B2B Marketers: Your Targets Are Mobile - eMarketer

B2B Marketers: Your Targets Are Mobile - eMarketer

Why the Customer is Always Right

By Craig Ballantyne

After flying over forty times per year for the last five years, I suppose it was bound to happen. On a recent day of travel, almost everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Despite paying an extra $200 to get moved to an earlier flight, the plane ended up sitting on the runway at Newark airport for over 90 minutes, meaning my takeoff time ended up being the same as my original flight.

Then things got worse. The aircraft had a mechanical issue, and we had to return to the gate. For the first time in over two hundred flights, I had to deplane and board another aircraft (don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the emphasis on safety).

Finally, after another hour delay on the runway, we were airborne and home just a few hours late. I've experienced longer delays, but never so many reasons for being delayed.

After landing at Toronto's convenient City Center airport, I hailed a cab for the short ride home. My driver for the day was a nice man from Ghana, and after he asked how my flight was, we began talking about our experiences with airlines. He named one airline that he will never fly again because of rude customer service (although it was my favorite North American airline, I understood his frustration). This company has permanently lost all business from this cab driver's family because of one ticket agent's rude attitude toward their customers.

This led to our conversation turning to the cab industry in Toronto, and how it had changed in over his twenty-year career. He explained how cab drivers had become less professional in recent years and how this is contributing to a downturn in their industry.

"No one wants to take a cab today," he explained. "And some cab drivers won't even take a fare because the client only needs to go a short distance. When they turn people away like that, it makes the riders upset and they don't want to use taxis no more."

"But the customer is always right. "

I agreed.

Do you know why the customer is always right?

Because the customer is an honest, hardworking person who is just looking to get good value for their money.

Customers aren't out to cheat you.

But too many business owners create an adversarial relationship with customers, often before any transaction even takes place.

For example, one of the most common concerns from beginners starting an online information marketing business is they worry about protecting their downloadable products from theft.

"How can I stop people from buying my stuff and sharing it with their friends?", they ask.

Wrong question.

Don't focus on customer theft when you haven't made any sales. That's the wrong mentality. Instead, you must spend all of your energy identifying ways to get prospects to invest in your products. Stop thinking that people are going to steal your products when you haven't even sold anything yet. Theft isn't your problem. Making the first sale should be your only concern.

Besides, after selling products online for over a decade, I've discovered there are only a few bad apples that will try to cheat you. Probably less than one in five thousand. It's not worth your time or energy to spend a moment thinking about protecting your info.

Stop treating your customer like an enemy.

They are your best friends. They should be treated like family. You should go above and beyond the call of duty to take care of them. Businesses that do this will attract far more customers than they could ever possibly lose to a few bad apples.

Here's a perfect example of how a business can grow when the owners trust their clients and do everything they can to make a great offer without fear of loss. A friend of mine recently started using a "double your money back" guarantee in his business. But it wasn't easy to get his business partners to agree on the offer. One senior executive listed umpteen different reasons for not using this outrageous (and outrageously effective) guarantee, many of which involved the assumption of customers taking advantage of the offer.

"What if the refunds go viral?", the partner asked. "We could have a real problem on our hands."

Fortunately, he was open-minded and agreed to the promotion after being assured that nothing bad would happen. And nothing bad did happen. In fact, the promotion worked like gangbusters and continues to work extremely well because at the end of the day, customers are honest, and always right.

And listen, even if your customer or prospect is wrong, what benefit is it to you to make them feel wrong? How is it going to help your business by proving that you're right?

For our cab driver, he knew that at the end of the day, his business was all about the customer. You show up on time, you drive courteously, professionally, and you have a nice conversation with the rider if they want, or you remain silent if the customer wants to be left alone. It doesn't matter if the fare is long or short, you give them the best experience either way. You never know when that client will be back, or if they will be giving you a generous tip. Whatever the customer decides is always right.

In your online business, the rules are generally the same, even though the experience is much different.

If a customer has a technical problem accessing your product, you immediately fix the situation and try to give them an extra bonus for their trouble. You don't point out how easy it is for them to download the product. There's no benefit in showing the customer they are wrong. If they want a refund, give it to them immediately and tell them to keep the product, especially if it is digitally delivered. Don't make a big deal about asking them to delete your content from their computer.

Even if they share your product with others (just like most people have probably at one time 'illegally' shared a movie or record album recording with a friend), you focus on making the product so good that the recipient of the free product has a reason to look you up for more information. Within each product you sell you should also include links back to your site and to the other products you sell so that customers (and the people who have 'borrowed' your product) can find and purchase all of your other material.

Always look on the bright side of every customer interaction. It should never be an adversarial relationship.

Customers are looking to give you money, to put their trust in you, and to have you give them the solution to their problem.

To them, you are a problem solver. They aren't out there looking for companies to steal from. Focus on what counts, and that is to simply make their life better.

Make sure the customer knows you care, and do your best to over-deliver on the promises you make. Treat them like family, create goodwill in all your interactions with them, and they will spend their energy telling others to invest in your products. Customers are good. Customers are right. Never forget that.

Email still rules. Are you connecting or being deleted?

