Great People Admit When They Make Mistakes

Sales trainer Bob Burg was lucky enough to have many inspirational people in his life early in his career. Today he shares a lesson he learned from one of those people - a lesson that has helped him throughout his career, and that will help you too! Here's his story:

"Dan Davis...HDH Sports!" His voice was deep and booming, and the studio microphone caused it to echo with spectacular richness. He was the sports anchor for WHDH a.m., big-time radio in Boston in the 70's and 80's. And he was really good. Also, turned out to be a great guy.

While interning at WGTR a.m. (small-time radio in my hometown of Natick, Massachusetts) as a 21 year-old wannabe sportscaster, I met Dan when we both covered the annual U.S. Pro Tennis Championship at Longwood in Brookline. I asked if I could visit him at the station some day and watch him work. He kindly agreed.

While there, he did some great teaching and provided me with many of the inside aspects of broadcasting.

But, what impressed me more than anything was the following exchange:

At one point, he told me that when conducting an interview for a story in which only one answer would be aired, to - rather than asking a bunch of questions and sorting through all the answers later in order to find the best one - simply ask one question; the one I would eventually use.

"Ahh, of course, Mr. Davis," I agreed. "I've been doing it all wrong. I've been asking a lot of questions because I haven't had the confidence to know which one I'm definitely going to use. I'll do it your way from now on. Thanks!"

He then paused, thought about it and said, "Actually, Bob, I was wrong. Eventually, after you're experienced enough, you should do what I said and ask just one question. For now though, until you have the confidence you need, keep doing what you're doing. Ask as many questions as necessary in order to get the right one."

Notice his first five words: "Actually, Bob, I was wrong."

Sure, I learned a "good" lesson in terms of asking questions.

I learned a "better" lesson in seeing a pro - a true pro and a confident and humble man – who could admit to his young "protege" that he was wrong.

Over the next 30 years, I've continued to notice; great leaders, great people, the truly confident, the real winners, not only know they make mistakes, but admit to those mistakes, as well.

What a winner. "Dan Davis...HDH Sports!"

Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com

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The Power of Third-Party Credibility

A quote by David H. Comins reads, "People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first."

It's a great quote - partly because it's funny, and, according to sales expert Bob Burg, partly because of how it leads us to see the importance of third-party credibility. Here's what he has to say on the topic:

The term itself has several generally-accepted meanings, two of the most well-known being:

1. Your credibility in the mind of your prospect based on the recommendation of someone he or she already deems credible.

2. The credibility you attain from others due to crediting another person with the information you are sharing.

It's the second of the two definitions we will focus on in this post.

A very strange fact of life (though not totally when digging deep into the issue) is that the closer you are to someone emotionally, the less believable you are in most other areas. On the other hand, the farther away emotionally, the more believable you are. Thus, when you phrase your wisdom, opinion, instruction as having come from someone else (a third party), the person with whom you are sharing this information is much more likely to accept it as true and believable.

While this would seem to defy logic, it is absolutely true. And, those who are humble enough to not care who gets the credit - and will consistently utilize this basic principle of human interaction - will find his or her persuasive abilities to hit new heights of effectiveness.

Third-Party Credibility is based on the human tendency to value the opinion/expertise of someone outside their circle of influence more than someone within (i.e. an outsider must know something we don't).

Example: Assuming some advice your children hear is the exact same, are they more likely to believe and accept it from you or from the parent of their friend? From you, or from a teacher? From you, or even some other adult that they have just recently met? Most parents laugh knowingly when answering this question.

Have you ever heard the saying, "In order to be thought of as an expert you must be from 50 miles out of town and carrying a briefcase?"

If so, then you are familiar with the concept of third-party credibility. The key is to allow yourself to credit the wisdom, advice, instruction, etc. to someone else. The person you are trying to persuade will much more likely believe what you are saying, and you'll all be happy.

The paradox is that by always giving away the credit (whether or not it's to Ben Franklin), you'll eventually be given even more credit.

Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com

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"May or May Not"

Here's a great tip from sales trainer and referral expert Bob Burg that you can use when attempting to set a presentation with a new prospect. Try out the phrase "may or may not."

"Ms. Prospect, I have an idea in which you 'may or may not' be interested."

Why is this phrase so effective? Because you have just positioned yourself to your prospect as being both honest and non-pressure (both of which, of course, are true).

"After all, a salesperson can't get much more honest than to tell their prospect that they have something that 'may not' be of interest," says Burg. "And, with that statement, the prospect can't possibly feel any pressure. This is an example of the "out" or "backdoor." The bigger the backdoor you give someone the option to take, the less they feel the need to take it."

Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com

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Sales Tip: "Aside from you..."

"Every one of us in sales has experienced the horror of discovering that, after making the perfect presentation, handling objections flawlessly and closing the sale magnificently, alas (that's right, "alas") we were talking to the person who was NOT the decision maker," says sales trainer and author Bob Burg.

"In order to ensure to the best of your ability that doesn't ever happen again, make sure the person to whom you are presenting your product or service does in fact have the authority to make the final buying decision," suggests Burg.

"But how do you do that tactfully, gracefully? After all, you can't say, "All right pal, who REALLY is the head honcho here?'"

"Instead, near the beginning of your presentation, simply use the phrase, 'Dave, aside from yourself, who else is involved in the decision-making process?'"

"This way, you've allowed him to feel important and 'save face' while providing you with the decision-maker's name," says Burg. "Now, depending upon your unique situation and circumstances, you can approach the sale correctly."

Bob Burg speaks on "Endless Referrals" and "Positive Persuasion." He is author of "Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts into Sales," "Winning Without Intimidation: The Art of Positive Persuasion" and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Visit Bob at www.burg.com

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