"While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we
can control what happens inside us."
~Ben Franklin

The Best Sunscreen Doesn't Cost a Cent
By Dr. Al Sears, MD

Spring has finally sprung ... I can tell by all the "snowbirds" here in South Florida. The beaches, restaurants and roadways are packed with northern visitors. Seems like more and more folks come down every year to get a taste of "fun in the sun."

With spring break and the spring holidays just around the corner, you may have plans to get away to a warm sandy shore. Or maybe just want to do a little gardening... Your kids probably can't wait to get out to the park or onto the ball field. But if you listen to the media, you might be worried about sun exposure. They'd have you believe the sun is a cancer-causing ball of radiation threatening our planet and every living thing on it.

But you don't have to worry. The fact is the sun protects you from cancer. It enhances your health and is vital to your well-being.

Let me explain ...

One of the most important ways the sun protects you is through your skin, which makes vitamin D from its ultraviolet type B rays. And it's vitamin D that keeps you from getting not just skin cancer, but more than a dozen others.

Here's the proof in black and white:

• A study by the journal Anticancer Research says very clearly that the more you make vitamin D from UVB rays, the lower your chances are of dying from 15 kinds of cancer.1
  
• Another study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that vitamin D can lower the chance you'll get cancer by 77 percent.2
• The European Journal of Cancer looked at cancer rates all over the world. Their study says plainly that vitamin D production in the skin decreases the likelihood you'll get any of these cancers: stomach, colorectal, liver and gallbladder, pancreas, lung, breast, prostate, bladder and kidney cancers.3
• A study done for the journal Nature shows that the active form of vitamin D (calcitriol or D3), and its derivative vitamin D2, both cause skin cancer cells to die.4
• And did you know that people who work outside like construction workers, roofers and lifeguards have a much lower risk of skin cancer than those who work inside?5

I could go on ...

Meanwhile, if you followed conventional medical advice, you'd be putting sunscreen all over your body.

But sunscreen lowers your body's ability to make vitamin D by up to 95 percent.

Today I'm going to show you how to let the sun work with your body to prevent cancer. Keep reading to find out what's really in sunscreens, when you should use sun protection and safe ways to help prevent sunburns.

We Were Made to Live Under the Sun

If you've been to a doctor, turned on the television, been on the Internet, or read a magazine lately, you've probably heard some form of this message:

"The sun causes cancer. If you're going outside, wear sunscreen no matter what. No excuses."

Does it seem as though scientists think nature must be wrong? I get the feeling they think millennia of trial and error resulted in a mistake with our survival. And even worse, that we need some kind of intervention - some synthetic chemicals - to make it right again.

The truth is, your body already has everything it needs to properly protect itself from the sun's UV rays. The real problem isn't the sun. It's that you might not spend enough time outdoors to trigger these natural defenses.

Let me explain ...

Your native ancestors survived outdoors just fine. They lived and worked in the sun's rays every day. They didn't use sunscreen and they didn't burn themselves to a crisp or die off from diseases caused by the sun.

Why? Because our bodies are designed perfectly to live in our natural environment.

When you're out in the sun, your body itself takes action. Besides making vitamin D, which I talked about earlier, your body also starts to produce another natural protectant: a built-in sun block called melanin.

Melanin is what causes your skin to darken or tan. And with just a little bit of sunshine every day - 20 minutes if you have light skin and up to three times longer if your skin is darker - you're stimulating melanin production.

By slowly developing this basic darkening, you allow yourself even more time in the sun without risk of burning.

Sunscreen - A Toxic Skin Cocktail

Corporations and modern doctors want you to put on sunscreen to block UVB rays. We've already seen how this affects vitamin D production. But sunscreen has another effect. It delivers chemicals and known carcinogens into your skin ... chemicals that are banned in other countries.

One of the main chemicals used in sunscreens to filter out UVB light is octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC).

OMC can be found in 90 percent of sunscreens on the market even though studies found it can kill mouse cells - even at extremely low doses. And it becomes even more toxic when it's exposed to sunlight.

Other harmful chemicals include benzophenone and avobenzone.

These attack the cells in your body causing premature aging. They are also estrogen mimics that can create hormonal imbalances, cause allergic reactions and skin irritation, and are known to promote the onset of breast cancer.6

And there's plenty more. Below is a chart of some of the common chemicals found in sunscreen that you should avoid.

It's Tough to Get Enough

The problem is that even if you have the best intentions, there are a dozen other obstacles in the modern world besides sunscreen that keep you from getting enough sunshine:

1. We wear clothing.
2. We don't migrate with the sun.
3. We don't live near the equator.
4. We work inside during the day.
5. We drive cars that block the sun.

And during the winter months, it's not uncommon - even if you live in a warm, sunny climate like I do in South Florida - to get less sunshine just because the days are shorter.

When that happens, you produce less melanin, and become more sensitive to the sun when you are exposed.

You'll need to be careful until melanin production kicks in again and can help prevent your skin from burning.

Fortunately, there are ways you can help defend your skin until you can get more sunshine without chemical sunscreens.

1. One way to help your skin is to boost the three nutrients your body uses to produce its master antioxidant, SOD (superoxide dismutase). SOD is your best defense against harmful molecules that attack your skin.

The best food for this job is blueberries. You probably know blueberries are good for your brain, and that they have beta carotene and lots of vitamins. But the real power of the blueberry is that it has all three co-factors for SOD - copper, zinc and manganese. Eat a cup of blueberries every day, especially during the winter, and you'll be doing your skin a big favor.

2. Another excellent skin-defender is any food that has the omega-3 EPA. In one study of using omega-3 to reduce ultraviolet radiation sensitivity, researchers found that EPA supplementation reduces sensitivity to UV rays by 36 percent. And the chemical changes to skin induced by UV radiation exposure were cut in half.7 The study concluded: "Longer-term [EPA] supplementation might reduce skin cancer in humans."

The best sources for EPA are small, cold-water fish like herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines. Eggs and grass-fed beef also are good sources. Grass-fed beef has double the omega-3s of grain-fed beef.

In addition, you can get omega-3s in some plant-based sources like Sacha Inchi nuts, butternuts, walnuts and chia seeds. But these omega-3s are in the form of alpha linolenic acid, which then has to be converted to EPA in the body.

3. If you are going to be out in the sun for a long time, and you haven't had a chance to let your body generate enough melanin to darken you up a bit, you should use a natural sunscreen. Choose one made from natural ingredients like zinc oxide. It's been used all over the world for over 75 years as a safe sunscreen. And unlike chemical sunscreens that absorb ultraviolet light, zinc oxide sits on top of your skin to reflect and scatter UV rays.

Zinc oxide works even better when you add shea butter. That way, your pores won't clog and you'll add extra moisture to keep your skin smooth. Make sure the one you use has no chemical fragrances or dyes or any of the toxic chemicals listed above.

home : sales tip of the day	Share	March 30, 2011

Sales Tip of the Day

Wednesday, March 30 THE WAITING Have you ever called a prospect, left a great voicemail message, and asked them to call you back? Sure you have! Ever waited for a return call that never comes? Chances are you are still waiting for a return call from last week, or last month, or even last year. The moment you rely on a prospect (or client for that matter) to call you back is the moment you given up control of the selling process, which greatly reduces your chance of making the sale. That doesn't mean you should call daily to hound your potential customer. Get an agreement during your first call or meeting for an appropriate follow up time and procedure. Ask them how they would like to be contacted and when, and honor that agreement. When you do follow up and get their voicemail, leave a message telling them you will contact them again soon, but they can always call you back at your direct number if it is more convenient. Don't let the waiting kill your sales. Start taking charge of the follow up process, and you will close more business than ever before.

