If It Walks Like a Duck...

...Quacks like a Duck and Looks like a Duck then it has to be a Duck, right? 

Not from what I see, not every time anyway...

I run a lot of seminars.  Law of Attraction, Persuasion, Sales Training, Inner Game, NLP, Motivation, State Management, Attitudinal Training, Firewalking, Glasswalking....It's a big list.

I have sat in on a lot of personal development seminars run by other 'trainers'in my time.  I have even gone undercover at a few just to see what some people are actually saying and doing in front of groups of people, otherwise known as paying Clients/ Customers/ Delegates.

I have also kept a low profile at some Firewalking events up and down the country and I am amazed at what I hear sometimes. 

Old, out of date, training exercises being rolled out again and again, either through inexperience, lack of training or just plain old lazyness.  On occasion I have actually feared for the safety of the public on some of these events.  I saw an Arrow Bend once which could have ended up on the ten o'clock news.

Some are re-hashing old out of date exercises, or its the new 'expert' that has either read a book or read someone elses notes or even just took a company over and decided they know what they are doing.

Some of the messages conveyed to the audiences leave a lot to be desired.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  That's for sure.

A terrific book has been published about the Self Help movement and I recommend you read it.  It is called SHAM and it's available from Amazon (isn't everything?)  This really is a book to make you think, even if you are in the profession.  It makes you realise what is going on around you, what some people are up to and also, how easy it is to be tarred by the same brush JUST by association.  You can get more information at the books blog page HERE.

The challenge you have is 'how do you know the person you are listening to, or the person training you, is the right one to follow.


I have to refer you back to a previous blog post that hammers home the point:

It’s a story about a man that would walk down past the jewelry store every morning and he would take out his gold watch and he would look in the window and he would set his watch. And then he‘d be on his way. This went on day after day, week after week, month after month. Every morning for a few years the jeweler saw this man doing this.

Well, one day the jeweler is out in front of the store and he is sweeping the sidewalk and the man stops, takes out his watch and sets it. And the jeweler said, “Pardon me, where do you work?” He said, “I work down at the big factory and it’s important that I have the watch set properly because I blow the whistle at noon telling everybody it’s time to go to lunch.”


The jeweler said, “Isn’t that funny? Because I have been setting that clock by that whistle every day at noon.”

The moral here is, are you following the right person? Do they know what they are talking about? Where do they get their information from? How old is it?  Does it work?

When I was at college the craze was (and still is if you look at the dumbing down of examinations) to not buy new text books but to read the textbooks others had used and read the writing, the notes made in pen in the margins, and check out the underlined passages. I couldn't figure that one out. The person who had the book before you could have been a mad man!!!

There is a lot that is lost in translation. Things get dilluted, distilled and the original message can be lost.

Always check to see what their history is, who they know, who they have worked with.

You see, once you start questioning you realise that sometimes, if it Walks like a Duck, Quacks like a Duck and Looks like a Duck...it could be a cartoon duck and NOT the real thing!

One other thing.  There is a Phobia that is very relevant in the Self Help or Personal Development arena.  The Phobia is Anatidaephobia ...It is the Fear that somewhere in the world there is a Duck watching you.....There are a lot of ducks in this business.  I know who they are and I know they are watching me....Once on a plane I saw this....  

So as you can see, things are not all they are quacked up to be! ;-)

Weak or Strong?

I like things strong.  I like challenges.  I will take on any situation.  I have no fear. 

Fear is, False Evidence Appearing Real.  That's all. 

It's not reality.

I know a lot of people who give it large, the big'un, all the front.  Most do it by letter or online because that's where they belong, in the dark, hidden, safe.  Some have the nerve to do it in person but when push comes to shove, or punch, or kick...they crumble like dust.

I understand fear.  I understand strength.  I understand courage. 
Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the ability to act in spite of fear.

If someone is trying (thats one of their words - try(ing) - they can never 'do') to impose fear or frighten you.  If someone is threatening you physically, verbally, business wise...so what?  What can they do to you?  Nothing?  Well, actually, they can do something.  It's called 'only what you let them'.

Realise one simple fact.  They are below you.  So far behind you all they can dream of is being you.  Who cares what they say or do; it doesn't matter, they are irrelevant.  They don't know what they are doing.  THATS the level of intelligence they have. 

And it ain't much! ;-)

If I gave you a present, and you said 'no thanks', who owns the present?  That's right; I still do.  Thats what you do with the low lifes, the scum, the idiots, the mood hoovers, the energy vampires, the people who want to hold you back, the people who want to derail you or your business. 

Remember: there is no need to dream up all manner of torture for these people.  No point in thinking up ways to harm them.
Why?  Because anything you dream up will be eclipsed by the damage they will do to themselves on a regular basis.  People look at them and laugh. 

There is nothing to FEAR.  Be strong...they hate it, because they cant be it...and they can't be you!

Dreamer - You're Nothing But A Dreamer

Roger Hodgson of Supertramp coined that phrase and what is wrong with that?  It's a very good thing to be.

As I sit here with a cup of builders tea, three sugars, stirred anti-clockwise (it improves the flavour) my mind wanders off.  I'm not concerned, It's nothing unusual.  It does that sometimes but it never strays far and it always comes back.

My mind is thinking of a hundred, a thousand, things at once.  I get a bit of a glazed look on my face (not good when driving) and some people look at me and ask 'What ARE you thinking?' or the classic one; 'Penny for them!'  A penny?  They are worth more than that!  People who really know me take no notice.  They just wait to find out what direction I am now going to go in thanks to the thought.

I am a dreamer.  A Day Dreamer.   I think deeply and day dream. There is nothing wrong with that.

We have voices in our heads that tell us to do things. That is called THINKING. Part of my training program means I ask groups of people 'Do you have a voice in your head that tells you to do things?' A few people sit there and look at the ceiling and mouth the words 'do I?'

If people don't put their hands up I usually tell them 'The voice I am talking about is the one that said "voice in my head? Phuq that I am NOT putting my hand up for that one!"

(I once asked a group of people if anyone had a phobia about putting their hand up in public. One person put their hand up! - Unbelievable. You can't make this stuff up!)

