"The law of nature is, Do the thing, and you shall
have the power: but they who do not the
thing have not the power."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Triple D Strategy: The Secret to
Your Future Success
By MaryEllen Tribby

On any given day, most of us dedicate time to our children, spouses, careers, friends, charities, churches, parents, siblings, clients, household activities, and, oh yeah, if there is a little extra time left in the day, ourselves.

So why is it that only a select few of us can make it look easy... while so many look like they have been run over by a tractor trailer?

The answer is simple.

Most working moms don't evaluate the project or the task at hand before they begin. This holds true whether they are working on their business lives or on their personal/family lives.

Instead of taking a hard look at the task or project, they simply try to get it done. They do whatever it takes.

But unfortunately, the price they pay is very high.

They sacrifice special moments and milestones with their kids. They risk losing the closeness and tenderness of their spouses. They even jeopardize their own health. They take on all these hardships in order to prove that they are "superwomen." And to add insult to injury, in the end, they often miss their deadlines, fail to properly complete the project, and neglect their spouses and children.

Why do they do this to themselves?

Because all of their lives they have been told they have to multitask. They have heard the old mantra, "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" about a million times. And they don't want to appear inferior.

If this sounds remotely familiar, I need for you to make yourself and me a significant promise.

You need to vow here and now that you are ready to read this issue in its entirety and apply my Triple D Strategy to your life starting today.

This strategy is so powerful that you will have an immediate sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

When done correctly, it will allow you to have more free time and make more money in your business. Your friends and family will notice immediately that you are not stressed and moody. But most importantly, your "happiness meter" will be heading in the right direction - up.

And here's the really beautiful part - it is so simple!

Allow me to introduce my Triple D Strategy.

Ditch, Delegate, and Duplicate

When you start to evaluate every project or task that you THINK has to be done and done by YOU every day, you will soon find that the task could fall into three possible categories:

1) Ditch: Working moms - more than any other subset of people - have the hardest time with simply saying "no." Most are unable or unwilling to say that a task is not important enough for their time or anyone else's. Look: we all have the same 24 hours in a day - no more, no less. So why is it that we sometimes feel that we should accomplish 28 hours' worth of tasks in a single day?

In order to turn down a task, just ask yourself the following question: "What will the result be if nothing is done about this project?" This makes your decision very easy. And when you are completely honest with yourself, you will find that 20% to 30% of the things you spend time on don't need to be done at all!

2) Delegate: The art of delegating relies on finding the right person whose strengths are YOUR weaknesses. You need to do what you do best. Not spend time and energy on tasks that you are not particularly good at or that don't excite you. Your time and energy should be spent on your natural gifts; things that are innate and that you love doing. You should apply this rule at home and at the office. For example, I'm not particularly good at building websites; this is something I delegate to team members. At home, I don't enjoy cleaning my house. This is a task I delegate to a cleaning woman who comes to my home and - believe it or not - loves to clean.

Because I do not spend my time on tasks like these, I get to devote that time to tasks that play to my strengths. At the office, my strengths are marketing and content creation. At home, one of my strengths is helping my kids with their homework. These are things that I am very good at and I love doing.

3) Duplicate: Have you ever wished you had a clone? I sure used to! Now I have several. Being able to make more money and have more free time comes down to doubling, tripling, and quadrupling your output without YOU doing the actual work.

The reason so many people don't duplicate is because they don't understand the correct way to do so. Most people think "I will never find anyone as good as I am." Here is the beautiful part - you don't have to. You see, you must simply find different people who can do specific tasks as well as you can. So perhaps you need to find three or four people. These people need to share some of your qualities. You need to check your ego at the door and strive to find people who have the ability to be as good as and even better than you are.

So if you write all of your promotional copy, make all the affiliate deals, and develop all your products, you need to find three duplicates: One person to write the copy better than you do now while maintaining your voice and style. One person to cultivate new affiliate deals. This person should have your vivacious personality and be extremely outgoing (if these are your personality traits). And one person to develop products - someone who has even bigger ideas and the ability to get the products completed faster.

These are three simple things that you can implement TODAY. But they only work if you do them and do them right.

In the name of full disclosure, you should know that while this Triple D Strategy will help you immensely in your quest to balance your work and personal life... It's not the only proven, easy-to-implement technique you can use to create a happier, more productive, more balanced (and richer!) life for yourself.

	The Major Attributes of Personal Initiative by Napoleon Hill Personal initiative heads the list of qualities a successful leader must possess. These qualities are: Personal initiative. The adoption of a definite major purpose. A motive to inspire continuous action in pursuit of a definite major purpose. A Master mind alliance through which you may acquire the power to attain your definite purpose. Self-reliance in proportion to the scope and object of your major purpose. Self-discipline sufficient to insure mastery of the head and the heart, and to sustain your motives until they have been realized. Persistence, based on the will to win. A well-developed imagination, controlled and directed. The habit of reaching definite and prompt decisions. The habit of basing opinions on known facts instead of relying on guesswork. The habit of going the extra mile. The capacity to generate enthusiasm at will, and to control it. A well-developed sense of details. The capacity to take criticism without resentment. Familiarity with the ten basic motives that inspire all human action. The capacity to concentrate your full attention upon one task at a time. Willingness to accept full responsibility for the mistakes of subordinates. The habit of recognizing the merits and abilities of others. A positive mental attitude at all times. The habit of assuming full responsibility for any job or task undertaken. The capacity for applied faith. Patience with subordinates and associates. The habit of following through with any task once begun. The habit of emphasizing thoroughness instead of speed. Dependability, the only requirement of leadership that can be stated with one word – but no less important to success on that account. There are qualities of minor importance which leadership in many fields of endeavor may require, but those listed above are on the must list of all able leaders. Measure any successful leader by the list and observe how many of the traits he applies, although he may do so unconsciously.

Custom Flyer Printing Services | AlphaGraphics

Custom Flyer Printing Services | AlphaGraphics

"Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the
very best in people. But it takes time and patience."
- Stephen R. Covey

Persuasion Power: Sometimes Simple and
Always Effective Impulse Triggers
By Kevin Hogan

Trust is its own short-cut to persuasion.

Trust is its own short-cut to buying.

If you implicitly trust someone, there is nothing to really be "sold"; only bought. Obviously you aren't going to put up an idea that is going to harm another person. I work under the assumption that you want to be a force for good in someone's life or you wouldn't be an avid Working Moms Only reader.

There are techniques for building trust in the "now" before there is a bonded friendship or certainty of fulfillment. I'll be serving those up in just a sec.

In this article you'll get a handle on how to roll over skepticism, knock out cynicism, and persuade those who meet you that you're one of the good guys...or gals.

The other day some guy (reading Coffee with Kevin Hogan) dropped ALL of his CDs from Science of Influence 1-12 into a "soapy bathtub" and determined they were ruined. (What the heck was he thinking taking me in the bath tub...I'm not that kind of a guy...at least not on the first date?!)

So he writes a note and asks us to replace them all!

Part of our warranty is that if a CD breaks, return it to us now and we'll replace it.

"Kevin, this guy killed all 12 of his Science of Influence CD's. What should I do?"

"Send him 12 live ones."

It's what you do. It's not that the customer is "always right", because sometimes the customer is a goof ball. It's about how you conduct yourself and your business.

KEY POINT: Establishing permanent trust that you don't have to earn over and over again is the single most powerful sales tool you have.

