8 Customer Service Skills a Rep must possess to be Effective

What has customer service skills has to do with building a business? What is the list of customer service skills a rep must possess to be effective? What customer service skills must I test for when hiring a customer service rep? Well, I will advice you read on to find the answers you seek.

In this article, I am going to highlight a list of customer services skills a rep must possess to be effective. Whether you are customer service rep, corporate manager, entrepreneur or business owner; you are going to find this article very useful.

For the customer service rep reading this article, you can use this list of customer services skills to develop yourself and increase your career value. If you are an entrepreneur or a corporate manager reading this article, you can use this list of customer service skills as leverage when screening or hiring employees. Now what are the customer service skills a rep must possess to be effective?

8 Customer Service Skills a Rep must possess to be Effective

1. Personal Skills

The first thing I look out for in a customer service rep is the personal skills. A customer service rep must have good intra-personal skills to be able to effectively discharge his/her duty. Patience, discipline, humility, team spirit and a good sense of humor are intra-personal skills a customer service rep must possess for effectiveness.

Aside the intra-personal skills listed above, a good customer service rep must have good appearance; display confidence, always wear a charming smile and speak with a clear voice.

2. Communication Skills

The second customer service skill a rep must possess is good communication skill. A good customer service rep must be able to communicate fluently in the language of the people. This is where bilingual customer service reps come in handy. A good customer service rep must be able to send a message across to a customer or client and that message must be clearly understood by the customer. Body language is also essential in this case.

3. Negotiation Skills

A good customer service rep must be good in negotiating and striking deals with the customer. Since a rep has direct contact or access with the customers; he/she must be a good negotiator.

4. Listening Skills

A good customer service rep must be able to listen with rapt attention and clearly understand the needs, concerns or complaints of the customer before proffering a solution. Customers hate being ignored; nothing annoys a customer more than talking to a less concerned staff.

Sometimes, customers find it difficult to express themselves clearly; but remember that the customer is always right. It’s your duty as a customer service rep to clearly decode the customer’s message before passing it across to the appropriate quarters and you can’t achieve that if you lack good listening skills.

5. Sales Skills

Sales skill is something I don’t joke with when hiring an employee. Customer service reps are always in touch with the customers so there is a high tendency that they can instigate a sale; that’s if they are good at the game.

Sales skill is an essential customer service skill. A customer service rep with a good knowledge of selling will outperform a rep that lacks sales skills. So work on improving your sales skills; it may become an asset in the long run.

6. Retentive Memory

Retentive memory is a must have for every customer service rep. A good customer service rep must be able to remember loyal customers and address them by their names. A good customer service rep must also be able to recall past discussions and important transactions made. Nothing annoys a customer other than repeating what has already been said; it’s a waste of precious time.

7. Adequate Understanding of the Business products or services

A good customer service rep must have adequate understanding of the business products or services; as this may be the major subject of discussions with customers. If a rep is new on board; the ability to learn quickly is highly essential. You must understand the company’s product and services; its benefits and features like the palm of your hand.

8. Persuasion Skills

The last but not the list customer service skill a good rep must possess is persuasion skill. A good customer service rep must be able to sense a customer’s soft spot and touch that spot. A good customer service rep must be able to win back the heart of lost customers and calm the nerves of aggrieved customers. This cannot be achieved without mastering the art of persuasion.

Persuasion skill is essential for getting the sale and winning negotiations. If you are really interested in developing your persuasion skill; then I will advice you read the “Persuasion Skill Black Book.” It’s the bible for those who want to master and harness the power of persuasion.

As a final note, these are the eight customer service skills a good rep must possess to be effective. But possession of these customer service skills is not restricted to reps alone. Even entrepreneurs, corporate managers and employees need such skills. So if you are lacking any of the customer service skills listed above, it’s advisable you work on strengthening it.

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur and Business Owner

How can you become a successful entrepreneur? What does it take to start a business and build a successful business? How did entrepreneurs like Larry Ellison, Bill Gates, Ingvar Kamprad, Michael Dell, Aliko Dangote and Thomas Edison become successful? You are going to find out soon.

The Richest People in Nigeria and Secret to their Success

75 Impeccable Business Advice from 39 Billionaires

Before I proceed, I want to state categorically that there is no definite strategy or success formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur and the reason is because the entrepreneurial path of entrepreneurs is different. However, after understudying the lives of successful entrepreneurs; I have been able to pin point four keys to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

Why Do You Want to Become an Entrepreneur or Start a Business?

"To be a successful business owner and investor, you have to be emotionally neutral to winning and losing. Winning and losing are just part of the game." – Rich Dad

Now how does one become a successful entrepreneur? Just as I said above, there’s no definite formula to becoming a successful business owner. Instead, all we have are laid down rules and guidance from successful entrepreneurs that have trodden the entrepreneurial path.

"I wanted to be an editor or journalist. I wasn't really interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going." – Richard Branson

While this article may not contain all that is needed to become a successful entrepreneur; it highlights the fundamentals needed to become a successful business owner. To fully feel the impact of this article, I will suggest you also read the recommended articles below; they will add value to your entrepreneurial life.

15 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs and How to Develop Yours

10 Small Business Success Secrets of Aliko Dangote

How to Develop your Mindset and Think like a Billionaire

Without wasting much of your time, below are four keys to becoming a successful entrepreneur from scratch.

How to Become a Successful Entrepreneur and Business Owner

1. Learn how to find opportunities that others miss

"A good businessman must have nose for business the same way a journalist has nose for news. Once your eyes, ears, nose, heart and brain are trained on business, you sniff business opportunities everywhere. In places where people see a lot of obstacles, I see a lot of opportunities. At times, there is something instinctive in me that tell me a business opportunity exist even at a place where others see nothing. That is what makes me different, maybe unique. A good businessman sees where others don’t see. What I see, you may not see. You cannot see because that is the secret of the business… the entire world is a big market waiting for anybody who knows the rules of the game." – Orji Uzor Kalu

The first key to becoming a successful business owner is finding the right opportunity; an opportunity that others fail to see. I use the word “learn” because entrepreneurship is a learning process; you must keep learning from the day you start a business till the day you quit the game.