I Am Not a Social Media Expert

At any given point in the day, I can look at photos of old high school friends; engage in rants about bad service; review fabulous (and not so fabulous products); see where my favorite speakers are presenting; ask for advice; and receive pearls of wisdom from experts all over the world.

I am not a Social Media expert. I dabble more than most, but I am still intimidated by those who know all the fancy lingo, cool apps, and new sites. I link. I like. I tweet. I share. I post. And I engage. I have a personal page. I have a professional page. I have friends. I have fans. And I have to admit, it sure feels good when 791 people wish me a happy birthday.

I feel compelled to post information so that I stay top of mind, but I often wonder who really cares. When is it all too much - and when is it not enough? If I stopped tomorrow, would anyone really notice? And like many of you, I don't understand why certain Facebook posts don't get a single response - yet other ones solicit a frenzy of feedback. What's the formula? What's the secret?

For more than a dozen years, I have watched new and exciting business trends evolve. Social Media has changed the way we do business. From snail mail to fax machines to emails to online communities, one thing is certain: The most successful businesses stay current. And right now, Social Media is current. And it's not going away.

You don't have to have all of the answers (or be that really annoying guy who belongs to more social sites than you know), but you do have to accept that Social Media is part of our culture. More importantly, it has become a part of our business culture. You may not "believe" in Social Media - but what if your customers do? And you may not care about bad online reviews of a product - but what if that product is yours? And you may not want to know what your competitor's online presence looks like - until they steal your biggest account. So rather than fighting it, embrace it. And from one non-expert to another, here are three benefits of being online and getting connected:

Staying in touch. Social Media makes it easier to stay "top of mind" with current customers and prospects. This doesn't mean that it should replace more intimate forms of communication (phone calls and face-to-face meetings) - rather, let your Social Media messages enhance your relationships with more value. Provide information to your customers that will benefit them and their businesses on a more regular basis. Become a resource, not just a sales person.

Creating loyal customers. The transparency of the internet has made us more vulnerable and more accountable. Companies like Dell and Starbucks have made significant changes in their businesses because of customer feedback online. They didn't see negativity in their customers' voices - they saw opportunity. Customers want to know that they can be heard; and smart businesses listen. (Smarter businesses ask.)

Hey, it's free. In a few strokes on a keypad, you can send a press release - or promote a new product - or announce a special offer. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Social media has become a phenomenon beyond words. Hundreds of millions of people all over the world have joined the party. In a millisecond, millions of people can know everything about everything and everyone.

You knew it couldn’t be long before business got involved. Small business, big business, your business.

I’m 65-years-young. I’ve seen a lot of opportunities come and go. I have also seen the complete evolution of the computer, and the complete evolution of the Internet. But never have I seen, or could I have imagined, an opportunity so great as business social media. And the best part is, it’s just beginning.

Now is your time to take full advantage of this low-cost (often no-cost), global, and local opportunity.

When companies like Procter & Gamble, Dell, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, Zappos, and Amazon dive head first into the process, you can be certain there is plenty of opportunity and plenty of room for you to do the same.

BUSINESS SOCIAL MEDIA REQUIRES AN INVESTMENT: Your time.

You must be willing to allocate an hour a day to build your network. When you do, and do it right, the rewards will be beyond your ability to measure. You will reconnect with business associates and you’ll attract people and prospective customers to connect with you a thousand times faster and 10 thousand times better than making the 100-year-old cold call.

Business social media is the new cold call.

You’ll make sales, you’ll create loyal customers, and you will profit from your ability to expose yourself, your thoughts, your experiences, your interactions, and your value to your market around the corner, and your market around the world.

CAUTION: After you begin to see results, you’ll curse yourself for not starting sooner. Turn that energy into action. Business social media is still young. There is still plenty of time. Commit to involve, decide to do it with value, intend to stick at it until you win, and reap the rewards both in reputation and in profit.

Get ready to ride the social media wave. It’s a big one. Perhaps the biggest ever.

"The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't."

Henry Ward Beecher

The Road to Millions Is Paved With Hard Work
By Harvey Mackay

The game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a suspenseful half-hour that offers contestants the opportunity to dramatically improve their financial picture. Answer a dozen or so questions correctly, with help on a few if necessary, and watch the bank account mushroom.

If it were really that simple, anyone could become wealthy overnight. But it doesn't work that way. Achieving financial success isn't a game - it's a way of life.

Some will object to the notion that making a lot of money is the same as achieving success. I understand that argument, and I agree that success comes in many ways besides just a bigger payday.

But I will submit that most of us expect our financial situation to improve as we become ever more successful at what we do. There is no shame in being rewarded appropriately for our hard work. Ambition combined with our best efforts should have positive results.

As Oprah Winfrey so eloquently put it, "Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment." If anyone would know what it takes to be a self-made millionaire (actually billionaire), Oprah is a very reliable source.

Here are some secrets shared by self-made millionaires:

• Educate yourself about money. Even if you don't have your sights set on becoming the next Warren Buffett, a good understanding of finance will help you set priorities and make decisions about spending, investments, and savings. Knowledge is power.

• Set some clear goals. You have to dream big if you want to succeed on a large scale. Don't be afraid of your ambitions. Start with a list of what you want to achieve this year, and then select the one goal that would have the greatest positive impact on your life, something you feel real passion for. Then get busy.

• Serve other people. Structure your goals so they're not just about you. You'll earn support from the people whose help you need by showing them how your achievements will benefit them - and you'll feel better about yourself than you would if you concentrate only on what's in it for you.

• Learn to sell yourself. Whatever you create, you have to sell to someone else. You'll need to understand sales and marketing no matter what industry you're in. But at the same time, you have to sell others on your abilities. Be honest and reliable so employers, customers, investors, or other important stakeholders know they can trust you to take care of them.

• Think of yourself as your own CEO. Whether you work for a boss or for yourself, view your career and success as your own. That means taking full responsibility for what happens to you - your decisions, failures, and triumphs. Put all your energy into your goals. Motivational guru Brian Tracy advises taking the "40+" approach: You work 40 hours a week for survival. Every minute you devote past that 40 hours is devoted to your success.

Consider the story of the couple who retired to a cottage with a lovely view of some rugged and rocky terrain. Early one morning the wife watched from her window as a young man dressed in work clothes walked down the lane nearby. He was carrying a shovel and a small case. He disappeared from view behind a grove of trees.

The scene repeated itself daily for a week. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she persuaded her husband to follow him one morning to see what he was doing.

So the couple took a walk early the next day. Just beyond the trees, they found a very long and deep trench, rough and uneven at one end but neat and straight at the other. The young man arrived during their inspection, and the couple peppered him with questions. "Why dig here, in this rocky ground? Why dig at all? And what is in that case?"

The young man smiled and explained, "I'm digging a trench. I'm actually learning how to dig a good trench, because the job I'm being interviewed for later today says that experience in doing that is essential - so I'm getting the experience. And the case has my lunch in it."

There's no secret to success. It's just ambition + hard work + dedication.

Mackay's Moral: We do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do.

