Tony Robbins: 6 Basic Needs That Make Us Tick

I've seen it a million times--people can equate their net worth with their self worth. Their identity is married so deeply to their bank statements and quarterly portfolio reports that they’ve forgotten that money is simply a vehicle for trying to meet our needs, almost all of which are not financial. We're all familiar with the cliche that money cannot buy happiness, but I'm convinced that almost everybody has to learn that lesson the hard way because let's face it; the idea of having enough money to throw at your problems until they're solved is a seductive impulse.

It certainly was something I constantly thought about as a kid. Growing up, money was always out of reach. It was always a source of stress because there was never enough of it. I remember knocking on the neighbor’s door to ask for food for my brother and sister and me.

Then, on a Thanksgiving Day when I was 11 years old, something happened that changed my life forever. As usual, there was no food in the house, and my parents were fighting. I heard someone knocking at the front door. I opened it a crack and saw a man standing on the steps with grocery bags filled with enough food for a big Thanksgiving dinner. I could hardly believe it.

Fast forward several years to when I was 17. I saved my money from working nights as a janitor and went out on Thanksgiving and fed two families. It was one of the most moving experiences of my life. I’d learned the joy of giving and to this day I consider contribution to be one of the six most important things every person needs.

Whatever emotion you’re after, whatever vehicle you pursue—building a business, getting married, raising a family, traveling the world—whatever you think your nirvana is, there are six basic, universal needs that make us tick and drive all human behavior. Combined, they are the force behind the crazy things (other) people do and the great things we do. ;) We all have the same six needs, but how we value those needs and in what order, determines the direction of our life.

Need 1: Certainty/Comfort

The first human need is the need for Certainty. It’s our need to feel in control and to know what’s coming next so we can feel secure. It’s the need for basic comfort, the need to avoid pain and stress, and also to create pleasure. Our need for certainty is a survival mechanism. It affects how much risk we’re willing to take in life—in our jobs, in our investments, and in our relationships. The higher the need for certainty, the less risk you’ll be willing to take or emotionally bear. By the way, this is where your real “risk tolerance” comes from.

Need 2: Uncertainty/Variety

Let me ask you a question: Do you like surprises? If you answered “yes,” you’re kidding yourself! You like the surprises you want. The ones you don’t want, you call problems! But you still need them to put some muscle in your life. You can’t grow muscle—or character—unless you have something to push back against.

Need 3: Significance

We all need to feel important, special, unique, or needed. So how do some of us get significance? You can get it by earning billions of dollars, or collecting academic degrees—distinguishing yourself with a master’s or a PhD. You can build a giant Twitter following. Or you can go on The Bachelor or become the next Real Housewife of Orange County. Some do it by putting tattoos and piercings all over themselves and in places we don’twant to know about. You can get significance by having more or bigger problems than anybody else. “You think your husband’s a dirt bag, take mine for a day!” Of course, you can also get it by being more spiritual (or pretending to be).

Spending a lot of money can make you feel significant, and so can spending very little. We all know people who constantly brag about their bargains, or who feel special because they heat their homes with cow manure and sunlight. Some very wealthy people gain significance by hiding their wealth. Like the late Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart and for a time the richest man in America, who drove around Bentonville, Arkansas, in his old pickup, demonstrating he didn’t need a Bentley—but of course, he did have his own private fleet of jets standing by.

Significance is also a money maker—that’s where my dear friend Steve Wynn has made his fortune. The man who made Las Vegas what it is today knows people will pay for anything they believe is “the best,” anything that makes them feel special, unique or important, anything that makes them stand out from the crowd. He provides the most exclusive, luxurious experiences imaginable in his casinos and hotels—they are truly magnificent and unmatched in the world.

Need 4: Love & Connection

The fourth basic need is Love and Connection. Love is the oxygen of life; it’s what we all want and need most. When we love completely we feel alive, but when we lose love, the pain is so great that most people settle on connection, the crumbs of love. You can get that sense of connection or love through intimacy, or friendship, or prayer, or walking in nature. If nothing else works, you can get a dog.