"One of the great things about being willing to try new things and make mistakes is that making mistakes keeps you humble. People who are humble learn more than people who are arrogant." – Rich Dad

"One of the most stupid things to do is to pretend you are smart. When you pretend to be smart, you are at the height of stupidity." – Rich Dad

I used the word “learn” because you can never become perfect at spotting good business opportunities; you just have to keep learning and improving your business skills or vision. Becoming a successful entrepreneur or building a successful business lies in your ability to spot business opportunities that others miss; you must be able to see opportunity in problems.

"Behind every adversity is an opportunity. If you lament over the adversity, you will miss the opportunity." – Ajaero Tony Martins

In an article I wrote previously; I repeatedly emphasized the point that the primary duty of an entrepreneur is to “solve critical problems” and such problems can surface in any form or situation. To become a successful entrepreneur; you must think and act like the ancient alchemists that tried to turn lead to gold.

But in your case, you will have to make it a primary duty to turn problems into opportunities. If you can do turn a problem into an opportunity; even if it’s just once, you’ve just picked the first piece of the puzzle to building a business and becoming a successful business owner.

The Best Business Opportunity with High Return on Investment

How to Find Your Passion in Six Easy Steps

2. Learn how to raise money

"Capital can do nothing without brains to direct it." – J. Ogden Armour

The second key to becoming a successful entrepreneur is to learn how to raise capital. I have said and written it countless times that one of the fundamental function of an entrepreneur is to raise capital; by any legal means necessary.

"Business? It's quite simple. It is other people's money." – Alexander Dumas the Younger

If you don’t know how to raise capital; forget about becoming an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you must learn to raise capital internally; as well as externally. Cash flow is the life blood of a business and it’s your job to make sure that cash continuously flow into your business. Show me a successful entrepreneur and I will show you an individual that knows the intricacies of raising capital.

"There is one paradoxical characteristic every entrepreneur must possess to succeed. An entrepreneur must be able to persuade his debtors to pay their debts promptly and at the same, must tactically delay payments to his creditors." – Ajaero Tony Martins

How to Raise Startup Seed Capital from Family and Friends

3. Learn how to organize smart people

"The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for any other thing under the sun." – John D. Rockefeller

The third key to becoming a successful entrepreneur is the ability to organize smart people and put them in strategic positions within the business. Business is a team sport; a game that requires a synergy of business skills; and an entrepreneur with the best team will always win. To become a successful entrepreneur, you need to find your own best team; you need to assemble a strong business team.

"Successful businessmen share the ability to hire people smarter than they are." – Dillard Munford

Organizing and directing smart people can only be possible if you possess good leadership skills and your ability to create a synergy between groups of smart people is what makes you a successful entrepreneur. Smart people in this case include professionals, business advisors, mentors and business coaches.

“A business idea is just another idea. But an idea backed by a strong feasibility, a thorough business plan and a smart team is no longer an idea. It's now a solid business opportunity worth pursuing." – Ajaero Tony Martins

10 Strategic Reasons why you Need a Business Management Team

How to Build a Strong Business Management Team from Scratch

12 Characteristics of Successful Business Management Teams

4. Learn how to manage risk

"You must take risks, both with your own money or with borrowed money. Risk taking is essential to business growth." – J. Paul Getty

So you want to become a successful entrepreneur? If your answer to this question is yes; then what is your risk bearing capacity? Are you prepared to take calculated risk?

Risk avoidance is the major reason most people do not become entrepreneurs; the ability to take calculated risk is also the reason Bill Gates became the richest man in the world; it’s the reason Mark Zuckerberg became the youngest billionaire in the world and Aliko Dangote, the richest black man in the world.

Without risk, forget about starting a business or becoming an entrepreneur. Becoming a successful entrepreneur depends on your ability to increase your risk bearing capacity. What’s the difference between Larry Ellison and the smart self employed programmer next door? The answer is simple. They are both entrepreneurs but they are operating at different risk level.

"In today's rapidly changing world, the people who are not taking risk are the risk takers." – Robert Kiyosaki

So if you are going to start a business from scratch and become a successful entrepreneur; then you must expand your risk bearing capacity. You must stretch beyond your comfort zone because only then can you achieve success in business.

"Seek advice on risk from the wealthy who still take risks, not friends who dare nothing more than a football bet." – J. Paul Getty

Successful Entrepreneurs Advice on taking Risks in Business

How to Become a Self Made Billionaire

As a final note, these are the four fundamental keys to becoming a successful entrepreneur. Act on them and I will see you at the top.

10 Characteristics of the Top Successful Salespeople

The issue of selling is a subject most entrepreneurs dread. All businesses thrive on profit and profit is a derivative of sales. Often, I hear statements such as:

“I hate selling.”

“Why should I learn how to sell when I can just hire salespeople?

“I love selling but I hate being rejected.”

There’s nothing absolutely wrong with such statements but the truth is that we are all born salespeople. This truth is even more profound on entrepreneurs because every entrepreneur is automatically a salesperson. If you think you are an entrepreneur and have nothing to do with sales; then check this out. As entrepreneurs:

We sell our business ideas to investors with an intention to raise venture capital.

We sell to our customers to generate profits and build brand loyalty.

We sell to suppliers to prove our credit worthiness.

We sell our vision to employees to enable them align with our purpose.

We sell our dream and mission to highly skilled professionals to make them join our team.

