Bernard Safatli: The “PRICE” we paid for Growing up! 

The “Ability of Connecting with Anyone instantly” is something that we all had within us at some point in our lives; so what happened to us to lose this valuable ability? If we look 7 year olds and under, you can see clearly that they can easily make friends. Can you remember what it was like when you were a child how easy it was to make friends? If you have children, do you see the ease in which they make friends? I recall when I was a child I used to like everyone in my school and vice versa. Yet at the age of 7, things started to change and I felt myself unable to connect with just anyone and began associating with selective groups.

So what is it that made us lose the ability to instantly connect with anyone? This question has been asked by many of the brightest minds. Some researchers believe it has to do with the biological aspect of us aging, that our hormones begin to take effect on our personality; Effecting the way we interact with one another. Others claim that the Ego, which develops in a child between the ages of 6 to 9, is what creates this issue. The ego is that within us that makes us feel separated from the world. So it is this feeling of separation that enables us to feel that we may not belong in certain groups. Another theory is that while growing up, we are given added responsibilities from our parents and the outside world that may have a toll on the way we process the outside world.

Recently it first dawned upon me that we all had this ability at one time in our lives; and just like a skill we developed and lost, we can easily gain it back with the right Strategies in place. Through my years of research and through trial and error I have come up with a suitable strategy that will allow us to regain the ability to connect with anyone once again; and it comes with a “PRICE”

The “PRICE” Strategy:

Don’t let the name deceive you, there is not price to pay in order to regain something you already have within you. The reason behind the name is that we all paid a steep “PRICE” in forgetting this model, and just by realizing what that “PRICE” was, you can once again regain this ability?

P: Person-Able: this acronym is broken down into two parts which are Personality and approachableness.

Personality: When we were kids, we didn’t care about how to get popular; we just wanted to have fun. We understood at a young age that in order to have fun, we just needed to be 100% ourselves.  We didn’t try and mold our personalities into something that would get people to like us, we didn’t need to act nor behave in a specific manner to be liked; we were just genuine and authentic. By being 100% ourselves it didn’t really require any effort to try and become something that we were not.

Approachableness: Each and every one of us has two opposite personalities; one that is extremely approachable and one that isn’t. As a child when we were in a demanding or disturbed mood, no one really wanted to play with us. If you have kids, next time you see your kids becoming demanding with other kids around, notice what tends to happen.  Yet when we were in happy and fun moods other kids couldn’t help but want to play with us. So first you need to realize that you need to be 100% yourself when trying to connect with others while being in an upbeat, happy and fun mood.

R: Respect: When we were children, we were born with this magnificent quality. You can look far and wide and one thing you will tend to see with younger kids is that they tend to respect all ages. There are always exceptions to the rules yet you can easily see it displayed in most cases. In your life, do you respect everyone? Do you respect all of your elders? Do you respect everyone who is younger than you? Showing respect to everyone is a privilege and once given, you will instantly see the feeling reciprocated.

I: Interest: With this tool you will soon begin to realize the magic that comes with it. Look at kids when they are playing in groups or even by themselves, they demonstrate extreme interest in what they are doing. Can you remember a when you were a kid what it was like to play with toys? How interested you were in whatever it is you were doing? If you have children you will instantly see this within them while they play. I remember when I was a kid you could give me any type of toy and I would find something of interest in it. I would always find something to do that would occupy my time. So the next time you are engaged in a conversation with someone, find something within that topic that interests you and you will soon see the magic that comes out of the experience.

Another thing that is of importance with respect to interest is that we tend to like people who share similar interests to us. Have you ever met someone for the first time and instantly connected with that person? A lot of times when this happens it is because you had a common interest with them. So when meeting someone for the first time use effective questions to find out if the two of you share any common interests.

C: Curiosity: this is the most powerful tool to have in your arsenal. Can you remember a time when you were a kid, when you knew your parents have gotten you a gift and hid it in the house somewhere? For me whenever I knew there was a present waiting for me somewhere, my curiosity would take over and I would spend hours upon hours tearing the house apart looking for it. This type of curiosity is extremely powerful and can be a strong motivator for you in life. Whenever you are talking to someone new, be like a kid and become curious. Become curious to what makes this person tick, what interests he has, what purpose he may have in your life, and what truly motivates them.

E: Engage: You can have all of the above yet without truly engaging the person or giving your attention, it will all be in vain. While conducting a survey a few years back, I asked a group of people what they liked the most about engaging someone in a conversation. Their response 87% of them truly enjoyed it when they were being listened to fully. The greatest honor you can give anyone is your full 100% attention while engaging them on what they are talking about.

