Spotting the Leaders

This is a story my Fripp Associate David Palmer, PhDtold at our recent speaking skills class. Hope it makes you think and act like a leader.

It was 1952. The Korean War had been going for three years...and the North Koreans were short of resources, especially soldiers.

Both sides continued to take POW's, but it took money to build high-security prison camps...and a lot of soldiers to guard them.

After studying the problem for a number of months, the North Koreans discovered an innovative solution...that worked. New POW's were put in a large, open camp and watched carefully for three days. Then 2% of the prisoners were cut from the group and transferred to small, high-security prison camps. The rest were transferred to large, low-security camps, thereby saving money and especially soldiers.

Who were the 2%? The leaders, most likely to try to escape. Were they just the officers? No, officers and enlisted men.

And how could they tell, just by watching? Behavior.

And what drove that behavior? Knowledge, values & passion.

Leaders don't simply accept their fate, they want to do more, learn more, and be more!

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

Clean Out the Closets of your Life

Clean out the closets of your life. Have you ever looked at the clothes in your closet with a critical eye: the bargain shoes in the wrong color; the expensive suit you got on sale that never fit; the "great" shirt that was a gift from someone you love?

I had all of those items in my closet. Then a wardrobe consultant friend came over and made me clean out the clothes that didn't fit or that no longer represented my self-image. It was an exhilarating feeling. Now the clothes I wear make me feel and look great, and project the image I like.

Your clothes closet isn't the only hiding place for negative things in your life. You have a self-image closet too. Take a serious look at what you find there. Try cleaning it out. Throw out ideas that no longer fit your lifestyle or your experiences.

Clean your closet of certain old friends as well -- the ones who have become acquaintances. Too often we spend our energies with people whose interests have grown apart from ours.

Clean the negative people out of your life's closet. Some folks cannot accept your achievements, insisting it's only a "fluke" when you finally attain a great goal. Their own insecurities require them to shoot other people down. It is time to let them know you are proud of your achievements, and then move on to someone who will support you in your endeavors.

Closets may be hiding places for our outmoded clothes and ideas, but they are also where we store the building blocks for our daily lives. Don't let them get cluttered with outdated ideas.

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

How to Say "No" by Saying "Yes"

In business, your time is as valuable as your contacts. Have you ever said "yes" when you really wanted to say "no"? It may have seemed the most efficient, popular or expedient thing to do at the moment, but you regretted it afterward.

Please realize you don't need to make any excuses for refusing a business proposal or social invitation. "No, thank you for asking, but I already have plans." What you don't have to explain is that your plans are with yourself.

And fortunately there's a way to say "no" and "yes" at the same time: Refuse the request, but offer an alternative that works for you and benefits the petitioner as well.

It has always been part of my overall marketing strategy to be well known in my community. Business contacts and worthy causes often ask me to volunteer my time. Here's how I handle it. An organization asked me to run a luncheon once a month for their volunteers. I said, "No, because I'm frequently out of town. Here's what I CAN do. Once a year I'll give a free talk to rev up your volunteers. I'll be donating a talent that most of your other members don't have." I was saying "yes" and "no" at the same time: "no" to the original request, but "yes" to supporting the organization.

Debbi Steele, when she was a sales manager for several small hotels, told me how she handled the frequent requests to "have lunch so I can learn what it is like to be in hotel sales." She said "no" to lunch and offered two alternatives. Either they could talk while jogging at 6:30 a.m., or the inquirer could spend an afternoon in Debbi's office, doing odd jobs while observing.

Often I receive thirty to forty calls a month from people who want to take me to lunch so they can ask me questions about the speaking industry. I reply, "No, I can't have lunch with you, but I'll give you five minutes right now. If we were at lunch, what would you ask me?" Many can't think of a question! If you are interest, check out the 100's of FREE articles my website. Look especially in the area of "For Speakers."

Before you say "Yes," ask yourself:
- Do I really want to do what I've been asked to do?

- Will I benefit personally from the experience?

- Will I have the opportunity to do this again?

- How much of my time is involved?

- Can the job be done quickly or will it involve weeks, months, or even years?

- How much help will I have, or do I have full responsibility? ...and this is the KEY question...

