How to Sell with a Smile

How do you establish rapport in an instant? One obvious but sometimes overlooked tip: offer up a smile.

A smile is one of the most basic and universal indicators of openness, friendliness, relaxation, and likeability. According to Ryan C. Lowe, author of Get off Your Attitude: Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life, this means that a smile is a powerful asset for salespeople who are looking for ways to establish rapport and build relationships.

How can you tell whether or not you’re maximizing your smile factor? Consider the following questions:

1. Do you smile while you’re talking about what your company does?
2. Do you smile even when you’re on a phone call and the other person can’t see you?
3. Do you smile during video-conference calls?
4. Are you smiling in your professional headshot or profile photos on social networks?
5. Do you know how many times you’ve smiled so far today?

For a smile to be effective, sincerity counts. If a smile is clearly forced or false, it will do more damage than good. Although fake smiles look similar to real smiles, research by psychologist Dr. Paul Ekman has shown that the difference between the two can actually be identified via specific facial muscles. A spontaneous smile (also called the “Duchenne smile,” named after French neurologist Guillaume Duchenne) is generated in the unconscious brain by emotion and is accompanied by movement in the small muscles around the eyes. A forced smile, by contrast, comes from the conscious brain and lacks association with any emotion.

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Many sales professionals have a naturally upbeat personality and already smile frequently throughout the day and during interactions with customers and prospects. But this simple act also happens to be one of the most effective ways to cut through adverse situations, conflicts, and disappointment. If you’ve just been told no or a deal has fallen through, a smile is your first defense against negativity. As Lowe points out, a smile draws people in because it projects positivity.”A smile is a positive response to life,” Lowe says. “Smiling triggers the subconscious that you are in control of your emotions. You are choosing to be positive.”

Lowe encourages sales professionals to smile at adversity. “We’re all dealing with difficult situations,” he says. “Even if you’re talking with people who don’t have time or money or don’t want to listen to you, smile anyway. Don’t allow those negative emotions to take control of you and your life.”

– Selling Power Editors

http://www.sellingpower.com/content/article.php?a=9724

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If you have never had the chance to see a New Orleans cemetery, you missed something special. They’re not morbid rows of headstones. They’re beautiful cities of stone; the monuments and mausoleums are works of art. Weeping angels, cathedral-like monuments, granite statues, wrought-iron fences, marble tombs worthy of royalty— they are breathtaking. It feels like walking through an old church. There’s a sense of a sacred peace as you walk by shrine after shrine memorializing life. Your life pauses as you feel a delicate tug on your heart and mind. Whenever I find myself unfocused or unhappy, I take a walk in one of these cemeteries to remind myself that life is short and time is precious. That may sound strange. It’s a great reminder that time is a gift I need to cherish and respect, and that I need to do something worthwhile NOW!

I’ll stop in front of someone’s grave and calculate how long they lived. I see their beginning and their end date. I wonder what they did with the time they had. Did they pursue their passion? Did they spend their life in love with someone? Did they enjoy their friends and family? Did they live life to the fullest? Or did they waste their precious time and constantly procrastinate? Did they live in fear and regret? Did they live each day mulling over petty grievances and nursing old grudges? Did they play it safe and only do what they were expected to do? Did they take their time on earth for granted? Wandering around in those cities of stone, I can almost hear the voices of generations past asking me what I’m doing with my life. Am I wasting it? Or am I living every minute to the fullest? Think about it like this: If you knew you only had five more years to live, would it change your perspective on life? Would you suddenly value your time much more, and do more with it?

That’s what these cemetery trips do for me—they reinforce the need to have the right attitude about time. I’m not promised another thirty years on earth. I’m not even promised another thirty minutes. No one is. It’s a great reminder that time is a gift.

Once a moment is gone, it’s gone forever. The important thing is to make sure you’re as productive as you can be in every moment. I’m not talking about being an efficiency maniac. In The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says it like this:

The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

Just because you spend forty hours a week at your job and only twenty hours on the weekend with your family doesn’t mean your job is more important than your family. You have to work to eat, right? You have responsibilities and obligations you have to fulfill. Your livelihood is highly important, but are you sacrificing time in other areas of your life for your career?

