Robin Sieger Blog

I spoke at a conference last week in Germany. After the event I went to a drinks reception and met some of the delegates. I had the opportunity to speak with the VP of Communications who was to speak at the conference the next day.

She wanted to pose a question to the delegates, which was simply if you had to wear a t-shirt with a slogan on it what would that slogan be? Would it be "Not My Problem", "I'm Busy", or would it read "Have Time", "I'm Here to Help". She reflected that Superman had a giant letter S on his rather fetching blue top, and that when asked what he believed in and stood for he always answered "Truth, Justice and the American Way".

Though in today's world such sentiment may seem out of touch with the harsh realities of the geo-political map of our globe, Superman (who first appeared in 1934 as the depression still held much of the US economy in its grip) was very clear about what he stood for.

I really liked the thought provoking sentiment of the VP's talk "What would you have on your t-shirt?" I have thought about this and have got a few ideas that I will share with you in a few weeks time.

The reason for this is I want to run a small competition for the blog readership. It is called, What’s On Your T-Shirt? Send me a description of what you would have printed on your t-shirt and what the values are that it stands for.

Now there has to be a prize, every competition needs a winner, so the prize will be a one hour free coaching call (by phone) anywhere in the world, at our expense. Plus a guest article will be published on this web blog, before the end of June.

Send entries to janet@siegerinternational.com.

Closing date for entries Monday 28th May, 2007.

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Three months ago I was in a small town 300 miles south of Mumbai in India called Panjim, about 90,000 people live there, and like all Indian towns I have visited one gets a keen sense that everyone is hard at work. I was visiting it with my old High School buddy Patrick, who is spending four months travelling through India. We had made this trip 30 years ago together, so I thought I would visit him for a week, to revisit the scene of our youthful adventures.

We had been out for a walk and stopped to sit in the town square, when my friend and I were approached by two boys (about fourteen years old if I had to guess), who like many street vendors are out to sell their wares to anyone who they think will buy them, and in India like countries the world over, tourists are always hot prospects, who have money.

In 30 years of travel I have experienced just about every type of street vendor, from the in your face aggressive young men, to the laid back ex-hippy who appears disinterested. They all want you to buy, and have found the technique which works best for them. It is a great shame they did not attend the sales masterclass I experienced in Panjim.

To put things in context, they faced every objection, from difficult prospects who though not hostile were as cold as cold gets in a selling scenario, they had a product we didn’t want or need. One was selling belts the other a travelling miniature chess set.

They did however do six things I believe make a huge difference.

1. They made eye contact and immediately smiled. This may sound like Selling 101, but you would be amazed how many people who sell for a living miss this ice-breaker. Before I knew it we had both smiled back.
2. They introduced themselves in a friendly manner and asked our names, and repeated them to make sure they were pronouncing them correctly.
3. They put their products in our hands, asked us to look at the quality and craftsmanship.
4. Their product knowledge was complete, no question unanswered or hesitated upon.
5. They told us the price then started to negotiate on the price.
6. They never gave up on the sale, even when we both sat arms crossed saying, “not interested” repeatedly, without being boring or insensitive, they kept a positive friendly manner about themselves.

I know that every selling scenario is different, and I am not an expert on selling. I am however an expert in being a customer, and these guys treated us like long lost friends, and made us feel respected and valued, which at the end of the day is what all customers want.

In case you were wondering. I didn’t buy anything. Patrick however got himself a very nice miniature travelling chess set.

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I spoke at a dinner recently, which is unusual for me, as after dinner presentations are where once upon a time how I got into speaking in public. I was a comedy writer for radio and tv, and was often asked to speak after dinner to 'do the funny stuff'.

I left television and moved away from comedy and into my passion, which is personal success, peak performance and motivation. So when I am asked to do an after dinner these days, it has to be in a business context, with more to it than 'jokes'. The reason is simple for me, there are many fantastic comedians I know who are brilliant, but wouldn’t be comfortable giving a presentation on success to a corporate audience.

So when I was asked to speak at this dinner I declined at first, but when it was explained that it would be a business dinner, that wanted an informative engaging talk on change, I accepted. The dinner was held in the most wonderful venue. It was in the Flight Gallery of the London Science Museum, where you can see many vintage aircraft and the history of aviation.