- Am I being asked to do this job because I'm right for it or because I usually don't say "No"?

If you don't have the right answers to these questions, teach yourself to say, "No, thank you, I already have plans." Or to say "yes" by saying "no."

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

Prospecting Tips for a Slow Economy

Prospecting Tips for a Slow Economy

by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Frippicisim: It is not your clients' and prospects' job to remember you. It is your obligation and responsibility to make sure they don't forget you.

1. Don't overlook the obvious. Go through your address book, data base, Christmas card list and confirm everybody you know is familiar with your profession, what your specialty is, and who is the perfect prospect for you to best serve.

2. If you used to work in another industry, update your satisfied clients that you can still serve them in this different capacity.

3. Keep in touch with your present clients more frequently. Not just asking for referrals. The better your relationship with them the more they will want to send you new prospects.

4. One of my friends in the advertising specialty business had a very creative office decor. Anyone who had seen it raved about it. Going up in the elevator of his building of 22 floors I had a conversation with a fellow passenger. I asked, "Do you work in this building or are you visiting?" He mentioned he had worked there for 2 years. I inquired if he had ever heard of my friend Jonathan and his unique and memorable office. He said "No." My recommendation to my friend and everyone else who works in a large building is to every few months go from floor to floor, office to office, and introduce yourself to your neighbors. You could well quadruple your business close to home.

5. Don't forget to work on your sales presentation skills!

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning keynote speaker, executive speech coach, and in-demand sales presentation skills trainer. www.fripp.com, pfripp@fripp.com, (415) 753-6556 Check out her DVDs, CDs, and books on public speaking, presentation skills, and how to be successful as a professional speaker: http://www.fripp.com/publicspeakingresources/
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We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included.

How to Engage an Audience

How to Engage an Audience

by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Executive speech coach and award-winning speaker Patricia Fripp was recently asked, "What is the best sway to engage an audience?" This is the advice she gave the attendee at her San Francisco Speaking school:

"The best way to engage an audience is to be prepared, personable, polished, practical, and profound.

Prepared:

Know who you are speaking to: why are they there; what part of the agenda; what is the purpose of the meeting and expected outcomes of your contribution?

Is there a theme for the meeting?

What is the state of their industry?

What is the organization proud of?

What are their challenges?

What is a typical day in the life of the audience members?

Ahead of time, can you interview a few people who will be in the audience and find 'sound bite' quotes?

Personable:

Before the event be responsive, easy to deal with, and meet all organizer's deadlines.
During the event don't demand, change the equipment requested, or act like a celebrity.
Before you speak meet, shake hands, chat with attendees, and be visible and involved for at least part of the meeting. You will be perceived as more interesting if you are interested. You engage your audience when it is obvious you have attempted to include THEM into the message.

Polished:

Giving a presentation is not about being perfect as much as personable. However, you are expected to know your content and have practiced your presentation. Even if you use an outline, do not be so tied to your notes you have to read it. This kills all eye connection with the audience if you are looking down too much.
Practical: Be sure your information is interesting and has a logical application to the audience. Is it delivered at the right level of abstraction for the audience? No brilliant sounding ideas that are not specific enough to be useful?

Profound:

Simple universal concepts are not necessarily simplistic. Your observations and recommendations based on your experience and wisdom can make them profound."

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning keynote speaker, executive speech coach, and in-demand sales presentation skills trainer. www.fripp.com, pfripp@fripp.com, (415) 753-6556 Check out her DVDs, CDs, and books on public speaking, presentation skills, and how to be successful as a professional speaker: http://www.fripp.com/publicspeakingresources/

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included.

Physical Preparation: Warm Up and Relax Your Body and Face - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

1. Stand on one leg and shake the other. (Hold into a chair if you need to.) When you put your foot back on the ground, it's going to feel lighter than the other one. Now, switch legs and shake. You want your energy to go through the floor and out of your head. This sounds quite cosmic; it isn't. It's a practical technique used by actors.

2. Shake your hands...fast. Hold them above your head, bending at the wrist and elbow and then bring your hands back down. This will make your hand movements more natural. Pretend to 'conduct' for a few moments.

