I am religious in my morning routine. I have come to look forward to it. A big part of that routine is shaving.

I enjoy shaving in the morning and I find it quite therapeutic. Like meditating before the crazy of the day begins.

This was not always the case. There was a point when I dreaded shaving. The arduous morning necessity, so it didn’t look like I was out too late the night before. So I was presentable for the work day ahead.

Then about a year ago, at a Bachelor Party, I was shown the light. I was enlightened on the pleasures of a classic double-edged safety razor. It seems great things can happen at a Bachelor Party, and sometimes things you can discuss after.

What occurred was a lengthy discussion about shaving. A discussion about the proper way to shave. To shave with a double-edged safety razor.

I had never given it much thought as I used an electric razor out of what I thought was convenience. I came to find this was a bad life choice. A double edge razor was the way to go, with a great shave soap. It may take 5 more minutes in the morning, but your face will thank you.

How did this occur?

It came from a trusted friend. After a lengthy monolog about the benefits of a double-edged safety razor, I was sold. I was so convinced, that I did a months worth of research, and bought all the supplies.

This is the power of a referral.

My friend did not receive any monetary benefit to his referral of me to this new way of living. Essentially, this was out of the goodness of his heart. He enjoyed this method of shaving so much, he decided to share it with me.

Your clients want to do this for you if you provide them with a compelling reason. Provide clients with extreme value, and they too will sing exceptional praise.

Referrals are the most qualified leads you can get. Look at how I switched my entire morning routine over a referral and recommendation from a trusted source.

Make your clients a trusted source for you. Better yet, ask your clients to be a trusted source.

Ask referral questions like:

Do you have any colleagues that may be interested?

Could you recommend me to someone?

Is there anybody else I should be speaking with?

Do you have any industry meetings I could attend with you?

This could provide the opportunity to get the highest quality source to spread the word of your business. If you provide something outstanding, your clients will be happy to recommend you.

Will you recommend my blog to a friend?

Good luck and good selling!

P.S. If you dread shaving in the morning, I highly recommend making the switch to a double-edged safety razor. You can begin your research here; for ladies: here.

The Founder of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher, was a focused business leader. Kelleher had a set of values, and every decision made aligned with those values. He maintained relentless focus to those values.

Kelleher states:

“I’ve always thought that having a simple set of values for a company was also a very efficient and expedient way to go. And I’ll tell you why. Because if somebody makes a proposal and it infringes on those values, you don’t study it for two years. You just say, “No, we don’t do that.” And you go on quickly. So I think that contributes to efficiency.”

We have access to more information, more options, and more things demanding our time, it makes it increasingly difficult to focus. The Nobel winning Economist Herbert Simon states:

“…a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention…”

When discussing focus, this does not mean we need to stop day dreaming. What this means, is looking at goals we want to accomplish, and having a relentless focus towards these goals.

Every activity has to move us towards those goals. Focus is a decision making process. Every decision we make either contributes to a goals success or it doesn’t.

Relentless Focus is Difficult

Focusing is difficult. Especially in a business environment which values multi-tasking. I do not think multi-tasking and focusing can be accomplished simultaneously. What I think needs to be valued, is the development of a plan and relentless execution of that plan.

Businesses receive goals. Goals come in the form of quarter projections, customers acquired, or percentage growth. If we apply focus, every activity we do should move us one step closer to achieving these goals.

We can increase our focus in three ways:

Make Focused Decisions

Use a set of goals or values to base all decisions. The list should not be longer than 3 – 5 goals. More than this and your focus can become diluted.

As you begin making decisions with your time and activities, you should seek opportunities which lead you closer to the 3 – 5 goals.

Say No

We hear a lot about saying no. Whether, from Steve Jobs or James Altucher, we can learn from those who have succeeded in saying no.

The goal is to say no to anything which does not align with the 3 – 5 goals we are focused on accomplishing.

Eliminate Distractions

Eliminate the customers which distract you from your goals. These are the customers that consume all your time and do not compensate you for the amount of time they require.

Eliminate the distracting leads, which means get to the qualifying stage fast. Moving on to the next customer is sometimes the fastest way to growth and more revenue.