If your emails are getting deleted or not getting returned, or you're playing a numbers game (sending 1,000 - hoping for a few random responses), you're probably also blaming the recipient or the Internet for the lack of response.

Wake up and smell the dictionary, Sparky! It ain't them.

Emails are to introduce, engage, ask a question, give an idea or an answer, create opportunity, make an appointment, confirm a meeting. Emails are for sending a message, a thank you, a reminder, or a brief offer. Emails are NOT a sales pitch.

But you're the smartest guy or gal in the world, and you want to hurry up and make more sales this week and you have a list of prospects so why not blah, blah, blah... and get deleted.

NOTE WELL: Deleted emails also create negative thoughts and images in the mind of the recipient. They brand you and they create reputation. If you're getting a 9% response, it means 91% of the people you sent the email to are somewhere between annoyed and pissed off.

I'm about to share the essence of what will get your email opened and responded to: writing. Creative writing. Engaging, creative writing that leads the recipient to read and respond.

But, before I begin, here's why most emails fail: you know little or nothing about the recipient. And worse, you struggle to create some snappy "subject line" so your email will be opened.

Here are a few ideas on how to write an INITIAL email, a FOLLOW-UP email, a FOLLOW-THROUGH email, and all sorts of relationship building emails.

Start prepared. Before you write a word, Google the recipient and then do a complete social media search (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube). Now you're ready with information they may pay attention to - information about THEM. Engaging them, about them, is more likely to gain response than engaging them about you.

NOTE FROM 1937: See Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People and keep this still applicable quote in mind: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you."

Make it short. I'm way too busy to read your life story, or why you're great, or why your product is great. I've got mother Google for that - and for information on you!

Here's the SECRET: Word count. Copy your message into a word processing program to check the word count. 200 words is a long email. Remember: the shorter the better.

Make the message germane to your expected outcome. I usually ask a question or two, make a statement or two, and end with: Best Regards, Jeffrey. I'll use formal capital letters and good grammar until I have established a relationship. I'm more friendly than formal in my content, and I'm always myself. Same with humor, I don't inject it until I'm certain the recipient of my email has some (humor). And when I do, it's HUMOR - not jokes and not cartoons.

And, did I mention, it's an email, not a sales pitch.

If you're writing an INITIAL email, make your name clickable to something that will build credibility like your blog, your business Facebook page, or your LinkedIn profile.

If you're using email as a FOLLOW-UP to a promise you made (like a quote, proposal, or answering a question), attach a PDF and keep the body of the message short, sweet, and friendly.

If you're connecting with an after the sale FOLLOW-THROUGH, ask for a coffee meeting or a brief phone call. Mention anything that you share common ground on (sports, kids, interests). I often attach a relatable photo.

There are lots of other email uses. A business message, an announcement, a service message, a casual message to stay in touch and build a relationship. Whatever the message is, make certain the content has VALUE FOR THE RECIPIENT.

I would be remiss if I didn't include the mysterious "how to write a subject line." My subject line on an initial email is, "from Jeffrey Gitomer." Subject lines should be simple, but intriguing. For example: "productivity leads to profit" or "maximum production leads to maximum profit." Or you can use one word that might impact the recipient like profit, idea, or message. It helps if you understand who you are trying to connect with. (See above under START PREPARED.)

If you're serious about wanting to send impressive emails, www.aceofsales.com offers the only customized email alternative. Take a look. It will immediately brand you, differentiate you from all other look-alike emails, and WOW! the recipient. If you want to see a few samples, go to www.gitomer.com and enter ACE EMAILS in the GitBit box.

If you're tired of your emails getting deleted or you're frustrated because your emails aren't being responded to, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

How to Beat Procrastination

By Craig Ballantyne

It was a question we've been receiving almost every day since our Facebook Question-and-Answer sessions debuted.

"What is the best way to deal with the issues of perfectionism and procrastination?", asked Wendy J.

Minutes later, Lukas F. posted, "I'm looking for perfection with the stuff that I do, and that paralyzes the starting process. Any advice to get over the fact that starting something won't be perfect?"

And just one day earlier, Mary K. asked, "How do you maintain focus? I'm a polymath, and it can be a challenge to see things through. I struggle staying focused on a single project."

All of these questions speak to the same ubiquitous obstacle in the way of success for thousands of Early to Rise readers, and millions of people around the world.

How can they beat procrastination?

When I look at all the folks asking me for help on this topic, I can't help but think, "Wow, just think of all the amazing accomplishments that would occur if all these people could just beat the procrastination monster. I have to do something about this."

Today, the problem is a multi-headed dragon more than ever before, a true mythological hydra. From constant social media updates to email addiction to multi-tasking on the multiple work projects you have, procrastination is easier than ever.

Cut off one head and another appears.

There are few proven solutions, but they do exist. It takes a little bit of planning and a lot of knowing your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can leverage what works and minimize what doesn't. But one word of warning, be careful with your planning techniques and keep them simple, because too often I see ETR readers turn planning into its own perverse form of procrastination.

If procrastination is an issue for you, then let's change that starting right now. Don't wait a minute longer in learning how to tame the beast. Let's start by looking at what I do.

The Early to Rise morning Facebook Q'n'A sessions are my favorite part of the workday, but I don't do them until I've gotten one big project done in my day.

