sales

Self-Worth & Business Success

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes we cannot see the possibilities because of fear and uncertainty. Sarah is starting a training company for workforce development. She has worked in HR and volunteered in her community around workforce development for decades. Six years ago Sarah realized that she had a unique perspective on how to support challenged workers to become and stay employed. While she started her business at that time, she made little progress. Sarah had a unique perspective, a service to offer and was an expert in her field, but she did not know how to start and run a business.

When Sarah decided to commit to her idea, we began working to build a business around her vision. We worked on her vision, brand, product and service design, target market and more. With the foundational work completed, it was time for Sarah to begin to talk about her business with the world of workforce development. While Sarah is passionate and confident about her training model, she is not confident that others will see the value. This is not the case, but it is how she feels.

How we feel about our business and the value we offer impacts our ability to create clients. Sarah feels uncertain because selling is new to her. She thinks others will not see the value of her services but intuitively I see that Sarah is feeling uncertainty about her self-worth and value. This is not uncommon for new business owners.

When we own a business, it is not just about our products and services, our business is a reflection of who we are at our core and the concepts we hold in our space. In many ways, owning a business is a journey of self-discovery. When we are aware of our thoughts and feelings, then we make better decisions. When we are not self-aware, then we look at our business as a problem.

Sarah has worked as an employee up to this point. She is familiar with working hard, doing a good job and producing results. As a business owner, she is still working hard developing this business and is now ready to sell. Feeling uncertain about her value almost stopped her from continuing. Her business is new. It does not have results. She is relying on her passion for the work, her trademarked approach to workforce development and how she can work with an underserved group. Her success begins with how effectively she presents herself. From my perspective, Sarah is very impressive but my perspective does not matter. What matters is how others perceive her.

Everyone is intuitive. Our prospective clients pick up on us. Sarah needs to find the certainty and confidence she wants others to perceive in her. She has it in her though because selling is a new experience she feels uncertain. Every time she speaks on the phone, goes to an event or meets with someone about workforce development she becomes more comfortable though may not be where she wants to just yet.  She is getting there as she grows in her confidence in herself.

Sarah will succeed because she is determined. Her business is her passion, and it aligns with who she is at her core. Sarah now realizes that her business is more than the services she provides. With this insight, she is in a great place to be successful as a business and grow in her feelings of self-worth.

Intuition in Marketing

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

dreamstime_5775817Marketing is such an interesting area to an intuitive.  You can approach marketing logically and decide what you want to happen.  This is a hard sell approach and it may bounce off your potential clients.  My perspective is intuitive.  An intuitive approach involves reading your potential clients and what they want versus telling them about you, your business, products and services.  They may or may not be interested.  Telling them about your business does nothing to motivate them to do business with you or use your product.  They don’t care.  They don’t want to be programmed.

As an intuitive I work with business owners to use their intuition to read their potential clients, see where their attention is and how you can grab it.  This is no place for logic.  Be intuitive.

One of my clients is starting a new business selling high-end good quality delicious chocolates.  He has partnered with expert chocolate makers to distribute their products.  I read the quality of the product, the energy of the business itself, the business name, the chocolatiers who designed the chocolate, the manufacturers, his business coach, the office, his communication with the distributors for Whole Foods and other locations.  Finally I read the packaging of their first product.

In the end it was the packaging of the product that was out of sync.  The packaging was very nice, well designed and I saw that it would be entirely invisible in the stores.  For the success of this business I saw they needed to take a risk and design packaging that would stand out and not get lost on the overly stocked shelves of very popular stores.  Now this is not true for all products and services but it is true in this case.

Using intuition in marketing is simple.  It begins by stepping back from all the logic and the energy of everyone working on the product. This means getting out of your analyzer and to stop thinking.  Find a space of quiet and begin to imagine your product and your target customers.  What will bring them together?  Don’t be logical.  Be intuitive.

Being intuitive involves using your mind’s eye to see from the perspective of the buyer and the consumer.  Where is their attention and how do you grab it?   People love it when something grabs their attention.  When you can see that clearly in your mind’s eye you have the answer to your successful marketing plan.

Best wishes on your success!

Kay

Do you have your clients attention?