Persuasion and sales don't just happen by magic. They're the result of a process...one that always includes establishing some degree of trust. In order to feel comfortable doing business with you, a buyer has to assure themselves that they will get the value they expect. In other words, they want to be sure that you will deliver the goods...and take back the defective stuff. It's only reasonable.

Consumers know that products and/or you...aren't always perfect. It's what will happen IN CASE of a problem that worries them. Your prospect needs to trust YOU as the person or business behind the product who will ensure customer loyalty.

So how do YOU create Instant Trust?

Trust is the shortcut to "Yes." In fact, trust is often what PRECLUDES decision in the first place...the brain just says, "Yeah I like him. Do it."

I'm going to use Internet Marketing as a metaphor for building trust in relationships, business, selling, marketing in the brick and mortar world....it's ALL THE SAME.

In the world of Internet Marketing, several factors play into establishing trust and credibility for websites. (It's obvious how these factors are important in offline advertising as well.)

• Is the website content valuable?
• Is the website content keeping them reading?
• Is the website content voluminous, showing a history?

It's true that trust is built over time, but establishing trust with web site visitors, for example, doesn't necessarily require a tremendous investment to yield results in a relatively short period.

Here are some quick pointers:

• Display your company contact information prominently on your web site -- including address and phone number (This "legitimizes your business" and shows that you exist in real time and space. We have our contact info on over 3000 pages of KevinHogan DOT com.
  
  
  
• Give away free stuff (Discounts, articles, reports, downloads, coupons, and trial offers attract visitors to your site and literally keep them coming back for more).
  
  
• Display policies about shipping, returns, online transactions, and information privacy on your site (This also "legitimizes your business" and offers evidence of your commitment to your customer's well-being) If you don't display return policies you will not ever "win" with the credit card companies when YOU are being scammed by that razor thin but devastating guy who steals from you. Good business practice protects your business as well as the consumer.

In other words, be transparent. Be authentic. Be real. Be You.

With more arrogant people walking the streets daily, it sometimes pays to be ...just you. That's why this technique for building trust is excellent.

I'm an idiot....theme...

People who know me personally know I have a habit of telling them just what I'm an idiot about. I don't know how to fix cars, or heating ducts, or anything three dimensional. Call my brothers. One's a carpenter...the fix anything guy. My other brother is a truck driver. He can get anything to anywhere. I'm a moron in these departments.

When it comes to human influence, I'm sure there is someone who has a wider mental database of information than I do... and I would definitely like to meet her because that would be a fun conversation.

Be good at what you're good at. Let people know what you are not as good at.

Tell people where you are outstanding and where you aren't so outstanding.

I know you. You want to look good, so you figure it's better to be mysterious about what goes on "behind closed doors" at your business. But perhaps you should take a tip from Britney Spears, the original "I did it again" girl.

Britney may not know much, about anything, but she sure knows that admitting a mistake makes you human and trustworthy.

KEYPOINT: Telling people the REASON why you're doing something is one of the most powerful influencers of human behavior.

Let's face it...if you're making a special offer -- a 50%-off tire sale, a "Buy one, get one free" shoe deal, or a year of complimentary pool cleaning -- people understand you are in business and the offering of a discount, even if it's a loss leader, is an opportunity for you to audition for this person.

In fact, if you are too generous, too often, it is likely to make people suspicious. And it should! "That low-cost DVD player is probably reconditioned," they'll say to themselves. Or "I bet that early-bird-special-until-midnight diner was cited by the board of health."

If you don't tell people what's going on, they'll make up stories in their head and chances are they won't be flattering to you or your offer. Again, don't take it personally; it's just human nature -- after decades of false advertising.

So never give people a chance to make something up about you. Let people know who you are so all of their resistance and defensive systems stay "below ground." The most distrusted institution used to be Congress...or the Presidency. Not anymore. Now it's the Federal Reserve...and rightfully so. Why? And how can you avoid being "The Fed on your street?"

Be Transparent...You Mean Like...in Fantastic Four?
Instead of trying to cover up the truth or put a happy face on your sad story...let people pull back the curtain and take a long, hard look at you or your company.

Be authentic. People have a lot less to gossip about you, your product, your service or you - if YOU tell people what they might think are your weak points.

You don't have anything to hide...so don't act as though you do!

Most people appreciate transparency in others, even if it scares the hell out of them being transparent themselves.

Remember when the Pastor of that big church in Colorado preached to the press (not his church) against homosexuality? It's a "sin", he said. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. Whenever I see a finger point, I always remember that fingers backfire...all the time... I know one thing...

That man is a hypocrite. Sure to be exposed.

If he would simply say, "I'm gay, I still love my wife, but I'm gay..." Well, dang, that resonates with honesty, integrity and says, "Hey look, this is me..."

But, he didn't. And then little things get big in the press.

Take the examples that keep happening over and over and over.

You and I aren't pure white. Neither are our products. We make mistakes. There are imperfections. Even Lexus makes mistakes... Recognize, fess up, and keep working at serving your client.

Let's say July is traditionally your worst time to make sales and you're desperate to increase your business during this period to help your cash flow. Make a special limited time offer.

Don't be coy. Offer a special discount or a gift and say you're doing so because it's your "slow time" and you need to pay your staff anyway. People then GET IT and THEN they will buy it because it MAKES SENSE.

Not long ago, KevinHogan DOT com celebrated its 3 millionth visitor. That's pretty cool. I asked everyone what I should do. Maybe a special sale?

I don't particularly like..."specials," but I get that we are in a recession so we had a "sale," because it's what everyone asked for. But talk about special. This is rare. As a rule, I think specials are not great for longer term business, unless there is a REALLY GOOD REASON.

The Order Department Fouled Up - Our customers wanted the X25 Mountain Bike, but Susan in our ordering department ordered the X26 and now we're over-stocked on X26's. THAT is a good reason to have a "special."

Where There's Smoke, There's A Sale - The fire in our warehouse damaged a lot of our merchandise, so we're selling the good stuff for a lot less. We'd appreciate your help and are happy to give you a great price on moving out stuff we can't sell at full price or get reimbursed for by insurance.

I know this probably goes against every grain of business sense, but I promise if you give people a good, true AND believable reason why you're doing what you're doing, they'll love you for it. If you open up, they will, too -- with open arms...and open wallets.

HOWEVER, all that said, don't ever make up weird stuff out of thin air. Just be straight with your customer.

Whenever something is just a little "off," or something seems too good to be true, all people want to know is...

Trigger: Tell Me Why

People want to have the reason for what you do and they like to have a reason for what they do, too.

Remember this from my book, Psychology of Persuasion?
Dr. Ellen Langer, in a Harvard University psychology experiment, a test participant approached unsuspecting people waiting in line to use the copier and made a request.

One request was: "Excuse me. I only have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?"

Another request was phrased: "Excuse me. I only have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?"

In a third situation, the participant said, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?" There was no reason given for the need...just the word "because".

Request #1 was granted 60% of the time.

Request #2, the request coupled with a reason, was successful 94% of the time.

But here's the clincher: Believe it or not (and you'd better!): 93% of the people said yes simply due to the word 'BECAUSE'!
It didn't matter that there was no reason given for the request. Just using the magic word "because" triggered the desired response -- allowing the test participant to cut in line.

"Because" will have the same effect on your desired response -- As strange as it seems, it will indeed cause your customers to feel free to pay attention to you and to buy from you.

The Common Ground Trigger

If you offer products that people truly want; and solve problems that truly bother them, there's only one major factor you need to add to guarantee your success: rapport.

