The Pierce Marrs Show

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes recap the third episode of Season 4. Barbara is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Liz Lovely Cookies.”, “RockBands”, “FuzziBunz”, “PostureNOW and an update on “Tower Paddle Boards”.

Trust is defined as a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. In his bestselling book Speed of Trust, Stephen M.R. Covey defines it simply as confidence.

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend who represents many of the most popular speakers and authors in the country. As he discussed one of his more popular clients, he emphasized the trust his audience had in him.

Trust is a pivotal part of your business and sales process. You may have heard it said that trust is hard to get but easy to lose. Furthermore, it is much harder to get back. Distrust equals suspicion. Suspicion causes tension and gaining commitment can be very difficult in a tense environment.

Mr. Covey lays the foundation for trust with The 4 Cores of Credibility. The first two of these cores represent a person’s character. The remaining two represent competence

1. Integrity: Basically means honesty. It means walking your talk. It’s having the courage to act in accordance with your values and beliefs.
2. Intent: This has to do with our motives, our agendas and our resulting behavior. Trust grows when we genuinely care not only for ourselves, but also for the people we interact with, lead, or serve.
3. Capabilities: These are the abilities we have that inspire confidence, our talents, attitudes, skills and knowledge. They are the means we have to produce results.
4. Results: This refers to our track record, our performance, our getting the right things done. When we achieve the results we promised, we establish a positive reputation of performing and our reputation precedes us.

Trust is the first step and largest part of a successful sales process. It cannot be skipped or taken for granted. The health of your business and future sales opportunities depend on it.

The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Have a great week!

Pierce

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes recap the second episode of Season 4. Barbara is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “SurfSET Fitness.”, “Alpha M”, “eCreamery”, CATEapp and an update on “Element Bars”.

Years ago as I was beginning my sales career I would flip an imaginary switch and get into sales mode. My tone and demeanor would change and I sounded like a different person. My wife Lesa shocked me back to reality one day by exclaiming, “Don’t talk to me in your sales voice!”

It took a while for me to understand what she meant but after a period of time and practice I noticed people responded more favorably when I spoke in a normal, conversational tone. Prospects can be turned off by the tone of your voice. Part of the stigma people have about selling is the picture they get of the used car salesman with the toothy smile and weird sound in his voice.

While coaching a client last week I observed a noticeable change in his tone when we were role-playing versus our normal conversation. I asked him if he used that same demeanor when he spoke to his wife and children. He laughed and said no as he realized my point.

Being natural and genuine should not take the place of being articulate and professional. I believe all of these should be included in your sales process. Your task is to learn to adapt to the sales environment and understand your prospect.

Your customers want to know if you can take care of their needs, however, using a proper tone and demeanor in person or on the phone will allow you to connect and open the door to new opportunities. It is a large part of building trust and rapport.

Lesa wanted me to speak TO her and not AT her. She wanted me to sound real. That is all your customers want. They want to deal with a real person who truly cares about them and can provide a product or service that will meet their needs.

It truly is that simple.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Bonus Tip: Record your presentation and critique yourself. Also, ask for your spouse’s opinion.

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes recap the first episode of Season 4. Barbara is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Coat Chex.”, “BevBuckle”, “Body Walking”, “Buggy Beds” and an update on “Readerest”.

You may have seen the advertising campaign for Dos Equis beer where a distinguished gentleman sits among a group of people as they hear his insights on certain subjects while the narrator makes outrageous statements such as, “he can speak French, in Russian” or “alien abductors have asked him to probe THEM”. The campaign is entitled, “The Most Interesting Man in the World”.

These commercials are entertaining and funny but I have seldom seen this work out in the real world. It is not the most interesting person who owns the room; it is the person who is the most interested.

There is an article in my most recent issue of Success Magazine about producer Mark Burnett. The interviewer made the statement, “despite his hectic schedule, Burnett has a knack for making people feel as if they’re the most important ones in the universe. He never loses eye contact and is invested fully in the moment”.

I have heard these characteristics described of numerous influential people over the years. These skills are not limited to the person born with a charismatic, outgoing personality. Anyone, yes anyone can develop these skills.

It is human nature to want to talk about the exciting things going on in our own life and is acceptable in small doses. There should be a natural give and take to a conversation, however, if you want to be a person of influence keep the interest pointed in the other person’s direction.

“The royal road to a person’s heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most.” ~ Dale Carnegie

Have a great week!

Pierce

Bonus:

Dale Carnegie’s Six Ways to Make People Like You:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
6. Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.

Last week I allowed myself to get in a bad mood. Yes, I admit it. Furthermore, it was my fault. I can and should control my attitude but I let it go too far.

Mood and attitude are synonymous and under my control. I know what you are thinking. Pierce, you do not understand my circumstances and whom I am dealing with. I did not say it was easy but anyone can do it.

I made several key mistakes that led to me walking around like an ill-tempered bear last week. The following are few things I do to prevent a ‘Bad Mood”.

1. Remember trouble will come. None of us are exempt from things going wrong. The more we understand this, the less surprised and more prepared we will be.
2. Quiet time. Sometimes I wake up with a long list of things I need to accomplish and want to get started as soon as possible. For me this is a mistake. I need to start my day with a quiet time of reading, praying and thanksgiving. Counting my blessings sets the proper tone for my day.
3. Get plenty of rest. I am not one of those people who can run on four or five hours sleep. I require seven to eight hours of sleep to function and maintain a proper attitude.
4. Exercise. Missing this one is a mistake. Not only is regular exercise good for my health but is gives me energy and significantly improves my mental attitude.
5. Read and listen to positive material.  Books and podcasts inspire me with new ideas and affect my mood in a positive way. I need to do this on a daily basis.
6. Clarify and prioritize. It is important for me to list and prioritize tasks that need to be accomplished. I love checking things off as I complete them.

Last week I broke every one of these rules in some form or fashion. Here’s the good news. I can start over today. I did and you can too!

“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” ~ Victor E. Frankl – Author of “Man’s Search for Meaning” chronicling his experiences as a concentration camp inmate.

Have a great week!

Pierce