3. Warm up your face muscles by chewing in a highly exaggerated way.

4. Do shoulder and neck rolls.

5. Warm up your eyes by looking at an imaginary clock. Look at 12, now move them to 3, then down to 6, up to 9 then 12. After doing this 3 times, reverse the direction 3 times.

All of these exercises serve to warm up and relax you. Those exaggerated movements make it easier for your movements to flow more naturally. Now you can concentrate on your message and connecting to the audience. With large audiences when your talk is IMAGed, (image magnification) the audience will be looking at you more as they do at the movies. These simple techniques used by actors will help you book more natural and professional, and feel more relaxed.

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com


We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

Spotting the Leaders - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

This is a story my Fripp Associate David Palmer, PhDtold at our recent speaking skills class. Hope it makes you think and act like a leader.

It was 1952. The Korean War had been going for three years...and the North Koreans were short of resources, especially soldiers.

Both sides continued to take POW's, but it took money to build high-security prison camps...and a lot of soldiers to guard them.

After studying the problem for a number of months, the North Koreans discovered an innovative solution...that worked. New POW's were put in a large, open camp and watched carefully for three days. Then 2% of the prisoners were cut from the group and transferred to small, high-security prison camps. The rest were transferred to large, low-security camps, thereby saving money and especially soldiers.

Who were the 2%? The leaders, most likely to try to escape.

Were they just the officers? No, officers and enlisted men.

And how could they tell, just by watching? Behavior.

And what drove that behavior? Knowledge, values & passion.

Leaders don't simply accept their fate, they want to do more, learn more, and be more!

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

10 Tips to Make Your Copy Get Results With Killer Copy Tactics

Advertising Headlines That Make You Rich The Secret Behind Million-Dollar

by David Garfinkel

Want a little secret to turn your advertising into an irresistible magnet for customers?
Dale Carnegie knew the secret, and that's one reason his book How to Win Friends and Influence People has sold more than 15 million copies. In fact, British Airways recently named it "The Business Book of the 20th Century."

It's a great book. But if Dale had titled it "How to Remember People's Names and Curb Your Incessant Urge to Argue", do you think it would have sold as well? Probably not. There's great power in good titles. What you may not realize is the words "How to Win Friends and Influence People" are not only the title of the book. Those words were also the headline of a mail-order ad, which sold the book. The ad ran successfully for many years and sold hundreds of thousands of copies.

So what does this have to do with turning your advertising into an irresistible customer magnet?
Here's what. Behind the title and headline is a "secret code" that makes it powerful. Dale knew it. Great advertising copywriters know it. And now, you're going to know it, too.
The "secret code" is actually a generic formula that gets attention and creates desire in your prospect's mind. Every winning headline has a unique generic formula hidden inside. Here's the formula in Dale Carnegie's book title and headline:

How to _____ and _____.

Let's see the formula at work. Say you are an executive recruiter, and you help companies find new executives. In reality, your biggest problem is finding the executive candidates in the first place. So, to increase your group of candidates, you decide to run an ad in your local business journal. Here's how you could use this formula to write a headline for your ad:

How to Get a Better Job and Make More Money

... and right after reading that headline, anyone who's even a little interested would want to read your ad immediately. Then, if your copy (text) is even halfway decent, you'd get plenty of calls. Or, let's say you run a martial arts school. Here's how you could apply the formula in an advertising headline to get you new students:

How to Stay Fit and Protect Yourself

Do you see how powerful that is? You've just zeroed-in on people who are likely to be interested in learning martial arts.

The brutal reality of advertising: An ad with a good headline and even mediocre copy will get you a response and generate sales. But with a poor headline, even the most brilliant copy will get you little or no response. Why? Because without a good headline to get their attention, most people won't read any further.

The good news is, once you have identified a good headline that works in one industry or market, you can adapt it (like we did with the Dale Carnegie headline, above) for your own business. Great headlines work as subject lines in emails, titles on Web pages, and of course as headlines in print ads and sales letters. Great headlines will literally transform your sales.

How does this work in today's economy?

