Okay it's not "the secret" (though someday we will make Go for No into a movie-movie) but we are really excited that we have a new 3 minute movie that teaches people about "go for no."
We've been challenged over the years as we have crafted our 30 second "elevator speech" or our single line USP about what it is we actually do.
Well, we finally feel like we have all that down but we still wanted something else that would help us communicate our "go for no" message (a tool that no sales training program or sales and marketing professional should be without!) But something not so short as it's in seconds, but not so long as "read our book and you'll be enlightened."
Hence, the movie. A Portland Co., AngelVision, were the designers of the movie and we got to be kind of executive producers, writing most of the copy, suggesting graphics, and selecting the voice over talent. We loved the process and even more we love our movie!www.impactmovie.com/goforno
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Fail More in 2008
If you're like many people, you may already be thinking about your New Year's Resolutions... many revolving around how to be more successful. Well, we want to add one to the list and as you might expect from the "go for no" people it has to do with failing more!
Before we explain this in more detail let's take a recap of your failures for 2007. This requires a bit of work and thought on your part. So grab a pen and first, list the five biggest "failures" you had this past year. The ones that you hesitated telling your siblings or parents about. Yes write them down. Okay... now look at the list. Are you still alive? Yes, great. Okay failure didn't kill you so let's move on.
Next, let's look at these failures and come up with at least one great lesson from each of them. Write it down. Will wait. No really, write it down. Okay good. So we failed we survived and we learned.
Now here's the final question... did any of you have to struggle to come with five things you failed at? Did you have search your memory banks? Did you have to start searching your brain - stopping momentarily on a burnt meatloaf because you played it so safe this year that you really didn't feel like there were any actual failures?
Failing and by extension "going for no" is what we prescribe for your year!
Get people to tell you "no" multiple times, multiple ways, over and over. If you are not hearing NO you are not failing enough! Try new things, meet new people, get out there and be willing to fail! Come to the edge and see how good you can really be if you are just willing to stop playing it so safe! May next year, be the year that you say... Five things, just five?
Start the Year Out and Learn to Go for No! Get the book and 3 CD Training Program TODAY.
Before we explain this in more detail let's take a recap of your failures for 2007. This requires a bit of work and thought on your part. So grab a pen and first, list the five biggest "failures" you had this past year. The ones that you hesitated telling your siblings or parents about. Yes write them down. Okay... now look at the list. Are you still alive? Yes, great. Okay failure didn't kill you so let's move on.
Next, let's look at these failures and come up with at least one great lesson from each of them. Write it down. Will wait. No really, write it down. Okay good. So we failed we survived and we learned.
Now here's the final question... did any of you have to struggle to come with five things you failed at? Did you have search your memory banks? Did you have to start searching your brain - stopping momentarily on a burnt meatloaf because you played it so safe this year that you really didn't feel like there were any actual failures?
Failing and by extension "going for no" is what we prescribe for your year!
Get people to tell you "no" multiple times, multiple ways, over and over. If you are not hearing NO you are not failing enough! Try new things, meet new people, get out there and be willing to fail! Come to the edge and see how good you can really be if you are just willing to stop playing it so safe! May next year, be the year that you say... Five things, just five?
Start the Year Out and Learn to Go for No! Get the book and 3 CD Training Program TODAY.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Retailers and Selling this Season
When shopping the other night, I (Andrea) was pleasantly surprised at the assertive nature of most of the associates in the stores I was entering; specifically: Origins, Aveda, Saks, Moonstruck Chocolate (a Portland Oregon specialty), Something Silver, The Fossil Cartel, Sharper Image, Swarovski and L'Occitane.
bebe's attention to customers was noticeably absent. We don't judge a company on one shop however, and in fact have had previous good experiences (from our retail service across America tour) at bebe. The associate was hurrying me out of the store (without my purchase that was still laying on her counter) - no "go for no" behaviors there.
So, almost all stores had people who were proactively greeting, asking if they could help (normally we don't recommend such an approach but for the "purpose-driven" shopping season this works) and overall communication WAS happening! People were actually selling! In retail stores! And "going for no!" ... at least in the beginning.
Still retail store teams lacking in getting "no's" from customers in the closing phase of the interaction (asking for the sale) and in the moment where they ideally should adding on to the sale; suggesting additional products etc.
But still I was intrigued by the increase in assertiveness across the board. Could it be that some of the "fear" of failure... rejection... upsetting customers has been temporarily lifted since after all it is Christmas and people are in fact, shopping and buying. I wonder...
bebe's attention to customers was noticeably absent. We don't judge a company on one shop however, and in fact have had previous good experiences (from our retail service across America tour) at bebe. The associate was hurrying me out of the store (without my purchase that was still laying on her counter) - no "go for no" behaviors there.
