Six Simple Steps to a Great Greeting

By: Laurie Brown

Even though greeting your customer seems so basic, aren't you amazed at how often people fail to greet their customers properly - leaving them feeling ignored and poorly treated? A good greeting not only starts things off on the right foot, it can also build a strong foundation for the future.

You only have about five seconds to create an impression with your customers - make sure it is a good one! So, what are the elements of a good greeting?

1. First, do an attitude check. Before you start your workday, do a personal inventory: How you are feeling? Are you tense? Are you rested? Did you have a frustrating commute to work? Did you have an argument with someone? Be aware of how you are feeling and what you are thinking, and be sure to leave any negative emotions and thoughts at the door. You'll find it is very hard to naturally treat others well when you are distracted with other issues.

2. Immediate customer recognition. Don't wait even a couple of minutes to acknowledge your guest's presence. If you are in proximity of your customer, say hello. If you are with another customer you can still acknowledge them. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for someone to notice you. A simple nod of the head, eye contact, or a brief comment will let the person waiting know that you have seen them and will soon be with them. Whether you're the janitor or the CEO, say hello to a customer as soon as you can. No matter what your position - you're in the customer service business.

3. Make the greeting warm and sincere. Customers have sincerity radar. They can tell if you are "faking it." One of the best ways to ensure that your greeting is warm and sincere is by expressing your gratitude. The more that you can feel appreciative that this person has decided to do business with you, the better you will treat them.

4. Handshakes are optional. It is usually standard practice to make sure that EVERYONE gets a handshake, but there are many cultures that find a handshake inappropriate or even off-putting. As our world becomes more culturally diverse, the best tip is to wait with your hands at your side until the customer makes the first move and then respond by doing what they do, whether it's a handshake, a hug, or a bow.

5. Avoid asking, "How may I help you?" In a sales situation, this question allows the customer to say, "Just looking," at which point you are already at a disadvantage. It's better to start with, "How are you?" or a compliment on something they are wearing, such as, "Great glasses, where did you get them?" or even a comment on the weather. Conversation starters like these can often help you build rapport as you start to engage with intelligent questions that will uncover their buying motives.

6. Understand your customer. Begin your relationship with the true goal of finding out their wants and needs. Then try to make sure that you fulfill them. Working with this goal foremost in your mind will help define every action you take.

Following these six steps will help you start building greater rapport and trust with your customers. Take a simple greeting and turn it into the beginning of a potentially long and profitable relationship with your customer.

Why You Must Manage Expectations

By Craig Ballantyne

In the week before Christmas, my business partner and Early to Rise Publisher, Matt Smith, set up an automated reply to all emails he received. It read something along the lines of, "I'm taking a break this week and will not be responding to emails."

Not a problem. It was Christmas, most people were winding down the year, and there weren't any major issues I had to discuss with him. It was a no-stress situation.

But I made a mistake, and that was in taking the message literally without confirmation. I fully expected Matt to be back online the following week. But after three more days after Christmas receiving the same "I'm taking a break this week..." response, I started to get a little agitated. After all, we were working on some relatively important projects that were to begin immediately in the New Year. Now was the time I needed to get his approval on the contracts I had sent him by email.

As you can see, small changes in expectations can lead to disproportionately larger increases in stress.

Here's another example that I'm sure you have encountered. You wake up, whether at home or in a hotel room while on business travel, and you go to check your email. But your computer doesn't co-operate and the Internet isn't working. Your stress levels rise because you needed to check your email first thing in the morning for an important report, message, or meeting confirmation. You fully expected the Internet to be working and your expectations have not been met.

Contrast this to a Saturday morning when you're at home and your spouse or your kids alert you that the Internet is not functioning. They are not able to access their email or Facebook pages, but that's no stress to you because it is your day off and you had no plans – or expectations – to use the Internet at that time.

The same variable but with different expectations completely changes your stress level.

Stress is largely a factor of how your expectations are managed.

When running a business or managing employees, how you manage your own expectations and those of your team are critical to reducing stress and conflict. The solution to managing expectations is clear and concise communication.

Recently I was on the phone with one of my few executive coaching clients and we were discussing how to improve her schedule for productivity and to reduce unwarranted stress levels. She had been given a series of 'homework tasks' that she needed to complete in order to increase her work capacity while working less, and this included handing off of vital tasks to her assistants.

She reported back that some changes had gone smoothly, while others were stuck in the mud, and in fact, causing even more tension at home. When we looked at what had gone right and wrong, the answer was clear. She even pointed it out before I said anything.

The situations where the tasks had been delegated properly all worked because of clear, concise instructions given to her employees. The task instructions were specific with a clearly defined start and end time. Given the new set of rules, her employees were happy to help and had no problems freeing up more time for our entrepreneur. Expectations were managed on both ends. She knew was expected of them, and the employees knew what their boss expected from them.

It was all clear.

In contrast, where things didn't go as smoothly, problems resulted due to a lack of expectation management. The employees thought their boss wanted X, when in fact, my client wanted Y. Or in some cases, she wanted X to be done in a different way or at a different time.

The differences in expectations were not major, but enough to cause stress for both individuals.

There's an old saying, "Little hinges swing big doors". This fits the task of managing expectations. Tiny misses in expectations can lead to big swings in stress levels.

The bottom line is that you must be clear in all of your instructions. It must be made clear what you expect from business partners, employees, printers, delivery men, your hairdresser, your real estate agent, your waiter, and on and on and on.

On the flip side, you must also be realistic and flexible. You cannot expect perfection. There will always be a few broken yolks in your life. But if you expect this to happen, then you'll have the mindset to manage the set-backs. How you manage your own expectations is equally as important as how you manage the expectations of others.

When working to increase your productivity, be clear about your work goals, your work environment, your work time blocks, and what you expect from your employees and team members in terms of honoring all of the above.

Make these expectations well known and communicate them clearly. It will save you a lot of hassle and stress over time.

Why 80% Of Businesses Fail... And How You Can Be Sure You Beat The Odds

By Joe Polish

You've probably seen that bleak statistic before.... "50% of businesses fail within the first 5 years and 80% within the first 10 years." A Google search will bring up reports hovering anywhere from 60%-90% fail rate in the first 5-10 years. Whatever the case...there are a lot of businesses that fail. Period. So let's just make sure you aren't one of them.

Some people want to blame the poor economy, increased competition, and/or inflation for their failures. But there are plenty of people who have proven that success is possible in spite of these challenges. As I see it, there are three main reasons so many businesses meet with failure...

1. Lack of a good product or service.
2. Lack of good marketing.
3. Lack of buyers.

Your job is to simply not be "lacking" in those three areas and you can beat the odds and be successful... But in reality that's easier said than done or we wouldn't be looking at an 80% failure rate would we?

Offer A Good...No A Great...Product Or Service.

Pioneering business leader, Peter Drucker gave the simplest definition, and what he called the primary purpose of business... "To create (and keep) customers."

One of the major roles of being a successful business owner is to actually learn how to fulfill the needs and wants of your marketplace. Offer a product or service...whether it's something you conceive or represent...and deliver it so that your customers are so happy with the experience that they buy again and again.

