Found a great article relating to time management and how to increase your productivity. I agree with what I read because in college I was conditioned to always carry around my planner to practice time management and to mark dates, times, and task to be completed. I have also noticed that Franklin Covey planners explained the importance of labeling task in order of importance, but I can say I never measured my daily level of energy and matched it with tasks for better productivity.
Wow, I am sure there are many like me that would be interested in doubling their productivity and cutting their To Do list down to size. I hope this article helps others as it helped me.
Counter-Intuitive Time Management
Posted by editor1 on November 24, 2009 inWorking SmarterArticle Sponsor:
Innovative Techniques to Tame a Never-Ending Start-Up To Do List
By Linda Walker
The absolute BIGGEST challenge that entrepreneurs, artists, authors, and other creative geniuses that come to me for help is productivity. Some know they need help with time management techniques. Others are struggling, but they haven’t discovered that poor time management is the source of their frustration.
By asking a few questions, I zero in on the source of their misery, and evaluate whether they can benefit from the special time management techniques I teach. I just look for certain things they have in common.
4 Things All Entrepreneurs, Authors, and Other Creative Geniuses That Need Time Management Help Have in Common:
• They are amazingly creative yet they feel like underachievers because even though they generate brilliant ideas with jaw-dropping ease, they struggle to act on them.
• These “live-wire” geniuses are adventurous, ambitious, and energetic. They’ll start a hundred projects, but then bog down because of indecision, procrastination, or a feeling of being overwhelmed.
• They search relentlessly for new time management tips and try anything to improve their time management skills regardless of past struggles, but standard, “common sense” time management techniques just don’t work.
• Despite their best efforts, they’ve accumulated a never-ending To Do list (I call it their To Do “book”) and they’re frustrated with time management techniques that don’t work.
These thrill-seeking rebels share another characteristic. Each was diagnosed with ADD or ADHD as a child, has adult ADHD, or exhibits many adult ADHD traits. Their brains work differently than most people. But, as soon as they turn on to my counter-intuitive time management techniques, they experience a dramatic turnaround almost overnight.
See, you have to understand that your productivity depends on your mental and physical energy. Yes, you produce less when you’re tired, but your energy levels fluctuate far more than you realize.
How Your Energy Levels Affect Your Productivity
• At times, you have ample mental energy. You can laser-focus on anything that interests you, you’re amazingly productive, and you keep going long after other people are exhausted.
• Other times, you have plenty of physical energy, but your brain is also racing. You can’t concentrate. You’re eager to move and go through short (physical) tasks with ease.
• You need time to recharge. Your brain isn’t a plough-horse, plodding sedately. It’s a racehorse, capable of stunning bursts of power and speed. Like a racehorse, you must recharge between races.
• You also have your own unique energy fluctuations between these that create periods when you’re better at some tasks than you are at others.
Your energy fluctuations follow an identifiable pattern. When my clients track their energy level fluctuations at work and at play, within a week they have an accurate map of their daily energy levels, and the pattern repeats almost identically from week to week.
As a creative genius, you’ll always have many tasks on your To Do list! You effortlessly think up cool things to do or important things you should do. But you have to commit to do those tasks at a specific time by moving them from your To Do list to your agenda. Unfortunately, the large, unstructured space of your blank agenda often leads to indecisiveness and procrastination. Think of it as writer’s block for time management.
A Time Management Technique That Will Add Productive Hours to Your Day and Cut Your “To-Do” List Down to Size Guaranteed
You need a way to categorize and prioritize your tasks. Traditional time management techniques group tasks by importance. But assigning letter and number combinations to signify priority loses its effectiveness when you have 47 “A” tasks, at least six of which are important enough to be an “A1!” Instead, you should group your tasks by the energy required.
Now, here’s the secret to doubling your productivity and cutting your To Do list down to size. Use the map of your energy fluctuations to match tasks from your To Do list with a time when you typically have the ideal energy level for that task. Almost effortlessly, you’ll give your productivity a huge shot in the arm. Match your activities with times when you have the ideal energy type and level for maximum productivity doing that task, and you’ll tear through your To Do list like a tornado. HBM
Linda Walker coaches entrepreneurs, artists, authors and other creative geniuses who want to realize their dreams and overcome their needless struggle with traditional time management techniques that don’t work with rebel, thrill-seeking, creative brains. Now, discover the “productivity myths” holding you back, and learn how to overcome them: www.productivitymythsbusted.com.
Previously published in the October 2009 issue of HOME BUSINESS® Magazine, an international publication for the growing and dynamic home-based market. Available on newsstands, in bookstores and chain stores, and via subscriptions ($19.00 for 1 year, six issues). Visit www.homebusinessmag.com
The article above was taken from the following link http://www.homebusinessmag.com/management/working-smarter/counter-intuitive-time-management-0.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Hookup's...
I heard about this on the radio the other day in detroit on AM 1200 and MAN!! I never realized how I may be undervaluing my business and products, by providing hookups. I have two businesses, performing IT repair, marketing telecom products and home security. In my IT business, with family, I pretty much have been taking what people can give me for it. Yesterday, after reading this article, I realized that I spent money and time to go to school to learn this skill, and 9 years of professionally doing it. To just give it away essentially for free..defeats the purpose.
I also have noticed that even though most of my family and friends know that I market telecom products (cell phones, video voip phones, internet). There are those who ask if I can get them a free phone or super discounted prices on the monthly services. If I dont, many times they will go to the bigger companies and get them, often for a little more in cost than what I could give them.
Well anyway, please comment below your thoughts...
Do "hookups" occur in other ethnic groups? Let me know...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I Hate The Hook-Up
Want to support black entrepreneurs? Stop hitting them up for freebies
By Alfred Edmond, Jr. - December 03, 2009
http://www.blackenterprise.com/blogs/2009/12/03/why-i-hate-the-hook-up
Stop me if you've heard this one. Richard, a black comedian calls his white friend: "Hey, Chad. Just wanted to let you know: I'll be in town next week to do a show. Hope you can make it."
Chad: "Really? That's great! What night is it? I'll call all of my friends and we'll pack the house! It'll be a blast!"
"Thanks, Chad!," says Richard. "It's on Thursday night. I'll see you then!"
Richard hangs up, excited about the prospect of a big night at the comedy club, which means more gigs. He then he calls his boy, Lamont. (What? You know he's black. How many white, Asian or Latino guys named Lamont do you know? Try to keep up, okay? Anyway...)
Richard: "Monty-Mont! Whassup? It's ya boy, Richy-Rich! Just hollerin' atcha to let you know that I got a gig in town next Thursday. You coming, right?"
Lamont: "Hell, yes, I'm coming! You funny as a mug! Shoot, I'll bring my girl, and tell her to bring her girls, and I'll get Antonio and Big Rob and Lisa to come and get the word out to their peeps, too!"
"Cool!," says Richard. He holds his breath. He knows it's coming.
"You gonna hook us all up, right?," says Lamont.
One of the biggest drags on black entrepreneurial growth and profitability is the "hook-up": black people expecting other black people to provide them with free goods and services just because they're black. We need to stop it. Today. NOW.
No, she can't hook you up with a few press releases and some public relations for your event.
No, he can't hook you up with a few signed copies of his book.
No, he can't hook you up with a quick shape-up so you can look fly at the club tonight.
No, she can't hook you and your momma and aunties up with free tickets to the fashion show.
No, she can't hook up a business plan for you real quick.
No, she can't deliver the dinner keynote without an honorarium, in return for two tickets at the head table for food she won't get to eat. Because she'll be speaking during the dinner.
No, they can't wash your car, pull your teeth, do your hair, fix your computer, edit your manuscript, paint your house, build your web site, etc. for free! Discount? Maybe. Complimentary services for referring new—paying—customers? Okay. An occasional freebie for long-time, loyal customers who always pay? Sure. Barter my goods or services for yours? We might be able to work something out. But, FREE? NO!
Hello? The point of being in business is to make money! How can entrepreneurs, and black business owners in particular, make money, if they're expected to give their products and services—which costs them money to create, develop, market and deliver—away for free? If you don't spend money with them, they can't spend their money with you. If you won't pay for your haircut, your barber can't pay to eat at your restaurant. If Leslie the auto dealer won't pay a competitive rate for wedding planning, Lisa the wedding planner can't afford to buy a car from Leslie. Money has to circulate in order for economic empowerment to happen and for black entrepreneurs to have a chance to compete and thrive. You don't support black entrepreneurs by showing up for the hook-up. You support black business by paying up.
When I find a black entrepreneur or professional who provides goods and services I like, I pay for those goods and services—period. I know that there are costs associated with providing a service and making a product, a cost they can only recoup by selling at a profit. I don't want them to hook me up with free stuff. I want to hook them up with my spending, because then they can really hook me up, by creating jobs, growing the local tax base, supporting community organizations, doing business with other black entrepreneurs and professionals—or just having enough money and a predisposition to reciprocate, to buy goods and services (like subscriptions to Black Enterprise) from me and mine. I want black entrepreneurs to make money. I want them to succeed. I want them to get more than rich. I want to see as many wealthy black entrepreneurs, families and communities as possible. So if I like what they're selling, I'm more than happy—I'm thrilled—to pay for it, and to tell all of my family, friends and associates how great they are.
Do you really want to support black entrepreneurs and black professionals? Stop hitting them up for freebies. If you believe in their products and services, pay for them, as you would for the products and services of any other business. If what they're selling doesn't merit that, why are you patronizing them in the first place? Do you really think you're doing them—or yourself—a favor?