The list can go on and on but I feel with these few illustrations, you’ve understood the point I am trying to buttress. If you are not still convinced about the importance of sales to an entrepreneur; then I will advice you read the article below:

Why you must Develop your Sales Skills and Learn How to Sell

"The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don't bother thinking about becoming a business owner." – Rich Dad

The purpose of this article is to give you an insight into the life of successful salespeople and specifically highlight the basic characteristics that make them successful. If selling millions of dollars worth of products is your concern? If improving your sales skill is your utmost priority? Then read on as I highlight the ten characteristics possessed by every successful salesperson.

10 Characteristics of Highly Successful Salespeople

1. Successful Salespeople are good communicators

Successful salespeople are excellent communicators. They’ve mastered the art of persuasion. They are eloquent speakers, good listeners and know a great deal of how to make use of body language.

Take a look at companies with billions of dollars in sales and you will find out that the entrepreneurs at the helm of affairs are powerful communicators. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are examples of such entrepreneurs. So if you want to be successful in sales, then you must work on your communication skill. If you cannot communicate, you cannot sell.

"Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You will be amazed at how many companies don't listen to their customers." – Henry Ross Perot

2. Highly successful salespeople are enthusiastic

Enthusiasm is a key role in achieving overall success in life and successful salespeople know this. To succeed in the field of sales, you need to have a positive attitude and be optimistic.

"Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand; the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas." – Henry Ford

3. They are persistent

Successful entrepreneurs who are excellent at sales possess a high degree of persistence. They almost don't take no for an answer. They press on even in the face of failure. They are insistent on making the sale and succeeding; in the end, they do.

"Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." – Ray Kroc

4. They face their fears

When I first started out in business, I was afraid of rejection and as a result of this I couldn't sell. Highly successful salespeople also hate rejection but instead of hiding in their closet, they go into the street and tackle their fears head on. The ability to face their fears is what makes them outstanding and successful. Overcoming the fear of rejection is essential to making sales and growing your business.

"The more I risk being rejected, the better my chances are of being accepted." – Rich Dad

5. Successful salespeople are past failures

The highly successful salespeople of today were the failures of yesterday. They've tasted disappointments and failure but instead of quitting as others would, they use their failures as a stepping stone to reach for greatness.

"Get mocked at for as long as you can, fail as much as you can but don't quit. Let every mockery, every failure be a source of inspiration for you to reach for greatness and the greatness will silence your critics." – Ajaero Tony Martins

6. They are proactive learners

Successful salespeople are proactive learners. They know their cup is never full so they seek out knowledge and information from the masters of the game. They read books, magazines, attend seminars and courses. They do this to stay ahead of the game and stay on course with the current trend.

7. They go beyond their comfort zone

Another attribute that set successful salespeople apart from the others is their ability to stretch beyond the comfort zone. Entrepreneurs who are excellent at sales always go all out to make sure they achieve their set goals. Regardless of the weather, these entrepreneurs are out there, doing what they know how to do best.

"Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure." – Thomas Edison

8. They are Conscious of their appearance

Successful salespeople knows that first impression matters and that’s why the take proper care of their appearance. Successful people have good charisma, high self esteem and always wear a smile while prospecting. So if you are going to do millions in sales with your business; then dress for success and always carry a smile.

9. They are friendly

So you want to be a successful salesperson; then be willing to help your clients, customer or prospects out. Entrepreneurs who do millions in sales are very friendly in nature; they are social and they love to meet people. Being friendly entails being willing to network with people; it also entails making other people feel free in your presence.

10. Highly successful salespeople are good teachers

The last but probably not the least characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and salespeople is their willingness to share information or enlighten their prospects. Selling is all about teaching your clients or sharing information and making your prospects see a need in what you are trying to sell them.

In conclusion, these are the ten characteristics possessed by highly successful salespeople. But before I drop my pen, I want you to know that successful salespeople are not born with these characters; they developed these characteristics over time. So if you strive to develop these traits; I bet you will see a drastic increase in your sales. Good Luck.

20 Ways to Develop Good Business Management Skills in 20 Days or Less

Are you an entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you inspire to be like great corporate managers or business leaders such as Ingvar Kamprad, Jack Welch, Alfred P. Sloan, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Mike Adenuga, Mo Ibrahim and Aliko Dangote?

Do you have a strong desire to develop your business management skills or do you want to improve on your management style? Do you know you can develop or improve your business management skills in 20 days or less? If you want to find out how, then read on.

In this article, I am going to reveal 20 smart ways to develop your business management skills in 20 days or less. Call it high speed learning and you won’t be wrong. Do you know that business management skills is vital to strategically growing a business just like entrepreneurial skills is important to the entrepreneurial process of building a business?

Entrepreneurial skills are required to start a business but it takes good managerial skills to grow a business. So if you are prepared for this high speed learning, then I will share with you 20 smart ways to develop good business management skills in 20 days or less.

20 Ways to Develop Good Business Management Skills in 20 Days or Less

1. Have a strong desire to develop your business management skills; desire to become a good business manager. You might be an entrepreneur but you definitely need a bit of managerial skills to successfully run a business. If you don’t have a strong desire to develop the necessary managerial skills, then you will not be motivated to do what it takes to achieve the feat in 20 days.

2. Read books that will help you develop good business management skills. I am an entrepreneur but I read a lot of books on management. Entrepreneurs are generalist; they need to know a little of everything, from accounting and production management to people management.

I will advice you read the book “The Practice of Management” by Peter F. Drucker and “The Mafia Manager: A Guide to the Corporate Machiavelli.” Both books will teach you a lot about managing a business in an easy to understand manner.

3. Attend a business management training course or seminar. You can find a good business management training course or seminar by doing a search online. Or better still, you can find one in the national dailies.