When you establish rapport, you say, "I understand you." To establish this essential relationship, you need to talk to consumers in the same language they use when they talk to each other...that you're on "common ground."

Parlez Vous.... "Me"?

Russians speak Russian, Italians speak Italian, and Americans (despite what my U.K. friends say) speak English..."American" English. Gas jockeys speak the language of the pump and stock brokers use the language of Wall Street even when they're not on the trading floor.

Consumers speak different languages, too. They speak the dialects of a thousand tiny sub-cultures...languages related to their jobs, their hometown, their cultures, hobbies, and passions. If you speak a consumer's language, in other words, if you can identify the buzzwords of the sub-culture, you can immediately sound like an insider who's in the know, instead of an outsider trying to make a sale.

There is one glaring mistake that people make, and it is definitely a trigger to not like you, buy from you, care about you or anything else about ...you.

You can kiss them goodbye if you don't do this...:
Friends Don't Let Friends Make Bad Decisions (or Drive Drunk)

If people don't view you as someone they could be friends with, you lose, and they probably do, too...

People trust their friends to give them guidance and advice that's in their best interest. They're suspicious of people who are trying to sell them things and consider their advice "tainted" by the quest for the Federal Reserve Note.

Business "friends" form a friendly relationship based on mutual trust and common interest. Business friends have "rapport." If you can position yourself as a buyer's trusted and knowledgeable adviser rather than a one-step-up-from-the-liars'-pit salesperson, you'll be offering sound "advice", not a questionable "hard sell."

And here's the thing: In most cases, your "business" friends should be your friends. I have a hard time thinking in any other way than that. The majority of my friends, my trusted and close friends, are people I've done business with. That makes life go a lot smoother in so many ways.

So just how do you establish rapport? Do your best to mirror what you observe. That's a great way to start a friendship.

• Is the other person formal or friendly?
• Is his/her speaking voice loud or soft?
• Is the energy he/she gives off fast-paced or methodical?

Establishing rapport requires sensitivity. Remember a short, funny story can do more for "buyer" rapport than 20 minutes worth of sales talk, unless the buyer is a serious sort who finds humor a "time waster."

But Enough About Me...What Do YOU Think (About Me)?

In making a connection and establishing rapport, it's helpful if you can find something besides business to discuss. Most people share a favorite topic of conversation: themselves. People love to talk about themselves and they reveal quite a bit when they do. You'll immediately get some insight into their mood, personality, and conversational style. Make THAT happen.

The Art of Being Delightfully Curious

The information you learn about hobbies, pets, children and favorite vacation spots are the foundation for rapport and the beginning of a long, beautiful relationship...and a big, fat sale!

The Trigger of Uniqueness

KEYPOINT: The unique quality of you or a product or service is the major reason that people buy from you instead of the guys down the block.

So, if you do something that sets you apart from your competition in the marketplace...if you make a better thing, a cheaper thing, or can deliver a piping, hot Pizza in 20 minutes or less guaranteed...don't keep it a secret.

Tell the world how (and WHY) special you are!
The world will want to get to know you.

Once you and/or your company has identified its uniqueness, it will be the key message communicated in everything you do.

Your uniqueness will be distilled down to an essential phrase -- sometimes referred to as a unique selling position or unique sales proposition by marketing wannabees (and a slogan or motto by everyone else).

Your USP morphs into your communication with those you talk with...headlines for all of your ads, letters, brochures, TV, and radio messages. It's on the tip of your tongue whenever you're talking sales-talk, ready to make an impression on a potential customer when the time is right. It's the first thing you think of when you open your business eyes in the morning and the last thing you think of when you close your office door at night.

And, perhaps best of all...

And, perhaps the best trigger of all...:
They're Good, But We're Better

It's OK to tell people this, as long as it is undeniably true.
Who's better, you or the other guy...or "Brand X"? You should know your competitor so well that when you ask a prospective customer, "What other stuff have you been looking at?" you'll be able to respond to your prospect's answer by sharing specific details about that product or service and why selecting your stuff is a better choice.

Talking about the competition is a good time to accentuate the positive. Instead of trashing your competitor's business, explain that your competitor (or competitor's product) is good enough, but that yours provides SUPERIOR value. The less your comments sound like someone simply trying to do a hatchet job on "Brand X," the more trust and confidence your customer will have in you and your advice.

Say It to Claim the Mental Real Estate

Even if you do many things the same way your competitors do, the benefit you point to may be unique to a prospect because your competition doesn't mention it.

The other crucial element in doing business with you is *you*.

I've written for over a decade about the proven fact: People don't (just) buy your product, they buy you. Allow yourself to be easy to buy! That's where branding enters. And perhaps we'll pick up right there next time!

Whole Foods moving Midwest office to River North | News | Crain's Chicago Business

Whole Foods moving Midwest office to River North | News | Crain's Chicago Business

"Trends, like horses, are easier to ride in the direction they are going."

John Naisbitt

Looking at the Markets? Look Up!

2011 looks like it will be a great year in the markets.

While we are still very early in the first quarter, the S&P is already up 2.9%. And this is just after the fourth quarter of 2010, when the S&P rose 10.2%.

If history repeats itself, the stock market should have quite a year.

Right about now, the naysayers are starting to pounce on my words.

"The recovery is too slow," I can hear them saying. "Unemployment is double-digits... bullish sentiment is way too high..."

I have to agree with their last point. The latest bullish sentiment reading from the American Association of Individual Investors is 52.3%. That is significantly above the long-term average of 39% and approaching a 5-year high. And the bearish reading is a full 7 points below its average of 30%.

Plain and simple, the market is very bullish.

And as the folks at Bespoke Investment Group point out, when the market gets this bullish it tends to underperform in the short term.

So why am I still bullish long-term?

A few reasons...

The January Effect

What the market does in January is often a very accurate indication of what's to come.

This year, for example, the market rose for the first 5 trading days of January -- something that has occurred 38 times in the past. In 33 of those instances (87%), the entire month ended with an up market.

And what the market does in January influences the rest of the year. According to the Stock Trader's Almanac's "January Barometer," if the market is up in January, 90% of the time stocks will end the year up.

Wall Street

Wall Street, too, is expecting a lot from 2011.

Analysts at 12 of the Street's biggest firms expect the market to climb 9% higher this year, according to a Bloomberg survey. Goldman Sachs, for example, accurately predicted 112.10% growth for the S&P in 2010. Goldman's prediction for this year? 15.30%.

The "Presidential Cycle"

Adding fuel to the fire, this is the third year of the "presidential cycle"!

Five presidents have seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average rise by at least 35% in their first two years in office. (The Dow has gone up 41% since President Obama took office.)

For three of the previous four presidents, the third year was just as strong. The Dow returned an average of 31.3%.

The fourth president, Warren Harding, died in office during the fifth month of his third year (1923). The market was down 6.9% at the end of that year.

So the overall DJIA average for a president who saw 35%+ gains in his first two years of office has been 21.8% gains during his third year.

But this positive third year isn't limited to that small group of presidents.

Since 1945, the third year of any presidential term has been very good for the markets.

The S&P has averaged a 17.13% gain without a single down year.

All historical indicators are pointing toward a very robust 2011 for the markets. If they hold true, investing in the S&P 500 this year could return between 9% and 17%.

That's a great return.

But what if you are looking to outperform the markets?

History says to look at technology, consumer discretionary, and material stocks.