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

When meeting with a potential client notice if you have their full attention or is it elsewhere?  I attended a meeting with one of my clients to read the energy and keep the meeting grounded.  Fred is a producer.   He works to develop relationships with national and international ad agencies.   One of those agencies asked to meet with Fred and his creative partners to discuss a project.  They wanted to know how the technologies Fred used on other projects might make theirs go viral.

Taking Time to Be Present

Fred met with his creative partners a half-hour before the meeting with the potential client to set the energy for the meeting, to be grounded in their agreement and to have a clear vision of the outcome they wanted.

What happens when your potential client is spaced out?

The ad agency producer, Paul, came to the meeting with an art director, Sam.  I noticed right off that the producer was not present.  His attention was elsewhere.  The task was to find a way to bring Paul’s attention and awareness fully into this meeting. No one had met Paul or Same  before so this gave the opportunity for introductions with hopes this would bring his attention to the meeting.  This did not do the trick.  I kept saying hello to him asking about his role at the agency and his clients.  That did not do the trick either.  He answered my question but his attention was still distracted.  His gaze was not at us but “out there” somewhere.

Staying present when others are “spaced out” or not focused in the moment is hard but important to keeping the conversation grounded.  So Fred paid attention to staying present.

The Importance of Being Present

It was important that Fred and his team have a grounded and clear communication with this potential client if he wanted any chance of securing this contract.  Fred turned his attention to Sam, the art director, and noticed that he was focused and enthusiastic to have the conversation.  It was clear that Sam would be the client at this meeting.

The creative discussion went well.  I noticed that Paul’s attention slowly came into the room.  I could see that he had a lot of energy in his space that made it hard for him to be focused in the moment.  By the end of the discussion Paul’s attention was more with us but part of his attention was still outside on something else.

Getting Present

We knew Paul had to be present and aware of what was going on and so the challenge was how to make that happen.  Fred suggested that they move onto the creative floor and see examples of the technologies the team had developed.  Getting Paul moving and focusing his attention in this way did the trick. Fred got his attention, as Paul is clearly a guy who is at his best doing the work rather talking about it.

In the end Paul and Sam got a clear understanding of what was possible from Fred’s team and invited a proposal and a bid on the project.

Every business owner knows the importance of making an impression on that very first contact.   That impression depends not only on what the business owner or staff present but also on the space of the potential client to hear and receive the presentation.

Taking the time to make sure that you and your team are grounded and have a clear vision before the presentation is the first step.  Being aware of your potential client and the space they are in is also important.   Finding a way to bring their attention and awareness into the moment will determine their ability to hear what you present.

I hope this insight will be of use to you in your next presentation.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Shooting Yourself in the Foot!

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

One of the things I do as an intuitive business consultant is to connect businesses to potential clients when I see there would be a good fit.  Today I introduced a producer to another client who owned a model making company.  This is a resource my client was looking for.

The meeting did not turn out as I had expected.  My client, the producer, was eager to meet these highly acclaimed artists and possibly contract with them on an upcoming project.   First I want to say that everyone is intuitive whether they consciously know that or not.  This is important to realize because no matter what you say the other person is picking up on what is really going on in your space.  Smiles and being chipper does not hide your fear.

Fred asked Sally & Tom to talk about their company and their capabilities.  These two award-winning artists talked about their work in the past in a way that came across as something that was true before but it is not true now.  The mistake their made was not in their presentation.  Their mistake was not being in the best space to meet with a potential client.  My client picked up on their energy and it made him wonder.  At the end of the conversation my client was disappointed because he did not get a  sense of their certainty.

This happens all the time in meetings with potential clients.  The energy in our space is not as subtle as we think.  As an intuitive business consultant I recommend that you try the following before meeting with a potential client.  This exercise is designed to clear your space and set your energy in the best way possible to support your success. You can do this several days before your meeting then again just before.

  • Take the time to meditate.
  • Close your eyes, quiet your body and clear your mind.
  • Place your attention on yourself.
  • Take deep breaths and release energy and tension you may have in your space.
  • Be calm and quiet.
  • Begin to visualize or imagine how you want to be and to present yourself.  See this clearly.
  • Release and let go of any energy in your way.
  • Once you are clear on how you want to be seen, meditate on the conversation and how you want that conversation to go.
  • All the while clear your thinking and let go of energy. Find a clear vision of the meeting with this potential client. What do you want them to see intuitively and experience from you?
  • When you can imagine this precisely as you would like it then you are ready to meet with them.

