Compel Others To Speak Positively

What are you doing to compel others to speak positively on your behalf? We know that 87% of people make a decision about someone else’s word of mouth. We know that word of mouth is a beast that can “devour” you or “promote” you.

Here are the three basics:
Move
Touch
Inspire

1. Move

How do you move someone to speak on your behalf? First, have you “asked”? So many of us would like to sit on our yoga mats and meditate someone to walk in and be our customers. However, that’s not realistic! People are very busy in their lives. If you remember that we are all “extras in someone else’s play”, you’ll realize how focused they are on “their lives” that they barely, if any, have time to think of yours. So, it is your responsibility to ask. Ask! Ask! Ask! It’s amazing how beautifully people will respond, if only they are asked.

ACTION STEP: Ask someone for one thing a day. Stretch your asking muscle!

2. Touch

How do you touch someone’s life? You focus and value what they value. How do you know that? The wisdom is revealed in “listening”. Listen for meaning, passion and care as someone speaks of what is important to them. If their child is struggling to find the basic struggles in MacBeth, and you email some websites where that info can be found or drop off an copy of “Cliffs Notes” that you have on the story…you have “touched” someone’s life. The best tips to finding out someone’s touch points, is Dale Carnegie’s book How To Win Friends and Influence People.

ACTION STEP: Call up a client or a friend you know and listen to what’s important to them or ask “how can you help” and then be very quiet. This is NOT the time for “might I suggest” or for “let me invite you”….Please - we are not seeking someone to fix us - we are seeking someone to value us. Listen!!

3. INSPIRE

How do you inspire someone? I am an inspirational speaker so you might be thinking - what does she mean…do what she does? No. Inspiration comes in many shapes and sizes. To inspire someone is to really do something that is GENUINE and to their benefit. For example, when someone helps me on a committee and really does go “above and beyond”, I like to recognize them by sending a thank you note to them (something 97% of the U.S. population doesn't do) and then I send a letter to their supervisor praising them. It is a professional letter so that it is suitable to be included into their employee file when they are reviewed. I copy them on the letter so they know that I shared my gratitude for their contribution with their employer.

ACTION STEP: Who can you inspire today? Sometimes just a contact from you can be inspirational. There is someone that will only hear the message that they need to hear from you. Act on your promptings and contact that someone!