I just finished a book by Larry Winget, (a Facebook friend) called “Shut Up, Stop Whining, And Get A Life.” In the book Larry describes the three main reasons that people are not successful. 1. 
They are stupid 2. They are lazy or 3. They just don’t give a damn.
Think about that for a minute and see if you fall into one or more of those categories. Larry is an in-your-face speaker and writer who is called the Pitbull of Personal Development (his registered trademark.) I loved this book! It really makes you think and get moving.
This audio message talks about systems that can help you insure your success! Listen to this six minute SuperCharge.
“Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it.” Bill Cosby
The question that I am most asked is, “How do you overcome the fear of speaking to a group?” In the early days, I did experience everything from shaky legs to cotton mouth, but today I don’t feel any jitters, even if I’m speaking in front of several hundred people. I have completely conquered that fear and in fact, when I’m waiting to be introduced, I can’t wait to get on the stage.
I learned a valuable lesson from an unknown speaker in my past. She said she always put a post-it note on the lectern that said: “Remember, it’s not about you!” I truly believe fear comes from focusing on yourself and not on your audience. Become excited about what great wisdom you have to give your audience and not focused on how your hair looks or will I remember everything. Be excited about carrying on a conversation with your audience.
I once gave a speech to 200 women with my zipper wide open. No lectern to hide behind to correct the situation either. Once you have had an experience like that, nothing should be fearful!
There could probably be a book written about all the strange things that have happened during my speeches. Experience helps alleviate fear.
Place your focus in the right place and watch the fear disappear.
Question – Should I have a niche or target market?
Answer – Only if you want to succeed!
If you can find a niche, determine their most important problem (point of pain), become an expert at helping them solve that problem, and then creatively let them know about that expertise, you WILL be successful and they’ll be calling you instead of the other way around. 100 Tips in 100 Days.
I recently had a network marketer tell me that their company’s slogan is “The Fortune’s in the Follow-Up.” How true this is for anyone involved in sales or marketing. There are so many contact manager programs with a tickler reminder to make the call or send the card or note. I’ve read statistics that most leads obtained from shows and referrals go un-contacted due to poor follow-up. If you are poor at follow-up, get a coach or a mentor who can help you be the exception. 100 Business Growth Tips in 100 Days
Have you ever noticed that the word “great” can have two meanings? When you ask someone how their business is doing, they will answer you “great” meaning –
1. Business is really good. Products are selling and the money is rolling in. I hope that’s the case for you. Or they say, “great” which means that -
2. Business really sucks. I’m not selling much product, I can’t continue like this and my employees are out of control. Many business owners have read in a business book that if you say “great” long enough, it will really come true.
As a business Coach and Consultant, my follow-up question whenever I hear the second “great” and interpret it as meaning “poor” I ask, would you like some help fixing the problems? As brilliant as we all think we are, everyone needs help at some point in their business. Have you ever got your car stuck in the mud or snow and tried to get it out yourself. It can be practically impossible until someone comes along and gives you that extra push.
The word “Coach” also has several meanings like “Brainstorming, tough questions, experience, knowledge, accountability, caring, systems for success and in some cases, a shoulder to cry on.”
If your “great” means the latter, maybe it’s time to look for help. If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got!
This is a simple tip but so effective. Do NOT be skimpy on your business cards! I get at least a hundred cards a week from networking events. You can pretty well determine who is successful (or at least looks that way) just by seeing their card. Pictures are worth a lot and makes it so much easier to remember the person.
A well designed card says volumes without being cluttered. You may as well put something on the back unless you use that space a lot to write notes.
Forget the freebies that have a tagline on the back from the company that printed the cards. It says cheap, cheap!
Large articles on this topic have been written, so I won’t go into a lot of details in this short post. Just collect a bunch of cards, pick the ones you like and visit a print shop or a graphic designer and suddenly those cards become like thousands of little 2 by 3 1/2″ ads promoting what you do.
100 Tips in 100 Days!
Not you, my readers, but a guy I met yesterday. He was with a network marketing company that helps you buy things cheaper on the internet after joining his organization. He asked me this question after just meeting me. “Would you be opposed to earning over 6 figures a year?” Although I didn’t say it. I thought, are you an idiot?
First of all, that question belittled me by assuming that I don’t already make over 6 figures a year. Second, it assumed that I am money motivated. Many who know me realize that I drive an older car, have lived in the same house for over 30 years and the least of my worries is monetary. Third, anyone answering that question any way but affirmative would seem like an idiot themselves. People who start conversations with questions like that, in my opinion, give network marketers a bad name. They don’t take the time to understand the person or their “why” as my friend Bill Hartman pointed out as we discussed this over breakfast.
We all have our “why.” Mine is family and my 6 kids and 18 grandkids. Mine is my wife of 43 years and our lifestyle together. Mine is personal development. Mine is helping others build their businesses and seeing others succeed. If you want to hit my hot button, talk about my “why.” Don’t ask me a stupid question about making 6 figures when you have never made over $50,000 a year in your life. What is your “why?” Are you taking the time to learn about other people’s “why?”
Learn the art of communicating with strangers. Forget what you learned as a child, don’t talk to strangers, doesn’t work as an adult. Strangers become friends and customers.
Recently I was waiting my turn at the deli counter at our supermarket. The woman waiting on customers was in a foul mood. She slammed down the packages on the counter and never said thanks. Her “next” could be translated into “What the hell do you want?” Then came my turn.
I commented that she looked like she was having a really bad day. That’s all it took, one comment. She unloaded on me with information about her toothache and her babysitter not showing up. Her husband was late on support payments so she couldn’t afford to take a day off work. When my turkey was ready, she actually said thanks.
Now when I see her at the grocery, she waives from clear across the store and will go out of her way to give me great service. It was just because I cared enough to be concerned and took the time to talk to a stranger. Practice making comments to those you meet in service stations, clerks and strangers at networking events. It will pay huge dividends. 100 Tips in 100 Days!
It seems the businesses that grow the fastest have developed systems that help them grow on autopilot. I have a friend who retired from Miller Brewing Company. He loved the job but always hated the paperwork. Yet he knew that the paperwork was to keep track of the selling systems that were in place to insure success. Systems will help develop discipline.
It doesn’t matter if you make 2 or 10 sales calls a day. The important thing is to decide on the number and then develop the discipline EVERY day to make that number of calls. I send 5 greeting cards every day to say “thank you” or “congratulations” or “nice to meet you” cards and I refuse to go to bed at night if those cards haven’t been sent. And it works. Take time to list some disciplines and systems that can help your business grow on autopilot!
100 Tips in 100 days.