How to Handle the “I don’t have the Time” Objection

By: Mike Brooks

Welcome to the New Year! So, are you ready to start cold calling, prospecting and reaching out to prospects? If so, you’d better be prepared for what is sure to be one of the biggest brush off objections this year: “I’m too busy/don’t have the time to talk to you now.”

Because of the personnel cuts over the last 24 months, you’ve probably noticed (even at your own company!), that many companies have laid people off and more work is required of those who are still employed. What that means to you is that you must be prepared for this and even more so, you must be equipped with the right scripts to handle this objection.

As I’ve written over and over, the sales reps who are going to be successful in today’s market are those who are prepared for the objections and selling situations they will find themselves in 90% of the time. The other 80% of sales reps? They will continue to struggle because they will insist on ad-libbing it and making it up as they go along.

To help you be prepared for the “I don’t have the time” brush off, memorize these scripts below and be prepared to use them every time you get this objection:

Response #1:
“I know that feeling; my desk is full of things I need to do, too. I’d be happy to schedule a time to call you back, but I don’t want to bother you if you’re really not interested. Let me ask you a quick question and be honest with me:

If I could show you a (system/product/service) that is proven to (reduce your overhead, generate more sales, etc.), would it be worth it for you and I to take for just five minutes to see how it could work for you?”

If NO: “No problem. Before I go, who else do you know that might be able to use a system like this?”

If Yes: “Terrific. Do you have five minutes right now?”

If No: “I’m looking at my schedule, what is a good time later today?”

Response #2:
“___________ you probably get a lot of calls like I do, and my initial reaction is to say I’m too busy as well. But I can explain this to you in just three minutes and if you think it can help you we can schedule more time later - and if you don’t we can part friends, is that fair?”

Response #3:
“I’m with you. Before I schedule a time to get back with you, just a quick question: Is it a priority for you to (fix or improve what your product or service will do for them) this quarter?”

Response #4:
“I’m glad you’re busy, that means that you don’t have the time to waste looking at things you have no intention of taking advantage of. Quick question: If I could show you a proven way to (get the benefits of your product or service), is that something that you would invest five minutes learning more about?”

Response #5:
“No problem. I know what it’s like to be interrupted. Would it be better to call you back right after your meeting, say in about a half hour, or would you prefer to set up a quick five minute call for tomorrow morning?”

Can you see how much more effective you will be by being prepared with and using these kinds of scripts? Believe me, it will separate you from the majority of your competition.

A bull may have good qualities, but you will never bring them out by waving a red flag in his face. Arousing others is easy - if you don't care what kind of action you inspire. If you wish to create a positive response in others, you do so by example and through the art of gentle persuasion, not by daring them to attack. When you work with others, concentrate on their positive attributes, not on the things they dislike or fear. When you take the time to get to know your associates, to learn about their hopes, dreams, and aspirations, you can determine what motivates them. You can then show them how they can align their goals with yours to work together for your mutual advantage. When you do, everybody wins.

Kasey Simpson, Customer Relationship Specialist

We Train Sales Teams!

The key to a successful business is maintaining a steady customer base. And the best way to maintain a steady customer base is customer loyalty. But did you know that customer loyalty is a two-way street? In order for a customer to be loyal to you, you must first be loyal to them. Successful businesses typically see 80% of their business come from 20% of their existing customers. So try taking a new approach! Give the customer something you are always looking for – a referral. Bringing new business to an existing customer will not only make that customer more loyal to you, but it could also bring more business your way.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Chinese proverb

An Ideal Business for First-Time Entrepreneurs, Part 2

With the Internet, first-time entrepreneurs can easily get in on the lucrative import-export industry.

And that's no exaggeration. The days of traveling to China to find a manufacturer are over. And you don't have to order a shipping container full of goods to sell back in the U.S.

Valerie Johnson was a college dropout looking for a career. She was at a party in 2005 when a child walked out in some "footie" pajamas. One of the guests joked that they wished those pajamas came in adult sizes. And that gave Valerie an idea: footie pajamas for adults.

But Valerie didn't know anything about the clothing business. She didn't know anything about running any sort of business. But that didn't stop her. She did some research online and found the website I mentioned yesterday, Alibaba.com. There she easily found suppliers to help her make her dream come true.

Her business really did start with a few e-mails sent from the computer in her basement office. And her first year, she made $360,000. That doubled the next year... and today, she's making nearly $2 million annually.

Not bad for a little business that started in a basement. And it's a model that any entrepreneur can follow. You don't even have to have an idea for a product. There are plenty of tools, also online, that can help you figure out what's selling... and jump on the trend.

With a business like this, everything... from market research to sourcing products to selling those products... can be done online.

Today, I'm going to show you just how easy part of that process -- finding the hot products -- is. This is exactly what you would do to start an import business. And it's exactly what we teach in our China Wholesale Trader program.

I encourage you to try it yourself. In the Trader, of course, you get the next steps, too, which include tips on negotiating with manufacturers and strategies for marketing your products online. And, no, you don't have to be an Internet marketing whiz to make it work.

My first stop was Google. (It's funny how so much of what we do online starts with Google.)

I went to Google.com and clicked on the Shopping link at the top of the page. That brings up a list of 25 or so products recently searched for by consumers. Here are a few things that caught my eye:

• Portable DVD players

• Bath towels

• Tire pressure gauges

• Bike locks

Then I shot over to Amazon and eBay to do some cross-referencing.

On Amazon, you go here to find the bestselling products in all the categories they offer, from electronics to clothing: www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/. EBay has a great trend tracker at pulse.ebay.com.

Did I find any matches among the bestsellers on Amazon and eBay? Well, Apple products like the iPod and iPhone dominated. But I didn't think Steve Jobs was going to cut me in on that action.

Portable DVD players also had good numbers. And I thought there would be an opportunity there. So I went over to Alibaba.com to see if anybody in China might be wholesaling portable DVD players.

There were more than 23,000 suppliers listed. Some had minimum orders of 100, 500, or even 1,000 pieces. But many allow you to buy 10 at a time. And most let you buy just one first (at a deep discount) to test it out.

The wholesale price was about $30-$50 at most of the places I checked. And based on current prices here in the U.S., you could double or triple that when you sell them. For other types of products, the margins can be much higher.

I chose a DVD player from Shenzhen Newsun Photoelectric Co., Ltd. in the manufacturing hub of Shenzhen in Guangdong Province, China. They let importers buy just 10 units at a time.

My next step would have been to contact the supplier via e-mail (or a phone call, if I preferred) to get more information and set up a deal. In the case of Newsun Photoelectric, the contact is Mr. Cloud Chen. All the company information and contact info is provided on the Alibaba website.)

Once you've found the "hot" products you're going to sell... you have to sell them. And that's the next step covered in the China Wholesale Trader program.

Here's a sneak peek...

There are hundreds of ways to sell online. But it's probably best to start on sites like eBay or Amazon Marketplace. Listing your products with one or all of these marketplaces gives you a ready-made Web presence. At some point, you could consider opening an online store on one of these sites. That would allow you to sell hundreds of different products in one place. And eventually, you might decide to have your own website.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the kind of advice and strategies you get with the China Wholesale Trader program. But you can see how easy it really is to get started. In the rest of the program, you learn how to negotiate with your suppliers, market your products online, and much, much more.

Custom Banner Printing Services | AlphaGraphics

Custom Banner Printing Services | AlphaGraphics

The lost opportunity – your seminar notes. What do you do?

