The 18 Disciplines of Selling: Part 2

In The 18 Disciplines of Selling: Part 1, we began by discussing rules of the game. So now let’s talk about excelling at the “game” of selling. In Part 2 of our discussion into The 18 Disciplines of Selling, we’re going to briefly discuss disciplines #1 through #3. You’ll notice quickly that each is separate but connected and believe me it’s the little things that make the great success.

Selling Discipline 1: Be Proud of what you’re selling and what you’re doing! You’ll make a lot of sales simply based on how your prospects perceive how confident you are! I am by trade a professional Business Coach, and when I coach business people to success the first thing that we talk about is the perception that your prospects and customers will develop of whether they want to work with you or buy anything from you, based totally about the “vibe” that they get from watching how you walk, talk, act, smile, listen & think. If you are going to be successful at selling coaching you must “Walk like a coach; talk like a coach; act like a coach; smile like a coach….” Or said in another way, “Walk like a professional; talk like a professional; act, smile, listen and think like a pro.” When you walk into a room you want people to say, “I don’t know what he sells or does, but I want some of it!” Simply put a prospect or customer does not want (particularly in today’s economy) to invest their hard earned money in someone that they don’t believe in. You wouldn’t want to work with a heart surgeon that says that he “thinks” that he can do your surgery, do you? So even if you’re new at a job or profession, you have to act proud and confident and committed to what you’re doing because if you’re not, the customer or prospect can smell it from a mile away!

Selling Discipline 2: Act Like a Leader and a Winner! Sales success is an attitude! It’s a look and feel and it’s something that you need to remember from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed. Your customers and prospects and just as important, future customers and prospects will be attracted to you simply due to your positive attitude. In these times of bad news and uncertainty, prospects and customers WANT to work with someone that they perceive to know more about an issue or need that they have than they do. So you as a sales person, no matter what it is that you’re selling, MUST act like a leader and winner and the person that your customers and prospects and future customers and prospects are looking for. Hold your head up high, smile, act confident (even if you’re not as much as you should), walk straight and speak with an authority. Prospects are looking for someone with solutions and a positive outlook. Remember, SOMEONE IS ALWAYS WATCHING! It may be a prospect; a customer; a competitor; a board member; an investor; or a vendor that’s watching, but count on it….someone IS always watching. So set yourself apart by being perceived as a leader and winner.

Selling Discipline 3: Expect Success and Never Give Up! When asked how he felt about all the failures that he had while inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” To be in business today you must simply expect success. No matter how bad it gets or how bleak it looks you MUST expect a positive outcome. The only thing that is sure other than death and taxes is that YOU WILL FAIL and YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES. It’s how you deal with the failure and mistakes that will dictate your future in sales and business. The founder of IBM, Thomas Watson once was asked by a young employee what advice he would give about how to speed up their rate of success and he quickly said, “You must increase your rate of failure.” We will make mistakes and screw things up from time to time, but that’s simply a fact of life. So learn from the mistake, take a moment to decide how to prevent the mistake from happening again then put it in the rear view mirror and move forward. For others to have enough confidence in you and your product to buy something from you, they must believe in you and what you represent. If you expect success it shows…if you expect failure, it shows as well. By thinking positive and never giving up you overcome all the bugaboos of selling: call reluctance; fear of rejection; cold calling and more. You want to exude the attitude that “I have a great product and I won’t give up because I believe in it so much!” Anything less you represent the old joke about the downtrodden sales rep whose body language alone said, “You don’t want to buy anything from me today….do you?”

Zig Ziglar once said: “You were born to win, but to be a winner you must Plan to win, Prepare to win, and Expect to win!”

In our next installment we’ll discuss Selling Disciplines #4 through #6.

The 18 Disciplines of Selling: Part 1: RULES

I am a sales professional. That’s what I know and that’s all I’ve done for most of my life. My profession is that of a successful business coach. Yet I consider myself a sales professional applying my skills to the field of Business Coaching. There are sales skills that we all have. Some are natural, others are learned. AND, learning these skills and learning the art of selling is something that I believe anyone can do or easily improve upon. In fact if you think about it, everyone sells whether they want to admit it or not. It still surprises me when I hear people still turn up their nose or be fearful when I tell them they are sales people. “Oh I could never be a salesperson!” “I don’t want to be a salesperson!” If you’ve ever sold an idea to your kids or a teacher, you’ve sold something. If you’ve ever asked for a raise, you’ve sold something.

