Autopilot responses

So many people walk around on Autopilot. So many people have an Autopilot response to questions or situations.

In the Seduction Community, STILL headed by it's creator Ross Jeffries, one of the main tenets is, 'Never take a first response as written in stone. It's just an autopilot response and it is also something to play with.'

It's just a response that emanates from where that person is right now.'

What do you say to a Big Issue seller?
What do you say to Jehovahs Witnesses?
What do you say to a clipboard carrying student grinning maniacally at you in a shopping center?

What do you say to yourself in day to day situations?

How many times have you pitched a product or service only to hear, 'we are not interested!' That's just a weak, pointless, gutless, cop-out of an autopilot response.

All objections are state related.
Some of the state related objections are autopilot responses.

If you want examples of Autopilot responses ask for a regular size quarter pounder meal in McDonalds and you will be asked. 'Is that a large meal?'

Ask for a portion of fries and you will be asked, 'Do you want fries with that?'

I had builders working in my home and deciding to buy the 6 of them lunch, and being a very classy kind of guy, I drove to McDonalds. Remember this...
1.It was empty.
2.The car park was empty.
3. Two staff behind the counter watched me get out of the MooreMobile and walk in alone.

"Hi, can I have three quarter pounder with cheese meals, all with Cokes. Two Big-Mac meals with Fanta orange and a Chicken Sandwich meal with a Lemonade. Also can I have 6 Apple Pies please."

And then auto pilot took over and the girl asked, "Is that to eat here?"

I considered a barrage of answers but settled for, "Do you REALLY think that would be possible for me?"

Coming to her senses she shook her head and laughed.

It's dangerous to think that sometimes people are walking around on this Autopilot setting. Worse, are the ones who are driving!

How many times have you driven somewhere and not remembered the journey?
How many times have you driven your usual route to work only to realise that THAT was the day you were going somewhere else on the way to work first?

If you catch yourself responding to something in the same way you have always done, think for a second. What would happen IF you did something different?

The lights may be on but...is anyone at home in your head?

Disengage it!

Do something SCARY!!!

As the season changes and we venture into autumn the nights draw in earlier each evening.  We are in the run up to Hallowe'en and this time of year always has that sense of the unknown about it.  We start to think of Hallowe'en and the trick or treaters, ghosts, spirits....and in some cases...FEAR.

What do you fear?  What scares you?

Is it that call to a nightmare client?
Is it that dental appointment?
Is it that meeting with your boss about your performance (or lack of)?
Is it the flight that you have to take?
Is it getting in that elevator?
Is it........

Well, whatever it is, it's personal to you.

But, do you know what?

That thing you fear, that challenge you have, that one thing you are DREADING doing...

...you need to do it right now, and get it out of the way.

Step outside that comfort circle and do something scary, risky, out of the ordinary tomorrow.  Then do something like that every day!  then watch as your confidence grows.

You MUST have seen the first Alien movie where the alien bursts out of Cains chest at the dining table on board the Nostromo.

I always think of how different it would have been if I had been on that spaceship. Just as the little alien runs across the table I would have smashed it with a sledge hammer and flattened it. Then, I would have said a line that would have probably been a classic:

“If we had let that out of the room it would have killed everyone!”

Roll credits! Shortest movie in history but...

If you Kill the Monster Early then you save a lot of time and effort.

9/11 Tribute

Today is September 11. I am taking this moment to post this tribute as a reminder that we must never, EVER, give in to terrorism.

These are photographs from the New York ten year anniversary last year of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.

These stunning images show a city with an indomitable spirit.

As you look at the photographs you will be moved, like I am, by the sheer determination and spirit of the people of New York. Although this is a tribute to the 3000 or so lost souls of 9/11 the strength, spirit and determination of the people of New York is illuminated also.

