Why Your Self-Image is a Key Part of Your Personality
Your self-image is the way you see yourself and think about yourself. It is often called your "inner mirror." You look into this mirror in every situation to see how you should perform on the outside. You always behave on the outside in a manner consistent with the picture you have of yourself on the inside.
How Do You See Yourself
For example, if you see yourself, as calm, confident and competent in any aspect of selling, when you are engaged in that activity, you will feel calm, confident and competent. You will be positive and happy. You will perform well and get excellent results. If, for any reason, it doesn't go well at that time, you will throw it off and dismiss it as a temporary situation. Your self-image is clear. In your mind's eye you see yourself as good and capable in that area, and nothing can interfere with your mental picture.
Change Your Self-Image
The most rapid improvements in sales results come from changing your self-image. The moment that you see yourself differently, you behave differently as well. And because you are behaving differently, you get different results.
My Own Story
Many years ago, when I was cold calling for a stock broker, I would call potential new clients and ask them if they would like to invest their money with our company and in a particular investment vehicle that we had at the time. I would end my speech by offering to send the prospect a booklet outlining the benefits of being with our company and encourage them to "think about it." My self-image was such that I could not bring myself to ask the prospect to make a buying decision then and now. All day long, I would go from telephone call to telephone call giving my speech and offering to send out a little brochure with descriptions to read. And as you might imagine, I was not making any sales. When I called people back after they had time to think about it, they would invariably say that they were not interested.
The Turning Point
I was getting desperate. I was living from hand to mouth at the time. Although I was speaking to lots of prospects, I was making very few sales. Then I had a revelation which changed my career at the time. I realized that it was my fear of asking for the order that was causing all my problems. It was not my prospects. It was me. I needed to change my self-image and thereby change my behavior if I wanted results to improve.
Make A Decision
The very next morning, I made the decision that I would not call back on a prospect. The size of the purchases were small and, when I had completed my speech, the prospect would know everything that they needed to know to make a decision. There was no benefit or advantage of sending out material or giving the prospect several days to think about it. At my very first call, and I still remember it, when I had finished my speech, the prospect said, "Let me think it over." I smiled to myself and told him that I did not make call backs because I was too busy, and then I said, "You know everything you need to know to make a decision right now. You know that this is an excellent opportunity so why don't you just take it?" I remember him remaining silent for about 15 seconds and saying, "OK. I'm in. How do I transfer money to you?"
Double Your Earnings
I jumped out of my chair in excitement and on a cloud. That very day I tripled my sales. That week, I closed more prospects than anyone else in my office. By the end of the month, they had made me the lead cold caller dealing with only the "elephant" prospects. I went from worrying about money to a much larger salary. My sales life took off and, with few exceptions, it never really stopped. And the turning point was that conscious choice to modify my self-image and make it more consistent with the results I wanted rather than the results that I was getting.
Action Exercises
First, begin to see yourself the way you want to be. See yourself as strong, confident, competent and professional in every way. The person you see is the person you will be.
Second, identify an area of selling where your own ideas about yourself and the situation are holding you back. You always perform on the outside the way you see yourself on the inside.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Developing A Great Character
Being the Best In Every Area
What is character? Your character is the degree to which you live your life consistent with high, life-enhancing values. A person who lacks character is one who compromises on higher order values in favor of lower order expedience, or who has no values at all. Your adherence to what you believe to be right and true is the real measure of the person you have become to this moment in your life.
Define What "Excellence" Means to You
Let us say that one of your values is "excellence." Your definition of excellence could be, "Excellence means that I set the highest standards for myself in everything I do. I do my very best in every situation and under all circumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work, and as a person in my relationships. I recognize that excellence is a life-long journey and I work every day to become better and better in everything I do."
Organize Your Actions
With a definition like this, you have a clear organizing principle for your actions. You have set a standard by which you can evaluate your behavior. You have created a framework within which you can make decisions. You have a measuring rod against which you can compare yourself in everything you do. You can continually grade your activities in terms of "more" or "less." You have a clear target to aim at and organize your work around.
Decide What You Want for Your Family
It's the same with each of your other values. If your value is your family, you could define this as, "The needs of my family take precedence over all other concerns. Whenever I have to choose between the happiness, health and well being of a member of my family, and any other interest, my family will always come first."
Keep Focused
From that moment onward, it becomes easier for you to choose. Your family comes first. Until you have fully satisfied the needs of your family, no other time requirement will side track you into a lower value activity.
Shape Your Own Character
The wonderful thing about values clarification is that it enables you to take charge of developing and shaping your own character. When your values and goals, your inner life and your outer life, are in complete alignment, you feel terrific about yourself. You enjoy high self-esteem. Your self-confidence soars.When you achieve complete congruence between your values and your goals, like a hand in a glove, you feel strong, happy, healthy and fully integrated as a person. You develop a kind of courage that makes you completely unafraid to make decisions and take action. Your whole life improves when you begin living your life by the values that you most admire.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this ideas into action immediately.
First, create a clear, written description of your values and what they mean to you. From that point on, resolve to live consistent with your own definition, not someone else's.
Second, discipline yourself to live in complete alignment with the values, virtues and qualities that are most important to you. This is the key to building character.
What is character? Your character is the degree to which you live your life consistent with high, life-enhancing values. A person who lacks character is one who compromises on higher order values in favor of lower order expedience, or who has no values at all. Your adherence to what you believe to be right and true is the real measure of the person you have become to this moment in your life.
