The many Faces of Perception

You are who you THINK you are :-) Really?

My Step Dad recently had a mini stroke and had the big artery “roto rootered” because of a 90% blockage.

We have been talking every day since then. I know him since I was 14 years old and he is a very large part of my life even though we have not been close in the past 20 Years or so. My Mom recently passed away and so I have been “repairing the relationship” with my Step Dad. I won’t bore you with family details, but I suddenly realized that there is a Life Lesson in what is happening NOW and it can and SHOULD BE applied to all of us as Compassionate Marketers :-)

PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING

Families being what they are, it has been MY perception that my Step Dad really didn’t care about me thus did not pay attention to anything about me.

Yesterday we were talking on the phone and I mentioned that I had recently been awarded a Top Builder’s Award from my company.

This is what he said to me; “You know RS, I always knew you were a terrific “sales” person.” But LISTEN to what he said next…. “I remember when you were 18 and had come for dinner. You were selling Colliers Encyclopedias back then. “(I ran a team of people who sold these great books door to door!)

He continued,

“We were almost ready to sit down for dinner and you asked if we could wait about 15 – 30 minutes or so because you had been chatting with Mr. Jimmie the Superintendent of our building and he wanted to know more about the Set of Encyclopedias. You went downstairs to speak with Mr. Jimmie and came back up for Dinner in 17 minutes and had sold the set to Mr. Jimmie and his family! You were so very excited RS. I remember because I congratulated you on your sale and YOU said that it was so great that Mr. Jimmie’s children would have the opportunity to learn from these great books because it would give them a better start in school and they would get better grades and have better opportunities!” He continued, “I was impressed that you were more excited about the future of Mr. Jimmie’s children than making the sale. I knew you had a great future ahead of you and whatever you did would involve helping others.”

WOW! My Step Dad, all these (4) DECADES later (yeah, I am that old, lol) remembers AND respects me for my talents, even now.

Perception IS everything and I have been operating under the perception that my Step Dad

1- did not consider me part of the family
2- care about or take notice of my accomplishments
3- did not feel that my accomplishments were worthy or valuable

A friend has recently suggested that when someone has a stroke that different parts of the brain become ACTIVATED and memories come flooding in. My NEW perception however, is that I have a Step Dad who never knew how to express his feelings and even though he may have cared about me all these years, he had never expressed those feelings. (He waited 40 years until our conversation the other day to tell me how proud of me he was/is)

ALTERING OUR PERCEPTION

1- We do not have control over OTHER peoples feelings or Actions, but we sure DO have control over our own perceptions, feelings and actions.

2- What things have happened in your life that are stopping you from believing in yourself and taking action on things that you want and dream about?

3- What people in your life may think you are special but don’t know how to express themselves?

4- What are you DOING to grow yourself (personal development) and understand that it is YOUR PERCEPTION of the world around you and YOUR PERCEPTION of an encounter with someone as a Compassionate Marketer that really matters.

If you care about others and have the desire to Help people Live their Dreams they will FEEL your sincerity and be comfortable and want to be around you. For whatever reasons, it took my Step Dad 40 years to reach out to me, and it took the same 40 years for me to take a step back and change MY perception by paying attention, being caring and listening with my heart!

You see you ALREADY ARE everything you want to be. You just have to take action and believe!

Practicing Abundance, Prosperity & Kindness EVERY DAY,

RS
RandiSusan Mallory
Compassionate Marketing
512.472.2604 Country Code 001
SKYPE: rsmallory

BE a Mentor with A Servant's Heart

Copyright © 2007 RS Mallory/Compassionate Marketing , All Rights Reserved. May be used with Proper Attribution

The Secret to Building and Maintaining Instant Relationships

My number one rule is Practice Abundance, Prosperity and KINDNESS, every day!

When I chat with a prospect or someone I meet on the street, I always LISTEN toWHAT and HOW they are expressing themselves. When you are prepared to LISTEN you find out much more about folks than they might reveal to you than if you keep on interrupting them. Why is that? People are frazzled and have hecticlives. They no longer have or develop communication skills and yet they are STARVED for a kind word, or for someone to just let them "chat away".

The SECRET is in the LISTENING.

Let the person know that you have HEARD them by repeating a simple phrase back to them, or changing the words around a bit. LISTENING is a lost art, and those of us who develop the TALENT for LISTENING are richly rewarded with developing many relationships. Compassionate Marketers have a truly remarkable advantage. YOUR team mates should be a closely knit family; one that is CARING and CONSIDERATE of people and their lives. People are searching for and yearning to live better, longer and more fruitful lives.

Are YOU listening?

Yes, people are frazzled and have hectic lives. Since most people no longer have developed communication skills they become STARVED for a kind word AND they are starved for someone caring enough to show them how they & their families might lead more healthful and rich lives. Pay attention! LISTENING and CARING will avail YOU the opportunity to create a bond with someone new, it gives you the blessing of being able to help them, simply by LISTENING.

It has been said that being able to develop relationships will put you on the road to success in ANY business. Listening and CARING about the other person are the seeds that will initiate and maintain those relationships, whether personal or business.

Start listening with a CARING ear, and you will be amazed at how your life suddenly overflows with people who want to BE WITH YOU or BE INVOLVED WITH YOUR BUSINESS.

Make sure that you Practice Abundance, Prosperity and kindness, EVERY DAY!

Communication skills are so very important, and most people do not take the time to develop or learn about communicating with others. The biggest part of communications IS listening, or Watching, or Feeling, but not with your ears or eyes, but with your heart!

TIPS: If you are physically with someone, then always Shake their hand firmly (but not hard) and say something like, "It is very nice to meet you" and be SURE to use their first name! ALWAYS look them straight in the eyes and put a big SMILE on your face. People always react positively to a smile. Always start a generic conversation with the person; perhaps about their family, pet or other subject—then LISTEN to them intently to get the cues you will need to know WHAT they WANT in their lives, what is MISSING in their lives, and how you MIGHT BEST HELP THEM achieve their goals. If you LISTEN carefully, all these things will be revealed.

Maintaining mini relationships is easy to do. Keep a file of your conversations, details such as family members, Life Cycle Events such as Birthdays, Graduations and Anniversaries, etc. and send a little NOTE or CARD to mark the occasion. THANK YOU notes are a must; it is a lost art and people will remember you for taking a moment to honor them. When I send out Thank You notes, I always include a packet or two of one of my products to let them know that I wish them health AND prosperity!

You might include a sample of your product or a coupon for your sevices With every contact you make, and ALWAYS refer back to something they related or mentioned to you in the last conversation. This ONE ACTION is worth its weight in Gold and signals that you CARE ABOUT and actually LISTEN to the person with whom you are speaking. Here is an example of how this works: Perhaps this person has Arthritisin their hands. I might ask them how their hands are feeling today. This might even be a perfect opportunity to ask if they "would like to do something about" the pain in their hands. I learned this simple and effective question from "Big Al" Tom Schreiter. Here's the best part; when they say "yes" it is an invitation to let them know about a a product that might help them.

If you are not physically with someone and calling them on the telephone or perhaps conversing on the computer, you may still open up a generic but thoughtful conversation. Again, LISTEN to what the other person is SHARING with you. They are handing you the keys to your success if you are listening with your heart. One more thing; Practice Abundance, Prosperity & Kindness EVERY DAY and you life will be blessed one thousand fold!

RS Mallory
Compassionate Marketing
512.472.2604 Country Code 001
Skype/Oovoo: RSMallory