The ability to be a good salesperson is not as hard as most people make it. There are tons of books out there that discuss every phase and level of selling. Every strategy and nuance is covered. However, it’s hard to find something that really covers the basics. The “daily” elements and attitudes it takes to be a good salesperson. In fact, I believe that the hardest thing to master in order to become a great salesperson is simply the art of daily discipline to do the basics, day in day out. Renowned business development guru, Brian Tracy, defines discipline as “Doing what you need to do, When you need to do it, everyday, whether you want to or not!”

So, In this series of blogs, I hope to give you what I believe are the 18 Disciplines of Selling that you must master on a daily basis in order to be a consistent and highly compensated sales producer, whatever  you are selling. But before we get into the Disciplines, there are some rules to this game.

Rule 1: A good friend and colleague of mine once said “When you wrestle with a gorilla, You don’t quit when YOU get tired….You quit when the GORILLA get’s tired.” The Zen Master of Minnesota

In other words, you must work very hard at whatever you’re doing and selling. You must develop a thick skin and a laser focus and let nothing get in your way! You must never give up!

Rule 2: Understand that THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS TO ANY PLACE WORTH GOING! Once you learn the foundational principles many people then disregard them and move on looking for a silver bullet. There are no silver bullets in selling. Learn the craft and do not leave the path.

Rule 3: If sales are the way that you choose to make a living, remember….

• If you’re not selling, you had better be in front of a customer or prospect
• If you’re not in front of a customer or prospect you had better be selling!

Driving, planning, meetings, thinking, eating and talking on the phone DO NOT COUNT! Only face to face and belly to belly with a customer or prospect counts in selling!

Rule 4:

Selling happens in all phases of life:

• We must SELL a prospect on even talking with us
• We must SELL them on what we offer
• We must SELL them on the value of the offering
• We must SELL them on liking and trusting us
• We must SELL them on committing to us
• We must SELL them on the continuing and on-going value of our product or service
• We should ALWAYS be selling!

So let’s define selling. Selling is “the PROCESS of helping a person to conclude that your product or service is of greater value to them than the price you are asking for. Your prospect/customer MUST feel they will be better off as a result of the transaction that they would be without it. “

For your prospect/customer to buy, they MUST be convinces that your service is;

• The Best choice available, and
• There is no better choice for them to spend the equivalent amount of money

Selling is convincing your prospect or customer of this and getting them to commit.

Quite simply, if we don’t SELL, we DON’T have customers. Without customers we don’t have a business.

The elements of successful selling are not hard. Again the hardest part is having the discipline to apply them daily. The FOOTPRINTS OF SUCCESS have already been laid! We just need the discipline to do the basic elements of sales success every day. Simply put, It’s mastering the little stuff, that makes a successful sales person, no matter what you’re selling!

In our next installment Selling Disciplines #1 through #5.

Building a personal and business SUCCESS TEAM!

Building a personal and business SUCCESS TEAM!

In sports or big business, every success story is always a success story for a team! The accolades may go to an individual, who persevered mightily; who fought against the odds; who toiled beyond belief….but seldom did they not have a winning team behind them. They always have an “A” team of technicians; advisors; mentors; friends; parents and spouses. If you dig long enough and deep enough you’ll always find them. Bill Gates once said that his key to success was to hire lots of people smarter than he was. But in today’s world you don’t have to be a Hall of Fame sports star or a titan of industry to surround yourself with smart people that can and will coach; train and mentor you to business success. You can build your own team of superstars to guide you. They’re not on your payroll; most of us couldn’t afford them. But they are available to all of us and many times at little to no cost. They are professionals whom we can work with to help us in strategic areas of business success that we have no expertise in.

Oh my, what did he just say?