Define What "Excellence" Means to You
Let us say that one of your values is "excellence." Your definition of excellence could be, "Excellence means that I set the highest standards for myself in everything I do. I do my very best in every situation and under all circumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work, and as a person in my relationships. I recognize that excellence is a life-long journey and I work every day to become better and better in everything I do."
Organize Your Actions
With a definition like this, you have a clear organizing principle for your actions. You have set a standard by which you can evaluate your behavior. You have created a framework within which you can make decisions. You have a measuring rod against which you can compare yourself in everything you do. You can continually grade your activities in terms of "more" or "less." You have a clear target to aim at and organize your work around.
Decide What You Want for Your Family
It's the same with each of your other values. If your value is your family, you could define this as, "The needs of my family take precedence over all other concerns. Whenever I have to choose between the happiness, health and well being of a member of my family, and any other interest, my family will always come first."
Keep Focused
From that moment onward, it becomes easier for you to choose. Your family comes first. Until you have fully satisfied the needs of your family, no other time requirement will side track you into a lower value activity.
Shape Your Own Character
The wonderful thing about values clarification is that it enables you to take charge of developing and shaping your own character. When your values and goals, your inner life and your outer life, are in complete alignment, you feel terrific about yourself. You enjoy high self-esteem. Your self-confidence soars.When you achieve complete congruence between your values and your goals, like a hand in a glove, you feel strong, happy, healthy and fully integrated as a person. You develop a kind of courage that makes you completely unafraid to make decisions and take action. Your whole life improves when you begin living your life by the values that you most admire.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this ideas into action immediately.
First, create a clear, written description of your values and what they mean to you. From that point on, resolve to live consistent with your own definition, not someone else's.
Second, discipline yourself to live in complete alignment with the values, virtues and qualities that are most important to you. This is the key to building character.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Earn the Respect of Others
The Most Important Measure of Success
Being respected by others is very important to each of us. A survey done by the Gallup organization found that the most prominent living Americans rated the respect of others as the most important measure of success in life. They worked very hard to earn the respect of their parents, the respect of their spouses and children, the respect of their peers and colleagues, and the respect of mankind at large.
Why You Respect Yourself
It seems that we truly respect ourselves only when we feel that we are respected by others, and we will go to great lengths to earn and keep that respect. When we feel that someone respects us for who we are and what we have accomplished, we tend to be more open to that person's influence.
Two Things You Can Do
We can do two things to put ourselves in a position to be respected by others. The first is to develop our knowledge of our field. The more people perceive you know about your subject, the more they will respect you. The highest-paid people in almost every field are those who know more than the average people. They are recognized as experts, and they develop what is called "expert power." Because of their superior knowledge, they are looked up to and listened to, and they are much more capable of influencing others to act in a particular way than they would be if their knowledge level were just average.
Develop Your Expertise
Another way to put ourselves in a position of being respected by others is to develop your expertise. Expertise is closely tied to knowledge, but it is a little different. Expertise is the ability to do, the ability to perform well in your chosen field. Men and women with expertise are those who practice over and over in whatever they do until they become known far and wide as the very best in their field.
Action Ex ercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, study your field in detail. Dedicate at least one hour per day to reading, listening to audio programs, studying to become more and more knowledgeable about what you do.
Second, continually upgrade your knowledge and skills in your field. Identify your weakest important skill and go to work on that.
Knowledge and know-how are the keys to the 21st century.
Being respected by others is very important to each of us. A survey done by the Gallup organization found that the most prominent living Americans rated the respect of others as the most important measure of success in life. They worked very hard to earn the respect of their parents, the respect of their spouses and children, the respect of their peers and colleagues, and the respect of mankind at large.
Why You Respect Yourself
It seems that we truly respect ourselves only when we feel that we are respected by others, and we will go to great lengths to earn and keep that respect. When we feel that someone respects us for who we are and what we have accomplished, we tend to be more open to that person's influence.
Two Things You Can Do
We can do two things to put ourselves in a position to be respected by others. The first is to develop our knowledge of our field. The more people perceive you know about your subject, the more they will respect you. The highest-paid people in almost every field are those who know more than the average people. They are recognized as experts, and they develop what is called "expert power." Because of their superior knowledge, they are looked up to and listened to, and they are much more capable of influencing others to act in a particular way than they would be if their knowledge level were just average.
Develop Your Expertise
Another way to put ourselves in a position of being respected by others is to develop your expertise. Expertise is closely tied to knowledge, but it is a little different. Expertise is the ability to do, the ability to perform well in your chosen field. Men and women with expertise are those who practice over and over in whatever they do until they become known far and wide as the very best in their field.
Action Ex ercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, study your field in detail. Dedicate at least one hour per day to reading, listening to audio programs, studying to become more and more knowledgeable about what you do.
Second, continually upgrade your knowledge and skills in your field. Identify your weakest important skill and go to work on that.
Knowledge and know-how are the keys to the 21st century.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Six Steps to Set Yourself Up for a Raise
Many employees feel that they are underpaid for the work they do, yet they wait until their yearly performance review to negotiate a higher salary. But if you wait until then, you could be too late. You need to prepare year-round for that discussion. The following steps can help make sure you are in position for a raise when review time comes around.