Your job as a business owner is to exceed the expectations that clients have because every customer has expectations. And when you exceed those expectations they will do business with you over and over and over again. That's how you "keep" those customers.

Marketing...The Producer Of Your Success (Or Failure)

Peter Drucker nailed it again with this quote, "Marketing and innovation produce results, all other business functions are cost."

But I'm not just talking about throwing money at expensive advertising in hopes that you see a return on your investment or building an "image" or a "brand". No. I'm talking about effective direct response style marketing. This is the kind of marketing that provides results you can track. If more businesses learned and practiced effective, proven marketing techniques the 80% fail rate would dramatically flip to success.

You rarely see someone go out of business because their prices were too high or because they had too many customers. It's usually because they don't have enough customers and they're pricing themselves too low. Low prices squeeze margins and can render a business incapable of delivering a service or a product that meets or exceeds expectations. A lack of customers and competing by low price are the results of ineffective, uneducated marketing.

Buyers...Finding (And Keeping) Your Place In The Market.

What happens if your marketplace gets too competitive or "dries up?" When people get into the "trap" of major competition or find people no longer buying what it is they're selling, they need to change their approach and what they offer to fit what the marketplace actually wants. That means keeping your finger on the pulse of your market so that your business and marketing can evolve and you can innovate.

Remember These Four "M's"...

As a successful, high priced marketer for almost 20 years now, I've learned that there's four things you need in business to be successful. I call them "The Four M's"...Marketing...Margins...Management...and Model.

Model...Take A Look At The "Blueprint" Of Your Business...

What is your plan for generating revenues? This plan is your "model" or the "skeleton of your success". Your model is the foundation that holds all of the other working parts. A solid model can lead to the success of your business likewise a weak model may lead to its demise.

Margins.... "I Can't Believe It's Not Better"

Don't forget that you are in a numbers game. Most business owners make that mistake. Do you know your numbers? How much do you actually make on what it is you sell? If you don't know your margins, you might not be around (in business) long enough to find out.

Marketing...Yes Again...From Packaging To Profits

How do you effectively position, offer and uniquely package your products or services? I already touched on marketing but it's really so important to the success of a business that it deserves extra attention. Your marketing ultimately determines your paycheck. Get your marketing "dialed in" and you're already two steps ahead of your competition.

Management...I'm not Talking About People

The word "management" often conjures up ideas of managing a staff, but it doesn't necessarily mean managing people. Management is simply your ability to keep track of stuff. It can mean your ability to manage your staff, your products, your services, your marketing, your margins, and your profits. When you own a business you are managing everything that relates to making you money every day.

Your Weakest Link...

These four M's feed into each other and some of them are more critical to the formula of success than others. For example, I have never considered myself a great manager but learned such effective marketing that I was able to make high enough margins and develop a business model where based on those alone, I could do really well.

Prioritize your skills. After all, you could be the best manager in the world but if you have a weak model, poor margins, and your marketing isn't good, you are still not going to make enough money to survive in business.

Never forget what it is you're really doing when you have your own business...

Solving Problems For A Profit.

That's it. There is a lot of "problems" in the world. If you can solve them, you can make a lot of profits. If you don't know what "problems" you can solve, then find out what people are interested in buying and learn how to deliver them a solution in a confident, profitable manner.

If you do "solve people's problems" just a little bit better than all of the other competitors out there, not only will you beat the 80% failure rate, but you will most likely be one of the top 5% of your marketplace.

Simply because you are reading this article right now, you are probably already in that category....or very close. After all, I think the reason up to 80% of businesses fail (and this is my opinion) is because most people don't take the time to learn how to make their business succeed. (So congratulations on being one of those people that do.)

Remember as long as you aren't "lacking" in the three crucial areas of business, (product/service, marketing and marketplace) and as long as you have a good model, healthy margins, effective marketing, and capable management, you can go out there and "beat the odds". You can succeed.

US Mobile Ad Spending Soars Past Expectations - eMarketer

US Mobile Ad Spending Soars Past Expectations - eMarketer

How To Exit A Conversation And Leave A Killer, Lasting Impression

How To Exit A Conversation And Leave A Killer, Lasting Impression

B2B Decision-Makers Diversify Digital Research - eMarketer

B2B Decision-Makers Diversify Digital Research - eMarketer

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

By Ryan Murdoch

Life.

What's the point?

It seems everyone you ask has a different answer. And that's totally cool, because the only answer that matters is YOUR answer. The trick is to find an answer around which you can build a lifestyle that gets you to your goals.

But isn't life an absolute? Universal definitions of right and wrong? One divine purpose?

Some people think so, and that's fine as long as it works for them – and as long as they don't try to force that worldview on other people. I choose to believe that I define the purpose of my own life, and that my purpose can be anything at all, as long as I follow it with passion, commitment and drive.

And that's the key when it comes to realizing your goals. Having a clear sense of your own purpose

I don't think it's enough to merely "exist." To me that means doing all the stuff that society expects me to do. Plodding through an uneventful cardboard life someone else handed down to me. That life can be summed up in two obituary sentences: "Bob was a nice guy. He always did his duty."

Is that how you want to look back on your life when you finally reach the end?

We have so many choices, and more possibilities than we've ever had as a species! You don't have to be born into money to travel the world. You don't need family connections to make something of yourself – I came from a town of 4,500 people and had no advantages except my own talents, and I got out okay! You don't need anything handed to you. All you need is a plan and the determination to see it through.

I believe that in order to truly exist, we must fully manifest our talents and virtues. As Nietzche said, "becoming the person you really are."

That means taking the time to uncover your passion, and having the courage to live it. It also means completely rejecting the victim psychology that seems so prevalent in today's society.

I think it needs to be said flat out, because so much of society is sending us the opposite message. YOU are responsible for yourself. Responsible for what you do. Responsible for who you are. Responsible for the way you face the world and deal with it. You aren't a victim of your childhood or your past or your circumstances – unless you choose to be. There are no excuses.

That's a tremendously empowering realization, or at least it was for me. When I realized that I was responsible for myself, I stopped making excuses and I stopped waiting for others to help me. Instead, I started changing my life.

No, it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But it DOES get easier if you're clear about your purpose and you embrace it with passion. When you're driven by that purpose, when every action you take is aligned with it, it's easy to stay on track and nail every goal you set for yourself.

So that's your Lifestyle task.

If you already know your purpose, great! Sit down and think about it some more, and reevaluate the details of your life so you can continue to cut away those things that don't have anything to do with your purpose.

If you're not clear about your purpose, if you feel like you're living your life for someone else or for some vague notion of "society" and what it expects of you, don't despair quite yet...

Set aside an hour this week – or at least 30 minutes – to sit down with your journal and pen. Lock the door. Pour yourself a cup of tea, or shake up a classic cocktail of your choice. It's important to carve out this silence, because clarifying your purpose takes time. Quiet, uninterrupted time. If you're skimming across your life at high speed, it's impossible to dig down more deeply.

You might not figure out your purpose today, right now. But answering these questions will get you thinking in the right direction:

• What do you want in life?
• What experiences and accomplishments do you want to look back on?
• What do you want to be known for?
• What have been your greatest successes in life so far?
• What do you admire about other people?
• What are your most important values?
• What did you really enjoy doing as a kid at play?
• Describe your ideal job.
• Describe your ideal relationship.
• How do you most enjoy spending your time? When you've got free time, what do you fill it with?

