work – JOHNDAPPERCLOSER

Unbox the Fun: Choosing a daily Work-Life Fun

No matter how it’s wrapped, there’s always that emotional twitch as your hands get nearer to anything that’s covered.

Love the launching phrase to begin with. Such a grabber! – “Unbox the Fun”. During the launching event in fact, it seemed like I’m seeing a gigantic box slowly being lowered from the ceiling as the program nears to the divulgence of the intriguing new fun products. I have to say the phrase is such a stimulant, opportune for a launching event. My speculations thrilled me segment after segment that night. It’s always been exciting to open a box. No matter how it’s wrapped, there’s always that emotional twitch as your hands get nearer to anything that’s covered.

After leaving a fun hangover in Palawan, Mister Donut’s “Unbox the Fun” groundbursts in Davao, March 16 at the Duterte street branch, Quirino Avenue, bringing more festivities to the city’s 80th Charter Day.

It’s always been exciting to open a box. No matter how it’s wrapped, there’s always that emotional twitch as your hands get nearer to anything that’s covered.

UNBOXING A WICKED BOX

For hot food predators like me, this is a new fun prey! Mister Donut’s first fried-on-spot donuts served in their dine shops, the WICKED PUFFS. May it be a day of stressful board room discussions or a smooth close of a deal, let the sprinklings manage those buds to revitalize your working mood. Sprinkle, top, or swirl sweet and vibrant choices of Hazelnut, Belgian chocolates and Strawberries and cream. I don’t want to suggest that this is a perfect post shift therapy (and gastronomy!) to relieve some tensions out for that another hassle the next day. Ask you work buddy after 5 and have fun 35PhP for 6!

UNBOXING A FREEZING BOX

Exhibit events, site visits or any out-from-desk deliverables can be a total exhaustion. Not to mention, the summer sun is now slowly scorching our integuments which piles a reason more of impatience at times especially if the work day isn’t that so smooth. A super quencher which you could indulge handy for your on-the-go kind of day or a short break venting-out inside the cozier Mister Donut cafes, the world’s best brew is given with a freezing touch, Mister Donut’s BREWZEES. For 70PhP, this doesn’t hurt your frugal millennial pocket turning the occasional to a habitual frozen coffee ritual. Not the bad work day, just the frozen coffee ritual. Habitual.

UNBOXING THE BIGGER BOX

We may have differences with our team mates but it’s always been therapeutic to spend a work break with them. After all, methods and personality may vary, but we are in unison with our team goal. Initiate this office fellowship with the bigger portions of our all time favorite Bavarian and Choco Cake donuts. With the same then price, a box would surely lubricate the team’s determination with a fun touch still at 18PhP a piece.

May it be selling a product to a prospect, a system to the share holders or simply your idea to your head and the team, Doughnut-Coffee tandem will always be a power sales tool morsel in and outside the pitch room. The sweetness of these dough, ringed or filled just tastefully complement with the coffee. Work is work but you could make it fun. Unbox that closer in you who persuades for the elusive choice of daily work-life fun.

How saying I LOVE YOU to your prospect leads to a Sale

They have loved getting your offer because they have loved you primarily. They felt it when you whispered you love them at your first encounter. Yes, even that kind of relationship – SELLING, shall be rooted with love.

As you offer your hand for the greeting handshake, whisper through the eyes of your prospect, “I love you Mr and Mrs P.”

Knew this from the most senior sales manager of our organization. I laughed out from my belly when I heard this. Well, knowing him as a notorious in wooing woman, I mean women, I thought it was a joke. He did not bother though to tell the psychology. But he was in fact serious on that advise. I tried it. It worked. How? Here’s my take.

Mind Conditioning. Sales people have been oriented with these – “Persistence beats resistance”, “I’ll Close deals TODAY”, “Never listen to excuses”. Those are all examples of mind setting. Saying ” I Love You” to your prospects on the other hand, has a more relationship-focused essence. You are not setting your brain directly to close a sale yet. You are setting your brain to feel interested to your guest. A sort of a warm up skill booster to achieve oozing enthusiasm to befriend your prospect first. An imperative on your take off towards an emotionally compelling pitch.

