth to his own Granny; let alone compete with the other salespeople in the industry. You know the kind who could sell snow to Eskimos. So. to add a twist to this scenario, Terry's boss decides to send him out on a practical field trip on his first day. He throws him right into the deep end by asking him to visit an interested prospect at the posh end of town... where the big money is in Windows/Double-glazing sales. So off he goes. He was extremely nervous. With his hands shaking and his knees nobbling, he approaches the front door and thuds the door knocker several times. An oldish woman approaches and, after his first shaking introduction, she invites him in. He stays there for over 3 hours. Then, after dozens of cups of tea and mounds of biscuits, the woman signs a contract and purchases over £7000 worth of windows (that's over $11, 000 in U.S. dollars!) And, Here's The REAL Kicker - The woman had already spoken with 6 other dynamite glazing salesmen that week. ALL of them offered her a cheaper quote! That's right - Terry's price was the MOST expensive. He was also the most inexperienced salesman there ever was. So, what happened in the background? And moreover, how can you replicate these powerful sales techniques to step up a notch on your own profit ladder? Here comes the secret. The woman said, "She liked the young lad more than the others." That's ALL there was to it. She didn't care about the extra expense. Even the other slick salesmen couldn't persuade her to pay LESS than this young chap was asking for. The truth is, this lad's first impression shone brighter than any of the sales talk the others subjected the old woman to. First impressions count, and this young lad's courtesy, attitude, politeness and likability are what closed the sale. Not the sales hype. Not the low prices with the gigantic over-hyped benefits. But, the actual 'personality' and 'impression' the kid honestly gave was all that was required. If you market your own products and services, consider what impression you are giving to your prospects. If you appeal to them, then you've already done half of the work. If this means redesigning your presentation, then so be it. If this means going out of your way to be polite, helpful and giving the best possible shopping experience to your customers, then so be it. Is it really too much work to secure those big sales? I'll leave you to ponder on that thought. (by Gary Hanley) QUOTE: “The soul is dyed the colour of your thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you do is who you become.” (Heraclitus; 535-274 BC (Approx), Philosopher and Author)