If you had the choice between hiring someone you don’t quite trust even though they “look impressive on paper,” verses hiring someone who doesn’t look like the ideal candidate on paper, but you have a good feeling about that person’s integrity – who would you choose?

9 out of 10 people pick the person they can trust every single time.

An independent study on a corporation whose team had decided “on paper” to hire one company over another proved this theory. Once the team met the competing leaders, the team did a complete 180 on their decision, and went with the other company.

We think we make purchasing decisions based on logic. But in reality, we make our decisions on a subconscious level, a more emotional level; then we justify our purchase decision using logic.

Actions speak louder than words

Last week we explored a case study where Keiko met with two contractors separately. She had to decide who would get the job to renovate her kitchen.

Most people seem surprised to learn that Keiko chose …

contractor #1 who had a much higher bid, and admitted he couldn’t meet her deadline for the project. On paper, it seems the logical decision would be to go with the bid that falls within budget, and with a contractor who promised to meet her deadline.

Keiko just couldn’t trust contractor #2, even though he “said” he could meet her deadline. She explained, “He missed his appointment and didn’t call back until much later. He also didn’t ask as many questions about the job as the first contractor did. That leads me to believe that the second contractor was just making promises he couldn’t deliver.”

She felt that the first contractor actually took the time to really get a feel for what the project would entail, and gave her an accurate estimate of when the project would be completed – with no surprises when the bill came.

Making promises based on what you think someone wants to hear will never influence your listener in the long run – especially if they simply don’t believe you.

#1 Law of Influence: Do What You Say You Will Do (DWYSYWD)

Being true to your word, doing what you say you will do, and acting with a sense of honor and integrity is the most important law of influence. All other strategies are built on this.

Keep your promises. Remember - your word is your bond. As a general rule: under promise and over deliver.

Once you break a promise to a client (or a vendor) you’ll be on shaky ground. Even if it seems like a small issue, you’ll look flaky and unreliable. People want consistency – especially when shelling out their hard-earned money to you.

Being true to your word is how you’ll be judged. It will determine your success in influencing your clients, neighbors, and friends.

Coach Deborah Micek
The Influence Code

You can know all the laws of influence, all the tricks of the trade, from psychological trigger buttons to using the right words that make people automatically want to buy from you; but, if you don’t follow the #1 law of influence - you might as well flush all the books on influence strategies down the toilet.

What is this critical factor in influencing others?

Let me first share a brief story with you so you can see how this law of influence works.

Keiko was searching for a contractor to remodel her kitchen. After careful research on the Internet, she selected her top-two favorites.

Contractor #1, Tommy, arrived on time. He asked her dozens of questions such as how large she wanted her new addition to be, and what the most important features she wanted included in the new design.

When Keiko asked him how quickly he could get started, he gave her an estimated date. Unfortunately, it was a date past the time she really wanted her new kitchen completed.

Although the estimate was higher than she anticipated, Tommy explained that she would have everything she ever wanted in her new kitchen. The quality of his craftsmanship and materials used were guaranteed for the next 50 years. And before he left, he said to Keiko, “I take pride in every kitchen I’ve ever created.”

Respectfully thanking Tommy for his time, Keiko walked him to the door and waited for contractor #2 to arrive.

Three hours past the time Steve was supposed to be meeting with Keiko, contractor #2 called from his mobile phone, only to have the call dropped as he was explaining, “Wow! Time just got away from me! I should be there in about…”

Pushing the volume up on her phone, asking, “Can you hear me now, Steve?” Keiko realized the call was dropped, so she went outside to tend to her garden in anticipation of Steve’s arrival.

Another two hours passed with no call back from Steve. Keiko went inside the house to make dinner for her son.

By early evening, she finally heard back from Steve, asking if he could come right over. Consenting, she set up a new appointment for an hour from then.

Steve arrived late, but with an impressive, four-color brochure about his company. He gave the old kitchen a quick look, and asked her what her budget and deadline was.

Seconds after Keiko described why she wanted the project done as soon as possible, Steve nodded his head, and assured her he could get it done by then, no problem.

He left her with a quote that was well below her budget for the project, and told her that if she sends in the signed contract with a check before the end of the week, he’d knock off an extra 10%.

Who did Keiko choose?
Find out in next week’s post.

