All the top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most important skills of listening is simply to pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking, rather than jumping in with the first thing that you can think of, take three to five seconds to pause quietly and wait.
Becoming a Master of the Pause
All excellent listeners are masters of the pause. They are comfortable with silences. When the other person finishes speaking, they take a breath, relax and smile before saying anything. They know that the pause is a key part of good communications.
Three Benefits of Pausing
Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the information you need to make the sale.
Carefully Consider What You Just Heard
The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.
Understanding With Greater Efficiency
The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in relation to your product or service.
The Message You Send
When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it. Pausing allows you to read between the lines.
Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments before you reply.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR LIFE
There are lots of things we desire to own in this life, aren’t there? Many of them are fine and dandy, as the saying goes. But there is the most important thing we own that many people never think about owning, and that is their life! They spend a lot of time thinking about the next set of golf clubs, a vacation home, or a new piece of jewelry, but they never really understand that they own their life. Whenever it comes time to be responsible, they end up placing the blame somewhere else, rather than realizing that they are the owner and so they are responsible! With that in mind, here are some thoughts about the ownership your have of your life:
You only own one person – you.
You don’t own your spouse. You don’t own your boss. You don’t own your kids (with kids, you are in charge of them, given the tremendous responsibility of teaching them to own their own lives, but you don’t own them). No, there is only one person you own, and that is you. That is great news! Now you don’t have to worry about running anybody else’s life! This is a temptation for us isn’t it? We just know how everybody else should do it and with many of them we try to take ownership and run their life! Well, hands off! Take control of your own life since it is the only one you own. You wouldn’t try to drive somebody else’s car from the grocery store parking lot, so don’t try to drive their life either! You own you – so stick to you!
You get to choose what to do with only one person – you.
Once you have come to realize that you only own you, you get to get to the fun part – running your life and making it what you want it to be. Instead of choosing what other people should do, you get to focus in on choosing what you get to do. You get to begin to shape and mold your life. This is exciting! Aren’t you glad you don’t have to run everybody else’s lives anymore? I am!
Your ownership means that you can do what you want with yourself. Your life is a blank sheet of paper. You can choose whatever you want to do. You can have whatever profession you want. You can earn as much money as you desire. You can marry whoever suits your fancy (as long as you suit their fancy too by the way). Stop wishing and start choosing. I like to use the example of a person who is thirty years old and doesn’t like their income. I tell them that if the so chose, they could go back to school, get a degree, go to medical school and by age forty be in a high-income profession. Then they would have 25 years of high wages to support the lifestyle they desire. You can choose whatever you want and take whatever actions you choose to rectify any situation you are in!
Your ultimate destination in life is set by you, not somebody else.
Where will you end up? Wherever you choose to end up. You will do well to get it in your mind that someday you will be seventy years old and you will be at a certain place and the only thing that got you there was the choices you made all along the way. Imagine that. If you are thirty, you have forty years – FORTY YEARS – of choices that can put you right where you want to be at the end of your life! So you’re fifty-five? Who cares? You probably have at least twenty years left! You still have TWENTY YEARS to get yourself to whatever destination you choose. Do you know what a person can do in twenty years? ALMOST ANYTHING THEY SET THEIR HEART ON!
The responsibility for your life, and what you accomplish, is found in one person – you.
You will accomplish what you choose to accomplish. You will make and save as much money as you choose to. You will write as many books as you choose to. You will take as many vacations as you choose to. You will have the kind of relationships you choose to. What you accomplish is up to you! Take that seriously!
Focus on your values and live them out, regardless of what other people do. This is key. We do not live our lives in a vacuum. We need to be very thoughtful about what we believe, about what our values are, and what our morality is. These things will all shape how we go about exerting ownership of our lives. But once we have come to understand these things for ourselves, the power to live our lives increases tremendously. Now it doesn’t matter what anybody else does. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. We live out of our morality, values and beliefs. These are the principles that transcend everything else and enable us to set our course!
I know this seems like a lot of responsibility, but I consider it a freedom and a privilege! We get one life to live and we get to shape it however we want. That is one job I want to take seriously and not mess up! With diligence, hard work, and a lot of right decisions, I’ll get to the end of my life deeply fulfilled. I hope you will to!
You only own one person – you.
You don’t own your spouse. You don’t own your boss. You don’t own your kids (with kids, you are in charge of them, given the tremendous responsibility of teaching them to own their own lives, but you don’t own them). No, there is only one person you own, and that is you. That is great news! Now you don’t have to worry about running anybody else’s life! This is a temptation for us isn’t it? We just know how everybody else should do it and with many of them we try to take ownership and run their life! Well, hands off! Take control of your own life since it is the only one you own. You wouldn’t try to drive somebody else’s car from the grocery store parking lot, so don’t try to drive their life either! You own you – so stick to you!
You get to choose what to do with only one person – you.
Once you have come to realize that you only own you, you get to get to the fun part – running your life and making it what you want it to be. Instead of choosing what other people should do, you get to focus in on choosing what you get to do. You get to begin to shape and mold your life. This is exciting! Aren’t you glad you don’t have to run everybody else’s lives anymore? I am!
Your ownership means that you can do what you want with yourself. Your life is a blank sheet of paper. You can choose whatever you want to do. You can have whatever profession you want. You can earn as much money as you desire. You can marry whoever suits your fancy (as long as you suit their fancy too by the way). Stop wishing and start choosing. I like to use the example of a person who is thirty years old and doesn’t like their income. I tell them that if the so chose, they could go back to school, get a degree, go to medical school and by age forty be in a high-income profession. Then they would have 25 years of high wages to support the lifestyle they desire. You can choose whatever you want and take whatever actions you choose to rectify any situation you are in!
Your ultimate destination in life is set by you, not somebody else.
Where will you end up? Wherever you choose to end up. You will do well to get it in your mind that someday you will be seventy years old and you will be at a certain place and the only thing that got you there was the choices you made all along the way. Imagine that. If you are thirty, you have forty years – FORTY YEARS – of choices that can put you right where you want to be at the end of your life! So you’re fifty-five? Who cares? You probably have at least twenty years left! You still have TWENTY YEARS to get yourself to whatever destination you choose. Do you know what a person can do in twenty years? ALMOST ANYTHING THEY SET THEIR HEART ON!
The responsibility for your life, and what you accomplish, is found in one person – you.
You will accomplish what you choose to accomplish. You will make and save as much money as you choose to. You will write as many books as you choose to. You will take as many vacations as you choose to. You will have the kind of relationships you choose to. What you accomplish is up to you! Take that seriously!
Focus on your values and live them out, regardless of what other people do. This is key. We do not live our lives in a vacuum. We need to be very thoughtful about what we believe, about what our values are, and what our morality is. These things will all shape how we go about exerting ownership of our lives. But once we have come to understand these things for ourselves, the power to live our lives increases tremendously. Now it doesn’t matter what anybody else does. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. We live out of our morality, values and beliefs. These are the principles that transcend everything else and enable us to set our course!