Alfred A. Edmond Jr. is the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com
I also have noticed that even though most of my family and friends know that I market telecom products (cell phones, video voip phones, internet). There are those who ask if I can get them a free phone or super discounted prices on the monthly services. If I dont, many times they will go to the bigger companies and get them, often for a little more in cost than what I could give them.
Well anyway, please comment below your thoughts...
Do "hookups" occur in other ethnic groups? Let me know...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why I Hate The Hook-Up
Want to support black entrepreneurs? Stop hitting them up for freebies
By Alfred Edmond, Jr. - December 03, 2009
http://www.blackenterprise.com/blogs/2009/12/03/why-i-hate-the-hook-up
Stop me if you've heard this one. Richard, a black comedian calls his white friend: "Hey, Chad. Just wanted to let you know: I'll be in town next week to do a show. Hope you can make it."
Chad: "Really? That's great! What night is it? I'll call all of my friends and we'll pack the house! It'll be a blast!"
"Thanks, Chad!," says Richard. "It's on Thursday night. I'll see you then!"
Richard hangs up, excited about the prospect of a big night at the comedy club, which means more gigs. He then he calls his boy, Lamont. (What? You know he's black. How many white, Asian or Latino guys named Lamont do you know? Try to keep up, okay? Anyway...)
Richard: "Monty-Mont! Whassup? It's ya boy, Richy-Rich! Just hollerin' atcha to let you know that I got a gig in town next Thursday. You coming, right?"
Lamont: "Hell, yes, I'm coming! You funny as a mug! Shoot, I'll bring my girl, and tell her to bring her girls, and I'll get Antonio and Big Rob and Lisa to come and get the word out to their peeps, too!"
"Cool!," says Richard. He holds his breath. He knows it's coming.
"You gonna hook us all up, right?," says Lamont.
One of the biggest drags on black entrepreneurial growth and profitability is the "hook-up": black people expecting other black people to provide them with free goods and services just because they're black. We need to stop it. Today. NOW.
No, she can't hook you up with a few press releases and some public relations for your event.
No, he can't hook you up with a few signed copies of his book.
No, he can't hook you up with a quick shape-up so you can look fly at the club tonight.
No, she can't hook you and your momma and aunties up with free tickets to the fashion show.
No, she can't hook up a business plan for you real quick.
No, she can't deliver the dinner keynote without an honorarium, in return for two tickets at the head table for food she won't get to eat. Because she'll be speaking during the dinner.
No, they can't wash your car, pull your teeth, do your hair, fix your computer, edit your manuscript, paint your house, build your web site, etc. for free! Discount? Maybe. Complimentary services for referring new—paying—customers? Okay. An occasional freebie for long-time, loyal customers who always pay? Sure. Barter my goods or services for yours? We might be able to work something out. But, FREE? NO!
Hello? The point of being in business is to make money! How can entrepreneurs, and black business owners in particular, make money, if they're expected to give their products and services—which costs them money to create, develop, market and deliver—away for free? If you don't spend money with them, they can't spend their money with you. If you won't pay for your haircut, your barber can't pay to eat at your restaurant. If Leslie the auto dealer won't pay a competitive rate for wedding planning, Lisa the wedding planner can't afford to buy a car from Leslie. Money has to circulate in order for economic empowerment to happen and for black entrepreneurs to have a chance to compete and thrive. You don't support black entrepreneurs by showing up for the hook-up. You support black business by paying up.
When I find a black entrepreneur or professional who provides goods and services I like, I pay for those goods and services—period. I know that there are costs associated with providing a service and making a product, a cost they can only recoup by selling at a profit. I don't want them to hook me up with free stuff. I want to hook them up with my spending, because then they can really hook me up, by creating jobs, growing the local tax base, supporting community organizations, doing business with other black entrepreneurs and professionals—or just having enough money and a predisposition to reciprocate, to buy goods and services (like subscriptions to Black Enterprise) from me and mine. I want black entrepreneurs to make money. I want them to succeed. I want them to get more than rich. I want to see as many wealthy black entrepreneurs, families and communities as possible. So if I like what they're selling, I'm more than happy—I'm thrilled—to pay for it, and to tell all of my family, friends and associates how great they are.
Do you really want to support black entrepreneurs and black professionals? Stop hitting them up for freebies. If you believe in their products and services, pay for them, as you would for the products and services of any other business. If what they're selling doesn't merit that, why are you patronizing them in the first place? Do you really think you're doing them—or yourself—a favor?
Alfred A. Edmond Jr. is the editor-in-chief of BlackEnterprise.com
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Helping the Homeless for the Holidays Christmas CD (DO Foundation)
Are you looking for just the right Christmas CD to help you set that holiday mood? Well, I have the perfect solution! "'Tis The Season", which is a smooth and festive holiday CD compilation being offered by my friend, jazz artist...Brian Oneal. (Keyboardist for R&B/Jazz artist, KEM). Also featured on this project is my very own aunt, Grammy-nominated producer, songwriter, vocal arranger and vocalist, Verdena Taylor...(Or, "Polly", as she is known in music circles.) Proceeds from the sale of Brian's "'Tis The Season" holiday CD will go towards funding efforts of The DO Foundation, whose mission is to aspire to meet the needs of those in the homeless community. Just last Saturday, Brian and several volunteers from The DO Foundation handed out "Love Bags" to the homeless, in one of Detroit's more distressed neighborhoods. We, at The Do Foundation, prefer using a more direct approach in getting the help to those who, for various reasons, are either unaware of or choose not to seek help from some of the larger non-profits, charities, and churches.
So, please...Be sure to purchase your copy of "'Tis The Season, today!!!
Contact Verdena ("Polly") Taylor to make your purchase and make a difference!!!
pollytunes07@aol.com, www.myspace.com/pollytunes07, www.facebook.com/a.k.a.POLLY
http://www.dofoundation.net
http://www.brianoneal.com/holiday
Remember...Homelessness is real! But, YOU can DO Something!
Friday, December 4, 2009
In a Toxic Industry? Use It to Your Advantage: By Kelly K. Spors and Kevin Salwen
Thoughts from Jerome...
I was reading the following article, and it highlights some things I had never thought about before. Most of the time we tend to avoid industries and business models with bad reputations both as investors, entrepreneurs and consumers. This article gives some great tips on countering that and using them as a positive (http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com/reputation-html).
Being in the direct sales and marketing business, this issue rears its ugly head at times. Two things I have found is customers either dont trust the integrity of the product, and potential business partners think you're going to get their investment and run, leaving them hung out to dry. I must admit, in moderation, skepticism is a healthy human emotion, which is birth out of a need for proof (and quite simply protecting ones pocketbook). We see it in religion, science, sales, marketing, etc...
However skepticism and stereotyping can also rob people of something great being added to their lives. For example, my product allows people to be able to see their loved ones without buying plane tickets, road trips, or hooking up web cams (which many relatives my not know how to anyway). My kids can talk to and see their grandparents every night, it has added a value to my life that I cannot put a price on.
However when marketing the product, there are those who are skeptical. Not because it doesn't work, we clearly demonstrate that it does, both as users of the product ourselves and our existing (and growing) customer base. Its also not because they don't trust the company (the manufacturer has been in the Inc 500 for 5 consecutive years, including this year). I have found that some simply don't trust the direct sales marketing model. If this product were in the stores, I believe, people would buy them in droves, because people tend to trust the store bought products more than ones directly sold to them. This is a false trust because many of the products in the stores today were sold using a direct sales model yesterday to create a demand, then placed in stores once they demonstrated that people really wanted this product. Sort of like the independent music artist hawking his own Cd's from his trunk in the parking lot. He creates a demand and buzz for his music, then gets the record deal later (I can think of several artists who have used this exact method).
This model eliminates real estate overhead costs, advertising costs, and shoplifting, and many companies benefit from it. Unfortunately, people think back to the days when soda was sold as a medicine/tonic claiming to be a cure all for various ailments. But we must somehow turn negative stereotypes into an opportunity.
How have YOU overcome negative stereotypes in your area of business? Please read the article and post your thoughts below! (The posting problem should be resolved now)
Jerome Chandler,
5Linx National Expansion Leader
Owner/Operator of House Call Solutions
*********ARTICLE*********
http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com/reputation-html
In a Toxic Industry? Use It to Your Advantage
By Kelly K. Spors and Kevin Salwen
Call them the Tarnished Trades of the business world: Industries with such significant image problems that customers' first reaction is to grip their wallets in panic. Buyers just pray for an honest deal -- any honest deal.
You know the reputations, right?
Auto-repair shops: Under-the-hood rip-off shops, really. They prey on your ignorance to encourage repairs you don't need.
Dog breeders: Woof. Puppies are stuck in filthy, cramped cages all day long. No wonder they’re sick and inbred.
Remodelers: You'd rather hammer your thumb than deal with some of these. Work is shoddy, and good luck finding one that finishes a job on time.
Real-estate brokers: Just milking you for the biggest commission they can get. Will they ever stop hounding?
Moving companies: Buy the extra insurance in case your stuff gets ruined ... or disappears completely.
Bill collectors: Don't answer the phone. Hopefully they won't bat down your front door.
Morticians: Overpriced urns and preying on the grieving. The survivors get buried with ridiculous bills.
Accident lawyers: Ambulance chasers. Hurt? Injured? We need your fees!
Home-cleaning services: Good luck getting them to show up when you ask them to. Wait, where's my iPod?
