SUCCESS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT

Remember the saying that those who fail to plan are planning
to fail? We have all heard it at one time or another, and we
know it's true, even though most of us act as if it doesn't
apply to us. Well, it does apply!
This week I spoke with a group of unusually successful young
entrepreneurs and the thing I noted was their attention to
detail. This particular group is part of a network
marketing, or MLM organization, and they know exactly
where they are going. Specifically, they have written goals
and strategies related to:
1. Identifying of their key niche. They know WHO to contact.
2. The number of prospects to contact each week.
3. A strategy and budget for reaching those prospects.
4. A detailed, documented sales presentation.
5. A follow-up strategy and a system to track it.
6. A training and mentoring program to nurture new members.
7. Clear, written long-range goals that are measured in
revenues, profits, investments, number of "associates" and
productivity per member.
No wonder this organization is growing and making money!
They have a plan that guides their daily activity and gives
them feedback about their performance.
Every business needs a plan, and this particularly applies
to self-employed professionals. It simplifies your daily
activities, automates your priorities, and lets you know
what's working and what isn't.

HOW TO GET AN EXTRA HOUR EVERY DAY

Time pressure is acute and frustrations such as commuting, inflexible working hours and tedious meetings make it worse.
To get things started here are ten sure-fire ways to get an extra hour a day.

1. Do emails on the train. With an HP notebook with 3G Mobile Broadband, you can get ahead of your emails before you even get to work. (Broadband connections require separately purchased wireless data service contracts.)
2. Work from home. Instead of commuting to work, why not stay at home and put the journey time to better use? Using HP technology, you can still stay in touch with your colleagues and access all your email and work files.
3. Virtual meetings. The majority of office professionals reckon they could save up to six hours a week simply by not travelling to offsite meetings. Video, web or phone conferences can reduce the amount of time you spend travelling to meetings.
4. Get up earlier. An hour before work is more productive – mainly because it is quiet – than any other time of the day. Changing sleep habits takes a bit of work but it isn't difficult.
5. Concentrate more. If you can get the same work done quicker with better concentration, it will free up time later for other things. The key concept is 'flow'. This is a mental state in which a person is fully immersed in what they are doing. Disruptions, such as phone calls and emails, break the flow. It can take 10-15 minutes to regain your concentration, so avoid disruptions. Switch off email, put the phone on voicemail and consider getting noise-cancelling headphones.
6. Find information faster. Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 include a lightning-fast search feature that can find files and emails anywhere on your computer. Finding the right file quickly can save you having to rewrite it or spend hours searching manually. You can also save searches as virtual folders for future reference. For example, you can create a virtual folder for each of your clients.
7. Go wireless. HP Notebooks with built-in wireless networking mean you can get online and pick up your email from any location that has a suitable Wi-Fi connection point. If you don't need to go back to the office between meetings or you can work in cafes, trains and airports you can get more done in less time. With 3G Mobile Broadband (available on certain HP notebooks) you don't even need a connection point to get connected at broadband speeds; anywhere with cell phone reception will do.
8. Shorter, more efficient meetings. Do you find yourself spending most of your time in meetings? If you could make them more efficient, with better preparation and the right technology, you could save hours every week.
9. Manage your time better. Microsoft Outlook helps you time tasks more efficiently. Consolidate tasks, flag email messages for follow-up, and schedule appointments in one view.

What would you do with an extra hour every day? We asked real people and got some surprising answers. These are the things that really matter to people:

• Plan ahead.
• Play more sport.
• Visit the gym.
• Help other people.
• Spend more time with the family.
• Spend some time in the garden.
• Go for a walk.
• Spend more time with my staff – investing in their career.
• See my friends.
• Relax and listen to music.
• Do some reading.
• See more concerts.
• Take a break to reflect.
• Come up with new ideas.
• Sleep more.
• Catch up on all the administration I don't have time to do.
• Learn something new, like a new language.