In the meantime, post your answer in the comments section below…

Coach Deborah
The Influence Code

There’s one fact we always encourage our business coaching clients and members of the Business Owners Coaching Club to remember — the fact that 90% of your money, energy, and effort goes into getting the first sale with a client.

After that it takes very little time, and even less money to maintain and grow that relationship. But sadly, this is something that very few small business owners or professionals take to heart. Most business owners move on to “getting more clients” instead of nurturing the ones they already have. When they do, they’re losing more than just symbiotic opportunities. They’re losing their reputation.

One simple way to reassure your clients, reinforce their decisions to do business with you, and honor them for their loyalty is by instituting an intentional follow up plan. A series of small events, messages, or interactions to keep your company name associated with positive thoughts in the minds and hearts of your clients.

What small business can learn from the most successful auto dealer in the world

One company that fully understands the concept of reinforcing and rewarding client loyalty is BMW.

I’m sure you’ve seen one of those cute new “Mini” coupes or convertibles that hit the roads a year or so ago. Well, a friend of ours bought one recently, and she raved about their client care and follow up. She told us that she received more gifts and follow up letters since she bought her car than she did from most boyfriends… never mind any other company she’s ever dealt with.

These aren’t necessarily big, luxurious gifts. They’re more like small tokens of appreciation to share with your friends and family who like your new “toy.” Mugs, postcards, notepads, and other small gifts, ALWAYS coming with another variation of a “Thank You for being our valued customer” letter inside the package.

Think about it. Who doesn’t enjoy receiving surprise gifts in the mail? Not too many people, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Business Coach’s Corner:

- If the majority of people experience buyers remorse, then why don’t the majority of business owners have some type of plan to address this for their own client base?

- What type of system do you have in place that prevents buyers remorse and builds better relationships with your clients?

- If you don’t yet have a system, what is some small step you can take in the next seven days?

Take that step and make it the first step in a complete system for building better client relationships. When you do, you’ll keep more clients longer, spend less on marketing, and turn your current clients into raving fans!

John-Paul Micek is known as the “Click-and-Mortar Business Coach” by business owners around the world thanks to members of the Business Owners Coaching Club™. He’s a published author and weekly columnist for the business section of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, and a managing partner with the international small business coaching company RPM Success Group Inc.®

The © Copyright to all audio, video, images, and text are held by RPM Success Group Inc.® and licensed under a Creative Commons License.

In our coaching with small business owners around the world, I see it over and over again. Inexplicable refund requests are one of the most frustrating things for well meaning companies. But do you know what single factor is responsible for almost every refund request and nearly every piece of returned merchandise?

Buyer’s Remorse!

Since this is an emotional problem that causes the dissatisfaction, you need a high-power, emotion-based solution.

When does Buyer’s Remorse take place?

The minute the cash has transferred hands, fear enters the heart of your client. Warning sirens sound, and their subconscious starts prodding them, “Did you really make the right decision?”

This happens because most client’s have been burned before, so it’s only natural for them to have thoughts of skepticism and concern. Plus, it’s human nature to look for something negative in a situation. The bottom line is that most people are almost expecting something to go wrong.

Studies have determined that 90% of the problems we worry about never come to pass. Never! Yet, we all fall prey to worry despite of this fact (some more than others.) The question is though — what are you doing to answer all that’s going on in their head?

It’s your job to put your client’s fears and concerns to rest. Why would you let them worry when you know you’re going to take care of them - no matter what? (You’d take care of any problem they had anyway — wouldn’t you?!)

What you can do to minimize or even totally eliminate buyers remorse

One of the best ways small business owners can put their client’s concerns to rest is to offer an iron-clad guarantee. Not just a guarantee to induce prospects to buy your product or service, but using that guarantee to reassure your client immediately after the sale.

For many business owners this seems a little daunting when I first suggest the strategy, but fear and confusion quickly melt away when they see how easy this powerful reassurance tool is to put into use.

When they see the results on their new clients and cash flow — I often have to stop these achievement driven men and women from kicking themselves around their office for not developing a structured guarantee system sooner.

A simple strategy that changes the entire mindset of your clients and prospects

This simple gesture curtails potential fears in the minds of your clients. They are able to tell themselves, “Hey, if something does go wrong, I don’t need to get all worried because all I need to do is come back, and they’ll replace it for free.”