"It's not knowing what to do, it's doing what you know."
- Tony Robbins

Dirty Laundry is Good for Your Business
By MaryEllen Tribby

"I love working from home, I get so much laundry done and today I even cleaned out my refrigerator." This was a comment I overheard the other night while waiting for the PTA meeting to start at my daughters' school.

Unfortunately that was far from the first time I have heard a work at home mom say something like that in the last couple of months.

When I hear this, my first question is "how's your business going?" And inevitably I hear "well I just don't have time to focus on developing new products or work on my marketing plan."

Is it any wonder?

I know I did not start my business so I could get more laundry done. I started my business so I could turn my passion into income helping other working moms make more money and live a healthy more balanced life.

If you talk to successful entrepreneurs most will tell you there are three main reasons people start their own businesses. They are:

1. Money
2. Freedom/flexibility
3. Cause/passion

Of course there are other reasons. But nowhere on the list will you find laundry.

The reason must entrepreneurs fail is because they focus on the wrong tasks, usually tasks that don't yield revenue. It is human nature to work on tasks that you can easily accomplish. These are generally the tasks that you don't feel overwhelmed by or fear. But by no means does that mean they are automatically important to your business.

In order to get your business soaring to the next level you need to break out of your comfort zone. To take on new challenges that will bring you more revenue. This also means discipline and getting into habits. By following just a few simply rules you will notice a big change in your productivity, which can increase profitability in your business.

Seven Golden Rules for Productivity

1. Your business day starts the night before. Each evening after the kids are in bed, after the school lunches are made and the dinner dishes are clean I plan my next day's business activities. I write out a good old fashion "to do" list. I do not put my list on my computer or BlackBerry. I use a notepad. I list everything I think I need to accomplish the next day. After I have done a complete "brain dump" I prioritize each item. Not only am I ready to go the next morning, but I also sleep a whole lot better at night.

As my day progresses I cross off my completed tasks as well as write down any that may have come up unexpectedly that I needed to address. This way I have a full record of how my time was spent.

2. Set an alarm clock. Many entrepreneurs think because it's "my" business they don't need a schedule - that they can do whatever they want - wrong. I have seen this over and over. I hear complaints from people that their business is not where they want it to be. I ask a basic question like "what time do you set your alarm" and I hear - I don't use an alarm clock, I just get up when I wake up. This is counter-productive. You need to take control from the start of your day.

3. Never work in your pajamas. Your mind set is one of the most important factors in determining your success. You need to respect yourself, your customers and your business enough to dress appropriately. By doing so you will notice that you are more confident and assertive therefore getting more done in the same amount of hours.

4. Do not schedule meetings or take phone calls before noon. You are at your best first thing in the morning. Get your important things done first. Scheduling meetings and conference calls in the morning is counter-productive. Interruptions are the biggest factor in not completing tasks. Let your employees, colleagues and friends know that you will speak with them in the afternoon if need be.

5. Take a mid day exercise break. A study by Jim McKenna from the University of Bristol showed that exercise during the workday improves job performance. Participants returned to work more tolerant of themselves and their performance is also consistently higher, as shown by better time management and improved mental sharpness.

I like to take a 30-minute bike ride or speed walk around in the afternoon (I do my hard core workout first thing in the morning). By this time my important tasks for the day are usually complete. I let my mind wonder and this is where ideas hit me; ideas for content or marketing or new joint ventures deals. This is one of my favorite times of the day.

6. Have lunch with a mentor, colleague or protégé once a week. We can all get caught up in our own little world. We are so busy with our families and careers. But by having a lunch with someone smart and energetic you will be exposed to new ideas and different viewpoints. Your ideas become stronger making them easier to implement. This one lunch will make a huge difference in your productivity not only in your business but in your family life as well.

7. Reconcile your "to do" list. At the end of your workday look at what you had planned to accomplish that day and look at what you actually accomplished. If you accomplished 75% or more on your list - you had a good day. We all have to adjust for emergencies and ad hock situations whether those emergencies and situations arise in our business or our family life.

However if you fell below the 75% you need to make some changes. Because this means you are not in control of your business, instead your business is in control of you.

When you examine the list above what should be obvious is that these are very fundamental rules. Rules that everyone can implement in one form or another. None of these rules require any monetary commitment, but they all call for a mental and emotional commitment.

Start today and just seven days from now I bet you see a big difference in your productivity.

Make the Decision to Drive Growth With Ingenuity and Innovation

Inspire Self-Motivation, Not Mandated Performance

A garment made with W.L. Gore products is probably hanging in your closet somewhere at your home. It’s nearly impossible to buy a ski jacket or slicker without seeing the “GORE-TEX” tag hanging from the garment. But W.L. Gore’s reach extends far beyond the cold-weather gear most of us know, to dental floss, guitar strings, surgical products and many other categories.

Revered for its ability to innovate, W.L. Gore has been named “pound for pound, the most innovative company in America” by Fast Company. What lies behind this ability is what founder Bill Gore decided to focus on as he began the business: how people inside a company come to make decisions among themselves. Deciding how to decide has driven the growth, ingenuity and continued innovation at W.L. Gore.

Sustain a Culture of Innovation for the Long Run

W.L. Gore’s ability to drive a culture of continuous innovation rests with its ability to reject traditional hierarchical convention, titles and rank in its decision making. The company focuses instead on a democratic process in which decisions stick.

Founder Bill Gore wanted a company where employees’ spirit grew based on what they accomplished, not which corporate scrimmage they had won—where more time was spent generating ideas than generating ways to cover one’s backside. So he decided to create a “non-organization” approach for his new company that would inspire creativity in its employees.

Gore envisioned a “lattice” structure where people would work interconnectedly with each other rather than through a hierarchy. Gore wanted “leaders” to emerge through the ideas they presented and the commitment received to put ideas into action. “Power” is about ideas and the ability to get them sold.

Democratic Decision Making

This radical idea for a corporate culture has lasted because Bill Gore’s idea honors and upholds the human spirit of the people inside the company. At W.L. Gore, the belief is that people will step up and deliver when they are not regulated. Through a democratic decision and innovation culture, W.L. Gore has grown to a $2.5 billion company. And 2011 marked the 14th consecutive year W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. earned a position on FORTUNE ‘s annual list of the U.S. “100 Best Companies to Work For.”

Even though W.L. Gore is a large business now, it’s the decisions they made when they were just starting out that created their marketplace position of innovation.

As a small business, decision making is even more critical because everyone in your company is a Customer Ambassador. Does your company thrive and grow because of the people you hire and how you honor their contribution to the business? Does everyone feel like they are an equal part of the success of your business?

Do You Practice Democratic Decision Making?

W.L. Gore continues to innovate by shedding formal hierarchy in favor of the power of the idea. Belief that good ideas come from everyone is their growth engine. Do the best ideas of your company get to see the light of day? Are good ideas given a chance to prosper, no matter where they come from?

"There is a very easy way to return from a casino with a
small fortune: go there with a large one."
~Jack Yelton

Catch Me If You Can
When Speeding Is A Good Thing
By Bill Bartmann

One of the most common questions I've been asked in my 40 years in business is this: "Bill, lots of people would be happy to become millionaires, but you made a billion dollars starting from scratch. What's your secret?"

It's actually a long story and my autobiography is coming out soon. But here's a piece of the answer: I've long had a bias for speed.

I don't mean the driving kind or the white-powder kind. I mean the "there's-no-time-to-waste" kind. How fast have I gone? At one point my company grew at the rate of 15 thousand percent per year, for four years in a row. Let's examine several principles for harnessing speed in such a way that you reach your business destination and don't wrap yourself around a pole before you get there.

