The count-down has begun. On Thursday the 30th of Sep at 18.00 GMT+1 at Klosterøya in Skien you can sign up to attend what I believe will be the most exciting 45 min training session you've ever experienced + get a signed copy of the 3E book. If you'd like to participate online, this too is possible.

"The 3 Energies Behind Sales Success" has the following message on the back of its cover:

								Success a Bi-product of Excellence In one form or another we all want something in life. That something or someone is how we tend to define success. However, success or what we get is only a bi-product of excellence. In other words, whenever we succeed it was because we reached an excellent or superior position in relation to what we want. Something happened that attracted the desired outcome, and that something is excellence. Therefore, what we really want is excellence; a state of mind or condition that naturally turns every surrounding force or person into an ally. Excellence on Three Levels The essence of excellence is effective communication on three levels. These three levels or energies dramatically affects your influence. We can influence people and circumstances, but it is by how we change ourselves that our capacity to influence increases. This will help you become a better spouse, father, mother, friend and neighbor. In short, 3E will not only enhance your sales talent, but also make you a better leader.
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Did you ever work on something you knew deep inside was a waste of time? Or maybe it seemed important there and then, but long term it proved to have little impact? Sure you have. I certainly have. It happens to all of us, and to a degree it's good we've been there to know what it feels like. It's not a good feeling, is it?!

Let's pinpoint something that's definitely not good. For analytical purposes, let's simplify our working hours and divide everything we do into three categories - in general:

1. Low impact - casual work effort (80%)
2. High impact - planned structural labor (20%)
3. Dramatic impact - great discomfort and pain (0%)

		Let's define the two first categories to begin with, and then look at the last one that's suffering. Low impact, i.e. "the casual work effort" comes to us all by itself. There is no need to plan or look for it. It's the list of tasks that the world assigns to us just to keep our head above water. High impact, i.e. "the planned structural labor" is the result of conscientious planning. It's the list of tasks we assign to ourselves to make sure we are reaching our goals.

80/20 Is an Excuse and Self Fulfilling Prophesy

Most of today's workforce spend 80% of their average time in low impact activity and 20% in high impact activity (yes, you've probably heard it before - 80% bring in 20% of the results and vice versa). However, these first two categories are dominant because it's what is expected of us, and sadly enough it's what we expect of each other, in total. That's why it's a well known pattern, but our own fault. Sad thing!

Of course, sometimes we do not work at all, but are on the phone with friends and family or are taking care of private matters. In this simplified analysis we class them as interruptions and we've left them out of the picture completely, as these activities are necessary to provide balance to our lives.

Taking Intelligent Action

We can, however, live and work more intelligently by taking a few simple steps. You see, if we want to move away from brainless living to take intelligent action, it will take a little more than just planning.

Moving beyond planning is done by taking regular time-outs to creatively think through our main objectives from a birds eye perspective, both individually and as a team. We do this by asking the basic WHAT, WHO and HOW questions to discover the stuff that will have dramatic impact on your business. These questions are so basic, they will bring you to the heart of the matter. Inevitably, you'll find that the suggested activities will mostly bring you "great discomfort and pain". In other words, you'll only do them if you are truly passionate about what it is you do. But, here's the magic: If you start doing them they will inspire Passion and more Intuition - a continuation of the process.

Surprisingly enough, if we listen to our intuition and act upon it, most of us know exactly what needs to be done, especially if you foster an atmosphere of openness and sharing. Silence and pausing is OK. But not only OK, reflection is extremely valuable. People need time to think and contemplate. Also, the more we act on intuition the stronger its guidance will become.

In Practical Terms

What really will make a difference is raising the bar by engaging everyone in a regular ongoing dialog to create a consensus aiming for a higher standard. For instance you might say; "Let's work smarter, and if smarter, maybe a little less..." Ask: "What will it take to make a dramatic difference, rather than a big difference, for which we're aiming right now?"

And where do you find the time to take such a time-out? By stealing from low impact activities. Typically I counsel our clients to get together during a Friday lunch or late Friday afternoon. That's where you'll usually find low impact activities, and a time-out like this usually is considered as fitting anyway. As a contrast, I would not typically engage in this type of dialog on a Monday morning. You probably see why..?

Thus, the real work is: 1) putting ideas down into writing and as measurable activities that will hold us accountable for results next time we meet and report, and 2) helping each other actually doing it - before we get "that other stuff" done which is less important, and really doesn't matter that much.

