JonathanManske.com

Scratch A Pig & Make More Sales

So often when we are selling, we forget to enter into the other person’s world. We do not meet them where they are at.

When we do this, we fail to connect with that person and to genuinely relate with that person. In fact, it usually makes them feel like we do not see them at all. Not surprisingly this tends to negatively impact our ability to sell.

Instead of meeting them where they are at, so often we stand over here madly waving our arms in the air yelling, “Yahoo over here! Over here is where the good life is at! Over here is where you want to be!”

This simply does not work.

The best way to get into the other person’s world is to be genuinely curious about that person.

* Who is he?
* What really matters to her?
* What makes him tick?
* How can I best serve her?
* What does he need?
* What kind of person is she?
* etc

Once we have met them in their world, we now have the possibility to lead them somewhere else. If we have not entered their world we do not have the possibility to lead them anywhere.

This story from Milton Erickson powerfully illustrates the value of getting in to their world.

Scratching Hogs
from My Voice Will Go With You: The teaching tales of Milton H. Erickson
by Sidney Rosen

One summer I sold books to pay my way through college. I walked into a farmyard about five o’clock, interviewed the farmer about buying books, and he said, “Young fellow, I don’t read anything. I don’t need to read anything. I’m just interested in my hogs.”

“While you’re busy feeding the hogs, do you mind if I stand and talk to you?” I asked.

He said, “No, talk away, young fellow, it won’t do you a bit of good. I’m not going to pay attention to you; I am busy feeding the hogs.”

And so I talked about my books. Being a farm boy, I thoughtlessly picked up a pair of shingles lying on the ground and started scratching the hogs’ backs as I was talking. The farmer looked over, stopped, and said, “Anybody knows how to scratch a hog’s back, the way hogs like it, is somebody I want to know. How about having supper with me tonight and you can sleep overnight with no charge and I will buy your books. You like hogs. You know how to scratch ‘em the way they like to be scratched.”
Milton entered the farmer’s world. Once the farmer identified Milton as a kindred soul, he began to relate to and interact with Milton in a completely different way. And, that included being ready to buy from Milton.

Next time you are in a selling situation, remember this story. Figure out how you can scratch that person’s pig.

Not only will you have a much better chance of making the sale, you will also enjoy the sales process much much more!

Intending great joy and success in all you do!

Jonathan Manske
Cerebral Sanitation Engineer

Time to Re-evaluate the Purpose of Your Business???

What is the purpose of your business (career)?

Take a moment and answer this question before you read on.

If you are like most people, your answer will be along the lines of:

* I get to do what I love.
* Create a lifestyle for myself.
* I make people’s lives better.
* I serve people.
* I take away their pain/ meet clients needs.
* Provide valuable services.
* Help others to succeed.
* etc.

Where does “making money” show up on your list? Or, does it even show up on your list?

For a lot of people, it does not even show up on the list. But if we stop to think about this, the purpose of any business is to make money. Otherwise, it is not a business it is a hobby.

What if we revised our purpose to reflect this.

“The purpose of my business is to make money by helping people to get out of their own way!” (Versus, “The purpose of my business is to help people get out of their own way.”)

This gives me a very different foundation upon which to stand and brings a different energy and focus into my business.

The Law of Attraction in a nutshell says that we get whatever we give our energy, attention and focus to. Modifying the purpose statement gives attention to this very important component “money”.

Now, money in and of itself is not a motivating goal. Lifestyle and fulfillment/contribution goals have way more juice. However, money is usually a very important piece of achieving those other goals.

There is A LOT of head trash around money. Very often people think it is bad to focus on money.

This article is not about making a “god” out of money or making money the be-all end-all because it isn’t. This article is about returning money to its rightful place, a very important component of your business (career).

It does not serve you to under-value money any more than it serves you to over-value money.

Modify your purpose. The purpose of my business (career) is to make money doing the things that provide fulfillment, sense of contribution and satisfaction!

Intending great joy and success in all you do,

Jonathan Manske
Cerebral Sanitation Engineer
“taking out your head trash”

The Worst They Can Say Is “No”

It is funny how powerful a little two letter word can be.  The word I am talking about is “no”.

So many of us are terrified of hearing that word.

