Step 3: Create a Personal identity

Once your dream has been discovered, and the next stage of your life is defined, it must move from a concept, a dream, into a very present day reality. To begin that, you need to first truly own it, long before you even begin the process of making it a reality. “I would like to be a speaker.” feels dramatically different in your body that “I am a speaker.”

I worked with a woman who presented as wanting to become a teacher. She felt it was what she was called to do yet she had no idea where to even begin. Her approach was longing, hopeful, and fearful that it wouldn't happen.  I had her, each day, spend 5 minutes in meditation or reflection, in owning that she was a teacher, it was in her blood, she now simply needed the training and qualifications to do what she came here to do. More than once she told me that this attitude caused her to see the obstacles that arose as inconveniences rather than as stopping blocks that would prove she was on the wrong track.

Research has shown us that between 60 – 90 days is what it takes to shift a habit or a belief. Owning that new reality, “I am retiring”, “I am moving”, “I am a speaker” causes all the existing fears to come up in order to be dealt with rather than having them unconsciously sabotage your dreams. This clears the way.  

Form that new identity and you will begin to experience the freedom, expansion, and unlimited possibility it provides. 

Dorothy A. Martin-Neville, PhD, is a motivational speaker, author, coach, and psychotherapist who has spent her career helping others, through humor and faith, claim their dreams, eliminate self-sabotage, and become everything they were meant to be.

She can be reached at: drdorothyct.com    dorothy@drdorothyct.com   860-543-5629   

Law of Attraction? Bah! Humbug!

I’m not sure believing in the Law of Attraction is doing anybody any favors. On bad days, that would mean we’ve attracted any and all of the crap we’re surrounded by. But it doesn’t make sense. How does someone “attract” a car accident, or a child throwing up on their shoes? It’s not like people wake up thinking things like, “Okay, what would really make today suck? Oh, I know, I could have a car accident!” People don’t generally want crap in their lives. They want happy, fulfilling, and peaceful lives.

On the other side, when something really good happens, people don’t usually jump up and down yelling “I attracted this!” They might jump up and down, but a lot people say a prayer of thanks to the greater power they believe is the source of their good fortune. 

It’s so tempting to believe in the LOA. So tempting to believe we can draw the big-advance publishing deal right to our front door. Or that our book will hit the New York Times Best Seller list and then we’ll get paid thousands and thousands of dollars just to speak about it. But the reality is that if those are items on your ultimate goals list, they aren’t going to happen just because you believe in the Law of Attraction.  

When people think about the LOA, they often think about it like it’s some kind of Karmic lotto. But if it were that easy, if we could control what we got in our lives simply by believing it’s already ours, or that it already exists somewhere in space and time, we’d all be living in a different—hopefully better—world. But we can’t control it. The LOA doesn’t come with a remote control. The only thing we have any actual control over is what we do. 

If you truly believe in the book you’ve been thinking about writing, please stop waiting for the LOA to send you a sign. Life is too short to be wasted with waiting. The LOA can’t write your book for you either. You have to do the writing. The LOA isn’t going to write out a timeline for you to follow. You’re the one who’s going to have to schedule your time.

And here’s the really amazing part. After you’ve done the work and you’re holding your book in your hands, you’ll realize that it’s done because you did it. The power was within you all along. Never underestimate the power you have to make your dreams come true.

Don’t give into the idea that you have to do it all alone either. You don’t. I know how challenging it is to get started when you can’t seem to find the starting line. As an Editor, Writer, and Coach, I can help you create an outline for your book. I can also guide you through the self-publishing process. 

If you believe in the LOA, this post could be the sign you’ve been waiting for. If you don’t believe in it, this post could be the opportunity you’ve been searching for. In either case, the question is: Are you going to take advantage of it? 

Sustainable Selling: Lesson #1

Okay… You finally secured the new account you’ve been after for months, and now you’re back in the office sharing “high fives” with your manager and your sales support team. It’s a good day.