Try this often and in many situations.  Please add your comments, stories or ask a question.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Not a Coincidence! A Success Story

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

I tell my client’s stories to bring us out of our unconscious routines, to wake up our awareness so that we create and not just accept.  Enjoy Fred’s story so that you can create your own.

Fred was preparing a proposal and bid for a big contract for a project that has never been done before.  The project was for one of his best clients and he needed to get this right.  The cost exceeded the expected budget by 60%.  He was nervous.

In the end he drafted a proposal that would create a great product and using the best talent in the industry.  He also worried about the cost and the short timeframe.  He pressed Send and off it went.

Immediately upon sending the bid, Fred’s mind starting going.  They probably already have someone in mind for the project.  They can probably do it for less.  They will never accept the bid because it is more than they expected.  His mind just went on and on with streams of invalidation.

Fred called me with his mind racing out of control.  I led him through a meditation to clear his mind.  This is an important concept because whatever we believe will manifest.  Fred needed to clear his thinking.  From meditation he released the energy and the thoughts that invalidated his bid, the proposal and his company.  Then Fred imagined (created a mental image picture) of his client loving his proposal, the bid and awarding him the contract.

I watched Fred clear f his negative thoughts and create a new vision.   I saw he still had some worry energy in his space so I suggested that he do this meditation regularly until he heard back from his client.

Within 5 minutes he got a call from his client offering him a contract for a different project, one he had not even bid on and was three times larger than the one he just submitted!  A coincidence?  If you are an atheist you can logically create concepts to explain this away.   If you are intuitive you can see how this manifested.

As for the original bid his client had not looked at that yet but would get back to him.  In the meantime he had to get busy on this new project.  It’s a Miracle!

What is your success story?

Don’t be afraid to ask

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

There is only one way to get business – ASK.   Ask clients to buy your products.  Ask clients for the contract.  Ask customers to use your services.  And the thing we hate to do the most is ASK.   As a business consultant I am always watching how my clients and others ASK for sales.  It tells me a lot about their success.   Most are comfortable with the indirect ask, i.e. email marketing, print materials, ads, displays, etc.   We spend lots of money making ourselves visible and this is great.  It brings attention to you and your business but then what.

Some of us are comfortable having a face to face meeting, pitching our business, talking about what we do, finding out what our potential or current client needs then we wait and wait.  Nothing.  This is where most sales end.  The next step is the most crucial.  Ask for the sale.  Ask for the contract.  Ask but before you do take a moment to meditate on where you are in all of this.

Your clients and potential clients are intuitive even if they are not aware of it.  They are always reading your energy and your pictures.  So what pictures or thoughts do you have about this sale?   You want it, of course, but do you believe it can happen?  Honestly?   This is where meditation comes in.  Use meditation to know your own thoughts (conscious and unconscious), your emotions and energy about this client and this sale.  Clearing your thinking will make all the difference.  Do this before you ASK!

Intuitive Exercise:

  • Sit in a quiet and comfortable place.  Close your eyes.  Take a deep breath and relax.
  • Place your attention on yourself.
  • Imagine in our minds eye the sale that you are about to ask for.
  • Notice your thoughts about it.
  • Notice how your body and your energy change when you meditate on this sale.
  • Now relax and release the thoughts that do not support your goal, the energy in your space, etc.
  • Finally, meditate on asking for the sale and see it happening.  Keep clearing your thinking and your energy until you can see this happening.

Once you can imagine asking and the client saying yes then you are ready to make the call.  Intuitively they will read your certainty and respond to that.

Here is another perspective on Asking.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Don’t go into a meeting blind – See clearly!

~ Kay Robinson ~ 2 Comments
See clearly in your mind's eye

Someone sets the tone of every meeting.  When you are meeting with a client that person should be you.  This takes time and preparation.

We have all had experiences in meetings in which it unexpectedly starts off on a bad foot or shortly into the meeting things seem to go in a different direction than we had planned.  We find ourselves experiencing a lot of effort and our potential client is not responding in a way we expected.