An extra hour a day would make people happier, more fulfilled and more productive. You can make it happen.
Microsoft, Windows and Windows Vista and Outlook are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

PUMP UP YOUR PROFITS

There is a truism that 50 percent of advertising is wasted, but no one ever knows for sure which 50 percent it is. As a result, advertising budgets always seem higher than necessary. This problem persists in many areas of business today. Money is being wasted, but no one is exactly sure where and how it is happening.
Low Profits or No Profits
Many companies today are earning low profits or no profits because their costs of doing business are not coordinated with their sales. Many products and services are priced by people who are completely unaware of the real costs involved in bringing these products or services to the market. These mistakes in pricing are then buried in the overall operations and general revenues of the business.
Conduct a Profit Analysis on Every Product
One of the most important parts of the Turbostrategy process is for you to conduct a complete profit analysis on each product or service you sell. Very few companies have ever done this. But when you begin applying profit analysis in your company, you can often increase your profits dramatically.
High-Volume vs. High Profit Customers
As you examine these numbers, you will find that, in many cases, your biggest customers are not your most profitable customers, and your biggest selling products or services are not your most profitable ones either. You may find that your costs of doing business with some customers and with some products are so high that it is hardly worth the investment of people are resources. This can only be determined by taking a hard look at the numbers.
Focus on Cash Flow
You need to be your own turnaround specialist all the time, and most especially when business slows for any reason. To pump up your profits, you do a complete profit analysis on your business and move immediately to focus the energies of the company on those areas that represent the very best sources of net cash. This process requires that you continually analyze your business so that you know exactly the profitability of every product or service you sell in comparison with every other product or service you sell, right down to the penny.
From Most to Least Profitable
The fact is that with a little effort, every single product or service can be organized on a scale from the most profitable to the least profitable, both on a per item or per hour basis, and in net dollar amounts. There is always one that is more profitable than any other.
Determine Profitability
You begin your profit analysis by determining the exact gross sales revenues that you receive from a product or service after all subtractions for defects, returns, breakage, loss, wastage, and bad debts. Take every single deduction so that your gross dollar amount is completely accurate, and you are crystal-clear about the exact amount you are netting from sales.
Face the Bitter Truth
You will probably find that fully half of your product and service offerings are generating very little profit or even causing you to lose money with every sale. A turnaround specialist would immediately either raise the prices of the low-profit items or discontinue them altogether. You must do the same.
Action Exercise
Do a complete profit analysis on every product and service you offer. Rank them from highest to lowest.

THE CARE AND KEEPING OF CUSTOMERS

The first question of any business is to understand WHAT
business you are in.
Most people think McDonald's is in the restaurant or
hamburger business, but many analysts through the years have
observed that they are actually in a variety of businesses.
They are certainly in the real estate development business.
They are in the entertainment business. But most of all,
they are in the customer service business.
Every business is first, last, and always in the business of
providing superior service to its customers.
It costs a fortune to attract a new customer. The time,
money, energy, anxiety and effort to get a new first-time
customer in the door is a huge expense. No business has the
resources to keep attracting and serving only new customers.
The key to profits is in keeping and serving the customers
you already have.
Some studies show that it costs up to 85 times more money to
get a new customer than to make an additional sale to an
existing customer.
No matter what business you think you are in, your first
business is keeping and serving and partnering with your
customers. It's often called customer retention although it
goes by many names, but the principle is always the same:
Nurture and keep your customers!
Customer service is about reliability and it's about
relationship. It's about trust. It's about the quality of
your product, but even more essentially, it's about the
quality of your service before, during and after the sale.