The other thought that goes through their mind, and often seals the deal more easily than you might imagine is, “Well, if they’re going to offer a lifetime guarantee, than this must be an excellent product. They’re willing to stand behind their product/service 100%, and the risk is squarely on their shoulders.”

After a little internal conversation, the next thing they hear their brain say is, “This is a no-brainer decision. I’m buying!”

Business Coaching Corner:

So now it’s time to take action. Here are some serious questions to give you motivation to get rolling right now.

If the majority of people experience buyers remorse, then why don’t the majority of business owners have some type of plan to address this for their own client base?

And if the majority of your competitors are offering some vague, namby-pansy guarantee and you come along with a rock-solid detailed guarantee the inspires confidence — how big will your competitive advantage be?

So … what type of system do you have in place that prevents buyers remorse in your customer?

What are you willing to put into place in the next 30-days?

If you don’t yet have a structured guarantee system in place that protects both your clients and your company, Coach Deb or I would love to help you out. A few private coaching sessions and you’ll be ready to thrill your clients, and leave your competitors heads spinning asking “how can they do that?”

About the Author: Known as “The Cash Flow Coach,” John-Paul Micek works with business owners and entrepreneurs to help them achieve the freedom, fulfillment and financial independence they want. If you’d like to learn how to boost your personal performance, supercharge your communication skills and create a “systems driven business” that delivers the type of net profits you want, John-Paul would love to help you set your own rules so you can win the game of business success. Learn more about working with J.P. one-on-one at http://www.BusinessOwnersCoaching.com. You can reach him directly at “JPM-at-RPMsuccess-dot-com” or toll free at (888) 334-8151.

© Copyright 1999-2005 by RPM Success Group ®, All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the express written consent of RPM Success Group ® is prohibited. You may use this article/post in part with an active trackback, or in it’s entirety as an RSS feed without previous permission, so long as it is published with the full authors tag and copyright notices. Call RPM Success Group toll free at 888-334-8151 for offline reprint permissions, or by email editor@rpmsuccess.com.

The human mind is a powerful producer of the power required to achieve entrepreneurial success. It will always perform reliably and produce results that are to the quality of input it recieves. This makes your mind (and the minds of your employee team) one of the most powerful tools you have for accelerating the growth of your company… when properly programed.

I was reminded of this fact recently when Deborah and I had the opportunity to meet and speak with Dr. John Rutledge (chairman of Rutledge Research and Rutledge Capital, founder of The Rutledge Institute and economic advisor to two Whitehouse Administrations.) During an intimate Q&A session we were honored to attend here in Hawaii, business owners from around the world asked detailed questions about topics such as aquiring investment capital, global competition and how to succeed in business in the new millenium.

What surprised me is that in the answer to almost every question, including those dealing with the rebuilding of Iraq (he’s one of the main advisors in that massive undertaking) Dr. Rutledge focused his answers on human psychology and its impact on performance, profits and the aquisition of capital. Without the right psychology and attitude it’s virtually impossible for a business person in any culture to succeed.

I want to share with you a mini-coaching session that can help you begin to put the power of your mind into practical action. It’s a simple one-word shift that you can immediately make in your company, even if you have more than a hundred people on your team!

The One Word That Can Revolutionize Your Business ©

Can one word really improve your cash flow, increase the lifetime value of your clients and change the attitude of your entire team?

It may seem like a stretch, but it’s true. As a matter of fact, this simple one word replacement can cause such a powerful shift in psychology that it can literally revolutionize the entire culture of your business. I’ve seen companies who diligently make sure this word shift sticks and stays in use benefit from a 30%-plus annual increase in re-purchases.

So what’s this simple word you can start using for the same or greater benefits?

Stop using the word “Customer” and Start using the word “Client.”

What makes this one simple word so powerful is that the common definition of a “client” is a person who has their needs met by a professional. In contrast, a “customer” is usually just considered a person who’s buying something. The word “client” creates an expectation of a lasting and professional relationship. Not so with the word “customer.” It creates the expectation of a single sale.

If you doubt this, just think what your own impression would be if you hired an attorney, and while visiting their office you notice that you’re referred to by their staff as a customer, instead of client.

I know what my reaction would be, because I’ve had this happen to me. My immediate impression when I heard the term “customer” instead of “client” was that this so-called professional only cared about making money - and more importantly, they just didn’t seem “professional” anymore. Just that one word shaped my entire perception of that attorney and the way he viewed his business.