Each morning I get up and go directly to writing. I force myself to sit at my kitchen table for 60 minutes, practically glue-ing my butt to my chair in order to crank out valuable content each day.

For example, this message was schedule to be written between 4am and 5am on Thursday, May 10, 2012, while I was in San Diego at a Mastermind Meeting. The article had to be completed before I was able to head over to "Fit Athletic", one of my favorite gyms in the country, for my morning workout.

In order to finish my mission, I forced myself to sit in my chair without the distractions of social media, Internet surfing, or text messages (not that many of my friends are even up at this time anyway – one of the benefits of being early to rise). Sitting in that chair was uncomfortable. I wanted to quit. Heck, I didn't even want to start. But each word typed was a victory. Each sentence a battle won. Each paragraph was a huge step in my conquering the procrastination demon.

There was no other time in my schedule for finishing this project. But because I know when my magic time is, and because I understand the power of the deadline, I knew that I would be able to take action and get this done – almost robotically – during the allotted sixty minutes. This is the benefit of knowing your strengths and leveraging them.

At first, the words struggled to find their proper place on the page, but the only thing that made writing this issue easier was more writing.

That's the big lesson. Action begets action.

It's what you'll find with all activities that you are procrastinating on. Scientific research supports it. The only thing that helps you overcome procrastination is to actually do the thing you are procrastinating about. That's it. You must take action. You may need to do so robotically. It may be unpleasant, but that's why you're procrastinating, isn't it?

Action is the simplest way to avoid procrastination. Get up and throw yourself into the battle. You must know your #1 priority and attack it with great energy.

This, of course, is not a magic silver bullet answer. After all, it's not so much that you don't know what to do, it's that you have a hard time putting the knowledge into practice.

The solutions are simple. We should get up early, work hard, and avoid things that waste time in our lives. Yes, it is easier said than done, but to be honest, reading another time management book is not the answer.

The real answer is that we must force ourselves to do the work. We must avoid the "chattering mind", as Steven Pressfield calls it in his recent book, "Do the Work".

It's really that simple. In order to get something done, you must first get started. In order to complete the project, you must do everything that needs to get done.

It's not rocket science. It's persistence.

How do you end procrastination? Just start. There's no other answer. In fact, that was the scientific conclusion of a 'how to beat procrastination' research study I once read.

Don't let information gathering become your procrastination.

Don't let planning become your procrastination.

Implement more structure into your life and you'll get more done and you'll have more freedom. I promise you.

In the end, the decision to move to action comes from what Dan Kennedy so rightly describes as 'behavioral congruence'. This means that you act in accordance with what you want to accomplish.

For example, if you say that you want to be on time for work every day, but you stay up well past an appropriate bedtime and you don't have your morning routine planned out, and you hit the snooze button five times, none of that is acting in behavioral congruence with your goals.

Frankly, most people just don't think about behavioral congruence. They are reactive, instead of being proactive.

You can start to solve this problem by creating a clear set of personal philosophies that guide your life.

At the risk of giving you another opportunity to procrastinate, I want you to read the "12 Rules I Live By" here and then create your own personal philosophy list. This list of 'rules' (you can also call them the 'big ideas' for your life) will help you guide your decisions and actions. They will help you live behaviorally congruent with your goals. They will reduce stress and improve performance.

Your personal philosophies are the core foundation of your success and will guide you towards a life well lived. The most successful people I know all have their own personal philosophies, whether they know it or not.

Make it easy on yourself by writing yours down. These rules for living will help you kick procrastination to the curb and will improve your time management because the list will identify what is important to you.

Get started there, and then continuously work to improve your behavioral congruence in all aspects of your life.

It is from this structure that you will have more freedom in your life. It sounds paradoxical, but I assure you, the better the rules you have in place for your life, the more freedom you will ultimately achieve.

(It's now 4:37am. Excellent. I've finished a little early. It's always nice to be ahead of schedule. Off to the gym.)

The World's Worst Employee

Imagine paying $75 an hour (or more) for the world's worst administrative assistant. They're miserable, ineffective, and in fact, just downright incompetent. Oh, and "they" are you. Because that's what you get when you try and do everything in your business. My friend Alwyn Cosgrove explains how you can avoid this trap and find good people for your business.

Craig Ballantyne

"Imagine that you are going to create another 1,000 businesses just like this one. What would you have to do to achieve this? You would have to completely systematize your business." – Alwyn Cosgrove

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How to Find Good People

By Alwyn Cosgrove

As a business consultant, one of the most common questions I am asked is, "What's the best way to find good employees?".

I work with many successful solo-preneurs who are hitting that stage where it is time to grow their business, and that means bringing on key employees. For many people, this is an area of great difficulty and anxiety.

Before I ever answer that question, I need to give a few overall guidelines as to the overall business process and where staff actually fit in.

The first hire for most professionals should be an administration assistant or office manager. This is key. Don't spend your time doing work that a) you don't enjoy and b) you're not good at.

Consider this - if you charge $75 per hour for your work, than any time you spend doing office work means you are paying an office assistant (you) $75 an hour.

Plus, you're probably not good at it -- it will take you twice as long - so you're actually paying $150 for what would be $15-$20 work.