If you dream at night you will be very lucky to remember it next morning. Well, you remember the bad ones, the nightmares.

People often say to me; "I can't imagine doing what you do, even in my wildest dreams!" Well, if you can't imagine doing it in your wildest dreams, how are you going to do it for real?

Dreaming during the day is just an extension of thinking. It's giving your imagination some time to wander around to see what it comes up with.

T.E Lawrence (of Arabia) wrote a book called 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' and in it he wrote the following....
"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."

If you imagine it, dream it, see it...then you will achieve it. Naturally you have to take some action to get it but if you see it in your mind, you will receive it. Dream it, and do it.

If you think I am alone in that thought then let's leave the final word to the late, great, John Lennon;

"You may say I'm a dreamer, But I'm not the only one.

I hope some day you will join us, When the world will be as one."

Imagine!

The Sky's the Limit...or Is It?

It's interesting to hear people sometimes refer to the sky as 'the limit'.

(It's like a jar with fleas in it.  They keep hitting the lid until they decide that they can't get out and then, when you take the lid off, they still dont get out of the jar because they think the lid is there...duh!)

Why is the sky 'the limit'?  Who decided that?

This photograph was taken from space and is one of the first photographs to show Earth AND the Moon in the same shot.  That is a staggering achievement by people who did not see the Sky as 'the limit'.

There is no limit to your potential.  There is no limit to what you can achieve.

The only limiting belief you have is the one in your mind. 

A very wise man once said: "If you think you can, or if you think you can't: you're right"

There is NO LIMIT to your potential.  There is no limit to what you can achieve.

DO NOT listen to the limiting beliefs of others.

You can achieve everything you want to achieve if you believe in yourself and you have an attitude of success.

The Universe is there to help you.  Believe in yourself and challenge yourself to achieve.

If the sky was the limit...there would not be footprints on the Moon!

Why are we like we are?

Me, behave?

Seriously?

1. As a child I saw Tarzan almost naked
2. Cinderella arrived home after midnight
3. Pinocchio told lies
4. Aladdin was a thief
5. Batman drove over 200 miles an hour
6. Snow White lived in a house with 7 men
7. Popeye smoked a pipe and had tattoos
8. International Rescue saved the world, Captain Scarlet fought an alien invasion, but someone else pulled the strings
9. Pac Man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance
10. Shaggy and Scooby were mystery solving hippies that always had the munchies

The fault is not mine!

Isn't the Weather Miserable? Errr....No!

How many times do you hear someone say that the weather is 'Miserable'?


How can weather be miserable. It's your reaction to the weather that determines the mood you 'do'. And you choose miserable over 'fun' 'excitement' 'adventure' or even the desire to do something different.
I know of one so called motivation 'expert' (read ex sports star who has read a book on motivation and become an expert) say 'I can't run a motivation workshop today as the weather is so miserable'! What? Big ideas and little experience...bless ;-)

I have worked with some people in the past (MIB-Unlimited) and when we ran a training program for AMP Bank back in 2003 we were in a hotel in Peterborough. On the last day, having just returned from running a firewalk the previous night in Leeds, the snow began to fall like something out of the movie 'The Day After Tomorrow'.

The delegates were nervous, the staff were nervous. All of them worried about how they would get home. We couldn't wait to get in the snow in our cars. The difference? ATTITUDE.

They saw the snow (or the rain, fog, high wind - you choose, because I am good like that) as a barrier, or an obstacle, or...shudder... a P-R-O-B-L-E-M!!! That word doesn't appear in the lexicon of language I carry around in my head.

We saw it as fun, opportunity, a laugh and...(drum roll)....a C-H-A-L-L-E-N-G-E.

Nothing in life has any meaning except for the meaning you give it. Choose fun, opportunity, adventure, and challenge. You will have a lot more fun if you do. You will seize life and squeeze all the juice out of it. Capture the moment. And above all...don't 'do' miserable. The weather doesn't make you miserable, you are choosing it. Knock it off!

Have fun!

Time Melts Away - If You Let It!

Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with £86,400. Wow, how great would that be? But, it carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every penny of course!


Well...

Each of us has a bank. Its name is: TIME

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost whatever you have failed to invest to a good purpose, idea or endeavour. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. It allows no loan. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night, at midnight, it burns the remains of the day.

If you fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against tomorrow. You must live in the present on today’s balance and deposits. Invest it wisely so that you get the maximum return on your investment in health, happiness, business, relationships and success.

The clock is ticking...make the most of today!

Board Breaking

I can't believe that some companies still use board breaking as the main driver of a course and as a metaphor for 'breaking through' challenges.  I found this from 1999.  And, we had done this at Cable London since 1996!!!
Come on people, get with the 21st Century!!!

I believe Attitude should be taught in schools but...

The teaching staff of the local primary school hard at work... today, as every day.

And it's not a strike day!
This happens on the hour, every hour...

If you are waiting for opportunity to knock on your door, keep waiting. Do something to show opportunity where you live and that you are at home.

If you are going to think, then think BIG. Donald Trump
The universe does not understand size or amounts. Ask for what you want and take action and you will receive. David Moore

Yes, two quotes that sum up the Law of Attraction to me.  I am a firm believer that everything is attainable and that you can have ANYTHING that you want but unfortunately, many people who watched The Secret think and believe that all you have to do is ask, write it down, believe that you already have it and, miraculously, it will appear. WRONG!

You have to take steps, take action, to make this happen.  You have to give SOMETHING in order for the universe to deliver.

Lets put it like this.
Every week a man goes to church and prays for God to help him.
"Dear Lord I have no money, no job, a wife and family to feed,  Please Lord let me win the lottery this week."
This happens each week for 6 weeks.  The man does not win.  He starts to become disillusioned, losing his faith, and starts to believe that no one is listening.
On that final prayer he says, "Dear Lord, please please let me win the lottery. I am destitute and have nothing. Please let me win the lottery"
SUDDENLY, there is a flash of lightning, a loud clap of thunder and clouds form over the church.  The roof of the church parts and a blinding light shines down on the man and then, through the clouds and the smoke he hears a voice...
"Jim, meet me half way...BUY A LOTTERY TICKET!"

