Influence And Persuasion - Don't Get Caught Out

The ability and willingness to influence and persuade other human beings is a wonderful skill to possess.  Each and every day, we are being influenced whether we realise it or not.

Here's a quick example of influencing and persuasion in action.  We'll take a hotel booking for this example.  Have a think about this so you don't get caught out.

So, you're booking a hotel for your next holiday.  You explore holiday sites online and notice that the rates are so competitive, unreservedly low and you're wondering to yourself 'WOW, this is fantastic, I think I'll be booking'.  But, sure enough, the initial elation turns in to despondency soon after.  And here's why...


The room rates initially offered are starting prices and not final prices.  Ah, you want a sea view room?  Oh, a balcony too eh?  My goodness, that's going to cost you.  And it does!  But you continue.

The rate was for a room only basis. But you'll want feeding, at least breakfast.  And for how many travellers?  Add these fees on to your 'low initial price'.

So, you arrive at the rather nice 4* hotel and are greeted by a welcoming receptionist.  Before you know it, a bellboy has grabbed your luggage, popped them on to a trolley and awaits your departure to your room so he can follow you.  Well, wouldn't it be rude of you to ask for your luggage to be taken off the trolley and returned to you after the so very helpful bellboy has 'been so helpful'.

Get this - He's not being helpful, he's generating income through your tips.  He's gone straight for you as his next customer while your attention is on checking in after your journey.

And, have you noticed that when the check-in receptionist hands you the key/swipe card for your room, you just accept it?  Why do you do this?  It's an automatic, culturally accepted response where you can immediately lose out.  BIG STYLE!  Why simply accept this behaviour, which is simply a 'Go Away' signal from even the best hotels.

If you reached your room and found that it didn't represent what the web site or brochures had indicated, isn't it far more difficult to return to reception to ask for another room?  You've been seen to 'accept' something you've never even seen simply by taking the key.  And you can't even ask your bellboy to sort the problem out as he's soon disappeared (after waiting for your tip).

Lesson?  ALWAYS ask the receptionist 'Which is a better room that is available for the duration of our visit?'  Hotels ALWAYS hold the best rooms back in the hope they can up-sell guests.

So, you're settled in to your room and you fancy a drink.  Oh, there's the mini bar.  You explore the fridge, remove a couple of bottles and return both of them, choosing to visit the poolside bar instead.  But, what you didn't realise was that as soon as an item is removed from the mini bar, it's electronically swiped (as if you had consumed it).  Even if you don't consume the items and return them to the fridge, it doesn't matter.  REFUNDS DON'T HAPPEN!

Now, how about calling home and letting the family know you arrived safely?  There's a phone right by the bed.  And it'll cost you up to 4 times more than a normal landline outside of the hotel to make a call.  Gotcha!

Why not lay back and watch one of the many films available through your television?  They're £7 to £10 per day.  Here's the thing, these prices make the film available for 24 hours - just in case you want to watch the films numerous times.

Room Service?  Make sure that you grab your tray at your door rather than letting the server in to your room.  When they're in your room, they're in your room.  This is where pressure for you to tip comes in to play.

I recently enjoyed a family break in Durham with my family.  As a member of the hotel's loyalty programme we were upgraded to an Executive room. Part of this deal was 'Free Drinks Between 5pm and 7pm.  Thankfully, the range of drinks available included my favourite beer Peroni.

Watch what happens next.  The beer is served in 330 cl bottles, just over half a pint.  It is served in a small glass.   Imagine the shock on the barman's face when I asked for a pint glass and 2 bottles of Peroni.  'Ah, we can't give you a pint glass for Peroni sir' was the claim.  When I enquired why not he replied 'It's not our policy'.

See, you can have something for 'FREE', but you're really not flavour of the week if you want to drink the FREE drink out of a glass larger than they want to offer.  Perhaps their thinking is that if the guest has a smaller glass, they're likely to drink more slowly?

So, have a think about how you're being influenced on a daily basis.  You could lose out if you're not careful.


http://www.SummitTraining.co.uk/

Client Video Testimonial - Management Training

We've just received another client testimonial on video which you may enjoy watching.  It's less than one minute long and reflects a management training programme and team building events we facilitated on behalf of a NHS regional team.

Enjoy

Tips For School Leavers Joining The Job Hunting Crowd

 Volunteer – show that you are looking for experience and to contribute to society. It also shows maturity

Research – what is the job about? What skills/character traits might they be looking for? If you apply for an internship at a Vet’s, the vet will want to know more than just the fact that you love cuddly animals. How are you with humans? How are your animal handling skills?

Appearance – you will not impress potential employers with the same fashion style that you would use to impress someone your own age. Dress smartly!

