Is your story making or breaking you?
Everyone has a story to tell. It’s the way you tell it that counts.
Your story makes a difference to everything you do in your life. Whether that story is for clinching a new business deal, for securing a new job, or to negotiate something which is important in your life. Whatever the circumstance, your story has the power to impact your life, and others’ lives, in untold ways – but only if you tell it the right way.
It’s the way you tell your story and what you do with it that counts.
And when I talk about stories, I’m not talking about from the time when you were born, to now, and how you got here (although sometimes, dependable on the situation, that too can count but it’s outside the scope of this article!).
I’m talking about the results-oriented ‘stuff’ you have collected along the way and which is marketable or attractive to whatever audience you are targeting to.
What do you want to achieve in your life, your business, or your career? Firstly, it’s really important to define this; otherwise, your stories will not be relevant or, at the other end of the scale, you just won’t be able to define any stories at all that relate to whatever you want to do or whomever you wish to target to (and even if you’re applying for a job you’re targeting to someone or some particular function). To learn more about defining your purpose, click here.
So what do I mean by stories?
Stories are like a movie. Your own personal storyboard where you have achieved results for whatever it was that you were doing. Most folks have achieved quantifiable results or, if they can’t be quantifiable, they are classified as great nonetheless. Never discredit what you have done or are doing.
Stories are the proof that people need to determine whether they are getting a return on their investment from hiring you (whether you are an employee or a business owner). We all think this way – like it or not.
For a client, this is proof that your skills promise to do whatever it is that you do (i.e. your xyz service on average increases staff productivity by x%); and for an employee who is looking for a job, an employer can expect that your $___ salary is going to equate to an additional x% in revenues (or whatever the job function is).
The first step is to have a brainstorming session to unearth your stories. The second step is to re-work your story and ‘tell’ the story in an attractive, authentic, honest, and ethical way.
The first step is the most important step of all – even if you feel you don’t have the ‘storytelling’ skills to get it on paper. Do it anyway. I challenge you to be the Captain of your ship and take charge as, at this stage, it is the thinking process to discover your own unique stories that will steer your ship to success, not the initial words you write on the page. If you don’t have the wordsmith skills, you can always hire someone to do that for you (i.e. the second step). It is the first step which makes all the difference. If you would like support to unearth your stories, then consider enlisting the support of a friend or engaging the services of a professional coach.
When you have defined your stories and written them in a compelling way, your marketing material is geared toward your audience and results in more favourable outcomes and a win/win scenario for all concerned. For a business owner, your marketing materials may be a proposal or a flier or other advertising collateral; for a job seeker, your marketing materials are your résumé / CV, cover letter, portfolio and other strategies.
Let me give you a couple of examples:
For a business owner, you may be a consultant who provides online IT database solutions to small business owners in the xyz market. From feedback received from your clients, with the database solutions that you provide, on average you boost their staff productivity in xyz area by x%. One of your stories can be a case study where you provide some background information on a client. Describe what their pain was. What were their challenges? As a result of the issues they were having, what repercussions was it having on their business? What solution did you come up with? And as a result of implementing that solution, what quantifiable results did your client achieve? If you don’t know any of this, then make a commitment to start surveying your clients to find out the answers to these questions. This then makes a ‘story’ that you can tell to prospective clients to quantify the results they will achieve out of commissioning your services. This can be so much more powerful than simply stating in your advertising material that you help small business owners in the xyz market in gaining better productivity by deploying xyz database solutions. Anyone can say this. It is your story with the results behind it that make the difference. Always align yourself as a solution to their problem in your story. What opportunities are you missing out on because you are not aligning yourself as a solution to the client’s problems?