And those are just some of the industries plagued with bad perceptions -- many others fight them, too. Company owners and employees in these businesses battle huge negatives convincing wary customers they are safe.
But if you're unlucky enough to be in one of these industries, you can actually use the ugly reputations to your advantage. In fact, this bad image can be a primo opportunity to stand out from the pack. Just think about the car business, where Carmax was created with the model that it's the used-car dealer that won't leave you feeling slimy. An honest player in a business that's routinely the brunt of jokes can quickly become the White Knight, sometimes even just by being mediocre because the comparisons are so ugly.
So what can you do? First, realize you have a powerful tool at your fingertips: The Internet. Consumers are using the Web in droves to read up and leave reviews of companies. A 2007 study by Deloitte found that about two-thirds of consumers read online reviews regularly and, of those, about 80 percent rely on those comments when making purchase decisions. "If nothing else, make yourself aware that there is a conversation going on," says Matt McGee, a small business search marketing expert in Tri-Cities, Wash.
There are plenty of opportunities in the physical world, too, to make your reputation shine - you just have to listen a little closer to what customers are saying.
Here, then, is a three-step plan to manage your company's reputation.
PREVENTION FIRST
The backbone of a company’s reputation, of course, is quality service. Fewer customers with bad experiences will result in fewer bad reviews. Your happiest clients will become your best marketers with their word-of-mouth reviews.
So don't overlook basic good practices: hire the right people to deal with customers and then train and empower those people to solve customer problems.
Companies with the best reputations tend to closely monitor their customer experiences using follow-up surveys and other feedback tools so they can address service problems early, says Ben McConnell, an Austin, Texas-based marketing expert.
This can be especially useful to companies in industries where bad reputations are the norm. Star Auto Authority, a Vernon Hills, Ill., auto mechanic with 22 employees and $2.5 million in annual revenues, is constantly trying to improve the experience at its shop.
A few days after a job, customers receive email surveys asking them to rate their experience. The survey results help the shop identify service shortfalls, as well as let Star Auto resolve problems before customers vent their frustrations online, says Angi Semler, director of operations. The company president personally calls customers who leave negative feedback. "There are people, when they are at our service counter, may not be satisfied but may not say anything," Ms. Semler says. The survey offers "them a chance to speak somewhat anonymously about their experience."
LISTEN CLOSELY
Even businesses with great service occasionally get bad online reviews. Sites like Yelp, Twitter, Citysearch and Yahoo! Local give consumers a louder voice than ever before - and these reviews often show up near the top in search results for a small company's name. (Terrifying translation: A bad review might be the first thing somebody reads when they search for your business.) Quickly spotting bad reviews and dealing with them can soften the blow.
Online tools such as Google Alerts let you easily track blog posts, news stories or Web comments where your company name or key employees' names pops up. It's a good idea, experts say, to have one person at a small business designated to reading the reviews and handling a company's online reputation.
What should a business do when it discovers a disparaging remark?
Andy Beal, chief executive of Trackur.com, an online reputation monitoring service for small businesses, says businesses can't ignore angry comments. When a business encounters a negative review online, it should leave a short response starting with a straightforward and genuine apology. Then it should note that bad experiences aren't common for the business and offer a phone number where the upset customer can call to talk about the problem and have it resolved.
Being apologetic in the public response –not defensive – will suggest the business cares about its customers. But Mr. Beal suggests trying to take the conversation with the disgruntled reviewer offline, to avoid fueling an angry back-and-forth conversation for everyone to read. "You want to just nip it in the bud," he says. "Offer a clear-cut apology and then take it offline."
CARVE THE CONVERSATION
Managing a reputation isn't just about thwarting and dealing with negative reviews. It's equally about creating positive ones.
Creating an online fan base helps ensure positive coverage of your business appears prominently in online searches or when people read up about you online. You can start a "fan page" or "group" on Facebook, or simply connect with customers and prospects using Twitter and other social-networking sites.
Review sites can also be used to your advantage to create more good publicity. Many businesses now direct their happiest, most loyal customers to the most influential review sites in their industry and ask them to leave feedback.
Ramon De Leon, operating partner of a six-store Domino's Pizza franchise in Chicago, uses Twitter to find customers talking about Domino's Pizza in the Chicago area and then communicates with them and offers them discounts on pizzas. He uses Twitter apps such as Monitter to keep track of what Chicago-based Twitter users are saying about Domino's.
Mr. De Leon says being active on Twitter has helped draw in more customers. "When the need arises to buy a pizza, hopefully that friendship will make me top of their order list."
I was reading the following article, and it highlights some things I had never thought about before. Most of the time we tend to avoid industries and business models with bad reputations both as investors, entrepreneurs and consumers. This article gives some great tips on countering that and using them as a positive (http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com/reputation-html).
Being in the direct sales and marketing business, this issue rears its ugly head at times. Two things I have found is customers either dont trust the integrity of the product, and potential business partners think you're going to get their investment and run, leaving them hung out to dry. I must admit, in moderation, skepticism is a healthy human emotion, which is birth out of a need for proof (and quite simply protecting ones pocketbook). We see it in religion, science, sales, marketing, etc...
However skepticism and stereotyping can also rob people of something great being added to their lives. For example, my product allows people to be able to see their loved ones without buying plane tickets, road trips, or hooking up web cams (which many relatives my not know how to anyway). My kids can talk to and see their grandparents every night, it has added a value to my life that I cannot put a price on.
However when marketing the product, there are those who are skeptical. Not because it doesn't work, we clearly demonstrate that it does, both as users of the product ourselves and our existing (and growing) customer base. Its also not because they don't trust the company (the manufacturer has been in the Inc 500 for 5 consecutive years, including this year). I have found that some simply don't trust the direct sales marketing model. If this product were in the stores, I believe, people would buy them in droves, because people tend to trust the store bought products more than ones directly sold to them. This is a false trust because many of the products in the stores today were sold using a direct sales model yesterday to create a demand, then placed in stores once they demonstrated that people really wanted this product. Sort of like the independent music artist hawking his own Cd's from his trunk in the parking lot. He creates a demand and buzz for his music, then gets the record deal later (I can think of several artists who have used this exact method).
This model eliminates real estate overhead costs, advertising costs, and shoplifting, and many companies benefit from it. Unfortunately, people think back to the days when soda was sold as a medicine/tonic claiming to be a cure all for various ailments. But we must somehow turn negative stereotypes into an opportunity.
How have YOU overcome negative stereotypes in your area of business? Please read the article and post your thoughts below! (The posting problem should be resolved now)
Jerome Chandler,
5Linx National Expansion Leader
Owner/Operator of House Call Solutions
*********ARTICLE*********
http://smallbusinessanswers.yahoo.com/reputation-html
In a Toxic Industry? Use It to Your Advantage
By Kelly K. Spors and Kevin Salwen
Call them the Tarnished Trades of the business world: Industries with such significant image problems that customers' first reaction is to grip their wallets in panic. Buyers just pray for an honest deal -- any honest deal.
You know the reputations, right?
Auto-repair shops: Under-the-hood rip-off shops, really. They prey on your ignorance to encourage repairs you don't need.
Dog breeders: Woof. Puppies are stuck in filthy, cramped cages all day long. No wonder they’re sick and inbred.
Remodelers: You'd rather hammer your thumb than deal with some of these. Work is shoddy, and good luck finding one that finishes a job on time.
Real-estate brokers: Just milking you for the biggest commission they can get. Will they ever stop hounding?
Moving companies: Buy the extra insurance in case your stuff gets ruined ... or disappears completely.
Bill collectors: Don't answer the phone. Hopefully they won't bat down your front door.
Morticians: Overpriced urns and preying on the grieving. The survivors get buried with ridiculous bills.
Accident lawyers: Ambulance chasers. Hurt? Injured? We need your fees!
Home-cleaning services: Good luck getting them to show up when you ask them to. Wait, where's my iPod?
And those are just some of the industries plagued with bad perceptions -- many others fight them, too. Company owners and employees in these businesses battle huge negatives convincing wary customers they are safe.
But if you're unlucky enough to be in one of these industries, you can actually use the ugly reputations to your advantage. In fact, this bad image can be a primo opportunity to stand out from the pack. Just think about the car business, where Carmax was created with the model that it's the used-car dealer that won't leave you feeling slimy. An honest player in a business that's routinely the brunt of jokes can quickly become the White Knight, sometimes even just by being mediocre because the comparisons are so ugly.
So what can you do? First, realize you have a powerful tool at your fingertips: The Internet. Consumers are using the Web in droves to read up and leave reviews of companies. A 2007 study by Deloitte found that about two-thirds of consumers read online reviews regularly and, of those, about 80 percent rely on those comments when making purchase decisions. "If nothing else, make yourself aware that there is a conversation going on," says Matt McGee, a small business search marketing expert in Tri-Cities, Wash.
There are plenty of opportunities in the physical world, too, to make your reputation shine - you just have to listen a little closer to what customers are saying.
Here, then, is a three-step plan to manage your company's reputation.
PREVENTION FIRST
The backbone of a company’s reputation, of course, is quality service. Fewer customers with bad experiences will result in fewer bad reviews. Your happiest clients will become your best marketers with their word-of-mouth reviews.
So don't overlook basic good practices: hire the right people to deal with customers and then train and empower those people to solve customer problems.
Companies with the best reputations tend to closely monitor their customer experiences using follow-up surveys and other feedback tools so they can address service problems early, says Ben McConnell, an Austin, Texas-based marketing expert.