If you are waiting for opportunity to knock on your door, keep waiting.  Do something to show opportunity where you live and that you are at home.

Are You Following The Right Person?

 Or are you following a follower?

It’s a story about a man that would walk down past the jewelry store every morning and he would take out his gold watch and he would look in the window and he would set his watch. And then he‘d be on his way. This went on day after day, week after week, month after month. Every morning for a few years the jeweler saw this man doing this.

Well, one day the jeweler is out in front of the store and he is sweeping the sidewalk and the man stops, takes out his watch and sets it. And the jeweler said, “Pardon me, where do you work?” He said, “I work down at the big factory and it’s important that I have the watch set properly because I blow the whistle at noon telling everybody it’s time to go to lunch.”

The jeweler said, “Isn’t that funny? Because I have been setting that clock by that whistle every day at noon.”

Do you know, a lot of people do that. They’re following the followers. They never stop and ask themselves, “Where is this person going?”

I want you to take a few minutes today and ask yourself, “Are you following anybody?” And if you are, where are they going? Make certain that if you follow someone, they  know where they’re going. And they will help you get to where you’re going.

This Story came from Earl Nightingale via Bob Proctor

Firewalking Exposé

Firewalking as a metaphor for overcoming your fears has really been done to death.

Back in 1997 I was running sales training workshops that culminated in a board break.  I learnt that at Speakers International. I was working as the National Sales Trainer for Telewest.  

Then in 2000 I wanted a new metaphor for breakthrough.  I looked around and found a couple of companies that provided Firewalking events.  I rang them and one of them called me back.  It was a call from a guy called Martin Sterling.  He called me around five times to tell me that his company could provide the service we needed.  In the end it didnt happen.  In fact, Speakers International ran the firewalk in Basildon.

He kept in touch with me and one day, when I told him I was in Sheffield, asked me to drop into the office on the way to London.  After a long chat he asked me to work with him.

Over the next couple of years I worked with him, then we split and I went off to do something else and then he contacted me again in 2003 and asked me to work with him and Cliff Mann again.

Firewalking and Glasswalking were the main areas of business.  It always struck me as a waste of time. It was fun but what was the concept?  Walking over 'red hot coals' as a way of fearbusting!  How?

Its all to do with state of mind and physics.

Its important to have the right state of mind and the training session prior to the walk builds towards you believing that you can walk on fire.  The exercises and messages are very standard NLP and persuasion exercises and can be found in numerous seminars not linked with Firewalking.  In fact you can pick up most NLP books and see the exercises.  You are actually walking on burnt wood, not coals. Its Pine. The optimum heat is around 1300 degrees but most companies have people walking on ash, especially if 40 other people have walked on it prior to you.  Usually a line of fire either side of the 'firebed' gives the impression that its hotter than it is.

Its also about contact time.  If you have taken a jacket potato out of the oven and switched it from hand to hand then you wont burn yourself.  Same with firewalking.  Your contact time with the 'firebed' is so minimal that you cannot be burnt.  If you walk at a steady speed, six steps is enough to get you over and you will have done it(with some companies you only need three - check youtube, I have seen firebeds of 6ft!!).

Lasting benefits...absolutely NONE! 

In the old days, in the 80s/90s, it was new and unusual.  Tolly Burkan and Anthony Robbins made it well known and then everyone jumped on the bandwagon.  Now its old but not unusual.  If you ask a group of 40 people about it, at least 30 of them will have heard of it and 5 will have done it.

Its mystery has gone.  A simple search on the internet will explain the mechanics of it. 

If you are interested in doing a firewalk I recommend Time4Change or http://www.mib-unlimited.co.uk/.  Its very simple to organise and I have the Tolly Burkan certification to train it and the Insurance cover so you could ask me if you wanted to but I havent wanted to organise or train a firewalk for years...

So would I do it if I was in your position and looking for a way of Breaking Through or Empowering myself? No.  Its all a bit of fun.  You can raise money for charity doing it - both the above companies are the leaders in that...

When you have worked outside of the firewalk industry for as long as I have, you realise how far behind the times firewalking really is....and it should stay there...

The Location of the Moore Consortium Holiday 2011

The Maldives

The Raft of Knowledge

Have you ever read a post on here and wondered what it was about and then, for whatever mysterious reason, you started to think differently and realise that this is one of the most relevant posts to you?


I find that when I, think about the other possibilities these teachings will give you, and you open your mind, to me, its as if this is going to help take you to the next stage.

For all the new salespeople out there, the leap from “new to sales” to “Experienced Salsperson” is a small but difficult leap. There are a lot of patterns, exercises, beliefs, understandings and attitudinal work that you need to take on board. There are lots of people who have a wealth of knowledge and there is lot to be said for reading tons of information before even thinking of saying something yourself.

In my career I have trained people in how to sell. That's what I do. I teach people how to Firewalk, Glasswalk and smash wood Karate style. I have done this all over the world. In all that time I see common thread throughout all of those seminars. The successful people are the ones who study, listen, learn and then go out and do it. The Mega-Successful are the ones who do it without thinking about it. It has become part of them, its second nature.

Selling is the oldest profession there is. Some say prostitution is the oldest but even that is someone selling themselves to someone else. Wherever you are reading this, if you are at work, in an Internet cafe or at home, look around you. Apart from nature, everything you see was sold to someone by someone else. If you have skill in selling you can sell yourself and that's what allows you to sell the product. We put ourselves in the market and we make ourselves a hot commodity. We have all the tools we need within us. I run workshops and seminars on a number of subjects and all the time I hear of "rejection" and "objection". These are related, you reject because you object and vica versa. In a sale if they object, what do you do? I spent years looking at and learning different ways to counter objections, what to say when they say...etc. These were really good but they didn't work well in the real world and then I had what is known as a BGO. A Blinding Glimpse of the Obvious. Objections are state related. I hear people like Bandler and Ross Jeffries saying the same thing. If you don't like the answer, change the state! The objection is now over there, they can't cling onto it.