7 DISCIPLINES FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE

There are seven disciplines you must develop if you want to achieve all that is possible for you. You can learn these disciplines through practice and repetition until they become automatic.
Goal Setting
Every morning, take three to five minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. Get a spiral notebook for this purpose. By writing out your ten goals at the beginning of each day, you will program them deep into your subconscious mind.
This daily goal writing will activate your mental powers. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day, you will see opportunities and possibilities to move more rapidly toward your goals.
Planning and Organizing
Take a few minutes, preferably the night before, to plan out every activity of the coming day. Always work from a list. Always think on paper. This is one of the most powerful and important disciplines of all for high performance.
Priority Setting
The essence of all time management, personal management, and life management is contained in your ability to set the proper priorities on the use of your time. This is essential for high performance.
Concentration on your Highest-Value Activities
Your ability to work single-mindedly on your most important task will contribute as much to your success as any other discipline you can develop.
Exercise and Proper Nutrition
Your health is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life.
Learning and Growth
Your mind is like a muscle. If you don't use it, you lose it. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.
Time for Important People in your Life
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Build time for your relationships into every day, no matter how busy you get.
Action Exercise
These seven disciplines will ensure that you perform at the highest level and get the greatest satisfaction and results from everything you do. Study these seven disciplines and then make a plan for how you can incorporate each of them into your daily life.

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Do your employees perceive you as a "boss" or a "leader"? I have always disliked the word "boss" because I would like to think that I did not boss my employees around. A true leader does not have to boss anyone around, because your employees will be more than willing to follow you out of desire.

What your employees call you is also going to be determined by what you call yourself and the words you use around them. I allowed my employees to call me the President, co-worker or anything other than their boss. Reinvent yourself if needed, your co- workers may welcome the change.

In This Article

• Avoid the mushroom treatment
• Are you a "teacher" or a "coach"?
• Walking the walk and talking the talk
• Lights, Camera, Action!
• Words of Wisdom

If you have never heard of the "mushroom treatment," it is a very unpleasant experience. It is keeping your employees in the dark and feeding them B.S. Keeping the employees enlightened and informed is crucial in being an outstanding leader. You possess a lot of information that you think the employees may not need to know, but I will ask you to re-evaluate that position. Employees need to know the big picture in order to understand how their job impacts the overall company.

Imagine if you worked in a factory that made cars and your job was to make the steering wheel. Day after day you made the steering wheel, but you never got to see how the rest of the car was made and never got to see the final product. True, that lack of knowledge may not impact the quality of the car, but what about the quality of the employee? Wouldn't it be nice to see the end result of our work and know that our job made a difference in the overall big picture?

Are you a "teacher" or a "coach"?

Teaching is a one-time event, where you provide information and hope that someone does something with it. Coaching is continuous, ongoing and never ends. You can never reach a point where you can pat yourself on the back and say: "Thank goodness, I am finally done coaching my staff."

Coaching is all about providing ongoing education for our employees and following up to make sure they understand and apply what they have learned. Coaching also lets the employees know why they should make the change, instead of just telling them what to change.

It is also very important to "inspect what you expect" from people. If you do not follow up on what you have coached them on, they might perceive that you do not care, which could lead them to not caring as well.

Walking the walk and talking the talk

Are you willing to do the things that you are asking your employees to do? If so, are you consistent about doing them? If you want the employees to follow your lead, they need to see you practicing what you preach.

If you want your employees to use the customer's name, then you should be using theirs and the customer's name frequently. If you want them to offer the customer a handshake, then you better be shaking theirs and the customers as well. You need to make a point of showing your employees that you believe in what you are asking them to do.

Lights, Camera, Action!

When you walk in the door to your company, you must realize that the employees are watching every move you make. Many of them are looking at you to see what kind of mood they should be in, or how fast they will work. You are like a mirror and your employees are looking into it to see how they will behave.

Before you walk into your working world each day, I would like you to think like an actor. When the door opens, you are on stage, the lights are on you and the employees are watching the show. Make sure that your behavior emulates the behavior you have asked of them. Hypocrisy is one of the number one de- motivators.

Words of Wisdom

"If you lead through fear you will have little to respect; but if you lead through respect you will have little to fear."