Define Your Current Job
The first step in setting yourself up for a raise is to establish a baseline or benchmark by finding and updating your job description. Unfortunately, many employers have outdated or inaccurate job descriptions. Often, there is no description on file at all. If that’s the case, use the internet to search for one or two job and descriptions that closely match your job and use that as a starting point. In either scenario, update the description to reflect your specific responsibilities and tasks. Review your updated job description and divide your job into its components. In each component area, set standards for your performance and future goals you are on track to achieve. For example, an entry-level media coordinator at an advertising agency might divide his job into the areas of pitching cable buys, assisting the media director and clearing billing inquiries. His goals for the next three months might be to prepare and execute six buys, maintain all the records of those he assists and answer all inquires within two business days.
Track Your Progress
After you’ve finalized your job description and set future goals, document your progress. Each time you complete a task or reach a specific goal, record what you’ve done. This personal job data will be useful during your performance review. Instead of speaking generally about the work you’ve been doing, you’ll be able to point to specific examples of the progress you’ve made. This information may also indicate to your employer that your job is evolving -- and that it’s time for an increase in responsibility, title and salary.
Discuss Your Upcoming Review
As review time draws near, take the initiative and set up a meeting with your boss. Let your employer know you’re invested in your future at the company and are prepared to discuss it. This advanced notice will also give your employer the opportunity to evaluate the work you’ve been doing up to this point.
Do Your Research
Although salary negotiations may still take place behind closed doors, the Internet has made it easy to learn where your compensation package stands in comparison to other workers in your field. Consider not only your base salary but your total compensation package: benefits, vacation days, telecommuting, company car, laptop or cell phone and other work/life benefits. These areas are all important to your quality of life. Also bear in mind that salaries vary depending on location, industry and company size. Consider these factors if you want to assess your market value accurately.
Frame Your Pitch
When you sit down for your performance review, use all the information you’ve gathered and records you’ve kept to illustrate both your past work and future potential. Keep the negotiation focused. Don’t discuss upcoming expenses you might have or loans you’re hoping to pay off. These factors may be important you, but they will only distract your employer. Let the discussion focus on your performance and your future at the company. Make it clear that you want to grow within the company -- and that you want your salary, compensation and title to grow with you. During negotiations, be sure to mention other areas of your compensation package. It may be easier for your employer to expand your work/life benefits than to raise your salary, and frequently the resulting change is equally beneficial to you. For example: A company may be on a tight budget for the upcoming year and may not see how your pay increase fits into the budget. However, allowing you to work from home 1 or 2 days a week or paying for more of your benefits or giving you an extra week vacation time may be just as suitable for compensation.
Start Again
During your review, be sure to speak to your employer about ther goals for your future at the company. Discuss a timeline for these goals, so you’ll be prepared to set yourself up for next year’s raise.
Define Your Current Job
The first step in setting yourself up for a raise is to establish a baseline or benchmark by finding and updating your job description. Unfortunately, many employers have outdated or inaccurate job descriptions. Often, there is no description on file at all. If that’s the case, use the internet to search for one or two job and descriptions that closely match your job and use that as a starting point. In either scenario, update the description to reflect your specific responsibilities and tasks. Review your updated job description and divide your job into its components. In each component area, set standards for your performance and future goals you are on track to achieve. For example, an entry-level media coordinator at an advertising agency might divide his job into the areas of pitching cable buys, assisting the media director and clearing billing inquiries. His goals for the next three months might be to prepare and execute six buys, maintain all the records of those he assists and answer all inquires within two business days.
Track Your Progress
After you’ve finalized your job description and set future goals, document your progress. Each time you complete a task or reach a specific goal, record what you’ve done. This personal job data will be useful during your performance review. Instead of speaking generally about the work you’ve been doing, you’ll be able to point to specific examples of the progress you’ve made. This information may also indicate to your employer that your job is evolving -- and that it’s time for an increase in responsibility, title and salary.
Discuss Your Upcoming Review
As review time draws near, take the initiative and set up a meeting with your boss. Let your employer know you’re invested in your future at the company and are prepared to discuss it. This advanced notice will also give your employer the opportunity to evaluate the work you’ve been doing up to this point.
Do Your Research
Although salary negotiations may still take place behind closed doors, the Internet has made it easy to learn where your compensation package stands in comparison to other workers in your field. Consider not only your base salary but your total compensation package: benefits, vacation days, telecommuting, company car, laptop or cell phone and other work/life benefits. These areas are all important to your quality of life. Also bear in mind that salaries vary depending on location, industry and company size. Consider these factors if you want to assess your market value accurately.
Frame Your Pitch
When you sit down for your performance review, use all the information you’ve gathered and records you’ve kept to illustrate both your past work and future potential. Keep the negotiation focused. Don’t discuss upcoming expenses you might have or loans you’re hoping to pay off. These factors may be important you, but they will only distract your employer. Let the discussion focus on your performance and your future at the company. Make it clear that you want to grow within the company -- and that you want your salary, compensation and title to grow with you. During negotiations, be sure to mention other areas of your compensation package. It may be easier for your employer to expand your work/life benefits than to raise your salary, and frequently the resulting change is equally beneficial to you. For example: A company may be on a tight budget for the upcoming year and may not see how your pay increase fits into the budget. However, allowing you to work from home 1 or 2 days a week or paying for more of your benefits or giving you an extra week vacation time may be just as suitable for compensation.
Start Again
During your review, be sure to speak to your employer about ther goals for your future at the company. Discuss a timeline for these goals, so you’ll be prepared to set yourself up for next year’s raise.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Single Handle Every Task
Take Action! Every bit of planning, prioritizing and organizing comes down to this simple concept.Your ability to select your most important task, to begin it and then to concentrate on it single mindedly until it is complete is the key to high levels of performance and personal productivity.