The point I am making is that in the teaching of all of these tools and techniques you have to take them on and make them second nature.

Basic facts of approaching anyone to sell them something are:

1. Never take their first response as being something written in stone.
2. Anything they offer is a toy for me to play with. Like Jeet Kune Do.
3. They can say and do what they want; I control where my energy goes.
4. Anything they offer is information I can use.
5. 90% of people are running on autopilot 90% of the time.
6. Never attach excessive meaning. Nothing has any meaning except the meaning you give it
7. Never think by your own agenda. Don't bait your hook with food you like.

That is the 7-step rule that will allow you to walk through the world getting the best of anything you want. Do not make the mistake that these tips are exclusively for sales. You can use them on anyone to get anything. You will have the tools and techniques at hand and you can call on them without thinking. Once you have the techniques, don't stress about them. Don't even attempt to remember them. Just use them. It’s like a new language. After a while you think in two ways.

We have 2 brains. We have 2 different kinds of intelligence; rational and emotional. When we cannot decide we say we are 'in 2 minds'.

The techniques you are learning form a part of your EQ. That's your Emotional Intelligence. Your EQ is more important than your IQ. The IQ test may help you get a job but your EQ will help you keep it. A high IQ is around 135. Many people with IQ's of 135 and above work for people with IQ's of 100 or less. Why? Because the person with the high EQ, the one who knows how to relate to other people, talk to other people and interact with other people in a manner they like, is always going to be way ahead of the game and have people following him. Because they do it naturally. Far better than knowing how long it takes three men to fill a bath with water halfway up a mountain in a thunderstorm. That IQ. You put people at ease and have them jumping through hoops. That’s EQ. That’s where the results are.

I always, now, describe the techniques, tools, patterns, closes, etc as a raft. A raft is very handy if you want to get from one side of a river to another. You may want to get from the unsuccessful side of the river to the side where infinite power and success are available. But once you have reached the other side, you no longer need the raft itself. In fact, if you want to grow, and continue your journey, you have to leave the raft behind.

The challenge that we have, as humans, is that we tend to fall in love with the raft. We start to think, "This raft has been good. It's a useful raft. It's served me well. This raft is tip top!" But if we hang on to the teachings they will become a hindrance. No words, anyone's, can see for you. You must do that yourself

The trick is this. By integrating the raft, or what we took on board while on the journey, into our being and into our unconsciousness it becomes second nature and we see opportunity, we hear opportunity and we create opportunity all around us.

Being awake to openings, opportunity and life is the best way to be. Your energy level is high, your awareness is at peak level and your state is at optimum level. You become a magnet for opportunity. It seeks you out. And once you become one with the teachings, you will always be ready.

A Group of Happy Salespeople...

A form of the Peter Pan exercise....

Feeling good for no reason...Then they heard the camera click!

Pics coming soon

A very happy group
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Funny

Just had some great pics and twitter messages sent to me... Lolol
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Yes it does!!!!

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Testing

Does blackberry to blog work?
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

Call Lists

These days, it can be really hard to make a good sale. Well, that's understandable. With the economy in such a mess, you could expect that firms would be having a hard time doing business. Yet, entrepreneurs would still push on, hoping that the tides would change and things would become profitable again. They're not alone, that's a good thing. They have telemarketers to help them. It won't come as a surprise if they register profits. And why not? Professional telemarketers have a consumer list database to aid them. It's a good source of information for firms in need of leads. With the help of a calling list from a reputable consumer list provider, telemarketers are able to penetrate new markets and establish better relationships with prospective customers. You should give this a try as well; it would be good for you.



A lot of firms these days are grateful for the services of professional telemarketers. These people are the best when it comes to generating leads and helping firms establish a firm holding for themselves in the places they go to. It's amazing to think that telemarketing, which has been a direct marketing strategy used for the past five decades, is still able to deliver consumer leads needed by firms. Thanks to the skills of telemarketers, many firms in the brink of closing down are able to come back and be profitable again. The fact that this strategy has stayed in demand this long only shows how reliable it is to provide the services needed by many companies. Indeed, if a company needed a boost in their sales campaign, then telemarketing would be the right tool for them to use. It's a good method to strengthen their business.



Still, like all other direct marketing methods, telemarketing is also bound by its own limitations. The main concern would be information. Professional telemarketers can only go as far as what their data permits them to go. If it's limited, then you could also expect that even the best telemarketers would not be able to make a good call. That's too bad, since telemarketing has a lot of potentials. A business firm would benefit a lot if they can find a good consumer list database to aid them. After all, that is the best source of the calling list used by telemarketers when they make the calls. A good calling list would include information like the name of the business, the owner's name, address, phone number and, if available, the e-mail address as well. This can be a big help for telemarketing services in their work.



It's not that hard to imagine the problems encountered by telemarketers. Despite that, they are still able to perform their jobs. As long as they have a good calling list, they would be able to make goo calls, contact receptive prospects, and establish rapport with them. Professional telemarketers are at the frontlines of a sales campaign, so they would definitely need a way to increase their call capabilities. That's why you should make it a point to look for a good consumer list database provider. That's the key needed by many firms in order to make a good sales campaign. If better sales are what you want, then the use of an accurate calling list would be a big help. Your telemarketing team would be grateful for that. Think about it, it could be a very nifty answer to all your sales concern. You should try it to find out.



The sky's the limit with a consumer list database. Use it to get more consumer leads. Your telemarketing campaign can't get any better than this.

Cold Calling Scripts

Generating leads is great. With your online marketing working, print ads running, and your direct mail pieces in action you can have new prospects contacting you nearly every minute of the day. Having 100's of eager prospects contact you weekly for help is great WHEN you can transform them into business. Having 100's of people who contact you and NOT making any sales from them is just a sure-fire way to waste money

As you get your marketing generating leads one of the most important skills to master is that of conversion. Taking someone from being a "total stranger" to a "raving fan" takes a skill set that few master and that most never get to. To prevent you from wasting 5,000 plus phone calls (which is how one of my clients learned script mastery) I invite you to consider the following sales script methods.


