A few days ago, I got a phone call from a business associate that I deal with from time to time..  This guy at first always seems upbeat and positive (at first).  But when you ask him how’s everything, his reply is always, just trying to make a living.

And you know what, that’s exactly what he does.  He just makes a living.  Always has to get an extra part time job to make ends meet.  His clients are always problem clients.  He always has to run around and chase them to get anywhere.  (I’m using his vocabulary)

I can go on and on, but you get the picture.  Is it any wonder he gets these clients and he ends up in these situations?  Not at all.  Anytime I try to tell him all the great things that are happening and what he should be focusing on, he tells me how he doesn’t have enough money for this and then the kids, and blah blah blah. 

It’s his choice to see his situation that way.  And it’s always up to all of us what we choose to focus on.

The law of attraction Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve asked that question to many people over the years.  And it usually stumps them.  I’ve been involved in direct sales in financial services for a long time.  And when I asked other agents, why should someone get their insurance, or investments, they couldn’t verbalize it.  It’s amazing to me, that someone can spend years in a business or in sales and not be able to clearly explain why should someone do business with them.

When you’re able to explain that, what you’re doing is providing your prospect with how much value you bring to the table.  Because if you don’t provide value, then why should they do business with you.

That value can be the price, although it’s not the only thing that creates value.  It can also be quality, good advice, better customer service, ongoing education, additional bonuses, large selection, individual one on one service, convenience, etc…

You get the point.  It can be any one of those or several.  And what that is, it’s your Read the rest of this entry »

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There’s no situation that doesn’t have possibilities.  The key is to think creatively or think big as some describe it.

One on of our family vacations we met a man at an airport while we stuck with a 3 hour delay due to weather conditions.  It just so happened that his family stayed in the same resort as we did in the Caribbean.  During that time we got plenty of time to talk and find out quiet a bit about this person.

This gentleman was in his 60’s and immigrated to Canada from Europe in his 20’s.  He didn’t speak English at the time and literally had no money.  Not having a career, he ended up in sales, in real estate.  Back in those days, there weren’t any Do Not Call Lists and so the way real estate agents were prospecting is mainly by phone.

He spoke little English at the time and looking from the outside he had a disadvantage compared to other agents in his office.  But he decided he will simply Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s one day before Christmas.  People are rushing to get their last minute shopping done.  The malls are packed with cars.  As I look at this huge number of people that are going out and spending money, I can’t help but to think of the abundance that’s all around us.

Just think of how much money is being spend out there.  And I can’t believe that some people complain that the economy is bad, or that business is slow.

I live in Michigan, where the economy is the worst in United States.  Real estate is down 30% to 40%.  The automotive companies have been laying off tens of thousands of people.  Foreclosure rate is at it’s highest.  At least, that’s what we hear.  But the parking lots of malls are packed with cars.  I went to a restaurant last Saturday night, and Read the rest of this entry »

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This is my favorite time of year.  As the year comes to an end, and the holiday spirit is in the air, I’ve always taken this time to reflect on the passing year, and set my goals for the next one.

As we’re getting ready for the New Year, take this time to be grateful for all the wonderful things that you’ve experienced this year, and set some big goals for 2008.

As a business person I feel excited about the fact that I can dictate how much money I make.  If I was working for a corporation, setting a goal to double my income next year, or even a bigger goal than that, wouldn’t really matter.  But if you own your own business, you decide what your paycheck is going to be.

On page 36 of “Think and Grow Rich”, Napoleon Hill goes over the 6 steps Read the rest of this entry »

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The most important part of getting customers and clients to want to do business with you or continue to do business with you, is to get them to like you and trust you.

Would you do business with someone you don’t like or trust?  Even if they had all the knowledge and what you needed, you probably wouldn’t give your money to someone you don’t trust.

So our goal needs to be to create rapport and get people to trust us. 

How do we do that?  By Read the rest of this entry »

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I was in a grocery store today, and overheard a conversation between a mother and her teenage daughter.  The daughter grabbed some sour cream and her mom, in a very demeaning voice said, “Is this the cheapest they have, or did you grab the  most expensive?”

I didn’t stick around for the rest of the conversation, as I didn’t want to get caught up with these thoughts anymore than I had to, but I could help to think about this situation.

How often do parents talk to their children about money this way?  And what does this do to that child’s thinking about money and abundance?  Also, it is obvious the way this person talks to themselves, and what’s going on in their mind, as it relates to business, money, opportunities, and abundance.

No wonder these people have what they have financially.  What would this have to do with business?  In my opinion, Read the rest of this entry »

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On our way to drop off my daughter to school, she started asking me why did I put my card in when I was getting gas.  Try explaining it to a 5 year old.  I explained to her that it’s a way to pay for gas so that our car can run. 

She then went on to ask why do we need to pay for gas?  (Good question)  So I tried giving her an economic lesson about exchanging of goods and services, and how my money that pays for the gas allows the gas station owner to buy things he needs for his family and the money he spends in the store allows that person to buy services from me so that we have money, and so on.

And as I’m explaining all of this, as simply as I possibly can, I started to think about marketing and economy.  And the fact is that without marketing and businesses we wouldn’t Read the rest of this entry »

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In an office I used to run my business out of in the past, I used to hear some people moan and complain about the clients they were dealing with and the agents they were training.

And I started noticing a trend.  That the people that always complained about their clients, always had more problem clients to complain about later.  And the people that didn’t, never complained about anyone.

It’s as if all the problem clients went to the ones that complained.  Or did they?

See, like attracts like.  It’s all about Read the rest of this entry »

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Mediocre marketing aimed at a very well selected target will get superior results. Great marketing aimed at a sloppily selected market may, at best, deliver mediocre results.

Selection is where it’s at.

You should create a very, very detailed profile of your current typical customer and your ideally desired client. Your success at attracting or finding the ones you want depends on knowing what you’re looking for.

A lot of money is lost, wasting your weaponry and ammo, hitting targets that don’t matter.

Smart use of your resources can transform a business or sales career almost overnight.

After all, you have a finite number of dollars and hours. You must use them wisely.

In marketing, Read the rest of this entry »

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