You’re at a seminar.
Great information is being offered.
Information that will help you succeed.
Your mind is open.
You’re taking notes.
Recording what is being said.
Even taking snapshots of slides.
You take in the talk, and get your own ideas.
Great ideas that you know you can use and you know will benefit you and others, ideas you can turn into money.
You are pumped!

You make a mental commitment the moment you write each note: “change cold calls to referrals” – “be more creative and daring when leaving a voicemail” – “sell value, not price” – “get more video testimonials.” But then you don’t fulfill them when you get home. Why?

They seemed like great ideas at the time.
You had AHA’s and epiphanies at the event.
And you wrote notes that were golden.

But something happened between the seminar room and your first moments back at work. ANSWER: You dropped the ball. The mental ball. The focus ball. The commitment to yourself ball. And maybe even the success ball.

Whether you were at a trade show, an annual meeting, an association meeting, or a business event, what you decided to do IMMEDIATELY AFTER the event determined your fate.

If you chose wine, beer, liquor, socialization, partying, TV, or some other form of time-wasting (self-destructive) activity, you lost the opportunity to formalize your information, expand your thoughts, and cement your self-commitment.

POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: At any information event, you cannot take notes fast enough to capture all the pertinent information. You write as fast as you can, but still (without recording) miss some thoughts about ideas and things that were important to you at that moment.

FIRST ANSWER: The minute the seminar is over find a quiet space for 15-30 minutes. Open your laptop and take out your notes. (Maybe next time you’ll take notes on your laptop.)

Look at every note you took, and spend a moment with each one to expand the thought. How will you apply that thought to your sales, your business, and your life? In other words, take the note and make it yours. Then determine when the action will be implemented.

(NOTE TO MEETING PLANNERS: Meeting planners try to cram session after session into a two or three day meeting without providing a chance for attendees to catch their breath, let alone have think time. Big mistake. Every traditional meeting and breakout should have a “quiet” session afterward. Refer to them as “think and apply” sessions. Even if they’re just for 20 minutes.

SECOND ANSWER: Expand your thoughts while they’re fresh in your mind. Do it again in your hotel room, and on the airplane going home. Think (don’t drink). Take your notes further, expand your thoughts. Think more about the application of each idea, and how you intend to put it into action.

THIRD ANSWER: The minute you get home, record your notes. When you are recording, even more ideas and applications will surface. Burn them onto a CD and import them into your iPod or MP3 player. Record your notes and ideas so you can listen to them until they become dedicated tasks.

FOURTH ANSWER: Listening to your recording once a day, you will begin to commit to them, and take achievement actions. Put at least one new thing into your work or your life every day.*

*If you have been in sales for less than three years, this process will reinforce your belief system, and inspire you to greater achievement (the very thing you were hoping for when you entered the seminar room). And if you’re a seasoned salesperson, this is a huge opportunity to reinvigorate your desire to achieve at a higher level, and re-dedicate yourself to personal excellence. It’s your re-commitment to your own success.

REALITY: Corporations and associations spend hundreds of thousands (even millions) to impart new and important information, and yet when the participants get home, very little changes.

REASON: Participants are not allotted the time necessary to transfer the notes, thoughts, and ideas into personal actions that they are committed to take.

FIFTH ANSWER: Allocate time. During (and after) the meeting, let each participant make their own personal plan of action. This will ensure a full return on your time investment, their time investment, your dollar investment, and your human capital investment.

Itemizers can’t file with IRS till Feb. 14 - Chicago Sun-Times

Itemizers can’t file with IRS till Feb. 14 - Chicago Sun-Times

Sleeping next to pets could be dangerous - Chicago Sun-Times

Sleeping next to pets could be dangerous - Chicago Sun-Times

Ten new ways to use vinegar around the home

Ten new ways to use vinegar around the home

Five Crucial Characteristics Every Employee Must Encompass

• Kindness - The quality of being warmhearted, considerate, compassionate , and sympathetic. This means being pleasant and tender and having a genuine concern for others.
  
  
• Honesty - A facet of moral character that denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness as well as the absence of lying, cheating, or theft.
  
  
• Integrity - When your actions are congruent and consistent with your values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcome.
  
  
• Urgency - Understanding that the task at hand is important and deserves immediate action.
  
  
• Passionate - An intense enthusiasm for or desire to engage in the work at hand.

I can look around at the men and women I am fortunate enough to call my colleagues, team members, and mentors, and 99% of them possess all five of these characteristics. If they don't, I usually don't give them my valuable time.

The 10 Best Business Relationship Building Tips for 2011

1. Know something personal about the people you do business with. Some people don't believe in mixing business with pleasure. But your business should be your pleasure! Think about how much time you spend on your business. It makes it so much nicer to know what's important to your colleagues. For anyone who has kids, there is nothing more important to them. Make an effort to know their children's names.

Or if your colleague is an avid golfer or tennis player; ask them how his game is going. This doesn't have to monopolize the entire conversation. But it is a great way to start off a business lunch or meeting, especially if you have not seen that person in a while.

2. Always be sincere. Has this ever happened to you? You are at a conference, and you meet someone in your industry. You seem to hit it off well and you think this could be a good business connection. Your new business connection even initiates the card exchange and says, "Call me anytime." You follow up right away with a phone call or email... and nothing happens. After a few weeks of trying, you realize it's a dead end.

If you have no intention of cultivating a relationship do not give the impression otherwise. It's really ok not to offer cards at conferences. And if someone asks you if they can call and you know you are not interested - tell them up front. Be polite and respectful but never give the impression that you are going to do something when you know will not.

3. Respond to colleagues in a timely manner. We are all busy. Someone else's biggest priority is usually not our own. However, if you agree to do something for someone, do it in a timely manner.

Recently a colleague wrote a book and wanted some feedback on his first chapter. Unfortunately, his request went onto my junk email folder. When I saw the request three days later, I immediately sent him an email explaining the situation and told him I would read the chapter right away and send him my comments.

It was 11:00 p.m. when I saw the request, but I still read the chapter and sent off my comments right before midnight. Sure, I would rather have gone to bed and done it in the morning. But I knew this was important to him. We had been colleagues for 10 years. We had worked on multiple projects together, and he never missed a deadline.
Sure enough he was online and sent me a big thank you as soon as he received my email.

4. Always arrive on time. Fashionably late does not exist in business. Showing up late for business meetings or lunches lets the other person know you don't respect their time and that you think your time is more valuable. It also makes one question if the project will get done on time.

5. Never use your children as an excuse. Many times the reason for not finishing a report or being late for a meeting very well may be because one of your children wasn't feeling well, or they couldn't find their homework or you forgot to pack school lunches.

Regardless of the reason, never walk into a business meeting that you are late for and announce that the dog ate Bobby's' homework and you spent the last hour redoing the assignment. Simply apologize for being tardy, ask what you missed and move on.

There will be times when real emergencies occur. At that point it is perfectly fine to let your colleagues know that you need to leave because your child needs you.

6. Be positive. No one likes to be around cranky people. Beside the fact that cranky people take the fun out of things, it can be draining and counter-productive. A study published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology shows that positive people accomplish more than negative people.

7. Know something about your potential business associate's company. If you are off to meet with a potential business associate make sure you do your homework. Understand the company's main function and core competencies. Know how long they have been in business. Have a basic understanding of how you can work together. With the Internet, all of this information is just a keyboard away.

8. Never, ever gossip. Being known as a gossip is the fastest way to destroy a business relationship. Regardless of your skill set, no one will want to work with you. Gossip can destroy careers and takes up valuable time that could be spent on gratifying situations.

