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 21
Laws Interview Questions for Hellen Davis
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1.
Hellen, you are a top businesswoman and a self-made millionaire even
though you only immigrated to the USA less than 15 years ago. How have
you made use of the 21 Laws to achieve such success? What personal characteristics
or skills do you possess that you attribute your success to?
To
put it simply, I’ve turned the laws into money and have achieved
enormous success. The personal characteristics and skills that I attribute
my success to is a willingness to keep learning, while trying different
tactics and being persistent in driving toward achieving my goals.
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| 2.
You have worked with and trained numerous CEO’s, leaders, sports
figures, and managers. What do you consider to be the greatest characteristic
of a successful influencer?
The
greatest characteristic of a successful influencer is their ability
to set a strategy to influence. This goes along with controlling the
outcome, while always heading toward the goal. Successful Influencers
are able to pre-think all possible scenarios and strategies, while knowing
what the outcome is going to be. You must be able to keep outcomes aligned
with strategies and never deviate from the ultimate goal.
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3.
You seem to automatically “know” which laws to utilize with
different people and in different situations. Do you have a strategy
to determine which laws will be most effective and the most influential
on the people you are trying to persuade?
The strategy that I use is directly related to the
science of “typical human behavior.” From childhood, most
individuals have been conditioned to act in a certain manner when faced
with specific circumstances, which means that societal norms have programmed
us to behave and think in predictable patterns. These patterns form
the basis for making decisions and taking action. The 21 Laws of Influence
acts as a guidebook for how most people will act during the influencing
process. The more the influencer is able to tie their influencing strategy
into their goals and objectives, the better they will succeed.
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4.
You have a lot of experience with sales and networking. In your book
you suggest that people can “become” skilled in these areas.
Is that true? Are people born with sales skills or can they be acquired?
Yes,
sales skills can be acquired, and the key to becoming a master salesman
is influence. Utilizing the The 21 Laws of Influence will provide you
with a greater understanding of how to exert influence over other people’s
decisions. In order to succeed in the field of sales you must know how
to influence, persuade, and communicate convincingly. You will learn
to apply the laws to your own particular situations and in the end you
will increase earnings.
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5.
You have been distinguished as being a top businesswoman and have gained
a lot of respect and recognition in your field of expertise. To what
do you attribute your success with clients in a typically male-dominated
environment? What recommendations would you give to female entrepreneurs
and women in corporations trying to reach higher levels of authority
in their line of work?
The first recommendation is learn all the laws, because
each and every one that is utilized brings you one step closer to your
goal. To demonstrate the use of two laws, I’m going to use the
Law of Expectation and the Law of Consistency.
As a woman trying to reach higher levels of authority work, you should
begin by learning what your strengths and weaknesses are.
Capitalize your strengths and always put yourself in
a position where your weaknesses are not going to kill you. Find out
sooner rather than later if your expectations of a career path match
the expectations of the people who are going to promote you. Do they
have you heading the same direction that you see yourself going? Another
suggestion is to find out if the company has female upper management.
Has someone already shattered the glass ceiling? If not, you are stepping
into a difficult position, making it tough to influence others. This
happens because a woman trying to get to a higher level isn’t
the type of person they have grown to expect to fill upper management
positions. This goes along with the Law of Consistency. You would not
be considered upper management in a company with all males, because
it is not consistent with what they think of management. This does not
only apply to women but to minorities also.
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6.
Can you share with us an ‘after the fact’ experience in
which you WISH you had known then (the laws) what you know now?
Yes,
I wished that I would have known how important the Law of Image is to
influence and understood the consequences of not using is much sooner.
A good example would be my experience of emigrating from South Africa
and only bringing with me two suitcases of clothes, which ended up in
the trash anyway!
My
manager of my first job told me that I would make more money if I presented
myself with a better image. I disagreed with this because I was a top
salesperson and I believed that performance was all that I needed to
succeed. I later learned that I was completely wrong. I was called in
to do a state- planning job, which was worth $30,000 in commission.
The lady who hired me later told me that she was going to throw me right
back out the door when she saw what I was wearing. My image didn’t
match my referral, which said that I was intelligent and successful.
The only reason she kept me was the status of the referral. She then
sent me to her personal dresser and helped pick out a whole new appropriate
wardrobe.
Many
people try to fight this law, but it is just not worth it. You may disagree
with it, but the bottom line is image is everything when it comes down
to influencing. There are many other Laws that need to be concentrated
on, exert your energy on those and just take my word on this one.
As
a result of not knowing this law, I was put behind five years. I now
know why people did not want to do business with me.
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7.
What specific laws do you see the leaders within companies utilizing?
When it comes to laws of leadership all 21 can be beneficial.
Good examples of laws that can be applied to a leadership position would
be the laws of expertise, status, and people pleasing. The law of expertise
basically states that individuals who have demonstrated their expertise
tend to exert more influence and command greater remuneration. Expertise
allows for people to listen to, trust, believe, and follow those in
leadership positions. It is necessary to follow the law of status, because
people give greater respect to and have more faith in the words and
beliefs of those who have prestige, power, and esteemed reputations.
In other words, the greater one’s status, the greater the influence
he/she will be able to exercise. The law of people pleasing is equally
as important. In order to influence others you must be able to identify
what will please them and deliver it to them. The more gracious and
generous you are the more influence you will have over them.
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8.
How does one become (and KNOW when they are) a “master influencer”?