The Requirement for Every Great Achievement
Every great achievement of mankind has been preceded by a long period of hard, concentrated work until the job was done. Single handling requires that once you begin, you keep working at the task, without diversion or distraction, until the job is 100% complete. You keep urging yourself onward by repeating the words "Back to work!" over and over whenever you are tempted to stop or do something else.
Reduce Your Time By 50%
By concentrating single mindedly on your most important task, you can reduce the time required to complete it by 50% or more. It has been estimated that the tendency to start and stop a task, to pick it up, put it down and come back to it can increase the time necessary to complete the task by as much as 500%.Each time you return to the task, you have to familiarize yourself with where you were when you stopped and what you still have to do. You have to overcome inertia and get yourself going again. You have to develop momentum and get into a productive work rhythm.
Develop Energy and Enthusiasm
But when you prepare thoroughly and then begin, refusing to stop or turn aside until the job is done, you develop energy, enthusiasm and motivation. You get better and better and more productive. You work faster and more effectively.
Never Waste Time
The truth is that once you have decided on your number one task, anything else that you do other than that is a relative waste of time. Any other activity is just not as valuable or as important as this job, based on your own priorities.
Action Exercise
Take action! Resolve today to select the most important task or project that you could complete and then launch into it immediately.
Once you start your most important task, discipline yourself to persevere without diversion or distraction until it is 100% complete. See it as a "test" to determine whether you are the kind of person who can make a decision to complete something and then carry it out.
Once you begin, refuse to stop until the job is finished.
The Requirement for Every Great Achievement
Every great achievement of mankind has been preceded by a long period of hard, concentrated work until the job was done. Single handling requires that once you begin, you keep working at the task, without diversion or distraction, until the job is 100% complete. You keep urging yourself onward by repeating the words "Back to work!" over and over whenever you are tempted to stop or do something else.
Reduce Your Time By 50%
By concentrating single mindedly on your most important task, you can reduce the time required to complete it by 50% or more. It has been estimated that the tendency to start and stop a task, to pick it up, put it down and come back to it can increase the time necessary to complete the task by as much as 500%.Each time you return to the task, you have to familiarize yourself with where you were when you stopped and what you still have to do. You have to overcome inertia and get yourself going again. You have to develop momentum and get into a productive work rhythm.
Develop Energy and Enthusiasm
But when you prepare thoroughly and then begin, refusing to stop or turn aside until the job is done, you develop energy, enthusiasm and motivation. You get better and better and more productive. You work faster and more effectively.
Never Waste Time
The truth is that once you have decided on your number one task, anything else that you do other than that is a relative waste of time. Any other activity is just not as valuable or as important as this job, based on your own priorities.
Action Exercise
Take action! Resolve today to select the most important task or project that you could complete and then launch into it immediately.
Once you start your most important task, discipline yourself to persevere without diversion or distraction until it is 100% complete. See it as a "test" to determine whether you are the kind of person who can make a decision to complete something and then carry it out.
Once you begin, refuse to stop until the job is finished.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
One Thing You Can't Hide
One of the most important traits of all motivators at work is consideration. Employees report that the best managers they ever had were people who cared about them as people and as friends. These managers took the time to ask them questions about their lives, and to listen patiently while they talked about the dilemmas and problems and situations in their families. The more that the employees felt that the boss liked them and respected them, the more empowered and motivated they felt.
Caring is the Key
The flip side of this motivator is the de-motivating feeling that the boss doesn't care. This is almost invariably expressed in a lack of recognition, a lack of approval, a lack of appreciation and a general failure to pay attention to the employee over time.
Spend Time Listening
Remember, the amount of time that you spend talking to and listening to an employee is a signal to that employee that he or she is important to you and to the company. This is why the very best bosses spend a lot of time walking around and chatting with their employees. They sit with them for lunch and coffee. They invite their comments and encourage open discussion and disagreements about work. They create an environment where people feel that the work belongs to them as well as to the company. In that environment, employees feel good about themselves and more fully committed to doing the job and doing it well.
Become A Positive Person
To empower and motivate your customers, your suppliers, your bankers and so on, you simply need to be a genuine, positive and cheerful person. You develop a positive mental attitude. You be the kind of person from whom, "never is heard a discouraging word." You are easygoing, genial, friendly, patient, tolerant and open minded. You make people feel comfortable being around you.
Emotions Determine Everything
Remember, everyone is primarily emotional. Everything that people do, or refrain from doing, is triggered by their deeper emotions. Your job is to connect with their higher and more positive emotions so they feel so good about you they want to help you and please you in some way.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, get out of your office and go among your friends and coworkers. Ask them about their personal lives and concerns, and then listen carefully to the answer.
Second, resolve to be a genuinely positive person under all circumstances. Be the kind of person people feel happy being around and working for and working with.
Caring is the Key
The flip side of this motivator is the de-motivating feeling that the boss doesn't care. This is almost invariably expressed in a lack of recognition, a lack of approval, a lack of appreciation and a general failure to pay attention to the employee over time.
Spend Time Listening
Remember, the amount of time that you spend talking to and listening to an employee is a signal to that employee that he or she is important to you and to the company. This is why the very best bosses spend a lot of time walking around and chatting with their employees. They sit with them for lunch and coffee. They invite their comments and encourage open discussion and disagreements about work. They create an environment where people feel that the work belongs to them as well as to the company. In that environment, employees feel good about themselves and more fully committed to doing the job and doing it well.