1. Control the Conversation - This is one that is tough for many business owners. Naturally when someone calls you, you want to be helpful. The challenge is that IF you are too helpful, you won't get the client. There are many people who are happy to waste your time, use you as a free information service, and NEVER will buy a single item or use your service. As you formulate your scripts, keep in mind that controlling the conversation is what will save you time and help you yield the maximum volume of sales.
2. Stop Statement - Before you can use your sales scripts, it is necessary to stop the prospect from asking you questions. When people are asking you questions (i.e. about price, availability, options, etc) they are in control. Use a stop statement to gain control of the conversation. Your stop statement can be something as simple as "glad you asked, let me look that up for you...". A small pause get them thinking you are helping and lets you start asking questions.
3. Interest Piquing Questions - Most entrepreneurs, sales professionals, etc try to "sell" their prospects on features and benefits. Instead of telling someone why your product/service is the best, ask them interest piquing questions. Transforming your sales scripts into powerful questions will get the prospect to see YOU are the choice. For example:

Instead of "Our product is top rated in the industry" Try "Would you like to discover why our product received top ratings from every industry expert?"

When you can control the conversation, use stop statements, and ask interest piquing questions you will have generate more sales daily.

Great!

Underground Living

The more I see of this the more I understand why someone would want to live like this.  it really appeals to me.
Some of these places have rooftom hatches so you can just 'pop out' and sunbathe.

 

Take a Break

Its time for the weekly Arm Wrestling contest in my office!!!

Jason and Leroy Locked out.

Jason won!

Creche Test Dummies

Why the hell do women feel the need to bring their new babies into work?


Sometimes I walk into receptions and they are littered with ankle biters. Some women who have just had the sprog feel compelled to bring it in and show it off to everyone, as if the others had never seen a baby before!

We all know what they are, lady! They leak at both ends, screech the place down for no reason and look like mini versions of Winston Churchill.

I sometimes stop in my tracks because I feel like I have walked into a crèche. The place is full of them.
Looking at some of them, the parents would be better off pitching a tent and charging admission than bringing them in to show off!

The place is full of lots of people, mainly women, gazing at it and going ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’ and then, and you will not want to agree with me on this but this is absolutely bang on…when the woman crashes out of the door with the buggy, having taken a layer of paint off of the door frames, and everyone is wondering just what did make those stains on the sofas, the women who were giving it ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ all now look at each other and say ‘did you notice it's eyes, yeeek’ and ‘that baby doesn’t look right to me’ and ‘no way is that her old man’s’…or some other low blow.

Ladies, remember, and this is the real fact of life. If you have a baby it’s your choice. No one else really cares. Any affection it receives is fake as it’s from people who have other things to do and are only being polite.

It’s not the first one to be born and you ain’t the first one to have one.

All we want to know as an employer who is still paying your wages is….when are you coming back to EARN your money??

When is 'Eternity' Leave OVER???

Anatomy

Imagine - if you can - not having a conscience, none at all, no feelings of guilt or remorse no matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern of the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members. Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your whole life, no matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had taken. And pretend that the concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible fools. Now add to this strange fantasy the ability to conceal from other people that your psychological makeup is radically different from theirs.

Since everyone simply assumes that conscience is universal among human beings, hiding the fact that you are conscience-free is nearly effortless. You are not held back from any of your desires by guilt or shame, and you are never confronted by others for your cold-bloodedness. The ice water in your veins is so bizarre, so completely outside of their personal experience that they seldom even guess at your condition.

In other words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world. You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their consciences, will most likely remain undiscovered.

How will you live your life? What will you do with your huge and secret advantage, and with the corresponding handicap of other people (conscience)? The answer will depend largely on just what your desires happen to be, because people are not all the same. Even the profoundly unscrupulous are not all the same. Some people - whether they have a conscience or not - favor the ease of inertia, while others are filled with dreams and wild ambitions. Some human beings are brilliant and talented, some are dull-witted, and most, conscience or not, are somewhere in between. There are violent people and non-violent ones, individuals who are motivated by blood lust and those who have no such appetites.

Maybe you are someone who craves money and power, and though you have no vestige of conscience, you do have a magnificent IQ. You have the driving nature and the intellectual capacity to pursue tremendous wealth and influence, and you are in no way moved by the nagging voice of conscience that prevents other people from doing everything and anything they have to do to succeed. You choose business, politics, the law, banking or international development, or any of a broad array of other power professions, and you pursue your career with a cold passion that tolerates none of the usual moral or legal encumbrances. When it is expedient, you doctor the accounting and shred the evidence, you stab your employees and your clients (or your constituency) in the back, marry for money, tell lethal premeditated lies to people who trust you, attempt to ruin colleagues who are powerful or eloquent, and simply steamroll over groups who are dependent and voiceless. And all of this you do with the exquisite freedom that results from having no conscience whatsoever.

You become unimaginably, unassailably, and maybe even globally successful. Why not? With your big brain, and no conscience to rein in your schemes, you can do anything at all.
Or no - let us say you are not quite such a person. You are ambitious, yes, and in the name of success you are willing to do all manner of things that people with conscience would never consider, but you are not an intellectually gifted individual. Your intelligence is above average perhaps, and people think of you as smart, maybe even very smart. But you know in your heart of hearts that you do not have the cognitive wherewithal, or the creativity, to reach the careening heights of power you secretly dreams about, and this makes you resentful of the world at large, and envious of the people around you.

As this sort of person, you ensconce yourself in a niche, or maybe a series of niches, in which you can have some amount of control over small numbers of people. These situations satisfy a little of your desire for power, although you are chronically aggravated at not having more. It chafes to be so free of the ridiculous inner voices that inhibit others from achieving great power, without having enough talent to pursue the ultimate successes yourself. Sometimes you fall into sulky, rageful moods caused by a frustration that no one but you understands.

But you do enjoy jobs that afford you a certain undersupervised control over a few individuals or small groups, preferably people and groups who are relatively helpless or in some way vulnerable. You are a teacher or a psychotherapist, a divorce lawyer or a high school coach. Or maybe you are a consultant of some kind, a broker or a gallery owner or a human services director. Or maybe you do not have a paid position and are instead the president of your condominium association, or a volunteer hospital worker, or a parent. Whatever your job, you manipulate and bully the people who are under your thumb, as often and as outrageously as you can without getting fired or held accountable. You do this for its own sake, even when it serves no purpose except to give you a thrill. Making people jump means you have power - or this is the way you see it - and bullying provides you with an adrenaline rush. It is fun.

