Each of us can probably remember someone in our lives who helped guide us through difficult or challenging situations by providing important insights and moral support. It may have been a boss or co-worker who seemed to take a special interest in us and our success, or it may have been a friend or relative who took it upon themselves to share their knowledge and experience with us. Do you enjoy sharing your knowledge and expertise with others? Consider returning the favor by becoming a mentor to someone else.

 

A mentor is a trusted counselor or guide who helps another grow both personally and professionally. It usually involves an informal, face-to-face interaction over a period of time between a person who is perceived to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who it is perceived will benefit from the interaction (the prot�g�.) The role of a mentor can involve a wide range of activities that may include being a coach, sounding board, developmental resource and role model.

 

 

 

Mentoring Benefits Both the Mentor and the Prot�g�

 

Clearly, everyone has gifts and talents they can share with others. But with everything we're doing to run our businesses, manage our teams, meet the changing needs of our customers or simply perform our jobs, why should we devote time and effort to be a mentor? The answer lies in the fact that through the process of mentoring others, we enhance and accelerate our own personal and professional growth.

 

There are many reasons why being a mentor is valuable to the other person. They get the value of your expertise, knowledge, and experience. They get a chance to advance more rapidly and create greater success than they would have been able to without your insight and advice. But while we all like to help others, sometimes we need to see what's in it for us as well. Mentoring can be viewed as an important developmental stage in one's professional life. While becoming a mentor offers you the opportunity to affect the development of others by imparting your ideals, ethics, and professionalism to those you mentor, it also provides you with you the opportunity to involve yourself in a unique relationship that can benefit you in unexpected ways.

 

Mentoring Strengthens the Lessons You've Already Learned

 

When you have the chance to teach something to someone else, you learn it better yourself. Maybe it's been a few years since you learned (perhaps the hard way) how to hire the right person, negotiate a tough contract or deliver an effective business presentation. There's no better way to clarify your own thinking on these issues than to explain it all to someone else. According to the National Training Laboratories of Bethel, Maine, "We learn 10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, 50 percent of what we see and hear, 70 percent of what we discuss with others, 80 percent of what we experience, and 95 percent of what we teach to someone."

 

By teaching and explaining success concepts to others, we reinforce them in ourselves. As a mentor you will relive experiences, teach or share ideas, and this will cause you to learn and re-learn these concepts for yourself. Often you will find yourself "taking your own advice" to your great personal or professional benefit.

 

Learn Something New

 

A mentor/prot�g� relationship adds value to both parties. Your prot�g� may possess skills and knowledge that you don't possess, and this may stir your creative juices and give you a fresh perspective on things including your own career. Mentoring allows you to strengthen your coaching and leadership skills by working with individuals from different backgrounds, age groups and personality types. As a mentor you will come to view other people and situations from new perspectives which can prod you into new ways of thinking that can help you in both your work and personal life. In addition, the ability to manage people different from you is a valuable skill, especially as the workplace continues to grow more diverse.

 

Mentoring Can Improve you Own Performance

 

Being a mentor can be a powerful experience that produces great benefits for both the mentor as well as for the prot�g�. A recent mentoring study conducted at Sun Microsystems compared the career progress of approximately 1,000 employees over a 5-year period, and this is what they found:

• Mentors were six times more likely to be promoted.
• Both mentors and prot�g�s were approximately 20% more likely to get a raise than people who did not participate in the mentoring program.
• 25% of prot�g�s and 28% of mentors received a raise - versus only 5% of managers who were not mentors.

Being a mentor affords you the opportunity to give of yourself in a unique relationship that may benefit you in many unexpected ways.

 

You don't need all the answers, possess a Ph.D. or be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to be an effective mentor. You should, however, have a genuine interest in sharing your life experience and expertise in a mentor/prot�g� relationship. There are many qualities and skills that good mentors share. Mentors:

• Listen: Can you offer an ear without necessarily offering advice?
• Are Accessible: Does your schedule permit a mentoring relationship?
• Share: Are you willing to share your knowledge, expertise, skills, and time?
• Motivate: Can you motivate a prot�g� to reach his or her full potential?
• Provide Insight: Can you use your personal experience to help a prot�g� avoid mistakes and make good decisions?
• Provide a Positive Influence: Do you project a positive, upbeat image? Are you a positive role model?

 

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People often associate the topic of persuasion primarily with the concept of selling, but the importance of effective persuasion skills really pertains to every one of us regardless of our individual vocation. Every day each of us is involved to some degree in influencing the thoughts and actions of others. In fact, the path to success in life lies to a very large extent in gaining the cooperation of others. In this edition of Insights, we continue with our ongoing segment dedicated to the topic of persuasion.

