Career Success Partners

Executive Coach's Tip: Mix It Up

Make a habit of "mixing it up."

Next time you’re at a social event or business networking event, don’t just hang out and talk with the people you know – go and have a conversation with someone you don’t know -- you never know what – or who – you’ll discover.

• Approach someone else who seems to be seeking conversation
• If you're having a hard time "breaking into" an existing conversation, then stand at the entrance area and approach people as they walk in
• Ask someone you know to introduce you to a new contact
• Give a compliment; say something nice; smile
• Ask questions; allow the other party to do most of the talking if possible; show interest in what they're saying

Give your business card and you'll find that others will reciprocate without you having to ask for their card.

Follow up .... send thank you notes.

Always look for opportunities to expand your reach and meet new people .... Mix it up.

Action Ideas:

1. Try it. When will be your very next opportunity to "mix it up?"  Set your intention ahead of time; re-read this article. Set a goal for how many new people you'd like to meet.
2. SHARE this article with a friend  -- sharing is a great way to give to others you care about.
3. TALK ABOUT this article today with a friend or work associate who might be interested in the ideas presented.
4. "Evernote It" -- Save this article to your Evernote account for future reference or for re-reading at a later date.  Click HERE to install Evernote Web Clipper, which lets you save interesting stuff you see on the web directly to your Evernote account.

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Andy Robinson
Executive Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC 
239-285-5575
[email protected]
Career Success Portfolio of Blogsites
www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com

"Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve incredible career success!"

What Others Have Said About Andy: Testimonials and Recommendations

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Member, International Coach Federation, the leading worldwide professional coaching association. 

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Executive Coach's Tip: Two Techniques for Asking for What You Want

I recently read Marcia Wieder's excellent book, "Dreams," which is chock full ideas for fulfilling your personal and business dreams.  Marcia's offers some excellent advice for "Asking for What You Want" -- with these two tips:

1. Be specific in what you ask for.  "Don't beat around the bush" as they say.  Be clear, describe exactly what you want, discuss the benefits, express your request with sincerity, interest and fused with a bit of passion.
2. Make it easy for people to say yes. If they say no, ask why.  People often decline for two reasons: (1) Either you're asking for too much, too soon, or (2) They don't truly understand exactly what you're asking for.

Finally, the "magic phrase" which makes it easy for someone to say yes to you is this: "Would you be willing to explore the idea of ...." (having me do whatever the request is)

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Andy Robinson
Executive Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
[email protected]
www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com 

What Others Have Said About Andy: Testimonials and Recommendations

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Member, International Coach Federation, the leading worldwide professional coaching association.

 

The Power of LinkedIn - A Personal Testimonial

I remain a HUGE fan of LinkedIn and have written a number of articles on how to effectively use LinkedIn as a networking, business development and learning tool.

I have been an avid user of LinkedIn going back more than five years and remain an active daily communicator on the platform.  I am a firm believer in the LinkedIn "Open Networker" philosophy and am currently connected to almost 8,000 business professionals on a first degree basis.

Looking back over the years, and particularly over the past two to three years, I've personally realized SIGNIFICANT benefits from using LinkedIn -- benefits to me personally and benefits to my business.  I've written this article to inventory some of those benefits as a personal testimonial to the power of using LinkedIn.

Some of the Benefits I've Personally Realized from Using LinkedIn:

I've chosen to highlight only SOME of the benefits I've realized from using LinkedIn over the years. This list would be extensive if I listed ALL of the specific benefits I've realized.