But a funny thing happens over the next quarter. The account stops bringing in the numbers they started with. You ask customer service if they know what’s going on and get a shoulder shrug as a response. You take the initiative to visit the client (something you realize is long overdue) and find out: Your shipments to them have been arriving late or are on back-order.

·        There was a quality problem. The client sent a sample of the defect back, but they’re still waiting for a response.

·       They started doing business with you, but they haven’t seen you since.

·       They had a call from their primary customer service contact, but that person has “gone missing” too.

·       You realize they have a competitor’s product on trial, and know for a fact your price is better than theirs.

You leave the account’s office and sit in your car trying to understand what happened, but the truth is, you already know.

·       You took the account for granted.

·       You fell into the trap of thinking that the products and/or services they bought would meet their expectations without ever checking in with them to make sure.

·       You were busy courting other new accounts and assumed customer service was doing their job. 

·       You forgot that your competition was waiting for you to drop the ball.

·       You dropped the ball.

When we secure someone’s business, we look them square in the eye and shake their hands. But we all live and work in a world that’s gone digital, so it’s easy to forget the value of maintaining contact with the people we are already doing business with. It’s also easy to forget that a significant amount of business is lost due to poor recommendations of after the sale service.

It’s a competitive world. If you want to build a sustainable business or selling career, you need to do the following:

·       Don’t make promises you aren’t going to keep after you secure the account. 

·       Remember that it’s always better to over-serve a little than it is to lose a lot.

·       Treat every customer like you are asking for a referral after every order.

The winners in business are people who master SUSTAINABLE SELLING PRACTICES. They build long-term relationship with their customers—and enjoy the profits that go along with this approach to doing business. 

Alan Luoma is a Sales Coach and Speaker with extensive experience in industrial sales, sales management, and sales and product training. He holds key accounts with a national sustainable packaging company, is a motivational speaker, and provides sales training to individuals and groups. He is a member of the Hartford Springfield Speakers Network. You can view his profile on LinkedIn, or contact him at Luoma@snet.net

The Only 4 pages Your Website Needs (if you choose to have a website, that is)

(part 3 of 3)

In this 3-part article series my goal is/was to offer a different perspective on the seemingly endless, although good intention-ed, “you need to have a website” message. We covered an approach you can take to discover for yourself, if a website is right for you, or not (at that point in time), and alternative approaches you can take to achieve an online visibility if it was decided that “no, a website is not right for me at this time.”

What if after you had the Q & A with yourself, you realized you DO want a website? That ah-ah can be just as terrifying as it is exhilarating.

On one hand; you will have a website that people will visit, share, learn about you and your services and take an action-step (or two) that you offered to them (buy, sign-up, follow, join, etc.)

On the other hand; the overwhelm of where do you start, who to hire (or not), and what part(s) of the website to focus the most attention on (at this beginning phase) can lead to a similar procrastination as not knowing if you wanted one to begin with or not!

Without going into the depths of website design, development and promotion I would simply like to share with you The Only 4 pages Your Website Needs to give you a starting point for website success.

Here we go! 

• Home page (shocking!)
• Product or Service (oh, my – that was pretty obvious)
• About (needed but care is required with this one)
• Contact Us (yes, really)

In conjunction with the above; an added bonus, although to me not technically a “page” of a website, is also to include a blog (feed or otherwise linked) as well.

It really is that simple – invite them into the foyer of your business (home page) make them feel comfortable and offer them actions to take, share your story (about page) to create an emotional connection as well as stating your credibility, showcase your wares (product or service page) so they know exactly what problems you solve and what the benefits are to them, and finally make it super easy for them to find you (contact us page) so they can reach out to you; after all if they are on this page they most likely want to expand their experience with you.

You may very well have additional pages, but if you focus on these four you will feel less overwhelmed during the initial website building process and they ultimately will be the driving force of your website being found via a search query.

For each of the pages keep in mind how did the visitor arrived there (did you tell them to go, was it from social media or a newsletter or printed material, from another page of the same website) and now that they are there what do you want them to (specifically) know and what do you want them to do with this new knowledge (call-to-action).