However, you have to be careful about letting the little things in life take priority over the big things. Having a clean house is important, but are you obsessing about it to the point you’re spending less time with your children? Are your dreams important to you? If they are, do you spend time pursuing them? Do you realize when you decide to watch pointless TV shows or play computer games that you could have been spending time pursuing your passion? The saying goes, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” The same is true for time. If you don’t spend your time wisely, you’ll sit around and wonder where it all went.

Recently, I went back to the neighborhood where I grew up. I saw the old house. I saw what was left of the basketball backboard my dad built for me and my brothers still nailed to the tree. The familiar trees, the same streets—it brought back a lot of memories. I saw my old trail going down to the lake where I used to go fishing. I saw myself walking down the trail, fishing pole in hand, kicking the dirt…and dreaming of what my life would become.

Where did all the time go?

Time is so short, and there’s never enough of it for all you want to do. You have to prioritize your time for the things that are important to you. Time-management is self-management.

Frequently, I meet people who say they don’t have enough time to go after their dream, to write the book they’ve been thinking about, to gain the skills their changing industry requires, or to pursue an interest they’ve always had. When I hear those words, I think about a quote from H. Jackson Brown, Jr., author of Life’s Little Instruction Book:

Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo De Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

How can you argue with that? We’re all given the same amount of time. The difference is these people decided to seize the moments they were given and do something great! As you go through your day, take a second to ask yourself where your mind is. Are you regretting the past, worrying about the future, or fully living in the present?

 Make sure you Get off Your Attitude and SEIZE YOUR MOMENT in life!

“Remember that it is up to you to choose everyday to Get off Your Attitude and to create a positive lifestyle for yourself and others”    Ryan C. Lowe

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Get off Your Attitude: Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life

Author Signing

Meet author Ryan Lowe as he signs his new book Get off Your Attitude. Mr. Lowe, president of Get off Your Attitude Seminars in New Orleans, will share his message that a positive attitude will bring success.

 Click here for more information and driving directions

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One of the most important things I think we can do while we are this earth is to help others. We all have the opportunity everyday to be someone’s miracle. I believe that you may not change the entire world, but you can change someone else’s world by being their miracle.

What is a miracle? It’s getting past yourself and giving back to the world. It’s taking the spotlight off of you and shining it on someone else. It’s realizing that life is not always about you. I wonder where I would be if wonderful people hadn’t helped me when I needed it. What would my life be like if teachers, family, friends, co-workers, and mentors hadn’t helped me? What if no one had reached back to pull me forward? You have to remember that whatever you achieve in life isn’t accomplished by yourself. An African proverb says it takes a village to raise a child. In other words, part of who you are comes from the positive influence of those around you. You didn’t arrive here by yourself. It’s your eagles who got you where you are.

How do you give? You can give in ways that you’ll remember for the rest of your life or in ways that you might forget next week. Too many people have what I call “Little Ant Syndrome.” They see themselves as tiny ants on a huge planet. What difference can one person possibly make?

You can make a difference! Have you ever noticed that when you focus on someone else’s problem, your problems don’t seem to be so bad? When a series of horrific tornadoes cut through the south, one news report showed a victim whose house had been destroyed. The amazing thing was, she was in her Red Cross uniform, helping others at a shelter. That’s the miracle—people living not only for themselves but also for others. What’s your attitude toward helping others? Are you one of those every-man-for-himself types? Or do you believe service is not only your privilege but your responsibility? Think back over the past month. What have you done to help someone else?