It is clear to everyone that terrorists can never, ever, win. The beauty of us, as a human and humane race, is that we will never bend against the force of the wind of terror. It cannot destroy the hope, the dreams or the spirit that we carry within ourselves. It will never extinguish the flame of hope, goodness and humanity that we carry in our hearts.

Blessings to my Family, Friends and Clients in the USA and especially the people of New York and Washington.

If we look after each other,

If we care for each other,

If we support each other,

If we love each other,

We will be strong...

We will be united...

And We will NEVER be beaten.

Mind Altering Logic

I was sitting on a train coming back from a meeting in London a few months ago.  It was a fairly quiet carriage but when we reached a particular station a lot of people got on.

I found myself sitting next to two builders that got on completely soaked to the skin, covered in mud, their hard hats in hand and looking like they had been 5 rounds with Mike Tyson.

It wasn't long after we pulled away from the station that they looked at me.

I was wearing a very nice black Armani suit with an open neck black shirt underneath.  I looked at them as they looked me up and down.  They then looked at each other and smiled.

Most people would ignore a situation like this but being the kind of person I am and not one to shy away from confrontation I asked, "What?" in a really loud voice making others in the carriage turn around.

This shook them a bit and one of them said, "I was just looking at your clothes.  You look like you sit in an office all day. A real days work would kill you."  (actually, this idiot was wrong on both counts but...)

I smiled, "Who's job would you rather have, yours or mine?"

Builder 1 laughed, "Are you kidding?  I wouldn't have your job for a second!"

"So what are you complaining about?" I asked.

Builder 2 woke up, "Well if he doesn't want your job, I'll have it."

I looked at Builder 2, "So what are YOU complaining about?" I asked him.

It was at this point they realised that they had shot themselves in the foot and then reloaded.  I went back to my newspaper and they stared at each other trying to come up with some witty answer but, after four stops and no idea, they got off without saying a word.

Some people, like these two Bob the Builders, have a self destruct button in their heads where, most of the things they say for effect only have the effect of making them look like complete idiots.  They have no filter.

The filter, the Reticular Activating System, is really a two way filter.  It allows in only what it believes will serve you, do you good or what it thinks you want to see.  It should also trip you up if you are about to say something unneccessary. 

#spiritchat

I would highly recommend that you all sign in to twitter on Sunday afternoon at 2pm London time and join in the chat with some dazzling and brilliant minds, none less dazzling and brilliant than Kumud....who is the owner and moderator of #spiritchat

Equally brilliant are @katenasser, @emeliasam...in fact, just log on and do yourself some spiritual good.  This weeks subject was Playfulness!

A Spirit of Playfulness

A lot of folks think, and rightly so, that being spiritual and thinking about spirituality is a “serious” business. In fact, a lot of the SpiritChat discussions in the past have had topics like self-discipline, equanimity, forgiveness, courage, our spiritual truths and may more. However, we have also had chats with “lighter” topics like friendship, prosperity, fathers, mothers and wellness.
I recently read an essay by one of my favorite authors (Swami Vivekananda) where he mentioned that spiritually advanced souls actually develop a “lightness of being” and become less “serious” as time goes by. This was a welcome insight for me because it also reminded me of this quote…

The master of the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both - Buddha

So, this brings us to the weekend of September 1st - a three-day, long weekend in North America which marks, in some ways, the “end of summer”. A lot of folks may be traveling, meeting friends and family, and generally engaging in “playfulness”. It is an opportunity to perhaps take a pause, and get ready for the upcoming change in season, as we play out the last bit of summer (or autumn, if you are in the southern hemisphere :)).
We all have our favorite “toys” that we like to play with - for some it may be books, or music, or movies or hobbies that distract us from the mundane of everyday living and bring joy to our spirit. For some, it may be the simple act of watching children engage in creative play or birds playfully dancing around bird-feeders that invokes feelings of playfulness. What creates feelings of playfulness within you? What book/movie/music would you want to take on vacation? How can we create more playfulness in our communities?
I invite you to join the #SpiritChat community on Sunday September 2nd at our regular time of 9am ET / 2pm UK / 6:30 India as we explore some of these questions and create an atmosphere of playfulness for all…
Be well and play hard!
Kumud
Update: Transcript link for the Live chat on playfulness and questions (below). Thank you all for joining - feel free to add your answers in the comments :)