Become A Positive Person
To empower and motivate your customers, your suppliers, your bankers and so on, you simply need to be a genuine, positive and cheerful person. You develop a positive mental attitude. You be the kind of person from whom, "never is heard a discouraging word." You are easygoing, genial, friendly, patient, tolerant and open minded. You make people feel comfortable being around you.
Emotions Determine Everything
Remember, everyone is primarily emotional. Everything that people do, or refrain from doing, is triggered by their deeper emotions. Your job is to connect with their higher and more positive emotions so they feel so good about you they want to help you and please you in some way.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, get out of your office and go among your friends and coworkers. Ask them about their personal lives and concerns, and then listen carefully to the answer.
Second, resolve to be a genuinely positive person under all circumstances. Be the kind of person people feel happy being around and working for and working with.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Andrew Carnegie Quote
Andrew Carnegie once was quoted as saying
"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"
I think that says it all.
"Think of yourself as on the threshold of unparalleled success. A whole clear, glorious life lies before you. Achieve! Achieve!"
I think that says it all.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Three Factors for Financial Success
What do wealthy people do or have that enables them to accomplish so much more than the average person? I believe that these people are successful as a result of what I call leverage. Leverage is the key to maximizing and multiplying your potential for success and financial achievement. Here are three examples of leverage that you can develop to achieve financial independence:
Become an Expert
First, become an expert in your chosen field. Read all the books, take all the courses, listen to all the audio programs.
Second, specialize in those areas that are of greatest importance and greatest value to your company, your customers or your success.
And third is know your product or service inside out. Aim to be recognized as the industry expert in your field. Remember the person who has the expertise has a far greater contribution to make than the person whose knowledge is just average.
Develop Your Skills
The second type of leverage is skill. The better you are at your job, the more you will be paid. The top 20 percent of salespeople earn as much as ten and fifteen times the average earnings of the bottom 80 percent. There are three keys to developing the leverage of skill.
First, make a decision to be the best. Pay any price. Make any sacrifice. Go any distance to become excellent at what you do.
Second, engage in continuous improvement. Never allow yourself to become satisfied or complacent at your current level of skill.
And third, always strive to exceed the expectations of your customers, your boss, of the people you serve and the people around you. Always do more and better than you're paid for.
Save Your Money
The third type of leverage is money. Money is a powerful source of leverage and usually follows the development of knowledge and skill in your field. One of the reasons that it takes money to make money is that the accumulation of funds is an essential step in the development of the personal qualities and character that must precede the achievement of financial independence. In other words, you become the person capable of becoming financially independent by accumulating the funds that are necessary for you to achieve it.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas on personal leverage into action:
First, resolve today to become an expert in your chosen field. Set it as a goal, make a plan and work every day to become a little bit better in the most important things you do.
Second, develop the habit of saving money out of every single paycheck. It was once said that, "If you cannot save money, the seeds of greatness are not in you." The very act of regular saving changes your character and gets you ready to achieve financial independence.
Become an Expert
First, become an expert in your chosen field. Read all the books, take all the courses, listen to all the audio programs.
Second, specialize in those areas that are of greatest importance and greatest value to your company, your customers or your success.
And third is know your product or service inside out. Aim to be recognized as the industry expert in your field. Remember the person who has the expertise has a far greater contribution to make than the person whose knowledge is just average.
Develop Your Skills
The second type of leverage is skill. The better you are at your job, the more you will be paid. The top 20 percent of salespeople earn as much as ten and fifteen times the average earnings of the bottom 80 percent. There are three keys to developing the leverage of skill.
First, make a decision to be the best. Pay any price. Make any sacrifice. Go any distance to become excellent at what you do.
Second, engage in continuous improvement. Never allow yourself to become satisfied or complacent at your current level of skill.
And third, always strive to exceed the expectations of your customers, your boss, of the people you serve and the people around you. Always do more and better than you're paid for.
Save Your Money
The third type of leverage is money. Money is a powerful source of leverage and usually follows the development of knowledge and skill in your field. One of the reasons that it takes money to make money is that the accumulation of funds is an essential step in the development of the personal qualities and character that must precede the achievement of financial independence. In other words, you become the person capable of becoming financially independent by accumulating the funds that are necessary for you to achieve it.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas on personal leverage into action:
First, resolve today to become an expert in your chosen field. Set it as a goal, make a plan and work every day to become a little bit better in the most important things you do.
Second, develop the habit of saving money out of every single paycheck. It was once said that, "If you cannot save money, the seeds of greatness are not in you." The very act of regular saving changes your character and gets you ready to achieve financial independence.
Quote
"You can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price"
-- Vince Lombardi, American Football Coach
-- Vince Lombardi, American Football Coach
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Leadership
A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the quality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.
Who Are the Millionaires
The way you think about money will determine how much of it you accumulate more than any other factor. Your attitude toward money affects your emotions and your motivations.
The Five Ways to Become a Millionaire
If you are really serious about becoming wealthy, you will want to know the five main ways that fortunes are made in this country. Number one, top of the list, top of the hit parade throughout the history of America, is self-owned businesses. It is entrepreneurship of all kinds, including in real estate. 74% of self-made millionaires in America, not only in this generation and in this century, but in the last century as well, come from self-owned businesses.
Become a Millionaire Where You Are
The second major source of self-made millionaires in America is senior executives. Ten percent of the self-made millionaires in America are men and women who have joined large corporations and worked with those corporations for many years. They rose to positions of seniority, were paid extremely well, given stock options, profit sharing and bonuses, and as a result of holding onto the money, they became millionaires.