I know this seems like a lot of responsibility, but I consider it a freedom and a privilege! We get one life to live and we get to shape it however we want. That is one job I want to take seriously and not mess up! With diligence, hard work, and a lot of right decisions, I’ll get to the end of my life deeply fulfilled. I hope you will to!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
THE INVITATIONAL CLOSE
The Invitational Close is simple, low-key, classy and powerful. You use it at the end of a sales conversation to conclude the transaction. It is preceded by a Trial Close such as: "Mr. Prospect, do you have any questions or concerns that I haven't covered up to now?" Or, "Mr. Prospect, does this make sense to you, so far?"
Probe for Lingering Objections
You ask these questions to be doubly sure that the prospect has no final objections lurking in the back of his mind that would block the closing of the sales process. You then invite the customer to make a buying decision by saying, "If you like what I've shown you, why don't you give it a try?"
Invite the Customer to Buy
Inviting the customer to buy is very powerful. This is a gentle way of nudging the customer into taking action. "Why don't you give it a try?" If you are selling services, you can ask, "Why don't you give us a try?" If you want to be more bold and direct, you can simply ask, "Why don't you take it?"
Change Your Wording
One of my seminar graduates doubled his sales by changing his words in the endgame of selling. After his sales presentation he would ask the prospect if he had any additional questions or concerns. If the prospect said "no," he would then ask, "Well, if you like it, why don't you take it?"He was amazed to find that many prospects could not think of a good reason not to go ahead with his offering immediately. Both his closing ratio and his income soared.
Action Exercises
Here is something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. The next time you complete your sales presentation, simply issue an invitation to the customer to make a decision. "Why don't you give it a try?"You may be surprised at your success.
Probe for Lingering Objections
You ask these questions to be doubly sure that the prospect has no final objections lurking in the back of his mind that would block the closing of the sales process. You then invite the customer to make a buying decision by saying, "If you like what I've shown you, why don't you give it a try?"
Invite the Customer to Buy
Inviting the customer to buy is very powerful. This is a gentle way of nudging the customer into taking action. "Why don't you give it a try?" If you are selling services, you can ask, "Why don't you give us a try?" If you want to be more bold and direct, you can simply ask, "Why don't you take it?"
Change Your Wording
One of my seminar graduates doubled his sales by changing his words in the endgame of selling. After his sales presentation he would ask the prospect if he had any additional questions or concerns. If the prospect said "no," he would then ask, "Well, if you like it, why don't you take it?"He was amazed to find that many prospects could not think of a good reason not to go ahead with his offering immediately. Both his closing ratio and his income soared.
Action Exercises
Here is something you can do immediately to put these ideas into action. The next time you complete your sales presentation, simply issue an invitation to the customer to make a decision. "Why don't you give it a try?"You may be surprised at your success.
Monday, July 20, 2009
CLARIFY YOUR VALUES
Decide What You Stand For
What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.
Write Out Your Key Values
When I first began this values clarification exercise some years ago, I wrote out a list of 163 qualities that I aspired to. I think I eventually came up with every virtue, value or positive descriptive adjective that referred to personality and character in the dictionary. And I agreed with all of them. I felt that they were all important and I wanted to incorporate every single one of them into my character.
Focus on Very Few Core Beliefs
But then reality sets in. I realized that it is very hard to learn even one new quality, or to change even one thing about myself, let alone dozens of things. So I scaled down my ambitions and began narrowing the values down to a small number that I could manage and work with. Once I had settled on about five core beliefs, I was then able to get to work on myself and start making some progress in character development.
Select Your Five Key Values
You should do the same. You should write down the five values that you feel are the most important for you to live by. Once you have those five values, you then organize them in order of priority. Which is the most important value in your hierarchy of values? Which would be second? Which would be third, and so on?
Learn to Make Better Decisions
Every choice or decision you make is based on your values. Whenever you decide between alternatives, you invariably choose the alternative that you value the most. Because you can only do one thing at a time, everything you do is a demonstration of what you consider to be the most important at that moment. Therefore, organizing your values in an order of priority is the starting point of personal strategic planning. It is only when you are clear about what you value, and in what order, that you are capable of planning and organizing the other activities of your life.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, clarify your core beliefs and your unifying principles. Write them down and compare your life today with the values that are really important to you. How are you doing?
Second, organize your values in order of their importance to you. Which of your values is most important? Which is second? And so on. Do your current choices reflect this order of values?
What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.
Write Out Your Key Values
When I first began this values clarification exercise some years ago, I wrote out a list of 163 qualities that I aspired to. I think I eventually came up with every virtue, value or positive descriptive adjective that referred to personality and character in the dictionary. And I agreed with all of them. I felt that they were all important and I wanted to incorporate every single one of them into my character.
Focus on Very Few Core Beliefs
But then reality sets in. I realized that it is very hard to learn even one new quality, or to change even one thing about myself, let alone dozens of things. So I scaled down my ambitions and began narrowing the values down to a small number that I could manage and work with. Once I had settled on about five core beliefs, I was then able to get to work on myself and start making some progress in character development.
Select Your Five Key Values
You should do the same. You should write down the five values that you feel are the most important for you to live by. Once you have those five values, you then organize them in order of priority. Which is the most important value in your hierarchy of values? Which would be second? Which would be third, and so on?
Learn to Make Better Decisions
Every choice or decision you make is based on your values. Whenever you decide between alternatives, you invariably choose the alternative that you value the most. Because you can only do one thing at a time, everything you do is a demonstration of what you consider to be the most important at that moment. Therefore, organizing your values in an order of priority is the starting point of personal strategic planning. It is only when you are clear about what you value, and in what order, that you are capable of planning and organizing the other activities of your life.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:
First, clarify your core beliefs and your unifying principles. Write them down and compare your life today with the values that are really important to you. How are you doing?
Second, organize your values in order of their importance to you. Which of your values is most important? Which is second? And so on. Do your current choices reflect this order of values?
Friday, July 17, 2009
WHEN SUCCEEDING FEELS LIKE FAILURE
Did you ever wonder why people with less smarts than you,
less experience than you, who aren't as good looking as
you, who are a lot younger than you, with less education
than you achieve more, do more, have more, give more, and
enjoy themselves more than you do?
OK, yes, some of them have the brown-nosing thing down
pat, but that only takes a person so far. And it's not
very far, in the big scheme of things.
Allow me to share with you a bit of the puzzle...
The buzz word now in the personal development/self help
field today is 'automatically.' "As in, I'll teach you
about wealth and then money will 'automatically' be
attracted to you" Or "I'll teach you how to eat in a way
that the pounds will 'automatically' fall off you."