Ready to play? Q1. What feelings does the word #playfulness invoke within you? #SpiritChat

Q2. Do you think we play enough as adults? Why or why not? #SpiritChat 

Q3. Which people or what occasions inspire you to play more? #SpiritChat

Q4. What are your favorite toys to play with - do share with us :) #SpiritChat  

Q5. How does playfulness impact our mental and spiritual health? #SpiritChat 

Q6. Can we really incorporate playfulness into our spiritual practice? How? #SpiritChat

Q7. If you could play with any character in history, who would it be? Why? #SpiritChat 

Q8. How can we encourage more playfulness in our communities - online and offline? #SpiritChat 

Takeaway Q9. Will you incorporate more playfulness in your daily life? How? #SpiritChat

Sunday Morning Advice....

As you do your thing on this Sunday, here are some words that we should all take on board and remember as we think about the coming week....

‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition’
~ Steve Jobs

Do You Need To Fire Your Employer?

If you're involved in sales for your company, think about all the things your employer does for you.

Your employer pays for virtually 100% of your training, your marketing, your gas/ electricity and phone expenses, as well as client lunches and entertainment.

Your employer invests hundreds of pounds, dollars or euros per month in your career, yet knowingly allows you to:
- waste time or blow off work.
- go home early or come in late.
- stand around and complain with other salespeople.
- pad out your call reports.
- perform at a level far below your potential.

WOAH!

Why would an employer pay for all this, then allow you to waste that investment? Do you really want to work for someone who says they want you to succeed, then knowingly allows you to do those things that lead to failure? What kind of employer does that?

Unfortunately, the one for which the majority of sellers work. And if you work for that person, you have no one to blame except yourself - because you are your boss.


You are your own mini company with a single client - the one that you sell to today.

You're leasing yourself, your knowledge, and your skills to this firm. If you have strong relationships with your prospects and clients, you're also leasing them to your client.

When you revoke your lease to the company you currently sell for and take on a new client, you take all your training, skills and abilities with you - as well as your clients. That means that one hundred percent of the time, money and energy you invest in your sales business is for your benefit - not the company for whom you sell.

No matter your product or service, you're your boss.

As such, you must hold yourself accountable for your actions and investments in you - your company.Do you demand the best from yourself, or do you allow yourself to go through the motions of selling? Do you seek to get the most from the time and money you invest, or are you satisfied to just get by?

As an employee, are you happy with your employer? Do think your boss demands enough from you and helps you achieve your full potential?

Here's a reality check that you can take STRAIGHT to the bank: Just because you receive a paycheck doesn't mean that you aren't self-employed.

In reality, you sign your own commission check. The company you're leasing yourself to will simply verify your earnings and then sign them back over to you.

Don't be fooled into believing that you work for any other “employer” other than yourself.  I don't care if you 'work for' Google, Apple, or the Insurance/ double glazing, cable TV company over the street.  You're your own CEO and, like any other CEO, you must demand the best.

If your performance is average and your company is ok with that..or If your company isn't capable or willing to hold you accountable, maybe it's time to fire your employer! 

Dreamer, 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 mug of coffee, black, two 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 Difference that MAKES The Difference

What's the Difference that MAKES the Difference?

To me it's got to be attitude. That self assuredness, that energy, that belief that no matter what happens, no matter what obstacles appear, you will achieve what you want to achieve.

People always look for cop outs. Excuses. They have a but!

"I could have done that...BUT!"
"I would have done that...BUT!"
"I should have done that...BUT!"

That's the old 'coulda, woulda, shoulda' scenario. At the heart of that scenario is another word. 'Didna'.