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Clients, just like small children and toddlers, have a crying engine that sometimes needs to run for a while before we reach the heartier matters - the stuff that really makes a difference and that defines customer needs. It's not necessarily logical, but it certainly is psychological.

Did you ever witness a child crying for a long time? And then, when you offer your comfort and help, the child is simply unable to stop crying for quite a while. Even several minutes after the crying has "officially" stopped, the child is still experiencing periodic and uncontrolled sobbing. This phenomenon is what I refer to as "the crying engine".

		Do You Remember? Of course, we've all been that child who cries, too, haven't we? Think about it; just how does serious and deep crying feel? Are you able to recall the feeling? When you're crying that intensely and that long the hurt is deep down. It's almost as if it slowly moves down from head and tears to the heart and chest. So much so that it starts aching and kind of stiffens your chest. Then, to bring yourself out of it again the pain needs to return the same way up. And it just takes time, doesn't it?

Crying Remains the Same

What does this have to do with influence and sales?

Grown-ups are experiencing much of the same feelings in many ways. We may not frequently let it all out in as easily a recognizable pattern as public crying, but the process and the pain is exactly the same. Effective sales people allow the client to go through that process - gently - both the growing awareness of pain moving down to the heart as well as the resolving of deep feelings of hurt and disappointment moving up and out. The concluding result is wonderful. The other person experiences great relief, which is a reward in itself, I feel! The bonus is that your odds of making a sale quadruples, if not much more.

Mind you, the old school of "problem and pain questions" is a solid and good one, but supposing that all customers need help like that is of course taking it much too far and will only lead to miscommunication in so many cases. This is one of several good reasons why of all the different sales systems I appreciate the flexible approach of "Helping Clients Succeed" by Franklin Covey so much.

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Of all self defeating behaviors, the worst stain must be the illusion of change - the fact that most of us remain in old and ingrown patterns and either don't know it or don't believe we do. Real change is slow, rarely found and a tough, honest and soul searching process when it occurs.

					Many years ago I studied the work of Robert E. Hardy on Self Defeating Behaviors (SDBs). Simply put, we tend to establish and maintain patterns, even those patterns that are self destructive. To begin with, that particular pattern or behavior served to help or protect us (which is why we established it), but when circumstances change and people mature, and because our approach is not principle based, it now hurts us, bars our way and keeps us from reaching new goals and higher levels of achievement. In other words, we hang on to patterns of behavior even though they don't treat us well.

Here's the bad news: We're all deeply entrenched in many self defeating behaviors. Most of them are hard to recognize. Many of them are difficult to admit to. Some are obvious and we hate to face them for what they really are. The good news is: We can eliminate SDBs, if we're willing to face them and deal with them.

Can you think of a self defeating behavior you're suffering from? How would you like to get rid of it?

						Well, there certainly is no quick and easy answer to such a big and important question. However, for the sake of briefly introducing you to what matters most and how you can make it happen for real, here's what you should be looking into: Change begins and lives with PASSION. Nothing else will last. You will succeed only together with others. Establish a CONNECTION with the right people. The most important answers are found inside yourself, so search your INTUITION.

These three; Passion, Connection and Intuition represent a proven process for change, improvement and greater influence in the lives of the people around us, just to name a few benefits. You want this. You may not know it yet. However, sooner or later you'll find that success in any area inevitably will bring you to visit each of these three areas. Why not apply simple wisdom and humility by learning more, right now?

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"If you tell me WHAT to do, I may do it for you. If you help me understand WHY I should do it, I'll want to do it and get it done, much better". The WHY makes all the difference. Why then, if WHY is so important, do leaders tend to forget its importance?

Every time I do training, coaching or any kind of work to improve a company's performance I see the same crucial principle at work: Unless individuals see and understand the WHY, no lasting improvement ever takes place. However, when WHY is clear, dramatic change can occur, sometimes even instantly and without resistance. WHY seems to be the redeeming element of effective training - the ultimate source of motivation.

A repeated flaw in leadership is forgetting to focus on individual perspective. When leaders try to make a significant difference, they mostly make their appeal to the masses. Thus, they forget that lasting change of habits and patterns is highly personal. We don't change groups of people as much as we change individual behavior. Help one person see the picture and you're well on your way to actually improve an entire organization.

I witness both types of leaders every day and it's fairly easy to spot the difference between them. When leaders are personal and stick to individual follow up they are able to move large corporations. When they don't, they fail and fail miserably. Stay personal. Work one-on-one as well as with the larger group. Inspire change in that one individual. When you win the heart of the one, it gradually opens the door to everyone else.

