tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23815315660883654232024-03-06T01:21:19.808-06:00Team Alpha 375The AlphaGraphics LaGrange Park provides a full range of solutions for design; digital, offset and large-format printing; marketing communications; promotional products; digital archiving and mailing services for small- to medium-sized businesses as well as corporate entities. We are focused on leveraging today’s communications technologies to provide our clients with complete solutions for their marketing communications and document management needs.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.comBlogger764125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-76707117384585994392012-07-18T07:46:00.001-05:002012-07-18T07:46:39.240-05:00<div align="left" id="yui_3_2_0_5_1342611802596647" style="font-size: 18px;">
<h1 id="yui_3_2_0_5_1342611802596646" style="font-weight: normal;">
<small id="yui_3_2_0_5_1342611802596645"><small id="yui_3_2_0_5_1342611802596644"><span id="yui_3_2_0_5_1342611802596643" style="font-weight: bold;">The
Power of Focus</span><br />
</small> <small><small><small><strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">By
Susan Fujii, Kung Fu Finance
Girl</span></strong></small></small></small></small>
</h1>
<h1>
<b><small><strong></strong></small></b>
</h1>
<b><small><strong></strong></small></b>
</div>
I graduated from college in 1996. For four
years afterwards (four really fun years...) I
did not focus on investing or on "personal
finance" at all. These were the boom years,
the party days, the "sure I'd love to buy
all fifty of you another round of drinks,
who's counting?" nights. Good times, indeed.<br />
<br />
My attention was directed on other things at
the time, and sure enough, while those
things flourished (I did meet and eventually
marry Kung Fu Guy, so it wasn't all for
naught!), my personal finances withered in
neglect, and that's putting it kindly.<br />
<br />
In fact, they withered so much that when
Kung Fu Guy and I decided to start our own
business in 2000, I had no idea what money I
had (or rather, as it turned out, what I
didn't have!). My attention had been
elsewhere, and when I finally turned my
focus onto my personal finances, it was not
a pretty picture.<br />
<br />
Luckily, this was just the wake up call I
needed (nothing like an extremely
embarrassing conversation with your future
spouse to motivate you into action!). It
went something like this:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kung Fu Guy</span>:
"So, how much do you have in your checking
account?"<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>:
"Um, er, uh, well, I'm not exactly
sure..."<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kung Fu Guy</span>:
"OK, well, do you have any credit card
debt?"<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>:
"Um, I don't think so....? Not
anymore...?"<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kung Fu Guy</span>:
"That's good, are you sure???"<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span>:
"Um, well, I think so...."<br />
<br />
And on and on...I remember never feeling so
embarrassed in my life. (At the time, his
vision of me was of this smart, savvy
businesswoman who managed a 70+ person team
of engineers and earned a six-figure
income). Boy, did I ever throw a wrench into
that pretty little picture!<br />
<br />
Now, I'm not a dumb person (although after
reading this I won't blame you for
disagreeing...) but what I fell prey to for
those four years is a stealthy killer that
plagues us all:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Lack Of Focus</span><br />
<br />
Lack of focus is one of the most difficult
things we must fight against every single
day.<br />
<br />
In today's hectic world we are constantly
bombarded by information of all kinds from
multiple sources. By the time the average
person has arrived at work they have already
received a deluge of distracting
information, from the morning news on TV to
the multiple tweets and emails received on
your mobile phone to the radio and billboard
ads on your drive to work...it's incessant. <br />
<br />
Everyone and everything in your life is
competing for your most prized
possession...your attention, or rather, your <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">focused attention</span>.<br />
<br />
Your attention is a supremely powerful
force, and like the sun it can be either
diffuse and divided amongst many different
objects, or funneled into a focused
laser-beam of light that has the power to
burn whatever it touches (think Cyclops in
the X-Men--when he removed those glasses,
watch <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">out</span>...now <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">that </span>is some focused
attention!).<br />
<br />
You have that power, too. Your focus is one
of the most powerful weapons you have in
your investing (and life!) arsenal.<br />
<br />
You've probably noticed the power of focused
attention in other areas of your life. If
you have children you know that the single
greatest gift you can ever give them is your
undivided, focused attention. My girls <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">love </span>it when I focus my
attention on them with no distractions--with
just a few minutes of focused attention I
can transform them from whining and crying
into the two happiest little girls you have
ever seen in your life.<br />
<br />
Likewise, if you have ever done any
goal-setting you know how important it is to
state your goals positively and specifically
("I will eat 5 servings of fruit and
vegetables each day") versus negatively and
vaguely ("I will NOT eat any junk food").
This is because you will <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">focus your attention</span> on
whatever you write, and of course you want
to focus on the positive (healthy fruit and
vegetables), not the negative (junk food).<br />
<br />
In kung fu there is a well-known example of
the power of focus. Called "Iron Hand" or
"Iron Palm", practitioners learn to focus
their attention and their energy, or chi,
into the palms of their hands with enough
force to break bricks or blocks of ice
without hurting their hands.<br />
<br />
Focus is a powerful force in all areas of
life, but I have found it to be
exceptionally important in investing,
particularly while learning.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the
plethora of options available when you are
just starting out as an investor. Where do
you begin? Should you buy gold and silver?
Learn how to properly value stocks? Focus on
"cash-flowing" investments like real estate
or dividend-paying stocks or bonds?<br />
<br />
And even when you do choose a "starting
point", say, the stock market, for example,
that opens up another round of choices.
Should you focus on individual stock-picking
and how to read financial statements? On
ETF's? Mutual funds? Closed-end funds?
Options? What kind of options? Puts or calls
or LEAPS or spreads? Should you buy options
or sell options? Should you learn
fundamental analysis or technical analysis?
Focus on emerging markets, or global world
dominators? And on and on and on....the
choices never end.<br />
<br />
However, luckily you have something
absolutely <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">magical </span>that
will help you focus your attention on what
will immediately provide you with the
quickest return on your investment of time.<br />
<br />
And that magical tool is your vision.<br />
<br />
Writing your vision down on paper will
instantly help you focus your attention on
what you want from your financial life. It's
a critical first step in narrowing your
all-important investing focus down to
something that is manageable and achievable
for you. From there, you can continue to
narrow your focus down to short and
long-term goals that will enable you to make
your vision a reality, and can narrow it
even further down to the best strategies you
will pursue to achieve those goals.<br />
<br />
And then watch out....the power of your focus
will astonish you!<br />
<br />
When I did this back in 2000 it had an <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">immediate </span>positive effect
on my money. Just by focusing on where my
money was going and what had happened to it
I was instantly able to plug the gaps and
start saving much more money. And once I had
plugged the obvious gaps in my money, I
began focusing on what to do with the extra
money I had each month.<br />
<br />
Fast forward ten years and now not only do I
know how to read a company's financial
statements, I also create and review
personal financial statements for our family
each month. At any given moment I can tell
you precisely what the value of each of our
accounts is, the rate of return we are
expecting to get, the rate of return we are
actually getting, articulate the reasons we
are invested in that particular investment
and our exit strategy, and much, much more.
(I've come a long way, thankfully!)<br />
<br />
The same is true for my investing
education...I did not learn "how to invest"
all at once; rather, using my vision as my
guide I patiently (and sometimes
not-so-patiently...) worked to master one
small portion of each massive area at a
time. I could never have become an
accredited investor had I tried to master
penny stocks, tax liens, real estate,
corporate bonds, growth stocks, stock
shorting, FOREX, stock options, commodities,
precious metals, etc., all at once. My head
hurts just thinking about all of that!<br />
<br />
But what you focus on, you <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">will </span>master, I promise
you.<br />
<br />
So toughen up those Iron Hands and unleash
your inner Cyclops and let me know how it
goes! I guarantee you will amaze yourself.<br />
<br />
"The successful warrior is the average man,
with laser-like focus." -- Bruce LeeTeam AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-62280118861508673962012-07-17T08:04:00.001-05:002012-07-17T08:04:09.126-05:00<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885589" style="margin: 1em 0 3px 0;">
<a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885588" name="1" rel="nofollow" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Sans-Serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">How to Use Social Media to Generate Leads</a>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885567" style="color: #555555; font-family: Georgia, Helvetica, Arial, Sans-Serif; font-size: 13px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 140%; margin: 9px 0 3px 0;">
<span id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885582">Posted:</span> 16 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT</div>
<div class="yiv1848011777tw_button" id="yiv1848011777tweetbutton4332" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px;">
<a class="yiv1848011777twitter-share-button" href="http://twitter.com/share?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.onesocialmedia.com%2Fhow-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads%2F&via=onesocialmedia&text=How%20to%20Use%20Social%20Media%20to%20Generate%20Leads&related=&lang=en&count=vertical&counturl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.onesocialmedia.com%2Fhow-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads%2F" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885437" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent url('http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-tweet-button/tweetn.png') no-repeat 0 0; display: block; height: 22px; text-align: left; width: 55px;" target="_blank"><span class="" id="lw_1342530092_1">Tweet</span></a></div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885569">
So
you want to use social media to generate leads for your business? If
that’s true, then you must also be willing to take the steps necessary
to put your business and brand in a position to attract leads online.
