We like to listen to our customers at Citrix GoToMyPC. From surveys to social media to full-on customer visits, we do a lot to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear. It helps us stay on the right track. In the process of listening, we also get to hear great stories of how people use remote access to work better and live better. We think these stories need more recognition than we can provide all by ourselves. So we decided to try something new. What better way to share these stories than to have you tell them directly? We’re excited to announce that we’ve just launched an easy way for you to speak about your GoToMyPC experience. It’s our new video submission platform - now you can record short clips using just your webcam and our easy platform. The videos are posted in our online gallery afterwards, ready to be seen and shared. Recording and submitting a video takes no more than a minute or two of your time. Once on the page, click the red Record circle and - in 30 seconds or less - answer the question: "How has GoToMyPC changed the way you work?" Feel free to mention your business by name for added exposure! Click to record your story: How has GoToMyPC changed the way you work? Once reviewed, your video will be featured on our websites and social channels, and you and your business may also be showcased in an upcoming spotlight here on the Citrix GoTo Blog. You get more publicity, and of course, everyone else gets the benefit of your insights and experience. For an awesome example, check out this recent clip from Joy Aumiller of Aumiller’s Auto Parts in Halifax, PA where she’s working from home while waiting for a repairman. With GoToMyPC, she can be where she needs to be and still connect from anywhere to get her job done. "We have been in business since 1981 and have rarely advertised. Crazy, huh?" Joy told us after submitting her video. "We rely on our honesty, great service and customer word of mouth, but it was a neat experience to do something different - especially online!" Thanks for sharing your story, Joy! Don’t have a webcam? No problem - you can still participate. A recording from your mobile device works just as well on the platform page. Simply click Record and select Upload a Video to attach the file. We look forward to hearing how GoToMyPC has changed the way you work! Photo Credit: yohann.aberkane via Compfight cc

If you caught Thomas Friedman’s recent op-ed piece about how to get a job at Google, perhaps you were as intrigued as I was by one trait they look for: Would you count yourself strong in "intellectual humility?" Whether you agree or disagree with how Google hires people, might we agree that those who pursue excellence in anything just may exhibit the ability to engage in authentic dialogue and give fair consideration to problem-solving with others? Becoming a better presenter or trainer online is just such a challenge. We’ve all been reaching, teaching and leading others in-person all our lives. If we’re honest, though, adapting our skillset for a different medium (such as GoToWebinar) sometimes gives us pause. I don’t have to spell out the opportunity webinars offer for extending your reach and influence, so let me extend an invitation to you to both give and get. To both share your experience and, in return, receive the wisdom born of dialogue. This short survey, Uncovering Best Practices for Presenter, Trainers and Facilitators, will take you about six minutes to complete. You will get to see the results at the end, and if you wish to opt-in, I’ll send you the paper and best-practices checklist that emerge from our collective dialogue. Better together, Roger Courville Photo credit: University of Central Arkansas via Flickr

Relationship Value SNI believes that Relationship Value is the product of: 1. The level of TRUST you gain from a person. 2. The level of CREDBILITY you have with a person. 3. The amount of VALUE that you deliver to a person. Trust Trust is defined as firm reliance on the integrity, ability or character if a person or thing. In business, trust is a hard won attribute and can only be achieved over time. In our programs, we emphasize that building trust is not an event, but a process that takes place over a period of time. To gain trust, you have to think ahead and consider the consequences of every decision you make in a business setting. What impact will my decision have on the level of trust I am trying to develop? Credibility Credibility is the quality, capability, or power to elicit belief. SNI focuses on one’s personal ability to get a person/customer to believe that you are the best resource available at any given point to deliver whatever they need to be successful. In our programs, we teach that the best way to get what you want from is to help the other side get what they want. In a tough economy, everyone is looking out for their own best interests, whether it is saving money, extracting additional value or reducing risk. By being transparent enough to demonstrate that you care about more than the bottom line and confidently approaching objections and challenges with straight talk and follow through - you can increase your credibility significantly. Value Value is receiving fair value in return for any investment - be it money, time or effort. Your products and services have to be perceived to have value in order to sustain a business relationship. Sales professionals are usually well-versed in stating a value proposition for their products and services, but the critical factor in building value is identifying what is most important to the other side at any given point in time. A low price might be a good value in most situations, but you may leave money on the table by failing to discover that quicker delivery, personal service or flexibility in payment terms can be more important in turbulent economic times. SNI teaches that consistent, effective probing is the only way to ensure that you fully understand the best value you can offer as the business environment changes. SNI is a premier provider of customized business negotiations and influencing training to companies around the world. To learn more about SNI, please visit www.shapironegotiations.com.  

