Here are 15 motivational quotes that I have found useful throughout the years. Take notes from some of the world leaders in history, sports, business, and society.
Top 15 Motivational & Success Quotes
5 Strategies to Help You Stand Out From Your Competition
Help me! I am Stuck in the Middle of the Pack and I Cannot Break Free from the Competition
Sound familiar? Are you finding it harder and harder to stand out from the rest of the pack? If so, you are not alone. But, that is no excuse for not trying to figure out new ways to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Why is it so tough?
There are three reasons why it is so tough today to differentiate ourselves from our competition. Or if we are lucky enough to find something that differentiates us, it is hard to sustain that differentiation long-term. The competition always seems to catch up.
The first reason is we live in a commodity world. There are no longer any trade secrets. The internet has rendered trade secrets obsolete. Even if you do have something special, it won’t be too long before your competition figures it out and copies you.
This dynamic has expanded people’s menu of options. All one needs to do is hop on the internet, type in their search topic and voila! dozens of options magically appear. The more choices our target audience has the more commoditized we become.
Second, years ago the American economy was dominated by the sale of goods. Today, 79.4% of the GDP is powered by the sale of services. The problem is 80% of buyers are visual. This means buyers need to see something to validate their buying decisions. With everybody selling the invisible, it all becomes a blur to the buyer.
Lastly, it is unbelievably noisy in the marketplace with all the competition. Statistics show that the average person receives 3000 email messages a week. There is more information in one Sunday edition of the New York Times than a 19th century Englishman was likely to acquire over his entire lifetime.
According to Harry Beckwith, author of What Clients Love, the people who win today are the filterers, synthesizers, and condensers. Less is more has never been more essential.
The 5 Strategies To Help You And Your Business Stand Out From The Competition
Strategy #1 – Build a great personal brand.
I am convinced that personal branding is the final frontier of marketing. It is the only asset we have total and enduring control over. And it speaks to all three challenges in today’s marketplace.
It cannot be commoditized because you are uniquely you.
Your personal brand satisfies that visual element that the customer needs to see in order to confidently make a buying decision.
A personal brand cuts through all the noise. When people meet us for the first time they form an impression in just ¼ of one second. You can block calls, emails, and snail mail, but you cannot stop someone who is in front of you from communicating his/her message. And, before they even utter a word.
Strategy #2 – Think, struggle, fight to find that one thing that makes your product and service unique.
Thomas Edison once remarked that, “Man will do everything he can to avoid the hardest of all labors, which is think for himself.” How hard are you thinking about your differentiating factor(s)?
Don’t get bogged down in trying to find that one thing that only you have, like a Google algorithm or secret recipe. It may not exist. Being one of a select few is good enough. Pick it, craft your message around it, and sell it with everything you have. In other words, go all in.
Strategy #3 – Do things differently than your competition.
I have coached commercial real estate brokers for years and I have asked, (no, begged) them to try to do something different then their competition when making a competing pitch. If you have ever sat through a pitch you quickly realize everyone is essentially the same. They say the same things in exactly the same way. It is the safe approach.
Here’s the formula:
Broker #1 comes in and covers the following topics: Introductions, Market, Services, Results and if there are a few minutes, he/she touches on uniqueness. Brokers 2-5 come in and say the same thing. How do you think the customer feels?
What if broker #6 came in and said: “I am going to briefly introduce our team. Our resumes are in front of you. I’ll spend a few minutes on the market, a few minutes on our services and past customers, but the bulk of our time is going to be spent on telling you how we are unique.”
How can you do what you are doing differently than the competition?
Problem is it is too much work. It is easier to just grind it out the same way “We have all been doing it for years.”
Now, that’s depressing.
Strategy #4 – Be a dynamic storyteller.
I don’t necessarily mean get up in front of your audience and tell stories that capture your audience’s imagination. Although, at times that doesn’t hurt.
What I am talking about is telling the story of you and your products and services in an interesting way. Or at least better then your competition does.
How good are you at telling the story of you and what you have to offer? Have you ever asked anyone?