And those steps <em>may</em> take some time.</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885579">
Social media is a powerful tool, but cannot stand alone as an online marketing solution. Social media marketing comes <strong>after</strong> you have discovered your voice through blogging and have a key word strategy in place.</div>
<h2 id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885593">
Does Blogging = Leads?</h2>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885571">
You can’t expect to put your
business online and expect the online buzz to suddenly rocket you to
online social media stardom. Leads won’t fall from the sky either.</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885596">
Generating a lead is the end
result. And while Stephen Covey has taught us to “Begin with the end in
mind,” you must first focus on answering the question, “How can we be
valuable to others, consistently over time, so we organically attract
people to our business online.”</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885598">
Then you must have a plan to create
the valuable content people want to read, share and comment on. Content
people will share and will lead others to you (traffic), who will then
want to learn more about how you might be able to help them (conversion)
so you can then have a qualified prospect (lead).</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885600">
<strong>You do this from blogging. And how often you blog matters also. </strong></div>
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4335" style="width: 573px;">
<a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/blogging-leads.png" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885573" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4335 " height="418" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885572" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/blogging-leads.png" title="blogging-leads" width="563" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
The Impact On Lead Generation</div>
</div>
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4333" style="width: 585px;">
<a href="http://info.onesocialmedia.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads/" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885576" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4333 " height="407" id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885575" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/blog-frequency.png" title="blog-frequency" width="575" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
The Impact On Customer Acquisition</div>
</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885577">
<br /></div>
<h2>
It Doesn’t Matter if You Are a B2B or a B2C business, You Need to Be Blogging</h2>
Every week I speak to a business owner who thinks his/her business
doesn’t need to blog at all, let alone a lot. Thinking that way is
similar to thinking back in 1995 that your business wouldn’t need a
website. Blogging is the new SEO, and it’s an important part of consumer
culture so you better start capitalizing on it.<br />
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4336" style="width: 553px;">
<a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/b2c-blogging.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4336" height="485" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/b2c-blogging.png" title="b2c-blogging" width="543" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
B2C Blogging Works!</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4337" style="width: 555px;">
<a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/b2b-blogging.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4337 " height="476" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/b2b-blogging.png" title="b2b-blogging" width="545" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
B2B Blogging Works Also!</div>
</div>
<br />
<h2>
If Google Can’t Find You, Neither Will Anyone Else</h2>
Ranking high on the search engines (particularly Google) is no longer
optional, it’s critical. The more keyword rich content you create (and
blog), the more search engines will find you. In order for Google to
find you often, you need a lot of pages that link to your site. You can
control this by blogging often and making sure to use the keywords that
will lead people to you.<br />
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4339" style="width: 570px;">
<a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/organic-leads.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4339 " height="421" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/organic-leads.png" title="organic-leads" width="560" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
Are You Showing Up?</div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption yiv1848011777aligncenter" id="yiv1848011777attachment_4340" style="width: 541px;">
<a href="http://info.onesocialmedia.com/how-to-use-social-media-to-generate-leads?utm_campaign=Webinar---Use-Social-Media-to-Generate-Leads&utm_source=Blog%20Post" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="" class="yiv1848011777 yiv1848011777wp-image-4340 " height="400" src="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/indexed-pages.png" title="indexed pages" width="531" /></a><div class="yiv1848011777wp-caption-text">
More Blog Posts = More Indexed Web Pages</div>
</div>
<br />
<h2>
What does this teach us?</h2>
That you need to generate as much (keyword rich) content as possible,
before your competitors pass you by. Social Media sites such as
Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube all give you
the platform to share your content in different ways, but you have to
generate the content first. And oh yeah, that content needs to be <a href="http://www.onesocialmedia.com/expertise-is-overrated/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="How to Make Your Content Interesting">interesting</a>. The leads will follow.<br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_9_1342525249885578">
The great business management guru Peter Drucker’s most well known quote is <em>“The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer.”</em>
Social media can certainly help you create and keep a customer. But you
have to be willing to do the work [online] that it takes to get there.</div>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-24574164211207996502012-07-12T10:54:00.001-05:002012-07-12T10:54:51.633-05:00<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<h1 align="left" style="font-size: 24px;">
<small>How
To Dominate Your Fear and Take Massive
Action</small>
</h1>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">By Adam
Steer</span><br />
<br />
<h1>
<b><strong></strong></b>
</h1>
<b><strong></strong></b>
</div>
Miyamoto Musashi was one of the biggest badass
swordsmen of 16th century Japan. He also wrote
of one of the greatest books on tactics,
strategy and philosophy ever written--<span style="font-style: italic;">A Book
of Five
Rings</span>.<br />
<br />
Musashi knew what most modern success gurus
can't seem to figure out: success takes a lot
of hard work. And the key to making your goals
a reality is massive action.<br />
<br />
That's the greatest difference between those
who live their dreams and those who WISH for
stuff. Hard work. We all know this. So here's
the question for you...<br />
<br />
If you know what you want and you know you
have to take action to get it, why aren't you
doing it?<br />
<br />
I'll bet it has something to do with <span style="font-weight: bold;">fear</span>.<br />
<br />
Oh, sure, you'll tell yourself it has nothing
to do with being afraid. There are a thousand
ways to rationalize your lack of action. You
want to get in shape but you don't have all
the right foods in the fridge yet. You want to
buy those new running shoes before you start
exercising. You just need to wait until things
are quiet at work before you start learning
that new language.<br />
<br />
I bet at least a couple of those sound
familiar.<br />
<br />
It's EASY to find an excuse NOT to take
action...<br />
<br />
But the real reason you don't make progress is
something else entirely. You're scared of the
hunger and deprivation that <span style="font-weight: bold;">might</span>
result from changing your eating habits.
You're afraid of missing out on your favourite
TV show if you start using those Spanish
language CDs. Or maybe you're just worried
you'll disappoint yourself again by quitting
your new workout right after you start.<br />
<br />
No matter what it is, I guarantee there's some
sort of fear lurking beneath whatever
justification you're giving yourself for not
taking massive action on your goals today.<br />
<br />
And I want you to know that it's completely
okay.<br />
<br />
Fear goes hand in hand with success. You'll
never unlock your potential if you hide within
the shell of your comfort zone.<br />
<br />
Here are my 5 keys to dominating fear and
taking massive action to achieve your dreams:<br />
<ol>
<li>
Get some perspective on your fearTake
your first step--don't wait for the perfect
time
</li>
<li>
Put one foot in front of the other--do
the WORK
</li>
<li>
Don't compare to the "ideal"--compare to
where you've been and seek PROGRESS
</li>
<li>
Divide your goal into small chunks so
you can create SUCCESSES that motivate you
</li>
<li>
The first secret to overcoming your fear
is to put it into perspective.<br />
</li>
</ol>
<br />
Think back to a time when you were scared out
of your wits to do something. I bet once that
mission was accomplished, you felt great about
the outcome--and maybe even a little silly
about being so scared in the first place. Take
some time with pen and paper to make a list of
all those experiences. And the next time
you're having trouble getting out of your
comfort zone, look back at that list for
inspiration.<br />
<br />
Okay, so you've managed to put your fear into
perspective. The next thing is to just take
that first step. As Lao Tzu so eloquently put
it, <span style="font-style: italic;">"The
journey of a thousand miles begins with a
single step."</span><br />
<br />
I'll give you a personal example. I've wanted
to learn Spanish for years. I'm a native
English speaker, and during my years in Quebec
I've become fluent in French. But my travels
have taken me to a number of Spanish speaking
countries recently, and I've always regretted
not being able to converse in the local
language.<br />
<br />
After a recent trip to the Dominican Republic,
I decided enough was enough. It was time to
take action! I did a little research, and I
ordered the very best Spanish language
home-study course I could find: the Pimsleur
Approach.<br />
<br />
That was my first step. Sure, it took a lot of
effort to overcome years of procrastination,
justification, laziness and FEAR. What was I
afraid of? Lots of things... Giving up my spare
time, not being "smart enough" to learn the
language, making a fool of myself the first
time I actually tried to speak, and wasting
time on a course that wouldn't work. But none
of that stuff is real.<br />
<br />
So yeah, I received the course just this week.
Now what?<br />
<br />
Yep, you guessed it. On to step 3: Put one
foot in front of the other--do the WORK. But
we'll talk about that in a future article.<br />
<br />
Before you go there, I want you to do some
homework. What's one small step that you can
take towards your big dream goal? Figure out
what that is and just TAKE IT.<br />
<br />
Put one foot in the door and the rest will
eventually follow. Sure, you might falter a
bit in the beginning. But if you never take
that first step, you won't get anywhere--ever.<br />Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-20708594984375176602012-07-12T08:59:00.001-05:002012-07-12T08:59:36.575-05:00<h1 align="left" id="yui_3_2_0_8_1342097271630649" style="font-size: 24px;">
<small id="yui_3_2_0_8_1342097271630648"><big id="yui_3_2_0_8_1342097271630647">Do
All
That You Say You Will Do... And
More</big><br />
</small>
</h1>
<h1 align="left" style="font-size: 24px;">
<small>By
Craig
Ballantyne</small><br />
</h1>
My mother is not the type to get upset
(that was my father's forte). But I could
sense the irritation in her voice when I
asked, "How's your new house coming
along?"<br />
<br />
It had been over three weeks since I last
visited the farm, and, unfortunately,
there had been practically no progress
made on her new house. She listed the
excuses she had been given from the
contractors, her voice full of
exasperation.<br />
<br />
Later that afternoon, Bally the Dog and I
went for a walk from the current farmhouse
over to where the driveway had been laid
for her new home. It was less than a mile
walk over the stream, through a cornfield,
and up a hill. There we found the grounds
to be almost exactly the same as they were
last month. The foundation had not even
been poured.<br />
<br />
I could see why she was so disappointed.
When the project was initiated, she was
assured of a move-in date of July. Now
it's looking like September at best.<br />
<br />
This was a classic case of a business
over-promising and under-delivering and
thus failing to meet the expectations
previously set in my mother's mind. This
is one of the biggest, most common
communication mistakes that people make on
a daily basis.<br />
<br />
How many times has someone promised you
the following and then left you waiting?<br />
<br />
"I'll be home by seven o'clock."<br />
<br />
"I'll have that report on your desk by the
end of the day."<br />
<br />
"I'll call you back in an hour."<br />
<br />
Or worse, how many times have you been the
one making false promises? How many times
this week? How many times today?<br />
<br />
It's a mistake you can't afford to make,
not when you want to build long-term
relationships with clients or colleagues.<br />
<br />
Instead, you must use the "make a
promise-keep a promise" system. That's the
formula for success. That's the equation
for deep relationships.<br />
<br />
Make a promise. Keep a promise. It's so
simple, yet day-after-day we see
businesses, politicians, and spouses all
over the world drop the ball on this.<br />
<br />
In your family life, you simply need to do
all that you say you're going to do. If
you promise to be somewhere at a certain
time to do something, you must fulfill
your obligation. And, just as important,
as self-improvement legend Jim Rohn
advises, "Wherever you are, be there."