Make a Big Difference So if you want to make a big difference, at least three energies are indispensable to getting results. Each energy has a principle attached that guides our efforts in becoming a change agent among people:

(1) Ask WHY / WHAT

Action: Ignite Passion by going one-on-one => inner conviction.

Passion is the energy that makes a person unstoppable. It lights up when WHY and WHAT becomes clear. Ask yourself the simple but tough questions: "Why am I doing what I do?" and "What am I about?"

(2) Ask WHO

Action: Make the Connection by executing plans together => shared conviction.

Connection is the energy that bonds us and causes us to succeed together. It brings a spark to every meaningful relationship when it becomes clear WHO matters most to us. Ask yourself the simple but tough questions: "Who is most important to me?" or "Who will give their all to the same mission as I have?".

(3) Ask HOW

Action: Stimulate Intuition by allowing individual freedom => discovered conviction.

Intuition is the energy that brings out the best in us. It shows the way in much the same way as our conscience. Individual answers will come to each of us as we deeply ask ourselves "How should I do this?" or "How can I best apply my talents and my style to solve these challenges?".

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Regardless of what project you're in and no matter what your purpose or task might be, sooner or later we always end up asking ourselves: "Things are not going too well... what can I do to improve?"

I believe there are at least three basic questions we can always come back to and greatly benefit from. In my experience, every time I explore these three areas I reach new levels of understanding and conviction.

Get past that first hurdle yourself!								1) Am I passionate? What is my purpose? Do I believe in my own "mission"? Am I driven by pure desire? If I'm not, then what can I do or even adjust to reach such emotions? No passion, no change!
It takes two to tango!								2) Do I connect with others? Who among all are my key contacts and what's important to them? Does the way I interact with the people around me trigger their passion? What will it take to turn the lights on in my peers? No connection, no results!
What does your inner compass tell you?								3) What does my intuition tell me? What is the one and single most important action I could take today that would make an immediate and/or long term difference? What does my heart tell me? How can I apply my talents and my abilities to have a spreading effect? If I were to just be my best self, how would I go about making a serious difference? No intuition, no value creation!

So what?

Passion, Connection and Intuition each lead to three distinct levels of conviction. Passion leads to inner conviction. Connection leads to shared conviction and Intuition leads to discovered conviction. Here are three suggestions to how this can be applied - right now - today:

1. Increase passion by thinking
   • read inspiring literature - discover WHAT
   • then... take time to reflect and explore
   • then... take notes
   • then... make commitments and execute
2. Strengthen connection by interacting
   • spend time with inspiring people - discover WHO
   • then... take time to listen
   • then... take notes
   • then... make commitments and execute
3. Follow intuition by leaving your comfort zone
   • seek inspiring challenges and environments - discover HOW
   • then... look for opportunities
   • then... be flexible and accept the speed of the moment

And the best thing is, pick whichever area you'd like to start with. There is, however, a principle based order to these energies, as you've probably noticed: 1) ignite yourself, 2) ignite others and 3) ignite your surroundings. Try to cheat the order of this and you'll find you're up against a headwind. If you apply yourself to the process, you'll see, wind will start blowing your way.

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Whether you're a father, a friend, a boss, teacher, coach or even a lowly servant by formal definition, you're always serving and you cannot effectively do so unless you win the hearts of the people you are trying to reach.

			During our life we fill many different roles. Regardless of which role, in every setting we deal with other people. In fact, a role is exactly about just that: "Who am I in relation to you"? (See also Wikipedia to further explore the meaning of a "role".) On a daily basis, during training and coaching, I find that people are dealing with deep frustrations in the different roles they have. Why? Because they are trying to influence others without first having won their hearts.

You've heard it before... the old adage "I don't care how much you know until I know how much you care" sums it up. And even though it's that basic, even though it's common sense, unfortunately it's not common practise. Too many of us are consumed by our own agenda. This time, decide to make that basic change. Don't just read this. Make it happen!

Passion

Well, here's a challenge you will appreciate, and I will turn it into a conditional promise: You cannot win another's heart until your own heart is right. And a heart that is right is open to the vibes of another.

Connection

And what does this mean in practical daily living? Next time you're with another person bring yourself to really look that person in the eye. Then ask yourself, what does this person really want? If you feel uncertain you may even want to ask them.

Intuition

Thoughts will come to your mind - ideas will flow. Then, it's time to act, to reap the fruits of inspiration: Do whatever it takes to give it to them. And remember, the higher the cost and personal sacrifice it requires, the better it feels - for both of you.