This is the “PRICE” that we paid for growing up, and I believe it’s about time that we start to see a return on this investment. Like everything in life, in order to re-acquire a skill that we once had practice is required. So go out today and start incorporating the “PRICE” model into your day to day lives, and use it to your advantage. 

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How to succeed as an entrepreneur

On March 4, a group of female business owners and professionals learnt about entrepreneurial best practices at a seminar hosted by Mompreneurs Middle East, a B2B platform that connects women entrepreneurs.

The event, titled The Five Necessary Steps to Succeed in Owning Your Own Business, featured a presentation by Bernard Safatli, corporate trainer at Matrix Training Solutions, where he imparted business advice and shared key characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

Below is an outline of the steps to effectively run a business:

1) Balance your strategic and tactical approaches
Safatli says that there are three types of entrepreneurs: strategic, tactical and a combination of both. A strategic entrepreneur sees the bigger picture and works smarter, while a tactical one is focused on the specifics and works harder. The ideal entrepreneur is good at both the strategic and tactical levels. “These are people who are able to see the big picture and know exactly what they need in their company. At the same time, they are able to make the procedures and policies, and execute them with piercing effectiveness,” he says.

2) Be genuine, authentic and knowledgeable
“Whether you are a one-person show or you have staff, it is valuable for your employees to know everything about your business,” says Safatli. “It is also important for you to create a core story, which needs to be genuine and creative, and have an effective way to communicate it to your clients.”
The core story can be around why you launched your business or what your company represents, he adds. Having a story can help build a connection with your customers and clients.

3) Focus on your wellbeing
“This is something all successful entrepreneurs do. They believe wellbeing is more important than anything else, and if they are good at the core, everything else will be amazing as well.”

Successful entrepreneurs tend to have the following traits in common, he says:
a) Aligning values to what they do
b) Taking out some “me” time
c) Organising their thoughts in the morning
d) Having the ability to manage their emotions

4) Target your dream 100
“The dream 100 are those clients who you’d love to have,” says Safatli. Once you have identified those dream clients, you need to pursue them persistently, he adds. “For instance, you need to call them once a week, every week, for a year. Every time you get information, you should write down what you learned from that call to [be prepared] for the next one.”
Find innovative ways to connect with them, he adds. The use of direct mail and small, thoughtful gifts can give potential clients something to remember you by.

5) Employ successful marketing tactics
“Approximately three years ago, there was a big study on ten of the biggest corporations in the world, which included PepsiCo, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble,” he says. One of the questions asked was: “What are the marketing tactics these companies use that make them so successful? [It was discovered that] every one of these companies are doing a set of things at a strategic and tactical level, because they are the most important.”

These are the “seven musts” of marketing:
1) Personal contact
2) Direct mail
3) Internet
4) Brochure, company literature
5) Advertising
6) Public relations
7) Educating clients/affiliates

Mompreners meet public speaking event

Bernard Safatli's Steps to Perfecting the Sales Process

Detailing and perfecting the sales process:

Traditional sales has taught me to find someone’s needs and once found fill those needs, and by filling them the customer will buy. It is true in a sense, yet it doesn't shed light into the full spectrum of the sales process. Like a lot of things in life, Sales is not just black or white, there are many of the shades of grey in between; and as such there are many steps in between that need to be met before you can become a master at sales. Fundamentally, there are seven steps that should be met in each and every sales interaction, and by perfecting each step you will begin to see immediate results within your career.

Step 1: Establish Rapport

Establishing and developing rapport is the most important step to master. Rapport basically is having your prospect like you, trust you, and ultimately respect you. When meeting new prospects, befriending them should be your ultimate goal; here are some tips that you can use today to assist you in that.

The fastest and easiest way to escalate the bonding process is to become a personal cheerleader for your client. Basically you need to talk about everyone’s favorite person, and who is that... Them! If you truly want to be interesting to your client you first need to be fully interested in what they are talking about.

Other quick ways to help you in building rapport with your prospect is by finding any common interests you two may have; people tend to like people who share common interests and goals. The last tip would be to incorporate market data within your sales process. Market data has a way of creating instant respect and rapport and instantly places you in a seat of authority with your prospect. Keep in mind, when delivering Market data, you want to make sure you have relevant information that will ensure your prospects success. 

Step 2: Display Absolute Conviction:

This is the second most important of the steps, for displaying absolute confidence is tremendously important. A couple of things are needed for you to display total conviction and confidence.

One, you will need to absolutely believe in the product/service you are providing. You can’t have total conviction in your product if you haven’t purchased and are currently using the product/service you are providing.