I know that if you have the right attitude you can achieve anything.

I use myself as an example.

• I have an air of uninsultability. I don't care what people say about me. Why should I? They don't know what they are talking about! They must get my name right though!
• I decide where my energy goes, nobody else.
• Everything people say or do to me is energy, and it's just a toy for me to play with.
• I don't take anything that people say to me at first to be written in stone. In other words, what people say first can be changed.
• Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning I give it.
• I never hate people who are obviously jealous of me. I respect their jealousy because they must think I am better than them or they want to be me!
• 90% of people are running on autopilot 90% of the time
• If I am told something can't be done it's because the person telling me doesn't know how to do it. So I go and do it.

It is also important to think different. A case in point.

I had a conversation the other day regarding work. Someone was looking for a change of career. It seemed that working from home might be better than going out to work. I made a quick suggestion.

"What about some form of MLM? Multi Level Marketing is booming. You could get on the vitamin and herbal remedy market. There are a lot of companies looking for people to sell products and you could have vitamin evenings and sell the products at home to people who come around for the evening party?"

What was the response...? Well...objection.....?

Before I tell you the response/ objection let me reframe it....

Throughout my career I have advised people on what to do for a business venture, in what to sell, and how to sell. In all of those areas I get the same response as I got here. The same! What amazes me is how the same reply from me always makes them realises what a stupid, dumbass objection it is...

The response/ objection?...

"Do you know how many companies there are out there selling that?"

Duh! Yes I do. Maybe not to the exact figure but I can hazard a guess...

My reply?

"Do you know how many people there are out there buying that stuff?"

Simple. There are millions of people out there. BILLIONS of people in the world. Are you telling me that they are ALL buying from these companies. No. They are not.

Advertising either works or it doesn't. If it didn't work then people wouldn't advertise.

I had someone tell me once, 'I don't advertise because I know it won't work!' 
I told them, 'You know when you will realise that it does?  In a years time when you place an advertisement that says 'Business for Sale', THAT is when you will realise advertising works!'

We all know Louis Vuitton, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Rolex, Breitling and all manner of stuff that we desire and /or buy. Why do they advertise? Why do they HAVE to advertise? Because it works.

Then I got this...

"If people want things like that then they would just go down to the supermaket and buy them."

No WAY!  People have to be TOLD what to buy. They have to be given options.

That's why you sell someone a years supply rather than a months.

What's more, selling things on the internet or at home is designed to undercut the big stores as well as the small exclusive ones. These MLM companies market stuff that you cannot buy in stores. The opportunity is there!

It's a matter of doing things Differently. Thinking Differently. Selling Differently. Being Different. And that's the difference that MAKES the difference!

If you let NOTHING get in the way of your target, nothing get in the way of your dream and nothing get in the way of achieving what you want then nothing will.

You have to change your beliefs, change your attitude and change your mind set.

You must not let anything get in your way.

Here's an example...This is someone who never let anything get in their way, never let anything stop them, adapted situations to suit and changed themselves...they know the meaning of the difference that makes the difference.

The man is Chaim Weitz.

Though he is from a Hungarian family he was born in Isreal and his Mother took him, at the age of 8, to live in America even though he was unable to speak English.

When older he made money selling comic books at conventions. He learnt to speak English, German and Hebrew as well as his native Hungarian and taught in schools in America under the name Gene Klein.

A few years later he picked up a guitar, changed his name to Gene Simmons and morphed into the guy in the pic at the top of this blog!

If he can achieve a personal metamorphosis like that...anything is possible. That's the Difference that MAKES the Difference!

Time Distortion

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!

You NEVER Stop Learning

You are responsible for your own education.

When you want to learn about a new subject, go to the library. Go to the bookshop and buy books and magazines. Log on to the Internet. Join a club or association. Find experts in the field. Ask questions and more questions. Take courses and ask your teacher questions.