Understanding the critical difference in these two words and practicing this simple change will help you create dynamic shifts in the way your business is perceived by the public. Whether you own your own company, or if you’re a member of a company team, your income comes from one source and one source only - the clients who invest in your company through the products and services you provide. With this one simple change you can help your team develop a powerful new way of thinking about the people who make their paycheck a reality.

Do you want those people to feel like “buyers” who are being sold something? Or do you want them to feel as if they’re in a relationship with a person who wants to understand and meet their needs?

Think about it in your own life. Which businesses do you have long term relationships with? I’d be willing to bet it’s the companies who make you feel that you’re in a professional long-term relationship where your needs/desires are understood, and met.

Do you think what you want is any different from what the people you serve in business want? Of course not. They want the same thing as you.

Not The Only Word…

And this word shift of customer to client, is just one example. When you apply this simple little secret of using better words to define various experiences in your business, you’ll set yourself up for exponential performance improvements. Here’s a few more examples to give you a start:

“Challenge … >>change to>> … Issue”

“The Client is_______” … >>change to>> … “My perception of the client’s actions is…”

It’s really a quite simple Neuro Linguistic Programming technique where words are used to create a certain of emotional state. In the coaching and development work we do with companies seeking to improve performance, this technique has been proven time and time again. Since this is one of the simplest things for people to adjust it’s often one of the first actions that I recommend.

Specific words when used over and over again can, (and do) create shifts in peoples of emotional states and their attitudes about what’s going on around them.

Many times when I work with a business owner or manager, we’ll change the words used to identify everything from position titles to operational processes. Position titles are particularly interesting because a shift of terminology in this area can make an significant and noticeable improvement in employee performance, especially in a service or retail/sales business. (And these shifts happen quickly too! In one company, I’ve seen this one word change generate unsolicited positive feedback from clients within thirty days of position titles being changed!)

In most small businesses though, the best place to start is with shifting from “customer” to “client.” Some of the most broad-based performance improvements can come from this shift. But in order for this to work it’s critical that you make sure everyone on your team really understands why this change is being made. This is usually best accomplished in an interactive group coaching environment with your entire company team.

The words you and your team use to identify people who are investing in the products and services of your company is key to determining how they’re treated. Understanding the powerful impact that words have and practicing this simple change on a consistent basis will help you and your team internalize a new way of thinking about the people who make staying in business possible - your clients.

Give it your all and focus on this change of “Customer” to “client” for just 30 days. You’ll notice that every person who walks through your door, calls your company on the phone or is served by your team will be positively impacted by this change. And if you want some really powerful results, revisit this process once every three months and I can assure you that you’ll begin to see measurable improvements in your bottom line.

YOUR COACHING CORNER:

To help you realize the full impact of this simple process on the preformance, profits, and client satisfaction of your small business, take 5-minutes to write out your answers to these questions. Then put them into use in the next 30-days and watch the shift in mindest (and results) that occurs!

1. What are better words you can use to define/label three critical processes/systems in your business? Write down the old word/label and then the new.

2. What is YOUR definition of each of the new words/labels you listed above? And why did you choose each of those new words/labels? (This is critical for you “believing” in the new labels. If you don’t buy the new labels yourself you’ll never be able to maintain the shift to the new words long enough to see any measurable benefits. And, you’ll never be able to “sell” the change to your team.)

3. Review your choices with your coach. Work together to set some goals that you’d like to see reached because of these new labels measurements. Be sure to come up with at least one quantifiable measurement that can verify your achievement of each goal.

© Copyright 1999-2004 by RPM Success Group ®, All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the express written consent of RPM Success Group ® is prohibited. You may use this article/post in it’s entirety as an RSS feed without previous permission, so long as it is published in it’s entirety with all copyright notices. Call RPM Success Group toll free at 888-334-8151 for offline reprint permissions, or by email editor@rpmsuccess.com.

About the Author: John-Paul Micek and his partner Deborah Cole Micek are Business Growth Coaches. They help small business owners like you, achieve profit-doubling growth in one-third the time it would take to do on your own.

In just 12-months with your membership in the www.BusinessOwnersCoachingClub.com you can bridge the digital divide and transform your small business into a click-and-mortar powerhouse that delivers the profits, personal fulfillment, and free time you want.

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