FOUR PARTS OF VISUALIZATION

There are four parts of visualization that you can learn and practice to assure that you use this incredible power to its best advantage all the days of your life.
How Often?
The first aspect of visualization is frequency, the number of times that you visualize a particular goal as achieved of yourself performing in an excellent way in a particular event or circumstance. The more frequently you repeat a clear mental picture of your very best performance or result, the more rapidly it will appear as part of your reality.
How Long?
The second element of visualization is the duration of the mental image, the length of time that you can hold the picture in your mind each time you replay it. When you deeply relax, you can often hold a mental picture of yourself performing at your best for several seconds, and even several minutes. The longer you can hold your mental picture, the more deeply it will be impressed into your subconscious mind and the more rapidly it will express itself in your subsequent performance.
How Clearly?
The third element of visualization is vividness. There is a direct relationship between how clearly you can see your desired goal or result in your mind and how quickly it comes into your reality. This element of visualization is what explains the powers of the Law of Attraction and the Law of Correspondence. The vividness of your desire directly determines how quickly it materializes in the world around you. Here is an interesting point. When you set a new goal for yourself, your image or picture of this goal will usually be vague and fuzzy. But the more often you write it, review it, and repeat it mentally, the clearer it becomes for you. Eventually, it will become crystal clear. At that point, the goal will suddenly appear in your world exactly as you imagined it.
How Intensely?
The fourth element of visualization is intensity, the amount of emotion that you attach to your visual image. In reality, this is the most important and powerful part of the visualization process. Sometimes, if your emotion is intense enough and your visual image is clear enough, your goal will immediately come true.
Of course, the elements of frequency, duration, vividness, and intensity can help you or hurt you. Like nature, the power of visualization is neutral. Like a two-edged sword, it can cut in either direction. It can either make you a success or make you a failure. Visualization brings you whatever you vividly and intensely imagine, whether good or bad.
Action Exercise
Continually feed your mind with clear, exciting, emotional pictures. Remember, your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions.

GOALS Vs DECISIONS

In the business world, I suspect clear decisions are more important and more
profitable than clear goals.
We all know the power and importance of goals. Every
business should have a business plan, a set of goals,
procedures and benchmarks for its success. We KNOW how
important this is!
But the daily decision to provide extraordinary customer
service, to "go the extra mile" in terms of service and
value is not a goal, it's RIGHT NOW!
Customers do not care about your goals. They do not know or
care about your dreams, your business plan or your budget.
They don't know or care about your personnel problems, your
cash-flow or anything else.
Customers only know and care about the decision you make
RIGHT NOW! They care how you answer the phone. They know and
care about the tone of your voice, your eagerness to serve.
They know and care about your decision to deliver on time
and on budget.
Customers notice your daily decisions. They notice whether
your office is welcoming and comfortable. They notice
whether you keep your promises and whether you do more than
you promised.
The daily decisions we make determine our outcomes far more
powerfully than the goals we set or the dreams we dream.
Make smart, powerful, customer-centered decisions in the
small things and the long-term profits will take care of
themselves.

WIN-WIN OR NO DEAL

In successful negotiation, both parties should be fully satisfied with the result and feel that they have each "won" or no deal should be made at all. Consistent with your determination to enter into agreements that preserve long-term relations between the parties, you should always seek an outcome that satisfies both. Remember, you always reap what you sow. Any settlement or agreement that leaves one party dissatisfied will come back to hurt you later, sometimes in ways that you cannot predict.
Tough Negotiating
A very tough negotiator told me proudly about a hard deal he had wrung out of a national organization for the distribution of his company's products. He had demanded and threatened and negotiated an agreement that paid him considerably more, both in up-front payments and in percentages of sales, than any of the other clients for which his company distributed.
Win-Lose
The businessman had negotiated a deal that was a "win-lose," with him winning and the other losing. But those on the losing side had no incentive to fulfill the implied commitment to market the products. They had no real incentive to go forward with this person again, you should be clear in advance that you are committed to reach a solution that is satisfactory to both. If it does no entail a win for both parties, you should simply refuse to make any deal at all.
Win-Win
When you are determined to achieve a win-win solution to a negotiation, and you are open, receptive, and flexible in your discussions, you will often discover a third alternative that neither party had considered initially but that is superior to what either of you might have thought of on your own.
Make Yourself Clear
Once you have decided that you are only going to agree to a settlement that is satisfactory to both parties, this doesn't mean that you have to accept any arrangement that you consider best. With your values and your intentions clear, you are now in a position to utilize every strategy and tactic available to you to get the very best deal for both of you—one that assures that you both end up happy with the arrangement.
Action Exercise
Think win-win in all your interactions with others, at work and at home. Actively seek a middle way that satisfies the most pressing desires of both parties. Be creative in suggesting alternatives that get both you and the other person more of what you want.