Two people can deliver the exact same content, but deliver two entirely different messages.
Strive to be be interesting. That may be all you need to differentiate yourself.
Strategy #5 – Take a chance.
Fortune favors the brave. Make your move before you are ready and your net will appear.
I remember years ago, Monster.com rolled the dice and risked its entire marketing budget on one Super Bowl ad. Think about that. There entire company was riding on one ad. It turned out to be a smash hit and overnight Monster.com was on the map and a player in the recruiting space.
What risks are you avoiding?
There are few things that capture the attention of others like a reputation of someone who is not afraid to take chances.
If you want help crafting messages that will help you stand our from your competition than you will want to check our our Creating Million-Dollar Messages program.
How To Deliver A Compelling Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
What’s On the Line?
It’s game seven of the NBA Championship. The game is on the line and there are 15 seconds left. Everybody knows that you are going to take the last shot. Do you want the ball? Of course, everybody will say yes, but do they really mean it?
This is exactly the dynamic when we are presented with the opportunity to deliver our Unique Selling Proposition (USP).
When Somebody Asks Us
– “So what makes you special?” or
– “Why you and not your competition?”
You should have a powerhouse response practiced and ready to go.
I vividly remember the first time I was presented with the opportunity to deliver my Unique Selling Proposition. I was making a sales presentation in a diner in Vernon, CA. The prospect patiently listened as I went through all my features and benefits. When I was done, he moved all the papers in front of us to the side and asked, “So what makes you so special?” He was clearly challenging me.
Had I not learned the magical USP formula I probably would have had to excuse myself and change my underwear. But, I was ready. In fact, it was like everything was slow motion. I excitedly said to myself, “Oh my God, this guy is asking for my Unique Selling Proposition.” I was so fired up I could barely contain myself. I can honestly say I hit it out of the park. I know because the prospect just smiled when I was finished. He knew I had risen to the challenge.
Here is how I did it. I used my proven USP formula. Master the formula and you are 90% of the way there. There are five steps to the formula:
– Deliver the Introductory Command Language
– Explain Your Services in a Unique way
– Highlight Your Best Results
– Showcase Your personal Uniqueness
– Close Strong with a Power Wrap up
Command Language
I immediately took control of the conversation by firmly stating my command language. “I am glad you asked me that. What makes me unique are my services, my results and me personally.”
You must take control with command language in the start of your unique selling proposition. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Use that exact phrase. It works.
Our Services
This part should be easy. What are you selling? The key here is to position your products and services in a way that suggests you are offering something that is, at least, somewhat select. Do not put pressure on yourself to come up with something that is a class of one (i.e. You are the ONLY one that is offering it). Chances are, unless you have something special like a proprietary algorithm or recipe you will have competitors. The key is to phrase your offering in such a way that it sounds that you are in a select class of a few people who do what you do or sell what you sell.
Example: “We do one thing and one thing only – we sell life insurance. And we can do three very unique things with our products:
– Protect against catastrophic loss
– Estate planning
– Wealth creation
While other life insurance salespeople shy away from the word ‘insurance’, we embrace it because of what we have been able to do with our products for our clients.
Be passionate about what you sell. If you are not, why should anyone else be?
Our Results
There are two keys here:
– Third party social proof
– Monetization
People don’t want to hear platitudes like, “we are great at customer service.” Everybody says this. People want independent, third party social proof that you can do what you say you can do. In other words, verifiable proof that what you say you can do for them you have already done for someone else. Statistics, case studies, references that you can point them to.
Oftentimes, the most compelling evidence is monetized results. (e.g. “Because of what we did our client made X or saved Y.”) Whenever possible, phrase your evidence in terms of money made or dollar saved.
Example: “Our results speak for themselves. We recently had a client come to us who had a judgment entered against him. We filed a post judgment motion based upon some new case law and we were able to get the judgment overturned. “
And Lastly, Me Personally
This is hard for a lot of people. It requires some outright bragging. Before people buy products or services they buy personality and ideas. They want to know about YOU. Why are YOU so special.