Add in that you'll be miserable - you are now paying $150 for a miserable, no skills office assistant. So always start with support staff before hiring more production based staff.

The Big Mac Model

Entrepreneurs need to study other businesses. Success leaves clues, and the most successful 'small business' in the world is McDonald's.

At McDonald's the food is made the same way every single time From London to Los Angeles, from Madrid to Moscow – ask for a Big Mac and you'll get one. The same style. Every single time.

You even know the recipe.... "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun..."

But is McDonald's the best hamburger you've ever tasted? The answer to that question from almost everyone in the world is no. Most people even claim that they could make a better hamburger than McDonald's themselves.

So let me ask you a question? Why is no one giving you hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to make hamburgers?

What's the secret of each McDonald's location?

McDonald's don't hire experts to run each location or do every task in the business. They hire good people and train them in the implementation of SYSTEMS. Their systems are so well developed that they can hire high school kids to run a lot of their business. They even have the upsell systemized through the ubiquitous question, "Do you want fries with that?"

I've read that most independent small business start-ups fail, yet most franchises succeed. The reason for that difference is due to SYSTEMS.

SYSTEM: Save Your Self Time Energy Money

Step one when hiring additional staff: think systems.

Before you hire anyone you have to have a system in place that can easily be replicated. It doesn't matter if you hire a world-renowned expert with multiple PhD's and 25 years of experience -- unless they work within your system - they aren't a great fit to grow your business.

The primary goal of any business is to produce a consistent, replicable product or service. If it's replicable and consistent – you can guarantee results. If you can guarantee results – you're ahead of the game.

As a nice result of running a systems based we are able to hire people with lower skill levels than we would initially think. Now, notice I did not say low skill, just lower skill. We are going to hire people to run systems and educate them.

Instead of thinking of McDonald's - think of a hospital – a doctor writes the protocol and most often it is nurses that implement it. Nurses are by no means low skilled, but they are most definitely lower skilled than a doctor. Similarly, all admin tasks at hospitals are handled by lower skilled employees than nurses. It would make no business sense for a doctor to spend time taking blood pressure, temperatures or making appointments.

And remember, the ultimate goal of hiring and growing your business is to replicate YOURSELF so you can step out of the business.

Hiring someone without a system is an absolutely deadly business mistake. Hire based on your core values and train for skill based on systems.

If you do that, your business becomes a lot easier to manage. You must run a systems-based business as opposed to an individual based business. The owner/managers job is to manage the system, rather than the employee. Run the plan, not the man.

If there is a problem, we can look at two solutions.

First, was the system followed? If yes, then we need to tweak the system. If no, then we need to work on coaching and training the employee. It's that simple.

In our business at Results-Fitness in California, we make it even simpler by having all of the systems recorded in manuals (how to open the gym, how to answer the phone, how to greet every client and prospect that walks in the door, etc.).

If it's not written down and signed as completed and understood by an employee, you are improvising. Business is far too important to improvise.

So to get back to your original question – how do you go about hiring staff?

When systems are in place – it really doesn't matter. We have hired experienced trainers, beginner trainers, schoolteachers, former clients, interns, etc., and all have become excellent personal trainers because they follow our system.

As long as you have business systems and an education program in place then when hiring employees what you need to look for are personality, work ethic and core values first. As long as your new employee has brings those three attributes to the table, they will succeed in your system.

How to Find Your True Calling

By Brian Tracy

Your success in life will be largely determined by your ability to find your true calling, the right work for you to do, and then putting your whole heart into doing it very well.

The happiest people are those who have carefully thought through who they are, what they want, where they are going, and then decided exactly what they need to do to get to their goal. Asking yourself five targeted questions can help you home in on whatever path is right for you.

#1: What do I do easily and well?

When you are seeking your true calling, you must look at the activities that have always been easy for you but which have been difficult for others. Often, you will get comments and compliments on how well you do a particular task. You will be surprised when you hear those remarks, because you never even thought about it that much. It just seemed natural for you from the very beginning.

My daughter is a natural and spontaneous little actress. From the time she was three or four years old, she has memorized lines and acted in every school play and function that has ever come up. In fact, by the time she was six, she was memorizing every line in the school play, not only her own but the lines of every other child. When the other children forgot their lines, Christina would whisper them and keep the play on track.

When Christina was 11 years old, she appeared at a city council meeting and gave a speech in favor of a permit allowing her school to expand. She stood up at the meeting, on a chair, in front of 150 adults, and gave an impassioned little talk. As a result, the permit was granted – and Christina was on the front page of two newspapers the following day.

#2: What are the things that I have done in life that have been most responsible for my success?

In looking back over your work and your activities, what are the things you have done that have given you the greatest rewards and satisfaction? If you work for a company, what are the activities you have engaged in that have achieved the very best results for yourself and your company? Your previous success experiences are signposts pointing to the sort of things that you should be doing more and more of if you want to deploy yourself more fully for greater happiness and satisfaction in life.

#3: What would I do differently, knowing what I know now?

Is there anything that you are currently doing that you wouldn't start up again if you had to do it over? Is there any relationship that you are in that you wouldn't get into if you could make the choice today? Is there any job or part of any job that you are doing that you would not embark upon, knowing what you now know, if you had to do it over?