Spatial Magic. Trust me. No matter how exquisite the interiors of the presentation room is, those are nothing when you do not feel a romantic vibe with the person across your table. Dictating your mind that you will be exchanging thoughts with an entity you love, reflects a magical fume around your venue. This is still a form of mind setting that passes through from your bearing to the spatial component where your relationship with the prospect will be plotted. And that relationship of course is none other but, the deal!

Congenial Approach. From pre-psychopaths to overly timid buyers, being in sales lets you converse with people on different wrappers with different contents. There are also even times when you idiosyncratically do not like your guest. This is why saying “I Love You” to the prospects as you meet is strategically helpful. The effect of doing so is like a neutralizing dose. It convinces your Limbic up front that you love your client. It sets your senses to always let their good side float and the bad side sink. This extends your patience in toxic clients and halts you from shutting down, saying goodbye to the sale.

Providing the benefits of your offer to your buyers is not just a one night stand. It is not just even a fling until incentives are released. It is rather, marriage-like. A long term relationship as long as they are still using your product which is the symbolic you. They have loved getting your offer because they have loved you primarily. They felt it when you whispered you love them at your first encounter. Yes. selling shall be rooted with love.

HOW TO: Be Casually Credible ’til the Ultimate Handshake.

Being credible throughout the pitch is actually the most subtle and emancipating way of control. The moment you have naturally established your trustworthiness, your prospects then tag you as human who still could be wrong but whom they will still choose to believe and have faith in because you are an expert adviser in the matter discussed.

Credibility isn’t just something you have to bear at the start. It is something being sustained through pre, intra and yes, even in post sales pitch junctures.

1. THE EXTERNALS (Pre-Pitch). On the first 3 seconds our eyes behold to a subject, we subconsciously and superficially infer about it. Thus, closers invest on how to be a subject of credibility on this prelude. These are all externals. You can’t show off your product expertise or your professional vita yet. Those seconds seem like a skimming machine from how fixed your hairstyle to how polished your shoes, from how engaging your scent to how tidy your shirt. These are precursors for closers to have a credible image on their prospects’ pre-pitch mind. Eye contact is also an imperative here as credibility could be equated to sincerity. Just remember not to be TOO flamboyantly clad and not to be TOO friendly.

2. I HAVE THE BEST JOB! (Pre-Pitch). Start with positivity but with less laughter yet. Reserve your loud laughs later when you have already a new friend in them. As you start the warm up conversation yet, let them see you as a happy-with-your-job human. Which means you are enthusiastic with your job, satisfied and earning. This builds both the company’s and your credibility. That kind of aura is even reflective. It reflects that you are not prejudice but rather passionate to every meeting you have as you have been doing this for long as your tenure (seniors) or deliberately choose this job which you simply love (for novices). You are confident with the help your product could give and assertive that everyone you meet would fear losing the offer you’re about to give. This also subconsciously dictates them that you aren’t and will never be a pushy sales person along the pitch.

3. GIVE BULLETS OF THE PITCH SEQUENCE (Pre-Pitch). Aside from it makes them relaxed being briefed with the sequence, this also draws to your guest’s mind that you know what you’ll be doing and that there precious time wont be wasted with a beating around the bush, sugar coated talk. Everyone gets turned on to someone who knows what he’s doing. Be tactful yet authoritative. Be laconic, audible and shake their hands as a ritual of submission to your set presentation.

4. BEFRIEND THEIR PROBLEM (Pre-Pitch). Avoid premature pitch. Be compassionate first on knowing their problem. This is where more of your time should be spent. Prospects perceive closers as credible when we take time knowing the anatomy of their problem (which our offer could give a solution to). This has a synergistic effect with the next number. Never pitch when you aren’t certain what is it in their status that they wanted to alter. Just before you start the offer, set their mind that they need to do something now (urgency) to finally change what they don’t want. Let them feel the discomfort first then instantly gratify now the relief on your dynamic pitch.