For an employee, you may be a Safety Officer with a background in assessing site conditions and designing new programs and strategies (and thus, lower accidents / incidents and mitigate risk to your employer). In your job seeking marketing material (i.e. your résumé / cover letter / etc), you would align the results you have achieved in previous employment with the pain (or expected pain) that your future employer will experience. For instance, within the industry your research may have revealed a high incidence of sprains and strains which accounted for 60%+ of injuries. You would therefore include your stories that related to this aspect; asking yourself of your current and previous employment: what type of sprains / strains did I identify? What were the repercussions to my employer if I didn’t identify it or do anything about it? What did I do after identifying the risk? What were the results after I implemented my new strategies (i.e. what reduction in injuries – % wise – did I achieve)? As an example: your story may go something like this: Reduced incidence of sprains and strains from a high 80% down to a low 32% by: – Analysing occurrences of incidents to determine cause. – Investigating the site to review job processes. – Undertaking a job redesign that involved modification of a task through mechanical assistance (this task alone equated to 80% of the incidents with half of those being back strains). – Delivering training to 132 staff in manual handling. – Implementing refresher courses for all staff. This is so much more powerful than simply stating that you have been successful in reducing sprains and strains on site (with no quantifiable results or the process on how you went about it). Always align yourself as a solution to their problem in your story. What opportunities are you missing out on because you are not aligning yourself as a solution to the company’s problems?
Again, if you need help don’t be afraid to ask for it. Enlist the support of a friend or a professional coach. Then when you have defined your stories and if you feel your wordsmith abilities don’t do you justice, engage the services of a writer – seek the help of a professional to make your stories shine. Your stories are important, deserve to see the light of the day, and market your true potential! They will take you on a journey that realises what you dream and hope for.
The way we tell a story is the most important of all. ~ Nullah, from the screenplay ‘Australia’.
What story did you tell in a compelling way that set you on the path of your dreams? How did you share it with others that gained results? Please share so others can learn and gain inspiration!
How to Quickly Resolve Problems & Get Better Results
As children we laughed with abundance and there was no such thing as a bad idea. Instead, we giggled with glee at a funny idea and used it as inspiration to generate a new idea. Nothing was impossible and it was this sense of freedom that allowed us to explore and grow.
Then as we grew into adults, these ideas, the freedom, and the thought that anything was possible just went away. Indeed, some ideas just died, or became boring, or the frenetic pace of our life demanded that we forget about it and just do what we always do.
As a child you were encouraged to think creatively, to let it come out and play, and just as quickly this creativity was more than likely squashed as you progressed through your life. (After all, how many times have you heard someone say “Oh, that’s a silly idea!” or “Don’t be so silly!”) Another factor of your creativity being squashed could have stemmed from fear – fear of criticism, fear of failure, even fear of success. Or it could be habit in not taking the time to think and reflect. Or, sadly, our own judgements that are getting in our way.
All of these factors can lead to a stagnancy that can hold you back in exploring new ideas to resolve problems. It’s time to give yourself permission to be creative! This in turn can spawn new dreams, new goals, new innovations, and the energy and excitement to turn it into a reality.
So how do you resolve problems quickly and get better results?
Your creativity and problem solving aptitude can be developed through fun exercises, such as visualisations, playing the “what if” game, journaling, some “kid play”, drawing your ideal world / career / business, brainteasers, curious excursions, and so on.
The key is to have fun!
Having fun helps you disarm the inner censor that all too quickly condemns your ideas as ludicrous. (Goleman & Kaufmann, 1992).
If you really want to accelerate new possibilities and insights, start asking yourself questions that have no solution. Sounds a bit weird, right? But this kicks your brain into a creative state so you can problem solve quicker, AND get better results!
So for instance, let’s say you’re in the start-up phase of your business. A question to spark your creativity and begin problem solving – in a hurry! – may be something like: “You have 6 months to get your business to a 6-figure income level. How do you do it?”
This question is curious and open, allowing you to think of hundreds of possibilities; thus, the question is not limiting your thought patterns. Wouldn’t you agree that with numerous possibilities you are bound to get better results? You have more choices and the ability to make better judgement on which solution is best for you.
Taking the example above and flipping the coin, a limiting question may have been “You have 6 months to get your business to a 6-figure income level. What 3 things can you do to get there?”
Try it yourself. If you ask “How do you do it?” your mind goes into free fall and all these thoughts are jumping around in your head and you can’t wait to get them down on paper. Whereas, if you ask yourself “What 3 things can you do to get there?” your mind goes stagnant trying to think of the best 3 things. You are too busy trying to think what is good or not; so in effect, you are judging your own thoughts. This stifles creativity and stops you from moving forward. So just like a stagnant pool of water, you become inactive, sluggish and dull.
