How To Run Your Meetings Like Apple and Google. Careers have been built on poking fun at meetings. From commercials to comic strips it’s no secret that most of us would rather be, you know, working. But there’s good news: Rapid experimentation with meetings in the past decade by startups and Fortune 500 companies alike has produced a new set of rules to consider.
Here are three that seem to be universal: All meetings must have a stated purpose or agenda. Without an agenda, meetings can easily turn into aimless social gatherings rather than productive working sessions.Attendees should walk away with concrete next steps or Action Items. Of course, there’s no need to stop there. Apple During the Steve Jobs era, Apple constantly worked to stay true to its startup roots while becoming the largest company in the world. Every project component or task has a “DRI.” Catalyst Catalyst, a group of young Christian leaders in the South, places an emphasis on keeping meetings positive and loose. Google All meetings should have a clear decision maker. Negotiating Trick: Don't Focus on Price. "That's more than I had expected. " Have you heard this line? Of course you have. It's a standard response, heard a gazillion times a year by salespeople everywhere, after a price is quoted or heard.
And quite frankly, it's an understandable response from a prospective buyer--especially one who is not experienced in purchasing your type of product or service. What actually drives the response? Lack of context: When the buyer does not understand the problem accurately, he or she cannot connect the solution's price to its value. Regardless of the reason, if you get to the point of submitting a price quote and you get that response, then it is possible you missed a couple of key steps earlier in the process. Surprising prospects is bad. Better Way to Shape the Conversation To avoid getting a surprise response, make sure you build these steps into the process. 1. 2. 3.
Do not succumb to the temptation of offering concessions or asking, "How much can you afford? " Make a Great First Impression: 7 Smart Tricks. Research shows that customers decide whether or not they want to work with you within two seconds of meeting you face to face. That puts the burden on you to make certain that those two seconds really count. The only way to do that is to prepare ahead of time. These tricks may help. 1. Keep Yourself Fit Your energy level is dependent upon your overall level of health. If you tire easily, rest assured you're likely to look tired--especially under the stress of an initial meeting.
This does not mean that you need to be a bodybuilder or Hollywood thin. 2. Different industries have different norms about what's appropriate in terms of personal appearance and meeting behavior. 3. Your semiotics are the signals that your appearance immediately communicates to other people. As far as is practical, make sure you are consciously creating a set of visual signals that is most likely to communicate that you're the kind of person that's it's appropriate to do business with. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9 Keys to Business & Career Success. I'm fortunate enough to know a number of remarkably successful people. Regardless of industry or profession, they all share the same perspectives and beliefs. And they act on those beliefs: 1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill time. Deadlines and time frames establish parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually takes two weeks.
Forget deadlines, at least as a way to manage your activity. Average people allow time to impose its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time. 2. Some of your employees drive you nuts. You chose them. Think about the type of people you want to work with. Then change what you do so you can start attracting those people. Successful people are naturally drawn to successful people. 3.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Remarkably successful people never feel entitled--except to the fruits of their labor. 4. 5. Ask them why they failed. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 Ways You Should Never Describe Yourself. Picture this: You meet someone new. "What do you do? " he asks. "I'm an architect," you say. "Oh, really? " he answers. "Have you designed any buildings I've seen? " "Maybe," you reply. "Oh wow," he says. And you're off. You sound awesome. Now picture this: You meet someone new.
"I'm a passionate, innovative, dynamic provider of architectural services who uses a collaborative approach to create and deliver outstanding customer experiences. " And he's off, never to be seen again... because you sound like a pompous ass. Do you--whether on your website, or more likely on social media accounts--describe yourself differently than you do in person? Do you use hacky clichés and overblown superlatives and breathless adjectives?
Do you write things about yourself you would never have the nerve to actually say? If so, it's time for a change. Here are some words that are great when used by other people to describe you, but you should never use to describe yourself: "Motivated. " "Authority. " "Global provider. " Email Tricks Of The Super Successful. Over the past month, the most successful people I know have taught me a very important lesson: be a great emailer. Nearly all of them have a few simple tricks up their super-efficient sleeves: be ridiculously fast (responding in 30 minutes and no more than 24 hours), keep messages short, delegate responsibility through CC, and be available every waking moment. Because I don’t want to turn this article into the name-dropping olympics, I’ll forgo identifying the people who inspired this post; suffice to say that it’s part of my job to occasionally deal directly with house-hold names in technology, media, and government and my interactions with them spill over with important life lessons.
Responsiveness Engenders Trust: Being a responsive communicator builds loyalty and support throughout your entire network. As an example, take social media powerhouse, Mayor Cory Booker, as an example. Sorry 2 hear. Keep It Short: There’s only one way to dig through 500 emails a day: be brief.