These first four needs are what I call the needs of the personality. We all find ways to meet these—whether by working harder, coming up with a big problem, or creating stories to rationalize them. The last two are the needs of the spirit. These are more rare—not everyone meets these. When these needs are met, we truly feel fulfilled. 

Need 5: Growth

If you’re not growing, you’re dying. If a relationship is not growing, if a business is not growing, if you’re not growing, it doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank, how many friends you have, how many people love you—you’re not going to experience real fulfillment. And the reason we grow, I believe, is so we have something of value to give.

Need 6: Contribution

Corny as it may sound, the secret to living is giving. Life’s not about me; it’sabout we. Think about it, what’s the first thing you do when you get good or exciting news? You call somebody you love and share it. Sharing enhances everything you experience.

Life is really about creating meaning. And meaning does not come from what you get, it comes from what you give. Ultimately it’s not what you get that will make you happy long term, but rather who you become and what you contribute will.

Now think about how money can fulfill the six human needs. Can money give us certainty? You bet. Variety? Check. Obviously it can make us feel important or significant. But what about connection and love? In the immortal words of the Beatles, money can’t buy you love. But it can buy you that dog! And it can, unfortunately, give you a false sense of connection because it attracts relationships, although not always the most fulfilling kind. How about growth? Money can fuel growth in business and in learning. And the more money you have, the more you can contribute financially.

But here’s what I truly believe: if you value Significance above all else, money will always leave you empty unless it comes from a contribution you’ve made. And if you’re looking for significance from money, it’s a high price to pay. You’re looking for big numbers but it’s unlikely you’ll find big fulfillment.

The ultimate significance in life comes not from something external, but from something internal. It comes from a sense of esteem for ourselves, which is not something we can ever get from someone else. People can tell you you’re beautiful, smart, intelligent, the best, or they can tell you that you are the most horrible human being on earth—but what matters is what you think about yourself. Whether or not you believe that deep inside you are continuing to grow and push yourself, to do and give more than was comfortable or you even thought possible. The wealthiest person on earth is one who appreciates.

Source

The Six Human Needs That Motivate Us by Tony Robbins

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8 Ways to Make Daily Meditation a Habit

Are you having trouble sticking to your meditation practice? Perhaps you have every intention of meditating, but you run out of time each day. Or maybe you get flooded with texts and emails before the day officially gets started, so you skip your practice to get a head start. Perhaps you flat out don’t like meditating.

There are many reasons you may be avoiding the cushion, and you’re certainly not the only one who struggles to develop a meditation habit. The following are eight tips to start a consistent practice.

1. Meditate at the Same Time Every Day

Find a time and stick to it. Oftentimes, the morning is the best time to knock out your practice. Melissa Eisler, Certified Primordial Sound Instructor and author of The Type A’s Guide to Mindfulness, explains why morning is the best time to meditate, “When you meditate first thing in the morning, nothing can get in the way of your meditation. Don’t check your phone or email and don’t start a conversation with your spouse or kids. Plan your wake-up time to be before life calls you to start the day, so you can get up and meditate.”

If a morning practice doesn’t jive with you, meditating right after work or directly before bedtime may suit you best. Experiment with different times of day, and see which one works best for you.

2. Find an Accountability Buddy

A good trick for beginning this habit is to select an accountability buddy. Pair up with another meditation student and text each other after each meditation. You are likely to meditate more frequently because of your buddy. Hearing from your buddy each day reminds you to make meditation a priority.

3. Make It Inviting

Have you tried to create a meditation space that begs you to sit and stay a while?