For over 15 years, SNI has been conducting training programs and providing real deal consulting services that have helped our clients generate and save millions of dollars and secure long-lasting partnerships. While we are undoubtedly proud of these accomplishments, we’re also extremely excited about the next evolution of our company: Virtual Training Partners. For year, webinars, video conferencing, and other technologies were touted as the models and platforms for the next generation of training.  While they continue to exist and are used in a limited capacity, these technologies have never materialized as viable alternatives platforms for interactive training needs. Today there is something new on the horizon, and SNI has devoted an extensive amount of time and resources into uncovering its potential.  3D Virtual Training platforms such as Second Life are quickly developing and receiving the real support to finally provide that technological leap to applicable skills training. While instructor-led trainng will always be the primary platform for providing skill transfer, we are convinced that virtual platforms are going to revolutionize the way training is conducted.  As a result, we created Virtual Training Partners, an entriely separate division of SNI dedicated to virtual training success.  We’re proud to be recognized as experts in this training area. This immersive, engaging, and fully interactive experience creates a world where the only limit to training delivery is the creativity of the human mind.  In fact, in some ways, this training platform will allow for increased creativity and practice that not even instructor-led training can reach.  Virtual training technology provides organizations with a way to reduce or even eliminate travel expenses and time out of the office, making it a realistic and effective alternative to instructor-led training. In October, Mark Jankowski, Co-Founder of both SNI and Virtual Training Partners, invites you to join him for a one-hour complimentary open enrollment training event in Second Life, Preparation Skills for Effective Negotiation.  The dates for the program are as follows: October 6, 2009 October 13, 2009 October 20, 2009 October 27, 2009 Each program will run from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm EST (9:30 am - 10:30 am PST).  The number of participants for each program is extremely limited, and not everyone will be able to attend due to limitations with computer systems and corporate firewalls.  SNI’s staff will help guide interested parties through a quick process to determine their ability to participate. If you are interested in being part of these groundbreaking programs, please visit the following link: Virtual Training Program Information. Related posts:Virtual vs. Live Training

Knowing precedents gives you the power of the past. You can quote or cite, as well as learn from, those events that have already happened, thereby giving legitimacy and credence to your position. Knowing how similar transactions turned out in the past may also guide you in structuring this one. But don’t just focus on a single precedent, such as the one that supports you position. Be familiar with the precedents the other side might use. Case and point: Cal Ripken’s 1992 contract negotiation. Our precedent was the highest paid player, the Orioles was the highest paid short stop in the game.