Yes I said in areas we have no expertise. Now is not the time to play Business Superman.  Too many businesses go out of business today simply because the owner tried to run all areas of their business on their own. Drop the ego! That’s not only nearly impossible, it’s stupid. There are many top experts in specific and strategic fields that you can build into your team. Some critical areas that I recommend to my business coaching customers include; A qualified Business Coach (of course); Accounting; Legal; Marketing; Sales consulting; Banking, and financial counseling. In fact I find that a great financial advisor/counselor is an essential team member and a key player in planning the future of a business. A good one can do much more than just put your money in the market; they can help you lay a smart plan for cradle to grave.  The following is a checklist of some of the essential elements that I have my customers look for in a great (not just good) financial advisor. They include:

1. Look for an advisor that will focus on recommending a plan that will reduce your risk while building wealth.
2. Look for an advisor that will make every attempt to understand your specific business and personal financial planning needs…..FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW! In other words, they’re great listeners!
3. Look and listen for an advisor that is truly service focused. That once the plan is complete you WILL see them again at least once a quarter!
4. Look for an advisor that’s truly qualified. What is their background? What is their success record? Who makes up the bulk of their clientele? Is it successful customers that have been with them long time or do they have an average customer retention of less than a year?
5. Look for an advisor that is both Creative and Innovative. Many advisors today are merely sales focused and pushing very specific financial products. They’re more interested in selling you a specific product rather than fitting products and strategies to your specific needs.

The bottom line is that a GREAT financial advisor is an essential voice in both your business and personal success team. Now is not the time or economic climate to go it alone. I believe that you can be one of the business success stories in the next decade simply by creating your SUCCESS team as soon as possible.

Dan Creed

FocalPoint Business Coaching of Arizona

(Dan Creed is a certified business coach and two time back to back winner of the Brian Tracy Award of Excellence recognizing him as international business coach of the year for FocalPoint International)

SO YOU WANT TO BE WEALTHY?

Just as the old blues song goes, “Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die!” So goes wealth. It seems today everyone wants to be rich but few want to work for it. Today the best way to control your destiny and to build equity for yourself is to work for yourself.

In today’s uncertain economic times, jobs are precious and the “protected” job is something of a dinosaur. You’ll bust your buns with long work weeks; non-stop travel; cutbacks that just mean more stress and work for the survivors. You simply must get yourself into a situation where you control your destiny.  It’s getting scary when companies cut staff hours to 39 hours a week so they don’t have to pay benefits. Or, loyal employees are laid off weeks before retirement benefits kick in. Or in some highly publicized cases where long term employees lose everything because of fat cat mismanagement.

One solution of this is that if you’re willing to work hard for someone else, you should be willing to work hard for yourself. Find something that turns you on; that you are interested in and then think. That’s right think about how you might make a living by doing that job.

That job that was perfect for me was Business Coaching. It feels like the last 35 years of my career was a “dress rehearsal” for becoming a successful business coach. I own my own business and through my hard work and sacrifice (for myself) I have built a very strong and successful practice. Recently I was honored to have the opportunity to build FocalPoint Coaching in the state of Arizona. I will continue to coach as that is my passion, but I will also be recruiting new coaches to help businesspeople throughout the state of Arizona and around the world. They will control their own destiny and build equity in their own business from their hard work.  But the point is we control our own destiny.

Brian Tracy recently published a short article on the ways to become wealthy… and I thought that it ties in nicely to what we’re endeavoring to build here in AZ. So, here it is. Enjoy and take heed to the message. And if you need some help accomplishing everything you want in life, give us a call!

Five Ways to Become Wealthy
By: Brian Tracy

There are basically five ways that you can become wealthy starting with nothing in America based on over 25 years of research into American millionaires.

The Five Roads to Financial Success in America and How to Choose Your Own
There are basically five ways that you can become wealthy starting with nothing in America based on over 25 years of research into American millionaires. Number one, you can inherit it. Less than 10 percent of wealthy Americans inherited any of their money, and it’s less and less every single year.

The Second Way
The second way that you can become wealthy is you can achieve it professionally. You can become a doctor or a lawyer or an architect or an accountant. You can become extremely good at what you do, be paid very well, and hold on to the money.

The Third Way
The third way you can achieve it is you can become a senior executive of a large corporation. You can be highly paid; you can have stock options and bonuses. And if you stay with the company long enough, for enough years, you can be paid enough to become wealthy.

The Fourth Way
You can win it. But only a tiny fraction of one percent of wealthy Americans got that way by winning their money some way or another. As a matter of fact, the odds against you winning the lottery are the equivalent of lightning striking twice in the same place. They’re millions and millions to one.

The Best Way
The fifth way that you can become wealthy is you can start your own business and earn it all by yourself. Starting your own business has been and will always be the high road to becoming wealthy for most self-made millionaires. Entrepreneurship in America offers more opportunities and opens more doors than all other possibilities put together. This is why it has been said that if you have the ability to start your own business and you don’t do it, you are a fool. I’ll repeat that. If you have the ability to start your own business and you don’t do it, you’re a fool.