1. Know why you're moving fast.
It's not good enough to say you want to move fast in business because you simply "live life in the fast lane." That's a romantic image but the most successful businesspeople follow cold, rational strategy instead of macho images.

Wayne Gretzky became the greatest-ever hockey player by seeing not where the puck was, but where it was going to be. In the late '70s and again in the '80s I did a Gretzky: I noticed that the supply-demand picture in my industry would change drastically, and I saw it a few months before my competitors did. Because I was far smaller than they were at the time, I had no time to lose. I lined up as much financing as I possibly could and bought assets like there was no tomorrow. If you see a fleeting opportunity, consider doing the same.

2. Don't expect a decent map.
Maybe you can see where you want to go, but for the life of you, can't make out the path to get you there? Welcome to my world. I find myself regularly explaining to people that I know precisely where I want to go but have no clue how I'll get there. Doing Wall Street's first-ever securitized financing of credit-card debt was like that. By stringing together a series of "what if" statements, I helped myself and my team to put aside "how it's always been done" thinking. That allowed us to string together possible or even improbable elements. Our speed allowed us to test these avenues quickly and find the best path.

3. Accept roughness.
Engineers tell their clients that they can have any two of the following: Fast, cheap, or good. That principle is true in the non-engineering world too. I'm a pretty demanding boss but when I'm really going for speed, I make it clear that I'd much rather see a very rough draft this afternoon than a perfect presentation a week from Wednesday.

4. Explain yourself.
You may be mentally prepared for the speed you need, but your staff may not be. After all, you see the big picture and have the most invested in the outcome. At the same time you'll get to your destination faster if you have the willing energy and creativity of your larger team.

Once I had to let a key executive go and to make matters worse, my Wall Street lenders were fond of him. I gathered my staff of about 3,000 people and explained that as hard as we were working, we needed to pour it on to prove to Wall Street that we would not skip a beat after the executive's departure. They rose to the occasion and we blew away our goals. I admit, I did help matters by promising to mud-wrestle a guy in Vegas if we made our numbers. What can you do to galvanize support behind you?

5. Lighten the load.
We all have long lists of projects and we like to think that we're more or less at capacity. The problem is that dropping a big project into the fast lane can mean diverting lots of focus and resources. Don't make the mistake of just adding that new project on top of everything else. It's your responsibility to determine what gets delayed or dropped in the interest of that new focus.

6. Regularly put energy back into the system.
If you don't keep pedaling hard, the whole apparatus has a way of bogging down. Be on the lookout for what Seth Godin calls "The Dip", where the novelty has worn off the project, the objective is not yet in your grasp, and hard slogging has set in. If the goal is still worthy, then re-commit yourself to it and start back at the top of this list for the actions you need to take yet again--such as accepting roughness, explaining yourself, and so on.

When you do reach your goal, be sure to take your foot off the gas so your organization can regenerate and also enjoy the new, higher vistas. It will enable you to do it once more, the next time a worthy goal rears its head.

Daphne Oz's Healthy Breakfast Tips - Oprah.com

Daphne Oz's Healthy Breakfast Tips - Oprah.com

Referrals are critical in sales because:

A. They prove you're doing things right. B. They allow you to close more deals. C. They mean money. D. They create a pipeline of assured future business.

"I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can't truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles."

Zig Ziglar

A Business That Supports Your Life
By PJ McClure

Would you take your family, jump into the middle of the ocean, and then try to build a boat around everyone? Of course not. But that is the logic many people use when building a business.

When I began seeking out and interviewing people I considered to be successful, I learned something huge right away. My definition of success was wrong.

As a 20-something who had grown up financially lacking, I assumed that the primary measure of success was money. The more you had, the better your chances at a great life. Sure, you could be happy without money (we were a happy family) - but REAL success started with cash.

The successful people on my original list of interview targets had a net worth of at least $1,000,000, and most of them made more than that every year. It took a while, but when I began to get access to them, I jumped in with both feet to discover their secrets. What was it that gave them such an amazing and full life? And could I create the same for myself?

After the first five interviews, I had an uneasy feeling but couldn't identify the source. Once I had 10 interviews under my belt, the source of my discomfort glared in my face. Some of these people were miserable!

They were men and women, executives, entrepreneurs, and world-class salespeople. They were also hollow, spiritually bankrupt, often chemically dependent, and without any healthy relationships. All they had was money! Their entire focus was on beating someone else, on being the best! Not their best, mind you. The only thing that mattered was that they were on top.

There were also those who genuinely and sincerely wanted a great life for themselves and their families, but couldn't seem to make it happen. They were locked into their businesses and making money to the point where they had deferred the rest of their lives until "some day." I had been taught to admire these people because they were willing to delay gratification for the sake of hard work. But being close to them and looking in their eyes made me feel something other than admiration. I pitied them.

I had wanted to interview them because I coveted their lives and lifestyles. I saw them as having the missing pieces that always eluded me, and assumed that those secrets would change it all for me. They did... but not in the way I expected.

Fortunately, some of those people were more than I thought they would be. Financially prosperous, physically healthy, enjoying great relationships, spiritually growing, and pillars of their communities. Watching them reshaped my entire concept of success.

Talking with this truly successful group gave me a sense of wholeness and power. Their lives weren't picture perfect, but their approach and responses to life were considerably different than anything I had ever witnessed. For them, it wasn't "money first and all other things will follow." They loved life before and during their ascent to financial freedom. And that had a lot to do with their attitude toward their chosen professions. Especially the entrepreneurs.

Let me explain...

Those of us who have the itch to start our own businesses are very susceptible to a myriad of influences. But our reasons for starting a business are pretty consistent across the board:

• Personal freedom.
• Unlimited growth.
• The chance to earn more money.
• We can't stand being bossed.
• We want to make our own schedule.
• We want a lifestyle change.
• We want to make a living via something we're passionate about.

Ultimately, we want more control.

Part of the entrepreneurial condition, though, is that we see how much work a business requires and feel compelled to rise to the challenge. Tell me it takes 16-hour days and I'll put in 18. Tell me it takes sacrifice, and you won't believe how much I'll give up!

We dig in and start building like crazy, because when our business is up and running, we'll have all the things we started the business for. But then, one day, we look up and see that the business we dreamed of owns us. There's no room for the life we wanted because the business consumes all of our resources.

This is what gave rise to the myth that we need to separate our business and personal lives.

It's a myth because, as an entrepreneur, you don't have a business life and a personal life... you have a life. So instead of building a business that will hopefully give you the life you want, you need to determine the kind of life you want and build a business to support it. That's what the truly successful people I interviewed had done.

What do you want your life to look like?

Without that question answered, you are operating in a vacuum. There is no sense of direction to base decisions on. Everything is given over to chance. If you plow forward without determining where you want to go, how will you know when you get there? Life becomes a series of reactions and longing for something different. "Some day" never comes.

So take the time today to answer the question: What do I want my life to look like?

Then evaluate your chosen career path and see what does and doesn't line up. I'm not suggesting that you make immediate changes (unless they fit), but do begin to make decisions that will put you on the path to the life you want.

The ONE Thing You Must Do To Achieve Your Sales Goals in 2011!

Would you be interested in a strategy that will guarantee you achieve your sales goals? If so, then keep reading.