This can be especially useful to companies in industries where bad reputations are the norm. Star Auto Authority, a Vernon Hills, Ill., auto mechanic with 22 employees and $2.5 million in annual revenues, is constantly trying to improve the experience at its shop.
A few days after a job, customers receive email surveys asking them to rate their experience. The survey results help the shop identify service shortfalls, as well as let Star Auto resolve problems before customers vent their frustrations online, says Angi Semler, director of operations. The company president personally calls customers who leave negative feedback. "There are people, when they are at our service counter, may not be satisfied but may not say anything," Ms. Semler says. The survey offers "them a chance to speak somewhat anonymously about their experience."
LISTEN CLOSELY
Even businesses with great service occasionally get bad online reviews. Sites like Yelp, Twitter, Citysearch and Yahoo! Local give consumers a louder voice than ever before - and these reviews often show up near the top in search results for a small company's name. (Terrifying translation: A bad review might be the first thing somebody reads when they search for your business.) Quickly spotting bad reviews and dealing with them can soften the blow.
Online tools such as Google Alerts let you easily track blog posts, news stories or Web comments where your company name or key employees' names pops up. It's a good idea, experts say, to have one person at a small business designated to reading the reviews and handling a company's online reputation.
What should a business do when it discovers a disparaging remark?
Andy Beal, chief executive of Trackur.com, an online reputation monitoring service for small businesses, says businesses can't ignore angry comments. When a business encounters a negative review online, it should leave a short response starting with a straightforward and genuine apology. Then it should note that bad experiences aren't common for the business and offer a phone number where the upset customer can call to talk about the problem and have it resolved.
Being apologetic in the public response –not defensive – will suggest the business cares about its customers. But Mr. Beal suggests trying to take the conversation with the disgruntled reviewer offline, to avoid fueling an angry back-and-forth conversation for everyone to read. "You want to just nip it in the bud," he says. "Offer a clear-cut apology and then take it offline."
CARVE THE CONVERSATION
Managing a reputation isn't just about thwarting and dealing with negative reviews. It's equally about creating positive ones.
Creating an online fan base helps ensure positive coverage of your business appears prominently in online searches or when people read up about you online. You can start a "fan page" or "group" on Facebook, or simply connect with customers and prospects using Twitter and other social-networking sites.
Review sites can also be used to your advantage to create more good publicity. Many businesses now direct their happiest, most loyal customers to the most influential review sites in their industry and ask them to leave feedback.
Ramon De Leon, operating partner of a six-store Domino's Pizza franchise in Chicago, uses Twitter to find customers talking about Domino's Pizza in the Chicago area and then communicates with them and offers them discounts on pizzas. He uses Twitter apps such as Monitter to keep track of what Chicago-based Twitter users are saying about Domino's.
Mr. De Leon says being active on Twitter has helped draw in more customers. "When the need arises to buy a pizza, hopefully that friendship will make me top of their order list."
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sneaky Marketing Tricks
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/don-t-fall-for-these-sneaky-marketing-tricks-while-you-re-shopping-544635/
Think you’re too smart to fall for marketing mind games? Check ’em out:
A lot of the scenarios below are pulled from the original text, a review of Predictably Irrational, but I tried to explain them more clearly. Hopefully I didn’t make them more confusing!
THE TRICK: Luring customers with a “bargain” option. When a high-end kitchen goods chain introduced bread machines, sales were slow. When the store added a “deluxe” version that was 50% more expensive, they started flying off the shelves; the first bread machine now appeared to be a bargain.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Don’t just buy something on impulse because it’s a bargain. If you’re truly in the market for a bread machine (or a stereo or anything else), compare different models from different stores. And keep in mind that some premium options are there only to make the less expensive options look more appealing.
Related: 7 Little Bargain Shopping Tips That Will Save You Major Money
THE TRICK: Surrounding something worthless with valuable items to make the worthless thing appear valuable. Savador Assael, the Pearl King, single-handedly created the market for black pearls, which were unknown in the industry before 1973. His first attempt to market the pearls was an utter failure; he didn't sell a single pearl. So he went to his friend Harry Winston, and had Winston put them in the window of his 5th Avenue store with an outrageous price tag attached. Then he ran full-page ads in glossy magazines with black pearls next to diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Soon, black pearls were considered precious.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Try to assess different options based on what they’re actually worth. Is a leather handbag with a fancy label and a $1,000 price tag really worth more than a leather handbag with a $500 price tag? Or a $100 price tag? Sure, there are different qualities of leather, but eventually, are you just paying for the label because someone told you it’s worth more?
See our tips: How Not to Pay too Much for Car Repairs.
THE TRICK: Offering new-and-improved anything. A group of MIT students tasted two different beers, and then choose to get a free pint of one of the brews. Brew A was Budweiser. Brew B was Budweiser, plus 2 drops of balsamic vinegar per ounce. When students were not told about the nature of the beers, they overwhelmingly chose the balsamic beer. When students were told about the true nature of the beers, they overwhelmingly chose the Budweiser.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Ignore labels like “premium” or “pro” or “award-winning,” which have no actual merit. Remember that a “new and improved” product might just have slightly different packaging. Or a few drops of vinegar.
Related: 20 ways to live rich on less money!
THE TRICK: Preying on customers’ assumption that expensive items work better. A research team made up a fake painkiller, Veladone-Rx. An attractive woman in a business suit (with a faint Russian accent) told subjects that 92 percent of patients receiving Veladone-Rx reported significant pain relief in 10 minutes, with relief lasting up to 8 hours. When told that the drug cost $2.50 per dose, nearly all of the subjects reported pain relief. When told that the drug cost 10 cents per dose, only half of the subjects reported pain relief.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Don’t automatically assume that expensive items are the best. If you start your shopping by comparing lower-end models, you might realize the high-end models have a bunch of extras you don’t actually need. And when you’re shopping for meds, keep in mind that the product in the store-brand box is often the exact same product as the one in the name-brand box. Ignore the temptation to pay more.
Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen for every one of these tricks.
Anyone else feeling duped? Do you guys do your shopping with a list? Do you comparison shop ahead of time? Or do you just head to the store and assume you’ll be able to sniff out the best bargains?
Think you’re too smart to fall for marketing mind games? Check ’em out:
A lot of the scenarios below are pulled from the original text, a review of Predictably Irrational, but I tried to explain them more clearly. Hopefully I didn’t make them more confusing!
THE TRICK: Luring customers with a “bargain” option. When a high-end kitchen goods chain introduced bread machines, sales were slow. When the store added a “deluxe” version that was 50% more expensive, they started flying off the shelves; the first bread machine now appeared to be a bargain.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Don’t just buy something on impulse because it’s a bargain. If you’re truly in the market for a bread machine (or a stereo or anything else), compare different models from different stores. And keep in mind that some premium options are there only to make the less expensive options look more appealing.
Related: 7 Little Bargain Shopping Tips That Will Save You Major Money
THE TRICK: Surrounding something worthless with valuable items to make the worthless thing appear valuable. Savador Assael, the Pearl King, single-handedly created the market for black pearls, which were unknown in the industry before 1973. His first attempt to market the pearls was an utter failure; he didn't sell a single pearl. So he went to his friend Harry Winston, and had Winston put them in the window of his 5th Avenue store with an outrageous price tag attached. Then he ran full-page ads in glossy magazines with black pearls next to diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Soon, black pearls were considered precious.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Try to assess different options based on what they’re actually worth. Is a leather handbag with a fancy label and a $1,000 price tag really worth more than a leather handbag with a $500 price tag? Or a $100 price tag? Sure, there are different qualities of leather, but eventually, are you just paying for the label because someone told you it’s worth more?
See our tips: How Not to Pay too Much for Car Repairs.
THE TRICK: Offering new-and-improved anything. A group of MIT students tasted two different beers, and then choose to get a free pint of one of the brews. Brew A was Budweiser. Brew B was Budweiser, plus 2 drops of balsamic vinegar per ounce. When students were not told about the nature of the beers, they overwhelmingly chose the balsamic beer. When students were told about the true nature of the beers, they overwhelmingly chose the Budweiser.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Ignore labels like “premium” or “pro” or “award-winning,” which have no actual merit. Remember that a “new and improved” product might just have slightly different packaging. Or a few drops of vinegar.
Related: 20 ways to live rich on less money!
THE TRICK: Preying on customers’ assumption that expensive items work better. A research team made up a fake painkiller, Veladone-Rx. An attractive woman in a business suit (with a faint Russian accent) told subjects that 92 percent of patients receiving Veladone-Rx reported significant pain relief in 10 minutes, with relief lasting up to 8 hours. When told that the drug cost $2.50 per dose, nearly all of the subjects reported pain relief. When told that the drug cost 10 cents per dose, only half of the subjects reported pain relief.
HOW TO AVOID IT: Don’t automatically assume that expensive items are the best. If you start your shopping by comparing lower-end models, you might realize the high-end models have a bunch of extras you don’t actually need. And when you’re shopping for meds, keep in mind that the product in the store-brand box is often the exact same product as the one in the name-brand box. Ignore the temptation to pay more.
Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen for every one of these tricks.
Anyone else feeling duped? Do you guys do your shopping with a list? Do you comparison shop ahead of time? Or do you just head to the store and assume you’ll be able to sniff out the best bargains?
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
An Entrepreneurial Life: By Jay Goltz
http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/an-entrepreneurial-life/
An Entrepreneurial Life: By Jay Goltz
I just celebrated my 30th anniversary. One wife, three kids, 10 business start-ups, five business successes, five business misfires. I started my company the year before I got married, right out of school. I have come to realize over the years that I have not had a normal life. That’s because I am not normal; I am an entrepreneur.