Trust by verify, it sounds good in theory, but how can it really be implemented? At SNI, we typically advise our clients not to make adjustments to their prices when a potential buyer claims that one of their competitors is cheaper until they see hard evidence. I asked my colleague, Jeff Cochran, for his thoughts, and with a chuckle he said he could tell me a story about how he recently implemented it. I had a project; I needed to get my driveway paved. Being a negotiator, I knew that I needed to do good preparation. The first step in preparing was to collect estimates so that I would have alternatives. Therefore, I contacted three contractors, provided them with the details of the project, and collected estimates. Of course, all three estimates were different. The most and least expensive estimates were significantly different. The first contractor I called was an acquaintance. He gave me an estimate of $8,500 to do the job. The second estimate came from a contractor who I found from an ad in my local paper. His estimate for the project was $7,500. Lastly, there was a sign on the driveway up the road. When I called the number on the sign to inquire about the cost of my project, I got an estimate of only $6,000. Naturally, I was inclined to choose the least expensive contractor. However, his offer seemed too good to be true. I did some research, and sure enough, I found out that cheaper offers like the one I received for $6,000 raise a major concern that the contractor would skimp on materials. Not using the correct amount of asphalt on the driveway could lead to major problems. I went back to all three contractors and asked for the specifications on the work they would be doing. All three indicated that they would use four and a half inches of blacktop. Since the first contractor at $8,500 was an acquaintance, I went to him to give him right of last refusal. I informed him that one of his competitors was willing to do the job for $6,000, $2,500 least than his estimate.  I was very surprised with his response because he told me that there was no way for him to drop his price without losing money on the job. In turn, I asked him how come his competitor could do the job for $6,000? His response was that the competitor would most likely skimp on materials and do a bad job. It was the end of the summer and I wanted to get this project done while the weather was still nice. How could I choose the least expensive contractor but know for certain that he was going to do quality work? I had him put in writing a detailed description of the work he was going to be doing and the specs that needed to be met. I then confirmed with him that what he had written is what he planned to deliver. Still, I remained a bit skeptical. Just his word alone didn’t seem like enough. Thinking back on my negotiations skills, I thought trust but verify. I went back to the contractor who would have cost me $8,500 and asked him if for $200 he could have one of his guys supervise the work of the least expensive contractor, guaranteeing that he delivered what he said he was going to deliver. It was a good thing I did! In the end, the contractor I opted to go with for $6,000 did not have enough asphalt to finish the job, so he suggested that he use three and a half inches of asphalt instead of the correct amount, four and a half inches, to save time and money. It was one of the hottest days of the summer. He told the inspector that he knew that they were both exhausted from a long day’s work and ready to go home. He even added that I probably would never notice the difference of an inch. He was right. How would I have ever found out until I started seeing cracks and needed to dish out an additional $2,000-3,000, if not more, to pay to repair his shortcomings? Luckily, the inspector who I hired insisted that he do the job correctly, go back to the asphalt plant, and get another load. The $200 I paid for the inspector to be present was well worth it and it potentially saved me thousands. When I first thought about it, I wondered why he cared enough to prolong the project and make the least expensive contractor use the correct amount of asphalt. In the final analysis, it made perfect sense why the inspector would be adamant that the job gets done correctly. He was not going to let a competitor steal potential business by offering to do the "same job" for cheaper when in reality he was shorting clients.

An article by Cynthia Crossen from The Wall Street Journal a few years back reported that, "Most people speak at a rate of 120 to 150 words a minute, but the human brain can easily process more than 500 words a minute, leaving plenty of time for mental fidgeting."  Herein lays one of the great obstacles to effective listening.  We have the biological capability to listen to everything, yet we often miss a lot of information because we get bored or disinterested. In a negotiation, the last thing you want to do is lose out on information.  Everything the other side says is potentially valuable to help you make a deal.  Let the other side talk as much as they want.  Listen between the lines to what is said and what is omitted.  Listen for nuance and emotion.  Listen with your eyes to see their mannerisms and comfort level with each topic.  All the material you need to make the deal is there, it’s just up to you to gather it. When it is your time to speak, make what you say count.  Don’t feel obligated to match the amount of time they spoke for.  Say what you need to frame the issues and keep moving forward on the key issues of the negotiation.  The less you say, the more others will remember. Think of it this way: the best negotiators aren’t only smooth talkers, they’re smooth listeners too. To read the article from the Wall Street Journal by Cynthia Crossen entitled "From Talk Shows to Offices, America Lacks Good Listeners", click here

There are times in negotiations that you will feel like the weaker party. Maybe you are less experienced, have less leverage, or something else entirely. For whatever reason, you feel like David squaring off against Goliath. So how do you combat this problem? Well David didn’t show up with only one stone and neither should you. You must find alternative and back-up plans in case particular proposals are shot down. Finding creative approaches around the seemingly insoluble dilemmas posed by Goliath can lead to a victory for the little guy. Next time you find yourself in a tough negotiating spot, remember to brainstorm creative solutions using the following four rules. 1) Brainstorm in groups of four or less. You must have two to brainstorm, but there’s a point of diminishing ideas. Groups of more than four tend to stifle ideas. The group becomes an audience instead of participants. Judgment sets in. Status can become involved. All of these inhibit ideas. 2) Don’t criticize ideas. Let them flow. A great idea can be the first words out of someone’s mouth. Or the last. Any idea, good or bad, can be the spark that leads to great ideas. Wait until the brainstorming session is over before doing the sorting and sifting. 3) Keep at it. Creativity is more perspiration than inspiration. Effective negotiators are creative negotiators. But many people are intimidated by the prospect of being creative. They shouldn’t be. Everyone has the capacity to create ideas. If you create 20 ideas for a solution that seemingly only has 2, it will help you choose the best alternatives. Volume begets creativity. 4) Make it fun. Like most preparation, brainstorming is not inherently fun. So, make it fun. Sometimes we brainstorm by splitting into two groups. Each side gets a packet of sticky notes. The idea of the game is to write down ideas, one per note, and connect all the ideas into a chain of notes. Depending on the issue, we take from five to fifteen minutes to generate ideas. People become so involved in coming up with ideas, connecting them, and trying to construct as long a chain as possible, they invariably come up with new solutions, no matter how many times we’ve done a problem before.