9. Give more than you get. Karma does exist. If you are known as the WIIFM (what's in it for me) type, you need to work to change your image. When you are willing to help others without payback, it comes back to you ten-fold. Don't get me wrong. We are all running businesses, working towards maintaining a balance life. However, helping a business colleague without the expectation of payback will be far more beneficial to you in the end.

10. Just say no. Being a working mom, we try to please everyone. However there are times when saying no to a request in business is better than saying yes. If your plate is full and you know that you will not be able to honor the request in a satisfactory manner, then don't do it. If you know the outcome will be substandard, you are at risk of hindering your credibility, disappointing your colleagues, and missing deadlines on projects you have already committed to.

By saying no, your colleagues will actually respect you more for your honesty and commitment to finishing what you already started.

Make it your goal this year to work on this vital business building skill. Improving your relationships with business partners, colleagues, and all those you work with will bring many benefits.

Do not expect something for nothing.

Be willing to give an equivalent value for all that you desire, and include in your plans a definite provision for doing so.
–Napoleon Hill

	Auto-Suggestion and the Law of Attraction by Napoleon Hill There is a law, which we may properly call the Law of Attraction, through the operation of which water seeks its level, and everything throughout the universe of a like nature seeks its kind. If it were not for this law, which is as immutable as the law of gravitation which keeps the planets in their proper places, the cells out of which an oak tree grows might scamper away and become mixed with the cells out of which the poplar grows, thereby producing a tree that would be part poplar and part oak. But, such a phenomenon has never been heard of. Following this Law of Attraction a little further we can see how it works out among men and women. We know that successful, prosperous men of affairs seek the companionship of their own kind, while the down-and-outer seeks his kind, and this happens just as naturally as water flows down hill. Like attracts like, a fact which is indisputable. Then, if it is true that men are constantly seeking the companionship of those whose ideas and thoughts harmonize with their own, can you not see the importance of so controlling and directing your thoughts and ideals that you will eventually develop exactly the kind of “magnet” in your brain that you wish to serve as an attraction in drawing others to you? If it is true that the very presence of any thought in your conscious mind has a tendency to arouse you to bodily activity that will correspond with the nature of the thought, can you not see the advantage of selecting, with care, the thoughts which you allow your mind to dwell upon? Read these lines carefully, think over and digest the meaning which they convey, because we are now laying the foundation for a scientific truth which constitutes the very foundation upon which all worthwhile human accomplishment is based. We are beginning, now, to build the roadway over which you will travel out of the wilderness of doubt, discouragement, uncertainty and failure, and we want you to familiarize yourself with every inch of this road. No one knows what thought is, but every philosopher and every man of scientific ability who has given any study to the subject is in accord with the statement that thought is a powerful form of energy which directs the activities of the human body; that every idea held in the mind through prolonged, concentrated thought takes on permanent form and continues to affect the bodily activities according to its nature, either consciously or unconsciously. Auto-suggestion, which is nothing more or less than an idea held in the mind, through thought, is the only known principle through which one may literally make himself over, after any pattern he may choose.

home : sales tip of the day	Share	January 20, 2011

Sales Tip of the Day

GET READY Once I attended a presentation from a very respected author and speaker. After the talk, I approached, thanked him for what he had shared, and asked if he brought any books with him for purchase. He said he felt a little uncomfortable taking advantage of this forum to promote his book. Rather asking out why he doesn’t feel his book is worthy of being promoted, I simply asked how to purchase it and he replied either at his website or the big online book seller. There I was, a willing customer, and someone who might appreciate a signed copy, with money in my hand and he made it difficult for me to buy. Never mind his discomfort; think about my disappointment! Why would he want to make it hard for me to give him my money? The lesson is this: you never know when you will encounter someone who is ready, willing, able and anxious to buy what you sell. But if you are not prepared to make a sale, you actually make that person’s life more difficult. If you are not ready to sell at a moment’s notice, get ready! If you sell hard goods, could you have some with you? If you sell a service, is the paperwork necessary for an initial need assessment readily available? If you sell a treatment, are you ready to show a prospect how it works? What can you do to get ready to sell right now?

A bear and a meat packer meet in an alley - Countryside, IL - Countryside Suburban Life

A bear and a meat packer meet in an alley - Countryside, IL - Countryside Suburban Life

"A strong foundation increases the value of everything you do."

Aaron Wall

Jumpstarting Your New Life as an Internet Entrepreneur, Part 2

When you start an info-publishing business -- or any business, for that matter -- there are many things you don't know. And that includes plenty of things you don't know you don't know.

Many new entrepreneurs even miss the "obvious" strategies that would propel their ventures forward.

The speakers at our Info-Marketing Bootcamps made plenty of mistakes when they started out -- and learned from them. Maybe more important, they realized that they could accelerate their progress by learning the "hidden" secrets of mentors and experts who had "been there, done that."

Today, I'd like to share with you one of those secrets. And it's just a small sample of the in depth education you can get by attending an event like our Bootcamp -- or, if you can't make it in person, through our Info-Marketing Bootcamp home study kit.

An info-marketing business starts with an idea for a product. Sounds simple, right? Well, it's actually the hardest part.

You might have the "perfect" idea. You might have been telling friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers about it for years. And everybody's told you it's great.

But unless you've done the research... you really don't have an idea.

Market research is what I'm talking about. And there are two questions your research must answer:

1. Are people looking for the type of information you want to sell?

2. Are people actually buying it?

You can find the answers fairly quickly.

The first step is to simply search for phrases related to your idea in Google and other search engines. If ads appear at the top and on the right hand sides of the search results page, that's a good sign. It means others are paying to advertise the kind of information you intend to sell -- which means people must be buying it. You can also use free keyword tracking tools to find out how often phrases related to your idea are searched. A few thousand searches is a good sign. A few hundred a month is bad.

Then you start researching the competition. Click on the ads that appeared when you did your search. Sign up for the e-mail lists of these companies and study all the marketing materials you receive. You could also buy some of their products.

Base your own offer on what appears to be working for them.

What comes next? "Ready, Fire, Aim," as Michael Masterson says.

The only way to get a winner is to test your idea in the marketplace. So get your offer out there. If it doesn't work, try a different marketing approach... maybe even a different product. And keep trying until you come up with a combination that does work.

One of the main advantages of info-publishing is that the testing process is quick, easy, and cheap. And your products are digital, so you don't have to stockpile a warehouse full of widgets. (In some cases, you don't even have to create an actual product until you start getting sales.)

Research and testing is hugely important, which is why we put so much emphasis on it in the Info-Marketing Bootcamp home study kit. You learn exactly how to take the start-up steps you need to take... as well as the cutting-edge techniques you'll use once your business is up and running.

"My mother could make anybody feel guilty -- she used to get letters of apology from people she didn't even know."
-- Joan Rivers

Not Guilty
By Elle Swan

For over a decade, I had prayed for the moment that was finally here. And there was only one thing that could steal it from me. It robs parents who live with their children every day and it can especially rob working moms. What would he think? What would I say? Could I recognize him through the sea of strangers... through the storm of emotions swirling within me? No sunglasses today. No glam. Soul open. Heart pounding. It was time to face him, one to one, eye-to- eye. Through my tears and the airport window I could see the plane approach the gate. At any moment, my 15 year old son would walk through that tunnel. For the first time in his life he was coming to visit. And I knew I would have to rise above all Guilt.

