Rules of Engagement Tip from Pat Ferdinandi of SBDi Consulting

I attended a Boot Camp by who I consider to be the number one presenter about sales (and life) alive today. Jeffrey Gitomer (Gitomer.com) gave a 3-day workshop that was advertised as "personal, one-on-one coaching." I registered immediately. I then called and asked how many people would be attending. "Oh, about 200." I almost cancelled the class. I couldn't see how anyone could give one-on-one coaching to a group of 200 people.

Well, he did! BIG TIME! The course was worth every cent and every minute of my time. This is how the master, Jeffrey Gitomer, did it.

Point 1. He set the stage. His famous quote: "Don't say to yourself I already know that. Ask yourself how good are you at that." Yes, I use this line all the time because it makes sense of everything. The biggest successes in business continually ask themselves, how good am I at that.

Point 2. Jeff looked everyone straight in the eyes. He didn't look over their heads, he didn't look at their belts. He looked each one of us right in the eye.

Point 3. He used stories that everyone, including me, could relate to. Simple stories. Each one made a point. We all could say, yes, I can relate to that.

Point 4. He paused after every point. He gave us the opportunity to absorb it, analyze it, and customize it to ourselves.

Point 5. Jeffrey Gitomer made himself available during breaks. Anyone could walk up to him and talk to him individually. I was actually surprised how many people didn't take advantage of this.

Point 6. He gave a day's notice that he would be accepting questions as long as they were written down and provided to his assistant ahead of the lecture. A great idea that stops the grand-standing people that really just want to hear themselves talk. He then spent two hours going over each question. The question appeared on an overhead, but he still recited them, paused, gave an answer, and paused again. I was amazed how few questions were actually asked. I submitted two.

Point 7. His company had name tags created. They were rather long. We were asked to submit answers to specific questions before the class. He took our answers and had them printed on the name tag. These were ice-breakers. They provided personal information about us (our favorite food, sports team, etc) that others could quickly read and assimilate. An instant conversation starter. I personally made a point to sit at a different table at every opportunity. I didn't have to worry about what to say, it was right there on everyone's name tag. I met so many people and I actually found future business partners.

Point 8. He told us all to prepare a 2-minute speech to sell something. At the "camp," he asked for volunteers to notify his staff in the back. Only 10 would be chosen. Of course, I volunteered. As with the other 7 (he didn't get 10 to volunteer), I gave my 2 minute speech. I then sat down with him for a moment where he tweaked the speech. I then gave it again to the audience.

Point 9. Starting with the first session, Jeffrey gave away books, CD's, and other trinkets to remind you afterwards about the lessons he was teaching. He gave extra VALUE first. It was not expected but WOWed us all.

Point 10. His presentation had one bullet per slide. They were in bold letters and large font. They only stated the one point he was making. He did have some pictures which involved personal stories about him to help us all connect with him. No graphs, no music, no flash, and no advanced fly-in power point features. He kept it simple. He made his points and we all got it.

Point 10.5 See below.

The point here is that he did give one-on-one attention. He engaged each of us with his eye contact. He gave us tools to practice and use. Some individuals, like myself, took that extra step to get more from the boot camp. Jeffrey's point was that he made you feel as if you were getting one-on-one attention. He also provided those that wanted it, extra time and opportunities to stretch.

For me, I found a mentor that is a master. I watched him carefully. I listened intently. I kept in check that it wasn't about my knowing something but how good was I at it. The difference between me and so many other attendees was that I took the opportunity to learn more.

Mentors are around if you want to be a student. Mentors do not have to be available to only talk to you over coffee. They must be masters at a skill that you want to enhance. They will provide avenues for you to watch, listen, and learn. It is up to you to take what you need, learn, and strengthen a desired skill.

I knew that my sales skills could be enhanced. I wanted to be a student and was introduced to Jeffrey Gitomer. Mr. Gitomer doesn't know me from his millions of clients. Though I have purchased his books, I'm certainly not his biggest customer.

I can say that he is one of my many mentors. He's a master at his many crafts. I get one-on-one lessons because I am a student that takes advantage of learning as much as possible to get better at what I do and do not know. I customize the lessons to my specific situation.

Now for the 10.5. If anyone has read any of his material or heard Jeffrey Gitomer at a seminar or video rant, they know that he ALWAYS provides a little extra. A ".5" to every list. It is his WOW factor formula.

My question to you:

What is your ".5"?

What is your little extra that you give anyone?

That ".5" shows mentors that you are serious and understand the basic rule of "give a little extra value."

Go find the right mentors by allowing only masters of a skill to be on your list?. Start by wanting to be a student. The mentors (in many forms) will appear. Accept that although you may know something, there is always room for improvement. Be the master of your own customized training.

Find a mentor that is a master at engaging!

SBDi speaks both Business and IT languages. Bring SBDi in to help communication between both organizations. Let us help you find the right flexible solution that will help business increase revenue.

Pat Ferdinandi, Chief Thought Translator