Okie dokie.
But does that happen?
Not usually.
Only IF you were to learn and apply whatever is being
sold, indeed, these desired results would automaticaly
happen.
But not just by osmosis.
You see, we buy hundreds of 'how-to' programs for our
research, we subscribe to hundreds of newsletters, and I
know personally hundreds of people from hundreds of
companies that sell them. Good products. Good companies.
Good people.
But I need to tell you straight...
None of it happens automatically.
Primarily because no matter what you know, success at
EVERYTHING takes more than knowledge of what to do.
Because if just knowing WHAT to do guaranteed success,
everyone who graduates from college would be massively
successful, everyone who takes any home-study courses will
be an expert on the topic, psychotherapy would make
everyone feel super fantastic and be done with it in a
month or two.
But none of this is true.
Because belief systems put limits on what you do and what
we can achieve, no matter how intelligent you are.
Attitudes stop you from reaching higher even though the
success you want is within your grasp.
Conflicting emotions can make the easiest decisions and
tasks feel nearly impossible.
Self defeating thoughts just "pop in" at the last second
to wipe out certain victory.
One of the biggest culprits is fear of success.
Why on earth would anyone fear success?
Hundreds of reasons.
Like:
- My family gives me **** about the way I eat, dress, talk
- Friends don't treat me the same anymore
- I have way too many responsibilities now
- I'm forced to work with people I hate
- I "never" get to see my family, friends, etc anymore
- I can't ever eat X food on this plan
- I don't feel right living in this big house, neighborhood
- I'd have to speak in public... no way
- It's too risky
- The pressure of performing/winning will be too great
- Everyone will treat me differently
- I'll be seen as a greedy money-grubber
- I won't like myself if I get everything I want
In fact, we uncovered just a tad under 800 core reasons
that can make success at any venture feel like failure.
There are easily over 3,000 other peripheral/ associated
implications that can be real or conjured up in the mind
relating to the "negatives" about succeeding in the various
areas or roles of life.
And they all make succeeding feel like failing.
Just one, suddenly being different than your friends, is
enough all by itself to keep you from going for some really
juicy goal.
Smokers keep going because their friends do it.
Fat people stay fat because if they would lose the shared
experience of eating with their fat friends.
Leaving our broke friends behind is often the single
biggest reason for keeping our own financial situation just
the way it is.
All these "fear of success" failure patterns play out in
every single area of life.
That means that it's devastating.
Fear of success, whatever caused it and keeps it alive in
your mind is easily one of the most common and most
detrimental of all the reasons why people don't become more
in their lifetimes.
less experience than you, who aren't as good looking as
you, who are a lot younger than you, with less education
than you achieve more, do more, have more, give more, and
enjoy themselves more than you do?
OK, yes, some of them have the brown-nosing thing down
pat, but that only takes a person so far. And it's not
very far, in the big scheme of things.
Allow me to share with you a bit of the puzzle...
The buzz word now in the personal development/self help
field today is 'automatically.' "As in, I'll teach you
about wealth and then money will 'automatically' be
attracted to you" Or "I'll teach you how to eat in a way
that the pounds will 'automatically' fall off you."
Okie dokie.
But does that happen?
Not usually.
Only IF you were to learn and apply whatever is being
sold, indeed, these desired results would automaticaly
happen.
But not just by osmosis.
You see, we buy hundreds of 'how-to' programs for our
research, we subscribe to hundreds of newsletters, and I
know personally hundreds of people from hundreds of
companies that sell them. Good products. Good companies.
Good people.
But I need to tell you straight...
None of it happens automatically.
Primarily because no matter what you know, success at
EVERYTHING takes more than knowledge of what to do.
Because if just knowing WHAT to do guaranteed success,
everyone who graduates from college would be massively
successful, everyone who takes any home-study courses will
be an expert on the topic, psychotherapy would make
everyone feel super fantastic and be done with it in a
month or two.
But none of this is true.
Because belief systems put limits on what you do and what
we can achieve, no matter how intelligent you are.
Attitudes stop you from reaching higher even though the
success you want is within your grasp.
Conflicting emotions can make the easiest decisions and
tasks feel nearly impossible.
Self defeating thoughts just "pop in" at the last second
to wipe out certain victory.
One of the biggest culprits is fear of success.
Why on earth would anyone fear success?
Hundreds of reasons.
Like:
- My family gives me **** about the way I eat, dress, talk
- Friends don't treat me the same anymore
- I have way too many responsibilities now
- I'm forced to work with people I hate
- I "never" get to see my family, friends, etc anymore
- I can't ever eat X food on this plan
- I don't feel right living in this big house, neighborhood
- I'd have to speak in public... no way
- It's too risky
- The pressure of performing/winning will be too great
- Everyone will treat me differently
- I'll be seen as a greedy money-grubber
- I won't like myself if I get everything I want
In fact, we uncovered just a tad under 800 core reasons
that can make success at any venture feel like failure.
There are easily over 3,000 other peripheral/ associated
implications that can be real or conjured up in the mind
relating to the "negatives" about succeeding in the various
areas or roles of life.
And they all make succeeding feel like failing.
Just one, suddenly being different than your friends, is
enough all by itself to keep you from going for some really
juicy goal.
Smokers keep going because their friends do it.
Fat people stay fat because if they would lose the shared
experience of eating with their fat friends.
Leaving our broke friends behind is often the single
biggest reason for keeping our own financial situation just
the way it is.
All these "fear of success" failure patterns play out in
every single area of life.
That means that it's devastating.
Fear of success, whatever caused it and keeps it alive in
your mind is easily one of the most common and most
detrimental of all the reasons why people don't become more
in their lifetimes.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
THE ACID TEST OF LISTENING
Paraphrase Your Customer's Words
The customer is only sure that you have been listening when you paraphrase what the prospect has said and feed it back in your own words. This is where the rubber meets the road in effective listening. This is where you demonstrate in no uncertain terms to the prospect that your listening has been real and sincere. This is where you show the prospect that you were paying complete attention to what he or she was saying. Paraphrasing is how you prove it.
Question for Clarification
When the prospect has finished explaining his or her situation to you, and you have paused, and then questioned for clarification, you paraphrase the prospects primary thoughts and concerns, and feed them back to him or her in your own words.
The customer is only sure that you have been listening when you paraphrase what the prospect has said and feed it back in your own words. This is where the rubber meets the road in effective listening. This is where you demonstrate in no uncertain terms to the prospect that your listening has been real and sincere. This is where you show the prospect that you were paying complete attention to what he or she was saying. Paraphrasing is how you prove it.
Question for Clarification
When the prospect has finished explaining his or her situation to you, and you have paused, and then questioned for clarification, you paraphrase the prospects primary thoughts and concerns, and feed them back to him or her in your own words.