1. You can start by finding a cushion or meditation bench that is easy on your body. If you’re physically uncomfortable each time you meditate, you won’t want to keep it up.
2. Next seek out your favorite soft shawl or blanket. Each time you sit, tune into your sense of touch to notice the smooth and soothing blanket.
3. Finally, it makes sense to add scents. You can place an oil diffuser nearby and add an essential oil to suit your mood. Lavender and lemongrass are common go-to oils for a meditation practice; lavender calms you down and the lemongrass invigorates you. You can also burn your favorite incense.

4. Reward Yourself

It’s common to offer incentives as a way to motivate others, whether it’s M&M’s for potty-training children or treats for dogs who are learning to sit. What if you offer yourself a treat after each meditation?

There are several ways you can reward yourself for a job well done. What if you start the teakettle before you begin your practice and enjoy a hot cup of tea as soon as your practice is over? If you prefer coffee, you can set the coffee pot to brew while you’re practicing.

After you meditate, you can mindfully savor whatever reward awaits you.

5. Keep It Short

If you don’t have time to meditate each morning for 20 minutes, try 10 or even five! Research indicates that consistency is what matters when you’re trying to develop a habit.

6. Exercise Self-Compassion

According to self-compassion researcher Kristin Neff, one of the key components of self-compassion is common humanity. What does that mean? It means you’re living a human life like everyone else, and you’ll make mistakes like everyone else.

Another pillar of self-compassion is self-kindness. Don’t beat yourself up for missing a day or two—or six. Being hard on yourself won’t inspire you to get back on the cushion, but encouragement may. See if you can practice speaking to yourself in the same gentle and uplifting manner in which you would speak to your dear friends.

7. Remember the “Why”

It’s easier to stick to a new habit when you can tie it to one of your values. For example, perhaps family is something you value. If you can remember that meditation may make you a less impatient parent, it might be easier to stick to the practice.

8. Patience

Rome wasn’t built in a day, right? You wouldn’t expect immediate results when you start eating healthier foods or begin exercising. The same rings true for your meditation practice—be patient.

You may not notice benefits of your meditation practice right away, but research indicates that a regular practice can strengthen your immune system, decrease anxiety and depression, and more.

Consider this process an experiment. See if you can observe, with curiosity, what works and what doesn’t work. By using these simple techniques, you will get into the groove of a daily meditation practice sooner rather than later.

Source

How to Create the Habit of Meditation - And Make it STICK

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3 Ways to Rid Yourself of Negative Thoughts

You’ve probably noticed that your mind engages in an inner dialogue. It never seems to stop, producing one thought after another. Like a difficult partner, the mind reminds you of what you did or did not do, what you said or shouldn’t have said, what you noticed or did not notice, and on and on. “I shouldn’t have said that.” “What’s wrong with me?” “Why do I keep doing that?” It’s no wonder that worry and anxiety dominate the mind, making it nearly impossible to get comfortable in your skin.

When unwanted thoughts pick up the pace, the brain prepares to fight or flee by releasing stress hormones. What it doesn’t know is that the threat it’s detecting is none other than itself. What’s worse is that these unwanted thought patterns recycle themselves. When you become familiar with the tactics of your inner critic, you’ll notice that they resemble what author and professor of psychology Judith S. Beck, PhD, outlined in her book Cognitive Therapy: 

• Worst-Case Scenario Thinking is about anticipating the worst, engaging in “what if” type thoughts.
• Critical Thinking is the dreaded inner difficult partner, spewing personal flaws and put-downs.
• Catastrophic Thinking is a type of thinking that inflates matters in the worst possible light. This type of thinking heightens anxiety.
• Perfectionistic Thinking is the difficult partner times 10. It’s the slave driver that reminds you that you’re not good enough unless you are doing more, doing better, and doing until you are exhausted.

Over time, negative self-talk breaks down confidence and contributes to ongoing stress. The National Center for Biotechnology Information reported that The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States estimates that stress accounts for about 75 percent of all doctors visits; patient complaints included but were did not limit to headaches, back pain, heart problems, upset stomach, stomach ulcers, sleep problems, tiredness, and accidents. 

