August Newsletter
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Turrisi Insights August, 2008 - Vol 1, Issue 8 |
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Partnering With Our Clients in The Achievement of Their Vision, Corporate Goals and Business Objectives | |
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Food For Thought |
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Did you know? 
Question: Why doesn't drinking water cool your mouth after eating spicy food?
Answer: The spices in most of the hot foods that we eat are oily, and, like your elementary school science teacher taught you, oil and water don't mix. In this case, the water just rolls over the oily spices.
So what can you do to calm your aching tongue? Try one of these three methods. Eat bread. The bread will absorb the oily spices. A second solution is to drink milk. Milk contains a substance called "casein" which will bind to the spices and carry them away. Finally, you could drink something alcoholic. Alcohol will dissolve the oily spices. (Good reason for a drink!!!)
Question: They weren't invented in France, so why does everybody call them "French fries?"
Answer: It's true, the French fry wasn't invented in France. (Its origin is probably Belgian.) But the "French" in French fries doesn't refer to its country of origin. It refers to the way in which this side dish is prepared.
Food that is cut into strips is said to be "Frenched." Since French fries are strips of potato that have been fried, they became known as French fried potatoes, or "French fries."
Question: Why is it called a "hamburger" if it doesn't contain ham?
Answer: At first glance, it seems that the word "hamburger" is a combination of the words "ham" and "burger." Therefore, one naturally assumes that a hamburger is a burger that contains ham. But the word "hamburger" actually traces its roots back to HamburgGermany, where people used to eat a similar food called the "Hamburg steak." Eventually, the Hamburg steak made its way to the United States, where people shortened its name to "hamburger."
Submitted by Rod Seba
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| Dear Alfred, |
Welcome to our monthly newsletter, "Turrisi Insights", which has been developed as informative reading material for business leaders and managers. We hope you will find this newsletter to be interesting and valuable to your business.
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| Effective Communication |
 As we think about our everyday life we find most problems occur because we have failed to communicate clearly with someone. If we take a moment to think about why, in almost every case, we find that someone did not listen to what was said. This holds true in sales as well as in our personal lives.
If we are to have effective communication with each person we talk with we must "Tune the world out and the person in" This action allows us to build rapport and trust much quicker with the person, to whom we are talking. The more trust between you and them, the more openly they will share information. The rapport and trust you have will only increase if you follow this simple action guide each time you communicate with people.
The following are 10 Do's and 10 Don'ts that will improve your listening skills and overall communication. Do...
· Be patient
· Make eye contact
· Take brief notes of key points
· Offer nonverbal and verbal encouragement (facial expressions, head nodding, 'mm-hmms')
· Read between the lines for the emotional message - wants, frustrations, etc.
· Allow for periods of silence
· Let the person speak as long as they want
· Ask clarifying questions at the end
· Summarize what's been covered
· Assume you haven't understood everything correctly
Don't...
· Half-listen, filter or selectively listen
· Make assumptions about what clients mean before they say something
· Jump to conclusions
· Be too eager to talk about your solution
· Agree too readily, without hearing the customer out
· Interrupt
· Finish the client's sentences
· Daydream
· Take so many notes that you never look up
· Click your pen, tap your fingers or otherwise distract the customer or yourself Being courteous and attentive when you are communicating with people always allows them to share more detailed information and feel good about doing so.
Practicing these tips and following an action plan for twenty one to twenty eight days will make it a habit for you. Once you do this automatically your sales will increase and day-to-day communication with everyone will improve.
Regardless of how well you know someone, show them you really care, actively listen "Really Listen" to what they say each time you talk to them. Source: Billy Williams, President of People Development Company, Silver City, NC.
You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.
- John Wooden
The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.
- Theodore Roosevelt | | |
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| Tips & Techniques For Dealing With Overtly Angry Behavior |
1. When an employee expresses anger, deal with it as soon as possible. That doesn't mean in two weeks! By showing a desire to make time to discuss the situation, you are showing that you are concerned, and value the employee and his or her perceptions and feelings. Many performance problems reach crisis proportions as a result of delay in dealing with anger. 
2. Certain situations require privacy for discussion since some people will be unwilling to air their feelings at a public staff meeting. However, if anger is expressed in a staff meeting, you can develop a positive climate in the organization by dealing effectively with it in public. One technique is to ask the angry employee whether they would like to discuss it now, or prefer to talk about it privately. Let them call the shot. 3. Always allow the employee to talk. Don't interrupt. If they are hesitant to talk, encourage them by using a concerned, non-defensive tone and manner, and gently use questions. For example:
"You seem a bit upset. I would like to help even if you are angry at me. What's up?"
4. If an employee refuses to talk about what's bothering them, consider adjourning by saying:
"I can understand that you are hesitant to talk about this, but we would probably both be better off if we got it out in the open. Let's leave it for a few days and come back to it" Then follow up on the conversation.
5. Respond to the employee's feelings first, not the issue underlying the feelings. Use empathy first by saying something like:
"It sounds like you are pretty annoyed with me. I would like to hear your opinion."
6. Before stating "your side" or your perception of the situation, make sure you have heard what the person said. Use active listening.
"George, if I understand you correctly, you are angry because you feel that I have not given you very challenging assignments, and you feel that I don't have any confidence in your abilities. Is that right?"
7. If the employee's perceptions do not match your perceptions express your perceptions in a way that tries to put you and the employee on the same side. Your job is not to prove the employee wrong (even if they are). Trying to prove the employee is incorrect is likely to increase the anger level even if you are right.
"George, I am sorry you feel that way. Let me explain what I think has happened so you can understand my thinking. Then we can work this out together."
8. A technique used by expert negotiators is to establish agreement about something. Before getting into the issues themselves, lay the groundwork by finding something the two of you agree on. Again, the point here is to convey the message that you are on the same side.
For example:
"George, I think we agree that we don't want this issue to continue to interfere with our enjoyment of our work. Is that accurate?"
9. At the end of a discussion of this sort, check with the employee to see how they are feeling. The general pattern is: a) Deal with feelings first b) Move to issues and problem-solving c) Go back to feelings (check it out)
Ask the employee if they are satisfied with the situation, or simply ask "Do you feel a bit better?" You may not always get a completely honest response, so be alert to tone of voice and non-verbal cues.
If it appears that the employee is still upset or angry, you may want to let it pass for the moment. Allow the person to think about the situation away from you, THEN follow-up in a day or two. This is important because someone who is angry initially may "lose face" by letting the anger go immediately. Or, the employee might just need time to think about your discussion.
Good luck! Source: Work911 - Reproduce permission by Bacal & Associates | |
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Do you have the right people in place to execute the strategies necessary to achieve your corporate sales goals?
We are Sales Force experts. For over twenty years we have worked with business owners to grow their businesses. We know what makes a salesperson successful. We can identify who will sell and who will just waste your time and money. Our proven process, customized for your unique business, will weed out those candidates who will never sell at the level you need them to and you will never see them. Our revolutionary recruiting system saves you time and money in the hiring process and results in new hires who will sell. Visit Our Web Site Today and See How We Can Help You! http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=sca57pcab.0.0.pkgapgcab.0&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.turrisiassociates.com%2F&id=preview |
Al Turrisi, President
Turrisi & Associates | |
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