Success Pays Big Rewards
Michael Eisner of Disney Corporation received a $126 million dollar bonus in a single year. Lee Iacoca of Chrysler Corporation was paid $26.7 million dollars as a bonus in a single year. It's not hard to become a self-made millionaire when you are making that kind of money.
The Professional Road to Wealth
The third source of self-made millionaires in America is doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Men and women who become very, very good at what they do and rise to the top of their professions are eventually paid, very, very well. The top five percent in every field earn 10 and 20 times as much as the average person in that field.
Sell Your Way to the Top
The fourth major source of self-made millionaires in America are salespeople and sales consultants. Fully five percent of self-made millionaires are men and women who are the top salespeople in their fields. They never started their own businesses. They never went to college or university to get professional degrees. They just became very good salespeople for their products or services and were paid very good money. The secret was that they then invested the money conservatively and held on to it. 99% of self-made millionaires come from these four categories: self-owned businesses - 74%; senior executive positions - 10%: doctors, lawyers and other professionals - 10%; and salespeople and sales consultants - 5%.
Other Ways to Get Rich
The final one percent of self-made millionaires is made up of all the people in all other areas. This one percent consists of people who have made their money by inventions, in show business, in sports, through authorship of books and songs, lottery winners and inheritances. But these people make up only one percent of the total. The bottom line is that there are so many ways for you to become a self-made millionaire that it is almost impossible for you not to achieve this goal if you are really serious about it.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this information into action as soon as possible:
First, decide what it is that you really enjoy doing and then throw your whole heart into doing it extremely well. There is a direct relationship between excellent performance and the kind of high income that leads to financial independence.
Second, be perfectly honest with yourself on an ongoing basis. Is what you are doing right now going to lead you to financial independence, or do you have to begin making some serious changes in your work and in your life? Whatever your answer, take action on it immediately.
The Five Ways to Become a Millionaire
If you are really serious about becoming wealthy, you will want to know the five main ways that fortunes are made in this country. Number one, top of the list, top of the hit parade throughout the history of America, is self-owned businesses. It is entrepreneurship of all kinds, including in real estate. 74% of self-made millionaires in America, not only in this generation and in this century, but in the last century as well, come from self-owned businesses.
Become a Millionaire Where You Are
The second major source of self-made millionaires in America is senior executives. Ten percent of the self-made millionaires in America are men and women who have joined large corporations and worked with those corporations for many years. They rose to positions of seniority, were paid extremely well, given stock options, profit sharing and bonuses, and as a result of holding onto the money, they became millionaires.
Success Pays Big Rewards
Michael Eisner of Disney Corporation received a $126 million dollar bonus in a single year. Lee Iacoca of Chrysler Corporation was paid $26.7 million dollars as a bonus in a single year. It's not hard to become a self-made millionaire when you are making that kind of money.
The Professional Road to Wealth
The third source of self-made millionaires in America is doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Men and women who become very, very good at what they do and rise to the top of their professions are eventually paid, very, very well. The top five percent in every field earn 10 and 20 times as much as the average person in that field.
Sell Your Way to the Top
The fourth major source of self-made millionaires in America are salespeople and sales consultants. Fully five percent of self-made millionaires are men and women who are the top salespeople in their fields. They never started their own businesses. They never went to college or university to get professional degrees. They just became very good salespeople for their products or services and were paid very good money. The secret was that they then invested the money conservatively and held on to it. 99% of self-made millionaires come from these four categories: self-owned businesses - 74%; senior executive positions - 10%: doctors, lawyers and other professionals - 10%; and salespeople and sales consultants - 5%.
Other Ways to Get Rich
The final one percent of self-made millionaires is made up of all the people in all other areas. This one percent consists of people who have made their money by inventions, in show business, in sports, through authorship of books and songs, lottery winners and inheritances. But these people make up only one percent of the total. The bottom line is that there are so many ways for you to become a self-made millionaire that it is almost impossible for you not to achieve this goal if you are really serious about it.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this information into action as soon as possible:
First, decide what it is that you really enjoy doing and then throw your whole heart into doing it extremely well. There is a direct relationship between excellent performance and the kind of high income that leads to financial independence.
Second, be perfectly honest with yourself on an ongoing basis. Is what you are doing right now going to lead you to financial independence, or do you have to begin making some serious changes in your work and in your life? Whatever your answer, take action on it immediately.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Why Money Is Good
The way you think about money will determine how much of it you accumulate more than any other factor. Your attitude toward money affects your emotions and your motivations.
Do You Feel That You Have Enough?
In psychology, money is what is called a "deficiency need." This means that it only motivates you when you feel deficient in it, when you don't feel that you have enough. Above a certain level, when you feel that you have enough, it is no longer a motivator. Put another way, when you have enough money, you don't think about it very much. But when you have too little, you think about it all the time.
Determine Your Attitude Toward Money
The effect money has on your emotional life depends on your attitude toward it. If you feel that you have too little, money can become an obsession for you. It can dominate your thinking, feelings and actions. Arguments over money are a major reason for marital breakdown. Problems with money are the primary reason for business failure, the ruination of friendships and psychosomatic illnesses of all kinds. It's not uncommon for people to even kill themselves over money problems.
Practice the Reality Principle
The Reality Principle applies especially to matters of money. This principle states that, "You must deal with life as it is, not as you wish it were, or could be." Most people live in a world of partial self-delusion, with regard to money. They wish, hope, and pray about their financial futures while at the same time, deep in their hearts, they know their dreams will never materialize. In Lewis Carroll's book, Alice in Wonderland, one of the characters says quite happily that he is quite capable of believing several impossible things before breakfast each day. In the same way, many people believe quite impossible things about money and then they wonder why they are having so many financial problems.