It struck me that we take most things for granted, internet, telephones, air travel. It is when one reads or studies the origins of these world changing innovations, you meet people who have followed their dreams often at the cost of their lives. The early aviation pioneers especially. In home made contraptions that could only be tested for real in the field, and when you see these early prototypes, you cannot but admire their courage and convictions.

However I came across one display which showed the concept of the fixed wing glider at its early stages and was understood at a basic level. It went on to explain that designers insistence that the wings need to mimic those of a bird in flight probably delayed the development of aeronautical understanding by 50 years. The flapping wing became the accepted view of the way forward. Obviously the development of the internal combustion engine enabled the advancement of the science, but even then the majority insisted on the flapping wing as the way forward.

I am glad they didn’t succeed, imagine a 747 with flapping wings?…..maybe best not to.

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I decided over the Easter Weekend to go to Spain to get some coaching from the current world champion skydivers, who are based in a small town called Empuriabrava. I also took some work, (a new book that has to be finished by the end of April) and looked forward to a relaxing time. What I had not anticipated was that Spain was experiencing a prolonged period of unseasonably bad weather.

A low pressure ridge simply sat on top of Spain, which meant low cloud, rain and strong winds, none of which are conducive to skydiving. Generally speaking it is better to see the ground from the aircraft, even though Global Position Navigation technology means the pilot will drop us at exactly the right spot, we often jump above, or even in the cloud.

The weather though caused the clouds to be lower and thicker than normal, which resulted in the drop zone suspending flights until the weather improved. During a break in the weather I got a 15 minute call to get kitted up and board the aircraft with my instructor. We boarded the aircraft and off we went into the wild blue yonder, except that it wasn’t too blue. We went into cloud and it got a little bumpy, we got through the cloud, then went into more cloud. At about 6000 feet, halfway to exit altitude, the pilot after speaking to the ground crew decided it was too risky for the jumpers to land in the winds which were picking up on the ground, as well as the increased clouds which were getting lower in the sky. This meant you may be opening your parachute in a cloud, which due to the limited visibility and the risk of collision with another canopy makes it potentially a very dangerous situation.

So we flew around and around, I wondered what was going on and when I asked my instructor “Are we going to get down?” he laughed and said “I’ve never seen one stay up yet, they always get back to earth” which in the tense situation broke the ice.

We landed and the weather closed in for three days, so no more jumping. Many of the jumpers on the aircraft complained saying they would have been happy to jump, and the ground crew were being too cautious. I figured they do this day in and day out for a living, they are the experts. I had no complaints. Sometimes we need to listen to the experts, and accept their wisdom outweighs our egos.

The above picture was taken on the last day, on my back at 8000 feet over the town of Empuriabrava, and as you can see still some clouds.

Blue skies!

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Have you ever been talking to somebody and you felt they were not listening? I have, as a conference speaker I have had that same experience, but with 400 people rather than just the one. I should add it was many years ago, at a dinner where the service had been awful, and the management had placated the organisers by dishing out wine.

Add to the mix the fact that the customers of the client who was hosting the dinner, had only that afternoon been told by the client that they would have to pay more and get less for the essential service the client provided, you have the audience from hell, from a professional perspective. So when 9.30pm came around and they were clearing the plates from the first course, I knew I was at least an hour and a half away from presenting.

I got more and more nervous, my thoughts were about the ordeal I had to face in the knowledge that it was inappropriate to have thoughts of "I want to be anywhere else but here". Finally at twenty minutes to midnight, I was announced, the head of marketing for this company came over to me and said, "Whatever happens we will hold you responsible." And gave me the look I am sure many priests give condemned men as they walk up the steps of the gallows.

As I stood up to speak, I told myself "Do your best". Now should Hollywood ever decide to make a biopic of my life, it would be tempting to rewrite this scene, showing me tongue tied and nervous, standing up to a disinterested and in parts hostile crowd. Then through humour, eloquence, and a blood and guts speech of Oscar winning proportions, I turn the audience around (eh…to do what I haven’t figured out yet).

The client is crying tears of gratitude, the audience carry me shoulder high through the town which they later name after me. As I said that is the film version. In reality they were for the most part quiet, some continue to talk, it was a long 20 minutes. What made it easy for me, was telling myself to do my best, in what were difficult circumstances.

In the final analysis that is all we can do, our best. Sadly so often we don’t though, we go at half pace, we play at it, we allow ourselves to believe we gave 100% when we gave less than 20%. It would have been easy for me to get up, go through much of the talk mechanically, and hope it worked.