Negative thinking is a major contributor to the production of stress and worry. However, there are three simple ways to reverse stress, worry, and negative thinking.

1. Self-Awareness

This is the aspect of you that goes beyond thought; it’s often experienced as hope and courage during difficulty and emanates as your observing presence. Having greater access to your self-awareness allows you to notice your inner thoughts and transform them.

You can enhance self-awareness by recognizing that you are not your thoughts. In fact, you are the observer of your thoughts. Thoughts originate in the mind. Try to become aware of your thoughts as they arise or grab your attention. For instance, while reading this article, were you aware of your big toe on your right foot? Probably not. But as the thought of it was introduced, your awareness was drawn to it. Suddenly, you’ve become aware of the sensation of your right foot, particularity your big toe.

Thoughts enter and exit your awareness thousands of times a day. Persistent thoughts, however, linger because they “play” like background music in the mind. An easy way to witness your thoughts is to close your eyes and bring up the image of a beautiful flower. Notice how the thought enters and exits your mind. As you practice self-awareness by observing your thoughts, you will notice that some thoughts have more “space” between them and your experience of those thoughts. This is a simple mindfulness-based skill. By enhancing self-awareness, you will notice sensations and emotions as they arise in your body. This empowers you to become the observer of them, instead of being absorbed by them.

2. Self-Compassion

This is the highest form of self-care. Rather than “beating yourself up” for a shortcoming, remind yourself that you are doing the best you can and forgive yourself for your mistakes. Move kindly with yourself by carving out a bit of quality alone time. For example, take a few extra minutes to watch the sunrise or sunset, or take a luxurious bath or scenic walk. These experiences not only help you reconnect to your essential nature, but they also help you feel energized.

3. Meditation

Meditation is a powerful tool that allows you to go beyond the mind’s incessant chatter and discover the silence between your thoughts. When you meditate, you begin to recognize your true nature—one that is beyond mere thoughts and emotions. You can step away from constant thinking, analyzing, and decision-making.

The best way to get started with meditation is to set aside 5 to 10 minutes each day, making meditation a part of a daily routine. If you are practicing Primordial Sound Meditation, sit comfortably and close your eyes. Using a timer with a soft chime can help you automatically ease in and out of mediation.

This productive time of rest allows your mind and body to rejuvenate so you can experience greater clarity of mind, inner calm, and expanded awareness. In addition to reducing anxiety, meditation has been shown by recent studies to create new neural pathways (messenger highways in the brain) to encourage beneficial thought patterns instead of the same old worry-based tracks. Anyone can meditate. 

Source

how to get rid of negative thoughts inspired by sandeep maheshwari stop ...

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5 Tips to Cultivate Personal Power and Self-Confidence

When you step into your power, you cultivate self-esteem and personal worth. A new sense of freedom emerges, doubts fall away, and you quit being a marionette to other people’s expectations or vulnerable to external circumstances. This new confidence allows you to let go of the need to judge, criticize, or compare yourself to others. When you claim your power, you also claim your greatest potential as an expression of your source creator.

Embrace your power by following these five building block practices and rise to the top of your personal game and spiritual path.

1. Define Who You Are

When you know who you are, you lay a foundation on which to build. As you define your abilities and qualities, you connect the dots and the picture of who you truly are emerges. Once this image develops, you become genuine, authentic, and comfortable in your own skin. You can start by asking yourself:

• When I let go of fitting in, what is it about me that rises to the top?
• What gifts are distinctly mine? What rings sterling and true about my abilities and personal qualities?
• Are there talents or tasks where others seek my help or advice?
• What did I love to do as a kid that got “practicalized” out of me?
• When that force of intuition and desire tugs my sleeve, where is it pointing me?
• What qualities light me up?
• Am I practical or a daydreamer?
• Do I seek adventure or quiet solitude?
• Is my life a bustle of activity or tuned to a laid-back pace?
• Do I recharge my batteries in an exuberant crowd or curled up with a book?
• Am I happiest when I stand out or when part of a larger whole?