• Brand Development. LinkedIn has been an outstanding platform for distributing blog articles from my various blog sites, allowing me to communicate my brand to a targeted audience of business professionals.
• Meeting Career Experts.  As a co-host of the weekly Career Success Radio Show on Exceptional Wisdom Radio (based out of Cambridge, MA), I have "met" and been introduced to (referred to, etc.) a number of experts who we have invited as guests on the Radio Show.  Many of those guests have since become good friends and business partners, and a number have been a source of new business referrals to me.
• LinkedIn Experts.  I have met, become associated with and have learned from several of the nationally recognized top experts on LinkedIn.  A couple of those individuals have also appeared as guests on our Radio Show (as noted above).  I met all of those individuals through LinkedIn.
• Networking "Pinging."  LinkedIn allows me to regularly "ping" my network -- individual network members, members of LinkedIn Groups, and/or my ENTIRE network with useful information, updates and brand-specific content -- allowing me to "stay on the radar screen" with my important business contacts and prospective clients.
• New Clients.  LinkedIn has been an EXCELLENT source of new coaching clients over the years -- I regularly receive requests from individuals who met me EXCLUSIVELY through LinkedIn and who are interested in initiating an executive coaching or career coaching relationship.  I've had as many as three new clients in a 30 day period coming directly through LinkedIn.  Other than "word of mouth" referral, LinkedIn is my number two source of new client referrals.
• New Business Ventures. LinkedIn has also been an excellent vehicle for developing and expanding a number of new business ventures I have launched over the past five years.  LinkedIn is ALWAYS a key component of my marketing and "public relations" campaigns when expanding a business.
• Client Job Search Successes.  A number of my executive coaching clients, with my assistance and knowledge of how to effectively use LinkedIn, have secured job opportunities as a direct result of LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is an excellent job search tool.
• Business and Vendor Resources.  When I'm in need of outside resources, my LinkedIn network is definitely a "go to" resource.  LinkedIn serves as an excellent "yellow pages" for finding excellent third party business and vendor resources.
• Learning and Professional Development.  I could go on and on with this particular benefit of LinkedIn.  It's a source of great information, timely information and I use it as a way to keep current on important topics -- through Groups, through LinkedIn's "Answers" feature and through tuning in to my network's status update feed. 
• New Friends and Relationships.  LinkedIn has been a GREAT place to meet and get to know new people -- people who share in my interests, my areas of expertise and my outside interests and hobbies.

LinkedIn has worked for me because I HAVE SPENT TIME USING IT -- DAILY. 

How effective has it been for you?

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected]

www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com - The Premier Interactive Career Development Community

 

When "Being Nosey" Can Be a Powerful Technique - Do You Ask Probing Questions?

There is nothing quite as alluring and seductive as sharing time with someone who finds you extremely interesting.  We all love to talk about ourselves and find it very flattering when another party seems to be fascinated by some aspect of our experience, background or area of specialty.  Having someone ask us probing questions about what WE love to do or who WE are creates a very positive mental and emotional bond of sorts with that individual.

It seems all too common, however, that in casual conversation with someone else, we ultimately feel compelled to talk more about ourselves, a subject that is definitely much less interesting to the other party (e.g., BORING and forgettable!).  Message: Stay aware of this natural compulsion and begin to make the conscious shift to focusing more on the other person.

Authors Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval in their book, "The Power of Small -- Why Little Things Make All the Difference" (2009), cite a recent clinical psychology study revealing that "being nosey" is actually a turn-on. "The more curious people are during a conversation, the more positive the outcome, whether it is a casual encounter or one where a deeper connection is sought.  Either way, the other person feels important and valued, which then has a boomerang effect on the personal asking the questions.  Who doesn't like being around someone who seem infinitely more interested in our lives than their own?

Be that person!  Leave a lasting positive impression by focusing more on the other person than on yourself.  This rapport-building technique should become a habit for you and should be a reflection of who you really are -- someone who sincerely cares about others and puts their needs first.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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Influencing at Work - 10 Proven Tips to Get Buy-In From Your Boss on an Idea

Every day you influence your peers, your boss, and your co-workers. The trick is to influence them positively instead of negatively and to get understanding and buy-in to your ideas. Do you have an idea that you want to get buy-in from your boss, but in the past you have been met with resistance? How do you get your boss to understand and appreciate your idea? How do you practice the art of "managing up"? Here are 10 tips that are proven to win over your boss and get buy-in for your ideas.

1. List how the idea benefits the company
2. Show how the idea can enhance your boss's position
3. Describe how the idea relieves a pain that your boss currently experiences
4. Illustrate how the idea solves a nagging problem for the company
5. Detail how the idea saves money, makes money, or both
6. Compare how this idea is easier to accomplish, cheaper to carry out, and more cost-effective than competing ideas
7. Use precedent to bring up a situation where your idea has worked in the past under similar circumstances
8. Show the evidence to support the claims of your idea
9. Describe how you have minimized risk of failure for this idea
10. Ask your boss for suggestions on how to improve the idea

As you can see from the 10 tips, you will be taking the focus away from YOU and putting it on the COMPANY and YOUR BOSS. It is critical that you include tip #10 and ask your boss for input on your idea. Once your boss gives input and adds to the idea, it also becomes their idea and they will be more likely to buy-in to it.

To make this easy to implement, take a sheet of paper and write the name of your idea at the top of the page. Below that, draw a 2-column table with 10 rows. In the first column, list the 10 tips from above (e.g. benefits the company, enhances my boss's position). Use the second column to come up with what you want to say about your idea....how it benefits the company, enhances your boss's position, etc.