4. Listen to audio tapes or CDs that will help you develop the required business management skills.

5. Look for friends and associates with the same goal and orientation; and work together with them towards improving your managerial skills.

6. Sign up for a business management training course online. Unlike the one suggested above, this course will be taken online from the comfort of your home. It could be a one on one course or a webinar.

7. Start a small business. The best way to improve both your entrepreneurial and managerial skills is by starting your own business. When you start a small business; you will have the opportunity to make all the business mistakes possible, learn how to handle business challenges and ultimate gain experience. I will recommend you read the article “The Magic of Starting a Small Business,” it will help you a lot.

8. Volunteer to take up management role in non-profit organizations; you will learn a lot from the process.

9. Look for a business leader or any effective small business manager and seek mentorship from him or her. Propose to be his or her protégé in return for working for free.

10. When a situation arises that involves leading people on an assignment, or managing a project; volunteer to do it. Leading people helps strengthen your people skills; which is a necessity for good business management.

11. Study the business management style of great corporate managers such as Lee Iacocca, Jack Welch and Alfred P. Sloan. Read their materials and study their autobiography if possible; you will learn a lot.

20 Ways to Develop Good Leadership Skills in 20 Days or Less

12. Join organizations that will help build your managerial skills and an example of such organization is SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise).

13. Join a network marketing business that trains distributors on people management and how to manage oneself.

14. Visit blogs, forums and websites that share managerial skill development tips and spend some time there.

15. Look for a paid management coaching service and sign up. This is all about getting a personal management coach to guide you along the way. The Rich Dad Company and the E-Myth Worldwide are examples of paid management coaching services with worldwide reputation.

16. Join business or corporate networks and exchange ideas and techniques with like minded people who are at the helm of affairs of great companies.

17. Attend business conferences, meetings, corporate or entrepreneurial summit. You may pick inspiration by listening to the challenges faced by business executives and CEOs.

18. Read or listen to the speeches of great corporate managers such as Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett and Jack Welch. You can decode the source of inspiration of these great corporate leaders by simply listening to their speeches.

19. Develop the mindset required for managing people. Remember, managerial skill development begins with a change of mindset. Every top management position in a company comes with great responsibility and accountability. You must be prepared for such responsibility.

20. After reading books, attending seminars or trying out other management styles techniques; you must remember to work on yourself. Learning how to be a good manager without putting what you learned into active practice is simply a waste of time and energy.

Working on yourself entails changing your perception towards failure, working on your appearance and acquiring the necessary skills needed to become a good business manager. I am talking about managerial skills such as communication skill, analytical skill, delegation skill, negotiation skill and people skill.

In fact, I will recommend you start by studying the traits of successful corporate managers and work on yourself to develop such traits. I believe the article “12 Essential Criterions to being a Good Corporate Leader” will prove useful in this case.

As a final note, I want to state that anyone can become a great business manager; all you need is a strong desire and unyielding resolve to achieve your desire. I wish you the best of luck; see you at the top.

Five More Vital Tips to Finding Your Passion Immediately

Some people take a lifetime before realizing what they really want to do, where they want to take their journey or where they want to pitch their stand. I specifically wrote this article because I realized that it will be best if you will know the essentials to finding your passion while you are still young. This way, you will have lots of time to fulfill whatever you want to achieve and enjoy its effects and benefits as well.

It is not that easy to know what you really want to do for the rest of your life. There are people who end up pursuing a very unlikely route while giving in to what they really want to achieve whenever they have time for it. The reason for such varies. For some, they may decide to pursue their passion only after they have gone through several failures. To help you in this regard, I decided to come up with some tips that you can follow to find your passion immediately.

Five More Vital Tips to Finding Your Passion Immediately

1. You should look at things around you. Determine what or who inspires you to achieve whatever goals that you have in mind. They can be your loved ones or a specific person that encourages you to be better. These can also be things. What are the objects that create some sparks and enhance you to move forward?

Use these objects and people in order to find out for yourself what you really want to happen. You can list down the things and people or places that may come to your mind when you are thinking about this so that you will keep track of what really matters to you. These objects, people or places mat be a key to finding your passion.

2. Think about happy thoughts. Reminisce about the times when you were most happy in your life. What brought about such happiness? What made you happy? And while you are at it, you should also think about when was the last time when you experienced such moment. If it has already been a long time, what do you think caused such state? I will advice you seek answers to these questions sincerely because your passion might just lie in between those happy moments.

3. You have to go back to the things that ignited your passion in the past. Read your favorite book. This may be a great time to find console digging through self-help books. This is especially true if you cannot talk to anyone close to you regarding the matter in ways that you hope to be understood.

4. If you are stuck in a job that you detest and your only reason why you are doing that is for money, then you will have a harder time in getting to know where your real passion lies. You may want to look back at the point before you entered this job. What were you back then or what were you thinking to achieve at that point? If you have already saved enough, you may want to consider quitting your current job. This way, you can allot more time in pursuing the things that you really want before it becomes too late.

5. You have to be open to whatever possibilities life may bring. You need to expect more than what you already have for you to acquire such and reach a level beyond your comfort zone. This can be done by being bold enough to take a risk at a time.

Taking a risk may entail quitting your job or starting a business; and it doesn't matter how small or how big it is. Once you start following your heart and mind to reach to the point where you think you will be happy and satisfied, you are on the right track. And finding your passion will be easier in the long run.

As a final note, these are my five vital tips to finding your passion immediately. And mind you; these tips to finding your passion work because its efficacy has been tested and proven. So implement these tips with enthusiasm, find and follow your passion; and I will see you at the top.

How to Develop Go Getting Skills and be a Go Getter

Do you possess the go getting skills required to succeed in business or life? How do you know if you are a go getter? Do you want to develop your go getting skills and become a go getter? If your answer to the last question is yes, then please read on as I share with you practical steps to becoming a go getter.