Write down the first ideas that come into your head. Build on each one like a kid making a sandcastle. Don't stop to think about whether or not it's realistic, or whether you think you could really achieve it. Write in the third person if that helps, and pretend you're creating a character or alter ego: your "ideal self."

That's a good start.

Dear Readers:

Miracles take place every single day but they may slip right past our awareness if we have not tuned into their frequency. When we are scouting them out, our awareness is heightened and they appear right before us almost on command because we have correlated our desire with an intended outcome.

When you have your eyeglass prescription updated as I do yearly, the Doctor asks "is it better now or was it better before?" as you peer into the machine. The forward and backward clicking of the lenses causes one to think about how we are forever changing in this sense of sight as well as in all other ways too. As we change our lenses so too does our vision change.

Life can be seen through rose colored glasses or through a glass darkly as the poet states, but we determine the lens we use. 20/20 vision is for many people a vision that is achieved only by wearing prescription lenses. The Doctor helps us achieve this goal through his or her training and capacity to correct or improve our eyesight. Likewise, our vision involving hindsight, foresight, and insight are visionary mechanisms that occur mentally and spiritually inside of us and can also be aided by another's prescription. Books we read and the people we meet to quote Charlie T. Jones, are the significant ingredients to an improved life. If we truly want to move forward and advance toward our destiny, we must work hard to reach that goal. As Jeffrey Gitomer, a student of Charlie T. Jones reminds us, we must work hard at our goal and not just expect the universe to deliver it gift wrapped on our doorstep. We must want it to happen, and then consistently work to make it so.

Miracles are hard work, but they do happen. They take more than wishing. They take physical effort, dedication, persistence, personal initiative, and preparedness before a like-minded universe graces us with the opportunity to see our open niche and to align with a miracle in the making. Our true best self, or what Napoleon Hill calls our higher self, is the key to recognizing this opportunity. Remember to set a goal, reach higher and higher, and then catch that miracle as it travels toward your best self. Much like a salmon swimming upstream, you can achieve your goal but it does not come without effort.

Be Your Very Best Always,
Judy Williamson

How to Find Your Purpose in Life

By Ryan Murdoch

Life.

What's the point?

It seems everyone you ask has a different answer. And that's totally cool, because the only answer that matters is YOUR answer. The trick is to find an answer around which you can build a lifestyle that gets you to your goals.

But isn't life an absolute? Universal definitions of right and wrong? One divine purpose?

Some people think so, and that's fine as long as it works for them – and as long as they don't try to force that worldview on other people. I choose to believe that I define the purpose of my own life, and that my purpose can be anything at all, as long as I follow it with passion, commitment and drive.

And that's the key when it comes to realizing your goals. Having a clear sense of your own purpose

I don't think it's enough to merely "exist." To me that means doing all the stuff that society expects me to do. Plodding through an uneventful cardboard life someone else handed down to me. That life can be summed up in two obituary sentences: "Bob was a nice guy. He always did his duty."

Is that how you want to look back on your life when you finally reach the end?

We have so many choices, and more possibilities than we've ever had as a species! You don't have to be born into money to travel the world. You don't need family connections to make something of yourself – I came from a town of 4,500 people and had no advantages except my own talents, and I got out okay! You don't need anything handed to you. All you need is a plan and the determination to see it through.

I believe that in order to truly exist, we must fully manifest our talents and virtues. As Nietzche said, "becoming the person you really are."

That means taking the time to uncover your passion, and having the courage to live it. It also means completely rejecting the victim psychology that seems so prevalent in today's society.

I think it needs to be said flat out, because so much of society is sending us the opposite message. YOU are responsible for yourself. Responsible for what you do. Responsible for who you are. Responsible for the way you face the world and deal with it. You aren't a victim of your childhood or your past or your circumstances – unless you choose to be. There are no excuses.

That's a tremendously empowering realization, or at least it was for me. When I realized that I was responsible for myself, I stopped making excuses and I stopped waiting for others to help me. Instead, I started changing my life.

No, it's not easy. Nothing worthwhile is. But it DOES get easier if you're clear about your purpose and you embrace it with passion. When you're driven by that purpose, when every action you take is aligned with it, it's easy to stay on track and nail every goal you set for yourself.

So that's your Lifestyle task.

If you already know your purpose, great! Sit down and think about it some more, and reevaluate the details of your life so you can continue to cut away those things that don't have anything to do with your purpose.

If you're not clear about your purpose, if you feel like you're living your life for someone else or for some vague notion of "society" and what it expects of you, don't despair quite yet...

Set aside an hour this week – or at least 30 minutes – to sit down with your journal and pen. Lock the door. Pour yourself a cup of tea, or shake up a classic cocktail of your choice. It's important to carve out this silence, because clarifying your purpose takes time. Quiet, uninterrupted time. If you're skimming across your life at high speed, it's impossible to dig down more deeply.

You might not figure out your purpose today, right now. But answering these questions will get you thinking in the right direction:

• What do you want in life?
• What experiences and accomplishments do you want to look back on?
• What do you want to be known for?
• What have been your greatest successes in life so far?
• What do you admire about other people?
• What are your most important values?
• What did you really enjoy doing as a kid at play?
• Describe your ideal job.
• Describe your ideal relationship.
• How do you most enjoy spending your time? When you've got free time, what do you fill it with?

Write down the first ideas that come into your head. Build on each one like a kid making a sandcastle. Don't stop to think about whether or not it's realistic, or whether you think you could really achieve it. Write in the third person if that helps, and pretend you're creating a character or alter ego: your "ideal self."

That's a good start.

Want to take that process one step further? The most helpful "lifestyle" book I've ever read was, "How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World" by Harry Browne. I reread it every 3 to 5 years to keep myself on track. It's out of print and used copies are expensive, but you can find PDF versions online. Get it. Read it. Apply it.

Living the life of your choice starts now.

Brand Advertising Outshines Direct Response in Digital - eMarketer

Brand Advertising Outshines Direct Response in Digital - eMarketer

Dear Readers:

At times you may wonder how people withstand what they are going through in life. Seeing others experience suffering causes you to reflect on how blessed your life may really be. Many people are "in pain" emotionally, mentally, socially, spiritually, and/or physically and manage not to show it. In remembering this fact, the saying: "There but for the grace of God go I," is a good way to bring it all into perspective. At times, my plate is full of concerns and issues that I deal with in life, and at other times I am not as busy or preoccupied. When I have a moment to reflect on what someone else may be experiencing, I find that I become more compassionate as I relate to where they are coming from in life. Walking a mile in someone else's shoes truly does enable you to become more caring and understanding.

One of my goals this year is not to jump to conclusions or pre-judge anyone. If I feel like not talking to someone or not listening to someone's problems, I try to remind myself that I may be in similar circumstances myself in the future. Then, how would I feel if no one listened or even tried to understand what I was telling them? I would feel neglected and marginalized at best. At the worst, I would feel discounted or not worthy of their personal attention - in a word, dehumanized.