Here are some more questions that can spark your creativity – relate the question to your problem and / or slightly alter the words. I’ve also included some space for you to add more of your own questions as it relates to the problems you wish to resolve (just print this page).
- You have 48 hours in which to lose 50kg. How do you do it?
- Going to work is a real pain in the butt. Eliminate it.
- You have 6 months to get every person on the planet to buy your product / service, and ensure they continue to buy from you again and again. What’s your plan?
- You’ve been on safari in the desert and you fell off your camel. How do you get back home?
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YOU are a beautiful, creative individual and your creativity is just waiting to come out to play!
Remember: More Creativity + Brainstorming = Quicker Resolution of Problems and Better Results.
Have fun!
STOP Sabotaging Yourself!
Every day you allow your subconscious mind to take over every action and decision that you make. This impacts on the steps you take to move forward in your life, the dreams and goals you set for yourself, and the overall wellbeing of your present state.
By listening to the little saboteur – whose job, incidentally, is to stop you from moving forward – or listening to ingrained messages that are either negative or do not stimulate you to look for answers and solutions, you have allowed yourself to remain in a comfort zone… that muscle in your brain is getting no exercise.
Which is a real shame, as you CAN go farther than you’ve ever imagined. Because you DO have all the answers within you, you DO have all the solutions, and you CAN step out confidently with passion and purpose to gain anything you desire in life. Provided you give yourself permission to do so first, have belief that you can attain your goals, and train your mind to seek out the answers you need.
You are more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. Your mind loves to come up with solutions to your problems or needs, if you give it the permission to do so. By changing your thought patterns and the questions you ask of yourself, you give your mind an opportunity to play a game, to challenge itself, to kick into gear and provide you with insights and inspiration that can take you to the next level.
Here are 3 power questions to some common challenges or obstacles that will help you move forward in life:
1) “How Can I Afford It?” replaces “I can’t afford it”. By saying “I can’t afford it” you are insulting your own intelligence and training your mind to shut off any possibilities. “I can’t afford it” is a closed statement and you are, in effect, telling your brain to be quiet and shut up.
- Statement of Proof: Try this exercise. Hold in your mind a powerful image of something you would love to own or do that involves spending a lot of money you don’t currently have. Perhaps you would like to take an exotic holiday, drive a Porsche, start a business, buy a house. Whatever it is that is close to your heart, close your eyes and then see it in your mind. Whilst looking at that picture in your mind, say to yourself out loud “I can’t afford it”. What happens? How did you feel? Take note of your feelings and how your brain actually felt. Close your eyes and again see the image clearly in your mind. Say out loud “How can I afford it?”. What happens this time? How did you feel? What happened to your mind? Did you feel it jump up and down with excitement that it was allowed to race into gear to find out how you COULD afford it?
2) “If I could do it over again, what would I do differently?” replaces the statement: “I’m always doing things the wrong way”. I challenge you to remove the words “always” and “never” when talking about yourself – in particular, when you’re beating yourself up! Do you really believe that you never learn anything? Of course not! So how can you always be doing things the wrong way? Next time you hear yourself saying something like “I’m always doing things the wrong way” or “I never do anything right” or similar, stop and ask yourself “If I could do it over again, what would I do differently?” Let your mind objectively look at what you did and come up with solutions that will better equip you for next time.
3) “What’s the worst that could happen?” replaces “I’m frightened / scared I won’t be able to do it”. Sometimes our little saboteur likes to chime in and stop you from moving forward.