Guilt is a paralyzing emotion. It steals our potential for success personally and professionally. As a International Public Speaker and Life Coach I have witnessed the detrimental effects that ravish individual lives as well as families. As a young woman seeking to make sense of the world in my early 20s, when I gave birth to my son, I witnessed the joy drain out of me the day I lost custody due to alcohol addiction. Guilt replaced that joy for many years. I know I am not the only woman who has needed to climb out from under the kind of self-destruction that led to losing my only child. Women like me live in silence and struggle to negotiate through our specific version of guilt... believing that there is nothing worse than being an absent mom.

Ironically, this same belief plagues mothers who simply have to work, sometimes long, hard hours, in order to provide for their children. I have learned and now teach, that in either case; guilt hijacks the life you and I both have the right to live. If we are to create what we want we really need to re-think the usefulness of guilt.

The agony of being absent is as personal as each mother's relationship with her child. In my case, it showed up in the form of being 3,000 miles away. For another mother it shows up as dropping her newborn off at a daycare for eight plus hours a day. Some working moms feel even guiltier when they arrive home with extra work that makes them too busy to spend time with their children. As a result of the expectations of society, and even the portrayals of working mothers in the media, the feelings of guilt become even stronger.

I believe all mothers dream of having a work-at-home situation that will allow them to provide for and spend time with their children. Unfortunately, these situations can take some time to create. I know this from personal experience and with all the negativity out there, it can be difficult to move pass guilty feelings. However, there is research, for working mothers, which can help them transcend those emotions and focus on creating that exact situation.

The University of Texas conducted a study that I find helpful in working to design a better life for your family without guilt. They found that there is no solid evidence out there to show that children of working mothers experience emotional harm from being away from their mothers.

The researchers also found that:

• Infant development is not delayed when a mother works outside the home.
  
  
• A mother's personality, including their beliefs and the quality of their parenting was more important than the amount of time spent with their child.
  
  
• Working mothers spent less time on household chores and leisure activities so they could connect with their children.
  
  
• Working mothers spent more time with their children on days off.

There were no differences in social behavior, cognitive ability and language development whether mothers stayed at home or worked.

I am a what I call "a different kind of mom." I had to redefine the term "mom" in order to live in a place that would ultimately leave me and my son empowered. We would not have developed the self-esteem necessary to stand tall in this world if I felt sorry for us, and drowned in the guilt.

Here are three ways to handle guilt that can work for all mothers, near or far:

1. Develop & trust your judgment - Not trusting your judgment feels like you are moving forward and backwards at the same time. Make it a habit to take some action every day that demonstrates your commitment to getting better. For example, some days, I sent cards. Some days I called. Some days, I looked at his photo and prayed. The point is that action breeds success. It's not about perfection. It's about improving your ability to trust that gives you the ability to create the life you want.

2. Be honest with your children - Tell your children the truth about your successes as well as your struggles. In some ways my situation forced me to have to explain my mistakes many times prior to his visit. But, I have seen honesty work in amazing ways in the lives of my clients with less extreme circumstances. Honesty works because it helps our sons and daughters deal with their own imperfections in a more realistic manner. Trying to be a perfect parent is an equation for disaster. Children will learn much more by what you do when it matches what you say.

3. Have a parental vision for yourself - Make a decision about the type of parent you want to be. Use every action from that point forward to affirm your decision. Businesses use vision statements all the time so that when tough situations arise they can measure their actions against their larger values. For example, I knew we were apart but I decided that I would never use the distance as an excuse to ignore that I was his mom. My vision was to get my life on track and become a better person so we could be together again. The internal conflict that you feel as a parent is often the result of not having or following a parental vision. As long as you have a vision to follow, your guilt will be minimized if it is present at all.

The Power of Certainty

One of Seven Principles from the new book Flash Foresight: How to See the Invisible and Do the Impossible

By: Daniel Burrus

In my new book Flash Foresight, I share seven principles that can make invisible opportunities visible. The first is using the power of certainty.

In times of unprecedented change and uncertainty, we need to ask, “What are we certain about?” Strategies based on uncertainty equal high risk. Strategies based on certainty reduce risk and produce superior results.

Here’s an example of certainty. Winter turns to spring, which turns to summer and then fall. I am certain of that! There are over 300 business, biological, and weather cycles that allow you to accurately anticipate the future. You understand cyclical change and use it often, even if you are not aware of it.

In today’s technology-driven world of accelerated change, you need to understand another type of change that I call Linear Change. Once this type of change happens, you won’t go back. For example, if you have an MP3 player, smart phone, or flat-panel TV, are you going back to what you used before? No! This is non-cyclical change that has a profound impact.

Knowing this, what if you could predict the challenges your organization will face and stop them from occurring? Impossible? Hardly. You can solve tomorrow’s problems…today. You simply have to know what you’re certain about. Use the following points to increase your certainty.

Stop, Look, Listen

Stop: As change accelerates, the tendency is to work faster. But rather than speed up, we need to slow down, stop, and think. Put aside all your problems temporarily. Make the decision to devote some time, on a regular basis, to become an anticipatory organization.

Look: Make a list of Cyclical and Linear changes you can see. What are the problems you are not having today, but will have in the next three to six months? The next one to three years? Those are the problems you need to solve. To get ahead of the curve, shift your focus from solving today’s problems to solving tomorrow’s problems before they happen.

Listen: What is certainty telling you about those future problems and ways to approach them? Listen to clues lying just outside your range of vision. As you learn more about how to use certainty and foresight, solutions will appear almost instantly.

When I talk with clients about becoming anticipatory, they often say, "That sounds fascinating—but we don’t have time to think about the future. We’re too busy dealing with today!" Of course they’re busy. We’re all busy. There will never be a time when we’re not busy—which is why we keep flailing about in our uncertainties.

"Let the first impulse pass, wait for the second."

Baltasar Gracian

The Comedy and Tragedy of Spontaneity
By Robert Ringer

My approach to life is to plan carefully, then relentlessly focus on execution. I don't mean to sound stuffy, but to me impulsiveness is a sign of irresponsible behavior.

That's why those who know me best would lay 100-to-1 odds that I would never make a spur-of-the-moment decision to hop on a train and head for New York on New Year's Eve. And they would have lost their shirts on that bet this year.

What they would have failed to take into consideration was a phenomenon known as "temporary insanity." It was my wife's birthday, plus my son loves Times Square, so I impulsively blurted out, "What the heck. Let's do it!" (Translation: "I'm game for a good refresher lesson on why impulsiveness is not a good habit.")

The next thing I knew, my wife, my son, and I were on an Amtrak train heading for the Big Apple. We were looking forward to two events -- being in Times Square when the countdown to midnight started and gorging ourselves on the Stage Delicatessen's version of health food.

We pulled into Penn Station about 9:30 p.m. All we needed to do was go up to the street level, walk a few blocks, and we'd be in the heart of Times Square. "Hey," I thought to myself, "this spontaneous stuff is great."

To our surprise, however, after walking a few blocks up Seventh Avenue, we ran smack into a barricade manned by a battalion of New York's finest. They directed us, and thousands of other people, to head toward Eighth Avenue -- the opposite direction from Times Square!

The next thing we knew, we were trudging up Eighth Avenue in a scene right out of the movie Escape from New York. Hoodlums, street people, schizophrenics -- you name it -- were coming and going in every direction. I felt like we were drowning in a sea of tattoos and earrings... every kind of tattoo you could imagine.