Knowing who you are generates practices that best care for your needs and gives rise to a lifestyle that matches your authentic nature. You’ll feel more and more anchored. As the effervescence of your true self bubbles to the surface, you quit trying to be liked by everyone else, let go of being pulled in multiple directions, and are more resilient to life’s challenges. Dare to be special!

2. Embrace Your Gifts

Shine your light on the world. You are endowed with distinctive talents, skills, and interests that mark your magnificence and set you apart. Do your gifts launch or languish behind old voices? Are you saying to yourself:

• “Don’t be too big for your britches.”
• “Quit being a show-off.”
• “Look at the smarty-pants.”
• “Act like a lady/gentleman.”

Does the term, “fear of outshining” resonate with you? Do you downplay your skills so that you won’t stand out or threaten others? Have you turned down the volume on your talent in favor of fitting in? If your light is barely peeking out from under that bushel, allow yourself to shine—you will inspire, not intimidate. Broadcast what is special about you.

3. Love Yourself

Love is the highest frequency and gateway to your dance with the divine. The benefits of self-love are instant and enormous.

Try it, right now, by sending love down through your central core in a steady flow. With a flush of warmth and expansion, you ignite the heart and wash away doubt, insecurity, and self-limiting thoughts, and infuse calm and confidence. Move from being your worst critic to being your best cheerleader, and the world says “yes.”

When you infuse yourself with love, you honor and become more closely aligned with your creator. Set up your day—before getting out of bed, infuse yourself with love and reinforce it throughout the day. Turn your phone on selfie and have an eye-to-eye, heart-focused chat with yourself if you lose your center or if your confidence wanes. The combination of self-love and operating out of authenticity makes you invincible. You are perfect, whole, and complete.

4. Walk with a Higher Presence

Since prehistoric man, we have expressed spirituality in countless ways that are personal and unique to each of us.

When you incorporate spiritual practices and live by spiritual principles, you raise your vibrational frequency and become more closely aligned with a Universe that is invested in your highest good. A meditation practice increases this connection; however, anything that brings inspiration and joy will open your crown chakra, creating a deeper energetic connection with this wisdom and bounty. Don’t overlook the importance of joy in your life.

As you partner with this higher presence, you anchor your power. Confidence flourishes when you know that you are never alone and have an ally that’s invested in your joy, wellness, and prosperity. The hard edges of life soften, and you are propelled as the barriers of self-doubt and fear fall away. Partner up and become a co-creator of a life of abundance and wellness.

5. Engage, Expand, and Express

Engage your power by using these tools. Realization by realization, each step feeds the next in an ever-escalating ladder of growth and expansion. Express it. Show up and shout it out. When you sing your song and put your skills out in the world, you generate an energetic cycle of vitality that says to the Universe, “Give me more!” Reinforce the energetic loop by supporting and mentoring others. You are part of a sacred cycle of vitality.

Personal power and self-esteem are the foundation for creating joy and wellness. It motivates you to be more. It gives you resiliency in the face of adversity. It’s the root of mental and physical health and opens you to positive interaction with the world and a higher power.

When you step up to the plate and invest your time and interest, the Universe invests time and interest in you. Take the plunge, go out on a limb, put on your cape, and read your poetry to the trees. There is a great void just waiting for you to fill it.

Source

The skill of self confidence | Dr. Ivan Joseph | TEDxRyersonU

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It's Your Life, Control It

Are you taking command of your life? Are you filling your day with truly meaningful objectives and actions that fulfil and inspire you, or are you letting the overruling world around you determine your fate? 

If you do not fill your day with high priority actions that inspire you, your day will fill up with low priority distractions that will not. If you do not bring order to your life, disorder will rule your destiny. 

The former will empower and vitalise you, while the latter will disempower and drain. You have the same amount of time as anyone else, 24 hours in a day. Getting your most important and inspiring actions done each day is not about managing your time, it is about choosing to focus your attention and intention wisely during the precious time you have. There is no such thing as true time management. 