Use the Right Words
For example, you might say, "Let me make sure I understand exactly what you are saying. It sounds to me like you are concerned about two things more than anything else, and that in the past you have had a couple of experiences that have made you very careful in approaching a decision of this kind."
Feed it Back Accurately
You then go on to feed back to the prospect exactly what he or she has told you, pausing and questioning for clarification as you go, until the customer says words to the effect of, "Yes, that's it! You've got it exactly."
Earn the Right to Sell
Only when you and the customer completed a thorough "examination" and have mutually agreed on the "diagnosis" you are in a position to begin talking to the customer about your product or service. In general terms, this means that you can not pull out your brochures and price lists and begin telling the customer how your product or service can solve his problems or achieve his goals until about seventy percent of the way through the sales conversation. Until then, you have not yet earned the right. Until then, you don't even know enough to begin an intelligent presentation without embarrassing yourself.
Be a Good Listener
The more and better you listen, the more and better people will like you, trust you and want to do business with you. The more they will want to get involved with you as a person and the more popular you will be with them. Excellent listeners are welcome everywhere, in every walk of life, and they eventually and ultimately arrive at the top of their fields.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, remember that your first job in the sale is to get the customer to like you and believe that you understand his situation. Paraphrasing is the way you accomplish this.
Second, be sure that the customer agrees with you completely when you feed back his concerns to him. Only then can you really start selling.
For example, you might say, "Let me make sure I understand exactly what you are saying. It sounds to me like you are concerned about two things more than anything else, and that in the past you have had a couple of experiences that have made you very careful in approaching a decision of this kind."
Feed it Back Accurately
You then go on to feed back to the prospect exactly what he or she has told you, pausing and questioning for clarification as you go, until the customer says words to the effect of, "Yes, that's it! You've got it exactly."
Earn the Right to Sell
Only when you and the customer completed a thorough "examination" and have mutually agreed on the "diagnosis" you are in a position to begin talking to the customer about your product or service. In general terms, this means that you can not pull out your brochures and price lists and begin telling the customer how your product or service can solve his problems or achieve his goals until about seventy percent of the way through the sales conversation. Until then, you have not yet earned the right. Until then, you don't even know enough to begin an intelligent presentation without embarrassing yourself.
Be a Good Listener
The more and better you listen, the more and better people will like you, trust you and want to do business with you. The more they will want to get involved with you as a person and the more popular you will be with them. Excellent listeners are welcome everywhere, in every walk of life, and they eventually and ultimately arrive at the top of their fields.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, remember that your first job in the sale is to get the customer to like you and believe that you understand his situation. Paraphrasing is the way you accomplish this.
Second, be sure that the customer agrees with you completely when you feed back his concerns to him. Only then can you really start selling.
Monday, July 13, 2009
PERSONAL ECO-SYSTEMS FOR SUCCESS
Life works best when our environment supports us. We all know exactly what this looks and feels like. Some days we flow, we get stuff done, it feels good! We're at our best. Our energy is high, we're cheerful, confident and productive. If only every day could be like that!
The basic concept is simple: we do best when our environment supports us in achieving our most important tasks. When we are stumbling or fumbling, when we can't find our tools, are interrupted or distracted, our productivity goes down and we get frustrated. Every plant and animal on earth knows this!
Plant a rose bush in rich soil, place it in the sun, add some water and warmth (an ideal eco-system) and it flourishes. In that environment it doesn't struggle, it's not deformed or stressed. It quickly becomes the beautiful, fragrant flower it was meant to be. Move it a few feet into the shade, however, or give it slightly too much or too little water, or add a few bugs and unfortunate things happen.
So it is with us. Here's one of my favorite examples. You are at a beautiful resort. You had a fantastic dinner and enjoyed watching the sunset over some local mountains. Perhaps you enjoyed some wine or nice music and now it's time for bed. You crawl into a luxurious king-size bed, turn off the lights...and hear a mosquito buzzing around your head. How well are you going to sleep with that mosquito in the room? You're in an expensive, luxurious room, everything is wonderful until one tiny bug spoils it.
It's that way in every aspect of our lives.
What happens to your productivity if you consistently sleep on a mattress that's too firm, too soft, or old and lumpy? What happens to your momentum (and your mood) when you find a stain on your best shirt in the morning? Think of the time and energy wasted when you can't find a file you need, or the distraction when you can't find your glasses before an important meeting.
These are the "little things" that make all the difference in our lives. The rule is that as we go up the ladder of success, the offices not only get larger, they are more organized! The offices of highly successful people tend to be extremely productive. Here's a question: Did the people in those offices acquire habits of precision after they got there, or did they get those offices because they had the precision and focus to earn that corner office? I think the answer is obvious. And research confirms it. Highly productive people pay attention to their personal eco-systems!
The President does. Oprah does. Trump does. And so should you.
Success requires precision. It requires the ability to work in an environment that supports and encourages your best efforts. You want systems that get you up early, full of energy and ambition, so you hit the floor ready and productive. You want systems that support you all day long, not just until the phone rings, or someone interrupts or you can't find a file you need. The ideal is to remain focused, effective and productive until you are done or decide to do something different.
Consider the "little things" of your world. Is your closet clean, neat and organized? Is your car reliable, safe and comfortable? Are your bills paid on time? Is your checkbook balanced? Consider your health and fitness--does your body support you in every way it could? At work, do you have the tools, skills and education to be an expert? Is your computer reliable? How about personal boundaries and agreements with the people in your life? Do they know and respect your priorities, your work space and your private time? Is your world filled with things that inspire you, make you smile and lift your spirit?
These are the little things that make huge differences in our lives. Some people go through life frustrated, confused, over-whelmed, feeling like they are running through quicksand. Others design a lifestyle, systems and daily routines that "make it easier to succeed than to fail." They are the folks we meet at the top. I hope to see you there!
Quotes of the Week
"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."-- Elinor Smith
"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do
something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Helen Keller"
"If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen." -- Cher
"A year from now you may wish you had started today." -- Karen Lamb
The basic concept is simple: we do best when our environment supports us in achieving our most important tasks. When we are stumbling or fumbling, when we can't find our tools, are interrupted or distracted, our productivity goes down and we get frustrated. Every plant and animal on earth knows this!
Plant a rose bush in rich soil, place it in the sun, add some water and warmth (an ideal eco-system) and it flourishes. In that environment it doesn't struggle, it's not deformed or stressed. It quickly becomes the beautiful, fragrant flower it was meant to be. Move it a few feet into the shade, however, or give it slightly too much or too little water, or add a few bugs and unfortunate things happen.
So it is with us. Here's one of my favorite examples. You are at a beautiful resort. You had a fantastic dinner and enjoyed watching the sunset over some local mountains. Perhaps you enjoyed some wine or nice music and now it's time for bed. You crawl into a luxurious king-size bed, turn off the lights...and hear a mosquito buzzing around your head. How well are you going to sleep with that mosquito in the room? You're in an expensive, luxurious room, everything is wonderful until one tiny bug spoils it.