Recently a client asked me to help him introduce a new service to Internet Service Providers. (Note: To understand what you are about to read, you should know that ISPs call their suppliers "backbone providers.") I wrote a direct mail letter and my client sent it out to ISPs. Because my client was revealing new information his prospects hadn't heard before, we used the following "teaser headline" on the front of the envelope:

What Your Backbone Provider Isn't Telling You

Was this an entirely original headline? No. I had seen a similar "teaser headline" on a successful mailing to promote an investment newsletter:

What Your Broker Isn't Telling You About High-Tech Stocks

So I merely identified the "secret code" in the original winning headline, and applied it to my client's market, ISPs.

The response to the mailing was overwhelming! Nearly 10% of the entire ISP industry responded to our letter ­ and my client has added eight figures of new annual revenues as a result of the business that developed.

I'm telling you this not to brag, but to point out the awesome power of good headlines. While many people spend hours and hours trying to come up with "the perfect headline" for their ads, there is an easier way. Find proven headlines that already work for another business in another industry, and adapt them to your business.

Then prepare for a flood of new customers!

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

Customer Retention and Loyalty: Find Out What Your Customers Want Before Your Competitors Do - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Customer Service, Retention and Loyalty By Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Satisfy your customers... or someone else will. Your prospects and customers can give you important feedback, both directly and indirectly. After addressing a group of sales contest winners in Hawaii, I was on the shuttle bus headed for the airport. My usual custom is to ask questions, so I said to the driver, "I bet your passengers tell you what they really think about their stays at these fancy resorts because they know you don't work for any of them."

"Oh, yes," he replied. "In fact, once a month, the general manager of the hotel where you stayed comes to the depot with a big box of donuts and has coffee with the drivers. While we eat his donuts, we tell him everything we've overheard about his hotel -- and about his competitors' hotels."

That is what I call Box-of-Donuts consulting. The hotel manager could have paid large fees to a research firm that would phone 1,000 guests and ask what they liked and didn't like. But that information couldn't possibly be as up-to-date or as honest as these drivers' feedback, nor would it give him valuable information about his competition.

Do you get, keep, and deserve your customers by finding out what they really want from you? The most frequently overlooked low- tech method is to talk to someone who talks to your customers and has no vested interest in their opinions. But this doesn't mean you don't also interview them formally.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, famous for customer service, do regular formal surveys with cards in the rooms and mailings. Someone asked their president, Horst Schulze, "Why don't you offer a 'frequent guest' program?" (Such programs are a major investment of organizational time and philosophical strategy.) Schulze replied, "We don't because only two percent of our customers have asked for them. What our customers do want is to have a bowl of fresh fruit in the room when they check in." So that's what the Ritz- Carlton Hotels provide. When you know what people really want, it is rarely difficult or expensive to make them feel special. Schulze was doing exactly right.

My friend David Garfinkel, author of The Money-Making Copywriting Course, says there are five important answers you need to get from your customers, directly or indirectly:
1. What do you like about buying from us?
2. Why did you buy from us in the first place?
3. What problems did you have before you bought from us?
4. How did we help you solve those problems?
5. How are things better for you now?

"That last answer," says David, "is very important. It's what a positive result looks like to a real customer, and it's going to look the same to your other customers and prospects when you tell them about it."

Start some creative brainstorming. Consider who else might know what your customers are thinking. Is there some comfortable and ethical way you can talk with these people? One- on-one questioning? Maybe invite a group for a breakfast? Think about who in your business knows what your customers want. Is there a service that can provide you with an effective, economical market sample?

Finding out what your customers want may seem obvious, but too often it's overlooked. After my morning program for a Fortune 100 company, I found the attendees were spending the afternoon seated at round tables, brainstorming the topic, "How can we give our customers better service?" Very innocently, I asked my client, "Oh, and where are the customers you've invited to sit in with your salespeople?" There weren't any. (This was like doing a survey of what hospital patients want by asking the doctors.)

Research your competition so you know what they're offering, then research your prospects' wants and needs so you can do more for them as customers than your competition. For example, a Federal Express executive, Gurn Freeman, told me how, early in his career, he decided he wanted to go into the moving business. First, he opened the Yellow Pages and saw 128 movers listed. He phoned the first twenty-five and made an appointment for someone to come and talk to him, saying he was moving to Phoenix. At the end of every interview, he took notes on what they had done right, how they could have done better, and anything they did wrong. Next, he put together his own sales strategy.