Overcome Deep Seated Beliefs
One of the most common obstacles to achieving financial independence is a deep-seated belief that somehow money is wrong and that people who have a lot of it are inherently evil. This belief is not based on any factual foundation. It goes back to early childhood conditioning when the growing child is often told this because of other people's desire to rationalize away their own financial failures and inadequacies.
Money Is Good
The fact is that money is good. It takes money to buy homes, cars, clothes, food and most of the good things in life. It takes money to support your family and take of yourself. Money has an energy of its own and it is largely attracted to people who treat it well. Money tends to flow toward those people who can use it in the most productive ways to produce valuable goods and services, and who can invest it to create employment and opportunities that benefit others. At the same time, money flows away from those who use it poorly, or who spend it in non-productive ways.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to improve your attitude toward money:
First, be perfectly honest to yourself with regard to money and to the amount you want to acquire in life. Pretending that you don't care about money when you really do will only make you unhappy and unsuccessful.
Second, begin today to think about all the wonderful things that you could have in your life if you had more money. Then, begin to think of all the things that you could do to increase the amount of money you earn and the amount of money that you keep.
Do You Feel That You Have Enough?
In psychology, money is what is called a "deficiency need." This means that it only motivates you when you feel deficient in it, when you don't feel that you have enough. Above a certain level, when you feel that you have enough, it is no longer a motivator. Put another way, when you have enough money, you don't think about it very much. But when you have too little, you think about it all the time.
Determine Your Attitude Toward Money
The effect money has on your emotional life depends on your attitude toward it. If you feel that you have too little, money can become an obsession for you. It can dominate your thinking, feelings and actions. Arguments over money are a major reason for marital breakdown. Problems with money are the primary reason for business failure, the ruination of friendships and psychosomatic illnesses of all kinds. It's not uncommon for people to even kill themselves over money problems.
Practice the Reality Principle
The Reality Principle applies especially to matters of money. This principle states that, "You must deal with life as it is, not as you wish it were, or could be." Most people live in a world of partial self-delusion, with regard to money. They wish, hope, and pray about their financial futures while at the same time, deep in their hearts, they know their dreams will never materialize. In Lewis Carroll's book, Alice in Wonderland, one of the characters says quite happily that he is quite capable of believing several impossible things before breakfast each day. In the same way, many people believe quite impossible things about money and then they wonder why they are having so many financial problems.
Overcome Deep Seated Beliefs
One of the most common obstacles to achieving financial independence is a deep-seated belief that somehow money is wrong and that people who have a lot of it are inherently evil. This belief is not based on any factual foundation. It goes back to early childhood conditioning when the growing child is often told this because of other people's desire to rationalize away their own financial failures and inadequacies.
Money Is Good
The fact is that money is good. It takes money to buy homes, cars, clothes, food and most of the good things in life. It takes money to support your family and take of yourself. Money has an energy of its own and it is largely attracted to people who treat it well. Money tends to flow toward those people who can use it in the most productive ways to produce valuable goods and services, and who can invest it to create employment and opportunities that benefit others. At the same time, money flows away from those who use it poorly, or who spend it in non-productive ways.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to improve your attitude toward money:
First, be perfectly honest to yourself with regard to money and to the amount you want to acquire in life. Pretending that you don't care about money when you really do will only make you unhappy and unsuccessful.
Second, begin today to think about all the wonderful things that you could have in your life if you had more money. Then, begin to think of all the things that you could do to increase the amount of money you earn and the amount of money that you keep.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Why is it that people love fireworks?
Fireworks grab attention with a dazzling display of color and lots of noise. Unlike the sparklers that you can hold in your hand, the sound and size of fireworks cannot be ignored.
Imagine if your marketing was this effective in getting people's attention!
An associate of mine was starting a new business coaching service and was looking for marketing fireworks. They knew that they needed a marketing message, one that described what they did and would get there prospects' attention. There dilemma was that they worked with clients to solve numerous types of problems and instead of having one marketing message, they had a laundry list of them.
Solving lots of problems is good, but when you are trying to communicate what you do, it's the equivalent of a handful of sparklers as compared to having one large attention-getting display of fireworks.
Discover exactly how to get attention and more business with your marketing message and improve the response of everything from your ads to your web site to your business cards.
In order to grab prospects' attention my associate dispensed with there laundry list of messages and replaced it with one umbrella marketing message.
Here's how to get started on your own marketing message.
1. List the concerns of your target market relative to your services. This should generate a list of 10-30 problems you solve.
2. Organize your list in order of importance to clients.
What are your clients' primary concerns?
3. Use the most important client concern on your list as the basis for your marketing message. If you don't have a summary sentence, then write one.
In my town when a particularly spectacular firework goes off, the audience ooh's and ahh's. You may not get ooh's and ahh's from your marketing message but you do want it to prompt prospects to action.
When you use your marketing message, fireworks or at least a spark should ignite in your prospects' minds when they make the connection between their needs and your services.
If your marketing message has done its job properly, people will ask you how you do what you do or contact you for more information.
With a brilliant marketing message you'll grab your prospects' attention, get them to respond to you and increase your opportunities.
Imagine if your marketing was this effective in getting people's attention!