There is a difference between bragging and sharing. You can share the best parts about you without coming across as an arrogant jerk. It is all in the delivery.
Example: “I pride myself on integrity. For example, everything I am selling you I own myself. If I am going to sell you a product I better believe in it enough to buy it for me and my family.”
Closing Power Language
Ever heard that expression, “Put that in your pipe and smoke it!?” If not, it is another way of saying “Boom!”
The closing power language is all about putting an exclamation point on your message. Just like your opening is about sending the message, “I am ready for this and accept your challenge” the closing is about telling the prospect (In a respectful way), “I told you I was ready.”
Example: “So, again, what makes me unique are my services, my results and me personally.”
No, that is not a typo. The closing language is identical to the opening language. The only differences are the purpose and tone.
What To Do Next
And then, shut up. Not easy, but you must for dramatic effect. You are effectively saying, “The ball is in your court now. What’s the next move?” Are you ready to move forward?
Here is my challenge to you. Draft your own uniqueness statement using the above formula and take it out for a test drive. I would love for you to see first hand just how powerful it can be.
If you would like more help crafting a powerful Uniqueness Statement check out Creating Million-Dollar Messages.
How to Create a Memorable Elevator Pitch
If you like most of your competitors and freeze up when says to you:
– “So, what do you do?”
– “Please tell us about yourself”
– Why don’t you introduce yourself to the group”
It is amazing how many people are ill-prepared to introduce themselves to others.
Think about this: A first impression flips back and fourth 11 times in the first five seconds and your first impression is more important then the next five combined. You can see just how critical it is that you are in charge in those first few seconds when meeting someone new. How you conduct yourself will greatly influence the rest of your interaction with those you are with in that moment and quite possibly determine the fate of the relationship going forward.
A good elevator pitch could be the difference between, “This person is sharp and I want to get to know him/her” and “This person is a dud and I gotta get out of here ASAP!”
So, here is my question to you, “How good is your elevator pitch?”
If the answer is, Not so good” I have good news. Below is a proven formula for delivering a lights out elevator.
Step One-Introduction
This is your name, rank and serial number (i.e. Who you are? Who you are with? What is your title?)
Example: “Hi, my name is Tim O’Brien. I am a partner with law firm of Johnson and Smith. We are a twenty person firm in downtown Los Angeles. ”
Step Two-Specialization
This is where you tell your audience what it is you do. Be specific and concise. If you sell insurance, say I sell insurance. I find so many people who try to be all things to all people. Be direct. And be proud of what you do. If you are not, why should they be?
Example: We specialize in life insurance. There are three things I can help you do with life insurance: A, B and C.
Step Three -Clients
There are two types of buyers in the world: Those who have the guts to make decisions based upon their own instincts and those who are followers. Some need validation from someone else before deciding.
This section is used to give credentials to yourself. When you share your client list you are effectively saying, “Look who trusts me. Therefore, you should too.”
Avoid broad generalizations such as, “We represent everyone from mom and pops to Fortune 500 companies.” Be specific and give the most recognized companies. But avoid long string responses. You do not need to list 10 companies, three is enough. If you don’t have clients, sell the company’s/team’s.
Example: We represent many companies in the tech space such as Google, Twitter, and Spotify.
Step Four-Benefit
This is where you provide an example of just how talented you are. Don’t get bogged down in trying to be too original. Being authentic is good enough.
Think monetization and third-party validation. Your example should illustrate how you made or saved someone or some company money. Make sure your evidence can be objectively verified by a third-party. If your prospect called him/them would they respond without hesitation exactly as you represented? Do not misrepresent what you have done. That is a surefire way to lose all trust.
Example: We recently had a client come to us who had a judgment entered against him. We filed a post-judgment motion based upon some new case law and we were able to get the judgment overturned.
Step Five-Action Steps
This is the number one reason most people’s 15 second elevator pitch is weak. There is no follow through. There are only four action steps you can take:
– Ask for the business
– Connect them to someone else
– Invite the person to coffee to explore further how you might be able to help each other
– Intentional inaction- which means you run through all three possible steps and none apply or work so you intentionally do nothing with the connection you have made. Nonetheless, it was networking and good practice.