As many as 95 percent of people working today are under-employed, not working to their full capacity for themselves and their companies. Only 5 percent, when interviewed, will say that they are working fully extended at their current job. Only 5 percent feel that their entire potential is being consumed and that they are working on the outer edge of their abilities. These people also tend to be the happiest, the highest paid, and the most fulfilled in any organization or enterprise.

#4: What work would I choose to do if I won a million dollars, cash, in the lottery tomorrow?

This is a question I sometimes ask my seminar audiences. When you hear this question, your gut reaction is a good indicator of where you are today and possibly where you should be going in the future. Most people, when they think of winning a million dollars, think of quitting their current job and doing something else. There is nothing wrong with that. Since most people have backed into their current jobs, taking them because they just happened to be there at the time a job was needed, most people probably should be doing something else.

Napoleon Hill once said the key to success in America is to find out what you really enjoy doing, and then find a way to make a good living at it. What do you most love to do?

Successful people don't feel like they work at all. They are doing what they love to do, and they are so busy doing it that their work becomes their play. Their work life and their personal life blends together like a hand fitting neatly into a glove. There is no separation. They are totally committed individuals who are accomplishing far more in a shorter period of time than the average person who is merely going through the motions.

#5: If I were absolutely guaranteed tremendous success in any job I chose, what field would I go into?

One of the major reasons people hold themselves back from doing what they are truly meant to do is that they are afraid they will fail in some way. And being afraid that you will fail is the surest guarantor that you will fail.

But what if you are absolutely guaranteed success in any field you choose? What would it be? What would you want to do if you had unlimited time, unlimited resources, and guaranteed success?

The answer to that question should cause you to tingle a little bit. It should make your stomach flutter. It should send a thrill of excitement and anticipation through you that tells you this is the job you should be doing.

Asking and answering the above five questions can change your life.

You have within you talents and abilities so vast that you could never use them all if you lived to be a thousand. You have natural skills and talents that can enable you to overcome any obstacle and achieve any goal you could ever set for yourself. There are no limits on what you can be, have, or do if you find your true calling.

When you become one of the few people who are doing what they love to do, who are totally absorbed in doing something they really care about, you will make more progress in a couple of years than the average wage slave makes in five or 10 years. You will come to the attention of people who can help you and open doors for you. You will be happy and fulfilled in both your work and your personal relationships. You will have more energy, enthusiasm, and creativity. You will unlock your true potential, and your future will become unlimited.

The Battle for Our Minds

By Clay Collins

The battle for our minds usually isn't a struggle against brainwashing (although most of us are mildly brainwashed). The battle for our minds isn't usually about politics, consumer culture, and mass media. Nope. The battle for our minds is fought out every day in the workplace, and due largely to...

The Paradox of Intelligence

More intelligent people tend to have jobs that require very high levels of mental engagement (not to mention, longer work weeks). If you're a doctor, lawyer, accountant, consultant, teacher, etc., then chances are your thoughts are consumed by work-related activities (and that you have less-than-average amounts of free time).

Highly intelligent people are more likely to exchange their brainpower for money, and less likely to retain much of said brainpower for themselves. They're more likely to enroll in mentally demanding graduate programs and accept mentally demanding jobs.

(In the western world we're taught that if we have the capacity to be a doctor then it's somehow a "waste" to work retail, make smoothies for a living, or become a farmer – even though a retailer worker, smoothie maker, or farmer get to own more of their thoughts).

Hence, the paradox of intelligence (POI) says that in general, the more intelligent you are, the less brainpower you're likely to keep for yourself. The POI says that the smarter you are, the less you keep your mind for yourself. It says that the more intelligent you are, the greater the probability that an employer owns too much of your brainpower.

As a result of this paradox, intelligent people are losing the battle for their minds. They simply have less mental energy at the end of the day to ask the bigger questions. They have less mental energy and time needed to gain perspective.

The battle for our minds is really the battle create our own thought destines. The battle for our minds is . . .

The Battle for Own Our Thoughts

The battle for our minds is the battle to think on our own terms and on our own timetable. It's the battle for freedom to let our minds wander, because the best thoughts emerge from the most unlikely places, and when we're lavishing ourselves with time.

The best thoughts happen when we're staring out windows and daydreaming; they happen when we're looking at scenes like this (because we're really there). They happen when we have perspective.

The best thoughts occur when you don't have to have them, they occur after plenty of rest, they occur when you're grasping the gestalts of life. The best thoughts occur when we're mindful of the full immensity of this beautiful thing called existence.

The battle for our thoughts is the battle against our ego's desire to gain an "important" job; it's the battle against the very materialism that encourages us to exchange too many of our thoughts for money; and it's a battle against the collective flattery (of society) that sweet talks us into crazy-busy careers. (Note: This paragraph was highly influenced by a great anti-travel guide I'm reading called Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide. It's got loads of perspective and I highly recommend it).

The battle for our minds really isn't about reclaiming brainpower to do our own taxes or solve more Sudoku puzzles. No. The battle for mind is important because. . .

