Oscar Wilde once said, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” There is one worse thing. And that’s leaving a lasting impression that mysteriously makes people not want to even think about you at all.
What is energetic engagement?
The majority of professionals will have heard of the concept of ‘emotional engagement’, yet few will have heard of ‘energetic engagement.’
Energetic engagement underpins the way we interact and engage with one another. It provides a contextual current that you can use to sweep up your prospects and carry them along to your final destination (Purchase Town!) or push them away, to never want to deal with you again.
Each member of staff in your business (or it could be just you) brings various elements to your business ( i.e. skills, insight, attitude, integrity, personality, experience, and care and attention to detail).
The less obvious ingredient that also accompanies these skills but is not always discussed, due to its somewhat more esoteric nature, is the intangible yet highly influential underlying bedrock of positive and negative energy.
This energy is produced by the emotional currents, ebbing and flowing in each individual’s life. Currents of negative energy or thought in the personal lives of your staff or customers will naturally affect how they interact with one another: how they do their work or make their purchasing decisions.
You have probably experienced this, first hand, even if you are unlikely to discuss it with your nearest and dearest.
Each interaction you engage in is like a chemical experiment: energy is getting swapped constantly – for good or bad, better or worse. If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed or even hurt, the person you are interacting with may experience those same feelings without consciously realising or understanding why. They may even go to great lengths to withdraw themselves from the conversation to get away from you without being able to put their finger on the reason.
What they will remember is that for some reason they don’t feel good around you. Once again, this experience is probably familiar to most people, even if we can’t explain why.
The energy scale: what’s your level?
Have you ever thought about the energy or emotions that you or your staff convey? Where do you sit on a sliding scale from zero to ten?
For the purpose of analysis, let’s say that emotions that sit at the low end of the scale (i.e. 0-4) involve negative feelings such as guilt, anger, selfishness or even apathy. In the middle of the scale, at level 5, we might have feelings of indifference, neither happy nor sad – what I call a neutral experience. The range of 6 to 9 may involve you feeling happy, satisfied, content, enthused, relaxed, peaceful and even elated.
We then have the level 10, the highest rating of all. Individuals experiencing this may come across as energised, vibrant, charismatic, attractive and highly influential (and potentially over-the-top in some scenarios).
The key to unlocking the secret to energetic engagement is to observe where you sit when you’re interacting with prospects, colleagues or even the media. If you’re below five you may leave a negative lasting impression, a level five will see you forgotten. Anything above that and you will be remembered for the right reasons.
And level 10? Let’s just save a level 10 for special environments (like aerobics classes and Oprah Winfrey’s couch).
So, manage your energy and be the source from which others feel good and they will remember you with positivity, and keep coming back. You’ll not only leave a lasting impression, you’ll leave the impression that gets you the outcome you desire.
Ben Angel is the author of the new controversial book, Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business – The Ultimate Guide to Attracting & Seducing More Customers. Go to www.benangel.com.au to grab your copy today.