It's that way in every aspect of our lives.
What happens to your productivity if you consistently sleep on a mattress that's too firm, too soft, or old and lumpy? What happens to your momentum (and your mood) when you find a stain on your best shirt in the morning? Think of the time and energy wasted when you can't find a file you need, or the distraction when you can't find your glasses before an important meeting.
These are the "little things" that make all the difference in our lives. The rule is that as we go up the ladder of success, the offices not only get larger, they are more organized! The offices of highly successful people tend to be extremely productive. Here's a question: Did the people in those offices acquire habits of precision after they got there, or did they get those offices because they had the precision and focus to earn that corner office? I think the answer is obvious. And research confirms it. Highly productive people pay attention to their personal eco-systems!
The President does. Oprah does. Trump does. And so should you.
Success requires precision. It requires the ability to work in an environment that supports and encourages your best efforts. You want systems that get you up early, full of energy and ambition, so you hit the floor ready and productive. You want systems that support you all day long, not just until the phone rings, or someone interrupts or you can't find a file you need. The ideal is to remain focused, effective and productive until you are done or decide to do something different.
Consider the "little things" of your world. Is your closet clean, neat and organized? Is your car reliable, safe and comfortable? Are your bills paid on time? Is your checkbook balanced? Consider your health and fitness--does your body support you in every way it could? At work, do you have the tools, skills and education to be an expert? Is your computer reliable? How about personal boundaries and agreements with the people in your life? Do they know and respect your priorities, your work space and your private time? Is your world filled with things that inspire you, make you smile and lift your spirit?
These are the little things that make huge differences in our lives. Some people go through life frustrated, confused, over-whelmed, feeling like they are running through quicksand. Others design a lifestyle, systems and daily routines that "make it easier to succeed than to fail." They are the folks we meet at the top. I hope to see you there!
Quotes of the Week
"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things."-- Elinor Smith
"I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do
something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Helen Keller"
"If you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen." -- Cher
"A year from now you may wish you had started today." -- Karen Lamb
Friday, July 10, 2009
FEAR OF FAILURE
Fear of not being able to do a task properly, and all of it's real or imagined consequences.This can and does quite often have its roots in perfectionism... not wanting to do anything that you can't do perfectly (because of those consequences).Well, as you know, you can't usually do something perfectly unless you've done it a lot, in most cases. And when you do something a lot, in the beginning, you are going to screw up a lot more than you succeed. Perfectionism has many benefits, but it also can serve to stop you dead in your tracks. Perfectionists often times only get good at a few things because they aren't willing to do the things they are not good at. Horrible little loop, isn't it? But for some it spurs them onto greatness, and we have a lot of examples of that in every field.
In sports, for example, top athletes often practice doing the same things hundreds and even thousands of times in a single day in order to be perfect. Vijay Singh in golf is a good example. And because perfection is often the difference between winning and losing, you can understand the desire for perfection in a number of different settings. On the battle field is another place where the cost of mistakes is magnified intensely. Hence the desire to be perfect. There are thousands of reasons that people are conditioned to not want to settle for anything less than perfection. When it creates greatness, well, that's great. But for the majority, since most people are not going to practice, drill and rehearse the things that they want to be perfectat, inside, it just makes you put the task off. And all it does is look like neurosis to everyone else. As children, we've all heard the line, 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 'Usually good advice if what you usually say is rude, obnoxious or unnecessarily hurtful in some way, right? But in most other situations, not doing something unless you can do it right the first time is a recipe for becoming less and less, smaller and smaller until you don't do anything where failing is possible. No one can possibly understand all the fears and/or standards that give us each our own brand of procrastination. We all have our own past programming. So the best way, obviously, to get rid of the procrastination habit would be for each of us to take months of a very specific kind of self-analysis, and look at all the possible fears we have that stop us and all the areas where our standards are so impossibly high that we just can't go forward with certain kinds of tasks and create our own individual behavior modification programs...But that would be too expensive and time consuming for 99.999% of the population. So that leaves the second best option.
To create it, we uncovered ALL the possible reasons people put off things. We really got ridiculous. Every stupid fear that anyone could come up with and every legitimate fear, too. We looked at hundreds of situations, some of them pretty bizarre, that could leave a person with impossibly high standards that make it nearly impossible for them to succeed in their own eyes. And when you believe you can't succeed at something or that you can't do something as well as you'd like to do it, my friend, you ain't gonna do it. Simple as that. What End Procrastination Now does to change this is use self-talk statements in Suggest opedic Accelerated Learning format to positively oppose those beliefs. And when you tell yourself enough of anything, good or bad, you WILL begin to believe it. Keep telling it to yourself and nothing in the world will get you to believe otherwise. That is what makes changing old beliefs, attitudes, emotions and ACTIONS so difficult. Right?
In sports, for example, top athletes often practice doing the same things hundreds and even thousands of times in a single day in order to be perfect. Vijay Singh in golf is a good example. And because perfection is often the difference between winning and losing, you can understand the desire for perfection in a number of different settings. On the battle field is another place where the cost of mistakes is magnified intensely. Hence the desire to be perfect. There are thousands of reasons that people are conditioned to not want to settle for anything less than perfection. When it creates greatness, well, that's great. But for the majority, since most people are not going to practice, drill and rehearse the things that they want to be perfectat, inside, it just makes you put the task off. And all it does is look like neurosis to everyone else. As children, we've all heard the line, 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. 'Usually good advice if what you usually say is rude, obnoxious or unnecessarily hurtful in some way, right? But in most other situations, not doing something unless you can do it right the first time is a recipe for becoming less and less, smaller and smaller until you don't do anything where failing is possible. No one can possibly understand all the fears and/or standards that give us each our own brand of procrastination. We all have our own past programming. So the best way, obviously, to get rid of the procrastination habit would be for each of us to take months of a very specific kind of self-analysis, and look at all the possible fears we have that stop us and all the areas where our standards are so impossibly high that we just can't go forward with certain kinds of tasks and create our own individual behavior modification programs...But that would be too expensive and time consuming for 99.999% of the population. So that leaves the second best option.