This article “How to develop go getting skills and be a go getter” was inspired by Robert G. Allen’s book “The Challenge.” In that book, Robert G. Allen highlighted nine ways to know if you are a go getter and it’s these same steps I want to share with you. Instead of telling you how to develop go getting skills, I am going to highlight strategic traits that will help you know if you are a go getter (as highlighted by Robert G. Allen).

How do you know if you are a go getter?

You will know you are a go getter if:

a) You love challenges.

b) Adversity makes you stronger.

c) When someone tells you no; you don’t take it personal. You try another way to get a yes.

d) You are goal oriented; you know where you are going.

e) You don’t look upon obstacles as permanent barriers but as temporary inconveniences.

f) You don’t make excuses when given a job. You don’t return until it’s done.

g) You are always looking for new ways to do things better even if it means breaking with tradition.

h) You are willing to put up with criticism since most criticism comes from negative thinkers.

i) You are a positive thinker. You find good in every bad situation.

J. You believe strongly in yourself and your God given ability.

As a final note, these are the specific traits you can use to analyze yourself to know if you are a go getter.

Why you must Develop your Sales Skills and Learn How to Sell

Do you know how to sell? Do you know that sales skill is one of the most important entrepreneurial skills entrepreneurs must possess? Do you know that selling is the number one job of an entrepreneur? If you feel otherwise, then please read on as I highlight several reasons why you must develop your sales skills and learn how to sell.

"The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don't bother thinking about becoming a business owner." – Rich Dad

Selling is indisputably an issue most individuals don’t want to be associated with. Once the word “selling” is mentioned; people tend to immediately imagine a picture of a salesperson knocking from door to door to sell a product. Most individuals shy away from selling all in a bid to avoid rejection. Well, I see nothing wrong in disliking salesmanship but if you are an entrepreneur; then selling is not an option for you, it’s a must. I am privileged to talk to people everyday and some statements I hear often with respect to sales are these:

“I hate selling.”

“I hate making cold calls.”

“It’s not about selling; I simply hate rejection.”

“Sales is not for me; I am a degree holder.”

"The biggest challenge you have is to challenge your own self doubt and your laziness. It is your self doubt and your laziness that defines and limit who you are." – Rich Dad

While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, I believe selling is one of the most important subjects of life. Whether you like it or not, I want you to know that we were all born salespeople. Most people don’t know that selling is part of life and we do it everyday; consciously or unconsciously. We sell our friends on trying out a product that has benefited us without even getting paid for it.

We voluntarily refer our family and friends to fast food joints, hospitals or even to businesses. Most of the consultants and businesses I have business relationship today were established on the bases of referral from other satisfied customers.

“Salesmanship is limitless. Our very living is selling. We are all salespeople.” – James Cash Penny

So if we unconsciously engage in selling and not get paid for it; why don’t we do it consciously and get paid for it. That the reason why I wrote this article for you. Though this article is targeted at entrepreneurs; I feel anyone who has an open mind can learn one or two lessons from it.

"If you cannot sell, you will be sold." – Ajaero Tony Martins

Now why is selling important to entrepreneurs? Sales skills is one of the most important entrepreneurial skills and the points below will make you see the need to develop your sales skills and learn how to sell.

Why you must Develop your Sales Skills and Learn How to Sell

1. The number one reason why I emphasize the need to develop your sales skills and learn how to sell is because selling is life. It’s what we do everyday; consciously or unconsciously. The process of learning to sell is not just about selling a product to a customer; it’s about going beyond your comfort zone and facing your worst fear.

Fear is the primary reason most brilliant ideas don’t get off the planning table; fear is the reason most people are afraid to quit their jobs and start a business. Fear is the reason most people don’t dare to dream big and that’s why they remain small.

"It is easy to stay the same but it is not easy to change. Most people choose to stay the same all their lives." – Rich Dad

“People who dream small dreams continue to live as small people." – Rich Dad

That’s why I emphasize entrepreneurs go through the process of “learning how to sell.” Selling is all about facing and overcoming your worst fear; selling is going beyond your comfort zone. Selling is all about being unafraid of rejection and selling is all about a change of core value.

"The more I risk being rejected, the better my chances are of being accepted." – Rich Dad

2. Profits and Business growth are all dependent on one factor; “Sales.” The speed at which your business grows is dependent on your ability to sell. If you cannot sell, you will have less sales and limited growth.

“Selling is our number one job. Never get away from selling a lot of merchandise personally. The more you sell, the more you learn.” – James Cash Penny

3. As entrepreneurs, we sell to our customers to increase sales and profits. We also sell to our customers to increase their loyalty and patronage; selling, more importantly is all about getting repeated sales.

Brand building, brand loyalty and every aspect of branding boils down to selling. Branding is all about emotional selling with the strategic use of words, images and actions. If you cannot sell, you will only get one-time sales; you will not be able to build customer loyalty and without customer loyalty, no repeated sales. Statistics show that it is easier and less expensive to sell to a loyal customer than to a new customer.

4. As entrepreneurs; we sell our competence, business ideas and plans to investors, all in a bid to raise capital. Lack of sales skills is the primary reason why most brilliant ideas don’t get funded; inability to sell is the reason why most businesses never get started.

Even the process of raising capital via an IPO requires you sell the public on the competence of your management team and the market accessibility of your products. Raising capital in its most simplistic term is selling.

“Raising capital is the primary duty of an entrepreneur. To build a successful business, an entrepreneur must learn to raise capital from customers, investors and suppliers.” – Robert Kiyosaki

5. We sell our credibility to suppliers to get credit lines. If you don’t know how to sell, you will not be able to get goods on credit from suppliers and even if you do; you will not be able to keep to your words because the largest credit allowance will be given to the business owner that displays the ability to sell products faster and make returns.

