Dogs are animals of integrity. We have much to learn from them.
Author: Paul Handover
Shuttle Discovery launches without a hitch.
At 23.59 EDT, Shuttle Discovery lifts off from launch pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Centre.
America frequently gets a bad press around the world but events like this are a reminder of the pioneering spirit of the American people. Long may that continue.
By the way, ever wondered what it is like to be inside the Shuttle during a launch?
This virtual world has so much to share.
The photography of Patrick Smith is breathtaking. So much so, it seemed important to promote his talents to the widest possible audience.
He has been very generous in giving Learning from Dogs written permission to reproduce his pictures. Thus from time to time, we will do just that.
Thank you, Patrick.
Published with the written permission of Patrick Smith Photography.
Copyright (c) 2009, all rights reserved. Please do not use this picture without permission.
By Paul Handover
Understanding the process of change – key learning points.
Needs questioning is a sales concept.
A calm and rational destruction of the Dangerous Demographics YouTube video
On the 20th August, a Post was published on Learning from Dogs called Doing nothing! It was largely an emotional response to the video on YouTube that has been watched by over ten millions and claims that Europe and North America are close to becoming dominated by Muslims. The unspoken implication being that this would be ‘dangerous’ for those present societies. The YouTube film was clearly made with a racist agenda in mind.
The vision of this Blog is to support the notion that integrity is not only a noble inspiration but on a day-to-day basis 
delivers better outcomes for you and me. Integrity is being true to one’s beliefs, or as defined in the free dictionary, “Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code“. Morals and ethics rely on understanding the truth, as best we can, of the world around us. Thus it is enormous pleasure to find the BBC presenting a statistical rebuttal to the YouTube video.
Please watch it.
The web address is ….. see below
UPDATE NOTE: For some reason the BBC have removed that video. However, the material that debunks the YouTube video may be seen here, and here.
And when you have seen it, if you know of anyone who has emailed you the link to the YouTube video, please email them the link to the truth spoken by the BBC.
As the English philosopher Edmund Burke said,
‘The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing.’
By Paul Handover
Understanding the process of change – bringing it all together.
Yesterday, we promoted the importance of questioning. Because it is only through answering questions that we see new perspectives. In a sales situation, the skill of the salesperson is to have great in-depth knowledge about their products and services, the many ways in which existing customers use your solutions and likely areas of ‘pain’ that your prospective customer may recognise.
That requires a good understanding of the industry/s that your customers work within. Because without that, you can’t ask the focused questions that will quickly get you an insight into the prospect’s situation. The other bonus coming from knowing the prospect’s industry is that the sales approach will enable your prospect to feel as though you are there to help him.
Understanding the process of change – Discovering the needs
In yesterday’s Part Two, we raised the important question of how we change our views. Of course, in selling the ‘we’ is the person you are selling to. But to see into their view of the world, it obviously helps to think about ourselves for a while.
The psychology of change is beyond the skill set of this author and is one of many areas left to the psychology professionals. However, here is a very basic notion that works for the salesperson.
The role of questions is to elicit answers. (You see, I did say it was basic!.)
But straight away, one particular widely-held idea is going to be destroyed.
Read more of this essay on change
Veteran US Senator, Edward Kennedy, dies at the age of 77.
Senator Kennedy had been battling a brain tumour for a long time; his death makes this a very sad day.
The BBC has a good tribute to him.
James Kwak of Baseline Scenario makes his tribute personal, and all the better for it.
I have nothing new or insightful to add, but it feels wrong to go back to blogging without paying respects to Ted Kennedy. When I was younger and perhaps more idealistic, I used to carry around a copy of his speech at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. He was a man who cared about the poor, the unemployed, and the sick, even as their cause became less and less fashionable over the past four decades. He believed that justice went beyond formalistic legal rights and extended to economic and social conditions as well. The Senate needs another person like him, but sadly will not find one.
By Paul Handover
This always gives me a thrill.
Hopefully, by the time you read this Post, shuttle Discovery will have had a successful and fault-free launch.
Here was how it looked at the time of writing (13:30 MT/20:30 GMT on the 24th)
Awoke to find that poor weather has delayed the launch. Here’s a pic of the bird standing out in the rain last night.
By Paul Handover
Understanding the process of change – Upsetting the Homeostasis
In yesterday’s Post on this topic we left the reader with a ‘flow chart’ of the process of change within a business and, slightly tongue-in-cheek, how that compared with change at a personal level.
What is the role of the salesperson in facilitating this process?
Well, firstly the salesperson should have established that the potential client ought to have a need for the solution. (That, at least, ups the odds of an effective use of sales time.) Whether that is from knowledge about the company or its business, a referral from somewhere else, or a solid sales reference from another customer, i.e. another of the salesperson’s customers is a good example of using the solution.
Understanding the process of change is vital in selling.
When a potential customer is considering a solution on offer from the sales person, it is almost inconceivable not to think that your contact is going through a change process. In business-to-business selling most new solutions require the acceptance of change.
With that in mind, it would be wise to consider the change process. Now the challenge is that the author may have a few decades experience as a salesman but zilch experience or qualifications as a psychologist. Thus this Post looks at a salesman’s understanding of what appears to take place.
Learning from Dogs 