Maybe you cannot be a CEO of a multinational corporation, but you can frighten a few people, or cause them to scurry around like chickens, or steal from them, or - maybe, best of all - create situations that cause them to feel bad about themselves. And this is power, especially when the people you manipulate are superior to you in some way. Most invigorating of all is to bring down people who are smarter or more accomplished than you, or perhaps classier, more attractive or popular or morally admirable. This is not only good fun; it is existential vengeance. And without a conscience, it is amazingly easy to do. You quietly lie to the boss or to the boss's boss, cry some crocodile tears, or sabotage a coworker's project, or gaslight a patient (or child), bait people with promises, or provide a little misinformation that will never be traced back to you.

Or now let us say you are a person who has a proclivity for violence or for seeing violence done. You simply murder your coworker, or have her murdered - or your boss, or your ex-spouse, or your wealthy lover's spouse, or anyone else who bothers you. You have to be careful, because if you slip up, you may be caught and punished by the system. But you will never be confronted by your conscience, because you have no conscience. If you decide to kill, the only difficulties will be the external ones. Nothing inside you will ever protest.

Provided you are not forcibly stopped, you can do anything at all. If you are born at the right time, with some access to family fortune, and you have a special talent for whipping up other people's hatred and sense of deprivation, you can arrange to kill large numbers of unsuspecting people. With enough money, you can accomplish this from far away, and you can sit back safely and watch in satisfaction. In fact, terrorism (done from a distance) is the ideal occupation for a person who is possessed of blood lust and no conscience, because if you do it just right, you may be able to make a whole nation jump. And if that is not power, what is?

Or let us imagine the opposite extreme: You have no interest in power. To the contrary, you are the sort of person who really does not want much of anything. Your only real ambition is not to have to exert yourself to get by. You do not want to work like everyone else does. Without a conscience, you can nap or pursue your hobbies or watch television or just hang out somewhere all day long. Living a bit on the fringes, and with some handouts from relatives and friends, you can do this indefinitely. People may whisper to one another that you are an underachiever, or that you are depressed, a sad case, or, in contrast, if they get angry, they may grumble that you are lazy. When they get to know you better, and get really angry, they may scream at you and call you a loser, a bum. But it will never occur to them that you literally do not have a conscience, that in such a fundamental way, your very mind is not the same as theirs.

The panicked feeling of a guilty conscience never squeezes at your heart or wakes you in the night. Despite your lifestyle, you never feel irresponsible, neglectful or so much as embarrassed, although for the sake of appearances, sometimes you pretend that you do. For example, if you are a decent observer of people and what they react to, you may adopt a lifeless facial expression, say how ashamed of your life you are, and talk about how rotten you feel. This you do only because it is more convenient to have people think you are depressed than it is to have them shouting at you all the time, or insisting that you get a job.

You notice that people who do have a conscience feel guilty when they harangue someone they believe to be "depressed" or "troubled." As a matter of fact, to you further advantage, they often feel obliged to take care of such a person. If, despite your relative poverty, you can manage to get yourself into a sexual relationship with someone, this person - who does not suspect what you are really like - may feel particularly obligated. And since all you want is not to have to work, your financier does not have to be especially rich, just relatively conscience-bound.

New Rules

New Rule : Stop giving me that pop-up ad for friendsreunited.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them!? Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days--mowing my lawn.



New Rule : Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain?? Meat?


New Rule : Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: lucky bastards.


New Rule : If you need to shave and you still collect football cards, you're a fool. If you're a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. If you're a grown man, they're pictures of men.


New Rule : Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.


New Rule : There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavoured water is called a soft drink. You want flavoured water? Pour some Johnny Walker Black Label over ice and let it melt. That's your flavoured water.


New Rule : Stop screwing with old people. There is now a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, you just solved the Social Security crisis.


New Rule : The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a "decaf grande half-soya, half-low fat, skinny, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one sweet-n'-Low, and one NutraSweet," ooh, you're a huge asshole.


New Rule : I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN number, pressing "Enter," verifying the amount, deciding no, I don't want cash back, and pressing "Enter" again, the immigrant who is supposed to be working the till is asleep.


New Rule : Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "Licensed Prostitute number 69." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just sad. By the way, that tattoo isn't cute either; it's a TrampStamp!


New Rule : Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting??? Oh wait!? They're already doing that--It's called "The Jeremy Kyle Show."


New Rule : I don't need bigger mega M&Ms. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two packs.


New Rule : If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cinema a remote so we can see what's playing on the other show.

Update

Sorry my friends...for the last couple of months I have been working in the laboratory of my hollowed out volcano, creating a suite of technology that is awe inspiring, jaw droppingly, subtle that it slips in under the radar of your prospect like a stealth bomber.
All will be revealed...

DrSeelz for Xerox

Old School...always the best

The fascination people have with new techniques of selling amazes me.  The word 'technique' is the thing that makes me shudder.  There is no technique, no magic pill or bullet.  If I said to you that I could teach you the one magic punch that would knock out any world champion boxer, you would be emailing me and booking me to teach you it.  Problem is, even if there was one, and even if I taught you it...you wouldnt land it!  By the time you could you would be on the canvas.  Why?  Because of all the other things you need to know, like block, jab, parry, bob and weave.  Ride a punch, absorb a punch, move around.  No my friend...there is no magic pill.  No hot button.  No magic phrase that, when recited, will make people get their checkbooks out or open their wallets.

You need an arsenal of stuff, a program, a way of manouvering yourself into a position of value whereby people buy from you rather than you sell to them.

If you want to know what THAT is, email me at david@themooreconsortium.com for a step up that ladder of success.

Preperation Onassis Style

Anyone who really knows me (and thats only a few people) will tell you I have a big Onassis collection. I don’t think there is a book, tape or picture I haven’t got. One of the most fascinating things I read about him came from the Captain of Onassis’ yacht, The Christina.