6. We sell our business goals, objectives and long term service benefits to our employees all in a bid to motivate them to discharge their duties with a feeling of commitment. Motivating employees to increase their productivity is selling.

7. We sell our business mission, vision and long term goals to highly skilled professionals all in a bid to lure them into joining our business team. One of the major business challenges faced by entrepreneurs is the challenge of transferring their passion to their business team. Your ability to sell your business mission to your top management is the determinant factor that will forge them into a team.

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?
– The line Steve Jobs used to lure John Sculley as Apple's CEO, according to Odyssey: Pepsi to Apple

If you can’t sell your business mission and vision to your business team; your team will not be able to act with a common definiteness of purpose.

8. And finally, business will always flow towards the great communicators. The biggest business contracts and deals will always go to those who have the ability to communicate in the right language and sell themselves. Communication is part of selling.

“I couldn’t sell him on my experience or my accomplishment, so instead I sold him on my energy and enthusiasm.” – Donald Trump

Lastly, I want it to sink into your skull that building a successful business can never be possible without selling. I hope the few points above have increased your awareness on the need to develop your sales skills and learn how to sell. So get down to learning how to sell and I will see you at the top.

How to Find Your Passion in Six Easy Steps

How do you find your passion? Can I become a billionaire with my passion? How do I build a business around my passion? Why do I need to find my passion? Can I start a business and achieve success with my passion? How can my passion help me become a millionaire?

These are usually the questions thrown at me whenever I discussing the importance of finding your passion. If any of these questions is running through your mind at the moment; I will suggest you read on as I have provided the answers you need.

“This is the reason why I stay up twenty hours a day.” – Sean Diddy Combs

Why do you need to find your passion?

I don’t really know the conventional answer to this question but I will express myself in my own way. Success coaches and experts recommend you find and follow your passion in life because following your passion increases your chances of success; whether in business, workplace or personal obligation.

“Work hard; have fun, Make history.” – Jeff Bezos

For me, I believe that sticking to your passion eliminates the boredom and stress associated with making your life a success. Now with respect to starting a business; I will say sticking with your passion will reduce your chances of business failure. I often advise my protégés to start or build a business around their passion because it’s a great way to start; provided the passion satisfies a demand and my reason is this: “it takes passion and determination to successfully go through the entrepreneurial process.”

“It’s not really work; if you are having fun.” – Pierre Omidyar

Following your passion brings out your personal power and awakens yourself to the beauty of the world. It leads you to the heart of spiritual journey as it changes your thoughts, perceptions, and feelings. Finding your passion does not promise an easy life; rather, it promises a rich life open to hopes and possibility.

“Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.” – Warren Buffett

Are there individuals who have found success following their passion? My answer is a resounding yes. Tiger Woods starts playing golf at the age of 3 and turned pro at the age of 20. As at the time of this writing; he is the richest sports person, the first billionaire golfer and the greatest golfer of all time. Serena and Venus Williams also achieved success by sticking with their passion for Tennis.

“You are nuts and you should be proud of it. Stick with what you believe in.” – Trip Hawkins

Tupac Shakur, Michael Jackson and Celine Dion took their passion for music to the streets and became the greatest in Rap, Pop and blues respectively. Rachael Ray leveraged her passion for cooking and became a success; so also did Debbi Fields. J. K. Rowling leveraged her passion for writing and became a billionaire.

“You have to have passion when you’re finding a recipe for a career. If you love what you are doing, you’ll never work a day in your life.” – Debbi Fields

Warren Buffett, Sir John Templeton, Peter Lynch and George Soros became billionaires with their passion for stock investing while Donald Trump did his with real estate investing. Larry Ellison, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg leveraged their passion for software programming and became the richest drop out billionaires. Oprah Winfrey became the richest black woman in the world with her passion for public speaking; so also did Martha Stewart.

"Passion is what drives me forward. Passion is what makes me go to bed at 2am and wake up at 6am.” - Aliko Dangote

This list can go on and on but I believe the point is made that your passion can take you to the greatest heights; if only you can find it and harness it. Now how do you find your passion? In this article, I will restrict myself to helping you find your passion. I will explain in detail how to build a business around your passion in subsequent articles but we have to start from somewhere; which is how to find your passion. Below are six easy steps to finding your passion.

How to Find Your Passion in Six Easy Steps

1. Speak your truths clearly

To find your passion, you must speak your truths and prepare yourself for new adventures. Finding your passion begins with you answering these questions.

What really matters to you?

What truly makes you happy?

What drives you crazy?

What do you do best?

And what makes you feel complete?

Once you begin challenging your mind with these questions, your mind will provide the answers and once you have figured out the answers, you are on your way to finding your passion.

“Whether you’ve found your calling, or if you’re still searching, passion should be the fire that drives your life’s work.” – Michael Dell

2. Be open for support

You must also keep in mind that you are not an isolated being. Sometimes in life, it takes external influence and inspiration to find your passion. Therefore you need the support of family, friends and positive minded social circle that will help you reach your goals.

“Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you. Be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.” – W. Clement Stone

3. Keep an open mind

You need to keep an open mind to find your passion. When you open up your senses, you tend to experience God’s blessings and you feel more peaceful and serene. This allows you to be more patient and be reminded the cycle of nature. When you experience this, you become more positive and calm.

Keeping an open mind allows you to observe your environment and how it relates to you. One thing you must note is this; you might not be the one to discover your passion. Someone else might and you need an open mind to take note of such. Observe the traits and talent you possess that your friends and family admire a lot.

“You are a product of your environment. So choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective. Analyze your life in terms of its environment. Are the things around you helping you towards success? Or are they holding you back? – W. Clement Stone

For instance, Debbi Fields was constantly praised by her family and friends because of her ability to bake delicious cookies; and she was able to respond positively to those compliments by starting a business around that passion. If Debbi Fields hadn’t kept an open mind, I don’t think Mrs. Field’s Cookies will be in existence today.