With this simple approach you will have a powerful, sale generating website without overwhelming yourself in the process. I call that a win-win!

Looking forward to seeing you all again next month; not sure yet what the topic will be but…

Until then, happy marketing!

Chana Monahan

Greenhouse Graphics, llc. Where Ideas Grow

860-379-2974

grow@greenhousegraphicsllc.com

www.greenhousegraphicsllc.com

$25,000 for 5,000

Visualize along with me. You peek out from behind the stage curtain. You see people making their way to their seats in anticipation of your presentation. You are the Keynote Speaker for the evening session. The auditorium has capacity for over 5000 people and it is sold out. The audience is comprised of business owners looking for keys to success, sales tips, organization and marketing techniques and your about to take stage and speak.

You think back 2 weeks ago.......

The Event Coordinator called you and asked you to speak with 5000 Business Owners at their upcoming convention. These Business Owners are looking for a new direction and significant education to take their business to the next level. They have paid $50.00 per seat. Then the Event Coordinator asks you: “Do you have the talent and skill to do this and what is your fee requirements?

What would your answer have been? Let me give one. “ I am absolutely confident that I will meet and exceed your expectations for your guests. You and I will work on a fact finder survey for the audience so we pin point their exact needs and expectations. I will make sure they leave with meaningful and significant information……. my fee is $25,000 paid in full prior to the presentation plus travel, food, lodging and car service. I will overnight the contract to you please sign and send it back with a 50% deposit and travel arrangements. I will look forward to meeting you.

Let’s end the visualization right here.

What did you think of that mind ride?  

What if it was really you in the conversation with the Event Coordinator could you have closed the deal? How many conversations since the beginning of this year have you had with prospects to pitch yourself for a speaking engagement, one, five or ten? What does your prospecting report card of effort look like for this month an A+ or a D?

We are in the month of January 2015. When is your first paid speaking event scheduled for? Actually, I hope you have already had one. What is on the slate for February? What content are focusing on? What new material have you created? What is your niche market your seeking? Do you have the proper materials to support your presentation, one sheet, business cards and web-site? Have you created your prospect list of a targeted businesses to call? What does your Facebook page look like? What speaking organizations do you belong to? Again, what is your plan?

Your next paid speech is just around the corner. It may not be $25,000, what if it were $1000.00 and it was scheduled for next month. This is doable. You have to work hard at this day by day. It's not always easy…but it is worth it. If you have skill you need to step out and get it done. 

Write me about your success story. Have a great month.

John 

John P. Slosek, Jr. 

30 years as a Sales Professional and Insurance Agency Owner. He is currently an Exclusive Agency Owner for Allstate in Chicopee, Massachusetts. (413-331-3900) johnslosekjr@allstate.com.

He is also the host of the "Insurance Coach Radio Show" which has been continuously running for 13 years. His efforts are directed to promote personal change. The show steers towards personal growth and common sense education for his listeners.His personal email:  Insurancecoach@aol.com.                                    
The show can be heard every Saturday morning at 8 am on WARE 1250 AM or
 www.realoldies1250.net. John is also a Certified Speaker in the area of Sales, Personal Growth, Marketing, Leadership Skills, and Entrepreneurship. He is available by direct contact (413) 246-5037(text). Just in case the speaker you hired cancels, he will make himself available for last minute cancellations for your company or event. John is also licensed to teach John Maxwell material and multi-level marketing concepts.

A Powerful Communication Tool To Increase Your Business!

Every day we are inundated with messages.  How can you set yourself apart from everyone else in communicating with your client or customer? How can you send a powerful message that distinguishes you from all others and that will be thought about long after it is read? A handwritten note is a simple yet powerful tool that sets you apart as a professional with an appreciation for the importance of this old school method of communication. It also provides the reader with a sense of appreciation and gratitude and best of all is a fast, easy and effective way to communicate with those around us.