Don't just sit there. Make the course YOUR course.


Q. What do you want to know about something?
A. All you can.

Q. What do you want to know about the business? A. Everything you can.

Hunger for knowledge because knowledge is power. You don't need to attend famous universities. You don't need a lot of money for tuitions. By yourself, with your own free will, you can learn anything that you want to learn.

Learning is a gift that you give yourself. Knowledge is portable. You take it with you everywhere.

I see qualifications as limits. They show that you have achieved something, of course, but that's it. It's really a label. I have a Ph.D. I did it because I could. And I use the knowledge it gave me every day. But I have outgrown the Ph.D through self education. If I sat with someone who had just completed my Ph.D in the same manner I did and then told them all I have learnt since passing it, I would blow the circuits in their head because many people believe that once you have the qualification, whatever it is, that's all you need to know.

The thing is, I know trainers and psychologists and hypnotherapists who have their qualifications on their wall. Great. Can they actually DO what they have the qualification for? NO not anymore!

Why is that? Because they don't use it, improve it, refine it or augment it with further information.
A ship that spends too much time in dock will deteriorate unless it does what it is meant and built to do, sail the seas.  Your brain is the same.  It needs to keep active.
You need to continually learn and you also need to continually question what you know. IS it the ONLY way to do something? Does that STILL work? You should never, ever, stop learning. Attend seminars, buy books (and read them), buy CDs (and listen to them).

Don’t worry what the book or CD/DVD costs you either. One sentence or idea in a £30 book or $500 course could make you 50 times that amount in the years ahead or change your life or the life of someone around you or someone you are working with.

That’s a better investment than buying shares.....or a lottery ticket. ;-)

Are You The Business? Bad Luck!

In the world of personal development most of the companies rely on the main person.

Otherwise known as...

The face of the company.
The owner.
The person who writes the programs.
The person who delivers the training.
The person people want to see, hear or be trained by.

I have that challenge.

Many other companies have that challenge.

I know what you are thinking; "You say that like it's a bad thing!"

It is.

Not now...but in the future.

If you have a company and you are considering selling it, retiring and hoping it will continue, or even considering floating it...bad news.

You are the Company. People are buying you.

You need to take yourself out of your business.

You need to remove yourself from the daily running of your business.

Why? Because otherwise you will remain a vital element of the company and you will never be able to sell it without you going along as part of the package. You need to delegate all your tasks within the company to other people, so that the business can function effectively on its own without you being involved.

Your business will never be able to grow beyond what you can physically do yourself.

A buyer will only want to buy the business if you come along with it. Your plan to spend your time on a yacht sipping champagne has been well and truly scuppered. You are now an employee (albeit a very well paid one).

If you can teach what you do to a like minded person who works for you, do so. You must ensure that the business is capable of continuing while you take time out.

If your business is like this, do it now; I am.

If it's a new business you are starting then look closely at your business model and make sure it is scalable.
In other words, can it grow without you being there?

If the answer is no, it's a non starter. Think of a new idea.

Response-Ability

Blaming others never works, it compromises your power and your strength.

When you are wrong, the most expedient form of action is to admit your mistake and move on.

How many people do you know who walk around, slumped over, moaning, whining and saying things like, "I could have been a success...BUT!" "I could have sold to that guy...BUT!" "I could have been a millionaire....BUT!"

Kick the 'buts' out of your life.

Accept the fact that life isn't always fair. You will not always be right. You are human and to trip, stumble and fall are all part of being human. What differentiates you from the herd is that you get up.

Mistakes are your teachers. By choosing to be a risk taker, you will face both peril and reward. You will make a lot of mistakes as all successful people have done and continue to do. It is not someone else's fault if your success involves persistence, failing and learning.

Accept this as your choice. Take risks. No great fortune or great endeavour or business was achieved without risk. As Sir Richard Branson says in his book Reach For The Skies: "If you choose to live a quiet life you will never know what it feels like to win!"