“You know, all these years, all these years you’ve been eating my cookies. All these years you’ve been telling me how wonderful they are. Well, I’ve decided I’m going to go into the cookie business.” – Debbi Fields

4. Give yourself a time for pleasure

How do you feel waking up in the morning away from busy schedules and having the freedom to do the things that bring you pleasure? Well, following your passion can put you in such state of mind and lifestyle.

“I get to do what I like to do every single day of the year.” – Warren Buffett

To find your passion, you must allow yourself a time for pleasure. For many people, allowing pleasures induces guilt as they tend to feel it is not productive and hinders you from getting important things accomplished. But this view of pleasure is actually a matter of opinion.

Gentle pleasures are good to your health and are productive. By allowing yourself time for pleasure, you become more focused and passionate in your job. Most importantly, you will have the right aura to decide what’s best for you and what your passion is.

5. Liberate yourself

A person who finds his or her passion is a truly wise person. Doing a work that reflects your personality and values promises you a lifelong happiness and contentment. It is easier and liberating when we accept who we are and we allow other people to accept us too. The human psyche is a holistic system, to numb one part of our being is to numb the rest and create constant struggle.

“Remain true to yourself and your philosophy.” – Giorgio Armani

To be able to discover and harness your passion, you must accept and appreciate who you are. I have seen people with talents that seem weird to others; I have also seen people with gifts that are psychic in nature but they get rejected by the society.

While in high school, I recall meeting a little girl who could tell you private things about your life just by simply looking your palm. I can’t really tell how she came about such ability but all I can say is that she was regarded as an outcast by her peers; she was called a sorcerer.

I also noticed in high school that most gifted kids are usually lonely; kids with artistic abilities or computer geeks are usually the loneliest. But I have also seen such kids who stuck with their passion not minding the jeering and booing, rise to become successful individuals. So don’t be discouraged when others laugh at your ability; instead, be proud of yourself and vow to positively utilize such abilities to its fullest.

"Do you know that within your power lies every step you ever dreamed of stepping and within your power lies every joy you ever dreamed of seeing? Within yourself lies everything you ever dreamed of being. Become everything that God wants you to be. It is within your reach. Dare to grow into your dreams and claim this as your motto: Let it be me." – Mary Kay Ash

6. Feed yourself with affirmations

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” – Proverbs 18:21

“A man is what he thinks all day long.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Positive affirmations are important to finding your passion in life as it makes you feel secure and optimistic about reaching your goals. A lot of people don’t get to their destinations out of fear of failure. You should not allow yourself to get upset by some downturns in life; instead, pull yourself together and get on track again.

“There is little difference in people but that little difference makes big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W. Clement Stone

“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45, Matthew 12:34

Some people might influence you into thinking negatively. I know it may not be so easy to shut them out of your life but it’s easier to practice blocking the negative energies that they bring into your life; it keeps your sanity. Never ever allow cynics and naysayers get the best of you. Remember, you are unique and you have a purpose or mission here on earth; so it’s up to you to find this purpose.

Discover your Purpose: What Do You Want to Be Remembered for after You Exit this World

“Be careful of your thought, for they may break into words.” – Anonymous

“As a man thinketh in his heart; so he is.” – The Holy Bible

As a final note, I want you to know that finding your passion is an endless song; an ever going process. You don’t just find your passion and sit there; instead, you find your passion and make something worthwhile out of it.

“I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them.” – Madame C. J. Walker

When you do the things that you are passionate about, you allow your life to flourish. You let yourself connect to everything you are – in mind, in heart, and in spirit. When you find and follow your passion, you emerge a stronger person that can face challenges better; because you are reinforced by being able to do the things you love.

By finding your passion and sticking to it; you feel more alive, positive, self-respecting, and determined. You live your life with confidence and high morale and the best of it all is that you feel you are contributing goodness and positivism to the people in your life. So I challenge you to get up, find your passion and make it a reality. I will see you at the top.

21 Ways to Improve your Public Speaking Skills in 21 Days or Less

Are you an entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you inspire to be like great business leaders and public speakers such as Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Mo Ibrahim, J. F. Kennedy, Barrack Obama, Winston Churchill and Zig Ziglar?

Do you have a strong desire to develop your public speaking skills or do you want to improve on your public speaking style? Do you know you can develop or improve your public speaking skills in 21 days or less? If you want to find out how, then read on.

In this article, I am going to reveal to you 21 smart ways to develop your public speaking skills in 21 days or less. Call it high speed learning and you won’t be wrong. So if you are prepared for this high speed learning, then read on as I share with you 21 smart ways to improve your public speaking skills in 21 days or less.

21 Ways to Improve your Public Speaking Skills in 21 Days or Less

1. Have a strong desire to improve your public speaking skills; desire to become an excellent public speaker. If you don’t have a strong desire to develop the necessary public speaking skills, then you will not be motivated to do what it takes to achieve the feat in 21 days.

2. Read books that will help you master the art of public speaking. I am talking about books such as “Effective Public Speaking” by Dale Carnegie and “The Art of Persuasion.”

3. Attend a public speaking training course or seminar. This step is highly recommended by master public speakers such as Warren Buffett. Warren Buffett credits his effective public speaking skills to a course he took under Dale Carnegie.

4. Listen to audio tapes or CDs on public speaking skills development.

5. Look for friends with the same goal and orientation; and work together with them towards developing or improving your public speaking skills.

6. Sign up for a public speaking training course online.

7. Volunteer to speak in shows or event that others avoid or don’t have time for.

8. Watch public speaking skills development videos prepared by great public speakers.

9. Look for a professional public speaker and seek mentorship from him or her. Propose to be his or her protégé in return for working for free.