- Statement of Proof: Try this exercise. Hold in your mind a big dream or goal you have always wanted to accomplish but have been too scared to start. It may be a new job, trying something new in your business, commencing study, or relocating to the other side of the country. Whatever it is that you would love to do but have always held back, close your eyes and see that dream or goal in your mind. Let’s face it, if you haven’t taken steps toward that dream or goal, your little saboteur has been saying something like “I’m frightened I can’t do it” or “I’m not good enough to do that” or “I will fail”. Say out loud “I’m frightened I can’t do it” or something similar that has meaning to you. What happens? How did you feel? It’s not a nice feeling is it. Close your eyes and again see the dream or goal clearly in your mind. Say out loud “What’s the worst that could happen?”. What happens this time? How did you feel? Did your mind exult at being let out to play? Did you imagine a few scenarios? Were those scenarios small, big or huge issues? Are they really as big or huge as you think they are? If so, what steps can you take to make them smaller?
Can you start to see the shift when you ask your mind some powerful questions? Observe your speech and thoughts over the next few days and start replacing de-motivating words and statements with power questions.
If you catch yourself saying the same or similar things, write down a power question and stick it in a prominent place where you can see it everyday as a reminder – this could be on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, or in your wallet. When you hear yourself saying something negative, read the power question and see how it unlocks your mind for real, tangible transformation.
“First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination.” ~ Napoleon Hill
What power questions do you like to use? What kicks your brain into gear? Please share in the comment box below as YOUR power question may help someone else 
If you want better, greater and faster results then consider partnering with a Coach. Get a Free Introduction.
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Top 5 Success Traits of the Super Successful
Top Five Success Traits of the Super Successful and How You Can Develop These Traits Too.
Even though wildly successful people all share certain traits, they’re not super-human traits. You can identify and develop these traits if you truly want to succeed. Yes, with hard work and determination, you can become one of the super successful!
In your journey to achieve your goals, you’ll invariably have to deal with challenges, and even setbacks, from time to time. Every successful person faces some hardship along the way. However, it’s important to remember that those with the drive to succeed will stop at nothing until they achieve their success.
Here are the top five super success traits, along with tips to help you acquire them:
1. Strong beliefs in yourself and what you’re doing. Put your whole heart into your endeavors and truly believe that you can succeed in what you set out to accomplish. If you run into a snag in the road, find something positive you can learn from the situation and use that to keep moving forward. If necessary, develop a new plan to overcome the challenge.
- Think positively about yourself in all aspects of your life. In order to avoid being too critical, keep in mind that no one is perfect and accept that you’ll make mistakes just like any other human. As valuable learning experiences, mistakes can actually benefit you.
2. Being organized and having clear plans. Successful people are organized. They know what they want and how they’re going to get there. They develop clear goals with specific action steps to achieve them. Plus, they know where they are on that road to success at all times.
- You can develop this skill by starting with your general organizational skills. Start small by organizing your desk space. Then organize your notes. Move onto planning out your success by setting clear goals.
- What do you want? How are you going to get there? Make a detailed plan of achievable action steps that will take you all the way through accomplishing your goal. Then follow your plan. It’s your map to success.
3. Perseverance. Sometimes the difference between success and failure is pure perseverance. There will be times when you’re faced with difficult challenges. You may even feel like giving up. However, it’s important to find the strength within you to pull yourself through, even in these tough times.
- In order to develop perseverance, reflect on how you normally handle conflicts in life. Do you give up easily when faced with a challenge? Think of those times you gave up. What could you have done differently to encourage yourself to keep going?
- After reflecting on your normal mode of operation, start changing your mindset about challenges. Instead of bemoaning the challenge, seek a way to overcome it so you can complete your task. Do this each day, with even small challenges, and soon you’ll find yourself persevering through larger challenges with ease.
4. The drive to keep learning and achieving. Super successful people realize that they’re always students. They may be a master of a certain subject, but there’s always something new they can develop or learn. Once they achieve one goal, then they use their current knowledge to help them learn something else that brings them even more success.
- It’s okay to take a break to enjoy your success once you’ve achieved a goal, but always ask yourself what’s next. There’s always a way that you can expand your success.
5. No fear of failure. The super successful don’t waste their time worrying about failure. They know that everyone must take certain risks if they’re going to achieve success and that some ideas might not work out. You only fail if you give up or decide not to try at all. If you’re still trying, then you haven’t failed!