It is just how you utilise the time you have that determines your fulfilment level. Your time is your life and your life planning and management system can be judged by the overall life fulfilment it produces. When you focus and schedule your day to do certain high priority actions they are more likely to get done. In order to focus on your central bulls eye of long-term and high priority actions it is important to take command of your daily schedule and become a master of planning and delegation. 

When you fill your day with high priority actions it does not fill up with ones that are not. The former awakens your forebrains executive centre; the latter uncages the unruly and distracted animal within. Since there can be more than one kind of high priority action, it is wise to define them accordingly by prioritising what is thought to be the highest of the highest priorities in each area or aspect of your life. If you are ambitious and desire great achievements, you will also require the ability to master the art of saying NO.

This may require the sawy of pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath and practicing the skill of responding to requests and offers with such responses as: 

 

• Thank you, but no thank you - I do appreciate your request or offer though. 

• Thank you for the offer, but at this time my schedule is full and will not allow for your  request. 

• I appreciate your invitation, but at this time I am not available.

• No thank you that will not work for me. I have other plans at this time.

• No thank you that does not exactly inspire or appeal to me.

• Thank you for the opportunity, but I am going to pass at this time.

• I would first love to check my calendar, schedule and itinerary and then determine what truly is of highest priority and then possibly get back to you later. 

 

Saying yes because you cannot bear the short-term pain of saying no will cost you ever greater opportunities. Thank you for the opportunity, but I love giving my all to my projects and I have other very high priority projects on my plate at present and so I could not give it my all. When you are unclear about what your true highest priorities are, and have difficulty saying no, distractions can take you off track and consume your time, attention, energy, focus, power of concentration and productive capacity. Such distractions can derail you from greatly achieving or fulfilling what you would actually love. Give yourself permission to say no. Do not try to do it all. 

Saying no to low priority distractions and saying yes to high priority actions is the key. Focus on and stick to what really matters most. You cannot please everyone, so don’t even begin to try. 

 

Saying yes because you cannot bear the short-term pain of saying no will cost you ever greater opportunities. Your time is finite. If you do not make your life about what you would love to say yes to, it will become filled with what you intended to say no to. Embrace the trade-off. 

 

If the answer to whether to do something, or not, is not a clear and definite yes, then make it a no. Integrity and sometimes tactful bluntness gets the job done. True friends or colleagues will respect you and your priorities and will honour your time. Many distractions that are being initiated by others are opportunistic in nature.

 

Gracefully, respectfully and reasonably saying no, may temporarily disappoint the opportunist, but eventually it will lead them to respecting you even more. Be a short term popularity loss for a long term gain in respect and achievement.

 

It is time to take command of your life by creating and scheduling the undistracted, secluded space and time to creatively and uninterruptedly concentrate, think, reflect, focus, explore, ponder, write and then take inspired action. 

 

Take a deep breath, close your eyes, exhale slowly and get truly present in the moment and become chief commander of your life. 

 

Ask yourself what is truly most important in this very present moment. By transcending the outer world you can more fully focus on what is truly most important now to build a great future. 

Source

Dr John Demartini's Master Planning For Life

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Assaraf: Every Winner Has a Coach… Do You?

Have you ever noticed the incredible influence that a coach has upon the performance of athletes? It's no different in business.

If you take a close look at any successful business owner, there is a good chance they’ve had a great mentor somewhere along the way. I can attribute a large part of my business success to the many mentors and coaches I have had in my life. My personal journey is one of countless examples of how mentoring is an integral part of the growth and development of any business.

Here are some ways having a mentor or a business coach can help you:

Make business decisions with confidence.

No matter what challenges or decisions your business faces, chances are your mentor has experienced it before. They can help you identify mistakes before they happen and guide you through tough times with knowledge and expertise.