That means not being engrossed in your
smartphone while at the park with your
children or, the ultimate disrespect of
all, texting while having dinner with
someone. Either don't promise to have that
dinner or have the
patience and courtesy to wait until later
to send your phone messages. Make a
promise to be there, and keep it.<br />
<br />
In your business, do all that you say
you're going to do. Honor your contracts.
Deliver on the promises made to your
customers, suppliers, and partners. Avoid
the temptation to over-promise and
under-deliver. Be clear in your offer and
make sure to avoid overextending yourself
in the process. If you know you can't
deliver on a promise, don't sell it. That
mistake will only cause you a nagging
headache and dent in your reputation.<br />
<br />
Finally, use the same "make-a-promise,
keep-a-promise" system on your website.
The truth is, it was from an online
business expert that I first heard this
method so eloquently phrased.<br />
<br />
Several years ago, my friend Paul R. came
and spoke to my Mastermind group. He
shared his system for converting leads
into sales, and it all came down to the
keeping the promises that he made, one
webpage at a time.<br />
<br />
When his prospects landed on the first
page on his site, Paul showed them a short
video which made a simple promise. After
visitors entered their email address, they
were directed to a page where Paul
over-delivered on that initial promise.
And so on and so forth. Every
communication between Paul and his
prospects - and the customers that they
soon came to be - started with a promise
and ended with Paul delivering on that
promise.<br />
<br />
He never failed to keep his word and meet
their expectations, and that's why he's
grown a seven-figure business in a unique
niche (one that most people think wouldn't
be profitable). It's all been built on the
power of doing what he says he will do,
and more.<br />
<br />
That's how you build relationships the
right way, from day one, so that you never
lose your prospect's faith. And so you can
avoid disappointed customers, like my
mother.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, and better late than never,
the contractor called my mother and said
that everything was now back on track.
They would be getting to work on the
foundation of the house early next week.
(So I hope to have a much better update
for you next month.)<br />
<br />
But that relationship is permanently
damaged. She'll never have the same level
of trust in the contractor as she did when
he first made his promises.<br />
<br />
Don't let this happen in your life or
business.<br />
<br />
And don't let this happen in our
relationship, either. Should I ever make
this mistake and not deliver what you feel
has been promised to you, let me know
immediately so that I can fix the
situation and minimize the damage.<br />
<br />
Hold me accountable. If we are not
delivering on what you feel we promised
you, then I need to hear from you. Our
goal is to help you and deliver the exact
steps to succeed with your online
business, to improve productivity in your
day, to help you take action and overcome
the obstacles in your way, and to simply
help you lead a life well lived. Those are
our promises to you, and we are doing
everything we can to keep them.<br />
<br />
So put yourself on the line. Make your
promises, keep your promises. Over-deliver
value and exceed the expectations of
everyone you deal with in life.<br />
<br />
As my friend Bedros Keuilian teaches, "You
need to over-deliver, give faster results
than promised, and become the go-to leader
for your market."<br />
<br />
It all starts with doing what you say- and
more.<br />
<br />
We can all do better. Let's start today.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-68983489845053757052012-07-03T08:26:00.000-05:002012-07-03T08:26:04.698-05:00<h3>
There are fireworks everywhere, except in sales.</h3>
There's a holiday coming. This particular holiday is the 4th of July.
<br /><br />
<em>But it doesn't matter which one it is, all holidays carry with them the same sales stigmas:</em><br />
<ul>
<li>No one is in the office.</li>
<li>Everyone is on vacation.</li>
<li>Everyone left early.</li>
<li>People aren't willing to meet with me until after the holiday.</li>
<li>I can't get anyone on the phone.</li>
<li>It's a slow time of the year, I'd rather wait until ____. (You can fill in the blank.)</li>
<li>It's taking longer to get a decision made because of the holiday.</li>
<li>Customers aren't in the mood to buy.</li>
<li>Blah, blah, blah. Puke.</li>
</ul>
All of these excuses create a frame of mind for salespeople somewhere
between, "I'm not going to make any sales," and "I'll just wait until
the holiday is over." Both of these thoughts are recipes for sales
disaster.
<br /><br />
NOTE WELL: Many decision makers stay in their office until the day
before the holiday. When there is no activity, executives can get
personal work done.
<br /><br />
Many business owners (like me) stay in the office through the holiday
because all of their employees want to take a well-deserved extra day
off. And someone has to be there to guard the business.
<br /><br />
Oftentimes, companies are in the middle of important deals or
circumstances that preclude them from taking extra time off around a
holiday.
<br /><br />
REALITY: <br />
<ul>
<li>Every day is a sales day if you <em>believe</em> it to be a sales day - and vice versa.</li>
<li>Everyone will return your call if you <em>believe</em> they will return your call.</li>
<li>Everyone will return a favorable decision if you <em>believe</em> they will return a favorable decision. </li>
</ul>
When you're lamenting your fate, what you are really saying is,
"Based on the actions I've taken, and the results I'm getting, I really
don't believe strong enough in my company, my product, or myself."
<br /><br />
If you would spend as much time strengthening your belief, taking better
actions, and improving your value offerings as you did complaining that
someone won't return your call, or isn't in their office, you could
make a fortune.
<br /><br />
But most salespeople would rather gripe.
<br /><br />
Rather than griping that no one is available, why don't you take a few
days off yourself and renew your attitude? Why don't you take a few days
off and revive your attitude, so when you come back to work you're in
high gear and high frame of mind?
<br /><br />
And please don't think this message is specifically about the 4th of
July. It's the same for Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, Labor Day,
Super Bowl, President's Day and any other day deemed by the government
or you as a "holiday."
<br /><br />
You, as a salesperson, already know the holidays are coming. Your job is
to prepare your pipeline in advance of the holiday, so one day after
the holiday, you are full of meetings and full of activity that is
directly related to your sales and your success. This way, when you do
go away, you'll feel great about leaving and great about coming home!
<br /><br />
It never ceases to amaze me how many salespeople grumble about "what isn't" - <em>The guy isn't in. The guy isn't calling me back. Yadda, yadda</em> - rather than embrace and take advantage of "what is."
<br /><br />
The fact is holidays are NOT a surprise. They're are on the calendar
years in advance. Everyone knows when the 4th of July occurs - it's on
the 4th of July!
<br /><br />
If your mindset is still "No one's in their office. Everyone's on
vacation" take off the 3rd, take off the 5th, go somewhere to relax, and
come back to a full calendar.
<br /><br />
Oh, and while you are on vacation, read a book.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-31016123735155426742012-06-22T13:57:00.001-05:002012-06-22T13:57:41.783-05:00<br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
<em>"If you serve an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put God in
your debt. Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the pament is
withholden, the better for you; for compound interest on compound
interest is the rate and usage of this exchequer."<br />
-Ralph Waldo Emerson</em></div>
<div style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;">
The Advantages of the Habit of Going the Extra Mile<br />
by Napoleon Hill</h3>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
The habit brings the individual to the favorable attention of those who
can and will provide opportunities for self-advancement.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It tends to make one indispensable, in many different human
relationships, and it therefore enables him to command more than average
compensation for personal services.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It leads to mental growth and to physical skill and perfection in many
forms of endeavor, thereby adding to one's earning capacity.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It protects one against the loss of employment when employment is
scarce, and places him in a position to command the choicest of jobs.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It enables one to profit by the law of contrast, since the majority of people do not practice the habit.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It leads to the development of a positive, pleasing mental attitude,which is essential for enduring success.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It tends to develop a keen, alert imagination because it is a habit
which inspires one continuously to seek new and better ways of rendering
service.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It develops the important quality of personal initiative.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It develops self-reliance and courage.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It serves to build the confidence of others in one's integrity.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It aids in the mastery of the destructive habit of procrastination.</div>
<div id="yui_3_2_0_1_13403690497563308" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
It develops definiteness of purpose, insuring one against the common habit of aimlessness.</div>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-28651919332407719712012-06-21T08:22:00.001-05:002012-06-21T08:22:12.114-05:00<h1>
<b>
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
Identifying Opportunity in Adversity
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Robert Ringer
</div>
</div>
</b>
<br />
People often misread an event or circumstance as an adversity or
setback. The problem is that we tend to judge events on the basis of
their immediate impact, but, as life repeatedly teaches us, the
long-term consequences of an action can be quite different from what we
initially observe.
<br /><br />
The bad is superficial and obvious; the good often takes investigation
and long-term observation. It's important to recognize that the true
result of an event may take a long period of time to come to fruition.
Thus, misfortune and setbacks are frequently nothing more than
illusions, which is why we so often fail to connect the long-term
benefits to the seemingly negative situation that confronts us.
<br /><br />
The truth is that adversity can serve as both a learning experience and a
masked opportunity. In fact, I would take it one step further and say
that there is an offsetting opportunity in every adversity and every
obstacle. The trick is to develop the habit of automatically looking
for the positive in every negative situation.
<br /><br />
It took me years to develop this habit, but now, even when something
seemingly terrible occurs, I immediately take a deep mental breath and
start thinking about where the Cosmic Catalyst is trying to lead me.
Some of the unexpected roads this has taken me down are nothing short of
miraculous.
<br /><br />
A classic example of this phenomenon that is especially dear to my heart
is the story of how my first book was rejected by twenty-three
publishers. It was obvious that some of the publishers didn't even take
the trouble to look at my manuscript and simply returned it with form
letters of rejection. Others sent customized letters, many of which
were brutally candid in telling me why my book was unsaleable.
<br /><br />
While some of the harshest comments put a bit of a dent in my
self-confidence, I was passionate about what I had written and I had a
burning desire to get the book into the hands of the public. So, in
desperation, I decided to publish it myself, even though I had zero
knowledge of the book-publishing business.
<br /><br />
In fact, it would have been impossible to have been less prepared than I
was to publish a book, but I didn't let that stop me. I certainly was
not about to spend a couple of years learning the intricacies of the
book-publishing business, which, as it turned out, can only be learned
through experience anyway.