FLYING INTO HEADWINDS

When you set off toward a new destination or goal, like taking off in an airplane, you will have an idea of both your departure time and your arrival time. You will set a schedule for yourself and expect to arrive pretty much on schedule. But as soon as you take off, you will experience what pilots call “unexpected headwinds.” The situation in your life is similar. As soon as you embark on a new journey, you will experience headwinds as well: everything will cost twice as much and take three times longer than you anticipated. You should estimate how long you will take to achieve certain milestones and then triple that time to get the actual time period required.
Types of Headwinds
Headwinds in your business and personal life will come from several sources. Your primary source of headwinds will be other people. They will disappoint you, cheat you, betray you, and fail to live up to your expectations, and turn out to be incompetent or indifferent. Your customers will be a major source of headwinds. When you start a new venture, you will be amazed at how difficult it is to get customers to buy your product or service for the first time. Your customers will disappoint you in that they will buy less than you expected, take longer to buy than you expected, pay slower than you expected, and complain more than expected. Remember that the customer is always right. It is not what you produce but what people buy that counts.

Financial Headwinds
Another form of headwinds that you will face has to do with money. Some people will tell you that it is easy to make all the money you want just by thinking positively and visualizing yourself as wealthy. Everyone wants to believe that this is true, and many people embrace the idea of effortless wealth with their whole hearts. But that doesn't include those people who have actually achieved financial success. People who have made a lot of money have learned through bitter experience that the only thing easy about money is losing it. As the Japanese proverb says, “Making money is like digging with a pin; losing money is like pouring water on the sand.”
Personal Headwinds
You will experience headwinds personally in that you will discover, much to your surprise that you lack specific talents, skills, and knowledge that you need to succeed. You may find that you are a poor time manager or that you lack self-discipline. You cannot seem to focus, concentrate, and apply yourself single-mindedly to your most important tasks. You waste time and feel overwhelmed with too much to do and too little time in which to do it. You may lack financial, analytic, marketing, or selling skills. You may not know how to plan and organize your business, advertise effectively and attract customers, or persuade your prospects to buy from you. Fortunately these are all learnable skills. But the starting point of mastering these essential skills is for you to admit that you need them. After that, the education can begin.
Action Exercise
Because of your incredible mind, you can learn any skill you need to learn to achieve any goal you can set for yourself. You must never allow yourself to be held back because you lack a particular skill. Figure out what skill you need to increase the quality of your life, and then set out to learn it.

THE PARTHENON PRINCIPLE

During the Persian War, the building on the Acropolis of Athens was burned by the invading Persian forces. Following the war, which ended in 479 b.c., the Athenians began rebuilding their city, which culminated in the construction of the Parthenon, the greatest of all Greek temples of the Classical Age. Dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron deity of the city of Athens, the Parthenon stood more or less intact for some 2,000 years until the middle of the seventeenth century, when it was partly destroyed in a war between the Turks and the Venetians.
The Metaphor
The career or business you are building is as important to you as was the Parthenon to the Greeks. It took many years of painstaking planning and excruciatingly hard work to affect this magnificent temple. The same is true of your own business. A level of commitment that was quite extraordinary was essential to the ultimate success of the Athenians' undertaking. No less is required of you. Like the Parthenon, your career or business is also supported by pillars, each of which is central to its integrity and its survival. The Parthenon was "built to last." So too, your career or business must be based on rock-solid principles.
The Principle
Imagine the result of a small increase in the strength of each of the supporting pillars of the Parthenon. As each is strengthened, it will affect the robustness—the durability—of the structure. Clearly, a small change in each pillar will give rise to a large change in the overall structure. The same is true of your career or business. This gives rise to what we call the Parthenon Principle.
Incremental Changes
Consider the human body. It has several systems—pillars, if you will—each of which supports the body. Improve one and the overall health of the person improves. Improve them all by just a small amount and the individual will experience a significant increase in health, energy, and vitality. Similarly, your business or organization consists of several foundational systems, all of which are interrelated. In our coaching program, we consider seven core systems or pillars: sales, services, pricing, promotion, referrals, productivity, and profitability (i.e. cost controls). As with the human body, an improvement in any of these systems will lead to an improvement in the overall health of the organization or your business.
Action Exercise
What improvements could you make in your products to make them more attractive and salable? How could you alter or improve your sales, marketing strategies, and processes to increase your sales? How could you improve your customer service operations to make your business more client-friendly?