So, almost all stores had people who were proactively greeting, asking if they could help (normally we don't recommend such an approach but for the "purpose-driven" shopping season this works) and overall communication WAS happening! People were actually selling! In retail stores! And "going for no!" ... at least in the beginning.
Still retail store teams lacking in getting "no's" from customers in the closing phase of the interaction (asking for the sale) and in the moment where they ideally should adding on to the sale; suggesting additional products etc.
But still I was intrigued by the increase in assertiveness across the board. Could it be that some of the "fear" of failure... rejection... upsetting customers has been temporarily lifted since after all it is Christmas and people are in fact, shopping and buying. I wonder...
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sorted Book Project
We learned of this site through Tom Peters. It is called the Sorted Book Project and looks rather simple - but it seems some of the most unique works of art are radically simple.
In this case, to quote the web site (of Nina Katchadourian) "the project began in 1993... taken place in many different places over the years... From private homes to specialized public book collections. The process is the same in every case... pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom... then displayed either as photographs of the book clusters or as the actual stacks themselves... the clusters aim to examine that particular library's focus, idiosyncrasies, and inconsistencies — a cross-section of that library's holdings."
What struck us was the photo of one sorting with the following titles: "When I Say No I Feel Guilty, then "God Always Says Yes", followed by "Don't Say Yes When You Want to Say No"...
It seemed to us this combination desperately cries out for a copy of "Go for No!" at the end of the collection. Looking at our collection of books on yes, no, failure, success, we could have quite a book sort ourselves on the topic.
Andrea took a quick shot of the books that have made their way onto our book shleves most recently. We did not attempt to sort them per the 'book sort' process yet maybe as you look at these you'll see a connection. Darn, forgot "Go for No!" again.
In this case, to quote the web site (of Nina Katchadourian) "the project began in 1993... taken place in many different places over the years... From private homes to specialized public book collections. The process is the same in every case... pulling particular titles, and eventually grouping the books into clusters so that the titles can be read in sequence, from top to bottom... then displayed either as photographs of the book clusters or as the actual stacks themselves... the clusters aim to examine that particular library's focus, idiosyncrasies, and inconsistencies — a cross-section of that library's holdings."
What struck us was the photo of one sorting with the following titles: "When I Say No I Feel Guilty, then "God Always Says Yes", followed by "Don't Say Yes When You Want to Say No"...
It seemed to us this combination desperately cries out for a copy of "Go for No!" at the end of the collection. Looking at our collection of books on yes, no, failure, success, we could have quite a book sort ourselves on the topic.
Andrea took a quick shot of the books that have made their way onto our book shleves most recently. We did not attempt to sort them per the 'book sort' process yet maybe as you look at these you'll see a connection. Darn, forgot "Go for No!" again.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Go for No - Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz -- COS BOOK TRAI
Our new "Go for No!"
edu-merical... Go for No is the Greatest Success Strategy in the World!
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
High Perfomers International
Richard Fenton will be the speaker for the September 19th event at the Oregon Convention Center teaching the 400+ audience at High Performers Intl, a Portland based professional development seminar company how to go for no!
The fear of "no" and people's need to not just to overcome it but to embrace it is a full time occupation for us!
Two letters, N and O. Too many of us avoid it at all costs, the result of which not only stifles our own experiences in life but potentially those of others too. Have you ever not asked someone something for fear that they'd tell you no? If so, why? And did you ever find out that the decision NOT to ask actually made things worse? Go for no is not just a 'sales philosophy' it is a life philosophy too.
The fear of "no" and people's need to not just to overcome it but to embrace it is a full time occupation for us!
Two letters, N and O. Too many of us avoid it at all costs, the result of which not only stifles our own experiences in life but potentially those of others too. Have you ever not asked someone something for fear that they'd tell you no? If so, why? And did you ever find out that the decision NOT to ask actually made things worse? Go for no is not just a 'sales philosophy' it is a life philosophy too.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Perspective of Failure
Our mantras; things like, "fail your way to success" and "go for no!" require us to re frame our perspective. It's one of the core concepts we talk about in our go for no "sales training program" and in Rich's "go for no" seminars.
Example: when you walk into a room with stuff scattered around... you make a judgement about the state of the room based on your perspective. Maybe to you, it's a total mess. But someone else may see it as almost clean based on their perspective.
So you've called on ten prospects and gotten ten no's. Some see this as a failure, a disaster. We choose to see it as making progress - the stepping stone on the way to success. How you choose to frame the word "no" will dictate how well you can learn to harness the power of no to your benefit!
Example: when you walk into a room with stuff scattered around... you make a judgement about the state of the room based on your perspective. Maybe to you, it's a total mess. But someone else may see it as almost clean based on their perspective.
So you've called on ten prospects and gotten ten no's. Some see this as a failure, a disaster. We choose to see it as making progress - the stepping stone on the way to success. How you choose to frame the word "no" will dictate how well you can learn to harness the power of no to your benefit!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