- Just as with the other traits, overcoming a fear of failure can be accomplished by starting small. Start out by taking some minor risks. See how most of them work out fine when you expect the best and seek solutions to the challenges? The more ideas you try, the more successes you’ll have, and you’ll feel confident about forging ahead without fear.
To attain the life of the super successful, the most important thing to remember is to always give your all. Adopt these success traits as your own, and soon you’ll find that nothing can stop you from achieving your goals!
Reprogramming Your Brain To Conquer Any Goal
Do you feel like you are always talking yourself out of success? As soon as you start to set goals for yourself, do you suddenly have nagging thoughts about how you aren’t up to the task or how you simply aren’t qualified to carry it through?
If you have ever experienced either situation, you need to change the way you respond to your inner dialogue. Instead of obeying your negative commands, you can use positive self-talk to counter the negativity and overcome nearly all anxious thoughts.
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Setting Goals and Sticking to Them with Positive Self-Talk
Are you initially filled with excitement when you first set goals for yourself? Are these thoughts then followed by self-doubt and self-defeating thoughts that stop you in your tracks before you even get started?
It can be difficult to make the most of your life when you are constantly talking yourself out of being a success. It can be frustrating and discouraging to have these thoughts constantly plaguing you. Many of us, in fact, don’t even realize we have them! All we know is that we don’t have the confidence to stick to our plans and reach our goals.
But there’s another way!
Positive self-talk is an effective way to set goals and ensure that you stick to them, even if you have never been able to do this before. The way this works is that you decide what goal is important to you, and then you plan the logistics of how you are going to attain this goal. When self-doubt starts kicking in, you will respond with affirmations that prove your success without surrendering to the negative pressure. Since you’re reading this article, it’s clear that you’re no quitter and you’re certainly not a failure, so start believing in yourself!
Re-Programming Your Brain
Affirmations are essentially positive statements that re-program your mind for the positive. The moment you have a self-defeating thought you’d be able to counter the negative with a motivating statement. An example of a positive affirmation is: “I am worthy of great success,” or “I am in the winner’s circle.” What this does is replace negativity with thoughts that will help you move toward your goals instead of further away from them.
Positive self-talk is easier to implement than you might think. You may not be aware of the severity of the negative dialogue currently within your mind. However, once you begin with positive self-talk, you will suddenly realize that you are self-sabotaging the goals you set for yourself from the minute that you make them. This process can open your eyes to exactly how much this inner conversation has been interfering with your life. You’ll feel hopeful that you can now set goals and surpass them.
Through positive self-talk you will be able easily set long and short-term goals for yourself. And when you use affirmations, you’ll have accessible tools to help you push yourself further than ever before. Learning to quiet negativity with positive thoughts is a great move toward setting and attaining future goals with ease.
Generate Leads: how to generate free leads every day
The year was 1992, and I had just established my first business; offering PR, marketing and printing services. I was going to rule the world, make my riches, and go sunning on a beach in some exotic location. Or so I thought 
I remember thinking “Things would just work so much quicker for me if I had more leads!” I didn’t have an endless pit of funds to advertise, so I decided I would have to generate my own funnel of leads and new business – for free.
I created informative newsletters with marketing tips and other useful business information, hopped into my old Holden HQ, drove round to businesses (with the car coughing and spluttering!) and started connecting with business owners. I didn’t run into their business waving my business card and gushing about my services; instead, I introduced myself, gave them my free information (that they could start using straight away in their business), and advised they were welcome to call me with any questions they had.
Throughout the week I would collect interesting articles and other information I came across, then every fortnight I would drop by and re-connect. I became renowned as someone who genuinely cared. Before I knew it, I was receiving referrals and generating new leads from those same business owners who, at the time, hadn’t even used my services!
I discovered a powerful formula to generate leads and have applied it in my businesses ever since; and in both online and offline strategies.
So how do you generate free leads every day? Here is my 8-step formula for success:
- Align yourself as a solution to people’s problems. Ask yourself: What are their issues and how can I help?
- Provide value relating to their problems. Offer quality content for free. Life isn’t about holding your wisdom close to your chest; share and it will come back to you tenfold.
- Connect with others; build relationships. Relationships are the backbone of business, including lead generation and referrals.