My older brother, my brother-in-law, and my oldest nephew are all firefighters. They don’t do it because they can’t get another job or because they’ll one day make millions. They don’t do it because they’re adrenaline junkies and enjoy the rush of danger. They do it because they’ve devoted their career and their lives to saving others. They’re everyday heroes. Miracles can come in very small packages, too. One of my mentors, after hearing me speak, told me I was a very talented speaker. It didn’t take him five seconds to say that, but it’s something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. You can be a mentor—you can whisper words of hope, life, and encouragement into someone’s ear. Everyone has some kind of skill, expertise, or talent. That’s a perfect way to give back. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, Dr. Craig Greene, a doctor I met at church, flew to the island to lend his medical skills. Writing a check to the American Red Cross would have been easier, but his expertise was what was needed. He worked twelve to- fourteen-hour days to help the earthquake victims and the overwhelmed hospitals.

His example inspired me to take inventory of my skills. What unique abilities do I have to give back? Speaking is my gift. I sometimes work with schools and worthy causes to help them advance their missions. I didn’t write this book to see my name on a shelf in a bookstore. That’s not to say it’s not exciting, but I felt inspired to write it in the hope it would help others to get off their attitude—to realize the negativity that was holding them back from their potential, and from the fulfilling positive life they could be living. I think what I’m doing with my business is, in part, one of the ways I can give back. Another way I give back is with my Get Off Your Attitude bracelet. Every time one sells, a portion of the proceeds goes to a worthy cause. I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to return, in a small way, the help and support I’ve been given.

You can also be someone’s miracle. All it takes is the right attitude. Whenever you find someone with a bigger problem than yours, become their miracle. While you are becoming their miracle, they may become yours. The miracle you make could be as simple as listening to someone. I recently read an article which said the suicide rate in our region was up. I wonder how many of those people simply needed someone who would not only talk with them, but also listen to them. How many lives could have been saved by knowing someone cared enough to spend a few hours listening?

 You can lend an ear or lend a hand. There are thousands of non-profit and volunteer organizations who desperately need your help. They’re looking for someone who can pack food boxes, stuff envelopes, or staff a booth at a fundraising event. You don’t need some special talent to do any of that and you can still make a difference!

 This holiday season commit to making a difference in people’s lives and making them your first priority. That is what Christmas is truly about, helping others, being a miracle and making a difference in people’s lives.

 I would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas from my family to yours. I would also like to say Thank You for being such a miracle in my life – Ryan C. Lowe

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 December 16th

New Orleans, LA

Main Event:

11:00am to 5:00pm

Event held at The Hyatt Regency

For more information on having a complimentary workshop or to reserve your seat today call

770-736-8308 or email info@getoffyourattitude.com

Seating is Limited so call TODAY!!!

Group Discounts Available

Top Production Training events are packed with the tools necessary to increase sales and build a successful business. Whether you are new to sales, a veteran, or a small business owner you will get the edge needed to be successful in your local market-place. Ron Marks is a expert in the field of sales training and will walk you through the sales techniques he has used over 20 years to be successful and consistent in sales. Frank Klesitz will show and teach the social media & marketing strategies he has used in his own firm to produce results. Ryan Lowe will provide you with what it takes to stay motivated and productive; not only in sales, but in your everyday life.

PRINT EVENT FLYER HERE

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Get off Your Attitude: Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life

Author Signing

 BARNES & NOBLE – Lafayette, LA

Saturday December 17th, 2011 2:00 PM

5705 Johnston Street Lafayette, LA 70503

(337) 989-4142

 Click here for more information and driving directions

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Get off Your Attitude: Change Your Attitude, Change Your Life

Author Signing

Meet author Ryan Lowe as he signs his new book Get off Your Attitude. Mr. Lowe, president of Get off Your Attitude Seminars in New Orleans, will share his message that a positive attitude will bring success.

 Click here for more information and driving directions

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We are excited to announce that GOYA Art is now available for sale. Baton Roue artist Lucy Ellis has taken quotes out of Ryan Lowe’s new book “Get off Your Attitude’ and painted them on tiles.

Click here to go to to Lucy’s website and pick the one you like and the one that will help you stay motivated.

A portion of the sales will go to the “Get off Your Attitude” Foundation

www.luciasarts.com

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Motivational Speaker and Sales Trainer, Ryan Lowe has teamed up with L.S.U. to teach a continuous education class entitled “Relationship Selling.” He will hosting the class and he is very excited. Mr. Lowe feels that everyone, no matter how long in sales or brand new needs a boost in sales education.