Gurn quickly became a top mover's representative. "My secret was to do something none of those other reps had done for me. If I had an appointment with someone who was moving to Phoenix, I would call the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and get all their free information and brochures for my prospective customer. I made it obvious that I had done my research before the sales appointment so I deserved their business. And I nearly always got it."

Of course, you will come up with great ideas for serving your customers, but there is nothing like asking them what they need, want, and appreciate. (The Ritz-Carlton Hotels changed the style of their room locks three times in eleven years to address the changing preferences and security concerns of their guests.) Asking shows your customers how important they are to you. It's how you satisfy them and keep them from going elsewhere.

Why should you try so hard to find out what your customers really want? Because your best customers are also the hottest prospects for your competitors. Satisfy them before someone else does! If other salespeople win over one of your loyal customers by offering more ideas and more service, maybe they have more right to the business than you do.

When you lose a customer, you lose two ways:
1. You don't get their money.

2. Your competitors do.
If you're not quite sure, isn't it a good idea to go to your customers and say, "Tell me in your own words what I have done for you"?

HOMEWORK
1. What are you doing right now to deserve your customers' business?

2. How will you research their wants and needs?

3. How will you research what your competitors are offering?

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

Sell-Yourself Tips for Consultants - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Sell-Yourself Tips for Consultants
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

As a consultant, you are continually selling yourself to a committee or Board of Directors. Present the best product you can.

Rehearse your opening. You have only thirty seconds to grab the interest of your audience. Don't waste it.

Wrong: "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for the opportunity..."

Right: "In the next ten minutes I am going to convince you that the best decision you can make is to invest in my services."

Focus on the bottom line. Stress the results you will get for them.

Don't offer backup information unless or until you are asked for it. It can interfere with the "big picture."

Be "up." Low energy and monotony will kill any presentation. Show genuine enthusiasm.

Be visual. People remember what they "see" in their imaginations. Paint a vivid picture in story form of how things will be when you have the job.

"...six months from now, when your business has increased 15%, your market share is 5% higher, and your sales teams are in harmony for the first time...".

Have a strong closing. For example, "Your next decision is not whether to hire me, but whether can you afford not to!"

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634 3035, http://www.fripp.com

Patricia Fripp is an award-winning speaker, sales trainer, and speech coach, who delights audiences, transforms sales teams, and shares her secrets for powerful presentations. Meetings and Conventions magazine calls Patricia "one of the country's 10 most electrifying speakers." She is author of Make It! So You Don't Have to Fake It and Get What You Want, and contributing author to Speaking Secrets of the Masters and Insights Into Excellence. Patricia was the first female President of the National Speakers Association and is a Hall of Fame recipient. Kiplinger's Personal Finance named her Speaking School as one of the best ways you can invest in your career.

If you find this article useful, you will enjoy and learn from Patricia Fripp's CDs, DVDs, Videos, and Books: http://www.fripp.com/publicspeakingresources/

If you are interested in speech coaching check out: http://www.executivespeechcoach.com

7 Ways to Profit from Speakers' Bureaus in Hard Times - an Article for Professional Speakers

7 Ways to Profit from Speakers' Bureaus in Hard Timesan Article for Professional Speakersby Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

"Why don't I get booked more often?"

"How can I get booked more often?"

Both are burning questions in today's difficult economy. I talked to Mark French, President of Leading Authorities, Inc. about his solutions.

Mark French was pragmatic. "In difficult economic times, there is always an excess supply of speakers. At the same time, customers' expectations are higher than ever. They want every speaker dollar to count double. Speakers must understand this new terrain and develop a successful strategy for getting booked.

"One good strategy is to make the most of speakers' bureaus. Bureaus like to work with speakers that they can book easily, effectively, and profitably. More bookings are coming through bureaus right now because clients are placing greater emphasis on value, choice, safety, and flexibility. Your job is to increase your competitive advantage and probability of winning the business for which you qualify. Start by increasing and improving the quality of your communications with your speakers' bureau or bureaus."