And it's not just smart. It's life!

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Today I'll share with you what seems to become the introduction to 3E:

Every single one of us has capacities beyond what we are aware of. Even talent and power beyond our wildest dreams. We are living receivers, bearers and channels of enormous amounts of energy. Do you believe that’s relevant to individual and team performance? Is it relevant to quality of life? It certainly is. Energy makes all the difference.

Sometimes we are placed in situations or circumstances in which we may get a glimpse of this energy. But most of our lives we hardly draw on any of those unique powers. I say hardly, but that's not entirely true. We actually make use of them all the time, but only in minor proportions to the amount of 0,1 % or much less. Yet, sometimes in brief moments we might experience pure magic. You have experienced these special moments yourself. Maybe you weren't aware of it, but all people have. It may happen in your head, in your body, together with other people or even somehow come from the outside.

Maybe the most obvious moments are when we're under extreme pressure or have to fight for our life caused by sudden danger. It is well documented that almost everything we do can in fact be multiplied by a factor of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands when we must or when motivation is focused and channeled in the same and right direction.

This book is about that power which is built into our very system as human beings. It is about what some would refer to as "being in the zone". It is about how both we ourselves and the world around us instantly can change to dramatically perform at levels we normally perceive to be impossible.

I don't expect every reader to understand what I'm going to share, but I do know - from experience - that if you want to understand I can show you on a practical level what is required to seriously increase the frequency of what people perceive as coincidence. To some, success may seem like coincidence, but when you look behind what happened you’ll always find that special ingredient - energy.

Do you want to know what's missing when things don't quite work out as you'd like it to? There's probably a number of important issues, but in my experience, energy is always among them. And believe me, it sure doesn't hurt to have a little more of it.

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"Time is money"! Says who? If it's just money, then time sure isn't worth much, is it!? That kind of thinking, such a poor paradigm, will not produce the results you have it inside you to deliver.

					Time is not only money. Time is the stuff that allows you to make a difference. You will never ignite PASSION, seldom make a CONNECTION and rarely experience INTUITION unless you devote yourself to a higher purpose than what the moment calls for. Discover that purpose. Answer the WHY!

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Communication can be powerful if you do it the right way. The wonderful thing is that "the right way" varies with each individual. Our research indicates that as long as key principles are intact the style with which you apply them is completely up to you.

To help appreciate the power of The 3 Energies (Passion, Connection, Intuition) at this time we'll share with you three different scenarios. Feedback from 3E participants seems to suggest that these scenarios quite dramatically clarify the effect and breakthrough we can experience when 3E principles are applied correctly - i.e. in line with your own individual way and style:

Scenario # 1: LIFE

Imagine that you are visiting a new potential customer. You're in a comfortable office in the top floor of a prominent skyscraper. Everything is going very well and you're currently seated doing small-talk with the CEO of the company. She is approximately your age. The setting is very promising. As you move through the preliminaries of the meeting the conversation takes an unexpected turn. From what is being said you suddenly realize that the person on the other side of the table will die by the end of the day unless you help her with your product and service.

What is your immediate reaction? How does this affect you and your style? What happens inside of you? How does it show on the outside? What becomes your primary concern? Is there a shift in balance? How would you describe the feelings you have? What kind of energy are you experiencing?

Scenario # 2: FAMILY

We continue where we left off in "The LIFE Scenario". As your conversation becomes more intense another unexpected piece of information surfaces. You both discover you're family. This distinguished lady is in fact your twin sister. The two of you were separated at birth and you didn't know.

Now, what is your immediate reaction? How does this affect your interaction? What happens with your relationship? How does it show? What becomes your primary concern? Is there a shift in balance? How would you describe the feelings you have? What kind of energy are you experiencing?

Scenario #3: ECOSYSTEM

...but there's more to come. You've just had an incredible experience in "The FAMILY Scenario". While you are speaking yet another surprise hits both of you. The building starts shaking and you realize that you're in the middle of a serious earthquake. Even though the building does not collaps, you're both strikken with fear of a devastating catastrophe.

Again, what is your immediate reaction? What happens with your interaction? What do you do? What becomes your primary concern? Is there a shift in balance? How would you describe the feelings you have? What kind of energy are you experiencing?

These three scenarios each illustrate the essence of what The 3 Energies are about, respectively Passion, Connection and Intuition. Next time I'll comment on each and how they enable energation. Energation is the setting - the atmosphere - where all three paradigm shifts are taking place.

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