Set the tone

As an intuitive business consultant I would like to offer an intuitive technique that helps set the energy or tone of a meeting.  This applies to a meeting in person, by phone or online.  It begins with meditation and depending on the importance of the meeting you will want to do this several times before the actual appointment

Going to a meeting blind

I would never recommend walking into a meeting blind meaning without a clear vision.   This is different from having an idea or plan.  Try the following exercise and see if it changes your experience in meetings.

Intuitive Exercise

Take the time to meditate.  This means to quiet the body, clear the mind, to stop thinking and open to your intuition.   Sitting in a quiet place with your eyes closed helps with meditation.

Your Vision

When you feel relaxed and have cleared your thinking then begin to imagine the upcoming meeting.  See it in your mind’s eye.

  • Be aware of your goal for the meeting
    • Release any thoughts you have that may get in the way of this
  • Be aware of the person or persons you are meeting with
    • Read them intuitively
    • What do you see or imagine is on their mind?
    • What are their expectations, concerns or needs?
  • Imagine how you would like to set the tone or energy of your conversation with them.
  • See the meeting going precisely as you would like.
    • Clear your thinking that may argue against your vision.
    • Release any doubts, fears or other emotions that are in the way of your certainty.

You may find that you have to do this exercise several times to clear your thinking and have a clear vision.  That is up to you.  When your vision is clear then you are ready.

Best wishes on your success.

Intuition in Sales – It’s all about you!

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment
Taking Time to Meditate

A successful sale depends heavily on what’s going on with you!

Clients Are Intuitive

Your customers or clients are intuitive.  This means they are reading you, consciously or unconsciously.  What they pick-up from you determines whether they want to do business with you or not.  What do you want your customer or client to pick up from you?

If you had a fight with your secretary before meeting with or speaking with a client, the client may pick-up on this energy and suddenly feel like fighting with you and they are not sure why.

Perhaps you have the concept in your space or a thought on your mind that this client never buys from you so when they meet with you intuitively they pick-up the idea that they never buy from you.  That cannot help your sale!

Successful Sales

How might things be different if you prepared your space before you met with a client?  What could happen if you came into the conversation clear without any unrelated pictures or energy in your space that your client may pick-up on?

How might things be different if you were completely present, focused on this meeting and created a strong vision of the meeting going well?  I suspect the potential client will pick up on your clarity and feel confidence in you.   I suspect the client may also pick-up your vision of a successful sale and respond in kind.

Clear Your Space

Before you meet with a client or speak with them by phone take the time to meditate. Quiet the body and clear the mind. Notice your space.  How are you doing?  What is going on with you? Bring all of your energy and attention into the moment.  Don’t be distracted.  Release and clear anything unrelated to this meeting that is on your mind or in your space.

See Your Success

Now imagine the conversation you are about to have with a client or customer.  See it in your mind’s eye. Clear your thinking and release any limits or fears that may be in the way of you seeing the conversation going precisely as you would like.

Once you can imagine or visualize the meeting being successful then you are ready.

Watch for Part II of Intuition in Sales – Using Your Intuition during the Conversation.  This will be posted in one week.

Best wishes on your success.

Oops! Your aura is showing.

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

200469161-001As business owners we work hard to create good impressions and cannot afford a bad one. We pay attention to our branding, our marketing materials, office space, physical appearance, cars and more. Image and impressions are everything!

Our clients and customers are intuitive. This means they are forming impressions from these tangible aspects of our business but also from the intangible. Customers automatically and, for the most part, unconsciously read and respond to our energy and the energy in our space, the aura or energy field around us. This can make or break a sale or a contract.

Intuitive Story The owner of a large office in Walnut Creek walked away from signing a contract for the delivery of office supplies to all four of his locations in the Bay Area. I asked Jim why, at the last moment, he backed out. He could not give a logical explanation saying only that he felt so uncomfortable with the sales rep on that particular day that he could not proceed. He said something did not feel right. Now I was not at this meeting nor I do I know the sales rep but as a business intuitive my reading is the sales rep had something quite personal on his mind. This personal issue created energy in his space and it made Jim uncomfortable.

Impressions Far fetched? Not at all! Each of us has a story to tell about the time when something did not feel right or when we went into a meeting with an important client with something else on our mind. Nine out ten times your story ends with the sale falling through. The energy from our experiences sits in our space, our aura. Others consciously or unconsciously feel or see this vibration and react.

