Ron Sheetz

According to USA Today we encounter between 3500 and 5000 messages every day, largely thanks to increased media, marketing and the Internet. It's become an attack of the senses; you have to cut through all the clutter by connecting with your patients in person and becomes challenging the more communication is disconnected. Video is the closest thing you can get to inter-personal contact.

While visiting the Cleveland Air Show I experienced a very subtle sales engagement when a gentleman addressed my daughter who was sitting in our wagon. He said;

• "Hello young lady, are you driving this vehicle?" we all laughed (our first sign of acceptance).

With our positive response he continued;

• "I'm with the Air Show safety patrol and we're verifying all our young drivers have a "driver's license" to drive safely while here at the air show."
• "May I give the children something? I have some military stickers & flags." (His second test of our acceptance and the use of reciprocity)

The children received their stickers. (Now we were all involved - the third level of acceptance). He tucked the stickers away and pulled out a stack of caps... that's when his "pitch" began. (after the third acceptance) He said;

• "Hi I'm Bill with Habitat for Humanity, for a small donation your child will receive one of these military caps." Of course we donated and Brandon chose his cap. This all happened within 60 seconds.

It was well choreographed yet naturally delivered; he eliminated price resistance and it was a pleasure to experience.   He put us at ease with a "cute" comment, he didn't jump right into his pitch, he involved my son and once we reached a level of "like" with him he introduced himself. The approach he used made him sound like a friend, not a salesman.

That's what sales are about, making a friend with someone before you "pitch". Video helps you make that friend. Our next installment we will talk about how "It's Easy to Hire a Friend, But Harder to Fire One".

Katherine Eitel

Every day we are faced with issues that must be resolved between two parties.  For example, working on performance issues with employees, helping children become responsible young adults, keeping patients happy while enforcing practice policies, and even negotiations as straight forward as purchasing a car or a home.

As long as you feel you must have a particular outcome (for example, the practice won't survive without a certain employee; you can't live without that particular car; you couldn't bear to see your kids miss their baseball game, you can't imagine not seeing every patient that phones your office, etc.) then you will negotiate/communicate very differently, and probably to your disadvantage.

The greatest truth I have learned in negotiating a successful outcome was this:

If you enter into any conversation, debate, conference, meeting, discussion, or negotiation absolutely sure that you are comfortable walking away empty-handed... you will almost always come away a winner.

Not that you should be smug or disconnected, but simply that you will not be communicating from a place of fear.  You will be communicating from a place of strength and confidence which is transferred to the other party through voice tone and body language, as much as the actual words you choose.

Think about this as you discuss issues with your team members, patients, family members, or business associates.  Always operate, negotiate, and communicate with a certain level of detachment from a particular outcome... and always from a place of strength, never fear.

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