It took me a long time to figure out that I am different from most of the people I know. I have never had a full-time job, a savings account for my child’s education, or anyone to answer to besides the bank and 50,000 or so customers. I am also a recovering entrepreneuraholic. Starting a new business can be intoxicating. As with anything intoxicating, moderation is key. There are prices to pay.
First of all, I am not having a midlife crisis. My whole life has been a series of crises — from hiring the wrong people to not getting paid to running out of cash to running out of customers (something new in 2009). These events cannot usually be compartmentalized. They creep into your personal life, if you have a personal life.
I can speak only for myself. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. But here are some words that I believe describe many successful entrepreneurs: independent, intense, strong-willed, obsessive, competitive, intolerant, thrill-seeking, adventurous, visionary, crazy, self-absorbed. With short attention spans. Perhaps some of these characteristics are necessary to be successful.
Now, suppose we were to make a list of words that would describe a good or easy-to-live-with spouse or parent. Would any of the same words be on this list? Hmmm. I don’t think so. Suffice it to say that the traits that make someone successful at work can be challenging at home. Can someone be different at home than at work? I think so, but only to a degree. I’ve come to believe that a real hero is someone who figures out how to leave his problems at work. It isn’t easy. I frequently haven’t succeeded. I’m not even sure that I always tried. I was young and ignorant.
It’s so easy to justify working long hours, missing family events and being stressed out in the noble quest of providing for the family. I accept the reality that if you want to be successful, you sometimes need to put the business (or job) first. I wish it were as simple as just deciding to put the family first — and maybe it should be. But entrepreneurship is not always about our wishes. Sometimes we have critical responsibilities that can’t wait: to a customer, to an employee, or for the bills that have to be paid. At some point, though, once the business is successful, it is no longer about providing for the family. It becomes more about ambition, ego and competition. We all make choices, some conscious, some not.
Everyone talks about balance. There is no balance. Balance is perfect. There is nothing perfect in work/life balance. It is about compromise, choices and, often, regret. Here is the irony of ambition: The same ambition that drives people to be successful won’t let them enjoy being successful. They pay a terrible price for their success, as do their families, but they are never successful enough. Me? I feel successful. I didn’t always. I never felt as if I did enough, made enough or achieved my potential. I have redefined what it means to achieve my potential. Sometimes controlling your ambitions can be a good thing. Sometimes smaller is better. Grow or die is an insane war cry for entrepreneurs. Many times it is grow and die. The bottom line is more important than the top line.
My business day is very different from what it was 20 years ago. I would go from one urgent matter to another, all day long — from a customer to a production person to an insurance agent to the accounting firm to the newspaper’s ad sales representative. It is normal and necessary for an entrepreneur to wear 10 different hats in the course of an hour. But it can make your head hurt.
I remember a morning when my mother called me at 9 o’clock to tell me that my grandfather was going in for emergency surgery. She asked me to call my sisters to tell them. At 4 p.m. one of my sisters called to ask why I hadn’t called her. I was speechless, and mortified. I had forgotten. About five seconds after hanging up with my mother, I had got caught up in my typical day of moving from one crisis to another. I felt stupid, irresponsible and out of control.
This chaos went on for a few more years until I learned how to hire, train, manage and empower. It also didn’t hurt that my company’s growth started to slow from more than 30 percent a year to about 10 percent. I have learned that bad things can happen in your life. I don’t ever want to be in a position that I can’t take some time off to deal with whatever comes up. I guess I’m trying to approach normality.
I have three wonderful children that I don’t think I screwed up too much. And I have a loving wife who has put up with all of the nonsense that goes with entrepreneurship. I hear the line from “My Way”: “Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew.” I think of my wife. I get teary-eyed. And then I go to work. I’m trying. Happy anniversary.
Jay Goltz owns five small businesses in Chicago.
An Entrepreneurial Life: By Jay Goltz
I just celebrated my 30th anniversary. One wife, three kids, 10 business start-ups, five business successes, five business misfires. I started my company the year before I got married, right out of school. I have come to realize over the years that I have not had a normal life. That’s because I am not normal; I am an entrepreneur.
It took me a long time to figure out that I am different from most of the people I know. I have never had a full-time job, a savings account for my child’s education, or anyone to answer to besides the bank and 50,000 or so customers. I am also a recovering entrepreneuraholic. Starting a new business can be intoxicating. As with anything intoxicating, moderation is key. There are prices to pay.
First of all, I am not having a midlife crisis. My whole life has been a series of crises — from hiring the wrong people to not getting paid to running out of cash to running out of customers (something new in 2009). These events cannot usually be compartmentalized. They creep into your personal life, if you have a personal life.
I can speak only for myself. Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. But here are some words that I believe describe many successful entrepreneurs: independent, intense, strong-willed, obsessive, competitive, intolerant, thrill-seeking, adventurous, visionary, crazy, self-absorbed. With short attention spans. Perhaps some of these characteristics are necessary to be successful.
Now, suppose we were to make a list of words that would describe a good or easy-to-live-with spouse or parent. Would any of the same words be on this list? Hmmm. I don’t think so. Suffice it to say that the traits that make someone successful at work can be challenging at home. Can someone be different at home than at work? I think so, but only to a degree. I’ve come to believe that a real hero is someone who figures out how to leave his problems at work. It isn’t easy. I frequently haven’t succeeded. I’m not even sure that I always tried. I was young and ignorant.
It’s so easy to justify working long hours, missing family events and being stressed out in the noble quest of providing for the family. I accept the reality that if you want to be successful, you sometimes need to put the business (or job) first. I wish it were as simple as just deciding to put the family first — and maybe it should be. But entrepreneurship is not always about our wishes. Sometimes we have critical responsibilities that can’t wait: to a customer, to an employee, or for the bills that have to be paid. At some point, though, once the business is successful, it is no longer about providing for the family. It becomes more about ambition, ego and competition. We all make choices, some conscious, some not.
Everyone talks about balance. There is no balance. Balance is perfect. There is nothing perfect in work/life balance. It is about compromise, choices and, often, regret. Here is the irony of ambition: The same ambition that drives people to be successful won’t let them enjoy being successful. They pay a terrible price for their success, as do their families, but they are never successful enough. Me? I feel successful. I didn’t always. I never felt as if I did enough, made enough or achieved my potential. I have redefined what it means to achieve my potential. Sometimes controlling your ambitions can be a good thing. Sometimes smaller is better. Grow or die is an insane war cry for entrepreneurs. Many times it is grow and die. The bottom line is more important than the top line.
My business day is very different from what it was 20 years ago. I would go from one urgent matter to another, all day long — from a customer to a production person to an insurance agent to the accounting firm to the newspaper’s ad sales representative. It is normal and necessary for an entrepreneur to wear 10 different hats in the course of an hour. But it can make your head hurt.
I remember a morning when my mother called me at 9 o’clock to tell me that my grandfather was going in for emergency surgery. She asked me to call my sisters to tell them. At 4 p.m. one of my sisters called to ask why I hadn’t called her. I was speechless, and mortified. I had forgotten. About five seconds after hanging up with my mother, I had got caught up in my typical day of moving from one crisis to another. I felt stupid, irresponsible and out of control.
This chaos went on for a few more years until I learned how to hire, train, manage and empower. It also didn’t hurt that my company’s growth started to slow from more than 30 percent a year to about 10 percent. I have learned that bad things can happen in your life. I don’t ever want to be in a position that I can’t take some time off to deal with whatever comes up. I guess I’m trying to approach normality.
I have three wonderful children that I don’t think I screwed up too much. And I have a loving wife who has put up with all of the nonsense that goes with entrepreneurship. I hear the line from “My Way”: “Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew.” I think of my wife. I get teary-eyed. And then I go to work. I’m trying. Happy anniversary.
Jay Goltz owns five small businesses in Chicago.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Five Habits of Millionaires
by Barbara Reinhold
Monster Contributing Writer
http://career-tips.monster.com/salary-trends/Five-Habits-of-Millionaires/IBS.aspx?key=det
According to a study of college students at the Ernst & Young International Intern
Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, 59 percent of these young leaders expect to be millionaires within their lifetime. What's more, 5 percent of them expect to hit the million-dollar mark while in their 20s.
And the super-rich are a growing group. The top 0.1 percent of the population's average income was $3 million in 2002, up two and a half times the $1.2 million, adjusted for inflation, that group reported in 1980.
Earned Money vs. Easy Money
Easy money usually comes from inheritance or luck, such as winning the lottery. The track record of people who get their money through the lottery or other windfalls is usually very different from those who created their wealth themselves or who planned for an expected inheritance. Lottery winners are often a sorry lot; more than 90 percent use up their winnings within 10 years -- some go through their money in weeks or months.
But there are some consistent patterns among those people who earn or plan to inherit their money, and these five strategies may be worth emulating.
1. Avoid the Earn-to-Spend Mentality
Michael LeBoeuf, author of The Millionaire in You, points out that to increase wealth, it's essential to emulate millionaires who view money as something to save and invest, rather than income to spend. Many wealthy people live quite simply, he points out, choosing less pretentious homes than they could theoretically afford and opting for financial independence over material showmanship.
2. Focus
LeBoeuf also counsels resisting the impulse to be scattered in your efforts and interests: "Winners focus; losers spray." And goals that are clearly written down are easier to keep in focus.