10. Engage in positive arguments, discussions or debate with friends.

21 Ways to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills in 21 Days or Less

11. Read the speeches and written materials prepared by professional public speakers.

12. Join organizations where public speaking skills development is top priority. Example of such organization is Toastmaster.

13. Join a network marketing business that trains distributors on how to become great business leaders and public speakers.

14. Visit blogs, forums and websites that share public speaking skills development tips and spend some time there.

15. Look for a paid public speaking coaching service and sign up. This is all about getting a personal public speaking coach to guide you along the way.

16. Join business networks and exchange ideas and techniques with like minded people who are at the helm of affairs of great companies.

17. Attend business conferences or entrepreneurial summit. You may pick one or two public speaking inspiration by listening to young entrepreneurs, business executives and CEOs.

18. Listen to the speeches and addresses of great leaders and public speakers. You can decode the source of inspiration of these great business leaders by simply listening to their speeches.

19. Look for public speaking opportunities in your church or place of worship. You can volunteer to help with the announcements and addresses. Places of worships and societal gatherings are great places to hone your public speaking skills for free and even overcome your fear of rejection.

20. Develop the mindset required for public speaking. Remember, public speaking skills development must begin with a change of mindset or else; you will only be pouring water on a rock. You must develop your mindset to face your worst fears, handle criticism and rejection.

21 Ways to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills in 21 Days or Less

21. After reading books, attending seminars or trying out other effective public speaking techniques; you must remember to work on yourself. Learning how to be a good public speaker without putting what you learned into active practice is simply a waste of time and energy.

Working on yourself entails changing your perception towards failure, working on your appearance and acquiring the necessary skills needed to become a good public speaker. I am talking about public speaking skills such as communication skill, people skill and a good sense of humor. In fact, I will recommend you start by studying the traits of successful leaders and master public speakers; and work on yourself to develop such traits.

As a final note, I want to state that anyone can become a great leader and public speaker; all you need is a strong desire and unyielding resolve to achieve your desire. I wish you the best of luck; see you at the top.

21 Ways to Develop People Management Skills in 21 Days or Less

Are you an entrepreneur or an aspiring entrepreneur? Do you aspire to be like great business leaders such as Ingvar Kamprad, Richard Branson, Sam Walton, Jack Welch, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Mike Adenuga, Mo Ibrahim and Aliko Dangote?

Do you know have what it takes to forge a team out of your employees? Do you have what it takes to make people work voluntarily for you? Do you have what it takes to inspire your team and employees to greatness? Do you have a strong desire to develop your people skills? Do you know you can develop or improve your people management skills in 21 days or less? If you want to find out how, then read on.

In this article, I am going to reveal 21 smart ways to develop your people management skills in 21 days or less. Call it high speed learning and you won’t be wrong. People management skills and leadership skills go hand in hand; so if you are prepared for this high speed learning, then read on as I share with you 21 smart ways to develop good people skills in 21 days or less.

21 Ways to Develop Good People Management Skills in 21 Days or Less

1. Have a strong desire to develop your people management skills; you must desire to become a leader. If you don’t have a strong desire to develop the necessary people skills, then you will not be motivated to do what it takes to achieve the feat in 21 days.

2. Read books that will help you develop people management skills.

3. Attend a people management or leadership training course or seminar.

4. Listen to audio tapes or CDs on personal development, people skills and leadership skills development.

5. Look for friends with the same goal and orientation; and work together with them towards developing people skills.

6. Sign up for a leadership or people management training course online.

7. Volunteer to handle tasks and lead projects that others avoid.

8. Watch leadership skills development videos prepared by great leaders.

9. Look for a business leader and seek mentorship from him or her. Propose to be his or her protégé in return for working for free.

10. Watch inspiring movies where great leadership spirits and people skills were displayed. Examples of such movies are King Arthur, 300, Troy, Brave Heart, The Unit and Kingdom of heaven.

11. Read biographies and auto biographies of great leaders such as Sun Tzu, Andrew Carnegie, Sam Walton, Madame C. J. Walker and Mary Kay Ash.

21 Ways to Develop Good Leadership Skills in 21 Days or Less

12. Join organizations where leadership and people skills development is top priority. Example of such organization is Toastmaster.

13. Join a network marketing business that trains distributors on how to manage people and become great business leaders.

14. Visit blogs, forums and websites that share leadership or people management skill development tips and spend some time there.

15. Look for a paid leadership coaching service and sign up. This is all about getting a personal leadership coach to guide you along the way.

16. Join business networks and exchange people management skills ideas and techniques with like minded people who are at the helm of affairs of great companies.

17. Attend business conferences or entrepreneurial summit. You may pick leadership inspiration by listening to stories of how successful entrepreneurs handle business challenges and employee’s matters.

18. Read or listen to the speeches of great leaders. You can decode the inspiration tactics of these great business leaders by simply listening to their speeches.

19. When a situation arises that involves leading people on an assignment, project or anything; volunteer to lead.

20. Develop the mindset required for people skills development. Remember, people skills development must begin with a change of mindset or else; you will only be pouring water on a rock. You must develop tolerance and level of understanding when working with people.

21. After reading books, attending seminars or trying out other techniques; you must remember to work on yourself. Learning how to be a good leader without putting what you learned into active practice is simply a waste of time and energy.

Working on yourself entails changing your perception towards criticism and disappointment; working on your appearance and acquiring the necessary people skills needed to become a leader. I am talking about people management skills such as communication skill, delegation skill, negotiation skill and listening skill. In fact, I will recommend you start by studying the traits of successful entrepreneurs and leaders and work on yourself to develop such traits.

As a final note, I want to state that anyone can become a great people manager and leader; all you need is a strong desire and unyielding resolve to achieve your desire. I wish you the best of luck; see you at the top.