To create it, we uncovered ALL the possible reasons people put off things. We really got ridiculous. Every stupid fear that anyone could come up with and every legitimate fear, too. We looked at hundreds of situations, some of them pretty bizarre, that could leave a person with impossibly high standards that make it nearly impossible for them to succeed in their own eyes. And when you believe you can't succeed at something or that you can't do something as well as you'd like to do it, my friend, you ain't gonna do it. Simple as that. What End Procrastination Now does to change this is use self-talk statements in Suggest opedic Accelerated Learning format to positively oppose those beliefs. And when you tell yourself enough of anything, good or bad, you WILL begin to believe it. Keep telling it to yourself and nothing in the world will get you to believe otherwise. That is what makes changing old beliefs, attitudes, emotions and ACTIONS so difficult. Right?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
NEVER LOSE YOUR MOTIVATION
From the time we are children till we are old, it seemsthat we get it hammered into our consciousness from our parents, teachers, friends (and today, Big Pharma) that we"are the way we are" and there's little that can be doneabout it. So party on, dude. In many ways that's true. But in some important ways it's not. Men and women from everywhere call our offices every week literally in tears, feeling hopeless that they can ever bemore than they are, unable to achieve meaningful,challenging goals, unable to stay motivated even when they DO find some meaningful work or projects to do. An all to common problem that happens is that people achieve some very cool goal, and then not long after, they coast, slide and often go right back to where they were:- Weight: Losing a ton of tonnage for upcoming weddings, beach season, and reunions, only to put it all back on after the goal was achieved and the event is over just whenthey are looking and feeling fantastic. Temporary motivation. Miserable the whole time.
Job promotions: After getting the job they wanted, theaverage person proceeds to do just enough to keep theirjob, not much more. Never looking beyond the original desire.
Athletes/Sports: Being a starter, getting drafted, signing a big contract... at some point, even world-classathletes find their comfort level and do just enough tokeep their jobs but not enough to become a superstar. They become "starstruck."- Relationships: It's so common that it's a cliche that people are on their best behavior during the courtship. Then, after the wedding or after they start living together, BAM, the real person shows up. They "bagged" a husband or wife, now they can stop faking who they really are. They forget that till death do us part is just a suggestion at best.
Independence: The goal is to move out of Mom and Dad'shouse, but once that simple goal is reached, culture shock hits and the drive to do what it takes to stayindependent/self-sufficient burns up like grass in the Arizona sun.
Health tests: The doc says you must lower your bloodpressure, so you follow a few suggestions, just barely enough to stay off medications for a few months, and then it's back to the old routines... and medications for life. Could not get inspired to eat better, exercise a bit and learn to take the challenges of daily life in stride. Why do these things happen? No drive. No desire. No motivation. No inner fire. Novision. No passion. It's a shame, because each of us is born with potential that is unfathomable, but we learn that standing out is bad. Better to blend in with the crowd.Be like everyone else. Don't rock the boat.And it's a recipe for physical pain, emotional pain, being victimized by other, more driven people. Most of you would be shocked if you learned what the most accomplished people thought about all day. It's like the Space Mountain ride at Disney World. Just incredible non-stop mental pictures and self-talkabout victory, accomplishments, goals, big dreams, long-term planning, meaningful days where new and bigger goals are set and actions are taken on existing meaningful, purpose-oriented objectives.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good example. As a teenager, he set a goal to be the world's greatest bodybuilder. He achieved it, winning the Olympia title 7times. He wanted to be a successful entrepeneur. He achieved that, starting a successful mail order business, selling fitness equipment and training materials. He ran a bricklaying business. He had real estate ventures. He was a millionaire before he hit 30 years old in the days before big muscle-bound apes were paid six and seven figure endorsement deals for hawking protein powders. By then he had already been working on the goal of becoming the biggest movie star in Hollywood. He achieved that...his movies grossed more than any other actor for quite a few years. Then he marries a Kennedy (Maria Shriver), an important step toward his next goal... Politics. He saw his opportunity, took it, and got elected the Governator of Collie-Fornya. People like that are always looking ahead, always learning, always growing, with endless motivation to do more, be more and have more. And to do that, you have to give more... of yourself. It's not easy. It's hard. It's challenging. There are risks. Big ones.
And that is what kills the drive in most people. Motivation is wanting something so bad, you'll do practically anything to get it, be it, do it. Motivation is desire that gets you up early, keeps you uplate and makes temptation that drives many people insane, no temptation at all.Real, deep, lasting motivation can overcome and outlastany difficulty. But how do you get and stay motivated to grow and succeed and love every bit of the effort, strain, risk and sacrifice? Doesn't sound too good said that way, does it?Well, that is why the average person can't stay motivated...Because long-term success at most things is too difficult, scary, no fun at all. So how does Arnold and other super motivated people likethat do it day in, day out? Simple... They fall in love with the rewards. They live for thespoils of victory. They love the effort! When they arestraining, they're in ecstacy. The pain IS pleasure.
They become addicted to achieving more. So much so that working at their big goals is a fun game, not some painful, dreadful, dreary, boring jail sentence that most people make it out to be, sadly. So, no backsliding. No temptations that take away their focus.
Job promotions: After getting the job they wanted, theaverage person proceeds to do just enough to keep theirjob, not much more. Never looking beyond the original desire.
Athletes/Sports: Being a starter, getting drafted, signing a big contract... at some point, even world-classathletes find their comfort level and do just enough tokeep their jobs but not enough to become a superstar. They become "starstruck."- Relationships: It's so common that it's a cliche that people are on their best behavior during the courtship. Then, after the wedding or after they start living together, BAM, the real person shows up. They "bagged" a husband or wife, now they can stop faking who they really are. They forget that till death do us part is just a suggestion at best.
Independence: The goal is to move out of Mom and Dad'shouse, but once that simple goal is reached, culture shock hits and the drive to do what it takes to stayindependent/self-sufficient burns up like grass in the Arizona sun.
Health tests: The doc says you must lower your bloodpressure, so you follow a few suggestions, just barely enough to stay off medications for a few months, and then it's back to the old routines... and medications for life. Could not get inspired to eat better, exercise a bit and learn to take the challenges of daily life in stride. Why do these things happen? No drive. No desire. No motivation. No inner fire. Novision. No passion. It's a shame, because each of us is born with potential that is unfathomable, but we learn that standing out is bad. Better to blend in with the crowd.Be like everyone else. Don't rock the boat.And it's a recipe for physical pain, emotional pain, being victimized by other, more driven people. Most of you would be shocked if you learned what the most accomplished people thought about all day. It's like the Space Mountain ride at Disney World. Just incredible non-stop mental pictures and self-talkabout victory, accomplishments, goals, big dreams, long-term planning, meaningful days where new and bigger goals are set and actions are taken on existing meaningful, purpose-oriented objectives.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good example. As a teenager, he set a goal to be the world's greatest bodybuilder. He achieved it, winning the Olympia title 7times. He wanted to be a successful entrepeneur. He achieved that, starting a successful mail order business, selling fitness equipment and training materials. He ran a bricklaying business. He had real estate ventures. He was a millionaire before he hit 30 years old in the days before big muscle-bound apes were paid six and seven figure endorsement deals for hawking protein powders. By then he had already been working on the goal of becoming the biggest movie star in Hollywood. He achieved that...his movies grossed more than any other actor for quite a few years. Then he marries a Kennedy (Maria Shriver), an important step toward his next goal... Politics. He saw his opportunity, took it, and got elected the Governator of Collie-Fornya. People like that are always looking ahead, always learning, always growing, with endless motivation to do more, be more and have more. And to do that, you have to give more... of yourself. It's not easy. It's hard. It's challenging. There are risks. Big ones.