It is important to treat everyone with respect. If we model that behavior it will come back around to serve us. As you give respect you will receive it. Many perfectly capable people request special considerations because they feel that they have "earned" those privileges. In reality, they have not but are just asking for more because they can. Others who are truly in need soldier through and never request assistance. Entitlement is not an active word in their vocabulary.

I admire people who cause you to take a second look because of something they have not done. For example, 1) They do not request an exemption to the rules. 2) They do not look for pity. 3) They focus on others rather than themselves. 4) They give before they get. 5) They refrain from complaining. 6) They press on even when not feeling 100%. 7) They seldom talk about themselves, but rather ask you how you are doing. 8) They also inquire about persons significant to you. 9) They model positive behavior. And, 10) They acknowledge a Higher Power.

So, given the characteristics of those who walk the talk, isn't it time you ask yourself if you are on the pain free program? Take the above ten step prescription and check your results in a week!

How to Steer Clear of the "Rat Race" in Your Service Business

By Jason Leister

As a professional service provider, I'm guessing that you enjoy pretty good profit margins in your business.

I know that, for me, past some small overhead in the form of technology infrastructure, and some marketing expenses, my service business is virtually all profit.

So pretty much everything I make, I keep.

In a situation like that, it's easy to fall into the trap of measuring your success by measuring your income. While that might make sense, I think that determining your true level of "success" requires that you get just a bit more complicated with your measurements.

Here's the reason why:

Using your level of income as a barometer of your success leaves out any mention of your most valuable asset (and biggest expense) as a service professional.

That asset is your time.

What's the Cost of Your Time?

The short answer is, I have no idea what the cost of your time is.

Time is valuable. Actually, its value is beyond measure. And trying to figure out its "cost" isn't something I'm going to attempt.

Instead, I'd recommend that you start measuring the amount of return (money) you get for each unit of time invested. In other words, as time goes by, are you making more per hour of work invested or less?

Measuring your income simply isn't enough to know if you're making progress in your business.

I'd take a business generating $400,000 a year working 3 hours a day over a business generating $1,000,000 per year working 19 hours per day.

Working 19 hours a day sounds like a terrible way to live. (If you can even call that living.)

By having a clear picture of your return on each unit of time you invest in your business, you know whether you're getting somewhere or if you're just stuck in a rat race.

Charging For Your Time is a Dead End

It should come as no surprise that charging for your services in time based units is a dead end. I'm not going to say I've never done it, but I am going to say it's never been a smart move.

I'll save the big lecture about why charging for your time is a crazy pursuit for another day. Just understand that if you're looking for a lifestyle that is far worse than being a 9-5 slave in an office cubicle, just go out on your own and start charging for your time.

You will quickly learn how suffocating that can be.

The simple reason is that in order to increase your income, you have to work longer, or raise your rates.

This is not a smart position to put yourself in.

Even though I wouldn't recommend charging for your time, at the end of the day, we all do have a value placed on each minute of our day.

Want to figure out what yours is?

What's Your Time Worth 101

To figure out what your time is worth, ask yourself this question: "How much revenue did I generate today? And how much time did me take to do it?"

Hmmmm...

This kind of question isn't always so easy to answer in a service business. Especially if you sell a project one week but don't deliver it until well into the future.

Even though it might get a little bit messy, it's a good idea to figure out what each hour of your time is worth.

I'm not talking about what you want to charge for each hour, I'm talking about what you receive per each hour invested in your business.

Do you know what that number is?

For me, I know that when I'm performing at my best, doing the thing I do best (writing copy), I'm able to generate upwards of about $1,000 per hour of work invested. (For example, one salesletter at $10,000 with 10 hours of work to create it.) Sometimes it's less of course, but that number represents the best case scenario right now.

It's Not About How Much Money You Make, It's About How You Make the Money

The reason that getting a number like this in your head is so important is so you have a clear idea about whether you are moving forward in your business or backwards.

To do that, you have to measure your results and know whether your "number" is growing or shrinking over time.

In my case, if my "number" is still $1,000 per hour of work invested next year, I have a problem.

My amount generated per hour invested should be increasing over time. So should yours. That's the goal.

If you haven't stopped to figure out these types of things for your own business, do it today.

If you're in a situation where you are charging for your time, make a plan to stop it ASAP. You deserve better.

In the end, you need to know which direction you are going in your business so you can make smart decisions.

Without this knowledge, you have no idea whether your business is serving your life or you're using up your life in service of your business.

