‘Tag questions’ can boost your sales – don’t you think?
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
2d ago
Know what “tag questions” are? Maybe you don’t recognize the term. But you’ve undoubtedly heard them used. It’s when someone states a position, then puts a short “tag” at the end, creating a question designed to get agreement. For example: “Now we’ve got everything we need, don’t we?” or “It’s pretty obvious this is a waste of time, isn’t it?” or “Makes sense, right?” The conventional wisdom on tag questions is that they’re weak. In many studies, they’ve been shown to diminish the perceived authority of the person using them and make arguments less persuasive. But a study suggests that the ear ..read more
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For better coaching, count to 3
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
1w ago
When coaching employees, was there ever a time when you feel you did most of the talking? Maybe you did. And if so, this may have been the result of deep psychological impulses within you — and every human being — that can sabotage you in situations where you really need the other person to participate, like coaching sessions. Research led by the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands found that cultures all over the world – including the United States, Japan, Denmark and the Bushmen of the Kalahari, to name a few —  observe a conversational rule known as “turn taki ..read more
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A customer’s casual remark could be a relationship-wrecking ‘iceberg’
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
1M ago
Imagine you’re doing an account review with a longtime client — let’s call her Jane. At the end, Jane says, “By the way, I read an article about some new technology they say could reduce our costs. Are you on top of that?” You are, and you tell Jane that while this new tech could save her a little on the front end, it’s risky and could cost her more long-term. Jane makes no further comment, and you think the issue has been dealt with. But a few weeks later, she tells you she’s taking her business elsewhere. You feel blindsided — but should you? No. The problem is that Jane’s question sounded o ..read more
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Changing employee behavior: Social vs. financial incentives
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
1M ago
You manage a team of six people, and they’re all good workers. But a couple of them aren’t as punctual as you’d like. In fact, they show up late for work at least three or four times a month. So, figuring that money talks, you start thinking about monetary ways to handle the issue. You consider two alternatives. You could either punish frequent latecomers by reducing their annual bonuses, or reward folks who show up on time with a small supplement to their bonus. Which is better? Unfortunately, they’re both likely to fail – because neither a financial incentive nor a disincentive is the right ..read more
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We’ve launched a new podcast, The Rapid Rundown
Rapid Learning Institute
by Meghan Mulvany
1M ago
Whether you’re a sales professional seeking to close your next big deal or a leader wanting to inspire your team to new heights, The Rapid Rundown is the podcast for you. It delivers validated strategies, hidden gems, and valuable techniques, all rooted in real academic research, and all in under 20 minutes with new episodes weekly. Don’t miss this opportunity to elevate your career. Tune in to the first episode of The Rapid Rundown. And don’t forget to subscribe! We have a ton of great content in store. Episode #1: Listening is the Key to Better Leadership You can listen to the first episode ..read more
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The value of learning ‘in the flow of work’
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
1M ago
What does employee learning look like? Is it mainly a matter of formal training courses, delivered on- or off-site? It doesn’t have to be. In fact, one of the most impactful — and cost-effective — approaches is what training professionals call “learning in the flow of work.” Executives at Amazing If, a career consultancy, say this concept is built on the principle that learning is an integral part of work, not just an event or series of events. “Whereas we used to go to work to learn a job, learning is now the job,” they wrote in the Harvard Business Review. “The priority is to increase the le ..read more
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When it comes to your sales pipeline, less is more
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
2M ago
The more prospects you have in your pipeline, the more sales you’ll eventually make. It sounds so reasonable, even inevitable. Yet research from a leading sales consultancy demonstrates that this simple statement of “fact” is anything but. Truth is, full-to-bursting pipelines don’t necessarily lead to more sales. Sometimes they actually do the opposite. The research was done by Vantage Point Performance at a Fortune 500 company. The researchers gathered data about the company’s sales teams, and found that salespeople on all but one of the teams had relatively full pipelines. On average, these ..read more
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Employee engagement and the power of progress
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
2M ago
What makes employees happy and engaged? Leaders have been asking themselves that question for decades, because they know that happy, engaged people do better work than those who are disgruntled and disconnected. Sometimes leaders think people need more money to be content and engaged. Sometimes they think it’s better working conditions, like a private office. Sometimes they think it’s recognition: telling people “great job” when they’ve performed well. But behavioral research points in a different direction. What makes a good day? Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile and psychologi ..read more
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Peer influence: A powerful tool to boost learning
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
3M ago
You’ve no doubt heard that one-on-one coaching is a great way to sharpen your people’s skills and boost their performance. And yes, coaching is a powerful technique for imparting information and driving home lessons. But you may be surprised to learn that group learning — where employees acquire and share information with their peers — can work just as well, or even better than, individual coaching. The magic of group learning? A well-known psychological phenomenon: The fact that we all want to look good in front of our peers. To understand how this plays out in a learning situation, let’s con ..read more
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How to mitigate the effects of buyer’s remorse
Rapid Learning Institute
by Dave Clemens
3M ago
When you closed that big sale a month ago, your buyer was enthusiastic. She was eager to get your solution in place and start reaping the benefits. But now that you’ve actually delivered, the buyer’s mood seems to have changed. You’re not getting the glowing reviews you expected. She seems less engaged, maybe even disappointed. That’s a problem, because you were hoping to leverage this sale into a long-term relationship. Now you wonder: Is she regretting her purchase? Will she be as eager to buy from you next time? Will another vendor’s offer seem more new and exciting? And why did it happen ..read more
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