And that is what kills the drive in most people. Motivation is wanting something so bad, you'll do practically anything to get it, be it, do it. Motivation is desire that gets you up early, keeps you uplate and makes temptation that drives many people insane, no temptation at all.Real, deep, lasting motivation can overcome and outlastany difficulty. But how do you get and stay motivated to grow and succeed and love every bit of the effort, strain, risk and sacrifice? Doesn't sound too good said that way, does it?Well, that is why the average person can't stay motivated...Because long-term success at most things is too difficult, scary, no fun at all. So how does Arnold and other super motivated people likethat do it day in, day out? Simple... They fall in love with the rewards. They live for thespoils of victory. They love the effort! When they arestraining, they're in ecstacy. The pain IS pleasure.
They become addicted to achieving more. So much so that working at their big goals is a fun game, not some painful, dreadful, dreary, boring jail sentence that most people make it out to be, sadly. So, no backsliding. No temptations that take away their focus.
Monday, July 6, 2009
THE FREEDOM TO CREATE YOUR OWN LIFE
This week, Americans celebrate their declaration of independence from British rule back in 1776. In the midst of the fireworks, picnics and ball games, we forget how courageous the signers of the Declaration of Independence truly were. By signing their names, they risked their lives, their property and their sacred honor for values and a vision they believed in.It has always seemed to me that July 4th really ought to be a day for affirming our values and our highest aspirations. In fact, let me re-phrase it for emphasis:One of the great failures of modern life is that so many of us do not USE our freedom to create the life we want.Take a moment to consider the freedoms you have right now:
*** You have access to a world of education and ideas
*** Your public library is full of the greatest books ever written
*** You can live anywhere on earth
*** You can live with (or without) anyone you please
*** You can learn as much as you like
*** You can earn as much as you like
*** You can CONTRIBUTE and CREATE as much as you like!
And yet, as Thoreau wrote over 150 years ago, too many of us continue to live lives of "quiet desperation."I am appalled at the number of Americans who live "paycheck to paycheck," using credit cards to survive! We are the richest, most educated, most financially literate people in history! Why do we live this way? I am appalled at the number of people who do work they find boring or unsatisfying. You can change careers with a bit of education, a bit of networking, a bit of effort, and while millions of us "start over" every year, others stay in unsatisfying situations year after year after year. Why!? I am appalled at the people who call or email me to say they have a dream they want to pursue, but they "can't afford" a coach, or they "don't know how to start," or they "can't rock the boat." Folks, there are a million reasons to stay in a situation that is less than ideal - and if that is your choice I respect it - but don't use the excuse that you "can't" change it! That's just wrong! This week, Americans "Independence Day!" They are also starting the second half of the year.
PLEASE - take time to review your most important goals, your highest aspirations and your biggest dreams, and if there are changes you want to make, then do so! If there are things you need to be doing, please begin. Decide NOW to make the second half of 2009 your time of transformation and personal independence. Declare that you will USE your freedom to do what makes you happy, fulfills your destiny and gives meaning and purpose to your life. Do not "go to your grave with your music still inside you!" I'm a firm believer in the power of small steps. It is rarely necessary to take big, dramatic (or risky!) steps, but it is always necessary to begin. Think clearly. Take notes. Talk with loved ones. Admit your dreams out loud, and if there are steps you need to take during the rest of 2009, start walking.
Quotes of the Week
"The secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for." -- Dostoyevsky
"Those who do not create the future they want must endure the future they get."
-- Draper L. Kaufman, Jr.
"Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash." -- Harriet Rubin
"You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." -- Joan Baez
*** You have access to a world of education and ideas
*** Your public library is full of the greatest books ever written
*** You can live anywhere on earth
*** You can live with (or without) anyone you please
*** You can learn as much as you like
*** You can earn as much as you like
*** You can CONTRIBUTE and CREATE as much as you like!
And yet, as Thoreau wrote over 150 years ago, too many of us continue to live lives of "quiet desperation."I am appalled at the number of Americans who live "paycheck to paycheck," using credit cards to survive! We are the richest, most educated, most financially literate people in history! Why do we live this way? I am appalled at the number of people who do work they find boring or unsatisfying. You can change careers with a bit of education, a bit of networking, a bit of effort, and while millions of us "start over" every year, others stay in unsatisfying situations year after year after year. Why!? I am appalled at the people who call or email me to say they have a dream they want to pursue, but they "can't afford" a coach, or they "don't know how to start," or they "can't rock the boat." Folks, there are a million reasons to stay in a situation that is less than ideal - and if that is your choice I respect it - but don't use the excuse that you "can't" change it! That's just wrong! This week, Americans "Independence Day!" They are also starting the second half of the year.
PLEASE - take time to review your most important goals, your highest aspirations and your biggest dreams, and if there are changes you want to make, then do so! If there are things you need to be doing, please begin. Decide NOW to make the second half of 2009 your time of transformation and personal independence. Declare that you will USE your freedom to do what makes you happy, fulfills your destiny and gives meaning and purpose to your life. Do not "go to your grave with your music still inside you!" I'm a firm believer in the power of small steps. It is rarely necessary to take big, dramatic (or risky!) steps, but it is always necessary to begin. Think clearly. Take notes. Talk with loved ones. Admit your dreams out loud, and if there are steps you need to take during the rest of 2009, start walking.
Quotes of the Week
"The secret of man's being is not only to live but to have something to live for." -- Dostoyevsky
"Those who do not create the future they want must endure the future they get."
-- Draper L. Kaufman, Jr.
"Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control. Freedom is about what you can unleash." -- Harriet Rubin
"You don't get to choose how you're going to die, or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now." -- Joan Baez
Friday, July 3, 2009
BECOME FINANCIALLY LITERATE
The key to riches is becoming financially literate. It’s a strategy Rich Dad drummed into my head every time we were together, even as Poor Dad was stressing the importance of reading books and going to school. Unfortunately, schools don’t teach financial literacy. That’s why my hard-working, educated dad was getting nowhere. Rich Dad may not have been school educated, but because he was financially educated, he left the rat race behind and became a business owner and investor.
Rich Dad Tip:
“If you want to be rich, you have to be financially literate.”
Look at it this way: If you’re going to build the Empire State Building, the first thing you need to do is dig a deep hole and pour a strong foundation. Most people, in their drive to get rich, try to build an Empire State Building on a six-inch slab. What they end up with is a Leaning Tower of Debt that threatens to come tumbling down. If you want to build riches and hold on to them, you need a strong foundation of financial literacy.