- Demonstrate you genuinely care. If you come across something and someone pops into your head, why not immediately send it to them? You’re welcome to copy the approach I took early on in my business career, as outlined above.
- Position yourself as a leader. Put your hand up and adopt an entrepreneurial attitude as opposed to an employee attitude. Take initiative and innovate.
- Systemise, systemise, systemise. Utilise an automated attraction marketing system that works behind the scenes on your behalf. This frees up your time to work on income producing activities.
- Apply the WIIFM principle (What’s In It For Me). This is a critical question you should be asking yourself, from the leads perspective, in everything you do.
- Refrain from spamming your opportunity to the world. This isn’t a strategy to generate leads. You may be excited in sharing it with the world, but when approached in the right way, you’ll attract more friends and respect as opposed to immediately prospecting every new person you come across. Remember, your business should be viewed in a long-term light as opposed to a short-term, in it for a quick buck light.
When you consistently use the 8-step formula in conjunction with other free strategies, you develop an attraction marketing system that quickly compounds and results in quality leads for your business.
Circumstances don’t make, but REVEAL you!
Circumstances do not make the man, but reveal him. James Allen.
Truer words have never been spoken. Throughout the ages seemingly great men and great women have been exposed as less than noble, less than genuine and even less than human when faced with challenging circumstances. The reverse is also true – Men and woman who seemed ordinary and average when thrust into the most difficult situations have risen to extraordinary heights of character, leadership and excellence.
Watching this great “revealing” is the stuff history and legends are made of. Observing a person in a challenging situation or circumstance will manifest much about who they are deep, deep inside and what they will likely do in the future. What you are at your core is your center of strength and that ability to do what is right, under pressure or even when no one is looking, is the core of your personal integrity.
Anything that lacks integrity is unstable, as any engineer will tell you. A bridge or skyscraper that has structural integrity simply does what it was built to do. It isn’t necessarily perfect. It could have flaws. But, under stress, pressure and repeated use, it does what it was built to do. Even in extreme circumstances it will do what it was designed to do. If, on the other hand, a structure does not have structural integrity, it will at some point fail, as was the case with the world’s first jet airliner, the British-made de Havilland Comet.
When the Comet was introduced in 1949, the future seemed bright for jet travel and the Comet was the undisputed, front-and-center leader – until three Comets unexpectedly disintegrated in flight, killing all aboard. The planes were grounded as puzzled engineers worked feverishly to understand why they had operated flawlessly at first, only to break apart later in midair. The engineers set up a fuselage in a large pool and pumped water in and out, simulating the effects of repeated cabin pressurization. At first, the experiment revealed nothing, nothing at all. But over time the pressurized circumstances yielded a startling discovery. The repeated stress caused small, microscopic cracks to form around the rectangular windows, cracks that would eventually widened into gaping holes. The planes could not withstand repeated pressure. They lacked structural integrity and the pressurized circumstances revealed what the Comet was at it’s core – a bright shiny pretender that was not secure or safe.
You and I live in a world filled with pressure and pressure filled circumstances – pressure to accomplish, pressure to get ahead, pressure to be smarter than we are, pressure to conform, pressure to be popular, pressure to appear successful, pressure to earn large incomes. None of us are perfect. We all have flaws for sure. How, then, under repeated pressure, can we avoid allowing small cracks in our integrity to form? How can we be sure that our character is structurally sound? How can we stay true to our core regardless of setting or circumstance?
Ultimately this is an exercise of not only looking in the mirror, but looking deep into our hearts and souls and asking uncomfortable questions of ourselves. When you find yourself in challenging circumstances what are you learning about yourself? Do you like what is being revealed? If not, why not? And while we cannot control those around us during difficult time, and it can be devastatingly disappointing to watch false friends or self-serving leaders crumble and reveal their true stripes and identity at such times, ultimately it comes down to ensuring that your own structural integrity reveals your greatness to the world.
© 2010 E.D.G.E. (http://edge.ilearningglobal.tv)
Internet Success: marketing your opportunity on the Internet
When marketing your opportunity on the Internet, it is vital you approach it from a business perspective.
