5 cool ideas for being more credible

November 23rd, 2010 by Michael

From www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com

Being more credible means you will be more persuasive.  You’ll be more influential in getting people to do what you want them to do.  This will be helpful if you are in sales, management or if you are the parent of a teenager.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas on how to be more credible.

1.  Read and listen to good information. Carry a professional development book with you for three weeks.  You don’t have to read the book, just be seen with it.  People will almost instantly find you more credible.  I actually read the books I carry.  Every year, I process over 30 books, reading 15 and listening to 25 audio books.  Recent titles include Good to Great (good is the enemy of great) and Theodore Rex–think you can learn something from the youngest man ever to be President of the United States?

2.  Publish a book or an article. Imagine your level of credibility if you’ve written the book that people carry.  John F. Kennedy, the youngest American ever elected President, established credibility as a successful author.  His book, Why England Slept, was a best-seller and helped convince voters that the young man was experienced enough to hold the nation’s highest office.

Teddy Roosevelt authored several books prior to becoming the youngest American President at age 42.  Being published authors increased Kennedy’s and Roosevelt’s credibility and being published can increase yours, too.  Begin your publishing career by sending a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.  It’s fun and addicting to see your name in print.  Write a 500-word essay on something work-related and send it to the top five trade publications in your industry.

3.  Speak out. Listen a good amount of the time, but never miss an opportunity to present good information in informal situations.

4.  Be your own advertising company. Fly your flag to the top of the pole.  People are more likely to believe in you when they know you believe in yourself.  Use your voice mail messages, e-mail signature files and elevator speech to gently remind people of your value as a dependable source of quality information.

5.  Network with people who will help spread the word. There’s only one thing better than being able to personally impress people and that’s having others attest to your credibility.  Keep helping people and people will keep singing your praises.

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5 Cool Ideas for Starting a Conversation

November 21st, 2010 by Michael

From www.MichaelAngeloCaruso.com 248-224-9667

Conversing with high school leaders at (Rotary's) RYLA event

Conversing with high school leaders at (Rotary's) RYLA event

In my booklet, Hmmm . . . Little Ideas With BIG Results, I write “people are your greatest resource.”  Everyone seems to believe this, but most people aren’t very graceful at starting conversations.  Basketball coach Phil Jackson writes that the champion Los Angeles Lakers were great trash talkers during games, but withdrawn and quiet during important meetings.  Here are 5 Cool Ideas on how to start a conversation.

1.  Work with a conversation-starting quota. The next time you go out to lunch, pledge to yourself that you will start at least four conversations.  You might speak to someone on the elevator, on the way to your car, while waiting to be seated at the restaurant and maybe in the lobby of your building upon your return.

2.  The person who reaches out has the power. In her book, How to Create Your Own Luck: The ‘You Never Know’ Approach to Networking, Taking Chances and Opening Yourself to Opportunity, author Susan RoAne reminds us that luck is a “make-it-happen” communication process.  I’ve learned that the person who initiates the conversation usually has influence and power over the conversation.

3.  Open with small talk, but not too small. If you initiate conversation about sports and the weather, most of your conversations will be about sports and the weather.  On the other hand, if you open with fast-lane topics like politics or sex, you may be moving too quickly for the other person.

4. Treat the other person like a celebrity. Ironically, the best technique for starting a conversation is asking a question and then listening to the answer as if the other person is the ultimate authority on the subject.  Ask people their opinions and then hang on every word.  Smile and nod your head frequently.

Soliciting an opinion is kind of like asking for help.  People love to help.  People also love to be helped.  Most people won’t ask your opinion because they haven’t read this book.

5.  Give people what they want, unless what they want is negativity. Conversation isn’t always about what you want.  Shared dialogue is primarily about what the other person wants.  Go with the flow if the dialogue is fun and good-natured.  Nurture conversations that are positive and up-beat in tone.  Excuse yourself from gripers and complainers.  There are over 260 million people in the United States.  Let’s start talking.

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5 cool ideas for improving your Linkedin page

November 17th, 2010 by Michael

Linkedin logoThere’s not much point in being involved with something, if you’re not “all in,” right?  Yet, many people on LinkedIn fail to do five simple things that can help them get more of what they want.

Whether you want to find a job, brand your business, make more money or connect with old friends, here are 5 Cool Ideas for getting more from one of the top three social media platforms in the world.

