James Knight and David White at GKIC London
The November 2014 meeting of the GKIC London Chapter took place on Wednesday (November 19) at a new venue…
…”The Happenstance” on Ludgate Hill, London.
The meeting kicked off with a presentation from guest speaker James Knight about the iMA system. James describes iMA as…
“…an exciting new universal language, designed to maximise connectivity i.e. mutual liking, trust, understanding and respect.
Every one in the world speaks one of four iMA dialects, putting her/him on the same wavelength as 25% of the world’s population. The majority of people, many of whom are important to your success, are on a different wavelength than you.
The universal language of iMA is a simple way of observing and understanding the differences in people, then connecting with them on their wavelength. When this happens communication, trust, understanding, co-operation and sales go up, and stress and tension go down.”
iMA is a typology system and is similar in some respects to some of the better known systems. Where it differs is in the application and the emphasis on building stronger inter-personal connections.
James worked for the Dale Carnegie organisation for many years so he knows a good deal about making the right connections and getting on better with people.
As well as introducing iMA, James talked about the process of personal growth and the idea of “Flow”…that creative state of intense focus and productivity that comes all too rarely for most of us!
Connecting with people to work together effectively is an essential skill, not just in business but in all areas of life. James delivered an insightful and thought-provoking presentation. Simply being aware of the potential differences in the way people communicate can make a big difference and help bring about better results.
More about the iMA approach at imastrategies.com OR ima-strategies.com.
Following on was David White with the main GKIC-content session all about how to…
“Share your philosophy, tell your story and connect with customers.”
Now, you might think that your philosophy and story shouldn’t matter to customers and prospects, but they do. As an extension of the principle that people do business with those they “know, like and trust”, they also value philosophical compatibility.
In general, people tend to be drawn to those they think they understand, agree with, respect, admire and are interested in.
Of course, if you have a clearly articulated philosophy, there are some folks who won’t like it…
…but those who do will automatically like you.
David White covered five reasons why prospects and clients care about your philosophy and story. Here are three of them…
1. It humanises you, making you more approachable, someone to confide it.
2. It suggests having a broader conversation with you than simply business matters.
3. It makes you more interesting to them.
In many ways, who you ARE is a lot more important to people than what you do.
One observation from myself, having a clear (and relevant to what you do) philosophy delivers the greatest payoff in better customer retention. People won’t stay with you over the long term simply because of what it is you deliver as a product or service. They will stay because of the relationship you build and having a clear philosophy will help greatly.
One word of caution…the philosophy needs to be relevant and you have to make that connection clear. Spell it out and don’t leave it to your audience to “connect the dots”.
Overall, another useful and thought-provoking session with a lively discussion to conclude.
The new venue at “The Happenstance” was very acceptable. The meeting room was spacious and comfortable and the facilities more than adequate. Looks like we will be back there for future meetings.
Speaking of which…
…no meeting in December but GKIC London will be back with a blast in January on Tuesday, 20 January, 2015. All the details at the GKIC London page.