Consequently we strategize and manipulate our lives as much as we can so that we don’t have to risk hearing that word. “If I don’t ask they cannot say no”.

Sometimes when I speak, I’ll ask people to notice what happens to them when I say a certain word to them. Then I say, “no NO! nonononono no no NO! no.”

Typically the response is devastating. Postures droop. Faces look sad. People are looking down. The energy/vitality/aliveness has gone way down. All this from one little two letter word.

If we look at life, it is easy to see how this response got created. Think of all the times you wanted something, had your heart set on something and the authority person said “no”. This hurt and the natural thing is to want to avoid future hurt.

“Come on mom, I know I can jump of the roof using this garbage bag as a parachute. It will be so cool and sooooo much fun. This will be the coolest thing I have ever done.”

Mom, “I said NO! and I mean it.”

And just like that, the great idea, the exciting adventure, lies in pieces at your feet and your heart is broken.

So now as adults we often have this reluctance to ask so that we don’t have to risk hearing “no”.

Here’s two thing though: If we don’t ask, we have already said “NO!” for them. And, the aversion to the word “no” is just some head trash that can be easily changed.

Once we take care of this head trash, you can hear “no” and go, “ok, so what, who’s the next person I should ask”.

My friend Drayton Boylston, Rescue Institute, challenged me the other day to “reach out to offer service to a high level leader that I may have shied away from before”.

I took Drayton up on his challenge. I know someone who is good friends with George Karl, the coach of the Denver Nuggets. I asked her to introduce me to George.

(Any time an athlete is in a slump or is under-performing, they have head trash. So, I know that I can be useful to the Nuggets.)

What’s the worst thing that she could say? If she says “no” then I get to move on to what’s next or try a different approach or . . . If she says anything besides “no” then I have a foot in the door to possibly work with the Nuggets.

As it turns out, she said no. So what!!!! Asking gave me a greater chance of having this happen than not asking ever would have. Now I get to explore other options of getting my foot in the door.

Let me pass on Drayton’s challenge to you: reach out to offer service to a high level leader that you may have shied away from before”.

The very worst that could happen is they say a little two letter word, “no”. If you don’t ask, you have said no for them.

Intending great joy and success for you!

Jonathan Manske

Cerebral Sanitation Engineer

Title: Pay It Forward Program
Location: Teleseminar
Link out: Click here
Description: Pay It Forward Program

Free Head Trash Removal:

The Pay It Forward Program

I love the “Pay It Forward” concept and I have a solution for a problem that impacts every single person ~ head trash that is in their way of success.

Furthermore, my mission is to make people’s lives and businesses better. When I put these all together, I came up with The Pay It Forward Program!

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Here is how The Pay It Forward Program works:

I conduct Free Head Trash Removal teleseminars on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:55 - 8:00 pm Mountain Time.

Head trash is the stuff in your head that has you get in your own way and sabotage yourself. Anytime you are experiencing struggle or frustration rather than getting the outcomes you want, you have head trash that is in your way.

Doing all the right things but not getting the results you should ~ head trash.
Know what you should be doing but you aren’t doing it ~ head trash

When your head trash is removed, it frees you up to create different outcomes.

When it comes to head trash removal, I can work with multiple people just as effectively as I can with an individual.

The majority of your head trash is common stuff, shared by many many people e.g.

* I’m not good enough
* It’s not ok to sell
* I am not a business person
* I cannot see myself succeeding
* I don’t deserve
* etcetera

This commonality allows me to work with multiple people at the same time.

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I invite you to join these Free Head Trash Removal teleseminars. Also, please tell your friends.

There is a catch though. Your tuition is to do something nice for someone, something that you weren’t already going to do. In other words, you have to make a little effort here. Pay It Forward.
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Let me know where you are struggling, where you are experiencing frustration. Then, time permitting, we can address that on the call.

RSVP
Contact Jonathan 303.552.7285 or contact me
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Program Details:
When: 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month
Time: 7:00 - 8:00pm Mountain Time
Where: Conference call 219.509.8222 access code 55672
Who: Any one who has head trash
Tuition: Promise to Pay It Forward

Start Time: 6:45
Date: 2009-06-16
End Time: 8:00