For almost everyone, nothing is as powerful as money. Because of this perception, many people would do ALL THEY CAN to hoard money.

I'm definitely not tired of money - as it is a means to an end. However, I'm tired of the manipulative ways people get money. I've learned sales techniques from several places - from university to sales seminars. Yet, I find the best sales technique is serving people their needs. Sounds simple, isn't it? Yet people have twisted this concept. In almost all networking events I've been to, there were always people who'd tell me a need that I didn't know I had, then tried very hard to sell me their products. Sure, they were using the concept that they should cater to people's needs. Yet most of the time I don't need what they tell me I need.

Certainly, telling people what they need is terrible image management. Usually, people's reaction is "I don't want to listen. And frankly, who are you to tell ME what I need?!"

I remember in an episode of King Of Queens (TV sitcom), Carrie was taking pole dancing lessons. She was sold on the concept of "bringing out her inner whore" to put more sparks in her marriage. When her husband told his friend, the friend sighed and said "and the rich just gets richer"!

The episode mimics real life. In fact, just 2 months ago a friend I met through a networking group told me that her company was sponsoring her to participate in a course that would enable her to be certified in networking (not networking in information technology, but people to people networking). I made a face - I couldn't help reacting to this outrageous concept. She defended herself by telling me the benefits of certification - namely, more ways to manipulate people to buy. The course is almost $1000. I can't believe it. She and her company are paying for something that she knows how to do naturally.

In my experience, the best sales technique is not only catering to people's needs, but do it in a sincere way, out of my heart. This way, if they decide to buy my services, they would be making a conscious decision to do so, not through my manipulation. People can feel it if a person is sincere (not doing things for the sake of money only). It's a big plus in personal image management.

Noelle Wong sees and unveils beauty in people. She is the owner of iN-IMAGE! Inc., a personal image consulting company in Toronto that offers one-on-one consultations and workshops to help people increase their personal presence. For inquiries please contact her at noelle@in-image.com. Her website is http://www.in-image.com