<br /><br />
So, ignorance aside, something compelled me to take action. Then, after
I had five-thousand copies of my book printed up, a remarkable thing
happened: My bold (some referred to it as audacious) action resulted in
an explosive expansion of my mental paradigm, though at the time I
didn't even know what a paradigm was. I became resourceful beyond what I
previously would have thought possible, and went way beyond the
boundaries of so-called conventional wisdom in an effort to create my
own opportunity.
<br /><br />
Though I had no advertising experience, I decided to run ads in local
newspapers and The Wall Street Journal. The first ad I ran, in the San
Antonio Express-News, produced such poor results that I lost 90 percent
of my advertising investment.
<br /><br />
I was shaken, but not deterred, so I sprung back into action and worked
hard at analyzing what was wrong with my first ad. Then, based on my
analysis, I rewrote the ad and ran it in the Wall Street Journal. The
result was an early lesson in the importance of both choosing the right
medium and coming up with the right advertising copy, because my second
attempt resulted in a huge success, with sales nearly double the cost of
the ad.
<br /><br />
I soon worked my way up to full-page ads, and continued to run these ads
in The Wall Street Journal for about nine months. This resulted in
sales of about sixty-thousand books and, more important, brought me a
lot of attention.
<br /><br />
The attention brought calls from Brentano's (the most prestigious
bookstore in New York City at the time), which offered to buy large
quantities of my book if I would agree to put its name at the bottom of
one of my ads; from Thomas Y. Crowell (later acquired by Harper &
Row), which made a proposal to distribute my book to bookstores
nationwide; and from Fawcett Publications (later acquired by Ballantine
Books), which offered me what, at the time, seemed like an obscene sum
of money to publish the book in paperback.
<br /><br />
The book, Winning through Intimidation, ultimately climbed to #1 on the
New York Times Best Seller List, which launched me into a string of
three straight #1 best sellers. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind
that none of this would have happened had my book not been rejected by
every publisher I submitted it to, because, as I subsequently learned
through experience, 99 percent of books published by mainstream
publishers - particularly major publishers - get zero advertising and
little, if any, publicity.
<br /><br />
So, what initially appeared to be an enormous adversity was, in fact, a
hidden opportunity. All that was required of me was to apply action and
resourcefulness to an apparent obstacle, and the result shocked the
publishing industry.
<br /><br />
I've repeated this same lemons-to-lemonade trick so often over the years
that I've lost count of the number of times that seemingly major
obstacles have turned out to be great opportunities waiting to be
exploited. And the more I've done it, the more I've learned.
<br /><br />
Best of all, each new learning experience makes it that much easier the
next time around. In the words of Richard Bach, "That's what learning
is, after all: not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how
we've changed because of it, and what we take away from it that we never
had before, to apply to other games. Losing, in a curious way, is
winning."
</h1>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-29298034879409963132012-06-20T08:20:00.001-05:002012-06-20T08:20:20.872-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
Number One Predictor of Your Future Wealth
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Susan Fujii
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
(No, it's not a robot, although that would be really cool!)
<br /><br />
This past weekend the Kung Fu Family went to an awesome event here in
the Bay Area called The Maker Faire (these events are held nationwide,
and you might be able to find one in your local area).
<br /><br />
The Maker Faire is "a two-day, family-friendly festival of invention,
creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker
movement", and let me tell you, it is a veritable feast of
creativity-sort of Burning Man meets Computer Geeks meets Artists meets
Musicians meets Imagination meets Productivity. Wow.
<br /><br />
The "Maker Movement" is all about creating value for other people and
being a producer instead of just a "consumer", something we are big
about here at Kung Fu Finance! The movement "offers the opportunity for
us to see ourselves as more than consumers; we are productive; we are
creative. Everyone is a maker and our world is what we make it."
<br /><br />
And boy, can these people make stuff!
<br /><br />
We saw real, working 3-D printers, 3-D photographs, every type of
self-powered vehicle you can dream up, a "live" R2D2, gorgeous art and
fashion, amazing musical instruments, and so much more...it was a
celebration of creation, and it reminded me of something I've wanted to
write about for weeks-the #1 Predictor of Your Future Wealth.
<br /><br /><b>
Just what IS the #1 Predictor of Your Future Wealth?
<br /></b>
I'll give you some hints:
<br /><br />
It's not education.
<br /><br />
It's not income.
<br /><br />
It's not a great job.
<br /><br />
It's not whether or not you have kids.
<br /><br />
It's not whether or not you own your own business.
<br /><br />
It's not intelligence. (A 2007 study published in the journal,
Intelligence, showed that people with above-average IQ's are only 1.2
times as likely as those with below-average IQ's to have a high net
worth.)
<br /><br />
No, it's not any of those things (although you can make great arguments
for all of them, and many of them do contribute in some way.)
<br /><br /><b>
So what is it?
<br /></b>
The magical #1 predictor of your future wealth is...
<br /><br />
Your "savings"!
<br /><br />
It's true...that magical number between how much you produce on this
planet and how much you consume on this planet (or how much you earn vs.
how much you spend) is the single-most important predictor of your
future wealth.
<br /><br />
What You Produce - What You Consume = "Savings"
<br /><br />
(And hopefully that "Savings" is a positive number!)
<br /><br />
But wait a minute...what does "savings" have to do with the Maker Faire and with creativity and creation?
<br /><br />
Let me show you...but first I need to go all kung fu on that horrid word, "savings".
<br /><br /><b>
Why I hate the word "Savings"
<br /></b>
I have to be honest with you-I hate that word! (Gee, how do I really feel?)
<br /><br />
But really, who actually <b><i>likes</i></b> that word? Let's face
it-saving money is not typically thought of as "fun", and the word
"saving" itself is a scarcity-based word, associated with sacrifice and
with phrases like "scrimping and saving" (not fun) and "saving for a
rainy day" (more scarcity...implying that you won't have "enough" when
that day arrives).
<br /><br />
Even the dictionary says that savings is "a reduction"-I'm not lying; see for yourself!
<br /><br /><b>
From Google Dictionary:
<br /></b>
savings (plural of sav·ing)
<br /><br />
Noun:
<br /><br />
An economy of or reduction in money, time, or another resource. The money one has saved, esp. through a bank or official scheme.
<br /><br />
Can you believe it?
<br /><br />
YES, that's right...this definition says that savings is a "<i><b>reduction</b></i> in money"!
<br /><br />
I don't know about you, but I don't want to "reduce" my money at all...I
want to grow it, expand it, and blow it up until there is so much of it
I can't possibly count it all! I want my money to be abundant!
<br /><br />
But that's not what "saving" is. Saving is conserving, economizing,
reducing, "scrimping", being frugal...no wonder most of us don't like to
save!
<br /><br />
When most people think of "savings" they think of only the right <i><b>half</b></i>
of the equation-"What You Consume" (or how to save on your expenses).
They struggle over their budget, clip coupons to save on grocery
expenses, pack their lunch instead of eating out, and otherwise try to
be frugal.
<br /><br />
This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but it is only half of the equation!
<br /><br />
What You Produce - What You Consume = ?
<br /><br />
It is time to redefine "savings", much like Robert Kiyosaki redefined "assets" and "liabilities".
<br /><br />
(Kiyosaki said assets are things that put money <i><b>into</b></i> your pockets, and liabilities are things that take money <i><b>out</b></i>
of your pockets, hence why your home is not an asset. Any homeowner
will tell you just how expensive a house really is and how much money
gets sucked out of your pocket each month to pay your mortgage, property
taxes, insurance, maintenance, remodeling expenses, and on and on!)
<br /><br />
On the same note, "savings" doesn't fully explain the magic number
equation, either-when you are "saving" money you are simply "not
spending" it-it completely ignores the entire <i><b>producing</b></i> and <i><b>earning</b></i> and <i><b>income</b></i> side of the equation!
<br /><br />
So, we need a new word to describe that magic number that is such an
important predictor of your future wealth, one that accurately
represents <i><b>both</b></i> sides of the equation, not just "expenses".
<br /><br />
Something like...
<br /><br />
What You Produce - What You Consume = <i><b>Your Stored Value</b></i>
<br /><br />
Otherwise, I am going to take on mainstream finance (I know, good luck
with that, Kung Fu Girl...) and change "savings" to "stored value" (or
"wealth chest"...), which I believe is a much better representation of
the equation (and predictor of your future wealth!) than "savings".
<br /><br />
You should constantly be trying to maximize your stored value, both by
creating more value and helping more people (which will earn you more
income) <i><b>and</b></i> by saving on your expenses. (Both Yin and Yang are equally important!)
<br /><br />
Hopefully, you are creating immense value for others by solving their
problems, whether you own your own business and solve your customers'
problems or whether you have a job and solve problems for your employer,
and hopefully you aren't consuming more value than you're producing.
(But if you are, fear not...heck, even the government is trillions of
dollars in debt!)
<br /><br />
So what is then left over from all of this awesome value you've created and not spent?
<br /><br />
Why the value you're storing for the future, of course- your <i><b>stored value</b></i>, your wealth chest, the money that will become your investing capital and build your future wealthy empire!
<br /><br />
I have to be honest with you-I almost titled this article "What to Do if
You Suck at Saving Money", and I hope by now the answer is clear-don't
focus just on "saving" (which is really "how not to spend money" or "how
to save money on your expenses by paying for them more cheaply").
Instead, focus on your <i><b>income</b></i>, too-on creating value for other people, just like the Makers do!
<br /><br />
And then, store up all of that extra value you've created by helping
other people (congratulations!) and build your awesome wealthy empire!
<br /><br />
(And then <i><b>PLEASE</b></i> take over the world...we could really use someone with some <i><b>sense</b></i> to run this place!)Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-84688187238203668902012-06-15T07:22:00.001-05:002012-06-15T07:22:04.822-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
The Best Advice a Father Can Give
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Matt Furey
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
It hit me like a ton of bricks.
<br /><br />
I couldn't believe I'd missed it before. I'd read the book many, many
times - but this time was different. A secret was revealed to me - and
today I'm going to give it to you.