The goals and successes you seek, are going to be realised much more quickly when you give your all. Giving your all is no guarantee of success, never has been, but not giving your all is a guarantee of failure.

So should you have been in the audience at a motor industry dinner in Scotland many years ago, when the evening appeared to implode, and a very sober speaker got up at 23.40 in the evening, that was me, and I want you to know I gave it all I had.

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Last weekend the first retreat I have shared with others took place in Buckinghamshire in the UK, and ten people attended. It was a most enjoyable experience, though towards the end I was a little concerned about losing my voice.

It is good to take time to step out of our normal everyday routine, and spend some time with ourselves and reflect upon the things that make up happy (stuff we need to do more of), the things which hold us back (the stuff we have to do less of) and the things in life we aspire to; physical, emotional, and spiritual.

It was great to spend time with all of those who attended, and am looking forward to our reunion in 6 months. I am planning another retreat, and will announce it later in the year. I am also planning a three day retreat in January in the US.

To all of you who attended thanks for being there.

I am off for a few days to finish off my new book.

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Having five sisters meant I spent more time in the kitchen as a young boy than my peers, much of the time trying to get in and help my mother bake a cake. However cake baking never interested me as much as licking the bowl clean afterwards.

To every goal in life there are four parts:

Creation

You have to create in your mind the object of your desire, you have to be able to see it and associate strong positive emotions to go with it.

Preparation

Time spent in preparation is time saved in action.

Taking Action

Doesn’t matter how thoroughly you prepare, if you do not take action, then nothing will happen.

Learning

Once action is taken you will learn if it was the right or wrong action, and you can use this information when creating the next time.

Most people I know don’t cook with a great deal of forethought, they are more intuitive or stick with what they know and like. I am sure most of us can cook at least one dish. Some of us may have three or four signature dishes. We have friends around and prepare without too much thought one of our dishes. We have stopped learning, we have stopped creating, we are in our comfort zone, doing what we know, without risking much.

I think life has more to offer us than any dish we will ever eat (with the possible exception of some chocolate cheesecake I had in Vienna once). So we need to Create, Prepare, Act and Learn, because then, and only then do our horizons spread in front of us.

Now 40 years later, I have decided to start learning to bake cakes, not because I plan to open a cake shop, or make my friends think I am having a mid-life crisis, but because I miss licking the bowl, always the best part of the deal for me.

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I went skiing in France for a few days recently and the weather was the best I have experienced in 25 years. Crisp blue skies, excellent snow, small queues at the lifts and wonderful food.

On the third day I had a conference call with a client, so my companions headed off before me. At about 09.30 I headed off to the slopes, and as I got to the exit of the hotel, I remembered I had not put any suncream on my face, and that my back up tube was not in my jacket. Mmm, I thought to myself (the words which precede many avoidable mishaps).

As I stood in the lobby of the hotel, kitted up, and ready to go, I knew deep down, that if I didn’t get suncream on my face I ran a high risk of getting a little burnt. I should point out getting a little burnt was as it turns out the biggest understatement since Noah said “It looks like rain”. However, in about seven one thousandths of a second, I had convinced myself 'just this once', and I internally uttered the fateful words, “Ah it’ll be fine”. I even convinced myself this boost of UV would turn my complexion a matinee idol shade of nutty brown. Because of the wind and cold air temperatures, I didn’t feel a thing, so I never felt hot.

I met my friends at lunch and continued to soak up the rays. I forgot to borrow some suncream (well I didn’t forget, the truth was I felt fine) and continued as I had started. In fact I convinced myself that I probably didn’t need to use suncream ever again.

As a child my parents taught me never to point at someone who was different, so I never did, be it an enormous person, a facially disfigured person, a disabled child with callipers from polio, a homeless person; I was taught to respect the dignity of others, and I have done my very best to continue that essential lesson from childhood. Alas however I don’t think this current generation of young children have been taught it, as I became acutely aware that children were staring at me. Some pointed whilst nudging their parents to get their attention too.

I put it down to a combination of charisma and a perfect tan. Unfortunately reality has a habit of jumping up and biting us when we least expect it, in my case it came in the form of a mirror in the elevator in the hotel.

I was redder than a New England lobster at a clam bake. I had invented (single handedly) a new shade of red – ‘nuclear burn’. I was a livid shade of scarlet.

