One of the UK’s leading business women, Dawn Gibbins, puts her business success down to implementing Feng Shui across the business. Her flooring business, Flowcrete, was in trouble and losing money, “so I decided to ‘Feng Shui’ it, or rather ‘simplify’ it right back to the basics, looking at the organisational structure, the environment and the brand,” said Dawn.
“When I first started talking about my Feng Shui passion though, my all-male team would switch off. So I translated it into their language, calling it ‘The Corporate Detox’ to get them on board,” she says. “But I was really using the ancient wisdoms and applying them to my business.” Over the next three years, profits soared and Flowcrete doubled in size. In 2008 she sold the business for £35 million.
What is Feng Shui
Feng Shui is the ancient Chinese art of energy flow and placement of dwellings and objects. Much of it is common sense – keep working areas tidy, throw out dead plants – the kind of thing that makes it easier for your own creative energy to flow if you stop and think about it. It can of course be used in a much more sophisticated manner, but a simple understanding of Feng Shui can make an immediate difference to your business success.
How you can use Feng Shui to improve sales
When you incorporate these 3 business choices into your every action you will increase your credibility in all situations.
- Always have a solid wall behind you
- Avoid mirrors
- Avoid windows or doorways
As a business person we are often in the sales mode even if we do not ‘sell’ a product. As a sales person you will be more credible if you carefully scope out the environment and be sure to position yourself for the best energy in the room.
Picture a sales person or a demonstrator.
A sales demonstration should always have a solid wall behind themselves; it subtly improves their credibility and authority.
If a salesperson is standing in front of a mirror, it will be distracting to the audience and reduce her/his authority.
If that same salesperson stood in a doorway or in front of a window, the same thing would happen.
These locations create a bad energy. Regardless of whether you do sales demos or not you can apply these simple Feng Shui principles to your business.
- Have you ever sat in a dinner meeting at the end of the table and felt like you were exposed?
- Did you ever make a sales presentation with a big open door or space behind you and feel like someone was coming up behind you?
- Did you ever present with a mirror or window behind you and feel like people were not paying attention?
Most likely the feelings were right! The negative energy from these situations, real or imagined, impact your credibility. You may have been wrong about everyone being distracted but the fact that you felt it means you were less credible.
Next time you are having a business lunch, a team training event, or conference room roundtable, arrive early and pick out the most auspicious location in the room. Some situations cannot be controlled but sometimes you can make a decision that will improve your authority and NAIL that deal!