<br /><br />
If you are open and receptive to what you are about to read, you can expect a major breakthrough.
<br /><br />
Here it is:
<br />
"Psychologist David Seabury says that the best piece of advice his
father ever gave him was to practice positive mental imagery -
immediately and 'on cue,' so to speak, whenever he became aware of
negative feelings. Negative feelings literally defeated themselves by
becoming a sort of 'bell' which set off a conditioned reflex to arouse
positive states of mind."
<br /><br />
Now read that passage again. It comes from the 35-million-copy bestseller, <i>Psycho-Cybernetics</i>.
Pay particular attention to the words "the best piece of advice his
father ever gave him." Why? Because whenever something is "the best
piece of advice" someone can give you - especially your father - you
know it's got to be good.
<br /><br />
In reading this passage, I not only see it as the best advice I can give
my son - but myself, and everyone I teach at my seminars and in my
coaching programs.
<br /><br />
Many people wonder why I am always so calm, cool, and collected. Many
wonder how I am able to speak before a crowd in such a nonchalant,
totally relaxed way and still have everyone totally riveted.
<br /><br />
It's mostly because I have no thoughts of resistance when I speak. I'm
not concerned about offending anyone. I'm not even trying to get people
to like me. I am simply ME, take it or leave it.
<br /><br />
Very few people are like this. They're always trying to figure out how
to get others to approve of them or like them. Not good. Because the
more you NEED others to like you the less they will like you.
<br /><br />
Same goes with money. The more you NEED it, the more it will stay away
from you. Money and friends go where they are wanted - not where they
are needed. There is a world of difference between want and need. One
attracts. The other repels.
<br /><br />
Want comes from a vibration of "I'm happy already and I'd like to have
this, too." Need comes from a vibration of "I'm miserable and frustrated
and I need this thing to make me happy."
<br /><br />
Become aware of negative NEED feelings when they arise. And when they
do, learn, through practice, to have those feelings immediately trigger
the thought to change your vibration into a "feel good" one.
<br /><br />
Most people have never been taught to do this by their fathers - or by
anyone else. They've been taught to set goals, to have a burning desire,
to be optimistic and have a positive attitude.
<br /><br />
But what do you do when you look at the state of your finances and you
feel bad? What do you do when the reality of your situation begins to
ruin your day? What do you do when you're feeling frustrated, fearful,
and worried? You do what Dr. Seabury's father told him to do... and what
I'm telling you to do.
<br /><br />
First, you "recognize" that you are feeling bad.
<br /><br />
Second, you understand that this "feel bad" vibration REPELS what you
say you want. Your want is not a want. It's a need that comes with the
expectation that something outside of yourself will make you happy.
<br /><br />
Third, you recognize that this "feel bad" imagery sends a signal to the
Universe that you cannot be happy "for no particular reason." And that's
not good.
<br /><br />
There is a balancing act between having a burning desire and having a desire that burns you.
<br /><br />
Having a burning desire creates the necessary mindset that will attract
the thing you want. On the other hand, if the desire is connected to
"I'm miserable unless I have this thing" - then you are chasing success
and that success will always run faster than you do.
<br /><br />
Your objective is to attract success, not chase it. Chasing success is repelling success. You never get what you are chasing.
<br /><br />
Several years ago, a man sent me an e-mail in which he accused me of
"chasing the almighty dollar." He was wrong. At that point in my life, I
couldn't even form a mental image of myself doing what he said I was
doing.
<br /><br />
When I did chase the almighty dollar - and I did it for years - I had no
money. When I stopped chasing and learned to attract it, it flowed into
my life so fast I was nearly knocked over.
<br /><br />
The forces of attraction and repulsion are always at play. Whether you
attract more than you repel or repel more than you attract is simply a
matter of how strong those forces are. If your repelling energy is
stronger, you go deeper into debt. If your attraction energy is
stronger, you get wealthier. If both are equally strong, you feel
"stuck."
<br /><br />
Now the question is... what do you do if you are repelling more than you're attracting?
<br /><br />
The answer:
<br /><br />
<strong>1. You change the way you feel by changing the mental picture you have of your situation.</strong>
<br /><br />
Every time you feel a negative emotion, you sound the alarm in your
head. "Uh, oh. Not good. Change the mental picture to a positive one."
You do this over and over, and before long the feel-bad vibe lasts less
than a second and you're back to feeling good.
<br /><br />
<strong>2. You begin each day with exercises that help you go through the whole day without resistance.</strong>
<br /><br />
You don't just read inspirational messages and books. You stand in front
of the mirror and tell yourself what you want. You picture what you
want when you speak. You recall previous successes and link them to your
future.
<br /><br />
<strong>3. You have a burning desire in mind, a goal.</strong>
<br /><br />
You don't expect the goal to give you happiness. You don't let the
desire for it burn you by feeling bad that you don't yet have it. In
fact, even though you WANT the goal, you are able to "walk away" from it
emotionally. If, for example, you want more money - you don't expect
more money to give you happiness. You simply want more money - and you
put yourself into happiness mode NOW.
<br /><br />
If you're happy even though you don't yet have in your possession the thing you want - then you are attracting it to you.
<br /><br />
If you're unhappy because you don't yet have in your possession the thing you NEED - then you are repelling it.
<br /><br />
So get happy NOW.
<br /><br />
Recognize that fear, frustration, and angst are only there to help you
change course. They're there to help you see that your mental picture is
off-target. Put the right mental image back onto the screen of your
mind and watch how the Universe lines things up in your favor.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-35112253782215558822012-06-12T15:00:00.000-05:002012-06-12T15:00:14.092-05:00<h3>
How is your ability to make the sale?</h3>
<h3>
KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.
<br /><br />
Oh, you can occasionally make a manipulative sale. But if you're still
in the 1970's trying to "find the pain," or "sell an up-front contract,"
or "make a cold call," or "close the sale," you're toast. Sales toast.
<br /><br />
<em>Here are the BEST ways to make a sale:</em>
</h3>
<ul>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to have your reputation precede you
by word of mouth from your Google ranking, and from your business social
media presence.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to be known as a valued resource before you start.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to be friendly before you start.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to meet with the CEO or actual decision maker.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is not to be salesey, or cocky, or condescending.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to find some common ground before you start the selling process.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to ask intelligent, emotionally engaging questions that draw out both needs and buying motives.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to walk into the meeting with two ideas that favor the customer.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to have done pre-call preparation in terms of the customer.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to convey value rather than features and benefits.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to focus on how they profit and produce.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to focus on outcomes and ownership.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to relax throughout the entire sales conversation.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to respond in a heartbeat.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to make yourself available when a customer needs you.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to support and prove all your
claims with video testimonials from existing customers who love you and
are loyal to you.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to ask for a date of beginning,
or some type of commitment to move forward, AFTER you are certain you
have removed all risks and removed all barriers from your prospect's
buying process.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to have multiple relationships at different levels and departments within the same company.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to earn the status of trusted advisor.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to create an atmosphere where the customer wants to buy.
</li>
<li>The best way to make a sale is to make the passion of your belief transferrable.
</li>
</ul>
<em>And there are questions you must ask yourself that enable the list of the BEST ways to make a sale:</em><br />
<ul>
<li>Am I always achieving my PERSONAL best?
</li>
<li>Am I always PREPARING to be my best for every sales call?
</li>
<li>Is my ATTITUDE set on positive, and geared for positive outcomes?
</li>
<li>Is my BELIEF in my product, my company, and myself always at the highest level?
</li>
<li>Do I believe in my HEART that the customer is better off having purchased from me?
</li>
<li>Am I always doing my BEST for every customer, every time?
</li>
</ul>
REALITY: As a customer, I do NOT need a salesman. I need
productivity, an idea, morale, a profit provider, and a trusted advisor.
<br /><br />
Is that you?Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-44821474074949651312012-06-08T11:44:00.001-05:002012-06-08T11:44:40.909-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
Make Your Dreams Come True
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Ryan Murdoch
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
I've spent most of my life learning how to make my dreams come true.
It's my passion and my obsession. Today I want to share my Top 5
Lifestyle Strategies so you can do the same.
<br /><br />
This stuff doesn't require superhuman effort and it isn't restricted to a
fortunate few. I came from a town of 4,500 people. My dad worked in a
factory as a plumber and steamfitter. I had bad grades in high school,
and got kicked out more times than I can count. I went to a mediocre
university, worked for minimum wage (and less), and was down to the last
$15 in my wallet on more than one occasion.
<br /><br />
Today I've got a very successful business and a hot wife. My writing is
regularly published in Canada's largest travel magazine. And I live in a
400 year old palazzo on an island in the Mediterranean. I spend every
day doing the things I love, with people I respect, to create products
and art I believe in.
<br /><br />
I had no special talents or advantages. Anyone can do this stuff--including YOU.
<br /><br />
Start by focusing on these 5 strategies.
<br /><br />
<strong>1. Get Clear on Your Purpose</strong>
<br /><br />
Want to make your dreams come true? Clarifying your purpose is the single most effective thing you can possibly do.
<br /><br />
Having a clear understanding of your purpose allows you to make
decisions quickly and easily. It keeps your goals on track. It helps you
avoid mistakes and keeps you out of trouble. And it forms a simple
quick-reference checklist for evaluating any commitment or action.
<br /><br />
Everything in your life is oriented around the compass needle of your
purpose. If you're not sure what your purpose is, don't worry. That's
normal. Get a notebook and pen and write down the vision for your life.
<strong><a href="http://clicks.earlytorise.com//t/AQ/AAsMTQ/AAsfYA/AATz1Q/AQ/Apsidg/4v-U" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1339173689_1">Watch Craig's video here for help.</span></a></strong>
<br /><br />
And remember: your Purpose must be relevant to you. Why? Because its
YOUR purpose. Why should you "do more to serve your community" or "build
those six pack abs" or "enrich your vocabulary by reading the classics"
if you don't care about those things? Don't buy the tripe that they
sell ya. This short life is yours to live as you see fit. Get
comfortable with yourself, and know that it's okay to like the things
you like and to pursue your own path.