Well after sympathetic looks of condolences, I have in the past five days shed many layers of skin and look about 17 (OK, OK that bit’s not true), but it will be a few weeks before I stop looking like I am a 20 year alcoholic who is blushing after being the creator of an embarrassing incident.

The lesson always deal with facts, and not convenient opinions based of laziness, because that’s when we make bad choices.

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I got my haircut today, which is not high on the list of editors 'must have stories', but it is an oasis of reality for me. If you have heard me speak at a conference you may have seen me put up a slide and ask a member of the audience the big question, "Who cuts your hair?"

About 90% of the audience can tell me the name of the person, because they go to the same person, as much as possible. I use it as a way to illustrate loyalty versus satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is a given, not some magical ingredient that those who sell their services/products to the world at large really need to understand.

I go to Jimmy Campbell in the Clapham area of London, and I never fail to be made feel as though I am coming home, and have been sorely missed. Most of the staff ask me how I am, and offers of tea, coffee or a soft drink are repeatedly made. I like Jimmy Campbell, not because he is a wonderful hairdresser, is cheap or close to my office or my home. No, it is something much, much more basic; I like Jimmy Campbell because Jimmy Campbell likes me.

Jeffrey Gitomer, America’s leading sales expert says, "All things being equal, people like to do business with people they like." and then he adds, "All things not being equal, people still prefer to do business with people they like". I couldn’t agree more. Well I guess I could, but then it would sound silly.

So today when I sat in the chair, Jimmy listened to what I had in mind, all the time knowing I would say, "The George". I should point out he claimed once when we first met that I reminded him of George Clooney. I look nothing like George Clooney, but I succumb to flattery as easily as the next person. Jimmy’s comment obviously worked because I said to him, "Well give me the kind of cut you’d give George", hence the fact that whatever cut I get is referred to as the George.

But today I didn’t say that, I told Jimmy that I would like him to do whatever he wanted, and boy oh boy did he! I should take a photograph for posterity because after I shower this evening, it will be gone for all time. He gave me an Elvis cut, with a touch of the Sopranos' mobster look. Maybe I will get used to it, but I think it was just fun between two folk who do business together. He said, "It will take you some time to train your hair to do what you want, but stick with it". I am still not sure if that was a joke. The main thing is I trust Jimmy, do your clients trust you so completely that they will let you do your stuff with the best intention of making their business or their lives, just get better and better?

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What is the worst job you have ever had? This question usually finds its best audience at a supper party or amongst a group of friends trying to out do each other with tales of diabolical jobs we had as students, when we were in the 'anything legal for cash' frame of mind.

I had some jobs, which upon reflection were none to engaging. I spent one summer up a thirty foot (triple extension) ladder, working for the railway. My job was to paint metal bridges with a coat of rustproof paint. Sometimes trains would pass alongside us (we were told that would never happen) and if you fell off, serious injury awaited you. It was dirty, dangerous work. However it was never a terrible job because the kinship of shared experience, and the black humour that pervaded every conversation, made for a great working experience. The same can be said of the various other unglamorous jobs that I took; truck driver, demolition worker, door to door salesman, and a few I would prefer to forget.

Though many of the jobs were undemanding, or unrewarding, I always found colleagues who made the jobs easier to endure. It is where I learnt the value of a pound. I also learnt the value of choice. I was a student, these jobs were always temporary, I knew I would be moving on – I was never quite sure where, but somewhere away from that current awful job.

However after college I got into regular work, in advertising and it wasn’t me. I wasn’t engaged, the profession was not what I had imagined, I thought of myself as a creative type who would spend his time thinking up slogans, it wasn’t to be. I realised any job in which you are not engaged, is boring at best and hell at worst.

This is especially true of people who find themselves in customer facing professions. I went for a bike ride the other day, then went for a hot chocolate (as I have given up my beloved caffeine). In the small café there were two girls serving, who I have seen before. They never smile, and eye contact is kept to a minimum with customers. One didn’t have to be a forensic psychiatrist to figure out these young ladies were not engaged with the job let alone the customers, everything was done mechanically, without the slightest joy.

The hot chocolate was fine, as was the piece of pie that I figured I had earned, but the sight of two people marginally happier than a wrongly imprisoned peace campaigner, was a sorry sight indeed. I even gave a big tip (and I know no one tips café staff in the suburbs of London). No joy.

I was reminded of a quote by Abe Lincoln who commented, "People are as happy as they make up their minds to be." I think the same can be said of engagement.

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