Stephen Reynolds is the Founder and CEO of Stephen Reynolds Seminars (SRS) International, a leading provider of corporate training in Thailand and Asia. His website describes him as an Expert in Psychology of Sales and Marketing as well as creator and trainer on THE ONE Advanced Sales System and Magic WORDS Communication Systems. A well-known speaker on Leadership, Communication and Sales, Reynolds has trained leaders from over 60 companies in Thailand, Philippines and Malaysia in the past three years. He has over 27 years of experience, which he leverages to make his seminars, training and public speaking engagements bursting with information, guidance and direction that is both practical and relevant. He was in Kathmandu recently, on the invitation of National Banking Training Institute (NBTI), to impart two-day training to Nepali professionals. In an interview with New Business Age, Reynolds shares the tools and techniques that he teaches to make positive changes. Excerpts:

How do you assess the participants of this programme?

The commonality among the trainees of this programme is that most of them had no sales background at all. Except for one participant, this was their first sales seminar. I tell people that what I am teaching is the most powerful sales technique in the world. It's usually helpful for them to go through other sales trainings as well so that they can contrast different trainings. Then they know what I am saying is true. But if they have never been to any other sales training, how can they compare.

 

Having said that, I think the training was incredibly fruitful. The participants were smart, involved and committed. They were hungry for the knowledge. It happens often in corporate training that the participants sent by their bosses are apathetic towards training as they don't want to be there. But it was an exception here in Nepal. The people were charming and needless to say, I was very happy.

 

What's The One psychology of Sales and Marketing all about?

The One I believe, is the most powerful and effective sales technique in the world. Sales is very complicated. There are many sales systems that are based on as many as 500 techniques but this is the only sales system in the world based on one technique. We are trying to take something very complicated and make it much simpler and easier to apply.

 

We start with the relatively new psychology of Neuro-linguistic programming. It is an approach to psychotherapy and organisational change based on a model of interpersonal communication chiefly concerned with the relationship between successful patterns of behaviour and the subjective experiences underlying them and a system of alternative therapy based on this which seeks to educate people in self-awareness and effective communication, and to change their patterns of mental and emotional behaviour

 

How can communication techniques be made more effective for sales?

There is no point in my inundating trainees with too much information that they can neither remember nor use. It's important to focus on a particular aspect which will make a difference. That is the challenge with sales. I go with the most powerful psychology and go right to the heart-of-the-matter how to sell face-to-face. ˜The One technique helps immensely as it is applicable for leadership, communication, negotiation etc.

 

How do you define advanced psychological linking?

It is when you take your products and link them together with the values of the person you are talking to. Basically, we are communicating the customer's way according to their values and vocabulary. The One focuses the entire sales process on the highest values of the person you are dealing with. It is a completely customised process. Sales is not just talking, you have to start seeing the psychology behind the word.

 

Are you confident the trainees will be able to effectively apply the technique taught by you?

Well, I hope so. Or else, my effort will amount to nothing. In two days, I have given them a real foundation. They should be able to walk out and start to communicate better and instantly be able to see an increase in their sales.What they have learnt during the course of the training should also help them improve their communication at their workplaces. They should now be able to communicate better with their bosses,  subordinates and customers. Sales is communication and vice versa.