Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in hand, apparently deep in thought. Or is he dozing? Actually, he’s about to take a crucial first step in winning a new account.

Holly is on her way to see a potential client when a flash of insight radically changes her strategy for the meeting. An hour later she has a contract for a six-figure account plus a substantial signing bonus.

Mark ponders and Holly has an ah-hah moment. Yet they’re both doing the same thing - they’re checking in with their intuition before making a sales call. Why? They’ve discovered that the insights and promptings they get from their “inner voices” can help them score more sales more easily than when they go it alone.

Make Intuition Your Ally - Intuition is the secret weapon of many successful sales leaders. Ask them about it, though, and they’re likely to describe it as “gut instinct.” Sound familiar? Of course it does, because whether you admit it or not, you’re highly likely to have experienced it yourself, and just as likely to have ignored its messages.

The fact is, everyone receives intuitive information. It’s both a gift and a skill, and the more you practice it the better you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you? Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash of insight, a gut reaction? Do you simply just know? Roy Rowan, author of a study on intuition, said, “This feeling, this little whisper from deep inside your brain, may contain far more information - both facts and impressions - than you’re likely to obtain from hours of analyzing data.”

Ask Your Intuition Questions - My friend Mark, who you met at the beginning of this article, is a national sales leader in his industry. When I asked him how he explains his success he told me that before he meets with a client he asks his intuition a series of questions such as, “What do I need to know about this company?” “What is the best way to approach the decision maker?” “What should I know about who I’m competing against for this sale?” “What can I do to win this account?” He sits with pen in hand and quiets his thoughts. The answers come to him as he writes. Mark’s competition scratches their heads.

Keep Your “Inner Sales Person” Positive - Pay attention to what you tell yourself about your sales prospects and your life. If your “self-talk” is positive and optimistic your personal and business life will reflect that. Try a simple experiment. Close your eyes and say the following to yourself for about 30 seconds: “I’ll never get ahead. I’m not good at sales. I won’t make my quota this month.” How do you feel? Depressed? Demoralized? Hopeless?

Now do the same experiment and focus on these statements: “Things have a way of working out.” “I’m learning some new skills and things are beginning to change for me.” “Today I’ll take steps that will open up opportunities for more income.” Now how do you feel? Hopeful? Optimistic? More confident? When you’re in this state it’s much easier for you to be open to intuitive messages pointing you to avenues of increased prosperity.

Know Your Gut, Know Your Client - Successfully making the sale requires that you process hundreds of pieces of information subconsciously. You must develop and trust your ability to use your intuition to read between the lines. Do you press a client for the sale, or do you back off and wait? Are they motivated by the lowest price you can offer or is the quality of your product or service the prime impetus for buying from you? Many times, logic and analysis will provide that information. On other occasions, your gut feelings or instincts - your intuition - will provide the answers.

Use the Power of Silence - As any good salesperson will tell you, “Sometimes the best thing to do is ’shut up.’” But there are times when you also need to silence your mind to receive valuable intuitive insight. When you need help making a decision - pause - take a deep breath, reflect on the question and allow the intuitive impressions to come to you. Intuition is often described as “still and quiet.” It doesn’t usually answer in a big, booming voice. It is much subtler. Pay attention to any images you receive, words you hear, physical sensations you experience or emotions you feel. These are all ways that intuition will communicate with you. Write down any impressions you receive. Some people find that intuitive insights will pop into their mind immediately. For others, it may come later in the day when they least expect it.

Make Your Enthusiasm Work for You - Intuition often communicates its message through passion and excitement. The root of the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, entheos. It literally means, “God within.” If a sales strategy or decision leaves you feeling drained or bored, that’s a clear message from your “inner guidance” saying, “Don’t go there.” Conversely, if you feel energized and enthusiastic, your intuition is giving you the green light to continue with your plan of action.

Envision Your Success - Spend time each day imagining your ideal life. Envision the details of that life. Imagine you are living it now. What are you wearing? What are you feeling? Who are the people around you? We are often quite clear about what we don’t want. The path to success comes from spending time thinking about what you do want. What does an ideal day, month or year look like to you? Being clear about what you want is often the first step in being able to create it. Successful people visualize their goals and dreams. Your intuition can help you achieve success when you know what you want to achieve.