Where do you start?
You start by getting your finances under control. The very first thing you do is you make a decision to get your finances under control. Some years ago, a man named George Classon wrote a book called The Richest Man in Babylon. It’s a classic on financial success and what Classon said in that book was that the key to becoming wealthy is to pay yourself first. Take ten percent off your earnings, off your gross income every month and put it aside. Learn to live on ninety percent or less of your gross income. So the very first thing that you do is you begin to save your money.

Action Exercises
Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put yourself onto the high road to personal wealth:

First, resolve today to begin saving your money a little bit at a time. Set a goal to save 10% of your earnings, to put it away and to never touch it. This will change your life.

Second, immediately register your own business or sole proprietorship. Open a bank account, get business cards and letterhead and create the corporate entity under which you can do business. Your business opportunities will appear far sooner than you think. If you build it, they will come

TOO BUSY BEING BUSY

“The only thing even and equal in this world is the number of hours in a day. The difference in winning or losing is what you do with those hours.”Woody Hayes, Football Coach

Have you ever been so busy, being busy that you never got anything done? Come on, be honest, we all have. As a Professional Business Coach, the number one issue that I continually help business owners and executives alike with is time management issues, and it is a big issue and much too complex to tackle here. But here are a few tips that can get you started on the right track.

1. Understand that It’s very easy to slip into the mode of high activity with low productivity.  That is simply staying very busy but not accomplishing anything of value.

2. Remember the Law of Forced Efficiency which says; There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing.

3. Work when you “WORK”! When you go to work, work. Do not let all the distractions of the work place deter you from accomplishment. It always seems that the people that actually “work” are the ones getting the promotions; setting examples; running companies and making the most money. Many of us go to work then talk to friends; talk in the coffee room; go to lunch; talk with co-workers and shuffle paperwork. A Columbia University study shocked the sales world when it exposed the fact that on the average a salesperson spends less that 90 minutes a day working, in front of a customer. Internal meetings don’t count; Driving doesn’t count; only that time when you’re face-to-face with a customer or prospect counts. So manage your time, double your time in front of a prospect; double your income.

4. So, take time to sit down and plan your next day, every night before you go to bed. You should do this for two reasons:

a.       For every one minute spent in planning you will save 10 minutes in return. That equals 1000% return on energy

b.      Studies show that the super-conscious mind will take your prioritized plan and think about it all night long preparing you for the new day. Instead of awaking to concerns about everything that you have to do and fears of not remembering certain tasks.

5. Prioritize all that you do. List all that you need to do, everything, then prioritize with this simple method. A = Something that you must do. If you don’t there are serious consequences. This is a task that dramatically moves you toward your goals. B= Anything that drives you away from your goals and moving you and your business forward. C= Totally and completely unnecessary for you to do right now if ever and finally D= Delegate….it’s absolutely something that you have someone else do and you forget about it.

6. Constantly ask yourself the foundational time management question. Program yourself to Ask yourself all day long the one primary foundational question. “Is what I’m doing right now, the number one thing that I could be doing to move my goals and my business forward?” Another way of saying asking this question is, “Is this the most important thing I could or should be doing right now to move my business forward.”…and if it isn’t…..STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT, immediately!

And you know what, sometimes it’s that simple. It’s all about discipline and this simple discipline could mean the difference between a so-so life and a life of wealth and success.

Good Luck

11 KEYS to WIN in Business

11 KEYS to WIN in Business, while everyone else is hiding!

Ok! I know, everybody has advice on business. Everyone has to get a word in on the economy. But being the optimist that I am, I wanted to find out what top business people are saying and more importantly doing to not just survive but THRIVE in this challenging economy. Because you know, when you look very closely there are businesses in almost every market sector that are having a record year and selling products and services.

It’s really interesting when you start to dig for information and do a little research. You find that there are elemental business practices that every thriving business today is doing. And the great news is, YOU….CAN….TOO! This is not rocket science, its business. It’s time to stop blaming the economy. Now it’s time to do something about it!