We Desperately Lack Perspective

Raoul Vaneigem once wrote that "Everything has [already] been said [and] all our knowledge is essentially banal." And he's right. If you read the profound thoughts of any great teacher or leader, you'll likely find no new knowledge. What you will find, however, is heaps of timeless perspective. You'll find knowledge deeply rooted in perspective and amplified by perspective.

Great thinkers and teachers are great because their perspective forces you to take a second glance at the knowledge you already have. And their perspective is so compelling because it couldn't have come from anywhere except direct experience.

When workaholics give up their minds each workday in devotion to balancing spreadsheets, selling widgets, arguing cases, etc. it's not knowledge they're missing out on. It's perspective. The kind of perspective that requires variety, and discursive thinking, and morning runs during sunrise. The kind of perspective that requires new experiences, reflection, and carefree conversations with friends.

We desperately lack perspective because we are a society of workaholics, and workaholism is like kryptonite to perspective. (It's often said that highly intelligent people lack common sense; but I believe they really lack is perspective as a result of handing an unhealthy amount of their brainpower to their bosses).

You Just Can't Hack Perspective

There are no perspective hacks. None. You just have to suck it up, live a little, and wallow in the mud of life. You have to get your hands dirty with this beautiful business of living. You have to question, meditate, and fail often. You simply have to make space for perspective and hope that it will come eventually. You have to spend time in a manner that would seem self-indulgent to most.

There are no perspective shortcuts.

Who's winning the battle for your mind?

The Money Magic of Social Media
Your Best Opportunity to Make It Big Since the Birth of the Web
By Nick Usborne

What's with all the hype surrounding social media?

(And, maybe the real question is... Can you make money because of all this hype?)

It's as if every company on the planet has become distracted from the serious business of marketing. It seems as if they are wasting their valuable time and resources on messing about with Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Well, it's easy to think that way. But if that's really your view of social media, you are missing out on the biggest opportunity to come your way for at least 10 years.

The truth about social media is that it is not a fad, or an add-on.

Social media is not an add-on to the Web, it is fast BECOMING the Web.

Facebook already has over 845 million users. Hundreds of millions of people are also using Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social media services.

Why is social media so popular? Because it gives people what they want.

Facebook never advertised. Nobody needed to be sold on Facebook, because it gives people what they want. It enables people to share, chat, play, and even buy.

It's the same with Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest. They didn't have to buy ads on TV to "sell" people. They are popular because they address an absolute need in the marketplace.

Do companies "get" social media?

For a while, they didn't. They just saw social media as a distraction. They went through that denial phase, just wishing it would go away.

Then they came to accept that social media was here to stay, and many companies began to dip their toes in the water.

Finally, a very small percentage of companies "got it," immersed themselves in social media, and found that it offered a huge Return On Investment.

Those companies in the toe-dipping phase had better wake up to reality fast, because they are losing out big-time. A truth in marketing is that you need to go where your audience is. And online, the place where people spend the most time is not on traditional websites, but on social media sites.

That's where the audience is.

That's where the money is.

That's where the opportunity lies.

When an industry is seriously disrupted, opportunities are plentiful.

It's hard to make serious inroads as an entrepreneur when an industry is in a state of stability. Everyone is happy with things just the way they are.

Online right now, nothing is stable. The whole Web has been disrupted by the growth of social media. In other words, now is the ideal time to step in, hang up your shingle, and make your mark.

What are the opportunities, exactly?

There are several.

1. Set up as a specialist in social media.
   The most recent figures tell us that over 50% of companies that are using social media outsource the work. They just don't have the skills or resources in-house. As for the kind of work you could offer, there are plenty of choices.
   You can be a social media strategist... helping clients with their big-picture thinking and planning. Or you can help them implement, by setting up and managing their social networks. Or you can focus on social media writing, on their networks and on their websites.
   Once you immerse yourself in the skills of social media marketing, you will see there are plenty of opportunities out there. Choose the opportunity that's right for you, and grab your share of the market.
2. Add social media to your existing line-up of services.
   If you already have a freelance or consulting business, you can simply add social media expertise to your existing line-up of freelance services. In fact, deep knowledge of social media will soon be a must-have skill for anyone involved in marketing online.
3. Use social media to grow your own business.
   Even if you don't want to offer professional services as a social media expert, you can use what you learn as a means to promote and expand your own business. For many top-earning entrepreneurs and freelancers, social media is becoming a key driver in attracting new and better clients.
4. Use social media to grow your own Money-Making Websites.
   Perhaps you already have one or more revenue-generating websites of your own. If so, a deep knowledge of social media is becoming essential in the fight for eyeballs and wallets.
   In my case, I use social media extensively to attract new visitors to my website about coffee, CoffeeDetective.com.

This is why I wrote my program on social media.

Maybe I have an eye for shifts and opportunities online.

Back in 1998, I was among the first to see that companies were making the mistake of writing their websites in the same way as they wrote their print materials. Right away, I saw that was a mistake, and I built a business on helping them "get it" and start writing in a way that better matched the Web. In 2001, I wrote the first book on the topic, Net Words.

Well, I'm having another one of those moments. Not many people see that the Web and social media are fast becoming one and the same thing.