Mobile Video Provides Biggest Growth for Ad Support - eMarketer

Mobile Video Provides Biggest Growth for Ad Support - eMarketer

Mastering Your Inner Game By Dan Kennedy

We're going to talk about the inner game of building your business. I believe that the inner game is simply all-important. "The inner game" is a new term for a classic idea explained many different times, many different ways by virtually every success educator, and even philosophers. In the book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill reveals the secret using the words, "thoughts are things." Dennis Waitley has worked with U.S. astronauts and Olympic athletes on their inner games. Author Tim Galloway explores the ideas of his books, The Inner Game of Golf, The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Selling. Interestingly, there is a never-ending connection between the inner game in sport and the inner game in business, allowing experts like Waitley, Galloway, ex-quarterback Fran Tarkenton and golfer Arnold Palmer, among others, to step back and forth between expounding on success techniques in the athletic and business worlds. In all cases, these people speak much more about attitudes than aptitudes for a good reason. Surveys, studies and research consistently reaffirm that 85% of your success will depend on attitudinal factors, 15% on aptitude. Yet in your formal education and in most continuing education, the emphasis is on the opposite - 15% on attitude, 85% on aptitude. Certainly technical knowledge and skills are important. In your profession, you must deliver excellence based on your staying up to date in techniques, products, materials and ideas. However, such excellence alone will never build a successful, growing, profitable business. The excellence that will is an excellence created and sustained in your own mind. This is the most difficult, least tangible aspect of building your business that we'll ever talk about, but it is also probably the most important. Yeah, but what is it? So what is the inner game? The way I see it, the inner game can be broken down into four major components: *    Self esteem *    Self image *    Self confidence *    Self discipline Quality in these four areas is a necessary foundation to personal and professional success. Self Esteem Self Esteem is essentially your feelings of worth. How much success do you deserve? How much money should you make? How much is your time worth? Here, briefly, are seven ideas for strengthening self-esteem: 1.    Establish worthwhile, meaningful goals and values. 2.    Take massive action to get your own financial house in order if it isn't now. Reduce debt, bring expenses under income, and invest every single month. 3.    Give yourself recognition for each and every accomplishment. 4.    Manage your time productively. Procrastination and disorganization rob many people of their self-esteem. 5.    Associate with positive-minded, happy people who encourage and motivate you. Don't hang out with folks who are negative, unhappy, critical or jealous. 6.    Continually acquire new know-how in your profession and in the areas of business, sales and communication. 7.    Regularly invest in improving your office and home environments, tools and equipment, wardrobe and other external things that impact on your attitudes.  Self Image Self-image is how you see yourself; it's who you think you are. Your self-image is controlled mostly by self-imposed limits. Very few people ever perform beyond those self-imposed limits. A salesman whose father never earned more than $25,000 a year in his life may well see himself as a $25,000 a year guy. And he will subconsciously screw up the opportunities to earn more that come his way. In the financial area, the controversial Reverend Ike calls this a money rejection syndrome, and I am convinced that such a thing definitely exists. One man I know, who made over $100 million in his business in its first three years from scratch, had gone broke in business several times before. After the three years of remarkable success, he said, "Making $100 million is about the easiest thing I've ever done. Believing it could happen to me was the hard part that took 20 years." Your self-image was created and is sustained through self talk, the use of affirmations - and that is also the method you can use to alter and modify your self image, literally as you wish. I call the process self image goal setting, because most people who set goals set only "to get" and "to have" goals; they fail to set "to be" goals. I encourage you to balance your approach to goal setting by including some self-image modification. Self Discipline Self-Discipline, the fourth component of the inner game, is quite possibly the most important. Success lecturer Jim Rohn says that most people do not associate lack of discipline with lack of success. Most people think of failure as one earth-shattering event, such as a company going out of business or a home being foreclosed on. This, however, Jim Rohn says, is how failure happens. Failure is rarely the result of some isolated event; rather, it is a consequence of a long list of accumulated little failures, which happen as a result of too little discipline. I agree. I find that most people understandably tend to look everywhere but in the mirror for the sources of their failures as well as the victories. I'm here to tell you it's not the town you're in, not your location, not the economy, not the weather, not your competitors - it's your own discipline that makes the difference between excellence or mediocrity, between getting by or getting rich. It's interesting to observe professionals. I often say to my associates, "Let me watch the professional's behavior before, during and after the seminar, and I'll guess his annual income within a few thousand dollars." It's actually pretty easy to do. Jim Rohn says that discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment. I'd encourage you to take the self-discipline challenge very seriously. Select those areas that you know are your weakest links - timely paperwork, punctuality, daily self-improvement study, being happy and enthusiastic first thing in the morning, whatever your personal stumbling blocks are - and apply new, tough, demanding disciplines to yourself in those areas. You'll find that success in these particular areas of your day-to-day life will roll over into greater success in all parts of your life. For example, let's look at the ultimate game players - professional football players. A pro ball player knows that every single moment of his on-the-job performance is recorded on film, to be replayed and reviewed later in stop-action slow motion, for critique by his superiors and co-workers. If your day was filmed and reviewed, how would you feel during the replay? Of course, the professional football players who have to put up with this sort of thing are highly paid. Yes, the inner game stuff is tough. If being a big success were easy, everybody would be one. You've got to decide what you really want to be, do, have, accomplish - and decide whether or not you're willing to adhere to the disciplines necessary to get it. In order to have the opportunity to accomplish virtually any goals you honestly desire, you must accept the related responsibility for everything you get.

Google Merges Search and Google+ Into Social Media Juggernaut

Google Merges Search and Google+ Into Social Media Juggernaut

5 Easy Steps for Maximum All-Day Energy

By Isabel De Los Rios

I often hear people say...

"I just wish there were more hours in the day so I could get more done."

But I don't think more time is what most people need.

I think what many people could really use to get more accomplished each and every day is... ENERGY

Often I talk to people who really do have more than enough hours in the day; they just don't have enough energy to accomplish all of life's constant To Do's.

As a busy mom of 2 small children and owner of my own business, having enough energy to accomplish the many tasks required of me each day is "mission critical". Without energy, there's no way I'm going to be able to exercise, work all day, take care of my children and my home, and still find some time for activities like reading and outdoor play.

Here are the 5 things I do DAILY to ensure that I am always functioning at top speed. And no that does not mean I'm constantly running. But it does mean that I'm maximizing the time I have each and every day by keeping my energy levels high all day.

1. Include a healthy protein source into every one of your meals (this includes snacks as well).

Healthy sources of protein and good fat slow down the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose (sugar) in your blood stream, keeping your blood sugar stable throughout the day. Many times the "crash" people feel after lunch or breakfast is their blood sugar spiking high and then "crashing" real low because they ate a meal that was carbohydrate dense and not balanced with enough protein.

Adding in a healthy protein source like organic eggs, natural meats or poultry, wild fish and raw nuts can ensure your blood sugar doesn't go on a rollercoaster ride every time you eat. So instead of grabbing pretzels from the vending machine in the afternoon, go for some raw almonds and a fruit and that will keep your energy levels sustained for the rest of the afternoon.

2. Stay hydrated all day.

Most people know they should be drinking water, but what they don't know is that it directly affects their energy levels throughout the day. Consider this: your brain is approximately 80% water. Staying hydrated helps you maintain mental energy while avoiding fatigue and headaches. Water also plays a vital role in your body's ability to flush toxins. Organs have to work harder when you don't have enough water, thus, causing fatigue.

3. Be cautious with caffeine intake.

I am not suggesting you completely eliminate your morning java or your breakfast tea. But many people take their "cup of joe" and turn it into "way too many cups of joe". Yes, caffeine will give you a quick boost in energy, but will almost always send you crashing just a few hours later.

Caffeinated beverages will also dehydrate your body, and dehydration will cause you to feel fatigued (tip #2). Try to keep your caffeine beverages to a maximum of 1-2 per day. I would also suggest drinking those before 1pm as drinking caffeine any later than that can disrupt your ability to fall asleep that night.

4. Beware of "white" carbs.

"White Carbs"(breads, pastas, cereals, baked goods) break down quickly causing a fast spike in blood sugar. You'll feel a quick rush of energy, but then a big drop...causing your energy (and your mood) to drop along with it. Also, when too much sugar floods the system all at once, your body can't use it all for energy and converts it to stored fat.

While it is correct that carbs give you energy, too many carbs at once will actually lead to fatigue and lethargy. I would highly suggest keeping the "white carbs" to a minimum and eating healthier, fibrous carbs like oats, quinoa, sweet potatoes and a variety of fruits and vegetables. And always be sure to eat those carbs alongside a healthy protein (tip #1).

5. Do a quick 5-minute mini-exercise circuit at any point during the day.

Yes, even a quick 5-minute exercise routine is enough to get your blood circulating, sending more oxygen to your muscles and brain and giving you a boost in energy. Quick bursts of exercise will also increase your metabolism, not only helping you keep the excess pounds off, but giving you a burst of energy as well.

If I start to feel the "afternoon energy crash", I will get up from my office chair and do 1 minute of body weight squats, 1 minute of pushups over my desk, 1 minute of jumping jacks, and 2 minutes of lower and upper body stretches. It may not sound like very much, but I assure you that in less than 5 minutes, I am "pumped" and ready to get back to work.

Give the above 5 suggestions a try and you will see firsthand that you do have more than enough hours in each day when you energy levels are at their maximum all day long.

Five practical ways to raise your consciousness in 2012 (and beyond)

Five practical ways to raise your consciousness in 2012 (and beyond)

7 Steps to Establishing Yourself as an Industry Leader

By Craig Ballantyne

In the summer of 2000 I was finishing up my master's thesis in Exercise Physiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (Canada's 'steeltown'). At the time, I lived with two buddies, and the only computer with Internet access in our house was in my friend's room in his basement apartment.