It's a new year. And you're excited about the possibilities for earning more money. You've created a sales plan to grow your revenue by 15%. That's a great start. But do you have a Value Creation Plan to grow the value you create for clients and prospects by 15%? If not, your clients and prospects want to know why not.

A sales plan is seller-centric -- it focuses on what you plan to get from clients and prospects. A value creation plan is client-centric -- it focuses you on what you plan to give clients/prospects. Which type of plan do you think is more powerful?

Let's face it. Customers don't want more sales calls. They do want more value-creation calls. Focus less on making more sales -- and more on creating more value. The market has changed. Has your mindset and skill set changed?

Here are three questions that will help you build your Value Creation Plan and achieve your sales goals in 2011:

1. How can I drive 15% more value for my clients and prospects this year? Creating value is about being helpful. The more helpful you are, the more value you create. And the more value you create, the more business you'll get. Focus on the top three actions you must take in the next 30 days to drive more value. Identify the new actions you can take to create more value. Why? Because you can't get more business unless you create more value!

2. How can my team drive 15% more value for clients and prospects this year? Creating value starts internally, then manifests externally. It starts with effective teamwork. Then, it manifests itself in effective customer service. It's time you started thinking about others in your organization -- your internal clients. Drive value for them. Teamwork is the new competitive advantage.

3. How can my organization drive 15% more value for clients and prospects this year? Too often when I deliver sales seminars, the focus is solely on the seller and the sales manager. The focus is on what they can do better and try harder. But your company's culture must be in alignment with creating client value as well. Creating client value must become part of your organizational culture.

I challenge you to really think about these questions. Brainstorm on paper. Identify specific actions that you, your team, and your organization can take to improve the value you provide. Write down your answers and then place them in front of you until they are achieved.

Killer Combo: Social Media and Email

Andy Horner

With all that's going on, it seemed fitting to offer some ideas on how you can use email and social media as a killer combo for expanding your social network.

Announce your blog posts. Until you have thousands of subscribers, one way to build your readership and promote your blog is to alert customers to a new post with an email.

Let’s say you’re a real estate agent and you just wrote a humdinger of an article about the state of the housing market in your locality with tips to sell fast. Many of your contacts would love to read this, but they don’t know your blog exists or that you just posted such a great article.

To drive readers to it, send them a vibrant email that includes the same compelling photo you used in your blog post. Add your logo, photo, contact info AND the first paragraph of the article. End the email with “Read the full article.” Link it to your excellent blog post. Make sure your blog allows readers to tweet it, like it, and email the article to their friends. Once a week or every two weeks is a good time frame to email out your “new post” announcements.

Highlight your tweets. Next issue of your personal ezine (you do have one don’t you?), add a new mini-section to your sidebar. Copy and paste 3 or 4 of your best tweets to the section and title it “Latest Tweets.” Or if you take our real estate agent example from above, you could call the sidebar section “Home Tweet Home.” You get extra points for creativity and fun!

Keep an eye on LinkedIn. Keep an eye on your LinkedIn network feed. When you see that one of your connections has been promoted to a higher position or been hired at a new company, send them a congratulations email. Ace of Sales 2.0 features a new, easy-to-browse gallery filled with fun, friendly, and humorous designs you can use to say thanks, hello, what’s up?, and... CONGRATS!

Promote a Facebook Event. Running events on your business Facebook page is a great way to kick start your Facebook community and get the activity popping. Run a big contest or customer appreciation giveaway campaign. Announce a no cost, live webinar with an industry expert or a visit by a local speaker or celebrity. Keep your Facebook page fresh with all the details, photos, and exciting updates from the event.

Then, use branded emails splashed with images and teasers from the event to funnel traffic to your Facebook page where they can find all the thrilling details. Send 3 emails over the course of the event – a kick-off email, a jump-into-the-fun email at the height of the event, and a wrap up email. Try doing one event per month!

"Men are born to succeed, not fail."

Henry David Thoreau

How to Overcome Any Obstacle and Achieve the Success You Want
By Rich Schefren

What if I told you that whatever is holding you back... whatever barriers are preventing you from increasing your income... whatever obstacles are keeping you from achieving financial success... can be overcome simply by thinking differently?

Now I know that this might not be what you are accustomed to hearing. But the fact is, you don't need rah-rah rhetoric, secret strategies, quick-fix solutions, or incredibly complicated tactics you'll never apply to get ahead.

What you need to see is that both the causes of and cures for your problems are found inside your mind.

Over the years, I've shared the following techniques with my private clients. And I've received mind-blowing reports of the business success they have stimulated. You, too, can use them to bust through the obstacles that are preventing you from achieving the success you want.

They are incredibly easy to incorporate into your daily routine. But their simplicity has nothing to do with their power. In fact, you may be surprised at how drastically these simple tools will impact your success.

Get ready to see the world and yourself differently. Pay close attention. And be prepared for the payoff.

Barrier Buster #1: Grade Your Performance

When you think about the big, important areas of your life - your business, your family, your health, etc. - you may find that you aren't as successful as you want to be.

Perhaps there is an area of your life where you have gone off track. An area that is currently on the failure curve. An area where you just can't seem to make progress.

You can turn this area of your life around completely and achieve incredible results... by simply remaining conscious of your behaviors.

This technique has been proven to work in many different ways. For example, tons of research shows that simply writing down everything you eat (as you're eating) can help you eat less and eat healthier.

And one of the easiest ways to remain on the success curve is to issue yourself a performance grade, every day, for an important area of your life where you've headed in the wrong direction.

The best way to do this is to take a moment each night, right before you hit the sack, to give yourself a score from 1 to 10 on your performance that day in that area. If your grade is lower than you'd like, write out what you'll do the next day to make certain you'll give yourself a better score.

It really is as simple as that.

Barrier Buster #2: Identify Your Most Expensive Words

The costliest words you'll ever utter are the excuses you use to rationalize not doing the things that must be done.

You might not be aware of them right now, because they may seem to be accurate and rational in the moment. But upon reflection, you'll see them for what they really are: Excuses that allow you to stay inside your comfort zone.

Overcoming this success obstacle is easy. Simply keep a log of the excuses you use for not doing the things you know you ought to.

Over time, you'll probably notice that there are a few excuses that you repeatedly use.

You will also realize that these words are keeping you from turning your dreams into reality. And once you see them for what they truly are, they'll lose their power to impede your success.

Common excuses include things like these...

• I'm too tired to work on this right now. I'll do it tomorrow when I feel better...
• Before I can start I need...
• It's too important to get this right. I need to talk to ___ before I go further...
• I've done enough already today...

And so on...

Once you've identified your excuses, be skeptical of their truthfulness when they surface. Instead of letting them stop you, turn them into reasons to take immediate action to achieve the success you desire.

Barrier Buster #3: Use Micro-Goals to Create Instant Accountability

How many times have you planned out your day... and by day's end hadn't been anywhere near what you should have or could have gotten done?

This used to happen to me all the time. I'd write out some ambitious goal for the day in my journal. And then in the evening, I'd write how disappointed I was with myself for not staying on track - not doing what I'd promised myself.

It was usually because, at some point during the day, I'd develop goal amnesia. I'd get swept up in something else... and totally neglect what was truly my most important task.

This never happens to me anymore. And the method I used to get over it is so easy I know it'll help you if you're struggling with this problem.

I realized that the time between writing out my ambitious goal in the morning and beating myself up in the evening was too long.