But the earrings were even wilder. Earrings in noses... earrings in tongues... earrings in eyelids... earrings in belly buttons. I stopped at the belly buttons. I didn't want to think about where else the earrings might be located. The only thing I was sure of was that I would never again buy my wife a pair of earrings.

We tried to go back toward Seventh Avenue and Times Square every few blocks, but at each entry point we were turned back by a brigade of police. Finally, we reached the end of the line -- Central Park. No luck there, either. The barricade ran from Eighth Avenue across Central Park South to the end of the earth.

Resigning myself to the fact that we were not going to see the ball drop in Times Square at midnight, I concluded it was time to throw in the towel and head for the Stage Deli. Once there, we could drown our disappointment in saturated fat, cholesterol, salt, and lots of sugar (disguised as strawberry cheesecake).

Only one problem: I forgot that the police had blocked off all entries to Seventh Avenue, which is where the Stage Deli is located, between 53rd and 54th Streets. Not being able to celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square was one thing, but keeping me from my fair share of corned beef, chopped liver, dill pickles, and cheesecake was a clear violation of my civil rights.

We ended up at an Italian restaurant on Eighth Avenue. And after a so-so meal, we left the restaurant and again wandered through the sea of tattoos and earrings on Eighth Avenue.

Suddenly, at 54th Street -- at about 1:00 a.m. -- I saw that the police were beginning to remove the barricades.

Mental flashbulb: We'll go to the Stage Deli for cheesecake dessert! It would be a perfect ending to a less-than-perfect night. Before you knew it, we were turning the corner at 54th Street and Seventh Avenue and marching resolutely toward the Stage Deli.

But when you see through the windows that the chairs are stacked up on the tables, it's not a good omen of things to come. Sure enough, the door was locked and the sign hanging on it was fairly easy to understand: CLOSED!

Once again, my civil rights had been violated. I had a right to that cheesecake I was looking at through the window. After all, wasn't it guaranteed by some constitutional amendment? Something like, "Congress shall make no law prohibiting people from eating cheesecake, especially on New Year's Eve." I'm almost certain I read about that amendment somewhere. Come Monday, I'd have to check it out with the ACLU.

We arrived back at Penn Station in time for our 2:45 a.m. departure. Three-plus hours of trying to find a comfortable position... dozing off and on... stuffy, stifling heat... clickety-clack, clickety-clack. Mercifully, our New Year's Eve trip to New York and back came to an end at around 6:00 a.m.

The only thing I love more than learning is a refresher lesson that keeps me on my toes. That's why, as George Orwell put it in his classic book 1984, the best books are those that tell you what you already know.

Learning, relearning, and motivation are like eating: You have to do them every day. For me, spontaneity is not a healthy way to fill one's needs, but even I manage to slip every five to 10 years and do something impulsive.

I recognize that millions of people live by the philosophy "Let it all hang out" and "Live for the moment." But what works for me is avoiding impulsive action and relying more on my intellect. I like to check and double-check the facts. I like to be in control of events rather than allowing events to control me. I like to know when, where, and how things are going to happen.

None of these traits detract from my being an action-oriented person. On the whole, I move pretty fast, but I like to give myself the benefit of some thought prior to taking action.

Nothing gives me a greater feeling of control than religiously following my own routine. Spontaneous action is simply against my nature. In his book Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, Deepak Chopra lists a daily personal routine and regular work routine as two factors that retard the aging process. Nice to know.

In truth, my little tale about my New Year's Eve experience was more comedy than tragedy. But if one engages in a steady diet of impulsive action in either his personal or business life, he's sure to end up with far more of the latter than the former.

UNLIMITED POWER MAY BE AVAILABLE WHEN TWO OR MORE PEOPLE COORDINATE THEIR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS IN A SPIRIT OF PERFECT HARMONY FOR THE ATTAINMENT OF A DEFINITE PURPOSE.

A Master Mind alliance involves two or more people working together in perfect harmony toward the attainment of a common purpose. Such a partnership creates a superpower that enables each of its members to do far more than either would have been able to achieve separately. Choose your Master Mind partners carefully. Align yourself with people whose strengths complement yours. If you are a right brain person, for example, a logically-driven left brain person may be a perfect counterbalance to your creative bent. Above all, choose to associate only with people who share your positive values and your commitment to similar levels of achievement.

Your Success Stories

"This is an event that happened about 20 years ago, long before I ever heard of Jeffrey Gitomer. But the lesson has stayed with me for many years and as I read Jeffrey’s books and weekly e-zine, I realize it was a WOW factor that no one could duplicate, I did something that none of my competitors had done and none could do after me.

I was 24 years old and owned a boat repair business in New Hampshire. My roommate and I had a snowplow business in the winter. I was in the middle of my plow route after a 10-inch snowstorm and saw a sign posted in front of a house that read “ Plowing Services Wanted.” I stopped and rang the doorbell. There was no answer so I opened the front door to put my business card in and out dropped about 10 of my competitor's cards. Instead of throwing away all of the competitors cards and just leaving mine, I took the high road. I plowed the driveway for free, filled out a contract and left this note: “There appears to be some competition for this job. I’m the person who actually plowed your driveway. If you liked the job, please sign and return the attached contract. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call me.” I received a call that evening from the homeowners. They were so excited to get home from work and have their driveway already plowed. They had already signed my contract, no questions asked, and also offered to pay me for the job I had already done. I plowed their driveway for the next several years until they moved out of town.

I took a chance. I could have just left my card, but I took a risk and separated myself from the competition and earned my customer's business. Sometimes it’s the simplest lessons that stay with us the longest."

-Don McLelland Jr.

Nameless Branding
by: Stephanie Melish

Starbucks is dropping the Starbucks. As the only Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista, I couldn’t pass the opportunity to write about this iconic shift in this company’s branding efforts.

Starbucks released that they have performed a face-lift on their logo and dropped the printed "Starbucks Coffee." GASP! I couldn’t believe it. I thought, "Please don’t change the green color too!" I was relieved to find out that they won’t revert back to the 70’s brown. I mean, green is the new black and it’s staying.

The news of the new Starbucks logo is huge. This is recognition that you have hit the brand jackpot. This is the status. This is where your logo becomes bigger than your name. Your brand has arrived when you can go nameless.

So, are you nameless? Probably not. I’m not - or at least not yet. But isn’t that the ultimate goal of branding? To have an image so prominent that you need no name, need no introduction - only a logo. A golden arch, an apple, or a swoosh.

What are you currently doing to promote your brand? What are you doing to elevate to a level where everyone knows who you are without a name?

Maybe you should try doing what Starbucks has mastered. There are two major factors that have catapulted Starbucks to the nameless level:

1. Be Most Visible. Branding is equivalent to visibility. Starbucks is so visible that they are the butt of many jokes. (Have you seen Shrek 2?) The more someone sees your brand, the more known it become. Make yourself or your company (preferably both) seen more than any of your competitors. Brand everything! Put out a consistent image on your emails, website, pens, paper, thank you notes, etc. Also, put your brand out in the community. Sponsor local charity events or networking sessions. Your brand is born when you are seen and scene.

2. Be Consistent. In my opinion, this is the most important aspect of branding. Offering a consistent experience and message to your customers, fans, and even haters builds the blocks of branding. Understanding that no matter how your customers find you, WHAT they find will be the same. Storefront = website = blog = Twitter = Facebook = advertisements = commercials = SAME brand!

Through visibility and consistency, a nameless brand can be built. I’m keeping my name and my title for now, but I’m working toward the day when I’ll have a nameless brand. When will you start building yours?