 

I have used this method of communication in my law practice and find it to be highly effective. There are a certain number of things that you can do to heighten this experience for the reader of your handwritten note that are worthy of mention, that include at least the following:

 

• Purchase engraved stationery-you may be amazed to find out how relatively inexpensive engraved stationery is that includes your name, initials, business name and/or company logo. The additional cost of making this very bold statement is well worth the added expense and is certain to make a dramatic impact upon the recipient;

 

• Come up with a sincere reason to send the card as there are many opportunities to send a preprinted card to an individual. A thank you for some gift, special service, a business lunch or dinner, or an acknowledgment of some type of act or deed. You could also forward some article that you have read about the individual, their company or family with a brief note acknowledging the article and congratulating the individual about the contents of the story;

 

• Make the message personal and not commercial.  Do not send a handwritten card or note in an effort to acquire business from the recipient. This is not the reason for sending a handwritten note and it detracts from the message. Do not talk about your business, include your business cards, or make it seem like you are attempting to send this note for reasons other than personal knowledge meant and appreciation; and

 

• Keep stamps in your office-it is always much better to place a stamp on the outside of the envelope rather than a metered one. You should hand write out the recipient's name and address on the outside of the envelope as it makes it personal.

 

In writing a personal note to a friend, business associates or client start by using a greeting along with the person's name. You should thank the individual for the deed, gift or gesture that you are acknowledging and indicate how this has made a positive impact upon you. You could also include an article or story that you have enclosed and indicate how you were happy to read about that individual's news worthy information. You should include some call to action at the end of your note such as meeting for coffee, lunch, a drink or some other activity and later follow-up with the individual about scheduling something. You should end the note with some familiar salutation and then sign your name. A "P.S." at the end of the note is a very powerful way to leave a message that the recipient will read before looking at the text of your note.

 

If you start to use this powerful technique on a regular basis you will find that you will be receiving calls from the recipients of these notes who will be quite appreciative of the fact that you took time out of your busy schedule to actually write out a note. It is important to mention that although penmanship is not a great consideration it is important that your handwriting be legible. If you employ this little used technique, which brings people back to days gone by, you will become memorable and will stand out from those around you.

 

Try it, you will be surprised by the responses that you receive!

6 Steps To Getting Your Paper Piles Under Control

Is your dining room table covered with a sea of paper piles consisting of mail, documents, magazines, circulars, coupons, to-do’s, children’s schoolwork, business cards, and miscellaneous messages? How does your office look? Whether you work from home or away, you need to have a consistent system for processing your daily paper.  Your sanity will thank you.

Step 1: Divide your paper into 3 piles: Keep, Recycle, and Shred.

Work each piece of paper on your table or desk area until all your paper has been processed. Remember to only make three decisions/piles: Keep, Recycle or Shred. Once this step has been completed you should have only three piles in front of you.

Step 2: Lets work the Shred Pile first.

You’ll need a shredder for this exercise. If you have an extreme amount of paper that needs to be shredded, then you may want to hire a shredding service? It’s usually about $50 per standard file box of paper. If you are shredding the paper yourself, continue feeding the paper into the shredder until the whole pile is gone.

Step 3: Now it’s time to work the Recycle pile.

Grab a big tall brown paper lawn bag and use that as your recycling bag. Label the bag “Recycle” with a black sharpie. If you don’t fill up the bag with your pile, leave it close by, so you can continue to fill it during future sessions, until it’s about three-quarters full. At that point, empty it into your outdoor recycling container. Now you should only have one pile remaining. Onto Step 4.

Step 4: We saved the Keep Pile for last, because this pile needs to be worked into two more piles: Current and Archive.

Once you have worked all the paper in the whole Keep pile, you should have two piles on your desk or table: Current and Archive. The Current pile will consist of relevant information like bills to be paid, future appointments and meetings, newer coupons and circulars, and other important current paper. The Archive pile will consist of paper you don’t need to access on a regular basis, like insurance documents, real estate paperwork, Healthcare benefits, Auto history, Investments like 401k, Taxes, etc.

Step 5: What do we do with the Archive pile?