If I simply compressed that time - and therefore the goal - I figured I wouldn't run the risk of allowing myself to get off track.

So what I did was start writing one-paragraph entries into my journal every hour or two. I'd quickly recap what I'd accomplished since the last entry and what I was planning on completing before the next entry.

Let's say you have to write a big report. To force yourself to stay on track, you might log journal entries at 6:00 am, 6:45 am, 8:55 am, 10:30 am, 11:05 am, 12:30 pm, 1:45 pm, 3:40 pm, 5:45 pm, 7:40 pm, and 9:45 pm. In each entry, you would write about the section of the report you have just completed, including the number of words you've written. Then you would write about the section you'll work on next, including the number of words you will complete.

By simply working these three techniques into your daily routine, you will find that fewer obstacles stand in your path. I use all of them regularly, and I can almost guarantee that they will contribute significantly to your success.

By the way, practicing these techniques has an interesting side effect... Once you get into the habit, you'll invent your own barrier-busting methods that'll serve you even better than mine.

Trust me, you'll see.

The End of the Rainbow by: Napoleon Hill First, and most important of all, in my search for the rainbow's end I found God in a very concrete, unmistakable and satisfying manifestation, which is quite sufficient if I had found nothing more. All my life I had been somewhat unsettled in my own mind as to the exact nature of that Unseen Hand which directs the affairs of the universe, but my seven turning-points on the rainbow trail of life brought me, at last, to a conclusion which satisfied. Whether or not my conclusion is right or wrong is not of much importance; the main thing is that it satisfied me. The lessons of lesser importance which I learned are these: I learned that those whom we consider our enemies are, in reality our friends. In the light of all that has happened I would not begin to go back and undo a single one of those trying experiences with which I met, because each one of them brought me positive evidence of the soundness of the Golden Rule and the existence of the Law of Compensation through which we claim our rewards for virtue and pay the penalties for our ignorance. I learned that Time is the friend of all who base their thoughts and actions on Truth and Justice, and, that it is the mortal enemy of all who fail to do so, even though the penalty or the reward is often slow in arriving where it is due. I learned that the only pot of gold worth striving for is that which comes from the satisfaction of knowing that one's efforts are bringing happiness to others. One by one I have seen those who were unjust and who tried to destroy me, cut down by failure. I have lived to see every one of them reduced to failure far beyond anything that they planned for me. The banker whom I mentioned was reduced to poverty; the men who stole my interest in the Betsy Ross Candy Company and tried to destroy my reputation have come down to what looks to be permanent failure, one of them being a convict in the federal prison. The man who defrauded me out of my $100,000.00 salary, and whom I elevated to wealth and influence, has been reduced to poverty and want. At every turn of the road which led, finally, to my rainbow's end, I saw undisputable evidence to back the Golden Rule philosophy which I am now sending forth, through organized effort, to hundreds of thousands of people. Lastly, I have learned to listen for the ringing of the bell which guides me when I come to the cross-roads of doubt and hesitancy. I have learned to tap a heretofore unknown source from which I get my promptings when I wish to know which way to turn and what to do, and these promptings have never led me in the wrong direction and I am confident they never will. As I finish these lines I see, on the walls of my study, the pictures of great men whose characters I have tried to emulate. Among them is that of the immortal Lincoln, from whose rugged, care-worn face I seem to see a smile emerging and from whose lips I can all but hear those magic words, "With charity for all and malice toward none," and deep down in my heart I hear the mysterious bell ringing and folowing it comes, once more, as I close these lines, the greatest message that ever reached my consciousness: "Standeth God within the shadow of every failure."p>

"If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to
spread their wings--and put compensation as a carrier
behind it--you almost don't have to manage them."
~Jack Welch

Kissing Frogs Equals More Profits
By MaryEllen Tribby

Of all the important elements you need to run a business, what do you think is the most important? Good marketing is critical...Top-notch sales copy is key... High-quality products and/or services - definitely important... Good ideas - essential. But you can get all of these things - and more - if you have one thing.

I'm talking about good people to help build, run, and grow your business.

The thing is... it's not all that easy to find good people. All the really smart businesspeople I know are constantly looking for superstar employees.

A few years back, I met a gentleman who had a $20,000,000 printing business. Yet he was still working 60 hours a week (or more), and wearing almost all the hats in his company. This was simply because he could not find the right people to help him run it.

Because hiring good people is one of my core competencies, I am often asked how to do it. As I said earlier, it's not easy. But it is extremely doable.

Finding good employees is like dating. It's a numbers game. Unless you're truly lucky, the first person you date doesn't end up being your spouse. Think about all the uncomfortable dates you had to endure... the many times your heart was broken... and the frogs you had to kiss... before finding "the one."

Finding the right employees is no different. You are going to have to kiss a few frogs before finding the superstars who can help your business grow. And if you are not prepared to do that, you will have a staff full of mediocre employees... or continuous turnover. Neither of these things is good for your customers, your one or two good employees, your reputation, or your bottom line.

To make it much easier to get past the frogs to my ideal employees, I make sure I can clearly define three things whenever I'm looking to hire someone:

• The kind of person I want
• The level of the position and, thus, the experience the person needs
• The skill set required to do the job

Knowing the Characteristics of Your Ideal Employee

Regardless of the actual position you're filling or the skill set the employee needs to have, everyone you hire should have three important traits:

1. A strong sense of urgency. A good employee is someone who understands that deadlines are made to be met and that speed is money. They also understand that business is business... and it is serious. You can have a lot of fun at work. But every employee needs to be well aware that your customers invest their time and money with you. That means your primary mission is for your customers to reach their goals, whatever their goals may be.

2. A great work ethic. You want someone who shows up early and is ready to go, someone who is on time for meetings and appointments. A pattern of showing up late for anything is a sign of not caring.

When I explain this to job candidates, they often ask, "What if I am just not a morning person? Couldn't I come in late and stay later in the evening?" My answer is "Absolutely not." Showing up early indicates eagerness. Staying late indicates disorganization.

3. Intellect. Your ideal employee is someone with great ideas. Equally important is that the employee is not afraid to express those ideas.

People are often surprised to hear that I require intellect in employees at every level of the company, not just management. Don't forget that every single employee you have is an "ambassador" for you, a direct reflection of you. And at some time or another, they will speak to your customers, your competitors, and your industry associates.

Defining the Position You're Trying to Fill

In addition to knowing the kind of person you're looking for, you need to have a very good understanding of the position - and of the experience necessary to do the job properly.

I break down all positions into three categories: executer, manager, and leader.

1. The executer is an entry-level employee. She is not responsible for strategic planning, but rather the execution of the plan. This is generally someone fresh out of school or with little or no direct experience within your niche.

Some of her core responsibilities may include:

• Setting up marketing campaigns in your system
• Producing reports
• Posting website copy

2. The manager is responsible for managing processes and/or other employees. He usually has five to 10 years of direct experience within your niche. He can think strategically, teach others, and start developing big ideas.

Some of his core responsibilities may include:

• Analyzing reports, trends, and competitors
• Product development
• Creating partnerships and affiliate deals

3. The leader's primary job - 50 percent or more of it - encompasses meetings with staff, brainstorming, and business planning. A few examples of people in a leadership role would include marketing directors, editorial directors, and IT directors... all the way up to the CEO. The leader is someone with eight or more years of experience within your specific niche. This is someone with a proven track record of success. This is a person who can come into your organization and be up to speed and make a difference immediately.