<br /><br />
<strong>2. Follow a Plan</strong>
<br /><br />
You might reach a goal or two through guesswork and intuition, but
that's just luck at best. And without a map you'll probably
circumnavigate the globe to walk across the street.
<br /><br />
Maximize your effectiveness--and keep your weaknesses in check--by following a plan.
<br /><br />
It's actually pretty simple to chart your way to any goal IF you use these two strategies: deadlines and accountability.
<br /><br />
Deadlines force you to get serious, to meet your targets, and to own up
when you're not staying true to your plan. Without firm deadlines it's
too easy to make excuses, to get caught up in endless email checking
loops, or to sidetrack yourself with busywork that has nothing to do
with your goal.
<br /><br />
And that's where accountability comes in. You need some way to keep
yourself on track. I'm not saying you're going to lie to yourself and
dream up all these great stories about things you've never really
done--although I've known a few people who fall into that trap. I'm
saying memory is fallible, and it's easy to imagine you're accomplishing
more than you really are, just because you're "working on it." A system
of accountability gives you a way to track your progress.
<br /><br />
These are your tools. Use them and you can accomplish any task you set for yourself.
<br /><br />
<strong>3. Houseclean Your Life</strong>
<br /><br />
Recognize that you can't possibly do everything, and you can't be all things to all people.
<br /><br />
Know also that in choosing to do one thing, you're also choosing not to
do an awful lot of other things. Commit to people, actions or things
only when they're in line with Item 1 on this list--your Purpose.
<br /><br />
For most of us, that requires some housecleaning...
<br /><br />
It's important to "clean house" on a regular basis, and to remove from
your life those material things, practices and relationships that are no
longer aligned with your goals. That includes people who drag you down,
who you spend time with out of sheer obligation, who prey on your good
nature, or who pull you back into bad habits when you're trying to
change.
<br /><br />
Remove the superfluous from your life, and like a sculptor carve away
absolutely everything that doesn't match the ideal vision in your head.
When you do, new opportunities you never imagined will rush in to fill
that space. You'll find it much easier to focus on those things that
truly matter to you, and those dreams you're determined to make come
true. If you're clear on your Purpose, you'll also find it much easier
to keep fresh clutter out of your life.
<br /><br />
Remember to pause every 4 to 6 months to reassess. Clutter has a way of
creeping back in, just like dust in a room. Houseclean any new
distractions and get back on track.
<br /><br />
<strong>4. Embrace Responsibility for Your Life</strong>
<br /><br />
I think it needs to be said flat out, because so much of society sends
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.
<br /><br />
That's a tremendously empowering realization, or at least it was for me.
When I realized I was responsible for myself, I stopped making excuses
and I stopped waiting for others to help me. Instead, I started changing
my life.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>5. Focus on Direct Alternatives</strong>
<br /><br />
The actions you take to solve a particular problem or to make a change
in your life break down into two categories: direct actions and indirect
actions.
<br /><br />
Indirect actions are things that require the cooperation of other
people. In other words, they aren't entirely in your control. If you
think the only way for you to be happy is for your spouse to work out
with you, then you've based your happiness on an indirect solution to
your needs.
<br /><br />
Direct actions, on the other hand, are actions that you can take right
now. They don't require asking permission. They don't require changing
the world. They don't require attempting to force someone else to do
something.
<br /><br />
When it comes to setting goals, all or almost all the steps you take
toward your goal should be based on direct actions. That puts YOU firmly
in control of your own destiny. To do anything less is to hand someone
else control of your life.
<br /><br />
So that's it. There's no magic potion. Dreams aren't bestowed from
above. You have to reach out and take them. All it requires is hard
work, strategy and the determination to see it through.
<br /><br />
These 5 Lifestyle Strategies worked for me, and they'll work for anyone.
Embrace them and you'll be well on your way to creating the life you've
always dreamed of.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-64988569326424921832012-06-07T09:48:00.002-05:002012-06-07T09:48:25.936-05:00<strong>The Critical Missing Factor
</strong>
<br /><br />
I started this writing process by pouring over the files from past clients - both successes and failures.
<br /><br />
From those files, I compiled a list of red flags indicating the failed
clients possessed a flawed thinking process. Then on the flipside, I
created a list of my most successful clients and what factors helped
them achieve that success.
<br /><br />
I quickly discovered my most successful clients and I shared a way of
thinking - a similar perspective, a philosophy about what really causes
success in life and business.
<br /><br />
Their thinking literally determined their level of success in everything.
<br /><br />
<strong>Why This is More Important Than Ever</strong>
<br /><br />
Here's the good news: This successful way of thinking is not something you're born with - it's something you develop.
<br /><br />
If you do have a flawed way of thinking that's holding you back, you can fix it. (And I'll tell you how in just a second.)
<br /><br />
This is the idea that shook me awake at 3 am: The fastest, easiest, and
biggest leap an underperforming business or entrepreneur could make to
improve their results and grow their profits... is to change their
thinking.
<br /><br />
Or in short, think better.
<br /><br />
And in 2012, if you can learn how to improve your thinking, you will definitely have a competitive advantage.
<br /><br />
It's more important than ever to be a good strategic thinker - and it's also more difficult.
<br /><br />
We're living in the Information Age, where you're inundated with
information. As an entrepreneur, you must be able to sift through that
information, find what's important, and then maximize that information's
value - better than your competitors.
<br /><br />
All that takes strategic business thinking.
<br /><br />
<strong>How to Think Your Way to a Better Business</strong>
<br /><br />
Most entrepreneurs don't realize there is a process to successful
business thinking - just like there's a process to thinking like a
medical doctor, engineer or lawyer.
<br /><br />
That's why they don't realize that every stumbling block in their
business is a lesson. Learning that lesson challenges you to think
differently.
<br /><br />
But it's more than just painful trial and error. There are shortcuts to better thinking you can use.
<br /><br />
Once you hear these shortcuts, you'll not only see more clearly, think
more creatively, and plan more effectively. You'll also never make most
of the mistakes that plague entrepreneur's lives when they succumb to
faulty thinking.
<br /><br />
Here are a few of the shortcuts I give my clients...
<br /><br />
<strong>First, I highly recommend keeping a journal.</strong> I've been
keeping a journal to record my business success and failures for over 25
years now. It's how I think through everything...and challenge myself
to be a better thinker.
<br /><br />
<strong>What to write in your journal:</strong> I'm a visual person so I
use diagrams and mindmapping to think through any new projects. I also
use my journal to grade my performance on how I did during the week...
outline and define goals... and stay the course when I feel like I'm in a
rut.
<br /><br />
<strong>Questions to get you started:</strong> For all new clients I
always challenge them to answer the following questions in their
journals. I ask: "What exactly do you want from your business? What's
the absolute minimum necessary to have it? What's the fastest and
easiest way to get it?"
<br /><br />
The last three questions sound deceptively simple, but they're
incredibly important. Trust me when I say knowing the answers to these
questions will help you reach success faster than any course or program
you can buy.
<br /><br />
Because if you knew exactly what you wanted - and the specific steps
that would get you there - wouldn't you agree that you would have what
you wanted by now?
<br /><br />
As I tell my clients: you must focus on the what before you can focus on
the how to. You must be clear on exactly what you want, so you can map
out the steps to get you there.
<br /><br />
So take a moment right now, and start writing down your goals for your
business (or your life in general). Then start outlining what it would
take to achieve those goals - and the quickest ways to make those goals a
reality. Take your time and give your answers some thought.
<br /><br />
Remember: Thinking can be your strategic competitive advantage. Don't waste it.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-88203162040089430592012-06-05T10:07:00.001-05:002012-06-05T10:07:01.219-05:00<br />
<div style="font-size: 10px; line-height: 10px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
</div>
<h3 style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;">
How Can One Control the Mental Attitude?<br />
by Napoleon Hill</h3>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
The starting point of control of the mental attitude is motive and
desire. No one ever does anything without a motive, or motives, and the
stronger the motive the easier it is to control the mental attitude.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
Mental attitude can be influenced and controlled by a number of factors, such as:</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(1) By a BURNING DESIRE for the attainment of a definite purpose based
upon one or more of the nine basic motives which activate all human
endeavor.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(2) By conditioning the mind to automatically choose and carry out
definite postive objectives, with the aid of the EIGHT GUIDING PRINCES,
or some similar technique which will keep the mind busily engaged with
positive objectives, when one is asleep as well as when one is awake.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(3) By close association with people who inspire active engagement in
positive purposes, and refusal to be influenced by negative-minded
people.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(4) By auto-suggestion through which the mind is constantly given
positive directives until it attracts only that for which these
directives call.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(5) By a profound recognition, through its adoption and use, of the
individual's exclusive privilege of controlling and directing his own
mind.</div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
(6) By the aid of a machine by which the subconscious mind can be given definite directives whole one sleeps.</div>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-59241906196526279952012-06-05T07:54:00.002-05:002012-06-05T07:54:45.877-05:00<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 23px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; text-align: left;">
<strong>Gaining Small Advantages to Win the Sales Game</strong></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;">
Excerpted from <em>Rules of the Hunt</em></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Much
like winning a game of chess, succeeding in sales and business rarely
comes from one brilliant masterstroke. Both winning at chess and
succeeding in sales, business and life itself comes as the result of
avoiding pitfalls and gaining an accumulation of small advantages.
Advantages that include an understanding of the nuances of human
behavior, subtle ways to motivate people and the many small but powerful
secrets that successful leaders know.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Business,
especially sales and entrepreneurship, is a brass tacks world that
requires having insights that are gained only by real-world experience.