5. BE A MATCHMAKER (Intra-Pitch). Profiling (their problem) shall take more time than matching (the solution) but this doesn’t mean you’ll pitch swiftly. Match the pitch as the solution to the identified problem. It should be a suave story selling show where you device the names of the previous guests who had same problem with them and are now enjoying the solutions you are letting them drool over. You are an advocate here of the solution that they are already convinced they need. The prospect’s ideology by now is, since you have both dealt already with their problem, this gives you the credibility to advise them what to do with it. They have given credits to your effort of exploring their real need and your knowledge of the root of such need that authorizes you to be an aside-from-them solution identifier – That is now the synergy. Dramatize such synergy with articulation of logical, emotional and kinesthetic involvement of the product’s benefits so your pitch will turnout to be entertaining, impressive and compelling.

6. ASK FOR THE SALE (Intra-Pitch). As you effectively let them feel that your offer is the perfect and timely solution of their perceived problem, asking the sale is not an issue anymore. By now, your concern is the closing dynamics. Be certain that you had sold the solutions to them and have taught them how to apply it. They should be willing to apply it. Paying for the offer should appear as their first step on the methodology of the solution. Seems like it is the start of the return demonstration of the steps you have credibly involved them during the pitch. The ultimate handshake should be preceded with sets of trial closes whenever you felt there buying symptoms along the pitch – that’s timing. As you wait for their confirmation, be relaxed. Pause for their reaction. Show up a casually passive yet assertive aura. Engulf them in an engaging vibe. This would have a not so straightforward effect whenever they will say “yes” or “tell me more so I’ll say yes”. Note that, an overwhelming happiness to their “yes” or an intimidating reaction from their “tell me more so I’ll say yes” could kiss your sale bye bye.

7. DON’T BE TOO BLOWN AWAY BY THE “YES” (Post-Pitch). As they say yes, you’ll simply shake their hands and recognize their educated choice. Be organize as you proceed on filling out the paperwork. Be vigilant with the accuracy of the items filled. Resume to casual talks and don’t discuss about the benefits anymore. Be prepared and eloquent in answering questions about the paying details. Ask for the payment tactfully. Suppress the symptoms of pride yet and behave like this is what you have expected and that the guest’s purchase is a ritual of being thankful of you doing them a favor for a more comfortable living with the purchased offer. Documents should be neat. Along with their copy, provide your contact details and time availability. Set a reminder to send them a message the morning after. This is the start of the post sales etiquette. Then, ask for referrals.

As we deal the how of being “casually” or “naturally” credible, it would be helpful to posses it even when you’re away from your sales table. I have known few master closers who have trained this behavior in their day to day interaction like everyone’s their prospect. It is on this practice which your emotions and thinking are honing you to be organically trustworthy. After all, when your closing techniques are being client specific at times, your credibility will never be conditional.

Your credibility will be your subtle trading tool.

HOW TO: Negotiate the Price with Tactful Pride

When you’re done conveying how your offer helps your prospect, it’s always been part of the selling process to let your prospect appreciate the corresponding value of the solution you are proposing.

Negotiation has always been a very exciting phase of the sale. Pride for the tagged price while negotiating on the other hand, makes it a sizzling phase. Most of the sales people just negotiate. On how to negotiate the price with tactful pride, these what closers do.

1. BEARING AND WORDS. Pride is reflective on how we bear self as we discuss the price. Facial expression, gestures, motion, voice dynamics these all affects your presence and determines your confidence. Just be vigilant on the difference between being arrogant and intimidating to being confident that the offer is justly tagged to the benefits it provides to any interested guest.

Filtering words that sound not being pushy makes it coherent to being proud of what you’re offering. Play with communication elements that sound like you are pulling them away from the Rubicon of enjoying the benefits of the purchase.

2. MY OFFER IS REASONABLY PRICED. Values of any offered product or service is regulated directly or indirectly, either with an assigned authority or benchmark among competitors. Thus, there’s no such thing as over priced or under priced. It is then be reinforced with haggling skills that let prospect realize that your offer is priced just rightful as the urgent ease it gives to their discomfort. Reasonability lies on how buyers equate the tag to the personal essence of the bag.