3. Do Whatever Is Necessary to Meet Your Goal
People who earn their millions are able not only to focus but persevere in the pursuit of their goals. One single mom entrepreneur, Melissa Clark-Reynolds, started her first business, a health and safety consultancy, when she had a young son. En route to her goal of being a millionaire by age 35, Clarke-Reynolds and her son ate lots of pizza, did homework late at night and often slept at the office. She is now a chief executive mentor for Empower New Zealand, a global business consulting firm headquartered in London.
4. Take Calculated Risks
You have to take strategic risks to earn and grow money. And a little rebelliousness seems to help too. One interesting study found a majority of male millionaire entrepreneurs had been in trouble with school authorities or the police during their adolescence.
5. Be Generous
And why doesn't it surprise us that millionaires are often very generous? Sometimes it's for the tax breaks, obviously, but often it's not. One Jewish Swiss millionaire, for instance, flew to Israel to give $5,000 in cash to a waiter at a Jerusalem café who foiled a Palestinian suicide bombing. Among the most generous of millionaires are those from North America, who are, according to a Merrill Lynch Cap-Gemini report, two to five times more likely to give to causes they value than their European counterparts.
These five habits are a pretty good prescription for living happily even if you're not a millionaire.
But LeBoeuf insists it's not so unusual to be a millionaire. As of 2004, there were 8.2 million households with a net worth of more than $1 million. And are the folks in those households happy? Yes, says professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in the UK. After studying more than 9,000 people over eight years, Oswald concluded that people who come into money are happier. The happiest among them, he says, seem to be "highly educated, well-paid women who have jobs."
And how much money does the professor say it takes to be happy? "About $1 million, give or take a little."
Monster Contributing Writer
http://career-tips.monster.com/salary-trends/Five-Habits-of-Millionaires/IBS.aspx?key=det
According to a study of college students at the Ernst & Young International Intern
Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, 59 percent of these young leaders expect to be millionaires within their lifetime. What's more, 5 percent of them expect to hit the million-dollar mark while in their 20s.
And the super-rich are a growing group. The top 0.1 percent of the population's average income was $3 million in 2002, up two and a half times the $1.2 million, adjusted for inflation, that group reported in 1980.
Earned Money vs. Easy Money
Easy money usually comes from inheritance or luck, such as winning the lottery. The track record of people who get their money through the lottery or other windfalls is usually very different from those who created their wealth themselves or who planned for an expected inheritance. Lottery winners are often a sorry lot; more than 90 percent use up their winnings within 10 years -- some go through their money in weeks or months.
But there are some consistent patterns among those people who earn or plan to inherit their money, and these five strategies may be worth emulating.
1. Avoid the Earn-to-Spend Mentality
Michael LeBoeuf, author of The Millionaire in You, points out that to increase wealth, it's essential to emulate millionaires who view money as something to save and invest, rather than income to spend. Many wealthy people live quite simply, he points out, choosing less pretentious homes than they could theoretically afford and opting for financial independence over material showmanship.
2. Focus
LeBoeuf also counsels resisting the impulse to be scattered in your efforts and interests: "Winners focus; losers spray." And goals that are clearly written down are easier to keep in focus.
3. Do Whatever Is Necessary to Meet Your Goal
People who earn their millions are able not only to focus but persevere in the pursuit of their goals. One single mom entrepreneur, Melissa Clark-Reynolds, started her first business, a health and safety consultancy, when she had a young son. En route to her goal of being a millionaire by age 35, Clarke-Reynolds and her son ate lots of pizza, did homework late at night and often slept at the office. She is now a chief executive mentor for Empower New Zealand, a global business consulting firm headquartered in London.
4. Take Calculated Risks
You have to take strategic risks to earn and grow money. And a little rebelliousness seems to help too. One interesting study found a majority of male millionaire entrepreneurs had been in trouble with school authorities or the police during their adolescence.
5. Be Generous
And why doesn't it surprise us that millionaires are often very generous? Sometimes it's for the tax breaks, obviously, but often it's not. One Jewish Swiss millionaire, for instance, flew to Israel to give $5,000 in cash to a waiter at a Jerusalem café who foiled a Palestinian suicide bombing. Among the most generous of millionaires are those from North America, who are, according to a Merrill Lynch Cap-Gemini report, two to five times more likely to give to causes they value than their European counterparts.
These five habits are a pretty good prescription for living happily even if you're not a millionaire.
But LeBoeuf insists it's not so unusual to be a millionaire. As of 2004, there were 8.2 million households with a net worth of more than $1 million. And are the folks in those households happy? Yes, says professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick in the UK. After studying more than 9,000 people over eight years, Oswald concluded that people who come into money are happier. The happiest among them, he says, seem to be "highly educated, well-paid women who have jobs."
And how much money does the professor say it takes to be happy? "About $1 million, give or take a little."
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Do What You Love
http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=2105
Tom Kelley is currently General Manager at IDEO, a firm that helps its clients create innovative products, services and environments. Tom is a frequent speaker on managing innovation for U.S., Asian and European audiences, and has appeared on international news programs for BBC Television and Nikkei Satellite News.
As the co-author of three books, including The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm, Tom illuminates the strategies for fostering a culture and process of continuous innovation.
Prior to joining IDEO, Tom was a management consultant for Towers Perrin, advising senior executives on organizational and operational issues in North America, Asia and Australia. Tom holds an MBA in Marketing from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he received the Delbert J. Duncan citation as the year's top marketing scholar.
Tom Kelley is currently General Manager at IDEO, a firm that helps its clients create innovative products, services and environments. Tom is a frequent speaker on managing innovation for U.S., Asian and European audiences, and has appeared on international news programs for BBC Television and Nikkei Satellite News.
As the co-author of three books, including The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm, Tom illuminates the strategies for fostering a culture and process of continuous innovation.
Prior to joining IDEO, Tom was a management consultant for Towers Perrin, advising senior executives on organizational and operational issues in North America, Asia and Australia. Tom holds an MBA in Marketing from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley, where he received the Delbert J. Duncan citation as the year's top marketing scholar.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Open 24/7 for business…
Are you able to turn your daily/weekly routines into an opportunity to market your business?
Today's question posted on Twitter is a good lead in to my discussion on getting you to think about where and how you market your business. If you are going to be in business for yourself it does not hurt for you to start practicing today. I have heard and I am sure that you also heard others that start a new business venture say, "I don't have time to network because I'm so busy." The question I have gotten next is, "How do you find the time to do it while having two small boys and working full-time?" My response to them was, "I do it wherever I am or when the opportunity arise".
Yes it is a job raising two boys and I could come up with all types of excuses of why I cannot find the time to market my business. However, on the other hand I think having my boys gives me that extra push to not have so many excuses so that they are better off in the long run. On Twitter we have shared quotes around being successful and we have shared that it states in the mind and you have to change the way you think first. Changing the way you market your business, by seeing the numerous opportunities around and keeping your business open 24/7.
What does it mean to be open for business 24/7? I will share some examples of what it means below:
- If you have kids a great opportunity could be to talk to people in the park, the doctor's office or while picking up your child (ren) from daycare.
- While on the job you could leave literature out on your desk where someone could see it upon coming to talk to you or as they are walking by your office.
- While on vacation marketing your business can be as simple as leaving a flyer with an attached business card in the room where you slept, the newspaper stand, or in the check in/out lobby.
- When you do your grocery shopping keep your eyes open for bulletin boards to post information or other advertisement stands.
- Use memberships you have to your advantage. You could probably pass your business cards out to other members so they are kept in the loop of what you are doing.
Lastly, being an entrepreneur is not easy because if it was everyone one would be doing it, right? Well you took the first step, which was deciding to be an entrepreneur and I know you are on the right track because you are seeking ways to grow your business and that is how you found this blog. With continued practice you will become a pro and believe me when I say that marketing your business wherever you are, will be like second nature to you and keep your business growing too.
"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do."-- Albert E.N. Gray from the essay: "The Common Denominator of success."
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A style for Success..
I was speaking with my wife the other day about how can I walk in a room and have other people look at me and say "I can tell he's successful", without them even meeting me yet. Today I stumbled upon these tips from GQ. Now I am the most non-fashion person out there, as I really dont care. However, I am aware of what personal appearance can do for first impressions. I learned a few things listed below. Some of these mistakes I have made in my fashion:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/268/the-7-style-mistakes-weve-all-made/
The 7 Style Mistakes All Guys Make
… And how to correct them
By GQ.com
Can you really blame a guy for wearing his jeans a bit too high on his waist? For grabbing a dress belt that’s not quite a dress belt? For not knowing what the heck collar stays are? Well, no. But we can offer advice that that will prevent him from suffering these flubs again, while guaranteeing better style for life.
Mistake 1: The Schlumpy Leather Jacket
Problem: There's nothing modern-or even retro-cool-about a leather jacket that fits like a rain poncho.
Solution: When trying on a new leather jacket, keep going down a size until you can't get it on, then buy the next size up. It should feel snug as a wetsuit but will take your body's shape over time. The coolest style right now? The bomber you see here.
Jacket, $1,695, by Dolce & Gabbana. Shirt, $375, by Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiére. Khakis, $48, by Dockers. Shoes, $488, by Brooks Brothers Peal & Co.
Mistake 2: The Barack Obama Jeans
Problem: Whitewashed high-waisted jeans aren’t just dorky—they also emphasize all the wrong parts of your body.