This is the nature of the road to success. Let your ego go. Take risks.

Take responsibility.

Break that word down. Responsibility. In fact you should look at that word as two words. Response and Ability. You MUST have the ability to make your response a positive one. You must cultivate a positive, powerful and empowering Response Ability. It is your ability to make your responses more self empowering, strong and positive that will help you overcome all manner of challenges and 'failures' (I hate that word).

Worry more about what you can do rather than what others haven't done.

Never feel sorry for yourself. Blaming others will not make you feel better.
If you fail, look at what you did, dust yourself off and do it differently.

Remember, don’t blame others for that failure. Because if you succeed even bigger because of that failure...are you going to credit them for that failure? Or, shock horror, the success that came from it?

No, I didn’t think so. ;-)

The most important thing to understand is this...There is no failure, only feedback!

Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try!

Yoda said the above quote, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try”.

(Well it was Frank Oz actually but I didn't want to ruin the moment)

If I tell you, “I tried to open the door”, you know I didn’t open it. If someone tells you they will “try to be there” you can guarantee that they will not be there.

Try is another word for fail, unless you play rugby of course.

Don’t even think about trying to do something, do it and be determined that you will ‘do it’. If not, you will merely try.

Here are a couple of things to forget.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again”.

Why bother? If you don’t succeed, make sure you do it next time. Or hide all evidence you attempted it.

And:

“The whole world loves a tryer”.

Of course they do. People love tryers because they never really achieve anything and it makes them feel better to have someone less successful than them around.

You must be a do’er and not a try’er. Achieve things and be a success.

If you are not, don’t try to be. Just Be a success!

Great Customer Service = Easy Next Sale! Duh!

If you want to sell more of your products and services, whatever it is that you sell, then you need to make sure you are joining all the dots to make a picture that makes sense.

One of the easiest things to do, but something that many people and businesses FAIL to do, is to look after their existing customers.  Your after sales and customer service performance is the key to longevity.  The ONLY companies who can survive with bad customer service and bad after sales are compnies that have no competition.  If they have a monopoly they can do what they like.

So...

Look after your existing customers and they will buy more product. 

Here's a secret: Looking after and selling to existing customers is far easier than looking for new customers.

In doing so, here's a few tips from the Dynamic-Life Academy Sales course.

1. Be clear about the benefit.  I don't care what country those wellington boots were made in, or the moulding process, or the fact that there are 7 ridges in the sole and four in the heel...I am buying DRY FEET.  So TELL ME that my feet will be dry!

2. Make it simple and easy to buy from you.  Don't get caught up in red tape and BS with contracts.  Make them clear, easy to read and quick to complete.  Swap the small print for big print and show that you are hiding nothing.  If you tell them they are getting X, then make sure they get X.  Throw in a Y for good measure.  DO NOT give them Y IN PLACE of X!  If you do you can expect your customer to give you the finger!

3.  If you don't enjoy what you are doing then nobody else will either.  You can quite easily transmit your boredom, disbelief and lack of confidence in your company and products if you hate what you do.  Hating what you do has a direct correlation to how much you earn.

4. You only need one golden apple. Doing what others do is fine but do it differently. Be You-Nique http://themooreconsortium.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/you-nique.html

5.  Who you surround yourself with is who you become.  Choose your staff and associates carefully.  Don't be chosen by those you would not choose.  Be very careful about your associations. 

6. You have to be so visible that everyone associates you with what you do. That's a great position to be in.  Immediately, people know your company by your image or name.  There is a downside to this though.  If you become indispensable, if you ARE the company, people expect to get you.  Thats great but you will never ever be able to sell your business should you want to.  You ARE the business.  Don't run a company that you cant sell to someone else.

7. Communicate clearly and simply but do it with the RIGHT people.  It sounds mercenary but why waste your time with people who are not going to buy from you?  I know associations are great but if your business needs to make money through sales, talk to people who have the authority to say yes. 