1.  Thin profiles look fake. Post a profile photo and completely fill out your profile information, if you want Linkedin to work for you.  A thin profile make you look half-interested and one-dimensional.  List schools you’ve attended, places you’ve worked, and at least three Web sites, including your current employer, your Facebook page and maybe your YouTube channel page.

2.  All words are not created equal. Okay, let’s run it down again.  Search engines function on what are called “keywords.”  A string of keywords makes up your elevator speech.  An elevator speech is a type of value proposition and when Linkedin connections recognize your value, you will get more attention.

The most valuable real estate on your LI page is the “Profile Headline” underneath your name.  It appears in LI search results and almost every other time your name comes up on the site.  Choose these words very carefully!

3.  Ask, don’t tell. The “What are you working on?” box or “Status Update” works best when you engage people by asking a question.  Extra points if the question is related to your value proposition, but don’t be heavy-handed about the reference.  When you show interest in others, others will show interest in you.  Be interested, then be interesting when using Linkedin.

4.   A posse makes you look better.  Everyone recognizes Linkedin profiles to be at least part puffery.  It’s natural for people to make themselves look as good as possible.  Most of us don’t list all of our faults on LI!

Remember that when you write how great you are, it’s self-promotion, but when third parties write how great you are, it’s The Truth.   That’s why you should have at least three Recommendations on the site.

Hint:  You may have to write ten Recommendations for others to get three for yourself.

5.  If 100 Linkedin connections gets you “x,” then 200 LI connections gets you “2x.” Do the math.  Add five connections a day to your Linkedin network.  Never miss a day.  Ever.

Bonus idea–

6.  Your top keywords belong in your Linkedin URL. When it comes to Internet marketing, the best place for keyword placement is in the actual Web site address or URL.  You can see your Linkedin URL by going to your LI home page and looking for the “http://www  . . .” thingy at the top of the screen.

If your name isn’t in this URL already, get it there pronto by  going to Profile/Edit Profile/Change Public Profile Settings/Edit (Your Public Profile URL).

My Linkedin public profile URL, for example, is http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelangelocaruso

Before I inserted my name into it, however, it was something like http://www.Linkedin.com/in/5uewbngsoergsjbhgjhshososohgoehrbjkdiyghnshgjskgjehgvhgsjhskhghaeoihyhd.

Do the above five things and you’ll be “all in” on Linkedin!

_______

To learn more, be sure you’re receiving Michael’s free 5 Cool Ideas newsletter, which has great content and announces his live events and webinars.

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Dbusiness magazine and I help you with difficult people

November 10th, 2010 by Michael

Leaders, sales people and customer service reps often find themselves doing business with challenging personalities.  Here are some helpful tips on the subject:

http://www.dbusiness.com/Blogs/Annual-2010/Persuading-Difficult-People/

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Holidays — great practice for dealing with difficult people

November 8th, 2010 by Michael

fla1 diff  people CD ebook cover WEBAs a communication consultant, I constantly remind clients that personal development is a double dip.

My various keynotes, seminars, and training sessions, for example, are designed to help clients co-exist with with  different kinds of people.

And when we become better at coping with difficult people, we can easily transfer that skill set back and forth between home and work life.

That’s why the holidays are such a great time  to practice dealing with difficult people.  After all, siblings, in-laws, and even spouses usually give us many opportunities to cope during year-end family gatherings.

Here are two tips for getting along with people during the stressful holiday season:

1)  Remember that you can’t change others. It’s far easier to adjust your response to others.  I’ll give you many ways to do this during my upcoming teleseminar.

2)  Emotion cripples rational discussion. Some difficult people love to get a reaction from you.  Minimize the drama by using my communication strategies.

3)  Find something you like about people you don’t like. It’s easy to “villianize” someone you don’t care for.  Instead, try complimenting him or her.  Make it sincere and over time the relationship will eventually improve.  I’ll show you how to do this.

telesem desk smile 0809 WEBLearn more about how to cope by attending my Dealing With Difficult People teleseminar on Tuesday, November 23 at 3:30 PM ET.  Register now for this great program.

I’ll teach you:

-  Power language that stops difficult people in their tracks

-  How to avoid negative people, even if you’re related to them!

-  Ways to cope with hostile people who want to do you harm

-  Tricks for confidence that keep difficult people at bay

-  Much more!

If you can’t attend the call, listen to the recorded playback or purchase the one-hour audio CD version of the program.  In any case, I’ll send you the 30-page e-book, Dealing With Difficult People, so your holiday season can be less stressful and more fun–both at home and at work.

Talk to you on November 23!

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