And, as with any other fast-moving change, I know that most companies will be slow to get it. They'll dip a toe, then up to their ankles, and by the time they are into it up to their knees, they will have missed the boat.

Think about that. Social media is fast BECOMING the Web, and most companies just don't get it yet. What does that sound like to you?

To me, it sounds like opportunity.

The Power of Delight

By Jonathan Fields

What if we were doing it all wrong?

According to my genius friend and founder of Riddle & Co., Jeff Riddle, businesses are going about growth all wrong. They spend every waking hour and huge line items in their budgets on customer acquisition. Then, once a prospect becomes a customer, they all but forget about them. The common ethic, in fact, is to do the minimum necessary to keep an existing customer from leaving. That's where the "sad state of affairs" bar has been set.

How messed up is that?

Not just from a feeling good about what you're doing and how you're treating others standpoint, but according to Jeff, it's horrible for the bottom line, too. Analyzing large volumes of data, he was able to determine that 70-80% of new customers were generated not by formal acquisition and marketing initiatives, but by word of mouth from the 5% of existing customers who were most delighted with the product or service.

Newsflash – when you blow peoples' minds in unexpected ways on a consistent basis, give them more than they expected and – check this out...actually treat them like you'd want your mom (assuming you love your moms) treated, guess what happens? They can't shut up about you! And when they tell someone exactly what you'd say in an advertisement, it carries about 1,000% more credibility.

I've taken this approach in business over and over, it's extraordinary how well it works. And how much more fun it is building a business based not just on the drive to acquire, but on the quest to delight. In my recently launched venture, Good Life Project, I have a line-item in my budget for delight. And I have a Director of Delight. Serve, solve and delight, in fact are among the core ethics in the culture I'm helping to cultivate, and it's also one of the 10 Commandments of Epic Business.

But, here's the thing, this isn't just about business, it's about LIFE! YOUR LIFE!!!

When we look at the key relationships in our lives, we often do the exact same thing. We spend all of our time, energy and money on acquisition, then once we've converted someone we shift into "minimum maintenance mode"...and wonder why everything falls apart.

Think about it. When you're single, you really take care of yourself, you go to the gym, exercise, eat better, dress better, engage in activities that make you come alive. You leave little notes, text sweet messages, create surprise meetups, try things you'd never try in the name of finding new ways to connect, make time for dates, walks, hand holding and more.

You are in full metal relationship acquisition mode and you do everything you can to create the best marketing impression possible.

You start to attract interesting "prospects" and eventually "convert" one to boyfriend, girlfriend, lover, spouse or partner. You keep the same high level of engagement up for a bit, but then what starts to happen? You start to feel a little too secure. You take the relationship for granted. You stop thinking about how to attract and delight that person any more and just work on the assumption that everything's pretty much locked and loaded.

Except, it isn't.

Nobody likes being treated like a foregone conclusion.

We thrive on knowing that the person with whom we've chosen to dance WANTS us in their lives, thinks about us all the time, loves to be with us, cares about us and loves seeing us delighted. And not because we demand it, but because they light inside at the thought of making us light up inside.

So, what might happen if you repositioned "relationship acquisition" not as an end, but an invitation.

An opportunity to consistently surprise and delight the person with whom you've connected? In ways they'd never see coming? Even the smallest ones, just enough to let them know "I'm thinking of you, you matter to me, I appreciate you!"

In business, your marketing, sales and acquisition costs would plummet. In life, the quality, depth and duration of your relationships would take off.

And, rather than spending all your time trying to figure out how to get peoples' attention, you get to spend your time plotting and scheming ways to blow their minds. And inspiring your teams and tribes to do the same. What do you think would happen to employee turn-over when the single overriding purpose of every person on your team is to serve, solve and delight?

Sounds cool, right?

But what about the habituation situation?

The what?

Habituation. Our stunning ability to absorb good and bad into a new equilibrium.

Picture this...

It's a Friday night and the spouse brings home flowers unexpectedly. Wow, what a delight.

Same thing next week on cue, how lovely.

Same thing next week, nice color.

Same thing next week, whatever, put 'em in a vase.

What began as a delight has been demoted to an expectation.

Human beings have a remarkable ability to habituate both up and down. What elevates us in the beginning becomes baseline over time. So if we're striving to always delight, doesn't this create a bit of a hedonic delight treadmill, where we've got to keep raising the bar higher and higher to deliver the same hit?

And if so, how do we stop that from happening?

CAN we stop if from happening or do we have to just work with funny little quirk of human nature?

How can we make this all work in business and in life?

Trust Your Instincts
By: Dan Jourdan
When I was a boy, everything was closed on Sunday. And as a kid, I loved the slowed down pace that this created - not necessarily for the family time that it was meant to promote (and did, by the way) but because, at age thirteen, my dad would take me to the empty Alexander's department store parking lot and let me learn how to drive the car.

He just put me in the driver's seat, gave me a pat on the back, and said "go." We had a stick shift car. I had two million questions to ask. How much gas do I give it? What if I am on a hill? How do I know when to shift? His answer was very unsatisfying. He would always say, "You just know."