For more information on the class, CLICK HERE

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One of my favorite quotes on gratitude is by Zig Ziglar. He states that “Of all the “attitudes” we can acquire, surely the attitude of gratitude is the most important and by far the most life-changing.” When I read that quote it just reminds me that we always need to be grateful for everything in our life. I mean everything. Can you imagine being grateful you were fired? Do you think you’d be happy if your significant other broke up with you? Can you picture yourself getting shot and saying, “Thank You!”? I can’t pretend I was immediately thankful when all those things happened to me, but looking back I’m glad they did. I’m grateful for the misfortune and the challenges I’ve had in my life because they’ve made me a much better person. Losing one of my first sales jobs made me go out and find a better one, and motivated me to go finish my degree and do my best at every job after that one. I didn’t ever want to be fired again. I’m glad an old girlfriend broke up with me. I realized later she wasn’t the right one for me. Getting shot opened my eyes to the importance of health and prompted me to enroll in sports medicine at the University of Southern Mississippi. I made some lifelong friends, had a great time in college, and learned healthy habits that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

There’s a reason everything happens. If you panic or focus on an immediate crisis, you’ll miss the chance to let it make you stronger. But if you adopt Zig Ziglar’s “attitude of gratitude,” you’ll start with the mindset of, “I’m okay with what just happened. I’m grateful I have the opportunity to grow.”

What about you? Have you reached the point that you can be grateful for what’s happened in your past? Was it someone who did something to you? Was it no one’s fault—just something that happened by accident? Was it something you did to yourself? Being thankful for what happened takes a lot of time and maturity. It took me a long time to have the outlook I have now with a lot of prayer, effort, and soul-searching. If you’re not there yet, I promise you this—it’s worth it.

But an attitude of gratitude isn’t just about the big things in life. It’s a daily habit—really almost a lifestyle.  Say Thank You A thankful spirit is inherently a positive one. When you go around saying “thank you” all the time, it cultivates a mindset that’s focused on all the great things in life around you. The more you’re thankful for, the more you’ll find to be thankful for.

When the girl at the cash register is handing you your change, look her in the eye and say “thank you.” She could have been incompetent. She could have had a horrible demeanor. She could have been rude. But she wasn’t. She was just doing her job. When you say thank you, you’re telling her you’re grateful she made the choice not to spoil your day.

People are taken aback when you say “thank you” and really mean it. It’s just two simple words, but we’ve gotten so caught up in our own lives and worries that we’ve forgotten how to express an idea we learned as children. For some reason, it seems like we’ve raised the bar on what it takes to elicit a “thank you” from someone. You don’t get acknowledged because you’re doing what you’re supposed to. You only get recognition if you go far and beyond the call of duty to help someone out.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. —John Maxwell

People love being around people they know care about them. As human beings, we love feeling that we’ve helped someone or did something worthy of a “thank you.” My nephew, Dakota, always says “thank you.” Even if I do something as easy as pouring him a Coke, he’ll say “Thank you.” It’s notable and memorable because it’s so rare—and it makes me want to do more for him because I know he appreciates it.

One of the best and most important business lessons I ever learned was to write thank-you notes. They’re inexpensive but worth an incredible amount. Whether you’re in business or not, get into the habit of dashing off quick thank-you cards as a way of expressing your gratitude to someone. I really don’t understand why something so simple and yet so appreciated is so uncommon. Start saying “thank you” to everyone who does anything for you and watch how much they appreciate it. Notice how much better you feel.

Don’t wait to give thanks until someone has done something worth the thanks. Get your mind off the immediate and see the big picture. Thank people for just being who they are. Call your parents or your grandparents for no reason and thank them for loving you.

Make sure you Get off Your Attitude and give thanks everyday for everything and everyone that is in your life!

“Remember that it is up to you to choose everyday to Get off Your Attitude and to create a positive lifestyle for yourself and others”    Ryan C. Lowe

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