One Saturday afternoon, after getting home from running tests in the lab, I noticed my roommate was out at one of his Kung Fu classes, and so I went down to look for job opportunities on a fitness website.

It was during this fateful Internet search that I stumbled across the email address of the fitness editor for Men's Health magazine, the biggest fitness publication in the world. I decided to take a chance and send him my latest fitness email newsletter, even though it had only 150 subscribers.

A few days later the editor replied back, and wanted to use a piece from my article in an upcoming issue. Just like that I had instant credibility. This one opportunity would be the foundation for the exponential growth of my fitness information publishing business over the next 10 years.

It allowed me to become a leader in my industry, and that has made all the difference. And today we're going to cover my favorite advanced leadership mindset and marketing tips I was taught by one of my mentors, Dan Kennedy. These 7 steps will help you break the 6-figure and even 7-figure barriers in your business by establishing yourself as leader in your industry and niche market.

1) You Must Have Extreme Self-confidence

Your business is not only about selling your product. It's also about attracting people who want everything you have to offer. Your business is YOU. It doesn't matter if you run a shop on main street in your town or a website serving people from all over the globe, you must be confident that what you bring to the world is unique and different from everyone else offering similar products.

2) You Must Take Action and Implement What You Learn

This step is not nearly as much fun as thinking big, but it is just as essential. The most successful people in the world are action takers. They don't think too much, they just get it done. If you're struggling with implementing what you know, then set more deadlines in your business. If you already have deadlines, cut them in half. Be bold. If you have a product planned for release in 3 months, cut that back and set a deadline of 2 months. You'll find a way to get it done and you'll be one step closer to being a leader in your industry. Life rewards action.

3) You Can Never Be Satisfied

You can never rest or try to sustain status quo. As Kennedy says, "You must be finding the replacement for the replacement."

If you are a salesperson having a record year, you must still be looking into the future and planning for when sales aren't as easy. You must continue to stay hungry and remain on top of the trends in your industry.

Likewise, if you're an online information marketer, it doesn't matter if you are getting 10,000 visitors per day to your site from Search Engine Optimization and affiliates, if you don't keep coming up with new stuff, eventually your traffic will dwindle and your business will die.

Keep learning and networking, and never be satisfied as long as you remain in business.

4) Really Big Thinking – "Make no little plans"

This is my favorite step on the list. I just love to think big, and to plan and predict future opportunities for my business. It's a great exercise to do on airplanes, because research shows we're more creative when we get outside of our daily work environment – plus, it's much more productive than watching a movie you've seen before.

When it comes to big thinking, always be conceive and believe that you will achieve great plans. You must be sure of yourself that you will dominate your chosen niche. You must not be afraid to create bigger and bolder ideas everyday and always be looking for markets where you can charge top dollar, and bigger projects and products that will allow you to do so.

5) You Must Work on the Macro and Micro Components of Your Business

Everyone wants to be the "idea guy", but if you want to succeed you have to force yourself to be good at ideas, follow through, and details. You need to have every aspect of copy, product creation, and lead generation in place if you want to create a 6-figure or 7-figure income.

6) You Must Develop Multiple, High-Value Skills

It's not enough to be just a good speaker, or salesperson, or product creator. We need multiple skills. First we have to identify an opportunity, then generate leads, then build interest in our prospects, then persuade our prospects to become customers, and finally deliver extreme value and service. Don't just stop when you've become good in one area of expertise.

You also need to develop the skill of learning how to say NO. Too many folks spread themselves too thin, so you have to decide what projects are right for you and will advance your business.

7) Always Focus on Strategic Associations

If you sit at home and think you can avoid seminars and mastermind groups yet still develop powerful affiliate and business relationships, you are sorely mistaken. You need to be at seminars, having conversations in the hallways and at the bar, meeting new people online and offline.

Listen, by nature I'm an introverted person. A highly introverted person. I'd much rather read a book than introduce myself to a stranger. But guess what? Of all the strangers I've introduced myself to at the dozens of conferences I've attended, not one of them has bit me. And many of them have become friends, and a few of them have become lifelong business partners.

In fact, I might never have had my chance to run Early to Rise if it wasn't for a Mastermind group I joined where I met Matt Smith, my business partner. So get out there. Go to seminars and events. Plan ahead and have a list of people to meet and questions to ask AND people that you can help. Never go empty handed or without a plan.

Follow those 7 steps to start building a serious business and you'll soon join the ranks of leaders in your industry.

Free Day™ Breakthrough

By Dan Sullivan

A Free Day™ is a 24-hour period free from all work-related thinking, communication, and activity. In all my years of coaching entrepreneurs, Free Days™ are the change they most often thank me for helping them make. They help you stay creative at work, keep you physically and mentally healthy, and deepen your relationships with the people in your life who matter most.

Even if you know all this and agree with it, when you're under pressure or facing unexpected upheaval, you might start thinking of Free Days as a luxury that's hard to justify. That's why it's important to regularly reinforce the Free Day habit, consistently protecting them and taking them, because Free Days are the last thing you should give up in tough times.

When people "fall off the wagon" and begin losing the productivity gains they've made, it usually starts with compromising their personal free time. It may start innocuously with, "I'll just get this one thing done," then gradually slide into a state of living in a "Reactive Zone" where each new thing becomes even more complicated because they have no new energy for dealing with it.

The flip side of this experience is using Free Days to make sure as much of your work time as possible is spent in the "Creative Zone" where things seem easier, your relationships are more enjoyable and helpful, you've got lots of new ideas, your actions are effective, and you're doing all this without creating new messes.

The three biggest obstacles to taking Free Days are panic, guilt, and confusion:

• Panic: "I'll take Free Days when this is all over."
• Guilt: "How can I take a vacation when my team has to work?"
• Confusion: "What will I do if I'm not at work?"

Let's look at each of these three:

"I'll take Free Days when this is all over."

Of course, it's never over – there's always something you could be doing for your business. The most successful entrepreneurs, however, evolve out of being "Rugged Individuals" who do everything themselves, and learn to delegate, empower others, and focus on doing what they do best.

These skills become even more important when emergencies happen. Besides, when you go too long without taking Free Days, everything starts to seem like an emergency. Driving this feeling of panic is the notion that, should you step away, there would be a complete catastrophe. In our experience, though, stepping back creates simplicity.

"How can I take a vacation when my team has to work?"

By starting your own business and raising it to its current level of success, you've taken risks and poured a lot of yourself into the company. Your team members (who get weekends, annual leave, and statutory holidays off) haven't made this kind of investment, so it's perfectly appropriate if you're rewarded differently. And if you really want to be of service to your team members, remember that you're far more valuable to them when you're fully rejuvenated and present.

Entrepreneurs ask us, "How can I get my team to work on their own, without having to constantly come to me?" Leave from time to time, that's how! When you're not there, your team members get a chance to catch up and to learn how to make decisions and take action independent of you.

"What will I do if I'm not at work?"

This is the biggest obstacle for many entrepreneurs. Work is rewarding–you're good at it. You get things for being good at it. The rewards in other parts of your life might be less tangible or measurable, and you might not be as good at them. Consistently going back to work–either physically or mentally–can quickly become a habit.