1. Don’t Panic Yourself out of business! In other words don’t drink the Kool-Aid! You must understand WHAT IS versus WHAT IF. Accept the WHAT IS and base your strategy on that. What is your reality? I asked a struggling customer the other day just how the economy has affected him and he said “Oh It hasn’t, but it could!” Remember, Optimism leads to action and Passivity leads to paralysis.
2. There’s opportunity everywhere! Understand that 90% of businesses have given up or are in hiding, scared of the What If! It’s time to go on the offensive. Forget about finding new business, go steal market share, and go steal customers from your competitors while they’re on the sidelines!
3. Understand the customers needs from the customers point of view! The day of providing products and services in the way that you think is best is over! There are too many options out there for customers and because of that there’s even less brand loyalty. So you had better slow down and find ways to find out what your prospects and customers want from their point of view….then you had better deliver it.
4. Run your business like a “boot strap” start-up! No matter how long you’ve been around. No matter how big you are and no matter how successful you’ve been you absolutely need to step back and look at your company as if it was brand new. Protect your cash; watch your spending; focus solely on sales; take extra great care of your customers; take even better care of your employees. Trim fat and focus on what’s important.
5. Set goals! Most experts say that in our society, 70% of us do not set goals; 27% say they set goals and less than 3% of us actually have written goals. Many go on to say that the 3% with written goals control somewhere between 80% and 90% of today’s income. Set personal goals and set business goals. Brian Tracy says, “Success is Goals…all else is commentary!”
6. Don’t Waste a penny of your marketing budget! This is the biggest issue that I deal with daily. Know if your marketing is or isn’t working. If you don’t know, shame on you. You need to find out right now! If you know it isn’t working STOP it today. Don’t continue spending and utilizing elements of your marketing just because “that’s the way we’ve always done it!” Today’s consumer…your consumer has dramatically changed and you need to understand where they’re at and how to reach them. Don’t spend another penny until you figure that out!
7. Solve problems and make decisions! “The things that matter most should never be at the mercy of the things that matter least.” Don’t sit on problems and hope that they go away. In today’s market your indecision will cost you sales and customers. The world will not wait for you to figure out what to do. Take action now and continue moving forward.
8. Manage your time! Remember that “There’s never enough time to do everything, but there’s always enough time to do the right thing!” You’re only focus should be on how to make more sales and protect the customers that you have. Anything else is a waste of your valuable time. Always stop and ask yourself, “Is this the number one thing/task that I should be doing RIGHT NOW to move my business forward.”
9. Remember that someone is always watching! Your attitude reflects all the time. You cannot afford to have a bad or down attitude. Your employees are watching and they will reflect your approach to business and life. You’re bankers, partners, suppliers and distributors are all watching to see how you react.
10. Hang with winners! Surround yourself with like minded business people. If your normal crowd is always moaning and groaning and complaining, as hard as it might be, find new friends and associates. Attitude rubs off, either way. Stay positive and feed on the possibility thinking of people who “get it”!
11. Never, Never, Never Give Up! Enough said!

You must understand WHAT IS versus WHAT IF. Accept the WHAT IS and base your strategy on that. What is your reality? I asked a struggling customer the other day just how the economy has affected him and he said “Oh It hasn’t, but it could!” Remember, Optimism leads to action and Passivity leads to paralysis.

Good Luck!

Coach Dan

WORK…MAKE IT A HABIT!

Over the course of my business career I’ve interviewed hundreds and hundreds of people for a variety of sales, marketing and management job opportunities. I can, without any hesitation, tell you that the number one trait sure to lock in the job or in turn lose it is what kind of perception that I form of the applicant’s work ethic. Frankly (and this is for all current college and B-School graduates) I could give a flying flip what school you went to or what your GPA was. I want to know how you got through school. I want to know what kind of hours you put in to get those grades or into that school or even better to stay in that school. If I even get a whiff, a faint hint that you made a career out of getting up late and going to bed late, of a coddled life without responsibilities I guarantee all bets are off.

The great thing about all of the social media available today is that “someone is watching” today more than ever. Many companies are not, prior to hiring qualified applicants will check them out on Facebook; MySpace and You Tube. And believe me they do. Today, more than ever employers are looking for people that will work or rather know how to work while they’re at work. People that will be productive while they’re at work. Shocking research emerged a few years ago that said that the average employee actually only works less than two hours a day. Take out all the meetings, water cooler talk; smoke breaks; long lunches and you have a short day. For a salesperson, figure out a way to work just two more hours a day and you’ve a leg up on 90% of all your competitors.