He said that many nights, Onassis would pace around the decks and in his study arguing and talking and shouting... at himself.


He was rehearsing a Q&A session in a meeting he was going to have next day and he answered the questions he knew they would ask him. Whats more he did it in various styles, passive, angry, funny, violently...just to condition himself against the onslaught.


Then he answered them in various ways and when, and only when, he was certain he had covered all the angles, he went into battle.


People used to go to the meetings with a retinue of assistants. Onassis went alone. He held his ground on his own. He was the business. The business was him. He was prepared. He had the world in his hands and didn’t let go...or drop it.


Do it, don’t try it, do it! And people will be saying about you, "You sound so smooth! You sound so confident. You're a natural."

The Aristotle Onassis Model

Ever since I was a child I have been interested in the life of Aristotle Onassis.  He gave me a five pound note when he saw me in 1970 and told my parents I was the best dressed boy at the London Palladium.  I was 7 years old.  I wish I had kept the note.


Aristotle Onassis was one of the most successful, publicized and examined people in the world during the middle of the 20th century. Today, 36 years after his death, he is principally remembered as an ultra-rich shipping magnate, touring the world on his magnificent yacht and for his romance with the diva soprano Maria Callas and marriage to Jacqueline Kennedy. Before he attained business and social heights, however, he was a very rough, uncultured, non-work of art. His effort to change a dim future is worth a look: and is instructional as a teaching aid that anyone can utilize in pursuit of success.

Onassis was born in Smyrna of Greek parents. At the end of World War I he, along with millions of others, was forced into refugee status and arrived in Argentina as a penniless immigrant. His Spanish was minimal, his education limited and his skills on offer were not highly prized. Nevertheless, he examined his circumstance realistically and with deep analysis. He recognized that out of post-war chaos would come opportunity for the agile and creative entrepreneur. Being broke was just an obstacle, not a closed, door to Onassis.


As Onassis learned the ways of Argentine society and business he noticed that there were specific clubs, restaurants, hotels and theatres that were almost exclusively frequented by the successful business and political class. Always a keen observer of human nature, he realized that contacts and friendships of value to an ambitious fellow like himself could only be nurtured in this rarified realm. Onassis was determined to find a way in.

He worked mundane jobs, including a stint as a telephone operator. However, he was different from co-workers and other immigrants. He immersed himself in all things Argentine and he saved every cent he earned that was not needed for basic sustenance. Most importantly, he recognized the old saying; “the rich are different from you and me” was so true. He needed to emulate the rich in order to become rich. He never looked at successful people as the enemy. He had aspirations, not jealousy in his heart.

Onassis became addicted to quality in all areas of life. While still poor, he saved every peso until he could afford a Saville Row hand cut suit. He only had one suit, but it was elegant. He also observed that the rich seemed to appear healthier, happier. They seemed to sport suntan skin as a badge of their fortunate lifestyle. Onassis developed a lifetime addiction to pursuit of the perfect suntan. His tan was internationally famous long before the actor George Hamilton gained similar fame. To this day, a suntan is an emblem of the good life for the successful class.

A Saville Row suit, quality personal furnishings and a suntan that reeked of idle leisure and success were only a start. Onassis was still a rough diamond. Nevertheless, he believed in his ultimate destiny. He would have a drink every night at the bar of the Intercontinental Hotel in Buenos Aires, the cities finest. Only one drink, because that was all he could afford. He still worked as a telephone operator, but he kept his parallel lives as a blue-collar worker and social status seeker firmly differentiated.

His nightly visits to the Intercontinental Hotel bar gradually lead to his building a network of business and social contacts. The famous Argentine soprano Claudia Musa frequently visited the hotel. She was an adored opera star and a cultured beauty. Onassis was basically a nobody and a poser. And yet, he pursued the beautiful singer, and with his usual tenacity he won her heart. This drive to win would be displayed in every area of his long and exciting life.

Onassis recognized that Argentine women preferred a type of sweet Turkish tobacco that was not widely available in South America. Utilizing his newly found relationships; he brokered an import deal for an inventory of the tobacco. He assembled the capital necessary to organize a small factory and began to market several brands of Turkish cigarettes. This small, but successful deal was the basis for his later international business prominence.

Onassis recognized that World War II was imminent. The movement of war materiel was going to become crucial to the Allies winning the war. Shipping would be highly profitable, if he could find an inventory of ships to purchase. With customary elan, he found a small fleet of sturdy but well used freighters on the St. Lawrence Waterway and arranged a tight line of credit to purchase the motley flotilla. He was on his way to becoming the most famous shipping magnate in history.

Entrepreneurs, in order to succeed, often must change elements of their personal lifestyle. We have all heard the old adage, “success breeds success”. No one practiced this truism more fully and instructively than Aristotle Onassis. He bought one high quality suit. He squired beautiful women. He went to the finest clubs, even though he could not afford much more than one drink. He used his new environment, new contacts and network to benefit his single-minded pursuit of success. Why did Willy Sutton rob banks: because that was where the money was! Onassis also made the elemental decision to hang out where the money was.

One of the most difficult aspects of the entrepreneurial process that must be overcome is the need to adjust lifestyle. Sacrifice today will pay dividends tomorrow. Venture capital usually will not be found in a pool hall. The necessity to improve one’s self-presentation and to network continually is paramount. You must be constantly closing the sale, improving your skills and totally focus on achieving your goal.

Aristotle Onassis worked blue-collar jobs, spoke Spanish as a third language, was a displaced immigrant on a strange continent and had zero personal assets. Nevertheless, he organized a personal plan to overcome his obstacles and lead a life of legendary accomplishment.

I spend a great deal of time training and coaching people and corporations to overcome hurdles. Some easily recognize the need to change habits and to utilize pieces of the Onassis template. They often have the ability to succeed. Many more unfortunately, decide that they know best, markets will adapt to their wants and a shortcut to success can be taken. They always fail. This is an absolute observation.