Second, belief in one self and your ability to influence. The easiest way to believe in yourself is to become more familiar with the strategies of influence, and the benefits of your product. Reading books and attending sales seminars/courses are advantageous; yet one needs to implement what they learn to fully reap the benefits. Another quick way that will make you feel confident is to prepare for the meeting ahead of schedule, understanding everything to do about your prospect prior to meeting those gives you an added edge when dealing with them.

Step 3: Find Their Need

The deeper you understand your prospects situation, the more logical the conclusion will be. You cannot bring a sale to a logical conclusion if you don’t understand the needs of your prospect.  Finding a client’s needs is what most sales procedures call the “qualifying process” and it consists of asking your prospect pin pointed questions that reveal what it is they really need. The best way to establish and find your prospects need is to find ways that can make your relationship mutually beneficial. Prior to talking to any prospect, it would be of value to sit and brainstorm on some relevant questions that can help reveal what their true needs are.

Step 4: Build Value

Building Value is what I call a “Strategic sell”. It is where you sell your company and highlight the achievements and awards your organization has accomplished. Mentioning previous clients you’ve had success with, and giving examples are powerful ways to build your companies value. Upon finding your prospects needs, it would be of extreme value for you to spend a brief moment or two informing the prospect of the “Value” of being involved with your company, and how a relationship with you can be mutually beneficial.

Step 5: Create desire

Once you establish rapport, completely confident, understand your prospects needs, and built strong value for your company, then finding a client’s want is the next natural step. Nine times out of ten, a prospect will buy what they want before they buy what they need; and just to confirm this point, take one look in your living rooms and name off the items that you truly need in it. You will come to realise that the majority of items within our homes are bought because we wanted them, not need them. Knowing a prospects needs is important, and knowing their wants will help ensure that you handle any potential objections that may come forth. See People will buy way faster because of who they want to be then they will ever buy because of what you have to sell.

Step 6: Overcome Objections

The toughest objections are the ones you don’t see coming. This is why the qualifying process of the sale is extremely important while discovering their needs. Constantly ask questions on what the prospect thinks and if they agree with what you are saying. It is important to ask questions that illuminate if there is anything that will keep them from doing business with you; find out what their objections are at the beginning of the sale and squash them before they can grow. Yet if you follow the first four steps to perfection, than you would have covered all potential objections the prospect may have had; and can instantly move to the final step.

Step 7: Close the Sale

“ASSSUMMEE THE SALE” this is your greatest asset in the sales process. The best influencers use assumptive closes at the end of the sales cycle. You don’t want to ask for the sale, for at this point you are absolutely connected with your prospect, got their interest, qualified them, found their wants, got them convicted in the value of your product/service, and handled all their objections, so what’s left? Assume the sale! And the best way to do that is congratulate him in a wise decision. You don’t thank them, you congratulate them. It firms up in their mind that it was a wise decision. Instead of focusing on what did they just did? Begin by filling out the form sales form; If they stop you half way and say “I didn’t say I was buying” ignore and say: “you are interested in getting this result right” and go right back into it.

Assuming the sale from before you even meet the prospect will instantly increase your chances in landing your next mega deal. Find your strategy in becoming convicted about your product/service, create new and lasting friendships with your prospect and using empathy find out how you can truly benefit your client with what you have to offer.

The very best sales people when asked what it is they do with their prospects will all answer that they consider themselves “Consultants” not sales people. See, it is their mission to supply the best advice and information to their prospects, whether it be in the form of their product/service or another. For they always have the best interest of their prospects in mind.

About Bernard Safatli

About Bernard Safatli

Bernard Safatli is a recognized International Keynote Speaker | Author | Certified Master and Trainer of Neuro Linguistic Programming | and Leading Authority in Behavioural Re-Engineering Based in Dubai. Bernard has risen to be one of the leading authorities on applying Neuro Linguistic Programming in Sales, Marketing, Communication and Leadership Performance excellence within this region.

Drawing upon over 17 years of Sales, Leadership, NLP Training, and Executive Coaching experience Bernard is considered the “Ultimate Behavior and Performance Engineer” where his passion lies within the psychology of what makes people successful, creating successful strategies, and consistently delivering peak performance Teams.

Bernard has created many success stories with the work he has done with Small, Medium and fortune 500 companies within the region. Through his expertise, Bernard brings clarity and understanding to many issues that business owners and organizations have to deal with. Whether it is creating the Ultimate sales funnel, establishing peak performance teams, or establishing yourself as an expert within your field; each facility is designed to educate and inspire people to succeed.