With a bricks and mortar business, you would be branding your business name and offering value to your potential customers. Your online business should be approached in the same way to guarantee your success on the Internet.
So how do you ensure Internet success?
- Personal Branding: use your own domain instead of your company’s replicated site. Consider registering a domain with your own name (eg: johncitizen.com or workwithjohncitizen.com) and setting it up as your personal blog. Your blog gives you the opportunity of positioning yourself as an expert by providing high quality, free content to your readers / visitors in your niche area. This in turn builds trust and relationships; a vital step to branding yourself and becoming an authority in your field, thus, attracting people into your opportunity.
- Attraction Marketing System: without systems that can be duplicated, you will be spending too much one-on-one time with your team in showing them the ropes. Of course, personalised team coaching with your key people is a must to ensure your team grows; but you shouldn’t be spending hours teaching people how to setup their domain, autoresponders and the like. This is why an existing system is paramount to Internet success. Whatever system you have in place, it should be linked back to your blog.
- Building Your List: once you have setup your blog and marketing system, it is essential that you have a form on your sites to build your list and maintain relationships. But it’s important to offer something for free to your visitors to encourage them to join your list. Make an attractive offer that will provide quality value and of which positions you as the expert in your field. If you have the right attraction marketing system, you would be offering your visitors free training or similar; and this will be delivered to them automatically through your autoresponder. Your blog could offer the same or something different.
- Maintaining Relationships With Your List: in the offline world of marketing, as a general rule of thumb it takes 7 contacts with a prospect before they take notice of what you’re saying… after 7 times they feel a bond and trust and are more motivated to purchase or join whatever it is you are selling. The online world of marketing is no different. To guarantee Internet success, constant contact with your list is a necessity to form a bond and trust. Autoresponders are a great tool to use and, as long as you are providing value, make it a goal to email your list every week.
- Social Media: networking via social media sites is an excellent forum for you to discuss your ideas, share some quality content, and interact with others. Be sure to never spam your business to new contacts or friends. Would you walk up to someone you didn’t know at a party and ask them to join your business? No. The same etiquette and courtesy needs to be applied to the online world – just because you don’t see them face to face doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be treated as such.
Have you noticed a theme here?
The key to Internet success is in providing value and building relationships. When you take the time to correctly setup your online presence by using the right mix of tools, understand and realise that your online business is long-term (not short-term), then interact with others in a genuine way (as you would your best friend), people will be drawn to you and want to do business with you – if not now, then later down the track.
What are your 3 most challenging aspects of marketing your business on the Internet that you presently possess? Share with me your top 3…
What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur: Do You Have It?
Throughout my coaching career I’ve had the pleasure of coaching entrepreneurs and start-ups, as well as individuals who aspire to get away from the 9-5 job and realise their dreams by going into business for themselves. However, for some, the reality of going it alone and making the transition from employee to entrepreneur is far more different than they thought.
Whilst the rewards are huge, the reality is that it takes a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and the capacity to step out of your comfort zone. As Zig Ziglar said, “The elevator to success is out of service. But the stairs are always open.”
So what is the Entrepreneurial success formula?
1) Take the Entrepreneurial Quiz to determine if you have the right personality.
2) Doing something you are passionate about
Have you ever heard of someone being really successful at something they don’t like? Whatever you decide to do in your entrepreneurial journey it should 1) be aligned with your values; and 2) be something you love with a passion. When you are building a business that you are passionate about, you are better able to handle the speed bumps in your entrepreneurial journey and climb the mountains that suddenly appear before you. When you are in a business which isn’t aligned with your values, or something that you are not passionate about, the speed bumps are harder to get over and the mountains appear insurmountable… this leads to a “this is too hard, I’m going to quit” outlook.
3) Thinking long-term, not short-term
As an entrepreneur, you are building something valuable, so it goes without saying that your entrepreneurial journey is going to be a long one. There are no short-cuts or get rich quick schemes. This is why it is also important to do something you are passionate about. When you are passionate about something, you WANT to be in it for the long haul. Map out your vision and clearly define your 1, 2, 3 and 5-year goals. With so many networking marketing opportunities popping up every day, it is vital you stay focused and committed, and not jump around from one opportunity to another. All highly successful entrepreneurs think long-term, not short-term. If you continuously have a new flavour of the month, how do you think you will build a profitable long-term business?