3. MY OFFER IS THE BEST OF ITS KIND AMONG EXISTING IN THE MARKET. There is no other offer with an identical feature that gives you same or even lower cost. It will either be lower cost for a lower quality or higher cost for a higher quality. This is the only offer that comes with higher quality in a just cost. Elaborate the selling point of the product specific to the prospect in order to justify the “higher quality”. Intensify such “higher quality” versus any other offer from any other agent by spicing it up with your personal elements like you being credible, an expert to the product or you being an advocate for post sales services.

4. TAKE AWAY. Let them feel what they are missing out after tactfully presenting how your offer improves their aspirations. Play hard to get and appear like you have since accepted that not all you have offered with this price really could afford and avail it. It’s an exclusive deal. The offer doesn’t fit for all.

5. SAY “NO”. When the prospect haggles so low from your offer, though you have let them realize how worthy the value, learn to say No. Let them feel the fear of loosing your generous offer.

Discount (lowering the price) never exists to deteriorate the appraisal of your offer. It exists to let the prospect feel relieved from a too high preconditioned price rooted from an appreciation of a too beneficial solution of their urgent felt need.

Learning what your product could benefit to your prospect is a an elementary responsibility being in sales to ignite an afire involvement during your pitch. As you want to be an ace closer, develop the sales technique that gears up the synergy of your product knowledge and being proud of the price as you drive the negotiation to a deal.

How an Expert Starts to have Fun Learning Again

Some fun educative sorts of ways to spice up the predictable corporate routine.

Six months after getting the promotion, I started feeling so proficient doing the things my work required me to accomplish. Perhaps I was really extraordinary at my previous work post that adjusting for the more demanding responsibilities seemed to appear so basic. Yes, I felt that too. When I listened to my mind whispering those two previous sentences, it felt so absurd. I knew there was something wrong. There was something to be done. There was something to be learned. That my mind was such a swindler tricking me that I was just a vowel away to be omniscient.

It took about two months after I came back to the rationality that maybe what I was feeling was exactly a sign that I have to look for something new to challenge my competitive soul. I surely knew it was not enrolling in a post graduate school, just some fun educative sorts of ways to spice up the predictable corporate routine.

If you ever feel the same, these might be things worth to try :

JOIN CLASSES AT CO-WORKING SPACES

These are talks done at exclusive meeting rooms in cafes or at co-working spaces. Follow the Facebook page of coffee shops around your place. They post announcements about 2-hour classes as they collaborate with people who conduct speaking events on a topic you might be interested in. These are usually filtered up to 15 attendees which the first meeting is usually free. Have fun learning and creating connections as well. Your seatmate can be a new found friend or a business partner material. Indulge in the variety of personalities and corporate titles.

POST YOUR BOOK REVIEW ONLINE

Reading books is a classic advice to continue learning. Enjoy every chapter by sharing your impression online. You can ignite sensible discussions among fellow readers through digitized book review forum on social media platforms like Reddit. You can also simply create a group chat with friends and discuss about the book you all have read. It is online and it is exciting!

DATE A HUMAN LIBRARY

Look for a friend or an acquaintance who is knowledgeable about a topic you want to know. Treat him to a coffee or a meal. You can write notes, ask for a demonstration or just simply interact like a casual conversation. You can agree to schedule it weekly until you are well-informed about the matter and for as long as you both still enjoy the meet up (of course). The intimacy of talking to someone face to face makes this fun and more informative, and affective. Try this on your next off-day and be sure to sponsor the bill every time.

In hindsight, losing the challenge of doing your work from the belief that you are already an “expert” consistently hitting your target, is still categorically a symptom of being burnt out. Yes, you can be burnt out and still sharply hit the work requirements. Intrinsically fed up and still occupationally productive.

Do not look for a new job. Just look for something new. Something that is fun yet educative. You have an endless array of choices: Refresh the basics of your profession, learn a side topic of your industry, update yourself on the latest trends of the market or unlock your potentials on a whole new rewarding field. Truly, there are a lot of knowledge and skills this world has for us to be learnt. Most of these are fun and do not necessarily have to be costly. You are not an expert.