GETTING OVER TODAY'S SUCCESS - John Maxwell

In my office, I have a sign that says, "Yesterday ended last night." It's a great sign because it helps me keep our company's success in perspective. When I want to celebrate because the previous day was a good day, I look at the sign and say, "Okay John, that was yesterday. The party's over. Go home, go to bed and get ready for another day."

Life is not a snapshot. It would be wonderful if, at the pinnacle of your success, you could take a picture of it and assume nothing will ever change. But it will change, and if you don't change with it, what got you there yesterday won't keep you there in the future. Yesterday ended last night, remember? And--even more importantly--today's success won't sustain you tomorrow.

This can be tough to digest because when your business or job is going really well, the tendency is to sit back and say, "This is it. We've found the recipe for success--this is how it's going to be from here on out." Unfortunately, that kind of attitude doesn't lead to growth; it only fosters stagnation.

As tempting as it is to rest on your laurels, you have to keep reinventing yourself and you have to keep reinventing your organization. Ninety percent of INJOY's profit margin today comes from work we were not doing six years ago. And when we look at our game plan for the next five years and the growth that we're planning to have in our company, nothing in the next five years is determined on what we're doing right now.

Let me put it this way: If what you did five years ago still satisfies you, you're not doing anything worthwhile today. I look at material I produced five years ago and I want to apologize for it. You see, a sign of growth in your life is when what you did yesterday no longer thrills you; not because you're bored, but because you're growing.

In light of that, here are five ways to make sure today's success doesn't impede future accomplishment in your life.

1. Keep growing personally.

   Growth equals change. When you grow, you change. Notice that Idid not say change equals growth. You can change without growing, but you cannot grow without changing.

2. Continually ask, "Is there a better way?"

   When someone asks this question, the answer is always yes. There's always a better way, a more efficient method, a more effective approach. You're in deep trouble if you think you have the best way because there's no such thing. There's always a better way; and your search to be a little bit better or a little bit different will keep you in a continual growth spurt.

3. Pay for outside consulting.

   I learned a long time ago that if you really want to grow, you need to have a fresh set of eyes examining your business from time to time. So hire an outside consultant who knows your business well to check out your organization and see what you're too close to see.

4. Don't protect the past.

   We all have a tendency to protect our past--the decisions we've made and the people we've hired. It's easy to look at an employee who's not performing well and think, "I really believe they're about to get on track," when in reality, they haven't improved in seven years. The real effort comes when you have to say, "I made a bad decision in hiring them, and it's time for them to go."

5. Build on your success--don't sit on it.

   When your company applauds you, take a tape recorder and record it. Every now and then when you're alone, turn it on and say, There was a time..." Then turn the tape off and start growing. Start improving. Start disciplining yourself to get better. And keep people around you who are not impressed with you. The worst thing that happens with leaders is that they surround themselves with fans instead of building productive teams. You don't need people to admire you. You need people to say, "I don't think that was a good idea; we should have done this." Those are the kind of people who will push you to grow. They won't just let you sit there basking in the warmth of today's success."

Once you've gotten into the habit of doing these five things go ahead and celebrate the success you had today. Feel good about it. Enjoy it. But when tomorrow comes, get over it. Let it go. Don't let today's achievements stand in the way of future growth.