Think about what trust means to you, or to your organization or company. Webster’s Dictionary provides some good keywords: confidence in something or someone else, dependence on something in the future, assurance of the character or ability of a person or group of people - ultimately, they will pull through for you. So with this in mind, what does it actually mean to build trust? Companies that have high-performing team members and work to gain and keep their client partners rely deeply on relationships of trust, both within the employee team and with partners. In the Office According to Forbes contributor Glenn Llopis, one of the most powerful components of building trusting relationships is transparency. Transparency means two things in this situation: Teamwork. When leaders are transparent about the team’s strengths and weaknesses, team members are able to work more efficiently. This means that problem solving can be based around what’s actually going on, rather than what people are inferring. New teammates will immediately know what’s going on and be able to bring their whole selves into the work. Consistency. In order to build trust within the office, it’s important to remain consistent. Consistency in this case means treating everyone fairly; it should be a no-brainer, but unfortunately it doesn’t always work out that way. Frequent communication doesn’t just mean letting people know what’s going on, either - remember, it is important to listen to your teammates, too. What does trust building lead to in the end? Higher performance, according to this Guardian UK article, which is what customers are after. With Customers Believe it or not, building trust between a company and its customers is a very similar process. It all comes down to letting your clients or customers know that you care about them. Don’t just tell them - show them. Be good at what you do - A more straightforward way of saying, deliver what you promise and then some. Do what you say you are going to do, and beyond that, exceed expectations whenever you can. Ask for feedback - If you’re convinced your product or service is of the highest caliber, that’s not going to do much for your customers. There are few things that consumers trust more than peer reviews, so give people who have used your service or product a chance to share their experience through testimonials and reviews. Remember: building trust takes time and effort. It’s not going to happen overnight. But by making sure your in-office team is working together, you will find that you are, in the end, creating a relationship of mutual trust with your clients. This leads to an empowered partnership between clients and coworkers.

Asking The Right Questions Means Changing How We Listen We all want to seal the deal - to close the sale when we’re talking to a potential client. To that end, the questions we ask as salespeople often turn out to be the questions with answers we want to hear. This means that we aren’t clearly listening to our clients. So, while you may close the sale with this technique, you won’t come away with any new insights or a stronger relationship with your client. Asking the right questions can change that.   There Are No Stupid Questions…  …Except maybe the ones you already know the answer to. Don’t waste your time, or your customers’ time, with questions to which you already know the answers. This doesn’t mean not to ask questions, however. You should ask plenty of those. And each answer should lead you to a new question. Find out what difficulties your clients are having with a project. Ask them about their solutions. Test out these questions next time you talk to a client: What projects are your top priorities right now? What difficulties are you having with those projects? How are you managing those problems? What is the timeline for that project? Who is working on the project? How were those individuals chosen? Asking open-ended questions will get you the furthest when talking to clients. Give them time to discuss their situations. This not only provides you with information about your client, but it also creates a relationship of trust between you and them. That kind of relationship will encourage your clients to come to you next time they have a problem because they know you will listen thoroughly and try to come to an answer collaboratively.   Close Listening And Listening Closely  If you are asking the right questions, then there are only two other things you need to do in order to build an effective bond between yourself and your clients. The first is close listening. This means asking clarifying questions. Because, as it turns out, good listening ends up looking a lot like asking good questions. Get your clients to explain different components of their problems in more detail and practice your close listening skills. The last tactic for more successful conversations is to listen closely. This translates into repeating back what you heard in your own words to make sure you have understood your client correctly. Tell them what you heard and then listen closely to their response. Did they affirm your understanding or correct it? Absorb this information and ask more questions. There’s no such thing as too many.