Write it Down - Many people have great success receiving intuitive information through writing. This technique is similar to brainstorming. Write a series of questions about your choices. Suppose you have to make a decision to fill a position in your company. You might write, “If I hire Mary will the company’s sales increase?” “If I hire her will this be a positive choice? “What are her strengths?” “What are her weaknesses?” When you’ve completed your questions, write the answers quickly just as they come to you. Repeat your intuitive Q&A about each potential employee and then assess the results.

Take the time, make the sale - Be sure to set aside time to routinely check in with your intuition. It won’t be long before you’ll be experiencing faster, stronger and more accurate insights. Though intuition can be described as a secret weapon, there’s no big secret about how to use it. Follow the suggestions I’ve outlined above, and begin now to enjoy the rewards of this powerful competitive advantage.

2003 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in all media.
–

Lynn Robinson is one of the nation’s leading experts on intuition. As a business advisor, she provides vital insights on goals, strategies and critical decisions. She is a best-selling author of three books, including Compass of the Soul. Lynn has appeared on Fox Cable News and in The New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe and Boston Business Journal. Contact: 1-800-925-4002 or www.LynnRobinson.com.

You know you need to use your intuition, but how to proceed?
If IQ, training, and technical skills were all it takes, wed make every sale, and hit the nail on the head every time. Intuitively we know we need more than that; we need to use our intuition. But just how does crucial emotional intelligence competency work?

I interviewed some experts in intuition for clarification.

IT STARTS BEFORE YOU GET THERE

According to Nancy Fenn, The Intuition Coach, whos been coaching over 15 years, its an ongoing process that starts even before you make the contact. Take a few minutes before you call or see the person to visualize them clearly in your mind, she says. Think of one thing about the person that distinguishes them from all others.

Nancy also advises that you use their name. Using someones name summons them to appear and stand at attention intuitively, she says.

MORE TIPS

Positive affirmations are important, Intuitionists agree. Affirm that everything youre going to say and do will prosper you and the other person and work together for your mutual good.

Let the conversation go where it goes. If you let the horse run, it will return to the stable on its own, says Nancy. Stay focuses within, but in the meantime, youll have indulged everyones love of talking about what matters to them, built rapport, and made some discoveries about the persons needs that will increase your ability to serve them.

Listen! Learn! Helping a client, or selling to them, is about finding out what their needs and problems are. You can only do this when you listen.

Promise yourself youll learn one new interesting thing about this person during the interaction.

LOOK AROUND BE ATTENTIVE

Be attentive to the person, but also to your surroundings. If youre in person, and kept waiting, for instance, or they have to take a phone call, look around.

Pick up on prominent colors, says Nancy, items that indicate personal interests, photographs, amount of neatness or clutter, plants or lack thereof, type and condition of the rug, kind of chair the person sits in, personal jewelry, etc.

WITHOUT JUDGEMENT

Do this utterly without judgment, the Intuition Coach adds. All these things trigger your intuition.

HOW YOU ARE

Mirror. Something else you can do that will aid the encounter is to mirror the other persons sitting or standing position. This builds instant rapport and top salespeople do this instinctively. They sit back, you sit back. They lean forward, you lean forward. Try this. They wont even notice, I promise you.

The message you convey when you do this is were working together for our mutual greater good.

Stay grounded. When youre not mirroring the other persons posture, keep both your feet on the ground. This will ground you and help you stay centered.

AFFIRM

Finally, affirm that everything that takes place during the interaction is leading to your desired goal and mutual benefit. Then youll relax, let go, and be amenable to intuition.

About the Author

Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, GLOBAL EQ. Emotional intelligence coaching to enhance all areas of your life - career, relationships, midlife transition, resilience, self-esteem, parenting. EQ Alive! - excellent, accelerated, affordable EQ coach certification. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks, is widely published on the Internet, and a regular speaker for cruise lines. For marketing services go here.

Tags: Tuition Research

Mark sits at his desk with his eyes closed, pen in hand, apparently deep in thought. Or is he dozing? Actually, he’s about to take a crucial first step in winning a new account.