Solution: Medium-rise raw denim jeans sit at the most flatter place (on your hips), follow your legs (instead of saddlebagging out from your waist), and form-fit to you as you break them in. Oh, and while you’re at it, replace the Seinfeld-esque running shoes with some lace-ups or classic sneaks.
Jeans, $90, by Martin + Osa. Sweater, $100, by Uniqlo. Shirt, $40, by H&M. Shoes, $560, by Alden. Watch by IWC.
Mistake 3: The Cheap Printed Tie
Problem: Let’s pretend this tie isn’t a little ugly. And tied too long. It still isn’t working. Why? A cheap thin silk tie gets you an unacceptably tiny knot.
Solution: Go for a sturdier silk tie, which’ll make for a solid knot. Plus, keep any patterns understated. Also, a quick note on length: The tip of your tie should not hang below the waistline of your pants.
Tie, $135, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Shirt, $360, by Etro. Pants, $280, by Acne. Tie bar by Kenneth Cole.
Mistake 4: Sagging Suit Pants
Problem: Just bought a cool skinny suit? It ain’t cool if it stacks up at your ankles like baggy jeans.
Solution: Take your suit to a tailor and tell him you don’t want a break. Those are the words you should use: “I want this suit hemmed with little or no break.” Period. Remember: Tailors are used to working with guys who don’t know what they want. Be assertive so he understands that you’re after a specific look and don’t just want “the usual.”
Suit, $1,095, by D&G. Shoes, $395, by Calvin Klein Collection.
Mistake 5: The Pancake Collar
Problem: When you're not wearing a tie, the collar on your dress shirt flattens out and sinks beneath the lapels of your jacket. The look? Sloppy.
Solution: First, look for dress shirts with firm collars that stand up on their own., framing your face. Second, use collar stays. You know, those little plastic things. Every proper dress shirt has slots for them.
Shirt, $150, by Thomas Pink. Suit, $1,195, by Emporio Armani.
Mistake 6: Right Suit, Wrong Belt
Problem: You want Tiger Woods's swing, not his style, especially when wearing a suit. A silver-tipped faux cowboy belt is not a dress belt. If you've got one, retire it.
Solution: Invest in a high-quality leather belt that's an inch to an inch and a half wide. If it smells and feels buttery, that means it'll age beautifully. And the buckle should be subtle.
Belt, $69, by Club Monaco. Shirt, $370, by Marc Jacobs. Pants, $195, by Boss Black.
Mistake 7: The Oversize Suit
Problem: You invested in a dark handsome suit, but you look a little...eh in it. Know why? It's a size too big, and all that extra material is boxing (shoulders), sagging (waist), and flopping (ankles).
Solution: Repeat the leather-jacket method from the opening page. When trying on a suit, keep going down a size in the jacket until it gets uncomfortable. Then go one size up and buy that. And unless you’re over six feet two, buy a regular length, not a long.
Suit, $1,395, and shoes, $395, by Calvin Klein Collection. Shirt, $360, by Etro. Tie, $150, by Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers.
http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/268/the-7-style-mistakes-weve-all-made/
The 7 Style Mistakes All Guys Make
… And how to correct them
By GQ.com
Can you really blame a guy for wearing his jeans a bit too high on his waist? For grabbing a dress belt that’s not quite a dress belt? For not knowing what the heck collar stays are? Well, no. But we can offer advice that that will prevent him from suffering these flubs again, while guaranteeing better style for life.
Mistake 1: The Schlumpy Leather Jacket
Problem: There's nothing modern-or even retro-cool-about a leather jacket that fits like a rain poncho.
Solution: When trying on a new leather jacket, keep going down a size until you can't get it on, then buy the next size up. It should feel snug as a wetsuit but will take your body's shape over time. The coolest style right now? The bomber you see here.
Jacket, $1,695, by Dolce & Gabbana. Shirt, $375, by Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquiére. Khakis, $48, by Dockers. Shoes, $488, by Brooks Brothers Peal & Co.
Mistake 2: The Barack Obama Jeans
Problem: Whitewashed high-waisted jeans aren’t just dorky—they also emphasize all the wrong parts of your body.
Solution: Medium-rise raw denim jeans sit at the most flatter place (on your hips), follow your legs (instead of saddlebagging out from your waist), and form-fit to you as you break them in. Oh, and while you’re at it, replace the Seinfeld-esque running shoes with some lace-ups or classic sneaks.
Jeans, $90, by Martin + Osa. Sweater, $100, by Uniqlo. Shirt, $40, by H&M. Shoes, $560, by Alden. Watch by IWC.
Mistake 3: The Cheap Printed Tie
Problem: Let’s pretend this tie isn’t a little ugly. And tied too long. It still isn’t working. Why? A cheap thin silk tie gets you an unacceptably tiny knot.
Solution: Go for a sturdier silk tie, which’ll make for a solid knot. Plus, keep any patterns understated. Also, a quick note on length: The tip of your tie should not hang below the waistline of your pants.
Tie, $135, by Ralph Lauren Black Label. Shirt, $360, by Etro. Pants, $280, by Acne. Tie bar by Kenneth Cole.
Mistake 4: Sagging Suit Pants
Problem: Just bought a cool skinny suit? It ain’t cool if it stacks up at your ankles like baggy jeans.
Solution: Take your suit to a tailor and tell him you don’t want a break. Those are the words you should use: “I want this suit hemmed with little or no break.” Period. Remember: Tailors are used to working with guys who don’t know what they want. Be assertive so he understands that you’re after a specific look and don’t just want “the usual.”
Suit, $1,095, by D&G. Shoes, $395, by Calvin Klein Collection.
Mistake 5: The Pancake Collar
Problem: When you're not wearing a tie, the collar on your dress shirt flattens out and sinks beneath the lapels of your jacket. The look? Sloppy.
Solution: First, look for dress shirts with firm collars that stand up on their own., framing your face. Second, use collar stays. You know, those little plastic things. Every proper dress shirt has slots for them.
Shirt, $150, by Thomas Pink. Suit, $1,195, by Emporio Armani.
Mistake 6: Right Suit, Wrong Belt
Problem: You want Tiger Woods's swing, not his style, especially when wearing a suit. A silver-tipped faux cowboy belt is not a dress belt. If you've got one, retire it.
Solution: Invest in a high-quality leather belt that's an inch to an inch and a half wide. If it smells and feels buttery, that means it'll age beautifully. And the buckle should be subtle.
Belt, $69, by Club Monaco. Shirt, $370, by Marc Jacobs. Pants, $195, by Boss Black.
Mistake 7: The Oversize Suit
Problem: You invested in a dark handsome suit, but you look a little...eh in it. Know why? It's a size too big, and all that extra material is boxing (shoulders), sagging (waist), and flopping (ankles).
Solution: Repeat the leather-jacket method from the opening page. When trying on a suit, keep going down a size in the jacket until it gets uncomfortable. Then go one size up and buy that. And unless you’re over six feet two, buy a regular length, not a long.
Suit, $1,395, and shoes, $395, by Calvin Klein Collection. Shirt, $360, by Etro. Tie, $150, by Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Its all About Relationship!!!
The other day I had a day off and thought, "hmm what can I do or who can I talk to that I didnt know before to add a nother person to my network of friends and associates?" I decided to go to the mall about 5 minutes from my house. Its no secret that I am in the business of helping people make money or save money with my business opportunity and product line. I remembered that in the mall there are kiosks that are owned by entreprenuers who are looking to make additional income if at all possible. I went and passed out a few of my opportunity handbills, and said hello to a couple of folks.
All of a sudden a lady comes up to me and asks for my hand, I obliged just to see what she wanted to do with it (I thought it was a cologne pitch, honestly lol). She proceeded to shine up one of my fingernails with this tool. The product was wonderful to say the least, and if I had my gall, I would have purchased it on the spot as a gift to my wife. I decided instead, and said "let me see how bad she wants this sell?" I gave her my card to email me info on her product.
Why?
I wasnt being mean, I wanted to test out some of the things I have read so far about growing a business. We all know in marketing, and in business in general, if you can establish a relationship with a customer that business tends to repeat itself. I went back and handed the woman my card, and told her to "email me and I'll buy your product" (it was really good, I was amazed by it).
She looked at the card, kinda glanced over it with this look of "what is this for?". She then walked away off to the next person walking the mall. I dont know what she did with my card, but to this day I have not recieved an email from her about her product, which I was ready to buy btw.
Why is this important?
What happened there showed me that to her, I was worth enough for her to want my money, but not worth enough for a business relationship. So instead of potentially having a person who is in marketing, who has several blogs and message boards, active on Facebook and Twitter, and is a leader in my local church, raving about her product to my friends, family, and network, she got nothing in return, all by simply ignoring my card. I would give my right arm if I could have a customer say to me, "yes I want your product, all you have to do is send me an email!!" They would probably get more than one email from me..lol. Furthermore, when she gets new products out, she would have had an avenue to send out product updates to me, I probably would have gotten some of those also.
I learned a great lesson that day, as the customer mind you, that the businesses who are best able to establish relationships are going to be the most successful ones. This is imperative in todays climate where small businesses are taking it on the chin everyday from either more competition or consumers who arent consuming.
Business Is A Way To Make Money But Is More Than a Money Grab
I learned that even when I am passing out my handbills, cold calling, or simply walking into a business and asking to meet with the owner, my mindset should not be simply: ask to demonstrate the product- proceed to demonstrate the product- then ask for sale". That is the money grab method, and it is fast going extinct in todays marketplace. In some cases this may work, but it is more advantageous to have a little exchange between you and the person. They may not be interested in your product or opportunity, and thats fine, because every person is not the type of customer you want. However, they may refer you to someone who is interested, simply because you took time to exchange with them, or maybe get their information, and be a real human and not creepy sales guy.