Mark French offers some practical steps on how to turn a difficult market into a great opportunity.
1. Get to know your speakers' bureaus owners and agents. Let them get to know you.
2. Provide them with first rate materials. Speakers with great videos, bureau-friendly websites, good PDF files, and quality print materials are easier to book.
3. Keep your bureaus informed, providing them with your latest news and information.
4. Consider offering them a higher commission rate during tough times. It's a great incentive for agents to book you.
5. Call your agents after an event to offer spin-off and client leads.
6. Highlight the bureau that booked you during your presentation.
7. Thank your bureau representative after you've been booked. After all, bureaus are made up of people who appreciate a personal touch.

Like everyone else, speakers' bureaus want to work with people they know and like, and with whom they feel a sense of partnership. Speakers who recognize this fact have an enormous advantage in the marketplace.

Mark French is President of Leading Authorities, Inc. which now offers Leading Authorities Creative Media News, an online business newsletter for speakers with timely ideas on increasing business and maximizing marketing potential. http://www.leadingauthorities.com/

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, SoYou Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com/

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

What to ask before you hire - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Few things can waste more valuable time and resources or cause more morale problems than mismatching the person and the job. As a busy executive, you want to get the most out of your people while protecting your investment in their training.

Good employees turn up, not by magic, but through good hiring practices, and smart hiring starts with smart interviewing. After you've asked the usual "resume" questions -- job history, education, salary expectations, etc. -- probe your prospect with questions that will illuminate their hopes, goals, inclinations, and reservations.

1. "Tell me about yourself. All the exciting and interesting things."

People offer revealing replies to that question. So many people, even some top executives, say, "Oh, there's nothing exciting about me." You learn a lot about people's self-esteem when they answer that question.

2. "If you could wave a magic wand and create a perfect environment to work in, what would it be like?"

Suppose the potential employee answers, "I don't like to have someone breathing down my neck. I like to be left on my own, to make up my mind how to do things." You know immediately that this is the wrong person for a job that's heavily supervised. (Choose someone who says, "I enjoy a lot of feedback" instead.)

Consider both the demands of the job and the working environment. If a quiet, personable individual replies, "I love working with people, but I'd like to have my own space," be sure that's possible. Work areas quickly become private domains, and rightly so or people wouldn't take pride in them. But if the job requires sharing a table with the coffee machine, your employee may not last or do the job well.

3. "Describe the best boss you ever had. What made him or her so special? Describe the worst boss."

If the description of the worst boss sounds anything like you, you know that person won't be happy working with you.

4. "What's your hobby?"

There are many questions the law does not allow an employer to ask -- whether a person is married for instance. But you may want to know something about a person's private life to determine if the hours or job demands are going to stressful. For instance, if you need an employee who is bright and alert at an early hour and his hobby will keep him up late on week nights, you both may have a problem. Or if her hobby requires occasional time off to participate, the time to discuss the appropriateness of this is now.

Some Questions to Ask Yourself

Before you sit down with a potential employee, ask yourself:

5. "What am I offering this person besides money?"
What opportunities for growth, excitement, achievement, and fulfillment go along with the paycheck? Enthusiasm, motivation, and persistence are rarely proportional to salary. Often they are in inverse ratio. (Why else would anyone choose to be an artist, performer, teacher, or writer?) Self-motivated employees are great, but it never hurts to spotlight some incentives.

But once you've got the right people in the right jobs, your own job still isn't over. Ask yourself:

6. "How do I keep my people highly motivated, productive, and eager to come to work in the morning?"

Your answers can be critical to a happy, productive, low-turnover organization. Here are some suggestions.

Start by making the job fun whenever possible to keep employees from getting stale. Share the big picture with them, so they realize their contribution is part of an important whole. Solicit their feedback and act on it to prove to them that they are really making a difference. Then watch your people respond with hard work, loyalty, and enthusiasm.

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

In Marketing, Emphasize Empathy! - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

In Marketing, Emphasize Empathy!
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

If you want your marketing to make money for you, focus on your customers' feelings and beliefs. Unless you can convince them that you understand them and their problems -- that you're empathetic -- they're probably not going to buy from you.

