Starbucks’ “The Way I See It” campaign has been one of the best examples of “influence” I’ve seen. It’s another way for Starbucks to add to the experience and give someone one more thing to look forward to when they get their cup of coffee.

What are you doing to subtly influence others?

Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) arms us with the language tools to develop our skills at making our products and services (sound, feel or look) interesting. Unfortunately, it’s easy to get caught up in what do I say versus what do I ask so I can learn what they want most out of what I’m selling.

What matters to your customers? Answer: Not what you are selling.

What matters to them is what your product or service will do for them. That’s it. What’s in it for them.

Does it matter how long your company has been in business? No. Unless you can tie it to a reason that is compelling enough for them to benefit from the company longevity (or brevity).

Does it matter if you are bigger or smaller (or more or less experienced) than your competitor? No. Unless you you can wrap it around how it impacts them in a way that contributes to why they’d buy your product.

In sales we sometimes mistake our primary role for presenting, packaging, and telling our story. This is only because we forgot to remember it’s about asking questions, the right questions to figure out which benefit is most important to your prospect.

The next time you are in front of your customer, remember to say something similar to: “One of the things my customers have found is really helpful in prioritizing what’s most important is to ask you to complete the following sentence regarding this product/service.” “All I really care about is _______________________.”

Another way to say it: “Let me ask you one more questions to help prioritize your needs. In terms of why you are buying this product/service, how would you complete this sentence: “All I really care about is _________________________.”

Your customers will thank you for it. And  you’ll know what to focus your presentation on.

Rapport is the ability to reduce the perceived difference between you and someone else at the unconscious level to a minimum.

The person does NOT have to like you to be in rapport with you. What is important is that they feel comfortable with you at the unconscious level.

NLP operates out of four fundametal principles that seperate it from other disciplines. These are: 1) Know your outcome, 2) Have sufficient sensory acuity to tell whether you are moving toward or away from your outcome, 3) Have sufficient flexibility of behvior to ary our behavior until you get the response that you want, and 4) take immiedate action now.

NLP works because it is purposive. An NLP Master always has an aim in any interaction. This is one of the keys to success. The NLP Master is also in “up time” with his or her attention directed toward the oher person. The Master also has the ability to do whatever it takes to accomplish his or her outcome. He is the master of the art of being systemically outrageous. Finally, he is prepared to take action. He does not just sit and wait.