At the harbour of Nidri is a statue of the man who has inspired me and, through my work, inspires others. You can also see Skorpios from there. There is no way I can visit his grave as he is entombed with his two children on the private island but the statue is the nearest I can get to 'The Great Onassis.

Quotes:

“To be successful, keep looking tanned, live in an elegant building (even if you're in the cellar), be seen in smart restaurants (even if you only nurse one drink) and if you borrow, borrow big.”

“If women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.”

“It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.”

“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.”

“The secret of business is to know something nobody else knows”

“After a certain point, money is meaningless. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts.”

“I have no friends and no enemies -- only competitors.”

“Get a sun lamp to keep you looking as if you have just come back from somewhere expensive”

“Find a priest who understands English and doesn't look like Rasputin.”

“The more you own, the more you know you don't own.”

“Always carry a notebook. Write down ideas and information. Write down everything you know and hear about a person you meet. That way, next time you meet them, you know how much time to give them.”

Zizzi but not Savvy

This is a prime example of how to reduce your customers.  I suppose they thought they were being helpful but I doubt the shareholders or owners of Zizzi would agree...and if they did, you better get in touch with me and I will put you right.

On Sunday, the day after new year, some friends and I were wondering where to go for lunch.  Zizzi in South Woodford came up.  They serve Pizzas, Steaks and Grills and pasta.  The only challenge was, were they open all day on a Sunday? So I called them.

"Good afternoon, Zizzi"
"Hi, can you tell me please, are you open all day today?"
"Yes we are, we are open until eleven tonight."
"Thanks."
As I was about to put the phone down I heard the following. 

"But i should tell you we are not serving Pizzas or Garlic Bread!"
"I'm sorry?"
"We are not serving Pizzas or Garlic Bread today.  If that was what you wanted we are not serving them."

I thanked her and hung up.  We ended up somewhere else when another steakhouse was suggested but...

Why on EARTH tell someone on the telephone that a major part of your menu isn't available?  This wasn't just one kind of Pizza but every kind of Pizza.  How many people had been told that they couldn't have Pizza when they rang to book a table or when they just walked in off the street and hadn't even sat down?

Firstly, it shows people that you are disorganised.  If one of the most popular items on the menu is completely and totally OFF the menu then that is like shooting yourself in the foot, but telling people before they have even sat down is re-loading and shooting the other foot.

Secondly, why not get your customers seated and get them a drink and THEN inform them that, due to circumstances, you cannot offer them Pizza or Garlic Bread but the Steaks are superb, the Pasta is delicious and everything else is available and, what's more, your first drink is complimentary (tip: you tell them that AFTER they have ordered a drink otherwise they will order champagne - trust me, I would)

That way you have a restaurant full of people, happy people, who may be eating something they would not have normally ordered and enjoying it rather than a half empty restaurant because your customers went elsewhere.  Remember, customer loyalty is far more important than customer satisfaction.  But...customer satisfaction leads to customer loyalty.

By being a bit more savvy on the phone and thinking things through Zizzi could have had a lot more business that day.

Snow trouble...

I am continually amazed at the lack of vision in the UK.  A blind acceptance of a condition and an unwavering hope that it will go away.  Over the last few weeks we have seen the country grind to a shuddering halt because of 3cm of snow.

Call me old fashioned but...come on!!!  Other countries around Europe see it as a mild irritation but in the UK...it's almost the end of the world.  I do understand the issues that parts of the UK had, especially Scotland who suffered more than most but I have been to Scotland many times and the weather was always bad and snow is part and parcel of the winter and yet they came unstuck and the authorities were surprised by its arrival! 

• People were trapped on the motorways in cars up and down the UK.
• Shops were running out of bread and milk because some stupid people were panic buying as if we were at war.
• Airports were closed.
• Train services were cancelled.
• The streets were like ice rinks and the pavements were lethal.
• We had tons of salt and, most likely, still have because even in this day and age we did not get the salt down on the roads because we were caught napping...

Wonderful.

So, what do we do?  Dig ourselves out of it?  Err...No. We waited for it to go away.
Personally I would have galvanised the army into action, commandeered as many snow ploughs and bulldozers as I could get and cleared the streets, motorways and airport runways and got the country back on track.  Once the streets and pavements were clear I would have organised the salt to go down.
No.  We waited until it melted and suffered the knock on effects of people having to queue for days at airports,

Now I see that New York has suffered a thirty inch snow fall and temperatures have dropped to record levels.  What did they do?  The cleared it with snow ploughs and bulldozers and even got Kennedy airport open after one day...

Will we NEVER learn?

Become a Key Person of Influence

I would recommend that you go along to your local bookstore or click onto Amazon and grab a copy of this book.  Daniel Priestley has written a valuable and instructive book that contains The 5 Step Sequence to becoming one of the most highly valued and highly paid people in your industry and will help you increase not only your web visability but also your bank balance.  It's a well written and clearly laid out book of common sense tips and techniques that will help you build your business and your brand.  I have given a couple of copies to my friends and I suggest you do the same.

"Why's that Dave?" I hear you ask.  Well...

Every industry has an inner-circle full of “Key People of Influence” …
■Their names come up in conversation … for all the right reasons

■They attract opportunities … the right sort

■They earn more money … and it isn’t a struggle
 
That could be you, that's why!!!  If you want a piece of THAT action, buy the book! 

Let it Snow - Let it Snow - Let it Snow...

As the UK is braced for the possibility of snow next week I want all of the door to door salespeople to take heart from the fact that this is the BEST time to get knocking and selling.  Simply because your PB, Probable Buyer, will be indoors because of the weather.  It gets dark at 4pm and the lights come on.  You can even SEE them indoors.  Your contact rate will skyrocket and so will your commission which means your bank balance will be as full as Santas sack!

Just remember.  Your PB will give you all the information you need if you ask the right questions.  By right questions I mean, questions that make your customer think.  Questions that make them give you information about them and why they buy.  When you get the sign to go in, or to ask for the business, take it.  Don't keep talking about who you are and how great your company is...take action, get the deal and get the business.

Your customer will give you all the information you need.  Listen to them, hear it, read it, use it.  Don't be the guy in the cartoon at the top of this post.  See the sign...