Use this sheet as talking points when you go and speak to your boss about the idea. When you present your idea with the focus on how it benefits your company and your boss, you are using your powers of persuasion to improve your chances of your boss understanding, buying in, and saying "yes" to your idea. This is what "managing up" is all about. As you are trying this new approach, think about what the difference is between using these 10 keys and the method that you previously used. What is the difference in your boss's reaction? What are the keys that he most positively responds to? Is there any key that he reacts to negatively? Use this information as you continue to build your powers of persuasion and influence at work.

About the Author: Caroline Smith works with executives with technical backgrounds who want to be able to communicate and negotiate up, down and across the organization. These executives find that key stakeholders don't pay attention to them, and don't understand or buy-in to their message. Caroline has helped clients that started with just 20% buy-in to get to 80% buy-in in just under 4 months.

Visit http://executivecoachcarolinesmith.com to find out more. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caroline_L_Smith

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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Friends? Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Their Business!

We often develop social relationships with individuals who COULD be clients -- they definitely meet the definition of our ideal client profile.

Why not simply ask for their business? Many of us don't, hoping that THEY will make the first move. Really?

Just ASK! "I understand you may already have a (Insert your specialty) Advisor, but if anything ever comes up where you might want to consider a new or additional advisor, I just want you to know that I'd LOVE to do business with you and I'm VERY accustomed to working as an advisor to good friends like you."

Try it! Just ask!

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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How Memorable and Compelling is Your Elevator "Pitch"?

Ready....Get set....Go!

You've got 60 Seconds to Say It ALL...

Is Your Elevator Pitch Compelling?

Is It Memorable?

We've all heard the term "Elevator Speech," and how important it is to formulate a compelling message to others in less than a minute.

Whether you're looking for a new job, trying to develop new business, promoting your company, or simply promoting yourself, it is absolutely essential to have an elevator pitch.  With diminished attention span of others and the fast-paced environment that we live and work it, you need to communicate your message quickly, clearly and distinctly to someone who doesn't even know you.  A great pitch or elevator speech takes planning and practice to deliver it quickly, on the spot and under pressure.

I have a WONDERFUL tool that I recommend to my coaching clients to help them in the formulation of a compelling elevator pitch.  The tools helps give structure to the thought process of developing a clear and memorable elevator speech.

The tool is offered from free by the Harvard Business School Alumni Career Services organization and is available TO ALL OF US for use.

Check out this COOL TOOL here:

HBS-Elevator-Pitch-Tool

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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Are You Likeable, and Should You Care?

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Weekly Selling and Negotiation Wisdom of Jim McBrayer
Contributing Expert and Career Success! Partner

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People “do” buy from people they like and it’s very difficult for people to buy from anyone they don’t like . . . regardless of the rational reasons for doing so.  People decide and take action based on their emotional triggers and then justify those decisions with reason!  Whether someone likes another is perhaps the most powerful emotional reason people utilize to make decisions.

Malcolm Gladwell informed us in his best-selling book Blink that patients sued their doctors for malpractice because they felt like they had been treated in a condescending, disrespectful manner.  Doctors were sued not so much because of the bad medical treatment but because of the belittlement and hostility that the patients felt from them.  Patients did not like the doctors they sued and did not sue the doctors they liked.  Likewise, Judge Douglas Levine in his book Cardinal Rules of Advocacy, stakes claim that 80% of juries base their verdict on their “gut reactions” to the lawyer’s opening statement, before any evidence was ever presented.  Concluding that they based their verdict on how much they liked the lawyers.  People think by feeling and they are drawn to the people they like.  Therefore, it is essential that we know how to radiate likeability.

How well do you radiate "likeability"?

We like those that are like us.  Similar dress, common background & interest, and shared values equate into a higher degree of trust and comfort.  We need to dress similar to those we wish to connect with and engage them in conversation regarding: their background, business, leisure time, education, pet, kids or anything else you may share in common.  The absolute best method to increase your likeability is to take a genuine interest in the other.  One of Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “seek first to understand”.  Lose yourself in the other’s perspective.  When someone feels understood, they extend trust to the one doing the understanding.  The more the other believes you understand him, the more similar you become.

The more we truly understand what someone is all about we have a better idea of those areas we have in common and can engage in those discussions.  It’s critical to remember that people decide on emotion and rationalize with logic.  Make sure you connect on the likeability emotion.

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Jim McBrayer, Sales Training and Negotiation Training Expert
President, Program on Persuasion
Contact: [email protected], 678-610-6509

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I'd like to welcome! friend and Career Success! Partner, Jim McBrayer, as a regular contributing expert to our blog site. Jim's insights, ideas and wisdom on the subject of Selling and Negotiating -- both of which are key Career Success Skills -- will hopefully resonate with you in your journey to achieving incredible career success.

Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

	Receive Our FREE Weekly eZine!

For Email Marketing you can trust

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Visit the Premier Interactive Career Development Community:

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Weekly Selling and Negotiation Wisdom of Jim McBrayer
Contributing Expert and Career Success! Partner

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People “do” buy from people they like and it’s very difficult for people to buy from anyone they don’t like . . . regardless of the rational reasons for doing so.  People decide and take action based on their emotional triggers and then justify those decisions with reason!  Whether someone likes another is perhaps the most powerful emotional reason people utilize to make decisions.

Malcolm Gladwell informed us in his best-selling book Blink that patients sued their doctors for malpractice because they felt like they had been treated in a condescending, disrespectful manner.  Doctors were sued not so much because of the bad medical treatment but because of the belittlement and hostility that the patients felt from them.  Patients did not like the doctors they sued and did not sue the doctors they liked.  Likewise, Judge Douglas Levine in his book Cardinal Rules of Advocacy, stakes claim that 80% of juries base their verdict on their “gut reactions” to the lawyer’s opening statement, before any evidence was ever presented.  Concluding that they based their verdict on how much they liked the lawyers.  People think by feeling and they are drawn to the people they like.  Therefore, it is essential that we know how to radiate likeability.

How well do you radiate "likeability"?

We like those that are like us.  Similar dress, common background & interest, and shared values equate into a higher degree of trust and comfort.  We need to dress similar to those we wish to connect with and engage them in conversation regarding: their background, business, leisure time, education, pet, kids or anything else you may share in common.  The absolute best method to increase your likeability is to take a genuine interest in the other.  One of Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “seek first to understand”.  Lose yourself in the other’s perspective.  When someone feels understood, they extend trust to the one doing the understanding.  The more the other believes you understand him, the more similar you become.

The more we truly understand what someone is all about we have a better idea of those areas we have in common and can engage in those discussions.  It’s critical to remember that people decide on emotion and rationalize with logic.  Make sure you connect on the likeability emotion.

Convey Personal Excellence and Professionalism at All Times

Quality and Personal Excellence are two key elements of your Personal Brand. The degree to which you fully embrace the importance of these elements is communicated to others on a continuous basis and is incorporated into others' vision of who you are -- i.e., the Personal Brand that you broadcast . Those who are fully aware of this fact can definitely undertake action to broadcast a Personal Brand that elevates their professionalism through conscious focus on Quality and Personal Excellence.

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Quality and Personal Excellence are broadcast by you through all of the following activities:

• Every email message you send to someone else.

• Every voice mail message you leave for someone.

• The voice mail message that others hear when they try to reach you.

• Your email "signature."

• Any and all social media profiles you have on networking sites online: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

• Every written deliverable you submit to anyone else -- report, analysis, memo, white paper, article, newsletter, letter, brochure.

• Any presentation you make in front of anyone else.

• Every business card you hand out to someone else.

• The manner in which you greet a stranger or anyone else you meet for the first time.

• The manner in which you present yourself physically - your style of dress and grooming.

• Every conversation you have with another person.

• The quality of the people you "hang around with."

• The role you play in community and professional organizations.

• The degree of kindness and compassion you communicate to others in every interaction you have.

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Each of the above activities represent an opportunity to communicate a high level of quality and personal excellence. Missing the beat on any one of these activities represents a chink in your chain of successfully offering a consistent message of your commitment to quality and personal excellence.

Take an inventory of how well you are broadcasting your personal brand elements of quality, excellence and professionalism through all of the above activities. Commit today to a personal program of continuous improvement.

In today's market, there is no question that the personal brand elements of quality and personal excellence are more important than ever. The value you add to your employer, your clients, your professional network and your personal network will be significantly enhanced through relentless attention to these elements.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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What is Your Unique Promise of Value?

Personal branding guru, William Aruda, defines "Brand" as "your unique promise of value."  Take a look at this very well done 4 minute Video of William's take on the importance of understanding and clearly communicating your personal brand:

Dubbed the personal branding guru by the media and clients alike, William Arruda is a sought-after speaker on the topics of branding, career advancement, social media and employee motivation. Combining his twenty years' corporate branding experience with his passion for the people, he founded Reach, the global leader in personal branding. William engages, motivates and inspires audiences with his unique blend of wit, story telling and humor.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

	Receive Our FREE Weekly eZine!

For Email Marketing you can trust