Financial literacy requires proficiency in several areas: economic history, accounting, taxes, investing, and building businesses. These are difficult subjects to master, particularly accounting and investing. But don’t let the level of difficulty scare you off. Anyone can master these subjects, including you. It’s a matter of choosing to do so, then moving through the subject material at a pace that suits your individual learning style. Becoming financially literate has nothing to do with how far you got in school. Don’t worry if you weren’t an A student. Don’t worry if you’re currently working as a janitor, or gardener, or garbage collector, or even if you’re unemployed. What matters is whether you’re willing to educate yourself. If so, you can become a business owner and investor and eventually achieve financial freedom.
How can you become financially literate?
By opening your eyes and ears—your mind—to information that’s all around you. Financial magazines like Forbes and newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal provide a wealth of information. So does the business page of your local newspaper. So do financial news broadcasts on television and the radio. There you’ll be learning the basics of economic history, accounting, taxes, investing, and building businesses—the foundation of your financial literacy.
What’s Your Financial Intelligence?
Financial intelligence is how you approach, and solve, your financial problems. Estimate your general level of financial intelligence by determining which group you’re in:
People with average financial intelligence know only:
Bad debt, which is why they try to pay it off
Bad losses, which is why they think losing money is bad
Bad expenses, which is why they hate paying bills
Taxes they pay, which is why they say that taxes are unfair
Climbing the corporate ladder instead of owning the ladder
Buying shares of a company rather than selling shares of a company they own
Investing only in mutual funds or picking only blue-chip stocks
People with advanced financial intelligence know the difference between:
Good debt and bad debt
Good losses and bad losses
Good expenses and bad expenses
Tax payments and tax incentives
Corporations you work for and corporations you own
How to build a business, how to fix a business, and how to take a business public
The advantages and disadvantages of various investment vehicles: paper securities, real estate properties, and businesses.
Rich Dad Tip:
“My banker has never asked me for my report card. My banker wants to see my financial statement.”
Rich Dad Tip:
“If you want to be rich, you have to be financially literate.”
Look at it this way: If you’re going to build the Empire State Building, the first thing you need to do is dig a deep hole and pour a strong foundation. Most people, in their drive to get rich, try to build an Empire State Building on a six-inch slab. What they end up with is a Leaning Tower of Debt that threatens to come tumbling down. If you want to build riches and hold on to them, you need a strong foundation of financial literacy.
Financial literacy requires proficiency in several areas: economic history, accounting, taxes, investing, and building businesses. These are difficult subjects to master, particularly accounting and investing. But don’t let the level of difficulty scare you off. Anyone can master these subjects, including you. It’s a matter of choosing to do so, then moving through the subject material at a pace that suits your individual learning style. Becoming financially literate has nothing to do with how far you got in school. Don’t worry if you weren’t an A student. Don’t worry if you’re currently working as a janitor, or gardener, or garbage collector, or even if you’re unemployed. What matters is whether you’re willing to educate yourself. If so, you can become a business owner and investor and eventually achieve financial freedom.
How can you become financially literate?
By opening your eyes and ears—your mind—to information that’s all around you. Financial magazines like Forbes and newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal provide a wealth of information. So does the business page of your local newspaper. So do financial news broadcasts on television and the radio. There you’ll be learning the basics of economic history, accounting, taxes, investing, and building businesses—the foundation of your financial literacy.
What’s Your Financial Intelligence?
Financial intelligence is how you approach, and solve, your financial problems. Estimate your general level of financial intelligence by determining which group you’re in:
People with average financial intelligence know only:
Bad debt, which is why they try to pay it off
Bad losses, which is why they think losing money is bad
Bad expenses, which is why they hate paying bills
Taxes they pay, which is why they say that taxes are unfair
Climbing the corporate ladder instead of owning the ladder
Buying shares of a company rather than selling shares of a company they own
Investing only in mutual funds or picking only blue-chip stocks
People with advanced financial intelligence know the difference between:
Good debt and bad debt
Good losses and bad losses
Good expenses and bad expenses
Tax payments and tax incentives
Corporations you work for and corporations you own
How to build a business, how to fix a business, and how to take a business public
The advantages and disadvantages of various investment vehicles: paper securities, real estate properties, and businesses.
Rich Dad Tip:
“My banker has never asked me for my report card. My banker wants to see my financial statement.”
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
LEADERS LEARN CONTINUOUSLY
In a recent article published on Forbes.com, I found some provoking comments pertaining to leadership and being a lifelong student.
First the definition of a Life Long Leaner from Wikipedia. It defines defines Lifelong learning, also known as LLL, as the "lifelong, lifewide, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. As such, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, but also competitiveness and employability.
Learning is not confined to childhood or the classroom, but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations. Learning can no longer be divided into a place and time to acquire knowledge (school) and a place and time to apply the knowledge acquired (the workplace). In the Forbes article it was said that learning is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does much about it.
True leaders, though, can never be switched off to learning opportunities. As John F. Kennedy wrote in a speech he was to give the day he was assassinated, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." Leaders learn constantly. They actively strive to learn at every moment. Taking every opportunity, every conversation, interaction, event, and learn from it. Leaders learn continuously. When they are learning they purpose not allow distraction. Research has shown that it is more efficacious to study for one hour straight than for two hours with interruption. Interruptions break our train of thought and limit our ability to retain information. They take the power out of learning.
Leaders learn cyclically. They understand that life is never one-dimensional. They learn by repetition and repeated review. Whatever subject they are learning, they can never learn all of it the first time, they often cycle back to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Having a teachable attitude implies that you know how much you don't know. So where is Your next learning opportunity?
First the definition of a Life Long Leaner from Wikipedia. It defines defines Lifelong learning, also known as LLL, as the "lifelong, lifewide, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. As such, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship and personal development, but also competitiveness and employability.
Learning is not confined to childhood or the classroom, but takes place throughout life and in a range of situations. Learning can no longer be divided into a place and time to acquire knowledge (school) and a place and time to apply the knowledge acquired (the workplace). In the Forbes article it was said that learning is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does much about it.
True leaders, though, can never be switched off to learning opportunities. As John F. Kennedy wrote in a speech he was to give the day he was assassinated, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." Leaders learn constantly. They actively strive to learn at every moment. Taking every opportunity, every conversation, interaction, event, and learn from it. Leaders learn continuously. When they are learning they purpose not allow distraction. Research has shown that it is more efficacious to study for one hour straight than for two hours with interruption. Interruptions break our train of thought and limit our ability to retain information. They take the power out of learning.
Leaders learn cyclically. They understand that life is never one-dimensional. They learn by repetition and repeated review. Whatever subject they are learning, they can never learn all of it the first time, they often cycle back to learn more and gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
Having a teachable attitude implies that you know how much you don't know. So where is Your next learning opportunity?
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