Your Space If you have a disagreement with someone and go into a meeting with a potential client, the energy of that disagreement most likely is still in your space. It is natural for others to unconsciously respond or react to this. With this in mind, being aware of the energy we carry in our aura is important to our success. Knowing how to clear and re-set our aura (energy) is a step in preparing for meetings and conversations with others. Try this intuitive exercise before your next meeting or call.

Intuitive Exercise Take a moment to stop. Sit down if possible. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and release. Begin to quiet your body. Bring your focus and awareness onto yourself. Notice how you are doing. What is on your mind? Imagine releasing and letting go of these distractions. Bring your attention and energy off these distractions. Take a deep breath and release any energy or emotion you are holding onto. Repeat until you are feel clear of energies and emotions that may give a bad impression or that you don’t want to bring into the conversation.

Next Step The next step is re-setting your space. Watch for this in another blog. Have a great day!

Fix the door to get your business moving

~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

Red cutters and an earphoneYes, I mean fix the door.  When your business is slowing down you can look for all the logical reasons why that is.  Sometimes the cause has nothing to do with your business but with another aspect of your life.  From an intuitive perspective our business is not separate from us.  It is part of who we are and what we are creating.  Intuitively I see that every aspect of our lives, our relationships, health, home, family, etc. affects the other.

This could be a very long blog but let’s focus on one aspect. The phone has stopped ringing, new contracts are slow to materialize, you are doing everything right from a business perspective so what’s in the way.  As a business intuitive I hear this question often.  My first suggestion is to look around at your life.  Where in your life are you not in communication with someone?  What in your house is bothering you?  What is broken that you have not taken the time to fix it?  How are you doing personally, emotionally, and spiritually?  Is there something in your personal life that you have not taken care of?

This idea is not so far fetched.  One client, John, president of large investment firm, saw a sudden drop in investments. During our consultation I saw that he was having a difficult time communicating with his 20 yr. daughter.  The energy in his space said “Don’t communicate!”   This energy was effecting at work. No one was communicating with him.  I suggested he contact his daughter to clear their communication.  He did and coincidentally his business clients started calling again.

Another client, Michael, who owns a chain of retail stores, saw his sales plummet.  During his consultation I saw that something was broken in his home.  He acknowledged that the supports for his deck were in disrepair but he had not gotten around to having them fixed.  The energy of things being broken was in his space.  Michael did not quite buy the idea that his deck had anything to do with the sales in his stores but just in case, he went ahead and had his deck repaired.  After the work was completed he called to say that he did not know what affect this would have on his business but he sure felt a lot better personally.  He had no idea the weight (the energy) this had created for him.  As you may guess sales went back up as well.  There are no coincidences.

So take a look around at your work, home, relationships, health, etc.  Notice the one thing that most weighs on you and take care of it.  Then take care of the next thing that weighs on you and so on.  For a business to be successful we have to keep the energy moving in all aspects of our lives.

Best wishes for your success, Kay

Are you sabotaging your sales?

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment
j0289893
Be mindful in sales!

Just the other day I had an interesting experience with someone selling me advertising time. I want to begin by saying that I WANTED to buy what he was selling but he wouldn’t let me.  Let me tell you this very common story.

Fred called just when I was running out the door to an appointment.  He wanted my company to buy radio-advertising time.  It was an interesting campaign that married my company to one of my favorite charities.  I was sold!  The price was right.  The cause was right and my company could show support for something I value.  Win. Win. Win.  Only one problem –Fred.

Let me describe what I saw as a business intuitive when I interacted with Fred.  Everyone is intuitive including our potential customers so I am sure everyone he called that morning had the same experienced though they may not have been conscious of it.

When Fred called it was clear that I was the one hundredth person he had called in the last 10 minutes.  He spoke fast. He was not communicating with me. I was just there to listen to his pitch.  Because I wanted what he was selling I tried to engage him in a real communication.  He was in the energy of giving his pitch, waiting for a yes or no and moving on.  I felt that.  I saw that.  Most people would have been turned off by this and never really “heard” about his offer.

But let’s take it further because I did want to buy what he was selling. I was on the way out the door so I asked Fred to email me the information, contract, schedule for ads, etc.   His energy immediately changed to “She is not going to buy this ad time.”   He was done with me.  Politely he took my email address and hung up.  In the end he did not email me the information. He lost a sale and I lost a good advertising option.

