First of all, I’d like to take a moment to wish you and your family a wonderful happy holidays and all the best in the new year.
What a year it has been — full of monumental shifts in the global economy, revolutions in countries tired of the status quo and dramatic fluctuations in currencies we assumed would always be stable.
If there is a major theme for this past year now emblazoned in the front of our minds, it’s that change, is now the constant — and adapting to it is how we move into 2012 and beyond.
The challenge though, is that we as human beings prefer to avoid change, our natural tendency is to default to what “is” rather than “what will be”.
With that in mind, I’d like share with you five predictions for 2012 that will prepare you for “what will be”.
After working personally this year with hundreds of high-performance entrepreneurs, business owners and sales teams — there is one thing that will never change, no matter what happens in the future — and that is that TRUST will always be the most powerful currency of all.
It will diffuse conflicts, build long lasting relationships, create fortunes and change the world for the better.
With that in mind, here are my personal predictions for 2012 that I hope will give you clarity for how to achieve and surpass your personal and professional goals in the upcoming year:
1. High-touch will make a comeback
Email, online, social media and e-tools will continue to be a central medium for communication, but they won’t be the main driver that will create deep and long lasting trusted relationships with potential new clients.
Technology has made us a society more and more detached from human contact — and that’s not a good thing.
More business people are “hiding” behind their computers now more than ever.
Many have lost the art of humanizing the sales process.
What you’re going to see next year is that the sales winners will not be afraid to pick up the phone to connect with prospective clients and will be encouraging more face-to-face contact.
“Old school” you say?
Human contact and conversation is the foundation of creating trust, and trust equals sustainable sales growth.
2. Facebook time will distract you from sales results
The amount of time “professionals” are spending posting on facebook is staggering.
Facebook is the ultimate happy place, most post happy thoughts (rarely negative), that’s why it’s addicting.
But it has two “faces”. Recently someone made a comment on one of my “mindset quotes” that my staff post for me a few times a week.
It was a very smart and interesting comment from this gentleman, I was impressed.
I clicked on his profile and photos of him drunk at a party were the first thing I saw on his page.
Happy place and a very bizarre place.
Spend your time more wisely by creating leads and sales through a trust-based sales funnel.
3. Direct mail will make a comeback
“Direct mail doesn’t work and it’s too expensive” — you never hear that from those who are making a fortune with it in REAL businesses.
As everyone is jumping to cheaper free sales mediums, our office and home mail boxes are getting emptier everyday.
Following the crowd in business is not where you’ll find the most successful entrepreneurs.
Get your sales process systematized, wrap it in a trust-based message, send it in the mail, and you’ll generate more higher-quality leads and sales than you ever thought possible.
Being a contrarian while everyone else runs the opposite direction is a massive leverage opportunity in your business.
4. Moving away from branding to one-on-one natural communication will be how you will stand out
I received a few emails from a company interested in offering me their services.
The way the emails were written felt like a computer wrote it, detached and unnatural — and they were from a company you know well.
It was like some marketing person wrote the emails about 1,000 feet over my head.
They didn’t speak directly to me with natural languaging.
It was pure “corporate speak”.
Write to your prospective clients as if they were sitting in front of you listening attentively to what you have to say.
Connecting one-on-one and create a natural conversation is the secret to breaking virtually every sales barrier.
Toby now 8 years old (right)
and his brother Nathan (left)
5. Our children will be our ultimate mentors
My son Toby just turned 8 years old yesterday.
I’ve written a lot about Toby, who has Down Syndrome, and how he continues to show me how wise he is and how much I need to learn.
Are you listening to your children?
Are you watching how they are present in the moment, don’t have a hidden agenda (usually:) and how they create trust with other kids?
We as “adults” have a lot too learn from our children and the more humble we are, the wiser we become.
Trust will be the most powerful currency in 2012, regardless of how the world changes.
Are you maximizing trust in your sales process?
Something to think about as you start the new year.
Have a safe and wonderful holidays.
Feel free to leave your comments below.
To your success,
15 Responses
Hi Ari,
you are absolutely correct in everything you said.
facebook really has two faces…(my God you are sooo right).
Yes,we have to be humble and learn from our children because they make us good examples and better people..
I am very encouraged by those predictions and I will continue to keep my natural communication going.
people need to connect and TRUST.
God Bless.
joanna
Trinidad & Tobago
Agree with you completely. In today’s market, trust is the currency of sales and business development. No channel or tool should be excluded whether online or offline in building a trust based business model.