The headline on one of my marketing pieces says, "Hiring a Speaker is an Awesome Responsibility." It is. These days, if you hire the wrong speaker in a corporate job, you could end up in severe trouble. Many professional speakers focus their marketing on themselves -- how good they are, how successful. It works, but readers don't get the message that the speaker really knows who they are and can fill their needs. Your customers need to believe that you know, understand, and care about them.

There's a good way to do this when you're writing or creating your marketing piece.

1. Make a list of the prospects' biggest problems from their point of view. (If you don't know what they are, ask them!)

2. Decide how these problems make your prospects feel. Tell a story about someone experiencing the same problem. What does this encounter look like, sound like, smell like? What external and internal forces cause these feelings and sensations? Be really creative in putting yourself in the prospects' shoes.

3. Address those feelings. Write about your prospects' feelings and reactions. Prove to them that you understand and care. Then prove that you can solve the problem.

Why be empathetic? When you just relate the facts -- "We have a store at such-and-such location" -- "We sell a product that does this and that" -- "We're consultants in this field" -- you're implying that you're similar to everyone else. You make yourself an ordinary commodity. Do you know what people do with commodities? They try to get the lowest price.

So, when you market yourself, capitalize on your unique ability to understand and solve problems. It will greatly increase your client base and their loyalty to you. As a side benefit, it will also help you get paid what you're worth. As noted businessman Nido Qubein says, "When you solve the problems that keep CEOs awake at night, they never ask you what you charge."

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com


Patricia Fripp527 Hugo Street — San Francisco — California 94122US: (800) 634-3035 — Phone: (415) 753-6556Fax: (415) 753-0914 — Email: PFripp@Fripp.comhttp://www.fripp.com

Customer Service Means Action - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Customer Service Means Action
by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

Every single contact your organization has with its customers either cultivates or corrodes your relationship. That includes every letter you send, every ad you run, and every phone call you make. This includes every employee contact, from the CEO to technicians, sales force, support staff, and maintenance crews.

In other words, your business is only as good as your worst employee! It's a sobering thought, isn't it? How well are you training your employees to cultivate your customers? Is anyone too high or too low to count?

Make heroes of your employees.

At a meeting for the Gap stores, Ed Stair, Senior VP of Gap Outlets, wanted to make everyone think of ways to serve customers and at the same time wasted resources that could be directed to customer benefits. He started his talk by saying, "We are here to talk about HEROES. They may be sitting in front of you, or behind you, or they may be you. In the trenches, Gap Heroes!"
He went on to describe how one Gap Hero in the mailroom noticed 7 FedEx packets going to the same Gap location, on the same day, with the same material inside the company newsletter. He repackaged them into one, with directions to distribute at the final location. Making the same observations everyday saved the Gap $200,000 in one year. This saving could be directed into another jeans size not created, 18 miles of shelves to make it easier for us to find what we need, a month more to watch the fun Gap Swings, Gap Jives, Gap Rocks commercials!

See yourself through your customers' eyes.

On a visit to New York, my brother and I decided on a whim to see a movie. It was the last show of the evening, and, though we were ten minutes late, we didn't feel missing a few scenes would matter. (It was a Jean-Claude Van Damme film, not the deepest plotline!) The cashier refused to sell us tickets because she had closed the cash drawer for the night. We asked her if it were possible to enter the money in the next day's records. She said no. After speaking to two more employees including the manager, we left without seeing the film. They couldn't take our money because the drawer was closed.

Had the theater's employees been trained to see situations through the eyes of the customers, we would not have encountered three uncooperative and uncaring individuals. Taking money after the drawer is closed is undoubtedly a nuisance, but it is revenue after all. Obliging customers brings repeat business, and repeat business is what we all strive for.

See your company through the boss's eyes.

One of the goals of customer service training is to instill in all your employees the sense that it is their business, too. Build this sense of ownership by encouraging employees to see situations from the owner's point of view. If the theater employees had had any sense of ownership, they never would have turned down money. Which day the ticket sale is rung up is irrelevant. Taking in money is what keeps the doors open and what the business is all about.
Take the case of a manager for American Express in Phoenix, Arizona. He visited a local mall to buy ten boxes of chocolates for his employees as thank you gifts. There were two candy stores across from each other. He entered the first store and asked if they accepted American Express credit cards. Assured that they did, he selected candy totaling $150. Then he noticed the store had only posted Visa and MasterCard signs. Through the window, he saw that the candy store across the way had the American Express logo clearly visible on its door.