In
order to become a ‘Master Influencer,’ it is essential to
understand the laws that govern the influencing process. You will become
and know when you are a “master influencer” when you are
able to predict most peoples’ responses, because you will greatly
enhance your ability to influence them. A “master influencer”
is also able to recognize when any of The 21 Laws of Influence are being
used against them. They will base their decisions on both societal habits
and goals. Once you learn The 21 Laws of Influence you will hold the
tools to succeed.
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9.
As an experienced keynote speaker, can you share with us some ways to
“influence” an audience to ensure that a speech you are
giving goes off smoothly?
Three laws that I can use as an example, that apply
to influencing while giving a speech, would be the laws of belief replacement,
commitment, and contrast. The law of belief replacement explains that
most people can be influenced and changed if you can provide them with
an alternative that is more convincing than those they presently hold.
To change people’s minds, make a suggestion and then provide a
solution. Commitment allows people to listen and trust you. They can
see that you are dedicated to your goals, which will help them to understand
that you are true to your word and will make you influential. Contrast
will allow you to influence people to take one path rather than the
other. Presenting differences between two opposed ideas at the same
time will make them more apparent. To make one alternative more appealing,
increase the degree of separation, compare the different ends and show
how they differ.
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10.
How can an individual go about differentiating him/herself in the face
of stiff competition in the workplace today? What skills do you believe
are necessary for one to rise to the top and attain recognition in the
form of a promotion or bonus?
Attaining the skills to rise to the top come hand-in-hand
with The 21 Laws of Influence. There are certain laws that can be followed
to come out on top in a competitive workplace. Examples would be the
laws of prospecting/networking, reciprocity, and analysis & benchmarking.
People are most likely to succeed when they receive help from those
who have resources and/or contacts to help them reach their goals. This
is why it is so important to network; the more you network the greater
your success. Reciprocity is quite handy because it helps to maintain
a powerful network of contacts. Recipients of gifts or help most often
feel obligated to repay those who gave to or helped them. The law of
analysis & benchmarking can be used to gain something that you want.
If you want something to matter to someone that holds status, have them
start keeping track of it. In order to progress, individuals either
need approval or constructive criticism.
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11.
We often hear of an overwhelming amount of negative thinking within
many corporate cultures. It seems to halt a company’s growth and
progress because it stops people from taking initiative. Can any of
the 21 Laws be used to influence those who block innovation and don’t
want to make the hard changes necessary to keep the business viable
for the future?
In
cases where there is a need to influence people to change their behavior
or their thinking, it is most effective to use the Law of Belief Replacement.
The employees with an excess of negative thinking need to be encouraged
(influenced) to consider their situation and the possibilities from
a different perspective. It is the responsibility of management to provide
them with a different perspective from which they can view the situation.
If the employees are given a thorough explanation – new beliefs
on which to focus and replace their old negative thoughts and beliefs
with, then there is a greater likelihood that they can and will stop
blocking future innovation and company progress.
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12.
How can a person use the laws to their benefit as opposed to having
the laws used on them? Are there any precautions that should be taken
when attempting to “influence” another person?
For
the most part I wrote this book to inform people of the existence of
the laws, so that they could be aware of the fact that specific techniques
can (and often are) used to influence and persuade them. After reading
my book, it is my hope that any individual will be better prepared to
recognize when someone else is attempting to persuade them through using
one of the laws. You must be careful when attempting to influence through
using any of the 21 laws. There is always the chance that you are dealing
with an opponent more experienced in the art of influence and may find
yourself “out persuaded Until you have a lot of experience and
success with small attempts at utilizing the laws to influence others,
use your knowledge as more of a form of self-defense than as an active
battle plan to influence others.
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13.
Sometimes people take action based not on their own beliefs but on the
beliefs of those around them. You refer to this as “societal pressure”.
How does this effect court cases utilizing a jury, where everyone is
supposed to have their own opinion and make their own decisions?
Unfortunately,
this is a somewhat negative example of the power of societal pressure.
When people are in a situation in which their opinion is the minority
they often feel compelled to change their opinion or belief to go along
with the majority of the group. Because uncomfortable feelings often
arise when there exists an extreme degree of differences between people
– the desire to conform can become strong. This is especially
true when the people interacting are dependent on one another. Some
trials end quickly because jurors just want to go home & they influence
the others to rush through deliberations and make a quick decision,
even though they clearly need more time and debate.
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14.
A few of the laws seem to focus on relationships, specifically the importance
of creating and maintaining them. You mention that remembering details
about people you meet is an important skill to have. Can you share some
helpful tricks to enhance ones ability to relate to others? Why is it
important to put effort into this? What specifically are some of the
rewards people can get?
The questions best relates to the concept explained
in the law of similarity and attraction. People are attracted to and
in the end more inclined to have relationships (personal, business,
and social) with others whom they have something in common. It is essential
when making connections for you to discover what it is that you have
in common with those people that you WANT to have relationships with
and focus on that/those topic/s. In this way you are drawing on the
person’s desire to interact with others like them.
The
best way to enhance your ability to relate to others of course is to
practice! Practice by asking questions about people – ask about
their families, hobbies, their likes and dislikes. Find out what their
values are, what in important to them in life. THEN and this is the
most important – write this down! It is also important to be a
good listener, to make eye contact, and to establish rapport. The rewards
are endless when establishing lasting relationships. You have more connections
with people who can help you to get the end results that you are looking
for!
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15.
What do you mean when you tell people to “look the part”
you are playing in life?
How
you look to others is vital during the influencing process. The Law
of Image states that if people perceive you to have a desirable image,
they are more likely to be influenced by your words and actions. They
are also more likely to emulate your behavior and follow your leadership.
To influence people using the Law of Image, simply understand and comply
with what people expect you to look like. The goal is to fit into their
ideal image.
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