My experience from working with thousands of entrepreneurs is that one-dimensional people are vulnerable to losses in other areas of their life, such as deteriorations in their marriage or health. And paying exclusive attention to work isn't even a good business strategy, since business ultimately becomes the only thing you know. Creativity always involves an element of novelty.

No matter how much you love your work, there are always other realms in life that can give you opportunities to use your capabilities. And what's all this success you're building actually for if not to provide you with a rich life? Free Days are an investment in your future happiness and productivity that you won't regret.

Strategies for taking great Free Days.

It takes some practice to get the hang of Free Days, and, like diet and exercise, they need to be an active part of your life, not just something you know would be good for you. Luckily, the practice is its own reward!

Here are some strategies that really work:

1) Schedule your Free Days in advance.

As you look over the time ahead, try to schedule Free Days just before periods when you know you'll need to be your most productive. Think of it this way: one vacation, one breakthrough; two vacations, two breakthroughs; and on and on.

By booking your Free Days in advance, or even putting someone else in charge of your Free Days, you save yourself from having to justify or negotiate them with others–or yourself–at the time.

2) Do what you really want to do.

Don't make your Free Days just a different set of obligations, spending the whole day doing things for everyone but you. You might be rejuvenated by spending time on your own, or by being surrounded by other people. You may enjoy high-energy activities or quiet time. For some, a natural environment is a soothing break from our technological civilization.

Whatever you choose, it's important that it's consistent with who you are and what you need. If you're planning Free Days with friends or family members, involving them in the planning will ensure that you come up with something everyone enjoys.

If you're stuck for Free Day ideas, check in with your lifetime goals, and see if there's anything you can do that will move you closer to them. Or you might want to start small and achieve something you've been meaning to get to for a long time.

3) Let your team members help you.

Your team members can see when you're tired, even if you haven't noticed yourself falling into that state. When it seems like they're not understanding you or that they're just not "getting it," that's a sign that you need Free Days–and they have a vested interest in helping you take them! Their results depend on your creativity, for one. And you can be sure they prefer working with the rested and rejuvenated version of you.

4) Train your clientele.

There are two ways you can wean your clients and customers off having constant access to you. First, help them understand that Free Days mean that when they do get to be with you, you will always be fully charged and present with them.

Second, in certain areas, your team members have specific talents that actually enable them to take better care of these clients and customers than you can. So, in presenting this change, you can reassure your clientele that you're leaving them in the hands of a specialist. If they're properly introduced to this concept and the transition is smooth, their experience of your business can actually improve:

Getting less of you personally can be an opportunity for them to get more of the value they come to you for.

Do one thing.

If you don't already have a Free Day strategy in place, just start where you are and do one thing–book a single Free Day, brainstorm about locations or activities for your free time, or have a conversation with your spouse or friends about something you could do together. All that matters is that you do something, however small, to start developing the Free Day habit.

The most successful entrepreneurs manage to achieve a balance between their personal and professional lives. If you consider that balance an important part of your lifetime goals, Free Days can provide a crucial strategic tool for making sure you attain it, and that you enjoy all the freedom your success affords you.

Resolution Revolution

Resolution Revolution

.
It's the hap-happiest time of the year.
Or is it?

Along with the holidays, time off, gift-giving, and the enchantment of Santa Clause, comes the reality of the new year and those new year resolutions. And, if you are like me, those resolutions are filled with excitement and determination for two or four weeks before they fall and fail behind.

There is only one year that my resolutions stuck - 2010. I had three resolutions and I succeeded on them all.

1. Reduce Debt. (I reduced it by over half by the end of the year!)
2. Spend more time with friends. (I started having a regular girls night with my nearest and dearest girl friends - mani/pedis anyone?!)
3. Finish a race, 5 or 10K. (I completed both!)

How do I remember these three resolutions? Because they were written down, but not just written down, they were printed out, laminated, and put in my wallet where I would see it every time I used my debit card or grabbed some cash. And that was the difference - the constant and nagging reminder to keep me on track. A special thank you to my fiance, John, who had the idea to print them out and laminate them!

When was the last time you made your resolutions a reality?

I recommend you try the resolution revolution that I did in 2010, so that you can make your 2012 the year you did what you said you would.

Here are the steps to your own resolution revolution:

1. Produce. Take the time to really think about your resolutions. Pick three goals you want to stick with for the entire year. Maybe make a personal goal, a professional goal, and a stretch goal - one that you may think is just out of reach. Produce goals that will make you proud when you accomplish them.

2. Prepare. Once you have the resolutions figured out, write them down, and start to prepare. Specifically, you need to mentally prepare. The hardest part of being successful, with any goal, is getting your mindset in the right place. This year one of my goals is to shed for the wedding - I'm taking the time between Christmas and New Years to prepare, both by getting the fitness equipment and memberships I need as well as getting my mind in the right place. I'm actually getting excited about starting up running again (not something many people get excited about) - it's been over a year!

3. Plan. Think of small ways to plan to achieve your goals. For my 2010 goal of reducing my debt, I planned how much money above my minimum credit card payments I could make, then set them up on auto payment. I also determined how to save more money and made a large lump sum payment at the end of the year. That feeling of accomplishment was one of my proudest moments. Relieving myself of over 50% of my debt in one year was amazing AND only possible by my planning, all year long.

4. Partner. Probably the most crucial part of the revolution, is finding someone to partner with on your resolutions. John and I both told each other our goals and helped keep each other accountable through out the entire year - not just the first few weeks or months of the year. Your partner doesn't have to be your spouse, it can be your BFF, a co-worker, your mom, or anyone else you trust and will respect when they tell you to get your butt back on track!

I know you are probably whispering in your head, "Easier said than done, Stephanie!" and you would be wrong. It is just that easy: produce, prepare, plan, and partner and you'll make your own resolution revolution.

I still have my laminated card, because they are resolutions for life, not just one year. See my Resolution Revolution Card here.

I wish you the most successful and hap-happiest new year of all!

How to Get More Done

By Craig Ballantyne

In order to squeeze the most productivity out of your day – so that you have the satisfaction of accomplishment, rather than the dreaded feeling of another 'lost day' – you really need to have a plan.

And the plan not only shows you what you should be doing, but what you need to avoid as well.

Both my private coaching clients and I have found that we can dramatically increase the amount of work we get done – and free time we have – when we script our day, and I'll show you exactly how to do that in a second. But first, there's a cool little secret "Millionaire's time management" method that I want to share with you.

I first heard this trick from Donald Trump's lead lawyer, George Ross. George himself is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and he learned this from Trump himself.

Here's what George recommended. "Get a simple notebook and carry it around for the next three days. Break the page up into 15-minute blocks and write down what you are doing each day at those times."

Let's say your workday starts at 8am. You'll set up your notebook like this:

8:00
8:15
8:30
8:45
9:00.
Etc.

And then you'll just make notes beside each time.

You'll quickly identify your time wasting habits, as well as when you are most productive – that's what I call your magic time. The next step is to identify solutions for overcoming the time wasting and to increase the time spent being productive.

For example, maybe you check your email every day at 9:30, and then you start cycling through news websites. That's a habit that must be broken if you want to build more productivity into your day.

