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

The Busy Business Owner’s Rhyme

Hickory dickory dock — the busy business owner took a look at the clock. The clock struck eight and she said “this is going to be great!” Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock — the busy business owner took a look at the clock. The clock struck noon and she was on the move! Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock — the busy business owner took a look at the clock. The clock struck three, four, five and she said “I’ll be lucky to make it out of here alive!”. Hickory dickory dock.

Hickory dickory dock — the busy business owner took a look at the clock. The clock struck seven and she said to herself “another day in heaven!” Hickory dickory dock.

Have you ever found yourself looking for some great big move you can make that’ll create a dramatic shift in your business or life? I know I’ve fallen prey to that thinking in the past. But that’s a dangerous path to follow. Like a deserted back alley in Brooklyn peppered with burnt out cars, you’ll find this path to success is scattered with the wreckage of failed entrepreneurial dreams of those who’ve vainly gone before you.

It’s not the BIG hits that will turn the tide for the average small business owner. It’s the small incremental changes you make on a consistent basis that determine where you’ll be a month, a year, or a decade from now. Almost imperceivably you can radically transform the performance of your business and the quality of your life with tiny decisions and actions made every day.

Instead of waiting and hoping for something BIG to happen, concentrate your efforts and make something dramatic happen one minute at a time. Strive for the future you desire minute by minute and you’ll become the person who’s ready to live the destiny you were created for without even noticing.

This concept is contrary to what society pushes, and if you look at the success level of the average person, you an see how ineffective it really is. It’s not an easy approach to grasp, so to help get you started here are seven principles to get you started.

1. Go beyond the call of duty. Arrive early and stay late. Put in the extra effort on the next project you complete for a client — especially one that you’re not paid for. You’ll not only stand out from the “herd,” you’ll be recognized and rewarded with far more than what you invest.

2. Give people more than they expect. Simply put — “Under-promise and over-deliver.” If you provide more value than what you’re compensated for, then you will be rewarded with more than what you ever expected.

3. Maintain the highest standards. Life will pay you any price you demand. You’re the boss, but prove you deserve the best by demanding peak performance from yourself. Your team will recognize your code of conduct and adapt according to your standards.

4. Do something meaningful for someone each day, something that you won’t get paid for. This will teach your subconscious that you have abundance in your life. Abundance of time, money, talent and emotions. If you never empty your glass, it will never be refilled.

5. Do ordinary things in an extraordinary way and don’t be content with mediocrity. Push yourself just a little more than you think you are capable of. Make it a personal rule that whatever passes through your hands will have your unique fingerprint of excellence on it.

6. When you know there is a better way to do something, do it! Don’t hesitate. If you do hesitate, one of your competitors will step in, take action, and claim the rewards. Take a step in the right direction and change one thing in your business today. Maybe it’s one small action you’ve been intending to take for sometime now. These small incremental actions are what success is made of.

7. Be sure to take a break, and recharge one day a week. It can be any day you like — but do it! My pastor takes off Tuesday’s.The woman who cuts my hair closes her salon on Mondays. My day varies from week to week, and yours can too. THe bottom line is you must take the time to focus on your goals, the big picture, your relationships with family and your creator. Then you’ll enter the new week recharged and ready for growth.

Practice one of these One-Minute Success Habits each day for the next 30-days and prove to yourself that you can achieve BIG business success one minute at a time! If you have questions or would like feedback on ideas you have — be sure to post a comment to this post.

About the Author: John-Paul Micek and his partner Deborah Cole Micek are Business Growth Coaches. They specialize in coaching you to get twice as much done in half as much time while you achieve profit-doubling growth in 12-months or less.

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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