4) Making sacrifices and working hard
As Jeffery Combs stated, “you need to let go of situations or obligations that do not serve you, and instead have a profit consciousness and borrow your time from somewhere else”. 9 times out of 10, this will result in you making sacrifices in your personal life and doing the things that other people are not prepared to do to grow a successful business. 9 times out of 10, this will result in you working your butt off until you’re so tired you can hardly keep your eyes open. 9 times out of 10, this will result in you foregoing your favourite television program, or foregoing the day at the beach, or foregoing the trip to the movies. 9 times out of 10, this will result in you taking a risk that will have your heart jumping around all crazy. This is the trait of all entrepreneurs because they are thinking long-term, not short-term. Short term pain for long term gain. When you are doing something you are passionate about, when you have a vision or dream larger than life, then you have the capacity to break through the short term pain because you know, without a doubt, that it is all part of the journey and will yield far bigger results than taking the easy path in life.
5) Engaging in continuous learning and masterminding with others
Brian Tracy said it so well: “Your time and life are precious. The biggest waste of time and life is for you to spend years accomplishing something that you could have achieved in only a few months.” A successful leader understands the power and importance of continuous learning and masterminding with other successful people. You can not possibly know all there is to know. Make time to invest in your personal and professional development to enrich and expand your mind and you will reap the rewards ten-fold. Commit to reading at least 15-30 minutes a day; commit to listening to an audio whilst exercising or driving in the car. And importantly, apply the knowledge you have learned. Then take it one step further and mastermind with other successful entrepreneurs. Napoleon Hill, author of Think & Grow Rich, said “Success in this world is always a matter of individual effort, yet you will only be deceiving yourself if you believe that you can succeed without the co-operation of other people.” Successful entrepreneurs get out of the way of their own ego, and commit to learning and collaborating with others. If that’s something which excites you, then contact me to learn more about coaching and mentoring.
6) Realising that your business is a people business
It’s not about you, it’s about the customer. Learn to understand people and different personality types so you can better relate and build rapport. I highly recommend “Personality Plus” by Florence Littauer which takes you through the four personality types. After reading this book you will be able to ascertain, within a few seconds, which personality type a person falls under, and how to say things so you hit their hot buttons and get them on-side instead of off-side. If you are in a global business, take the time to learn different cultures and communication styles so you don’t offend.
7) Becoming a master at cold-calling and asking for the sale
This aspect feels many with dread, but if you look upon cold calling as presenting someone with a solution to their problems, then it’s not about you… it’s about the customer (or the prospect, if you are cold calling for your business opportunity). When done right, you are being helpful, thoughtful, respectful and credible. Cold calling isn’t about email spamming or hounding people.
When we stop looking at cold calling from the sales person’s viewpoint and from the customer’s viewpoint, and start seeing it from a business perspective, cold calling becomes a wonderful opportunity that any one can enjoy and optimize:
| how sales people typically see cold calling | how customers see cold calling done poorly | what successful cold calling should be |
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Obviously the aim is to move cold calling behaviours and methods into the third column, and definitely to stop anything which produces the feelings and effects of the first and second columns. (Source: http://www.businessballs.com/cold_calling.htm)
8.) Understanding that you can’t do everything
Your activities should be income-generating. Think about it: what’s your time really worth? How much do you generate per hour (or forecasted to earn)? Do you really need to spend 5 hours designing a flier when you could outsource it for $20? What has that 5 hours cost you in monetary, income-generating terms? Let go of controlling all aspects of your business and learn to outsource.
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With focus, commitment and passion, the Entrepreneurial journey is highly rewarding and satisfying. When you align yourself with the right business, the right mentors, and the right team, “there are no limits to what you can accomplish except for the limits you place on your own imagination. And since there are no limits to what you can imagine, there are no limits to what you can achieve.” (Brian Tracy)