Some call this street smarts or tricks of the trade but these
descriptions fall far short of what I'm talking about.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Here are just a few examples of ideas that will help you succeed.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 34px; text-align: left;">
<strong><em>Let's not do lunch.</em></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
You'll
get more done over a breakfast meeting than you will at lunch or
dinner. The ideas discussed at a breakfast have a greater chance of
being implemented that day rather than those discussed at the later
lunch and even later dinner.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Lunches
are the second choice, but since they occur midday, peoples' energy and
attention, to some degree, are winding down, especially after the meal
is finished.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
A
business dinner is excellent if it is strictly a social event. It's far
more difficult to stick to an agenda at a business dinner because
dinner is associated with end-of-the-day leisure, and alcohol is often
consumed.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22px; margin-top: 14px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 14px; text-align: left;">
<strong><em>Don't ask what their budget is; tell them what it is.</em></strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
I
was looking to buy a used truck for my small ranch. I didn't need
anything fancy, just something functional for hauling firewood,
fertilizer, and feed.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
I
drove past a used car lot and saw an old Ford truck which looked like a
perfect candidate for the job. I stopped and was looking the truck over
when a salesman approached. I asked him the price of the truck. He
responded by asking, "How much do you want to pay?" Not wanting to play
the salesman's games, I thanked him and quickly left.</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Similarly,
one of the lamest questions I'm asked by vendors while inquiring about
their service is, "What's your budget for this?"</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
My
response is always, "I won't be able to formulate a budget until I know
what your charges are." I sometimes add, "How will knowing my budget
help you determine your price?"</div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
It
is always better to tell potential clients their cost early on in a
business conversation. This establishes your honesty. You'll quickly
learn whether it's in their budget or not.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif; font-size: 22px; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-top: 34px; text-align: left;">
<strong><em>It's not what you say; it's how you say it!</em></strong></div>
<div style="color: #666666; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px;">
<em>Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.</em> <strong>— Rudyard Kipling</strong></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 20px; margin-right: 20px;">
Persuasive
speakers communicate by using positive language. For example, instead
of saying, "We can't ship your order until next Tuesday," say, "We can
ship your order as early as next Tuesday." What a difference! Put
yourself in the listener's shoes. Which version is more appealing? The
habit of using positive speech has helped me to achieve more than I ever
thought possible. You can practice this skill all the time, too.
Practice makes perfect. Use it, not only with prospects, but with
coworkers, family and friends as well.</div>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-77899385629558898682012-06-04T13:05:00.001-05:002012-06-04T13:05:07.527-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
Why Small Bites Trump Multi-Tasking
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Matt White
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
At a press conference early in his presidency, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1338833013_1">Dwight Eisenhower</span> was asked for the name of his favorite author. "Harry Sinclair Drago," said Eisenhower.
<br /><br />
The reporters looked puzzled. They obviously hadn't heard of Drago, even
though he'd written several classics of western fiction, including <em><strong>Suzanna: A Romance of Early California</strong></em> and <em><strong>Whispering Sage</strong></em>.
<br /><br />
So they asked Eisenhower for his second favorite. "Bliss Lomax," replied
Eisenhower. If nothing else, this proved that Eisenhower was
consistent, because that was a pen name used by, you guessed it, Harry
Sinclair Drago.
<br /><br />
Drago used at least eight additional pen names. He needed all those
names because he wrote a lot. Over the course of his career, he wrote
short stories, screenplays, articles, and more than a hundred novels.
More than three full-length novels a year for 30 years.
<br /><br />
When Syracuse University announced that it would be the custodian of
Drago's papers, the thing that seemed to fascinate reporters the most
was the amount he wrote. One of them asked him: "How did you write over a
hundred books?"
<br /><br />
"Four pages a day," replied Drago.
<br /><br />
<strong>One Bite at a Time</strong>
<br /><br />
Harry Sinclair Drago knew that, often, the secret of accomplishing big
things is to break the big task into lots of small tasks. There's an old
joke that illustrates the point.
<br /><br />
Question: "How do you eat an elephant?"
<br /><br />
Answer: "One bite at a time."
<br /><br />
You can make it a big bite or a small one. I bet Drago didn't start out
writing four pages a day. It might have been as little as one hundred
words.
<br /><br />
By breaking your big projects into little action steps and doing at
least one step a day, you can accomplish great things. Just don't keep
all your action steps in your head.
<br /><br />
<strong>Get Out of Your Head</strong>
<br /><br />
I've met people who get the "baby steps" concept, but they still don't
get anywhere because they never get to the action part. They come up
with action steps like "Think about the plot for the novel" or "Analyze
marketing options."
<br /><br />
Those sound like action steps, but they're not. They don't result in
real action. Real action is something out in the physical world that
others can witness.
<br /><br />
Instead of "Think about the plot for the novel," try "Draft plot
outline." Instead of "Analyze marketing options," try creating several
specific action steps. They might include: "List three sources of
information," "Contact source A," and "Prepare report on costs and
benefits."
<br /><br />
Make a call. Make a list. Send an e-mail. Write a report. Do something.
If you make it visible, you won't fool yourself about whether you're
making progress. And to keep things moving, define action steps that are
small enough that you're sure to succeed.
<br /><br />
<strong>Make It Small Enough to Get You Going</strong>
<br /><br />
You're more likely to succeed at small, easy action steps. So when
you're feeling overwhelmed by all the things, or the big thing, you have
to do, make your action steps smaller and easier. One clue that you
need to break your goal into smaller chunks is when you find yourself
procrastinating.
<br /><br />
Say that you know you need to get the house painted, but you're not doing anything about it. So make it smaller.
<br /><br />
What's the first thing you need to do?
<br /><br />
It could be: "Get some estimates."
<br /><br />
If getting estimates is still blocking you, make your next action step even smaller. Try: "Call three painting companies."
<br /><br />
If you're still procrastinating, choose a smaller step. How about: "Make a list of five painting companies to call?"
<br /><br />
At some point, you'll be down to an action step that moves you forward
but isn't so big it stops you in your tracks. That gets you moving and
gives you momentum.
<br /><br />
<strong>Savor the Small Wins</strong>
<br /><br />
The principle of using small wins to build psychological momentum was
presented in a Ph.D. dissertation at Stanford University in 1977. The
theory: It works because it's a truly brain-friendly concept.
<br /><br />
When someone praises you, you feel good because your brain produces a
chemical called dopamine. When you praise yourself by checking off a
completed action step, you get the same physiological result. As you
achieve one small win after another, you find it easier and easier to
take the action steps that generate the wins.
<br /><br />
One way to keep things moving is to keep score.
<br /><br />
At the end of every day, Ben Franklin would ask himself: "What good have
I done this day?" You can ask the question: "What have I done today to
move my life and career forward?"
<br /><br />
Think about the action steps you took today. Think about how they helped you achieve your goals. Savor your victories.
<br /><br />
Remember that success usually isn't a result of achieving great big
things all at once. Eat the elephant of a big achievement one bite at a
time.
<br /><br />
Identify the next small step. Make it visible. Reward yourself for achievement. Then identify the next small action step.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-67639935920558948592012-05-31T09:57:00.001-05:002012-05-31T09:57:37.454-05:00B2B Marketers: Your Targets Are Mobile - eMarketer<a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1009076#oTweAwhY1IWqfarI.15">B2B Marketers: Your Targets Are Mobile - eMarketer</a>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-70164442219606502712012-05-22T10:29:00.001-05:002012-05-22T10:29:53.382-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
Why the Customer is Always Right
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Craig Ballantyne
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
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.
<br /><br />
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).
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
"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."
<br /><br />
"But the customer is always right. "
<br /><br />
I agreed.
<br /><br />
Do you know why the customer is always right?
<br /><br />
Because the customer is an honest, hardworking person who is just looking to get good value for their money.
<br /><br />
Customers aren't out to cheat you.
<br /><br />
But too many business owners create an adversarial relationship with customers, often before any transaction even takes place.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
"How can I stop people from buying my stuff and sharing it with their friends?", they ask.
<br /><br />
Wrong question.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Stop treating your customer like an enemy.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
"What if the refunds go viral?", the partner asked. "We could have a real problem on our hands."
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
In your online business, the rules are generally the same, even though the experience is much different.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Always look on the bright side of every customer interaction. It should never be an adversarial relationship.
<br /><br />
Customers are looking to give you money, to put their trust in you, and to have you give them the solution to their problem.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-10837017892812289172012-05-21T08:59:00.001-05:002012-05-21T08:59:52.483-05:00<h3>
Email still rules. Are you connecting or being deleted? </h3>
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.
<br /><br />
<em>Wake up and smell the dictionary</em>, Sparky! It ain't them.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
I'm about to share the essence of what will get your email opened and responded to: <em>writing</em>. Creative writing. Engaging, creative writing that leads the recipient to read and respond.
<br /><br />
But, before I begin, here's why most emails fail: <em>you know little or nothing about the recipient</em>. And worse, you struggle to create some snappy "subject line" so your email will be opened.
<br /><br />
<em>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.
</em><br /><br />
<strong>Start prepared.</strong> 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.
<br /><br />
NOTE FROM 1937: See Dale Carnegie's <em>How to Win Friends and Influence People</em>
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."
<br /><br />
<strong>Make it short.</strong> 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!
<br /><br />
<strong>Here's the SECRET: Word count.</strong> Copy your message into a
word processing program to check the word count. 200 words is a long
email. Remember: the shorter the better.
<br /><br /><strong>Make the message germane to your expected outcome.</strong>
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.
<br /><br />
And, did I mention, it's an email, not a sales pitch.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.)
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-38660967188976380742012-05-21T07:36:00.001-05:002012-05-21T07:36:29.053-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
How to Beat Procrastination
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Craig Ballantyne
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
It was a question we've been receiving almost every day since our Facebook Question-and-Answer sessions debuted.
<br /><br />
"What is the best way to deal with the issues of perfectionism and procrastination?", asked Wendy J.
<br /><br />
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?"
<br /><br />
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."
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
How can they beat procrastination?
<br /><br />
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."
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Cut off one head and another appears.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
That's the big lesson. Action begets action.
<br /><br />
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?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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".
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
It's not rocket science. It's persistence.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Don't let information gathering become your procrastination.
<br /><br />
Don't let planning become your procrastination.
<br /><br />
Implement more structure into your life and you'll get more done and you'll have more freedom. I promise you.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Frankly, most people just don't think about behavioral congruence. They are reactive, instead of being proactive.
<br /><br />
You can start to solve this problem by creating a clear set of personal philosophies that guide your life.