 

Persuasiveness On The Telephone

 

The telephone has become a major mode of personal interaction, and for many it may even be the dominant one. As in face-to-face communication, much of the time we spend talking on the telephone focuses on persuading others. Even if we're not in sales, much of our telephone time is often spent on trying to get others' agreement, support and cooperation in some way, shape or form.

 

I think that most of us would agree that our personal and business success depends to a significant degree on how effective we are in persuading others to our way of thinking. Yet even though the telephone is an everyday part of our lives, most of us probably never take the time to consider how effective we are in using it. Whether we are reaching out to prospective clients, fielding incoming calls from existing customers, or having a casual personal conversation, it is critically important that we make the most positive impression possible. Here are some tips to enhance our persuasiveness on the telephone.

 

Focus on Your Voice

 

It's important to think about how you want your friends, coworkers, prospects and customers to feel while talking with you and the impressions they will have of you afterward. Keep in mind that not all of a person's body language is lost over the telephone. The tone, pace and inflection in your voice can reveal your thoughts and emotions and even convey your attitude toward the person you are talking with. Remember that it's not necessarily what you say that counts, but how you say it. Although you may have never met the person and can't be seen through the telephone, he or she can't help but develop a mental picture of you. Your physical appearance, your facial expressions and posture will alter the way you sound in subtle ways that will consciously and subconsciously be picked up by your conversation partner.

 

Be Genuine and Sincere

 

Smile while you are talking as it will cause your tone to come across as warm and friendly. Customers appreciate people who sound natural and are able to have a conversation. Be respectful and likable. Customers want to deal with salespeople they like and trust. Make your interaction sound like you're having a dialog and not like you are reading from a script. If you need to use a script in making cold calls, make sure you know it well enough to sound natural and conversational. If you're working on a new product/service or a new area, you've got to take the time to learn what you're saying and practice handling anticipated customer responses.

 

 

 

Project Confidence

 

Confidence is vital when trying to persuade others over the phone. For anyone to believe what you are saying or to take an action you want, they have to see you as someone who is knowledgeable and competent, and this is usually communicated through the level of confidence you project. Be composed at the start of a call and make sure you deliver your comments with a deliberate, confident vocal style. It's important not to exhibit fear or hesitation in your voice when talking over the phone. Someone who sounds "weak and wimpy" tends to cause the person on the other end of the phone not to take them seriously, often resulting in a poor impression of themselves, their company, and their product/service.

 

In order to be confident, you need to ensure that you clearly understand the viewpoint of the person with whom you are talking and with the issues that concerned him or her. Clearly, it's usually not possible to be as prepared when you are receiving a call as when you are placing one, but you can increase your likelihood of projecting confidence if you avoid jumping right in to the heart of the call and spend some listening to the other person to get a good understanding of their issues before contributing your point of view

 

Many customer calls have the potential to be stressful for both the salesperson and the customer. This is especially true if a customer is calling to complain about something. Demonstrating that you are comfortable discussing the issue conveys confidence in your ability to effectively handle the situation and to generate positive (win-win) outcomes. It suggests that you and the customer are really on the same side of the issue and that you want to work together to resolve the matter to the customer's satisfaction. Always maintain a customer-focused attitude and never convey frustration, irritation, or anger.

 

Ask Questions & Listen

 

Your first goal when persuading others is to generate a conversation. Demonstrate sincere interest in others by asking appropriate questions to draw out their true needs and concerns. Listen actively by using verbal listening cues such as 'uh-huh' and 'I see' and by paraphrasing back what someone has just said to you and by asking further questions for clarification. People appreciate being listened to and will interact much more positively with you if they feel you are truly listening to them. Effective listening indicates that you are truly interested in others and their needs, and contributes significantly to building rapport.

 

Never assume you understand what is going on in another person's mind. You may be totally off base. Don't pre-judge and don't finish another person's sentences. Don't decide that someone isn't interested in talking with you simply because he or she seems distant and disinterested at the beginning of the conversation. Maintain an attitude of positive expectation and pursue your discussion. If you are on the receiving end of a customer complaint call, don't jump to conclusions as to what will be required to provide customer satisfaction. Sometimes an unhappy customer just wants someone who cares to talk to. Keep an open mind, ask questions, listen, and learn. Then respond.

 

Ask us a question about Persuasiveness. 

 

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