Finding more time

There's never enough time in the day......

That's probably true, but are you really utilizing every minute effectively? No, we're not robots and we all need "down time". I just want you to think about all of the 10-30 minute intervals you have, that you waste on down time. Sound harsh? Too bad and while you're at it, stop complaining about all the money you're not making.

Commuting, Waiting for a service - like the doctor, Getting up 15 minutes earlier, Talking to your mother or spouse, Watching re-runs, Eating - This is not a joke. Did you really need 60 minutes for lunch?, Reading page 6, Surfing the web, Instant messenger, Playing on-line poker, Shopping for clothes or worse - shoes.....on, and on, and on.........

Comprende? Get my drift?

Preparation and Focus

Do you prepare the same way for each call, presentation, or meeting? Why don't you? Too busy or just take it for granted?

Does Tiger Woods not go to the range before each round? Did Michael Jordan not warm-up, physically and mentally before each game? Every athlete goes through a pre-game ritual. They attempt to clear their mind and focus on the task at hand. They know, oftentimes the hard way, that outside distractions will negatively affect their productivity.

Do you have a pre-game ritual - every time? I bet not. Frankly, no matter how good you think you may be or how many times you have done a particular task, unless you FOCUS and eliminate all mental distractions, you will never live up to your potential - day in and day out.

Consistency is king and perparation and focus are what fuels it!!!

Who cares what they think!!!

We often seek out advice from others to be sure that our decisions, ideas and choices make sense. Oftentimes, their opinions have great influence.

Here's the problem...if they don't understand how your target audience thinks and acts, their opinion doesn't matter. How dare you limit yourself based upon someone's advice and input, who may be very bright and have tons of "experience and knowledge", but is clueless about the market you are trying to reach.

"General" business sense only goes so far. It's kind of like "mass marketing" - an archaic way of thinking compared to "target marketing". Why do you think companies spend so much money on focus group research? Because they want direct feedback from the people they hope to buy their product/service.

Wouldn't you be better off getting feedback from the people using your product or service? Who cares what other's think!!!

Passion

The most successful people have a real passion for their work. It's not just a job. They hop out of bed in the morning. They can't stop thinking about things to do the next day to make their business/job more productive. It's obvious to everyone around them that they enjoy what they do.

Do you enjoy what you do? Are you doing it for the money? Do you feel that you're trapped and cannot change careers because of your financial commitments?

Everyone has choices. I don't care how old you are. How much do you really believe in yourself or idea? How much are you willing to sacrifice or take a step or three back?

If you are not passionate about what you do everyday, then you're not alive. Go for it and don't you dare let anyone stop you. They're just jealous.

Good is sometimes good enough

I learned many years ago that striving for perfection is oftentimes not a good thing. It stops you from moving forward and making progress. It's a crutch used by many to keep them in their "comfort zone" or sometimes simply used as an excuse to "bitch".

Stop making excuses!!! Stop striving for perfection all the time. Let it rip. Move forward. Things don't have to work out exactly as you had hoped for the situation to be considered a success. Oftentimes the other person didn't even realize that things didn't go as planned.

This is not to say that mediocrity is acceptable. Just chill and do the best you can given the situation. It doesn't have to be perfect. Good is oftentimes good enough.

What are you giving?

What have you given your customers or referral sources that you feel has earned their loyalty or gotten their attention?

So many sales people complain to me that they don't have the budget in order to "woo" others. What a crock!!!

You don't need to spend a dime to give, "great information". People love information that is user friendly, targeted and thoughtful. Great information allows people to make great, educated decisions. So many sales people feel like they need to "hoard" info and that's why they have the reputation of being "sneaky".

What information are you passing along? How often? In what format? Is it valuable to the person receiving it?

Give great information and your phone will ring off the hook with new business!!!

True Character

It's easy for someone to have a good attitude when things are going well. But what happens when adversity strikes? Do you lash out? Place blame? Get defensive?

A true character test is being consistent in more difficult situations. Remember, most things tend to "work out". The unnecessary stress you add by getting all "hostile" only adds fuel to the fire and exacerbates the existing situation.

Tip.....take your time before reacting. Take a walk, yell into your pillow, or simply get another opinion. Just whatever you do, don't react or should I say....overreact.

Shame on you...but there's hope

Have you already fallen short of accomplishing a specific goal your first week into 2008? Shame on you....but there's hope.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to share your goals with someone else. Particularly someone you care about or respect. It is remarkable how different human beings act once they know someone is "watching". Efficiency and productivity goes through the roof!!!

Stop being embarrased or afraid to share your thoughts, dreams, and GOALS. The positive impact it will have on your life will be well worth it!!!

Google you?

What comes up when you google your name or your business? Do you like what you see? Is it accurate? Is it updated?

If not, you only have yourself to blame. It's up to YOU to put information out in the universe for it to get "noticed" by search engines. Have you been quoted in an article recently? Have you made an effort to get your name in the press? Have you offered to write an article for a local trade paper specific to your business? Have you made an effort to "SEO" (search engine optimize) your website? Do you blog?

Lots of no answers to the above questions will not only make you invisible on the web, but even worse, may allow inaccurate content about who you are and what you do to materialze for all the world to see.

Take action!!! People, for better or worse, believe the "written word".