Most people are guilty of Unintentional inaction. To borrow a phrase from my mom, “Most people in these situations are dead from the neck up.” They do nothing and that is why they get nothing from the exchange. Do you want results? Drive the results you want. You must take charge of the interaction in order to get what you want out of it.
Example: Wow! Sounds like you could have an issue with income taxes. If you’d like, I could look over your policies and see where there might be some gaps. Would you be interested?
If you follow this easy five-step formula, you will be able to make a lasting impression on everyone you meet.
The only difference between you being a superstar at delivering your elevator pitch and being a dud is your commitment to:
– Sitting down and writing out your elevator pitch
– Memorizing it
– Practicing it over and over again until it flows naturally
Click here to learn more about our high impact Creating Million-Dollar Messages program!
The Best Sales Closing Technique for Any Salesperson
Do you ever wonder why you are not closing more sales? You feel like you are trying your best but nothing seems to be working? The solution to your problem may be simpler than you think. With my Feature, Bridge, Benefit formula, you will be closing big deals in no time. I will explain what this formula is and give a simple example as to how to implement it.
So, you are in front of a prospect, you have discovered their needs and it is now your turn to solve their problem. Are you prepared? What do you say?
Few salespeople understand how important it is to have the solutions to your customer’s problems prepared before the meeting or sales call. “It’s a lot easier to just wing it!” and that’s okay, then just continue to accept your “winging-it” results.
The elite performers always have six to eight razor-sharp features and benefits of their product or service ready to go. These features and benefits can focus on the product/service, you personally and the team. The key is to have them rehearsed and ready to go. You must prepare these benefits for each call you have in order to appeal directly to your specific customer’s needs.
My best sales closing technique is the Feature-Bridge-Benefit formula. This formula is similar to a boxer’s one-two punch combination- a guaranteed power-house. Sometimes all it takes is a jab or tow to win. But other times, it takes the magic of a one-two combination to close out the sale. Why not always lead with your best punch?
The Feature-Bridge-Benefit Closing Formula is simple and easy to master. It can be just adding one simple sentence to your sales pitch. I have broken it down very simply for you below:
What’s a Feature?
A feature is an element, component or quality of your service/product. It is something that sets you apart. Suppose you sell office furniture and you are pitching the sale of a new chair. One of the features maybe it has wheels or a reclining back or goes up and down smoothly. These are the key features of the product/service. Identify all of the special features of the product or service you are selling.
What’s a Bridge?
The Bridge connects the Feature to the Benefit. To make it simple, have your Bridge be the same every time. My go-to Bridge is, “And what this means to you is…”
What’s a Benefit?
The Benefit is the payoff to the customer. The value the customer gains because of the specific, unique features of your product/service. If one of the features of the chair is it has wheels, the benefit may be, “it is easy to push away from the desk to stand up” or “it is easy to pull the chair out from my desk to sit down” or “it is much easier to move around in your personal office space”. The key is to match the Feature to the specific need of the customer as much as possible. You have to alter your benefits to whom you are selling your product/service to. Not every customer will benefit from every feature in the same way. This is why preparation is key to this technique.
Putting it All Together
Here’s is an example of how it looks…
You ask, “Now that I understand a little bit more about your needs may I share a little bit more about how our product can help solve your concerns?”
Assuming they say “yes” you respond as follows:
“One of the features of our product is it’s rolling wheels. What this means to you is, our chair make it easy to move around your personal office space.”
You can go on to repeat variations of that sentence to explain more benefits of your product or service, but sometimes, sharing just one will do!
See? I told you it was simple. This technique can be utilized by adding just a single sentence to your closing. The power of this tool is behind the execution. Know who you are selling to, be prepared for the meeting, identify the needs of your customer, and target those needs. Many may know this sales closing technique, but I am here to tell you, only few will do the work to set themselves up to succeed. Which one are you? Be prepared and close more sales.
Click here to learn more about our high impact Creating Million-Dollar Messages program!
