ATTENTION DECODED

Patience is not a common descriptive word for the observations you make during your morning commute.  However, you can learn a lot about why people are impatient by understanding road rage.   There is anger present when we observe acts of road rage. It exists at such an intense level, yet strangely, that degree of anger is something we observe most frequently from the vantage point of our vehicle while looking at the other cars around us. Crowds and crowded spaces have never brought on universal feelings of relaxation for humans as a species, but a crowd of cars with people in them just seems to amplify feelings of aggression. But why? Some Answers: An interesting cognitive process happens to people when they become angry in a car.   The car that we are driving becomes an extension of ourselves literally because we physically control how it moves similarly to how we are able to control how we move outside a vehicle. ...

Shortcuts will present themselves in life but be warned, some ethical sacrifices will have to be made. How much damage could one bad ethical choice cost though? It is hard to be sure what the cost would be sometimes isn't it? Especially when we have seen others  "get away with it". Does it matter how you "win" so long as you win? Does it matter if you cut a corner so long as you are pretty sure no one will get hurt? It can be tempting to break a rule or two when you "think" no one will suffer. It is up to you to answer those questions but just to clarify... Winning is not winning if you got there by cheating and someone almost always will get hurt. In business if you break your word you risk more than a reprimand... You are risking your brand and your career. Here is a statistic on how truth works: Tell 1000 truths and people will call you trustworthy. Tell one lie...and the other 999 truths you told will be up for debate. The content of your ...

Persuasion is not about telling, explaining, or proving your point... Persuasion is about asking.   Asking is a tactic for making your client feel unique, important, and understood by you. It is a dynamic for your service that should begin at the very beginning of the partnership. Asking is how you will discover what is most important to a prospect... Their URGENCY You should consider a prospects urgency the reason you are involved with them. After all, if there is no urgency or motivation then they do not need you. Later, when problems arise… Persuasion is when you ask your client if the problem is worth forsaking what is most important to them. If you do not know what motivates your clients you have no material to use for reminding them of their initial incentives. Always remember their initial incentives are why you became involved with them in the first place. When emotions run high your clients will not always have the capa...

The Realtor on the other side of the transaction has been incredibly difficult. You name it; they have challenged you with it. From the inspection report demands to surprising you with the “one more thing or we do not have a deal” threat… You have been taken through the mud by this person. You have tried to be reasonable. You have done everything you can to meet them halfway. And here you are, nearing the end of the transaction and they have thrown yet another curve-ball. If this has happened to you then you have at some point ask yourself:   “what is going to make this broker back off?!” Try this: Stop being predictable. These agents are banking on handling you the same way they have handled every other broker before you. They anticipate how you will negotiate/react... And after years of practice they have learned that staying in attack mode works. Every time you respond to th...

Consumers have high expectations. We know that consumers have high expectations because of the disappointment that can be detected in their negative reviews. Experiences that fall short of promised expectations are why customer satisfaction ratings consistently show up in product/service reviews. Almost every unsatisfied review you will encounter has the language of: "I thought this would be better" or "we expected a different experience" and “we are so disappointed”. If the products and services we are offered were required to include a disclosure of a possible negative experience then it would be harder for people to say they were misled and are now disappointed. If all service people were honest then they would all say: "it is possible that something goes wrong with your experience, we simply can not guarantee anything other than doing our best". But the reality-most services and products do not warn us of our potential disapp...

Never take it literally when a kind person says: “no need to thank me, it is my job” or "It was my pleasure". If a person does something thoughtful or something that helps you, acknowledge them. They should hear your gratitude from time to time. This includes all of the people in your life. Your Spouse... Your leader/boss... Your co- worker... Your understanding clients who stick by you… Your thoughtful neighbor... Everyone needs to hear out loud that you appreciate his or her efforts. Especially when that effort is on your behalf. Even if their effort is a socially accepted duty as a participating member of your family... Even if it is your co- workers job to support you... Acknowledge these individuals. It may be the responsibility of many people to support us over the course of our lives but how many individuals really come through for us? Consistently, without complaining or getting tired of supporting us…. How many? ...

First... Forget what you thought resolving conflict should sound like. Conflicts do not have to be confrontational. Some of you are thinking: “Ha! But you do not know how he is!...he always thinks he is right.” I do know. I know because he is always the person we want to avoid having a conflict with because we know he is never open to hearing anyone's opinion… Just because there is a difference of opinion does not mean the conversation has to be one person versus the other. Even if you are dealing with an individual who has always made you feel like it is always their opinion that counts most… And I know conversations with those people have always gone the same way.   There is always this feeling you are left with that they are in disbelief you could think your way on the topic and not see it their way. To the point you now avoid conversations about a conflict with them completely. What if you did not have to necessarily go against their t...