All of a sudden a lady comes up to me and asks for my hand, I obliged just to see what she wanted to do with it (I thought it was a cologne pitch, honestly lol). She proceeded to shine up one of my fingernails with this tool. The product was wonderful to say the least, and if I had my gall, I would have purchased it on the spot as a gift to my wife. I decided instead, and said "let me see how bad she wants this sell?" I gave her my card to email me info on her product.
Why?
I wasnt being mean, I wanted to test out some of the things I have read so far about growing a business. We all know in marketing, and in business in general, if you can establish a relationship with a customer that business tends to repeat itself. I went back and handed the woman my card, and told her to "email me and I'll buy your product" (it was really good, I was amazed by it).
She looked at the card, kinda glanced over it with this look of "what is this for?". She then walked away off to the next person walking the mall. I dont know what she did with my card, but to this day I have not recieved an email from her about her product, which I was ready to buy btw.
Why is this important?
What happened there showed me that to her, I was worth enough for her to want my money, but not worth enough for a business relationship. So instead of potentially having a person who is in marketing, who has several blogs and message boards, active on Facebook and Twitter, and is a leader in my local church, raving about her product to my friends, family, and network, she got nothing in return, all by simply ignoring my card. I would give my right arm if I could have a customer say to me, "yes I want your product, all you have to do is send me an email!!" They would probably get more than one email from me..lol. Furthermore, when she gets new products out, she would have had an avenue to send out product updates to me, I probably would have gotten some of those also.
I learned a great lesson that day, as the customer mind you, that the businesses who are best able to establish relationships are going to be the most successful ones. This is imperative in todays climate where small businesses are taking it on the chin everyday from either more competition or consumers who arent consuming.
Business Is A Way To Make Money But Is More Than a Money Grab
I learned that even when I am passing out my handbills, cold calling, or simply walking into a business and asking to meet with the owner, my mindset should not be simply: ask to demonstrate the product- proceed to demonstrate the product- then ask for sale". That is the money grab method, and it is fast going extinct in todays marketplace. In some cases this may work, but it is more advantageous to have a little exchange between you and the person. They may not be interested in your product or opportunity, and thats fine, because every person is not the type of customer you want. However, they may refer you to someone who is interested, simply because you took time to exchange with them, or maybe get their information, and be a real human and not creepy sales guy.
Marketing Strategies: How You Can Create Your Own "Success Blueprint" by Dr. Maya Bailey
http://www.90daystomoreclients.com/art-blueprint.php
Marketing Strategies: How You Can Create Your Own "Success Blueprint" by Dr. Maya Bailey
Have you often wondered how you can become even more successful? Has it ever seemed to you that you have a “glass ceiling” on your level of success? In spite of all your hard work, do you find yourself still falling short of having financial security? Do you see people climbing the ladder of success, only to take one step forward and two steps back?
This is not simply a case of bad luck or poor planning. We can only be as successful as the “success blueprint” embedded in our subconscious minds. This article describes ways that you can create your own “success blueprint”.
1. Become the deliberate creator of your life
What does this mean? This means that instead of feeling like “life happens to me” you begin to believe “I create my life.” This is really the difference between playing the role of the “victim” and declaring that you are the deliberate creator of your life.
If you find yourself complaining, blaming or justifying, then you are probably falling into the victim mode. The only payoff of that is attention but the downside is never having what you want. Change that mindset now and decide that you create your own level of success.
2. Start to identify self limiting beliefs
Here's some examples of self limiting beliefs that I hear a lot from people who feel "stuck":
I'm not good enough
I have to struggle to make a living
There's never enough money
As you identify the self limiting beliefs, don't be alarmed. Remember these are not facts they are only beliefs. And they can be changed. The only way to change them is to first become aware of them. You're already on your way to letting them go. So celebrate every belief you find as a weed in your garden that you can now discard.
3. Install empowering beliefs
Once you have decided to release the old self limiting beliefs because they are no longer true you are making space for new Empowered beliefs. For example:
I am highly worthy
Money comes to me easily and effortlessly
I work smarter, rather than harder
4. Become crystal clear on what you want
You might think that you know what you want if you say, "I want to be successful". Actually that is a very vague message. You have a much better chance of getting your desires fulfilled in creating a positive success blueprint, if you specify what you mean by "successful".
How many transactions would you be doing per month?
What would be your yearly income?
What kind of people will you be working with?
How many hours per week would you be working?
Specifically, what kind of work would you be doing?
5. Visually rehearse what you want to create
Have you heard that top athletes mentally rehearse their performance before an event? Did you know that Tiger Woods visualizes his golf strokes before he ever gets on the green?
In the same way, visualize yourself successful in your field. Whatever your niche market, imagine that you are successful in providing them with the service they need. See yourself receiving checks that reflect your full commission. Imagine just having sold a home. See the happy faces of the sellers as you bring them over a bottle of champagne. Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, visualize it first.
6. Step inside the visualization
In my 12+ years of coaching success minded professionals to double and triple their incomes, I find that they often skip this final step. And yet this is perhaps the most important step. Not only do you need to visualize what you want to create, but also you need to visualize yourself having it now, and feel what it feels like.
For example, imagine your dream, having already come true. Visualize yourself driving, your brand-new car (smell the leather) into the driveway of your brand-new house. Be in the living room of your new house, what is the view like? Picture the happiest scene possible in your new house, perhaps a gathering with friends and/or family. How does it feel to know that you have succeeded in reaching your dream? How does it feel knowing that you have an abundance of resources, not only for your own financial security, but also to give to others? When you feel it, you create it. Your thoughts and feelings radiate energies that magnify back to you what you want. So the more you can live in your future fantasy, as if it's happening right now, the faster it will come to you. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between fantasy and reality. Follow the simple steps above, and create your own “success blueprint.”
Putting these ideas together will help you to create your own “success blueprint.” Your subconscious mind will receive the program it needs that determines your relationship to success.
Marketing Strategies: How You Can Create Your Own "Success Blueprint" by Dr. Maya Bailey
Have you often wondered how you can become even more successful? Has it ever seemed to you that you have a “glass ceiling” on your level of success? In spite of all your hard work, do you find yourself still falling short of having financial security? Do you see people climbing the ladder of success, only to take one step forward and two steps back?
This is not simply a case of bad luck or poor planning. We can only be as successful as the “success blueprint” embedded in our subconscious minds. This article describes ways that you can create your own “success blueprint”.
1. Become the deliberate creator of your life
What does this mean? This means that instead of feeling like “life happens to me” you begin to believe “I create my life.” This is really the difference between playing the role of the “victim” and declaring that you are the deliberate creator of your life.
If you find yourself complaining, blaming or justifying, then you are probably falling into the victim mode. The only payoff of that is attention but the downside is never having what you want. Change that mindset now and decide that you create your own level of success.
2. Start to identify self limiting beliefs
Here's some examples of self limiting beliefs that I hear a lot from people who feel "stuck":
I'm not good enough
I have to struggle to make a living
There's never enough money
As you identify the self limiting beliefs, don't be alarmed. Remember these are not facts they are only beliefs. And they can be changed. The only way to change them is to first become aware of them. You're already on your way to letting them go. So celebrate every belief you find as a weed in your garden that you can now discard.
3. Install empowering beliefs
Once you have decided to release the old self limiting beliefs because they are no longer true you are making space for new Empowered beliefs. For example:
I am highly worthy
Money comes to me easily and effortlessly
I work smarter, rather than harder
4. Become crystal clear on what you want
You might think that you know what you want if you say, "I want to be successful". Actually that is a very vague message. You have a much better chance of getting your desires fulfilled in creating a positive success blueprint, if you specify what you mean by "successful".
How many transactions would you be doing per month?
What would be your yearly income?
What kind of people will you be working with?
How many hours per week would you be working?
Specifically, what kind of work would you be doing?
5. Visually rehearse what you want to create
Have you heard that top athletes mentally rehearse their performance before an event? Did you know that Tiger Woods visualizes his golf strokes before he ever gets on the green?
In the same way, visualize yourself successful in your field. Whatever your niche market, imagine that you are successful in providing them with the service they need. See yourself receiving checks that reflect your full commission. Imagine just having sold a home. See the happy faces of the sellers as you bring them over a bottle of champagne. Whatever it is you're thinking of doing, visualize it first.
6. Step inside the visualization
In my 12+ years of coaching success minded professionals to double and triple their incomes, I find that they often skip this final step. And yet this is perhaps the most important step. Not only do you need to visualize what you want to create, but also you need to visualize yourself having it now, and feel what it feels like.
For example, imagine your dream, having already come true. Visualize yourself driving, your brand-new car (smell the leather) into the driveway of your brand-new house. Be in the living room of your new house, what is the view like? Picture the happiest scene possible in your new house, perhaps a gathering with friends and/or family. How does it feel to know that you have succeeded in reaching your dream? How does it feel knowing that you have an abundance of resources, not only for your own financial security, but also to give to others? When you feel it, you create it. Your thoughts and feelings radiate energies that magnify back to you what you want. So the more you can live in your future fantasy, as if it's happening right now, the faster it will come to you. Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between fantasy and reality. Follow the simple steps above, and create your own “success blueprint.”
Putting these ideas together will help you to create your own “success blueprint.” Your subconscious mind will receive the program it needs that determines your relationship to success.
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