The manager explained to the salesperson that, as an American Express employee, he couldn't in good conscious give his business to a store that did not advertise the card. "I hope you'll understand that I'll have to take my business to a store that does," he said.

Just then, a sixteen-year-old stock boy asked him to wait a moment. The young man ran to the other candy store, picked up an American Express application, ran back, cut out the American Express logo, and taped it to the register. "Is that good enough, sir?" he said. Needless to say, he made the sale.

Now that employee had no long-term career strategy with the candy store, yet he instinctively knew to take the initiative, creatively removing the problem, saving the customer. He also knew that if he didn't act as if his name were on the door... it never would be. The best strategies are usually the simplest aren't they?

Everyone makes a difference. As noted broadcaster Paul Harvey says, "For a company's advertising strategy to work, it has to be handled not only corporately but also individually." No one is too important or unimportant to leave out of your positive PR loop. Seeing your business like a customer and a boss is a winning combination and a good place to start.

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com

5 Characteristics of a Professional - by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE

1. Take advantage of every opportunity.

I started my career as a hairstylist. At conferences I am often asked how I become a speaker, author, and executive speech coach? By noticing and using every chance that turned up. Opportunity doesn't knock just once. It knocks all the time, though you may not recognize the sound. One technique is to learn from successful people by finding out how they achieved their success.

2. Start by asking questions.
Successful people will share their knowledge and experiences with you if you ask good questions that stimulate their thinking and responses. The quality of the information you receive depends on the quality of your questions. The key to connecting with others is conversation, and the secret of conversation is to ask the right questions. A conversation can lead to a relationship, and a nurtured relationship can produce amazing results.

3. Dedicate yourself.
Two questions you should ask yourself on a fairly regular basis are, "What can I do to contribute to my profession--to my employer and my professional association?" and "How can I be professionally accountable?" When you can do this, you'll get so much more than you give.

4. Use stories.
Be inventive in selling yourself and your profession. Learn to network, one on one, by using memorable stories. Sometimes, it's appropriate to fade into the background. Most of us are shy in some situations. But, to be professionally accountable, you must be able to stand out and speak up. When you are in any situation where you're meeting the public, how do you introduce yourself? When people ask what you do, can you tell them in a way that will stick in their minds? I challenge you to come up with a one-sentence way of presenting yourself and your profession so that people will never forget. Create a vivid,visual picture of your job, its challenges and triumphs. People will remember the picture you create in their minds, rather than your words.

5. Develop your persuasive powers.
Being professionally accountable means knowing how to influence people. President Dwight Eisenhower, said, "Leadership is the ability to decide what has to be done and then getting people to want to do it." How do you influence people? One of my clients is Horst Schulze, president of the Ritz Carlton hotels. He advises prospective employees,"We are all ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen. Our guests pay our prices to have an experience, and it is your job to be part of that experience. You will never say, 'That is not in my job description,' and you will never bring your own problems to work." Obviously, this works at the Ritz Carlton. Do you have a similar motivator for yourself, your colleagues,and your fellow professionals? Are you persuasive in representing my company,department or association in public?
* * *


The future belongs to the competent. We need to be multifaceted in our competence and become charismatic communicators with technical competence and excellent people skills, especially in negotiating. This means developing the habit of learning everywhere, every day.
Take the initiative. Go meet people who perhaps don't look like you or think like you. I remember attending a five-day conference where most of the audience members were ministers. As I walked into the coffee shop for breakfast, I looked around to see which group was the most unlike me. I sat down with two Mennonite families, and, over the course of the conference, we became great friends. As I got to know them and enjoyed their conversation, I asked if they would mind telling me what they believed in and why. I realized that, as fascinated as I was to meet them, they were equally fascinated to talk to me.
You inspire others, both personally and professionally, through your actions and the environment you create. When you are professionally accountable, people watch what you're doing as well as listening to what you're saying.

Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com/

We offer this article on a nonexclusive basis. You may reprint or repost this material as long as Patricia Fripp's name and contact information is included. PFripp@Fripp.com, 1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com