An associate of mine was starting a new business coaching service and was looking for marketing fireworks. They knew that they needed a marketing message, one that described what they did and would get there prospects' attention. There dilemma was that they worked with clients to solve numerous types of problems and instead of having one marketing message, they had a laundry list of them.
Solving lots of problems is good, but when you are trying to communicate what you do, it's the equivalent of a handful of sparklers as compared to having one large attention-getting display of fireworks.
Discover exactly how to get attention and more business with your marketing message and improve the response of everything from your ads to your web site to your business cards.
In order to grab prospects' attention my associate dispensed with there laundry list of messages and replaced it with one umbrella marketing message.
Here's how to get started on your own marketing message.
1. List the concerns of your target market relative to your services. This should generate a list of 10-30 problems you solve.
2. Organize your list in order of importance to clients.
What are your clients' primary concerns?
3. Use the most important client concern on your list as the basis for your marketing message. If you don't have a summary sentence, then write one.
In my town when a particularly spectacular firework goes off, the audience ooh's and ahh's. You may not get ooh's and ahh's from your marketing message but you do want it to prompt prospects to action.
When you use your marketing message, fireworks or at least a spark should ignite in your prospects' minds when they make the connection between their needs and your services.
If your marketing message has done its job properly, people will ask you how you do what you do or contact you for more information.
With a brilliant marketing message you'll grab your prospects' attention, get them to respond to you and increase your opportunities.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Declaration of Marketing Independence
1. I will set goals and objectives, and I will write them down in order to achieve my dream. (A dream pushes you to do something out of the ordinary and your goals help you make your dream a reality.)
2. I will shift my marketing away from "selling" to "helping". (No one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to get help.)
3. I will review each of my marketing materials and revise any that are focused on selling my company or my products or myself, and I will shift the focus to helping my prospects get what they want.
4. I will work to build trust through my marketing by demonstrating my expertise and the effectiveness of my products. (Trust is the basis for strong relationships and sales.)
5. I will replace sales lingo in my marketing with natural and conversational language. (It's much easier to engage a prospect with a conversation than with a monologue.)
6. I will measure the effectiveness of every aspect of my marketing and continually test alternatives to improve my conversion rates and my sales. (No matter how good your marketing is, you can always improve it. You'll ending up making more money with less effort.)
7. I will discover alternative ways to close the sale that aren't pushy or uncomfortable for me to use. (For example, asking questions is the easiest way to get a prospect to sell themselves, and a better way to control the sales process.)
8. I will avoid wasting time and money trying to reinvent the wheel and will get help from experts when I find myself struggling.
9. I will delegate any and all tasks that someone else could do with a modicum of training. (You can't grow your business if you're spending your time sorting email or running to the post office. There are hundreds of simple but time consuming tasks involved in keeping your business going. Delegate them.)
10. I will create a plan for how I can maximize my use my time and I will follow it to maximize sales. (Without a plan, you'll never get to developing that new product or implementing your marketing strategy.)
What would you include in your own Marketing Declaration of Independence?
Do any of the above 10 declarations resonate with you?
Please reply and let me know which one, and why.
You don't need to wage a war to become financially independent. Revolutionize your marketing and you'll soon be on your way.
2. I will shift my marketing away from "selling" to "helping". (No one likes to be sold, but everyone likes to get help.)
3. I will review each of my marketing materials and revise any that are focused on selling my company or my products or myself, and I will shift the focus to helping my prospects get what they want.
4. I will work to build trust through my marketing by demonstrating my expertise and the effectiveness of my products. (Trust is the basis for strong relationships and sales.)
5. I will replace sales lingo in my marketing with natural and conversational language. (It's much easier to engage a prospect with a conversation than with a monologue.)
6. I will measure the effectiveness of every aspect of my marketing and continually test alternatives to improve my conversion rates and my sales. (No matter how good your marketing is, you can always improve it. You'll ending up making more money with less effort.)
7. I will discover alternative ways to close the sale that aren't pushy or uncomfortable for me to use. (For example, asking questions is the easiest way to get a prospect to sell themselves, and a better way to control the sales process.)
8. I will avoid wasting time and money trying to reinvent the wheel and will get help from experts when I find myself struggling.
9. I will delegate any and all tasks that someone else could do with a modicum of training. (You can't grow your business if you're spending your time sorting email or running to the post office. There are hundreds of simple but time consuming tasks involved in keeping your business going. Delegate them.)
10. I will create a plan for how I can maximize my use my time and I will follow it to maximize sales. (Without a plan, you'll never get to developing that new product or implementing your marketing strategy.)
What would you include in your own Marketing Declaration of Independence?
Do any of the above 10 declarations resonate with you?
Please reply and let me know which one, and why.
You don't need to wage a war to become financially independent. Revolutionize your marketing and you'll soon be on your way.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Unable To Get Ahead?
"We are what we repeatedly do."
-- Aristotle
If you find yourself unable to get ahead, stop and take a look at what you are doing. If you are doing the same things over and over and not achieving any results, it may be time for a change. Your current situation is a direct culmination of all of your decisions and actions up to this point in time. Change your decisions and actions and you will change your results.
"The definition of insanity is to repeatedly perform the same action in the hopes of achieving a different result."
-- Albert Einstein
-- Aristotle
If you find yourself unable to get ahead, stop and take a look at what you are doing. If you are doing the same things over and over and not achieving any results, it may be time for a change. Your current situation is a direct culmination of all of your decisions and actions up to this point in time. Change your decisions and actions and you will change your results.
"The definition of insanity is to repeatedly perform the same action in the hopes of achieving a different result."
-- Albert Einstein
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