Some of the leader's core responsibilities may include:

• Creating a departmental or company vision
• Contract negotiation
• Hiring staff

Note: "Leader" may be a high-level position - but all of your employees should showcase leadership qualities.

Identifying the Skill Set Required

When people ask me to help them find a good employee, I am always amazed when they aren't really sure what they want that person to do. You can't find the right person for a particular job if you don't know what the job requires. For example, if you are hiring a receptionist whose main duties are to answer the phone, schedule your appointments on your Outlook calendar, and type your speeches and companywide e-mails, you would not want someone with a hard-to-understand accent who has never seen a computer.

So before you can initiate your search, you have to write a job description. If you have never done this before, start by writing down everything you think you want your new employee to do. List their responsibilities. And next to each responsibility, write down the necessary skill. Be specific.

Let's use the example of a receptionist:

Once you know the characteristics of your ideal employee and can define the job and the skills that employee needs... you start looking.

How to Find Your Ideal Employee

The first rule of hiring is to be patient. Remember the old saying: "Hire slow and fire fast."

Think about what executive recruiters do. They build their Rolodexes. When they call Person A with a job opportunity and Person A is not interested, they end up with three phone numbers or e-mail addresses of people Person A knows.

So the second rule of hiring is to think about all the people you know, especially when you're looking to fill a middle- or upper-level position. If none of them are right for the job, call them anyway. They may know people who are. Keep collecting names and numbers.

If you are looking for more of an entry-level employee, advertising in a trade publication is good. But do some research first. Read the ads the publication normally prints and make your ad better. Make your position sound rewarding and exciting. If there is room for advancement, mention it.

You can also use Career Builder, Monster, eHire, and other online job search engines. Of course, you'll probably have to sift through hundreds of applications, 99 percent of them useless. And you may luck out.

But you're not going to find most of your potential superstars this way.

Even better than advertisements... and far better than online job search engines... is networking. I look for possible employees everywhere I go.

When I attend industry events (which I often do), cocktail parties are my favorite networking places. (You get a real feel for the personality and style of the people you meet.) When I speak at industry functions, I tell the audience that I am available to talk about job opportunities. I talk to other parents while attending my kids' soccer games.

You can network ANYWHERE. Wherever there are people, there's an opportunity. Don't be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and competitors about people who might be a good fit for your company. You will be glad you did.

Remember, you don't have to be the smartest person in the world to succeed in business. You just need to be smart enough to hire the right people to help you do it.

"The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way."

Robert Kiyosaki

Do You Step Up or Back Down?
By Bob Cox

Let me ask you:

Have you ever made a decision that didn't work as planned?

Has anyone ever let you down?

Has recent economic news put a damper on your perspective?

It may be painful to bring those things to mind, but I'm asking you to do it for a good reason.

Because life brings us misfortune as well as fortune. Some of it is beyond our control. But it's not what happens that matters. It's all about how you react when the world throws you a curveball.

What do you do? Do you step UP to your setbacks-or do you back DOWN?

If you think about it, you have only two choices when faced with any obstacle: Rise above it (step up) or let it beat you (back down).

The following story is one I'd rather forget. But it's a perfect illustration of this concept in action.
I had been looking forward to a meeting with the new CEO of a multi-state retail chain (with 450 stores). I had worked with the previous CEO for six years as the chain's insurance agent, and we had become good friends. Sadly, he passed away.

The purpose of this meeting was to bring the new CEO "up to speed" on the status of their insurance program and have him sign the renewal contract for the coming year.

Their account was complex, but by managing their program efficiently, my company had saved them millions of dollars. And I felt confident I could assist the new CEO in achieving similar savings.

I decided to bring Doug, the newest member of our team, with me to the meeting. After all, it would be a great way for him to see how a major account, where everything was going well, really worked.

Imagine my consternation (and embarrassment) when the new CEO declined to come downstairs to the conference room to meet with us. Instead, he sent his assistant with a message that a decision had been made to go in a new direction with their insurance program.

That was it! No warning. No thanks for all our past accomplishments and cost savings. I was devastated. Still, my response was professional. I simply said, "Call us if we may help you during the transition."

We were there for all of 10 minutes. Needless to say, it was a long and somber drive back home to Orlando.

But during the drive, I took the first step toward moving past that failure.

Step 1: DO make a decision to bounce back!

This sounds so simple. But it can be the most difficult step in the process. The truth is, deciding to step up is where it all starts. Everything you do next can be traced back to that fateful decision not to sit there and take it, to do something about it. Remember, not making a decision IS a decision-a decision to do nothing.

On the drive back to Orlando, I decided not to try to win back the account we had just lost. But I did resolve to find another client just as big.

Step 2: DO take action on your decision.

Move on. Get over it. I'm not trying to be harsh here, just giving it to you straight. This is an important step in getting past negative outcomes. My dear grandmother used to say, "Where a door closes... a window opens." I was blessed to be raised by my grandparents. They were people of integrity and rock-solid beliefs. From them I learned how to see windows opening. The first step is to acknowledge that the door has closed, no matter how difficult that may be.

When I arrived at the Orlando office, I immediately called my staff together. I told them we had lost one of our biggest accounts-but that we would be coming up with a plan to find one just as big within the next six months.

Step 3: DO close the past to open your future.

Bring the good parts of the bad experience with you (the learning, the rewards), and let the rest stay in the past. Today is tomorrow's yesterday, just as tomorrow is today's future. ALL yesterdays become the past, which is done and gone.

Although, to this day, I feel a bit disappointed about losing that big account, I am able to think back and remember the good work I did with the company. I remained friendly with them, and actually did help with their transition to a new insurance provider. But I never tried to "win back" their business.

Step 4: DO believe to achieve.

Settle into a mindset that all experiences, good and bad, are relevant. Believing that you can learn something from a failure, overcome it, and move on is essential to your well-being.
A few months after losing the account, I did land another big client. That's one way I moved on.

More important, I learned that nothing is a sure thing. I had taken it for granted that the new CEO would renew our contract. I no longer make such assumptions.

Step 5: DO NOT dwell.

It is okay to acknowledge that something went wrong. It is NOT okay to hold onto it. Dwelling on the setback and overanalyzing it will amplify its negative effects. Just let it go.

Soon after my initial shock at losing that account, I realized that going with another insurance provider had been a business decision by the CEO. It wasn't personal, and didn't reflect on the good work I had done with the company. I didn't hold a grudge.

Step 6: DO NOT quit.

Don't let one disappointment discourage you from moving forward. Even if it was your "fault," that does not brand you as a failure.

Backing down or quitting is a losing proposition. Yesterday is gone, and you can't change what has already occurred. But you can change how you deal with your yesterdays. And you can build on what you learn from every experience, good and bad.

That's my seven-step "how to" guide for stepping up and moving past a failure, rejection, or setback. I'll admit that most, if not all, of these steps can be tough. But I want you to try to follow each and every one of them as best you can. Like any success technique, you might not get it right away. But practice makes perfect.

"Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success."

Christopher Lasch

Why I Hate the Bamboo Story
By Noah St. John

If you've been to a "motivational" seminar or heard someone talk about success in, say, the last 10 years, you've probably heard the "Bamboo Story."

The Bamboo Story goes something like this...

"The Bamboo is amazing. You water it and wait. You wait an entire year and nothing appears. No bud, no twig, nothing.

"So you keep watering and protecting the area and taking care of the future plant. You wait another year. Still, nothing happens.