Holly is on her way to see a potential client when a flash of insight radically changes her strategy for the meeting. An hour later she has a contract for a six-figure account plus a substantial signing bonus.

Mark ponders and Holly has an ah-hah moment. Yet they’re both doing the same thing - they’re checking in with their intuition before making a sales call. Why? They’ve discovered that the insights and promptings they get from their “inner voices” can help them score more sales more easily than when they go it alone.

Make Intuition Your Ally - Intuition is the secret weapon of many successful sales leaders. Ask them about it, though, and they’re likely to describe it as “gut instinct.” Sound familiar? Of course it does, because whether you admit it or not, you’re highly likely to have experienced it yourself, and just as likely to have ignored its messages.

The fact is, everyone receives intuitive information. It’s both a gift and a skill, and the more you practice it the better you get at it. How does your intuition speak to you? Do you receive information in words, feelings, a flash of insight, a gut reaction? Do you simply just know? Roy Rowan, author of a study on intuition, said, “This feeling, this little whisper from deep inside your brain, may contain far more information - both facts and impressions - than you’re likely to obtain from hours of analyzing data.”

Ask Your Intuition Questions - My friend Mark, who you met at the beginning of this article, is a national sales leader in his industry. When I asked him how he explains his success he told me that before he meets with a client he asks his intuition a series of questions such as, “What do I need to know about this company?” “What is the best way to approach the decision maker?” “What should I know about who I’m competing against for this sale?” “What can I do to win this account?” He sits with pen in hand and quiets his thoughts. The answers come to him as he writes. Mark’s competition scratches their heads.

Keep Your “Inner Sales Person” Positive - Pay attention to what you tell yourself about your sales prospects and your life. If your “self-talk” is positive and optimistic your personal and business life will reflect that. Try a simple experiment. Close your eyes and say the following to yourself for about 30 seconds: “I’ll never get ahead. I’m not good at sales. I won’t make my quota this month.” How do you feel? Depressed? Demoralized? Hopeless?

Now do the same experiment and focus on these statements: “Things have a way of working out.” “I’m learning some new skills and things are beginning to change for me.” “Today I’ll take steps that will open up opportunities for more income.” Now how do you feel? Hopeful? Optimistic? More confident? When you’re in this state it’s much easier for you to be open to intuitive messages pointing you to avenues of increased prosperity.

Know Your Gut, Know Your Client - Successfully making the sale requires that you process hundreds of pieces of information subconsciously. You must develop and trust your ability to use your intuition to read between the lines. Do you press a client for the sale, or do you back off and wait? Are they motivated by the lowest price you can offer or is the quality of your product or service the prime impetus for buying from you? Many times, logic and analysis will provide that information. On other occasions, your gut feelings or instincts - your intuition - will provide the answers.

Use the Power of Silence - As any good salesperson will tell you, “Sometimes the best thing to do is ’shut up.’” But there are times when you also need to silence your mind to receive valuable intuitive insight. When you need help making a decision - pause - take a deep breath, reflect on the question and allow the intuitive impressions to come to you. Intuition is often described as “still and quiet.” It doesn’t usually answer in a big, booming voice. It is much subtler. Pay attention to any images you receive, words you hear, physical sensations you experience or emotions you feel. These are all ways that intuition will communicate with you. Write down any impressions you receive. Some people find that intuitive insights will pop into their mind immediately. For others, it may come later in the day when they least expect it.

Make Your Enthusiasm Work for You - Intuition often communicates its message through passion and excitement. The root of the word enthusiasm comes from the Greek, entheos. It literally means, “God within.” If a sales strategy or decision leaves you feeling drained or bored, that’s a clear message from your “inner guidance” saying, “Don’t go there.” Conversely, if you feel energized and enthusiastic, your intuition is giving you the green light to continue with your plan of action.

Envision Your Success - Spend time each day imagining your ideal life. Envision the details of that life. Imagine you are living it now. What are you wearing? What are you feeling? Who are the people around you? We are often quite clear about what we don’t want. The path to success comes from spending time thinking about what you do want. What does an ideal day, month or year look like to you? Being clear about what you want is often the first step in being able to create it. Successful people visualize their goals and dreams. Your intuition can help you achieve success when you know what you want to achieve.