File it into a standard metal office file or any file of your choosing, which does not need to be accessed on a daily basis. Create a file folder for each subject and label it clearly with a marker or labeler.

Step 6: What do we do with the Current pile?

Create a Ticker Filing System to file daily paper. See this Tickler File Video for more detailed instructions. You will need 45 folders for this system: 31 for the days of the week, 12 for the months of the year and 2 for blank paper and recent paid bills. You will also need a portable file holder.

Following these 6 bite-sized processing steps will help you tackle your daily paper with confidence. Stay tuned next month, when we dive into Time Management.

As a Professional Organizer, Speaker, Author, Podcast Producer & Host, Rick Woods helps residents and businesses make room for clarity, by getting rid of the clutter that gets in their way.


Rick’s newly released book “Make Room for Clarity” is a step by step guide to getting rid of the clutter that gets in your way. Available on Amazon.Listen to Rick's free weekly iTunes & Stitcher podcast "Make Room For Clarity", which focuses on interviewing business & health experts by visiting www.makeroomforclarity.com.


Inquire about Rick's professional organizing business, "The Functional Organizer, LLC.", which focuses on decluttering, organizing, paper filing and time management by visiting www.tforganizer.com.

Vocal Variety Vital for a Speaker to Connect With & Influence Their Audience

Late last year I had the privilege of speaking to an audience of more than 800 business professionals.

I arrived at the venue early so I could experience the opening keynote speaker.

The woman's topic was perfect for the audience, non-verbal communication and body language.

She told great stories and had great experiential activities that were quick and easy for audience members to participate in at their seats.

It was a very good keynote with one exception.

For 50-minutes the woman talked, virtually non-stop.

After just 10-15 minutes I was exhausted.

It seemed as though she didn't take a breath the entire time.

It was hard to listen without a break in her speech pattern.

Audiences need a break during the a speech, and this can be done in a couple of ways:

1) Provide some short downtime and opportunities for assessment by asking a rhetorical question people can reflect on for a few seconds. This is good for when you transition from one point to another.

2) Vary your speech pattern by speaking fast in some parts and slower in others. Raising and lowering your voice at different times in a way that reinforces a feeling you are trying to convey or evoke. Otherwise, you risk a monotone pattern that puts the audience to sleep or becomes a pattern that is difficult to listen to long-term.

3) Take a breath and pause.

You've heard the term, "silence is golden."

The audience needs the silence to digest the previous point.

You need it to create a smooth transition to the next point. 

And, remember, the silence will draw the audience in waiting on what you're going say next.

Wouldn't you like an audience leaning in to hear what you're going to say next?

If so, give them that chance.

Learn simple, easy to apply, World Class Speaking strategies to set you apart when you join the PresentationPower for Leaders Community and receive a weekly Presentation Power Tip that can transform your presentation skills.

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Skip Weisman is The Leadership & Workplace Communication Expert, and is a member of an elite group of international World Class Speaking Coaches. Skip works with the owners of companies with between 6-60 employees to transform workplace communication in 90-days and create a more positive, more productive and even more profitable company. Additionally, he coaches and trains business professionals and professional speakers to become a World Class Speaker and presenter that can inspire and motivate any type of audience.  You can learn more about Skip at www.WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com and www.SkipWeismanSpeaks.com .

#1 Resolution in America? Have More FUN!

You'd think in this downtrodden economy that the top 10 New Year's Resolutions of Americans would be focused toward generating more business, finding a job (or better job), setting higher bonus goals, and the like.

But NO! America's top 3 resolutions are all aimed at personal happiness:

#1 - Have more fun

#2 - Find time for myself

#3 - Be happy

As a prosperity coach who constantly reminds clients that "Success without happiness, just isn't success," I am heartened and indeed excited about these top resolutions! The truth is - making more money is the easy part. Creating a happier life - now that takes internal focus and commitment.

Congratulations to Americans for making FUN a top priority!

Linda Spevacek is an innovative speaker, author and coach who can help you create prosperity across all aspects of your life. For speaking topics and programs, visit www.ExpertProsperity.com