You may have had a similar experience when you had your first sales job. The old "pat on the back training" is more common than you think; and it's not always a bad idea. Here's what I mean:

Remember when you were first learning to drive? You had to concentrate on everything. You needed to look in the mirror; press on the clutch; put the car in gear; remove your right foot from the brake quickly and place it on the gas pedal; press ever so slightly while you slowly release pressure from your left foot on the clutch; and pray that you don't stall out the car. And that's just to drive straight! You also had to pay attention to the other cars around you.

But now, after years of driving, you find yourself at your destination without even remembering how you got there. And you can do it all while talking business on the phone and drinking coffee too. You have achieved mastery - the ability to do the right things instinctually in any given situation. You no longer think about how to drive, you just drive.

How did that happen?

It happened because you were forced to practice, ask questions, adapt and overcome, and practice some more. You were forced to learn every day on the job and eventually, without even realizing it, you became a master driver.

Sales are all about your skills of building rapport and maintaining relationships with people. These are learned skills that need constant work and practice. You need to be constantly reading, studying, and communicating with customers and prospects - so much that you will experience every sales condition time and time again. Then one day, when you least expect it, a situation will arise that you have never been in before, and you will let your instincts take over and win.

You will be a Master Salesperson. And you will "just know."

 Writing is not a mystery. It's your best chance to achieve mastery.

My secret to writing is not complex: I write like I talk.

Writing in "speak" makes several things easy:
1. As long as you can think, or have an idea, or want to expand a thought, you will never be at a loss for words. Think about it. When you're on the phone you never say to a friend, "Hold on, I'm trying to think of something to say." You just say it! When you write like you speak words just flow.

2. Reading what you write in "speak" is much more conversational. Writing in "speak" makes your words easy to read, easy to understand, and, in my case, easy to implement.
3. Editing the next day. Give yourself a fresh look at what you were thinking, and allow yourself to give clarity to your writing.
3.5 Reading aloud as you edit. This one secret will give you more writing power than you can imagine. It exposes every flaw and ensures flow of words and thought.

Let's get specific.

Here are writing instructions for business social media:
How to write on Twitter. Your posts on Twitter (tweets) should achieve two objectives. One, be short, value messages that your customers will appreciate. Two, be something that is re-tweetable (in other words, your connections tweet it to all of their connections). Rather than me providing a couple of examples, go to Twitter, search people for "Gitomer," and look at what I've tweeted. You can also see in the search results what other people are saying about me.

All of that "noise" comes from writing. As I approach momentum on Twitter, I'm beginning to interact with others when they say something nice about me. I thank them or comment back. Amazingly, most people feel compelled to comment on my comment, thereby giving me another mention to all of their followers.

The best news about Twitter is that most business people are still Twitter ignorant. This means you have a chance to be Twitter dominant.

Here's where to start:
1. To begin successfully, invite all of your friends and give them some samples of what you intend to tweet.
2. Tweet something of value every day.
3. Only tweet 120 characters so there is enough room for people to re-tweet what you have to say.
4. Don't quote other people. Only quote yourself.
4.5 Don't abuse the process. Don't try to sell anything on Twitter. Make relevant, purposeful, helpful statements that others will respect, remember, and re-tweet.

How to write on Facebook. Facebook offers the widest variety of communication possibilities and it's getting wider every day.

I recommend you have two Facebook pages: one for your personal life and one for your business life. Keep them separate.

Here's where to start:
1. Post with pictures. Short one or two line posts with links that will take me someplace and allow me to read more if interested. Write about events with significance. Write your ideas and thoughts. Write your observations.
2. Respond to others who post on your page...good or bad. Like Twitter, interactions on Facebook need to be short and sweet. If enough people are connected to you, they'll get your notifications and be able to respond back. That is why "short" messages are important. When your followers see that you are engaged with them and respond to them directly, they will be more enthusiastic about commenting again or asking questions. In my case, oftentimes my followers will even respond to each other, creating meaningful dialogue without me!
3. Take advantage of the one-on-one. One of the reasons Facebook has achieved world domination is because it's personal. If Zappos takes a full-page ad in Vogue magazine, they have no idea who thinks what about the ad, much less who responds. But on Facebook, they can respond to customers individually, one at a time, AND other customers can see it.

When customers see a company is responsive, they feel safer doing business with them. Facebook is becoming more sophisticated. Video on Facebook will become the new norm, further eroding traditional email. Facebook has also created a reaffirmation of the word instant. You can message any one of your followers, they can message you back, and everyone knows everyone's status in a matter of seconds.
4. Celebrate it! Study what is being done, and don't just be abreast of what's new, implement the latest update as soon as it becomes available. Your customers need to perceive that you are on top of your market and your game. Facebook allows you to do both.
4.5 Remember that bad can be good. Many businesses are Facebook-reluctant because they're afraid customers will post something bad. UPDATE: For those of you afraid to create a business Facebook page for fear that your employees will abuse it or your customers will abuse you, let me be kind and say, you're a fool! Your customers and employees are going to say it anyway. If they say it on your page, you have a chance to respond to it and turn the feedback into positive results. NOTE: When you're writing a response, don't be defensive. Thank people and tell them what you are going to do, not regurgitate what you did. If a package is lost, don't blame the post office - just send another one. The key to Facebook is positive interaction, not just interaction.