8. Your best salesperson is....drum roll....no, not you!  It's your CUSTOMER.  Nothing attracts people to your company better than raving fans so get your customers to write a testimonial and put it on your website or in your literature.  Better still, film them talking about how great your product is and put that video on your website and youtube.  Video tesimonials are gold.

9. All the work you did in aquiring your customers? Multiply it by 5.  multiply it by 10!  That's the amount of work you need to do to keep them.  Never leave trap doors open for your customers to slip thru.  You MUST have a commitment to your customer. They do NOT have a commitment to you! You need to create their commitment to you!
Make sure you leave your footprint in cement and not sand. The tide of your competition will not wash it away!

10. Employ people who are smarter than you.  Don't fear it.  You need them.  Once u compromise on the quality of ur people, compromising becomes the norm. Pretty soon u have an average company full of average people

And one more thing...

It's clear that if all you are doing are things the way you always did, you're doomed

KILL THE MONSTER EARLY

You must have seen the Alien films. They are great and I always get a kick out of watching them. Do you remember that scene in the first film when Cain has that alien burst out of his chest? The pic at the top is the scene.

I always think of how different it would have been if I had been on that spaceship. Just as the little alien runs across the table I would have smashed it with a sledge hammer and flattened it. Then, I would have said a line that would have been immortal:

“If we had let that out of the room it would have killed everyone!”

Roll credits!  Shortest movie in history but...

If you Kill the Monster Early then you save a lot of time and effort.

I have a friend who got a parking ticket. He stuck it in a drawer to deal with later. You know, later? When he had the time? Three days later he pulled the ticket out and saw that he was being fined £40. He had a week left to pay it. He put it on the hallway table and went to work. A week later it was still there. When he remembered to look at it he had one day left before it increased to £60. Should he reschedule his meeting so that he could go and pay the fine now?

In his mind he did a quick calculation.
“It’s only another £20 for Christ’s sake!”
Hmmm. Is it?

“I spend more than that on cigarettes each week!”
Well, that’s that rationalized!

Another week went by. And then another.
He forgot all about it.
He went on holiday.

When he got back his car had been lifted and impounded and to get it back he had to pay the costs on top of the original fine.
The fine, if he had dealt with it straight away, was only £40.
He paid out £480.00 that day to get his car back.

He should have dealt with the ticket like the Alien in the above analogy.

In business we make choices every day. We decide what direction we are going to take, what strategy to use, who to send on a particular job. All those choices are pro-active. We have to react in the same positive way. When something happens we have to decide right away a course of action otherwise things change.

Some people tend to sweep things under the carpet.
Someone causes a problem or a challenge? Sweep it under the carpet.
Some people keep on doing that again and again until nobody can open the door because of a huge pile of crap under the carpet.

Problems (£40 fine?) can be brushed off or ignored for a while. They turn into concerns.
Concerns (£60 fine increase) cause a little consternation and can be time consuming but, some people deal with them by delaying action. The concerns turn into a crisis!
A crisis (car towed and £480 bill) is when and only when some people act.

All that trouble and financial cost and yet, back in the days of the £40 it would have been so simple. Just deal with it at the time and get rid of it. Do it NOW!

In business, never ever let anything just sit and rot away. Always deal with things immediately if that can be done. Never, ever, put things off to another day. Do the tough stuff first and then do the easy stuff.

Don't let that Alien out of the room!!!

Which One Are YOU?

Optimist?
Pessimist?
or....
Realist?

Does it really matter?   Well it might!

Take the famous analogy...

An Optimist sees a glass half full.
A Pessimist sees a glass half empty.
A Realist just sees a glass of water.