Establish reference points – you have done many things in your past. Maybe you were member of a football team or the school choir. How can the experiences you made there be useful for a potential employer?

Be honest – don’t take credit for things you have not done. Share credit with others.

Show potential – you learned how to learn at school. Show that you are willing to learn and develop you skills continuously. It is not important to be the best at having an outdated skillset, but to be able to learn the new skillset the fastest.

Be likeable – we want to work together with people we can get along with. Don’t be a brown-noser, but be polite, friendly, and enthusiastic.

Ask questions – the more information you gain from the prospective employer about the job and the company, the better you can tailor your answers.

Focus on applicable experience – when writing your CV, focus on the things that the prospective employer might be interested in. If you list your hobbies, make sure that they have some real-world application and you can show that you learned useful skills or developed positive character traits from them.

Prepare – what kind of questions might you be asked? “What is your biggest accomplishment so far?” “What are you proud of?” “Tell us about an instance where you screwed up.” Think through questions like that and come up with answers that are honest and show you in a positive light. Sometimes just showing that you learned a lesson and gained maturity will make a very positive answer.

Catch their interest quickly – when writing an application letter, get your main point across in the first paragraph. A prospective employer will receive dozens, sometimes hundreds of application letters and you will need to stand out. If applying for a job in a library, don’t focus solely on your love of books, but on how well you can organise, prepare, administrate, catalogue, and deal with visitors. Think about how your skills and expertise can benefit the employer and put those first in the letter.

Ends:

Scott Watson is Founder of Summit Consulting and Training Ltd and co-developer of http://www.MyOnlineJobCoach.com/

Yorkshire Jobs Disappearing Fast - Time To Do Something Proactive

A report by Lloyds TSB has concluded that the Yorkshire region is shedding jobs faster than any other region in Britain.

According to Martyn Kendrick, Lloyds TSB Commercial Area Director for the region, new business stagnated last month, while backlogs of work also fell sharply.  These findings have fuelled concerns that Yorkshire will bear the brunt of a potential double-dip recession.

Scott Watson, human resources expert and managing director of Halifax based Summit Consulting and Training states that, while there is little which can be done to reverse the trend in the short term, employers should take a proactive, socially responsible stance in efforts to help their employees facing redundancy to return to employment as quickly as possible.

'It is very important for company bosses needing to cut jobs that they remember that corporate social responsibility is not just reserved for the good times, it is perhaps most needed and appreciated by employees when times are hard.  This is why we are encouraging employers to invest a few pounds in ensuring that employees are supported when the time comes to make cuts.'

"To this end, we have developed a comprehensive video based online resource that provides expert coaching on the complete job hunting and recruitment process.  This includes helping the user to identify hidden job opportunities, market themselves more effectively and even how to recover when they screw up during a job interview.' 

Our decade of research has identified that in a crowded jobs market where recruiters are spoiled for choice, it isn't always the best candidate who is successful in securing the job, it is the candidate who is the best prepared and most convincing.  Our comprehensive online resource, MyOnlineJobCoach.com provides a very cost-effective redundancy support solution for employers who are under pressure to cut costs but also want to take a responsible role in helping their employees secure their next job as quickly as possible.

HR Expert urges LEP to focus on outcomes

Last Friday’s Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) summit identified 4 strategic priorities to deliver sustainable growth into our region.

Key among these priorities is the enablement of a flexible and skilled work force. This is to be achieved by skills investment, the promoting of better information among employers and others and the boosting of employment and productivity.

According to Scott Watson, MD of Halifax based Summit Consulting & Training Ltd, these goals, if implemented in their entirety, will help deliver prosperity to our region, as well as a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship, and aspiration.

‘For this strategic priority to be delivered, employers and LEP executives need to be aware that turning these goals into reality relies not solely on training people in business skills, but also life skills, such as:

-how to deal more effectively with the emotional turmoil that unemployment can bring
-how to deal with adversity more effectively
-developing realistic levels of optimism
-developing the emotional muscle & resilience to not only set personal goals, but also the commitment to achieving them,’ Watson says.

‘This will not be done by basic one-day training events, which espouse the latest trends; it needs to be developed in a manner that endorses and supports an ongoing personal commitment to creating and maintaining a sustainable affinity for lifelong learning,’ he adds.

‘Employers and users need to be emotionally and intellectually engaged when introducing such a project – it is unrealistic to expect LEP to deliver this on its own,’
explains Watson

‘It can, though, be achieved through a stringent procurement process which is more focused on the potential partner’s ability to deliver substantial value in terms of real ground-level value rather than just classroom training which tick a box,’ he concludes.
- Ends -
http://www.SummitTraining.co.uk/