And that's where scripting your day comes in.

As legendary small business coach, Dan Kennedy, says, "If you don't plan your day, someone else will plan it for you."

So that's why I now script my day, and try to do so several days in advance.

Each night, before you end your work day, you need to script out the next work day. Here are some tips on how to do this...

– Decide what you are going to get done.
– Assign blocks of time to it.
– Get it done & stick to your time limits.

It's that simple. This also means blocking out unexpected calls and not allowing for anyone else to come marching in to your office to steal your time.

You can, and should script your day from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep. Of course, you need to put in relaxation time, and free time where you can do whatever you want. But if you find the time 'gets away from you' at home and at work, and therefore you miss your workouts, you don't get projects done in a timely fashion, or you're missing out on family events, simply scripting your day will improve your ability to manage your time and energy.

You also need to make sure you protect what I called your "Magic Time". This is where you are able to accomplish more in a short time than you would in a much longer time at any other point in the day. Essentially, your magic time is your most effective time of the day.

For me, the time is first thing in the morning, and that's when I get my best writing done, and when I do it the fastest.

Now you might not be a writer or a morning person, but there's something that you do better each day during a specific time of the day. Whatever it is that you are doing that is important to you, make sure that your scripted day includes a block of time set aside for your magic time.

So again, at the end of each day, script tomorrow's day.

– Decide what you are going to get done.
– Assign blocks of time to those activities.
– Get it done & stick to your time limits.

Now you have the five minute recipe for a more productive day and better time management.

YES! Attitude Creates Word of WOW! Marketing

By: Tomas Lydalh

We've all heard about how important attitude is and how it affects us. I am sure you've heard of how much better you will feel when you look at the positive side of things... when you think positive thoughts, you will become a positive person. It is not always easy, however, to just change your attitude by trying to think positive thoughts. What if you did certain things, instead, that created positive feelings inside you?

Here is a short story that shows how certain actions will ensure a YES! Attitude - even if your day doesn't start with a WOW!

When I was working for the Marriott Corporation, I had a boss that was always in a good mood. Every day he came to work with a big smile on his face and always replied with tons of energy "I am fantastic!" when asked the question; "How are you doing?" He also always found something on which to compliment people - like how they looked or the work they've done. This happened every single day.

The interesting point here is how this behavior affected everybody who met him. Everybody smiled and asked him what he had for breakfast or what kind of drugs he was on. "I just think life is great!" he replied. You couldn't help feeling better when you saw him and talked to him. His attitude was contagious!

The same thing happened to every customer that talked to him as well. They smiled and felt better by his smile, energy, and compliments. More importantly, they always bought whatever he suggested.

One day I was alone with him in his office and asked him sincerely, "Are you really 'fantastic' every single day?" He replied, "Of course not, but by saying it over and over again, it makes me feel that way sooner or later. The more smiles and surprised faces I see, the better I feel. By telling others and myself that I am fantastic, I convince my mind that I am - but the thing that really creates the state of fantastic is when I make others feel good about themselves. When I see how great they feel by one of my compliments, fantastic is the only way to feel."

Both the employees and customers loved him. His reputation was WOW!

People struggle to stay positive in all different situations because they focus on how they feel. Don't focus on how you feel - rather, create the feeling you want by doing the things that make you feel great! Making other people feel great works every single time.

Make each day a WOW! day with a YES! Attitude:

• Get up an hour earlier (YES! An hour earlier! It will be worth it, I promise!)
• Get your coffee (or whatever you drink in the morning) and start to think about everything for which you are thankful. Your health, family, friends, house, etc.
• Get an inspiring book and read for a few minutes - two pages or an entire chapter. Whatever you feel like. Then ask yourself, "What can I do today to make this day a WOW! day?
• Commit to making everyone you meet feel great about themselves.

This list will set you up for creating a great day instead of getting up at the last minute and rushing through the morning feeling stressed the whole day.

By committing to making everyone you meet feel great about themselves, you will feel great too. Imagine coming to work and getting smiles from everybody because of the person you are. They will think you are WOW!

Imagine making every customer feel great, special, and important. Do you think they will buy more from you? Do you think they will refer more business to you? Absolutely! They will think WOW! of you!

Imagine all business contacts thinking WOW! of you. Think you'd get more referrals?

YES! Attitude can be created every day if you focus on taking the right actions. A YES! Attitude will create a WOW! buzz about you - and hey, what's wrong with a little Word of WOW! Marketing?

5 tips to improve your sales success in 2012

January 03, 2012

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By Sean McGinnis
Many entrepreneurs hate selling. Selling is a very time-intensive process and can be frustrating, even among experienced sales professionals. But sales is the lifeblood of your fledgling business.
As we begin the climb out of one of the worst economy we've seen in the last 30 years, it's important that you get motivated and set aside dedicated selling time. Without new customers, your business runs the risk of sliding backward or failing in 2012, just as the economy begins to improve.
Here are five tips that will put you on the path to sales success in 2012:
1. Create a target list of prospects. With any endeavor, it's important to begin at the beginning, and selling is no exception. Your first task is to create a list of prospects and referral sources to contact in 2012. This list can include existing customers, former customers, carryover prospects from 2011, and other businesses or consumers you would love to work with in 2012. You want this list to be as all-inclusive as possible. You can expand your list or add to it as new leads and inquiries come into the business throughout the year.
2. Segment this list for action. Taking the time to segment the list of prospective customers into groups may take some time, but it will pay dividends as you work your way through the groups. Segment your list by product fit or by geography, by industry or by the business title or role of each contact (e.g., CEO, VP, Project Manager, etc.) Essentially, you are building a database, spreadsheet or other segmented list of targeted prospects by group. Grouping them together will help you stay better organized and allow you quick access to individuals within a group. Depending on the size of your total list, you may want to consider bypassing this step.
3. Schedule focused selling time. Set aside at least one hour per day for focused selling effort. Schedule this in your calendar and stick to it! You must be ruthless in committing to and protecting this scheduled time. Make sure everyone in the business knows that this time is sacrosanct and that you are not to be disturbed. Start with the same time each day. You can feel free to move the time around if it makes sense to do so, but make sure you get into the habit of spending that one hour solid on selling activity.
4. Schedule time to review your results. Doing the work mentioned above is critical, but so is consciously reviewing your successes and failures. At least once a month schedule a separate hour (in addition to the selling time) and review what has worked and what hasn't since your last review. Be brutally honest with yourself. Was there a certain category of prospects that responded to your inquiries better than others? Did some product offerings resonate better with the people you contacted?
5. Find a sales mentor. It's important to find someone you can rely on to guide your sales efforts. Again, in large companies there are sales managers and sales trainers provided for you. In a small business, I highly recommend finding someone who can serve as a sales mentor. Approach them as you would any other mentor. Schedule a monthly sit down with them and review your records and activity with them. Be honest and ask their advice with sticking points. A good mentor will pay huge dividends for you personally and for your business.
In short, you have to plan your work and then work your plan. Planning your work in sales is critical to ensuring you succeed. Without a plan, you can spin your wheels endlessly by repeating the same mistakes over and over, or even worse just be doing busy work that feels like sales activity but really isn't.
I wish you much success in 2012!