Sydney, Australia
Ari, your comments re Facebook are so on target! I’m amazed by the amount of time people spend on it talking about themselves. But here’s my dilemma. Every social media guru says that of all social media networks, Facebook is far ahead of the others at 95% penetration rate. How do we work around this?
Malaysia
Well said particularly about hiding behind the computer. Facebook and so-on is one small tool that used wisely will help bring us one small step closer but shouldn’t be relied upon in it’s entirety. Conversation face to face or over the phone is where the action is! Merry Christmas everyone.
Sydney Australia
Dear Ari,
Thank you for your wonderful insights and they are so full of commonsense! Very rare these days.
Ari, your direct sales coaching is just wonderful and I would recommend it to anyone that is SERIOUS about being a great success in direct selling.
The same way as the greats in Tennis get constantly coached, even when they are No. 1 in the world, so must we continue to be coached by top world market leaders like yourself to also be able to achieve success.
Warm Regards
Xenia
Sydney, Australia
Ari, I could not agree more. I too believe those of us who use your training will be one step, or more, ahead of what would normally be our competition.
Phoenix, AZ
Valuable advice Ari.
There’s a distinct lack of courtesy in business these days and I realise from your words that it comes back to a lack of trust.
Trust = Respect = Courtesy
I love your approach and look forward to reading more from you in 2012
Merry Christmas
Warren
Sydney, Australia
Hi Ari,
Thanks for the great wishes! 2011 was an outstanding year — in all aspects of it.
With that said I truly enjoyed reading your 5 predictions. While I agree with 4 of them I think you may to perhaps take a closer look at predictions #4….
Specifically, the idea of “running” in the opposite direction than the crowd (While a good one as a true differentiator) can and might get you “killed”! Let me explain — If Salmon did not swim upstream to have their “babies”, we would have no Salmon in the world…?!? While I do believe that there is a lot to be said in going full circle and getting back to the place you started (sometimes to be grounded again and sometimes to make sure you go back to basics) you are ACTUALLY not traveling in a Circle but in a “Spring” — It may look like you went back to the same spot if you were looking at this from the top, but if you had the side view you would see that it is actually a Spiral. Just a thought for you and your followers to consider.
Respectfully,
Kevin M.
Los Altos, CA
Hello Ari,
For many years I worked in investment funds, and there you had to sow the trust to wait a few years before you reap the results.
In companies you sell B2B systems or stuff at any price is a little easier, but I do not think so much easier.
Believing that with on e-mail or a series of e-mail you can convince someone to hear you makes me laugh.
Trust is a variable in the sale, you can have it or not, but it remains a cornerstone for the relationship among people. It will never miss cause it is the basis of human relationship.
In other words, you can not live without air, perhaps without the light, but not without air. I could say that the air is for men as trust is for human relationships.
Thank you for your e-mail.
God bless you and your whole family.
Giuseppe Lunardi
Venezia (Italy)
Thank you so much Ari. I have been you using your trust based selling phrasology and it reeally works. The customer is allowed to make a decision that is mutually beneficial with me. The system is a breath of fresh air in an industry that is very “uptight”.
Eastvale, California
Thank you Ari for your insight, it certainly gives something to ponder and the confidence to even keep all levels of communication open with potential clients. For me it has always been about one on one contact as I have found for me personally that works the best, but I communicate by email to my clients to keep them up to date with their design and construction progress. Facebooking was the most interest to me as I have tried it but with little success and the internet. I guess when you are selling eBooks and the like those mediums can work but for simple Architectural Design I am beginning to see that the old fashioned approach is the best, so thank you for your observations they have been well noted. I trust you and your family will have a joyous Christmas and a positive New Year full of excellence and blessings.
Perth
This is a beautiful message and very timely as we are planning our sales goals and approach for 2012. Our company manages “Trusts” which rely on the collaboration of their members. Thanks so much for sharing these insights.
Streamwood, IL
Ari, apologies, I couldn’t attend your live event in Sydney.
Your predictions are accurate.Personal touch and face to face conversations are preferred options.
Thank you for inspiring posts.
I wish you and your family a very happy new year!
Sydney, Australia
Ari I attended your recent live event and you are a man with true integrity. I’ve implemented everything you taught us and the sky is the limit now for my sales income next year. Thank you for sharing your gifts and I can’t wait to learn more from you.
Aukland, NZ
Well said Ari. Your words cut to the truth and that’s why you’re able to say things that others wish they had the courage to say. My best to you and your family in the new year.
Sydney, Australia