<br /><br />
At the risk of giving you another opportunity to procrastinate, I want you to read the <strong><a href="http://clicks.earlytorise.com//t/AQ/AAqzTA/AArGHQ/AAWp2A/AQ/Apsidg/DLAD" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"12 Rules I Live By" here</a></strong>
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Get started there, and then continuously work to improve your behavioral congruence in all aspects of your life.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
(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.)
<br />Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-54089698992975427302012-05-15T07:11:00.001-05:002012-05-15T07:11:33.482-05:00<h1 align="left" style="font-size: 24px;">
The World's Worst Employee
</h1>
<div align="left" style="font-size: 14px;">
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 <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1337083745_1">Alwyn Cosgrove</span> explains how you can avoid this trap and find good people for your business.
<br /><br />
Craig Ballantyne
<br /><br />
"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
</div>
<br />
<hr align="center" width="420" />
<b>
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
How to Find Good People
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Alwyn Cosgrove
</div>
</div>
</b>
<br />
As a business consultant, one of the most common questions I am asked is, "What's the best way to find good employees?".
<br /><br />
<strong>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.</strong>
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>The Big Mac Model</strong>
<br /><br />
Entrepreneurs need to study other businesses. Success leaves clues, and
the most successful 'small business' in the world is McDonald's.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
You even know the recipe.... "two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun..."
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
So let me ask you a question? Why is no one giving you hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to make hamburgers?
<br /><br />
What's the secret of each McDonald's location?
<br /><br />
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?"
<br /><br />
I've read that most independent small business start-ups fail, yet most
franchises succeed. The reason for that difference is due to SYSTEMS.
<br /><br />
<strong>SYSTEM:</strong> <strong>S</strong>ave <strong>Y</strong>our <strong>S</strong>elf <strong>T</strong>ime <strong>E</strong>nergy <strong>M</strong>oney
<br /><br />
Step one when hiring additional staff: think systems.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
And remember, the ultimate goal of hiring and growing your business is
to replicate YOURSELF so you can step out of the business.
<br /><br />
Hiring someone without a system is an absolutely deadly business
mistake. Hire based on your core values and train for skill based on
systems.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
If there is a problem, we can look at two solutions.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.).
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
So to get back to your original question – how do you go about hiring staff?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-86928961131181006372012-05-11T08:35:00.001-05:002012-05-11T08:35:56.025-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
How to Find Your True Calling
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Brian Tracy
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>#1: What do I do easily and well?</strong>
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>#2: What are the things that I have done in life that have been most responsible for my success?</strong>
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>#3: What would I do differently, knowing what I know now?</strong>
<br /><br />
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?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>#4: What work would I choose to do if I won a million dollars, cash, in the lottery tomorrow?</strong>
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
<strong>#5: If I were absolutely guaranteed tremendous success in any job I chose, what field would I go into? </strong>
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
Asking and answering the above five questions can change your life.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-47964568685454943692012-05-10T10:17:00.001-05:002012-05-10T10:17:05.519-05:00<b>
</b><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
The Battle for Our Minds
<br /><br />
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
By Clay Collins
</div>
</b></div>
<b>
</b>
<br />
The battle for our minds usually isn't a struggle against brainwashing (although most of us <em>are</em>
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...
<br /><br />
<strong>The Paradox of Intelligence</strong>
<br /><br />
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).
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
(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).
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
The battle for our minds is really the battle create our own <em>thought destines</em>. The battle for our minds is . . .
<br /><br />
<strong>The Battle for Own Our Thoughts</strong>
<br /><br />
The battle for our minds is the battle to think on our <em>own</em> terms and on our own timetable. <u><em>It's the battle for freedom to let our minds wander</em></u>, because the best thoughts emerge from the most unlikely places, and when we're lavishing ourselves with time.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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. (<em><strong>Note:</strong> This paragraph was highly influenced by a great anti-travel guide I'm reading called <strong><a href="http://clicks.earlytorise.com//t/AQ/AAqwaQ/AArDQQ/AAaW0A/AQ/Apsidg/d00f" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1336662958_1">Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide</span></a></strong>. It's got loads of perspective and I highly recommend it</em>).
<br /><br />
The battle for our minds really <strong>isn't about reclaiming brainpower to do our own taxes or solve more Sudoku puzzles.</strong> No. The battle for mind is important because. . .
<br /><br />
<strong>We <em>Desperately</em> Lack Perspective</strong>
<br /><br />
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 <em>perspective</em> and amplified by <em>perspective</em>.
<br /><br />
Great thinkers and teachers are great because their <u>perspective</u> forces you to take a second glance at the knowledge you <em>already</em> have. And their perspective is so compelling because it couldn't have come from anywhere except direct experience.
<br /><br />
When workaholics give up their minds each workday in devotion to
balancing spreadsheets, selling widgets, arguing cases, etc. it's not <em>knowledge</em> they're missing out on. It's <em>perspective</em>.
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.
<br /><br />
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).
<br /><br />
<strong>You Just Can't Hack Perspective</strong>
<br /><br />
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. <em>You simply have to make space for perspective and hope that it will come eventually.</em> You have to spend time in a manner that would seem self-indulgent to most.
<br /><br />
There are <strong>no</strong> perspective shortcuts.
<br /><br />
Who's winning the battle for your mind?Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-26888813650260755562012-05-08T08:24:00.001-05:002012-05-08T08:24:21.865-05:00<h1 style="color: black; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 1.7em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0 0 .67em 0; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
The Money Magic of Social Media<br />
<span class="yiv1086277641small" style="font-size: 0.8em !important; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em !important;">Your Best Opportunity to Make It Big Since the Birth of the Web</span><br />
<span class="yiv1086277641byline" style="font-size: 0.8em; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.2; padding: 0.1em 0 0 0;">By Nick Usborne</span></h1>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
What's with all the hype surrounding social media?</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
(And, maybe the real question is... Can you make money because of all this hype?)</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
The truth about social media is that it is not a fad, or an add-on.</div>
<blockquote style="margin: 1.4em 3em 1.4em 3em; padding: 0;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<em>Social media is not an add-on to the Web, it is fast BECOMING the Web.</em></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
Facebook already has over 845
million users. Hundreds of millions of people are also using Twitter,
YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and other social media services.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
Why is social media so popular? Because it gives people what they want.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0 0 .67em 0; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
Do companies "get" social media?</h2>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
Then they came to accept that social media was here to stay, and many companies began to dip their toes in the water.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
Finally, a very small percentage
of companies "got it," immersed themselves in social media, and found
that it offered a huge Return On Investment.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
That's where the audience is.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
That's where the money is.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
That's where the opportunity lies.</div>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0 0 .67em 0; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
When an industry is seriously disrupted, opportunities are plentiful.</h2>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
What are the opportunities, exactly?</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
There are several.</div>
<ol style="margin: 1.4em 0 1.4em 3em; padding: 0;">
<li style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<strong>Set up as a specialist in social media.</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<strong>Add social media to your existing line-up of services</strong>.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<strong>Use social media to grow your own business.</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
</li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<strong>Use social media to grow your own Money-Making Websites.</strong></div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
In my case, I use social media extensively to attract new visitors to my website about coffee, CoffeeDetective.com.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 style="color: black; font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0 0 .67em 0; padding: 0; text-align: left;">
This is why I wrote my program on social media.</h2>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
Maybe I have an eye for shifts and opportunities online.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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, <em>Net Words</em>.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
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.</div>
<blockquote style="margin: 1.4em 3em 1.4em 3em; padding: 0;">
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<em>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?</em></div>
<div style="margin: 1.4em 0; padding: 0;">
<em>To me, it sounds like opportunity.</em></div>
</blockquote>Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-43880348492600468582012-05-03T08:29:00.001-05:002012-05-03T08:29:43.407-05:00<div align="left" style="font-size: 18px;">
<b>
The Power of Delight
<br />
<br />
</b>
<div align="left" style="font-size: 15px;">
<b>
By Jonathan Fields
</b>
</div>
</div>
<br />
What if we were doing it all wrong?
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
How messed up is that?
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
But, here's the thing, this isn't just about business, it's about LIFE! YOUR LIFE!!!
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
You are in full metal relationship acquisition mode and you do
everything you can to create the best marketing impression possible.
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
Except, it isn't.
<br />
<br />
Nobody likes being treated like a foregone conclusion.
<br />
<br />
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.
<br />
<br />
So, what might happen if you repositioned "relationship acquisition" not as an end, but an invitation.
<br />
<br />
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!"
<br />
<br />
In business, your marketing, sales and acquisition costs would plummet.
In life, the quality, depth and duration of your relationships would
take off.
<br />
<br />
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?
<br />
<br />
Sounds cool, right?
<br />
<br />
But what about the habituation situation?
<br />
<br />
The what?
<br />
<br />
Habituation. Our stunning ability to absorb good and bad into a new equilibrium.
<br />
<br />
Picture this...
<br />
<br />
It's a Friday night and the spouse brings home flowers unexpectedly. Wow, what a delight.
<br />
<br />
Same thing next week on cue, how lovely.
<br />
<br />
Same thing next week, nice color.
<br />
<br />
Same thing next week, whatever, put 'em in a vase.
<br />
<br />
What began as a delight has been demoted to an expectation.
<br />
<br />
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?
<br />
<br />
And if so, how do we stop that from happening?
<br />
<br />
CAN we stop if from happening or do we have to just work with funny little quirk of human nature?
<br />
<br />
How can we make this all work in business and in life?
<br />Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2381531566088365423.post-87422405103494154012012-05-02T12:29:00.001-05:002012-05-02T12:29:52.923-05:00Trust Your Instincts
<br />
<strong><a href="http://www.gitomer.com/seminars/Gitomer-Certified-Speakers/Dan-Jourdan.html" target="_blank" title="Dan Jourdan">By: Dan Jourdan</a></strong>
<br />
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.
<br /><br />
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."
<br /><br />
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:
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
How did that happen?
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
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.
<br /><br />
You will be a Master Salesperson. And you will "just know."Team AlphAGraphics LaGrange Parkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13943558731508724576noreply@blogger.com0