Do you see opportunity in every situation?  Do you always look for the good in people and the world? (Optimist)

Do you see no point in getting involved?  Do you think all of your plans will fail? (Pessimist)

Do you take every day as it comes and deal with it.  Do you do your own thing and not buy into all the new age psychological stuff? Believe it when you see it? (Realist)

All of them have their virtues though as a personal development trainer I have to say that Optimism is best out of those three options but there is a fourth.  There is another way of walking thru the world that will serve you much better...Because while you were looking at that glass of water I walked over and you didn't see me...you were too busy arguing over who was right...

The Very Authentic Emelia Sam

Someone who has caught my professional interest is the very talented Emelia Sam. 
We met online in a couple of Twitter forums and I immediately recognised her as someone with a great insight into personal and spiritual development and a talent for helping people.

Her website is http://www.emeliasam.com and you will find a wealth of information and tips on how to live an authentic life.

These are her areas of expertise, though I am sure they are not all of them:

TOPICS

• Mind/Body/Spirit

• Personal Growth

• Spirituality

• Self-Esteem

KEYNOTE PROGRAMS

• Scriptless Living: Getting the Life That You Want

• Unlocking Your Greatness

• Shine: The Ninth Ray of Greatness

• Extracting Wisdom 24/7: The Lessons Behind Everyday Ordinary

• Authenticity in the Age of Reality TV and Social Media

Emelia is a great presenter with a funny, engaging conversational style.  One look at the videos on her site will prove that.

I would suggest you take a look and sign up for her newsletter.

She can be found on twitter here: @emeliasam 

Ana Hillis - Content Reimagined

They say that everyone has at least one book inside them...

It's a great shame that that is exactly where they stay. Some people never get their ideas down on paper. Then again, having read thousands of them myself, some people shouldn't!

If you have a book inside you and you think, when you read others efforts, 'I have a better idea than that' or if you dream of being a published author but have no idea how to go about it, take a trip to http://repurposeforprofit.com

This is a website run by Ana Hillis, a very talented lady, but don't just take MY word for it...it says on the website:
Ana Hillis is a former executive assistant (and genuine smart ass with a really warped sense of humor) who worked in the Corporate World editing, proofreading and formatting documents for over 15 years. She has brought this experience into the online world where she works with Entrepreneurs to help them write their books by repurposing their existing content and helps them build their reputations and expert status with creativity and style, not to mention she has fun doing it. People that aren’t fun, need not apply.

So get that book out of your head and onto Amazon by checking out her website or twitter page @anahillis

Laura Berman Fortgang - Coach of Coaches

Here's another recommendation for you and, again, it's a very talented and knowledgeable lady from NYC area (I must get over there again soon)......

Some of you may know her, know of her and some of you may not know her at all, for which I say 'you are serious about personal development aren't you?'

I have followed Laura Berman Fortgang for almost 12 years now.  I met her quite a while ago at a seminar she ran in London after the publication of her book Take Yourself to the Top, of which I have a signed copy but hey, I'm a fan.

I think she pioneered the whole idea of coaching and got me interested in the whole coaching scene.  I cannot find anyone coming close to her (not that I have looked) and I always have considered her the best there is in the business and personal coaching field.

She has a common sense approach and a focus on what works for her clients.  Laura is also a best-selling author, sought-after speaker, corporate spokesperson and interfaith minister.

She is the best-selling author of five books now published in 11 languages:

• The Prosperity Plan
• The Little Book on Meaning (Finalist for a Books for a Better Life Award)
• Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction
• Living Your Best Life
• Take Yourself to the Top

When you read a list like that and look at the figures one thing is obvious.  She knows her stuff.

Laura has also been a media perennial for years. Her appearances on Oprah, The CBS Early Show, NBC's Today, Good Morning America, various nationally syndicated and cable outlets as well as a long stint as contributing editor for Redbook Magazine and in other major print and digital media have helped her reach millions of people who want to improve their work and life.

Do yourself, your business and the people around you a big favour and go to:
http://www.laurabermanfortgang.com/index.html

or follow her on Twitter
@LauraBFortgang

Prepare to be amazed and...See You At The Top