We are delighted to be speaking to Sue Hershkowitz-Coore today! Sue is an amazing speaker, full of energy and enthusiasm! She has also authored two books about writing and choosing the right words to convince whoever you are talking to.
In this episode, Sue talks about her journey and tells some amusing stories about how she got into public speaking. She shares her knowledge about creating emotional certainty, using email etiquette, and communicating with people from different cultures, and offers advice for anyone considering starting a speaking career.
We hope you learn a lot from listening to today’s conversation with Sue Hershkowitz-Coore!
Sue taught seventh and eighth grade English until her son was born. She wanted to spend more time with him, so she gave up teaching. Later, she started knocking on doors to earn a living. While pitching a bank, her enthusiasm made up for all she lacked in terms of professionalism, so they hired her. Everything else Sue achieved in her career came about as a result of that original presentation.
Sue credits the National Speakers Association (NSA) for teaching her the fundamentals of being a professional speaker.
Listening to Larry Winget explain the steps you need to take to write a book at an NSA meeting motivated Sue to write her first book, Power Sales Writing. Larry suggested writing down 110 ideas, and then fleshing them out. On her flight home, Sue came up with 102 ideas. After that, she started writing the book.
When trying to find a publisher for her book, Sue got 42 rejection letters. So, she published the book herself. Then an agent saw the book and offered to publish it, but Sue refused.
Later, Sue was asked to do a second version of her book. That book resulted in her being invited to be part of a popular series of “how-to” books for business communication.
Some of the most well-known brands in the world are Sue’s clients. She teaches their salespeople that everything needs to revolve around the customer. Over and above that, they need to move away from transactions and towards emotional certainty.
Research has shown that some words activate positive neurons in the brain and conjure up positive and pleasant images in the mind’s eye. Other words, however, activate negative neurons in the brain and cause people to imagine negative things. Most of us fail to realize how often we self-sabotage by using words that are not brain-friendly.
To move to the next level of emotional certainty, salespeople need to create excitement and focus on customer-centric outcomes.
When writing a message to connect with someone on LinkedIn, take a moment to do some research. You can read their home page, their “about” section, and quickly learn about the company they work for. Use some of that information to personalize your message. Remember that it is a business relationship, so be careful not to invade the personal space of the person to whom you are sending the message. Keep your message short, and never try to sell anything.
First, determine where your passion lies, and what matters to you. Then, figure out how to make that matter to the buyer. Always communicate from your heart, and keep on creating new content.
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