Write it Down - Many people have great success receiving intuitive information through writing. This technique is similar to brainstorming. Write a series of questions about your choices. Suppose you have to make a decision to fill a position in your company. You might write, “If I hire Mary will the company’s sales increase?” “If I hire her will this be a positive choice? “What are her strengths?” “What are her weaknesses?” When you’ve completed your questions, write the answers quickly just as they come to you. Repeat your intuitive Q&A about each potential employee and then assess the results.

Take the time, make the sale - Be sure to set aside time to routinely check in with your intuition. It won’t be long before you’ll be experiencing faster, stronger and more accurate insights. Though intuition can be described as a secret weapon, there’s no big secret about how to use it. Follow the suggestions I’ve outlined above, and begin now to enjoy the rewards of this powerful competitive advantage.

2003 Lynn Robinson, M.Ed. All rights reserved in all media.
–

Lynn Robinson is one of the nation’s leading experts on intuition. As a business advisor, she provides vital insights on goals, strategies and critical decisions. She is a best-selling author of three books, including Compass of the Soul. Lynn has appeared on Fox Cable News and in The New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe and Boston Business Journal. Contact: 1-800-925-4002 or www.LynnRobinson.com.

You know you need to use your intuition, but how to proceed?
If IQ, training, and technical skills were all it takes, wed make every sale, and hit the nail on the head every time. Intuitively we know we need more than that; we need to use our intuition. But just how does crucial emotional intelligence competency work?

I interviewed some experts in intuition for clarification.

IT STARTS BEFORE YOU GET THERE

According to Nancy Fenn, The Intuition Coach, whos been coaching over 15 years, its an ongoing process that starts even before you make the contact. Take a few minutes before you call or see the person to visualize them clearly in your mind, she says. Think of one thing about the person that distinguishes them from all others.

Nancy also advises that you use their name. Using someones name summons them to appear and stand at attention intuitively, she says.

MORE TIPS

Positive affirmations are important, Intuitionists agree. Affirm that everything youre going to say and do will prosper you and the other person and work together for your mutual good.

Let the conversation go where it goes. If you let the horse run, it will return to the stable on its own, says Nancy. Stay focuses within, but in the meantime, youll have indulged everyones love of talking about what matters to them, built rapport, and made some discoveries about the persons needs that will increase your ability to serve them.

Listen! Learn! Helping a client, or selling to them, is about finding out what their needs and problems are. You can only do this when you listen.

Promise yourself youll learn one new interesting thing about this person during the interaction.

LOOK AROUND BE ATTENTIVE

Be attentive to the person, but also to your surroundings. If youre in person, and kept waiting, for instance, or they have to take a phone call, look around.

Pick up on prominent colors, says Nancy, items that indicate personal interests, photographs, amount of neatness or clutter, plants or lack thereof, type and condition of the rug, kind of chair the person sits in, personal jewelry, etc.

WITHOUT JUDGEMENT

Do this utterly without judgment, the Intuition Coach adds. All these things trigger your intuition.

HOW YOU ARE

Mirror. Something else you can do that will aid the encounter is to mirror the other persons sitting or standing position. This builds instant rapport and top salespeople do this instinctively. They sit back, you sit back. They lean forward, you lean forward. Try this. They wont even notice, I promise you.

The message you convey when you do this is were working together for our mutual greater good.

Stay grounded. When youre not mirroring the other persons posture, keep both your feet on the ground. This will ground you and help you stay centered.

AFFIRM

Finally, affirm that everything that takes place during the interaction is leading to your desired goal and mutual benefit. Then youll relax, let go, and be amenable to intuition.

About the Author

Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach, GLOBAL EQ. Emotional intelligence coaching to enhance all areas of your life - career, relationships, midlife transition, resilience, self-esteem, parenting. EQ Alive! - excellent, accelerated, affordable EQ coach certification. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks, is widely published on the Internet, and a regular speaker for cruise lines. For marketing services go here.

Tags: Tuition Research