In this situation, Fred was putting out the energy and the pictures of failure.  He was going through the motions but his thoughts (“pictures” in his aura) were like neon signs to anyone he called, “I don’t expect you to buy what I am selling.”  The potential client “sees” these pictures intuitively but maybe not consciously.  Fred’s energy and his pictures create an unconscious and automatic reaction in the space (aura) of the person he is talking to, “I’m not buying what you are selling.”  This happens all the time!  We sabotage our own sales!

Let me give you an intuitive exercise you can use so that you increase your sales rather than sabotage your sales.  After you do this exercise look intuitively at the people who do sales for you.  Notice the pictures they have in their aura that supports or interferes with their sales.

Intuitive Exercise:  To be done before you make a call, meet with a potential customer, etc.

Take the time to stop.  Sit down in a quiet place if possible.  Take a deep breath and relax.  Begin to quiet your space.   Imagine calling back all your energy, attention and awareness from everywhere – last week, this morning’s meeting, tomorrow’s trip, etc.   Bring your attention into present time, the present moment.

When you feel quiet and present bring your attention into the center of your head and behind your eyes.  Notice yourself.  How are you doing?  What will the person you talk to experience from you?  The rush of your day?  Your resistance to making this contact?  The disappointment of your last contact?   Begin to change your space.  Be conscious and aware of how you want your customer to experience you intuitively.  If you had a fight with someone, clear that and any other energy that is “hanging” in your space (aura). You know what you are going to say but what are they going to experience intuitively from you.

Begin to imagine and see in your minds eye  (your eyes closed) the sales call or meeting you are about to conduct.  Notice your thoughts about this.   Begin to release or let go of any competing thoughts, ideas, emotions, etc.  Let go of any past time experiences that interfere with you imagining or seeing successful contacts.

Do not make a call or meet with potential clients until YOU can see clearly the possibility of making the sale.  Your clients or customers are intuitive.  They will pick up on any doubt or thoughts that you have.  Make sure they are picking up on thoughts that support a sale versus thoughts that would sabotage your sale.

When you have set your space (aura) the way you want your customer to experience you and you can see a successful sale in your minds eye exactly as you would like it to happen then you are ready to meet with your potential customer.

There are more intuitive steps but this is a good start.  Have a great day and let me know how your sales go!

Kay

Selling? Develop long term customers…

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

j0289893 There are many ways to create a sale.  Some people rev-up their energy and run an intense sales pitch through your space.  In the onslaught of the energy many may, in fact, buy what is being sold.   Once the client gets out of the energy of the sale they will do one or both of these.  They will return or cancel the contract because they felt pushed into something or they will simply never use the produce or service again for the same reason.  Customers are very sensitive to energy.  Salespersons or business owners who are aware set the energy of their contacts with an intuitive eye to the customer.   Knowing your customer and what they are in need of then will develop long-term relationships with their clients/customers.

To create this long-term relationship in which customers come back again and again we must be intuitive.  There are several levels to a sale.

1. Telling your potential customer about the product.
2. Knowing what their needs are.

This is as far as most business folks go but there is a third and absolutely essential piece.  Your customer has thoughts or pictures that affect their ability to hear what you tell them and to see the value of your product or service.  They may be aware of these thoughts or pictures or is may be entirely unconscious to then.  Either way this is what will determine whether they buy from you or not.  This is where intuition comes in.

There is a current rage that says’ “Find their pain.  Address their pain.”  Well, that is the answer for some customers and will certainly help with that group but there are other energies that affect them.

Telling the customer more and more about your product or service, thinking the more they know the more likely they will be to purchase, is a limited perspective.  Sure knowing the product is important but it does not matter if the person is preoccupied by a competing thought.  Maybe the couple just had an argument before meeting you.  You have no chance. Their attention is elsewhere.  Maybe your client is put off by something in the environment where you are meeting and can’t get beyond that.  There are so many possibilities it is impossible to know ahead of time so we rely on our intuition.

Telling a customer why they need the product or service will have the same result if they are distracted by a competing thought.  It is well know that businesses make most of their money from repeat customers.  Selling is not about getting this sale.  Selling is about creating a customer.  Someone who you will keep over time.   This means getting to know your customer and what their needs are.  It also means knowing the unconscious or semi-conscious thoughts or pictures that have an impact on their decisions.  This is where your intuition comes in.