Famed business development expert and author Brian Tracy says that of all the different ways to leverage your potential one of the most powerful forms of leverage that can help you is good work habits. In fact he says they make an extraordinary difference. He reports that in a recent study, 104 chief executives officers all agreed that the ability to set priorities and then get the job done fast were the two qualities that most readily led to promotion and increases in pay. Tracy says, “If you develop a reputation for being the person who gets the job done fast, that alone can put you onto the fast track in your career.”

My grandfather, Perry Harris was a wheat farmer in south central Kansas and one of the finest men I’ve ever known. His lesson on work was one that I learned well and in a way was part of the legacy that I’ve passed on to my two sons and hopefully they’ll pass on to theirs. He would often say, “The work isn’t done until it’s done right!” He would go on to say “Whether you like what you’re doing or not it’s your responsibility to the man paying you to do the job and do it right!” Give me people that simply do their job, that take responsibility, that work when they’re at work. Unfortunately today, too many people think that the world owes them something and does not understand that the world owes them nothing. It’s not always fair but that’s the way it is. You want a job, show me that you know how to work. It is a marketable habit. Remember someone is always watching. Keep the faith, believe in yourself and work really, really, really, really hard.

Sam Ewing once said;

“Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

I think that Grandpa would smile…..and agree!

Coach Dan

SUCCESS: BELIEVE IT OR NOT!

Someone please help me understand. I’m sure its basic psychology, but for the last 37 years or so that I’ve been in the business world working; observing; studying; teaching; training; and coaching. This entire time, countless books and articles; research and reports and more research continue to review and study in search for the secrets of success. And, over and over again there are a few basic elements that always, always emerge. Every time…without fail, these basic elements of success reveal themselves. So after a hundred years of so of this you would think that people would listen. You would think that they would take notice just a little more than they have to these recurring SUCCESS SECRETS.

The most basic of these recurring elements revolves around your personal belief structure. Henry Ford is quoted as saying, and I paraphrase here “If you think you can….or you can’t…..you’re right!”  Brian Tracy in a recent Financial Success newsletter calls this the Law of Belief. It says simply this: Whatever you believe, with feeling, becomes your reality! In other words, whatever you intensely and with passion believe becomes your reality. Successful people block out and consistently work on not allowing any negative force to enter into their world. Mr. Tracy goes on to say that, “…they will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they’ll fail. They do not even think about the possibility of failure.”

Sometimes this is called POSITIVE KNOWING vs. POSITIVE THINKING! Positive thinking is trying hard to think positive with quite a lot of wishing, dreaming and mental trickery going on. However, Positive Knowing is when a person can absolutely and passionately know that whatever happens personally; in business; in the economy; in the world….no matter what that they WILL be successful. This is accomplished only with an unwavering willpower. Willpower drives your confidence, it is the fuel for your success engine. Brian Tracy says, “Willpower is essential to any success. Willpower is based on confidence. It’s based on conviction. It’s based on faith. Its based on your belief in your ability to triumph over all obstacles.”

With so much negativity going throughout our world today, your success can be a simple as adjusting the level of belief that you have in yourself. If you’re surrounded by negative co-workers, get away from them. If you’re surrounded by negative friends, find new friends. If you’re in a negative job setting, change it or go somewhere else…but you must believe and you must create a support network around of others that believe in you and what you’re trying to accomplish. I firmly believe that we are now living in the ultimate, “Is the Glass half full or half empty” point in time.

I met a business person last week that was moaning about how bad the economy was and I asked them realistically how bad the economy had hurt his business…and he looked me straight in the eye and said, “Well it really hasn’t yet but it will!” In every recessionary economy there are opportunities for those who believe enough to see the opportunities.  The author, T.Harv Eker of The Millionaire Mind fame suggests it’s the difference in understanding the difference in WHAT IS vs. WHAT IF. Be realistic and honest about What Is. Use What Is to base your strategy on and simply smile and steadfastly hold to your beliefs and willpower with confidence and your success will blossom while others will still continue to wonder what your secret is.
Coach Dan

THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT SUCCESS SECRET

If you’re lucky, as I am, you have and will be blessed in your lifetime with encounters of special people that will share the kind of knowledge with you that can many times change your life. These people might be friends; associates; someone you meet on an airplane or at a meeting and sometimes total strangers. Some of my greatest life lessons and most powerful business lessons have come from these “mentors” that I was lucky enough to meet on my life journey.

