An Author NEADS to Make Decisions

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

We continue to share Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book LowProfile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, let’s return to the short explanation of the letters.

N – NOW E – ENJOY A – ALTER D – DECISION S – SOLUTION

We have addressed the first three letters and this week the fourth, D for Decision.  Who makes the DECISION?

In marketing we must find what the customers’ current situation is, what they like about it and what they would change. We then must determine who will be making the decision to change.

When selling to a couple we never ask who wears the pants in the family. We do ask if we are unable to meet with both parties which one would we need to be certain to meet with. Their answer will tell us who the decision maker is. When dealing with a company we must ask who in the company will be making the decision. Failing to determine the decision maker can have us spending valuable time working with the wrong person. Know who the decision maker is.        

The same is true in life. Ask yourself who is making the decisions that are important to you? Is it you? Do you seek advice from trusted sources when making an important decision? Do you go with your gut, heart or head? Are you collaborating on a project and must consult with a partner or partners?

If we are truthful with ourselves we will realize only the most simple of decisions are made entirely on our own. The majority of decisions we make are done so with the help of others. If you are one that is fortunate enough to have those trusted souls you can go to for assistance please do so. Their input may give new insight and direction.

Prepare yourself as we move into the final step of the NEADS acronym. Have an honest evaluation of where you are NOW. Determine what you ENJOY about your current position. Determine what you don’t like about your current position and would CHANGE. Who will be involved in making the DECISION to change and move ahead? The next posting will be the letter S. What is the SOLUTION!

What An Author NEADS is Change

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

As we continue to share Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book Low Profile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, let’s return to the short explanation of the letters.

N – NOW E – ENJOY A – ALTER D – DECISION S – SOLUTION

I have used it not only as the fantastic sales tool Tom intended it to be, but as a problem solving tool as well. We have addressed the first letter N, the second letter E which is for ENJOY. This week we will address the third letter A. What is it we would ALTER or change?

In marketing we must find what the customers’ current situation is, what they like about it and what they would change. What they like is their “Hot Button” or why they buy. When we ask what you would Alter or change we find what their problem or concerns are. This could be called their “Cold Button” or what turns them off about a product. We then make sure we are able to meet their concerns with our product.

In life, change can be a hard thing for some of us. Customers are usually eager to make a change once it is presented and it is their choice to do so. But many times the changes are not of our choosing. Dr. Spencer Johnson wrote about the difficulties of dealing with change in his bestseller Who Moved My Cheese? The change he spoke of was indeed not change being sought but change being forced upon us. The change we want to deal with in the NEADS acronym is the change of choice.

We have identified where we are, what we like about it and now what we would change. This change, which will be of our choosing, will have two positive outcomes. One will be the identification of what we do not like and will leave behind. The other will be the positive direction we will move in the absence of those things we do not like while seeking more of what we do like. This can be very liberating.

Ask yourself what is it you would change at this point in your writing or your life for that matter? Could you see yourself without this thing you would change? Can you see yourself in a better position? Take some time to consider what it is you would change and the benefits of that change.  

As we continue to move into the remaining steps, prepare yourself by having an honest evaluation of where you are now, what you enjoy and what you have chosen to change. The next letter is D. Our next post will be about who will be making the Decision!

What an Author NEADS is a HOT BUTTON

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

As we continue to share Tom Hopkins’ NEADS acronym found in his book LowProfile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion, let’s return to the short explanation of the letters.

N – NOW

E – ENJOY

A – ALTER

D – DECISION

S – SOLUTION

I have used it not only as the fantastic sales tool Tom intended it to be, but as a problem solving tool as well. Last week’s blog addressed the first letter N which is for NOW. We used this step to establish where we are. This week we continue with the second letter E which is for ENJOY. We will discover what we enjoy.

In marketing we must find what the customers’ current situation is and then what they like about it. What is it they like, enjoy or are excited about? We want to know this to be sure our product has that feature either as a basic part or an option that can be included. This is one of the easier tasks of marketing when you ask someone, “Tell me what you enjoy most about your current product?” Usually they will light up and can’t wait to tell you all the reasons why they love this thing you are discussing. In sales we call this their “Hot Button”. This is why they buy. The best part is they have told you this is why they buy so you aren’t left guessing. We look for what they enjoy and sell to that.

We too must ask ourselves what we enjoy about where we are and what we are doing now. Tom Peters said, “Celebrate what you want to see more of.” What has excited us, what has us looking for more? Celebrate what you have found to be exciting and enjoyable and look for more of it. Is your “Hot Button” getting published, blogging or book signings? Maybe it is helping others move forward with their writing? Know what your “Hot Button” is and pursue it. Don’t settle for less. Place yourself in a position to enjoy, be excited and celebrate! The excitement feeds the journey.

As we continue to move into the remaining steps, prepare yourself by having a current and honest evaluation of where you are now and what you are enjoying about where you are now. The next letter is A. Our next post will be about what you would Change!

What an Author NEADS

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Tom Hopkins wrote a fantastic sales book called Low Profile Selling, Act like a Lamb…Sell like a Lion. In that book he presents a sales tool which I found very helpful. I have used it not only in sales but in many situations I have come across in life as a problem solving tool. Over the next few blog entries I want to share it with you. First let’s look at Tom’s acronym NEADS.

In sales it is important to evaluate the current situation. The current situation is where you are now. So the first letter N is for NOW. What do you have now or where are you now? You must know what you have or where you are at this point before we can move forward to where we want to be. Just as your GPS must know your current position and your desired destination before giving you a route, we must do the same.

In life we also must evaluate where we are now. Take any current situation and ask yourself, ”Where am I now?” George Bernard Shaw once said, "The only man who behaves sensibly is my tailor he takes my measure anew every time he sees me, whilst all the rest go on with their old measurements, and expect them to fit me." Like George’s tailor we must stop and take measure of ourselves, our growth, our direction and our abilities. We must evaluate our current position before we move forward.

Take some time to sit quietly and look over your current position. Be very honest with yourself and evaluate if you are where you want to be, need to be or had hoped to be at this point. Once you have done so we will take the next step. To help you see what may lay ahead here are the remaining letters in Tom’s acronym. Look them over and if you like you may want to visit the video website below*.

N – NOW

E – ENJOY

A – ALTER

D – DECISION

S – SOLUTION

Prepare yourself for the remaining steps by having a current and honest evaluation ready and in front of you for the next letter, E. Our next post will be about what you enjoy!

*Click the word "Video" to view