Put a plan in place.
Your coach can help you determine what your business objectives should be and create a timeline to achieve them. They can help you prioritize your objectives, keep you on the right track and make sure that you stick with your goals.

Ensure you’re doing what you should be doing.
A good coach or mentor will be your personal accountability partner. Your coach can also give you pointers on how to run your business more efficiently and “cut the fat.” You’ll be able to focus more on growing your business and avoid the pitfalls that your competitors may face if they don’t have a mentor of their own.

Open doors for opportunity.
Not only will your mentor have established contacts to help you grow your business, but they can lend a hand to develop your own network. Your coach can also help you realize your personal potential and encourage you to venture out of your natural comfort zone and try new things.

Running a business can be extremely complex and at times overwhelming. It’s critical to have someone who can help you see your blind spots and optimize your performance so you can reach success.

Source

Are You INTERESTED Or Are You COMMITTED? - John Assaraf

Which one are you?

How To Sell Anything To Anyone In 2018 & Beyond

One of the most valuable skills that a salesperson can have is knowing how to sell to anyone.

Being a great salesperson opens up many doors of opportunity, especially for entrepreneurs and business owners.

Here are a few great tips for selling to anyone in 2018 and beyond.

1. Understand Your Customer’s Needs

No matter what you are selling, the most important part of salesmanship is understanding the needs of your customer and figuring out how to meet them.

In almost every case, a salesperson who focuses on customer service and how a product is able to meet their customer’s needs and wants will be much more successful than a salesperson who focuses on the features and specifications of the product itself.

Perhaps your customer has pain points that your product is able to alleviate, or perhaps they have desires that it is able to fulfill.

Once you determine the needs of your target customer and how your product is able to meet them, centering your sales pitch around meeting those needs is the best way by far to close a sale.

2. Sell Yourself

Whether you’re cold calling or have spoken before, it’s important to keep in mind that before a person is going to be willing to hand over their hard-earned money to you, they’ve got to like you the salesperson just as much as they like the product that you are selling.

When you’re making a sales pitch, take a little time to get to know your customer and let them get to know you.

Tell them a quick story, make them laugh, and overall simply let your personality shine.

If you can make your customer see you as a person and perhaps even a friend rather than just someone who is trying to sell something to them, they’ll be far more inclined to buy something from you.

3. Research Who You’re Selling To

Before you are able to meet the needs of your customer and craft your sales pitch to target them as effectively as possible, you first need to know as much as you can about the person you are selling to.

Sometimes increasing sales entails researching a specific client if you are making a major sales pitch to a high-profile figure within a company who you are able to research beforehand.

Other times, when you are selling directly to consumers, researching who you are selling to means figuring out the target customer for your product and analyzing their needs and desires.

Either way, knowing as much as possible about who you are selling to before you ever begin your sales pitch is essential if you want that sales pitch to be as effective as possible.

4. Ask Questions

Making sales centers around having a conversation with the person that you are selling to, and one of the most important parts of that conversation is the questions that you ask.

Asking your customer questions (and actually listening to their answers) is valuable in a couple different ways.

For one, it allows you to figure out more about the person you are selling to, their needs and desires, and what they are looking for in a product.

Just as importantly, though, asking questions is an effective sales technique because people enjoy talking about themselves.

This goes back to making the person you are selling to like you; when you show genuine interest in them and give them the opportunity to talk about their favorite topic – themselves – they’ll be much more likely to enjoy the conversation and therefore much more likely to buy something from you in the end.

5. Don’t Sell. Help

People you are selling to need to see you as someone who is helping them solve a problem through the product that you are offering.

Keep in mind that one of the main things that lead people to buy a new product is that they are struggling with an issue that they hope that product will address.

It’s your job, therefore, to make sure that you are as helpful as possible.

When you are genuinely trying to be helpful when it comes to addressing your customer’s needs, your sales pitches will be far more successful.

Source

Closing the Sale: 9 Common Objections

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