A disciplined, relentless focus on the goals at hand is the secret to success.

Good luck and good selling!

You don’t get rewarded in business by saying nothing. You have to sell yourself, your company, and then your product.

This results in thinking that talking will make a situation better. Close a sale. As if words mask our actions and cover up our flaws. I forgot to call a customer back, which I proceeded to tell a long winded story to explain why. The business relationship was always tense.

Please Stop Talking

If we’re rewarded for actions and not words, then there’s no need to say anything. You would not need to tell customers how great you are. You could show them and be rewarded with the business. So in my next meeting, I am not going to say anything. I will stop talking.

What if the power of the “Silver Tongue” stopped working, and we made decisions based on values and actions? On the quality of products?

We would no longer have to push someone to make a decision. Which we do so they will not see the flaws in our products, which manifest later when we are no longer around.

The reason we use the term “used car salesman” is they tend to be fast talkers. Selling us a subpar product that we will later regret. By making a quick, exciting moment, we let down our guard and make a bad decision.

Start Listening

We have all had a sales call or meeting which is one sided. Which, I am pretty sure has resulted in saying the wrong thing. So, please stop talking and start listening.

Deep down we know this is how you’re supposed to operate in a sales call, but there is always mixed messages. Simultaneously you are supposed to vomit all your products features and benefits, while also listening and understanding the customer’s needs.

I admit it, I have lost more than one sale because I had no idea when to keep quite. This is why I will stop talking and start doing. Start letting actions speak.

To talk less, do more, and increase business in the process, we need to get back to the basics.

Embrace the 80/20 rule.

When in a conversation, only speak 20% of the time. You cannot learn about a customer by talking, only by listening.

Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.

When you do say something and say you are going to do something, do it. Let actions tell the customer why they should do business with you. Be reliable.

Understand the problems.

Understand the problems your customer faces. Provide creative and valuable solutions your competitors cannot offer. Show that you understand the needs and can provide value.

Follow up with the customer.

Follow up with the customer. Be the person that follows up and shows up regularly. The consistency makes you reliable.

Lastly, talk is cheap, so show me. And please stop talking.

What type of computer do you use?

What type of cell phone do you have? Are you an Android or Mac user? Windows?

Do you have strong feelings about why you use these products?

I do.

I’m an Apple user for phone, computer, tablet, and I think it is the only way to go. I have my reasons why this is my preference, but I am not here to sell you on Apple.

The point is I have a strong opinion about my preference. Chances are you do as well.

This is the conundrum we face when converting people into customers. We need them to change an opinion and move them into our way of thinking.

We want them to change an opinion, habits, or even their beliefs about what our company stands for. This is a path that you need to move someone through.

As you ask someone to change their product or opinion, it is a good to begin by asking yourself. What product or opinion have you changed lately?

Can we ask our customers to change an opinion?

Chances are good that you have either used a new product, switched to a new product, or changed an opinion sometime in the last year. What did this process look like for you?

Was your first stop online research? Ask a friend what product they used? Did your current product make you angry with a design change? Or did a Sales Representative approach you through a cold call?

Asking these questions about your own process can help identify the possible process a new customer is going to go through.

It is important to understand how you change products, change an opinion, or change beliefs. After all, if you expect anybody else to change an opinion, and either you haven’t changed or don’t know how you changed, it is wrong to ask another person to change.

Everybody’s process of change is different. But it happens a lot in business, where we need to bring someone to our way of thinking. We may need to close a big account by converting them from a competing product. Or change an internal company process from something outdated to something more modern and productive.

What motivates a change?

The common question is, what will motivate the change? That’s why we need to ask ourselves what is our process and what is the internal struggle we experience to bring ourselves to make a change.

After internal reflection in finding what motivates a change, we can then understand the magnitude of what we are asking our prospect and colleagues to do.

A change is not a small request, but a large, daunting, and at times risky proposition.

We are asking someone to move from the safety of the status quo to a place of the unknown. Opening this person up to possible regret, buyers remorse, and potential increased costs.

These are the considerations we need to have before being able to convert someone.

Ask yourself, what product or opinion have you changed lately?

Good luck and good selling!