Good to know you’re into NLP and Personal development. This is getting to be a very huge industry in Singapore and I’m sure with your determination and knowledge, you’ll do very well! All the best!

And thank you too for the suggestions on the Vision Board experiment. Although that experiment has ceased, it continues to be one of the most popular article series on Goal Setting College and I’m sure your suggestions will definitely help those interested in giving Vision Boarding a try. Once again, thank you for your valuable comment and please continue to stop by and give me ur 2cents worth

I’m amazed at how far you’ve come… reading your background and how you “stumbled” into this experiential industry – Personal Development.
I want to send more encouragement to you to persist in your “labour” in this GoalSettingCollege effort. It’s fantastic and inspirational – reading about your life journey and the insights you glean from simple life experiences!

I’m also a student of Success and am looking into developing a system for achieving success. You may want to explore the “technology” of NLP – Neuro Linguistic Programming. It definitely complements and also supplements what you are working at Can share with you more of what I’ve discovered.

I’m also making preparations for a project, of course also related to Personal Development, that I envisage to impact lives.

By the way, that was how I came across your College website – cos I was researching and looking for songs that are related to inspiration and motivation (part of my Sg-wide project) – and so i did the google – and yours was the first site i came across so I clicked on! And surprise surprise – I was really surprised that the list of motivational songs was compiled by… a fellow Singaporean! Law of Attraction??? You tell me!

Anywayz, it’s great knowing that you are so into PD and also into your online bizs.

One (to be) common trait between both us is that i, too, will soon be leaving my 1st career, to start doing what i want to do so i guess i can draw inspiration from you!

I’ve definitely be re-visiting your site again and again…
Have a great weekend!

ps: Dare to Dream BIG! As you pursue your variety of biz…
pps: May I suggest one tip to enhance your living environment section of your vision board – when you are captioning the photos, use continuous tense words i.e. “…ing” as well as feeling words. e.g. “It is 2 Jun 2011 and I am sitting in the living room of my 10th floor RIVEREDGE condo apartment. I am looking at and enjoying the view of east coast park, the sunrise with sunrays bursting forth and shining on my face…. Opening the windows of my RIVEREDGE apartment on that beautiful sunny and breezy morning, I feel the seabreeze against my cheeks and smell the sea sealt spray, as i am sipping my freshly-brewed cappucino made in my modern white-themed kitchen….”
Something like that – its like you are living that experience already and are telling your subconscious, and registering the feelings and sensorial perceptions

Such a simple concept. But something so easily forgotten. Thank you for your words of wisdom!

I don’t really actively “sell,” which to me means trying to convince someone to make a purchase. I just constantly and authentically put my perspective and expertise out there – in the form of my book, my blog, my articles, etc. If it resonates with people, they tend to come into my personal consulting practice.

Relationship building is my main focus. I’ve had some people on my email list for years before they become customers. Over the years, I feel like I’ve built some amazing relationships through my business that enrich me personally as well as professionally.

I think it’s always helpful for us to figure out how we like to be sold to, before we try to sell (or offer) our services to others. What ropes us in, gets our attention? If we sell the way we like to buy, we’re more likely to be successful. I buy on recommendation, mostly. Or I buy after I’ve been on someone’s mailing list for a while and know what they are all about. So those are the strategies that work best for me, also.

Blessings,
Andrea

I totally agree with you on restructuring your style based on your personality. You know that high flying financial planner friend of mine. Her sincerity and caring nature is what made her a success. Not hard sell. Or plain eloquence.

@AlexI attest to what you’re saying. Relationship building is indeed an important part of the sales process. But it’s also a double edged sword. A lot of people refrained from going into sales thinking that they didn’t have solid contacts and relationship. But it’s not necessary to START off things at all. You can begin with zero contacts and slowly build relationships. One at a time.

@Carole Thank you for your words of wisdom!

@Jennifer Thanks for sharing your experience! It’s amazing to know how much you’ve gained from your job as a waitress. I’ve pretty much my previous jobs to thank for honing my presentation skills as well. It seems “part of the job” at first but only when I left it did I realize I too, gained so much from “the training”. And kudos to you for being the youngest and yet the supervisor, good stuff! You must’ve been an amazing worker!

@Lorraine, Absolutely! The other day I was reading a very inspirational piece by another fellow blogger of how much his book sales increased without doing any pitching or marketing. He relied entirely by word of mouth, focusing on adding value to his readers entirely, catering to their needs by writing articles that addresses their problems. At the end of the day, if you’re good and true, customers can’t wait to share it with the others. Because a big hearted cause, always deserves another big hearted effect.

Amazing.

It’s rich with so much wisdom. What jumps out at me is how my own business has grown that echoes so much of what you wrote. The first thing people buy is YOU before they buy your product or service. It’s all about relationships and the connections we make with folks. We make those connections by being real and listening to what people need rather than trying to sell them.

Happy customers and clients will want to share you with others. That’s the best way to grow your business – through referrals of raving fans.

Having quality products and services, reputation, integrity, values and standards, are also important elements!

Thanks!

Lorraine
http://www.powerfull-living.biz

I too came to an early decision that sales was not something I could do, because I tend to be too honest and would sabotage my own sales effort. However after some initial failures, I realized that I just really needed to tailor my style to suit my personality.

This was a great article because it also points out that sales techniques can be pretty general as well, whether one is selling hospitalization insurance, working in the IT industry, or simply attracting readers to a blog. We all need this skill at some level. Thanks for the great read.