 In my business coaching practice I see, hear and deal with all kinds of business situations. In this challenging economy, I have seen many businesses that are struggling. Some make it, some won’t and many don’t. Most of the business owners that I work with are people with education and solid life experiences yet in too many cases the troubles that they and their businesses are facing are caused by single issue, and that issue is the SECOND MOST IMPORTANT SUCCESS SECRET!

 I met one of my important “Street Mentors” in the late 1970’s. He had a PhD yet had the ability to teach in ways that anyone could understand. It was a homespun mix of practicality and grizzled experience that quietly and profoundly said, “you better listen to me because I might know what I’m talking about!” 

 After all these years, I still think of his one phrase that I still repeat to my clients; customers and seminar and workshop attendees and is The Second Most Important Success Secret.  He would say, “I don’t believe in the old line that says KNOWLEDGE IS POWER! It’s simply not true. Here’s the way it should be stated, KNOWLEDGE IS NOT POWER…..APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!” He would go on to say that, “I’ve seen many educated derelicts! Knowledge is nothing unless you put it to use!”

 Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company once said, “You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do!” In today’s marketplace, talk is cheap. You’ve got to go to work. You must apply the knowledge that you have and apply it with a plan. You’ve got to apply the GOYA principle. It’s a simple and very scientific principle. GOYA means Get- Off –Your- Ass! Go to work and apply the knowledge; experience and passion to creating a business that thrives in any economy. And if you don’t know how to do it remember this truth! The footprints of success are already laid! Find the people in your industry that are the leaders; that are successful and making things happen. Study what they do; study how they work; study how they do all aspects of their business……then COPY IT!

 Industrialist, Andrew Carnegie once said, “As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do!” GOYA and get to work and understand that someone is watching you all the time; Employees, investors, bankers, suppliers, competitors, they’re all watching to see how bad you want success and how smart you are about getting success. Employees will follow the leader, good or bad. Investors, bankers, suppliers, will decide if they want to partner with you and competitors will either disregard you or understand that they will need to pick up their game to compete.

 Coach Dan

So you think YOU have Problems?

I’ve always loved Zig Ziglar. He’s been a big influence on my life and my success path. I remember seeing him in the late 70’s at a Positive Thinking Rally that my radio station that I worked at was promoting. Zig literally mesmerized me with his speaking ability. His message was pretty good too. He’s always captivated audiences and his books, tapes and cd’s will always be timely and important. I still find myself quoting Zig after all these years. Some things I even quote convinced that it was my little piece of wisdom but alas, read the anecdote or quote the next week and remember that it was a Zigism. I came across an article, recently by Zig in the Jim Rohn ezine newsletter, and wanted to share it with you. It’s about dealing with problems and stated in the clear, concise and humorous way that is truly all Zig. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Coach Dan

ZIG ZIGLAR ON PROBLEM SOLVING

Fortunately, problems are an everyday part of our life. Consider this: If there were no problems, most of us would be unemployed. Realistically, the more problems we have and the larger they are, the greater our value to our employer.
 
Of course, some problems are small, like opening a ketchup bottle. Others are monumental like a seriously ill or injured child or mate, which present ongoing, daily complications. Successful living comes when we learn to handle those business and personal problems with as little fanfare as possible.
 
The successful business executive can handle challenges and solve problems at a remarkable clip. He/she makes quick and final decisions as a result of years of experience. The homemaker with small children at home handles many “catastrophes” each hour with the same dispatch.

Many people use counter-productive methods to deal with problems: They refuse to recognize them, deny responsibility for them, pretend they will go away if they ignore them, or are just flat insensitive to them.

The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist. Next, we determine whether the problem is our responsibility. If the answer is yes, we must determine how serious and/or urgent it is. When that last determination is made, we either take immediate action if the problem is simple and quickly solvable or develop a plan of action and prioritize it if the solution is more difficult and time-consuming.

Problem solving becomes a very important part of our makeup as we grow into maturity or move up the corporate ladder. I encourage you to take the time to define the problem correctly, learn the skill of quick analysis and remember, if it weren’t for problems in your life, your position might not be necessary in the first place. Ironing out the wrinkles and solving the problems is what most jobs are about. Think about it, and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar

 

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine. To subscribe, go to www.JimRohn.com All contents Copyright © JimRohn.com except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide.

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