You are an entrepreneur and being so you have poured your heart and soul into envisioning a dream, and directing that dream towards reality.
Now you are going to have to effectively spark that same enthusiasm and vision with many different people, in varying roles such as: advisors, investors, customers, partners, spouses and even for some of you employees as well. You will even find yourself face to face with your competition. Now there’s a meeting you don’t want to lose ground on!
With all of these interactions, it is essential that you are well rehearsed to conduct yourself poised, polished and confident. Remember, this is an eat or be eaten marketplace. You are the conductor of this orchestra and your skill is to orchestrate all these unique personalities, with their own perspective of your concept, their own motivations and desires which they bring to the mix, as well as expectations of benefits from your vision; and you lead them towards agreeing to your point of view.
Now first and foremost I need not tell you how essential it is to know your vision, your market and your customer. Know them from every angle, front back and upside down. Know your product, your price, your promotion and your distribution; all of this is well researched. Because being unable to answer any question or objection speaks volumes on your credibility and makes or breaks, for both you and who you are communicating to. Remember word of mouth is one volatile and powerful tool. It can truly make or break you.
Now you are looking for the edge. To take control and influence others into rousing action in favour of your vision. Your goal is to walk into that all important meet and greet with the proper physical and mental projection as well. Your game plan is to be on the offensive!
In order to do this you will have set aside some all important prep time before hand. And you are going to prep often, so it will become second nature to you.
Physically you are going to set your mind to practicing and applying good posture and eye contact techniques. Mentally you are going to practice the power of positive thinking and visualize your success. Consider these as armouring up for battle. You are going to do these before hand so they are switched “on” when it is most important.
Let us look at the physical aspects of proper projection for now and save the mental conditioning for another instalment, because it is worthy not to rush over these points.
What is not widely recognized for the most part is that before anyone has ever opened their mouth their own body has already spoken volumes. Those ever so silent but very important subconscious cues have already been read and registered by the one before you. Now come on, you do it yourself. What we seem to forget is that only a small amount of communication involves actual words, around 7% to be exact. Body language and eye contact are the primary tools on getting a solid foot in the door at 55%. Where pitch, speed, volume and tone of voice account for the last 38%. Potentially you could have lost that client, financier, or partner before you even have spoken.
I don’t know about you, but my mother was always on my back about my posture. “Head up, chest out, shoulders back, stomach in....” Who would have thought that she was not only preaching for my physical prosperity, but also trying to equip me with proper form and decorum in order to project myself as confident and competent in my world. Keep this posture in mind whether you are sitting or standing. In a seated position go as far as to lean a little forward. It translates as interested and engaged with the one you are communicating with.
And nothing gains a positive favour more than your listener feeling like they are important.
Learn to be conscious of your movements in public. It is a good idea to check your habits out and try to correct them before your face to face. Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to body talk, keeping your hands at your side or in your pocket may be read as you being insecure. Turning away from the one you are talking to may be misunderstood as being less than sincere and though you may be tired, slouching screams disinterested.
Don’t be rigid, it creates a vibe of discomfort and you don’t want your listener to be uncomfortable looking for the nearest exit. Move your hands when you speak. Hand gestures reflect confidence, honesty and intelligence. But keep it within reason and natural please!
Eye contact is another effective tool when you are seeking to influence people. Proper eye contact speaks volumes in not only your confidence, but competence too. When looking directly in the eye of your listener you are saying you believe in what you are talking about, you are confident in your stand and you are trustworthy in communicating these to an individual who is important to you. If there is more than one person in front of you, give them all equal time. Don’t judge who is important or not . And never underestimate the power of the wife standing beside the husband. You got to know her role in the decision making process. Look her in the eye! Finally when making a point, direct and continuous eye contact will drive that point home.
The first impression sticks with everyone whether good or bad. Putting a little time into recognizing your own body language, and making the adjustments before hand will be well worth the investment in time.
Getting mentally locked and loaded is the next step in how you polish your projection to successfully influence others in their decisions that relate to you and your enterprise, so be sure to catch up with us on the next instalment.