"Another year passes, and still no sign of growth. It has been three years. Should you give up? Someone told you that it might take a while to really see the fruits of your efforts, so you keep on keeping on.

"Another year passes. No plant.

"You begin year number five with the same passion as day number one. You keep watering and keep waiting. Finally, after five years, the Bamboo starts growing-and in six weeks, it grows to over 80 feet tall! Yes, 80 feet in six weeks! Well, not really. It is 80 feet in five years.

"The point is simple. If you had given up for even the shortest period of time, there would be no Bamboo. It took almost impossible persistence. The plant is there for one reason and one reason only-because you never gave up on it."

This story is supposed to illustrate the power of persistence and never giving up.
But think about it...

You watered it for the first year and didn't see any results. The second, third, fourth, and even fifth year, you did the SAME THING and got the SAME RESULT.

That means you spent more than 1,825 days doing the SAME THING, getting the SAME RESULT, and expecting something DIFFERENT.

And that's what most people are doing in their lives.

They keep doing the SAME THING, getting the SAME RESULT, and expecting something DIFFERENT.

How's THAT workin' for ya?

Look, I get it: The Bamboo suddenly shoots up from the ground after your long, arduous years of sacrifice and patience, thereby showing the benefit of faith and persistence.

Just one problem: The millionaires I've coached and worked with have NEVER used this formula!

Do you honestly think Donald Trump or Ted Turner would sit there and water their non-existent plant for five years before seeing any results? Not on your life.

So here's the reality-and I know some people are going to hate me for saying this, but here goes:

The only purpose of the Bamboo Story is to make you feel better when you're getting lousy results in your life.

Sure, it feels good for someone to come along and say, "Hey, I know things look bad right now... But don't worry. Just keep doing what you're doing, and I'm SURE it'll turn around eventually!"

But that is a recipe for disaster.

I am Exhibit A. Several years ago, my business was struggling. I was providing great information, and my clients were getting awesome results, but my company wasn't showing any profits. In fact, every month we were going deeper in debt.

Not coincidentally, the woman who was my business partner at the time subscribed to the Bamboo Theory. She told me, day after day: "Don't worry. Things will turn around. It just takes time!"

But I never believed her. I told her over and over again:

Time is UTTERLY IRRELEVANT when it comes to success.

The only thing that's relevant is following a BETTER STRATEGY.

Naturally, she didn't listen to me. That's why we're not business partners anymore!

Now think about this...

Let's say you are doing the WRONG things for the WRONG reasons. And you keep doing the WRONG things for the WRONG reasons.

Is doing that longer going to get you better results?

Of course not.

But you'd be amazed by how many people succumb to the Bamboo Theory. (We've probably all done it at some time in our lives.)

So here's what I want you to keep in mind:

Nature can make a Bamboo plant grow because Nature has a hidden SYSTEM that works.

Nature also has hidden Systems for healing your body, digesting your food, making babies, and millions of other things we experience every day.

But we don't necessarily know how those hidden Systems work. And even if the Bamboo Story were true, it wouldn't make any difference-because the person watering the Bamboo doesn't know what caused it grow so fast in the first place!

When we succumb to worn-out cliches like the Bamboo Story, all we're doing is perpetuating the belief that "things will somehow work out"... without taking responsibility for our own ACTIONS and RESULTS.

I'm all for persistence. I'm all for believing that things will work out for the best. I'm all for having faith.

What I'm NOT for is telling people that continuing to do the wrong things will somehow make things work out.

You have more power than you think.

Don't succumb to the belief that spending more TIME doing the wrong things will somehow create the RESULTS you want.

Take control. Take action.

And if you're not getting the results you want, try something new.

It's only by following a better STRATEGY-not "hoping" for something better-that you'll see better results, and a real change for the better, in your life.

"People laughed at us for using the word magical. But you
know what? It turned out to be magical."
~ Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

How to Pitch to the Very Rich
By Bill Bartmann

Do even seasoned pros screw it up? Let me count the ways. hours a day?

I knew I had arrived when I made the "Forbes 400 Richest Americans" list for the first time. Not only had I been vetted in a rigorous process of proving my wealth, but after the magazine came out, my jokes seemed to get funnier. In a later year when one publication listed me as the 25th wealthiest American, a quick joke of mine at parties had them doubled over with laughter.

I'll tell you what didn't change much--the quality of pitches I endured for products and services. The quantity increased all right, but the batting average of these pitchers was still in the toilet.

In case you find yourself wanting to ink a deal with a really wealthy individual, here are five rules to put you way ahead of your competition:

Rule #1: Respect my time.

Everyone knows to arrive early, but here's what most people don't know: I may have gatekeepers, but I also know if you've been cooling your heels in my waiting room for 30 minutes. I consider that sloppy. You must not be too busy or successful if you have that kind of time to blow.

Of course it makes sense to allow extra time to get to a meeting with me, because heaven help you if you're late. Hang out at the coffee shop across the street, not in my reception area. You should be announcing yourself to my receptionist at precisely the appointed hour.

Then when you are shown in, respect my time again. If we are scheduled for 10 minutes, then 600 seconds from when you walk in you should be doing one of two things: Either walking out, or in the midst of answering a question of mine. If you're answering, remind me that your 10 minutes is up. Say that you're ready to honor that agreement and leave...or you would be happy to answer the question if I have a few more minutes.

I'll know that you're a person of your word and will almost certainly allow you a few more minutes.

Rule #2: Don't tell me my business.

I don't care if you've been in the same industry for years--you still do not know my unique challenges at the moment. Therefore don't insult me by announcing how your solution will "revolutionize" my operation, or be "just the thing." I may indeed conclude that your product or service is amazing. That's for me to decide at my pay grade, not for you at yours.

Just so you know, it's the same with resumes. If you are interviewing at my company, don't tell me that "I'm just what you need to take your company to the next level." If you say that, you'll never get the chance to prove it.

Rule #3: Give me the facts.

I love to ask salespeople: "How do you stack up against your competitors?" The answer tells me volumes.

Many salespeople will say: "It's our company policy never to bad-mouth our competitors."

You just blew the sale. I can't count how many salespeople hide behind that excuse when the truth is either that they don't know their competitors, or they're worse than their competitors and don't want to say so.

I expect you not to bad-mouth your competitors. I also expect you to know your own product and your competitors' products, cold. Here's the winning answer: "I'm glad you asked, Mr. Bartmann. I have here a matrix of 17 main characteristics of our product, and how we stack up compared to our 4 primary competitors who combined with us, represent over 78% of market share...."

Now I'm impressed. You just told me you are a pro. I might not even read your matrix, but I will give it to someone on my staff to decode.

Rule #4: Take notes.

An ancient Chinese proverb states: "The faintest writing is stronger than the strongest memory." I have not met many people with world-class memories, especially during presentations. Therefore don't make me repeat names, locations, or statistics just because you couldn't be bothered to write them down.

Taking notes means you're showing respect. It also means you need to be told something only once and I can rely on you to know it. That's a great way to begin a business relationship.

Rule #5: Anticipate.

This is the flipside of the last rule: Don't make me take notes to remember what you just told me. When your presentation is finished, leave me with a concise, factual, articulate, and well-organized document which reflects what you just summarized for me.

In my 40 years in business, I estimate that at most 10 percent of salespeople follow any one of these rules. That means a fraction of one percent follow all of them. That exceedingly small group of people is welcome to call on me. Are you one of them?