Let me offer an intuitive exercise that you may find useful.

1. Before you meet with your potential customer take the time to stop and ground yourself.
2. Perhaps close your eyes and bring all your attention and awareness into present time.
3. Gather your energy from your day and be present.
4. Imagine your appointment with your customer.
5. Decide how you would like to be in this meeting.
6. Open intuitively to your customer.
7. Intuitively, what do you see about them?  What is on their mind?  Just imagine.

These are some of the steps you can take to open intuitively before you meet with your client.

When you meet with your client use your own style of presentation then sit back.  Make some separation from your potential client if you are completely in their space.  By doing this you gain some perspective.  Stop thinking and start noticing.  Open your intuition. What do you notice about this person intuitively?  Stop talking and start listening.  Find out about them.  Let them talk to you about what they are looking for.  Don’t think.  Notice intuitively more than listening to their words.  What do you notice separately from what they are saying?  Don’t respond just keep listening until you “see” that you have a clear picture of who they are and what’s on their mind.  If your product is not the right fit, say so and let them go.  I could give you a thousand reasons why this is a good idea but that is another blog.

If your product is the right fit then keep opening intuitively to find the picture or thought in their space that is in the way.  Talk about what you intuit.  Keep reading them and talk about their “fears”.  You don’t have to sell your product at this point.  You are simply getting your customer on the same page with you by finding out why they are not.

As they feel that you hear them they will begin to engage in knowing who you are or how your product or service might work for them.

Retailer Display Pushes Customers Away!

~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

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I was at a street fair yesterday where business owners setup booths, sold their wares, promoted their business or cause. As an intuitive, I watched with great interest booths that were full and those where no one could or would approach.

My observations from this street fair are going to be helpful to any retail business and perhaps others. Retail is about communication, and this is often ignored. Your customers are intuitive. They may not realize that but first and foremost they react unconsciously and sometimes consciously to your display and your demeanor. They pick up on the energy of your booth and your business. Let me give you examples of what I saw.

The booths that were packed were “open” on an energy level, appealing visually, presented an aura of something customers would want for themselves and the staff in the booth was approachable. Their goal seemed to be communication more than sales.

Mistakes I saw. One booth was beautiful; the jewelry was beautiful, the couple behind the table was beautiful and very much in the energy of their relationship more than showing their jewelry. It looked like a photo shoot for a magazine. They grabbed everyone’s attention as we walked by but no one walked in. My husband, who is a Casting Director, noticed them as well but since he is casting project that requires beautiful people, he gave them his card. They may get a photo shoot from the day, but I’ll bet they sold no jewelry. Your customers have to feel that you and your business are there for them.

Another booth had beautiful ceramics. An older couple sat in the back on high chairs looking bored and invalidated. This is the intuitive impression as people walked by. It made them uncomfortable. The couple’s energy made it uninviting, and we did not want to disturb them, as they seemed so disengaged from their display. No one went into that booth.

A woman was selling the most beautiful shawls was also empty of customers. Her mistake was simple. In order to show off the rich colors of her shawls, she laid them against a black display. Most of the folks at the festival were in a cheerful place on this beautiful sunny day. They did not want to go into the darkness, so they did not go into her black booth.

Customers steered clear of booths with staff that were pushy, loud or intruding as you walked by. Booths where the staff was invisible or disengaged also kept folks out. The busy booths were those where the staff were friendly, said hello without expecting anything other than a hello back. The staff was in the energy of customer service versus I NEED you to buy my product.

In the end retailers who were intuitive about their displays were most successful. What does the customer see, feel and hear? How do you want them to experience you, your products and services? Sometimes we have been doing our business so long that we lose our perspective so step back. Get out of your routine. Change your display completely. Notice if you are getting customers or not. Don’t think. Change the energy until you have all the customers you would like.

If you or your staff are not in the “mood” to sell your wares then you might as well go fishing instead OR change your energy. Decide to enjoy promoting or selling your wares. Passer-bys can read your energy. We are all intuitive. There is no faking it. Your vision of your day goes exactly as you see it. If you have no vision then, nothing happens. As always take the time to visualize your success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com