THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

Recently, I've written quite about the quality of living
well. I've talked about simplicity and values, about the
quality of relationships and "walking our talk." And, I
think all of that is vital for a great life! Who would want
money, fame or even power if the cost were a life of misery
and disappointment?
But in the scheme of things, we also have to get things
done. We still have to make some money, achieve some
breakthroughs, make some sales, and be good (very good!) at
what we do!
And so from time to time it's good to step back, take a deep
breath and ask "What, exactly, are the ESSENTIALS for my
success?" Fortunately, this isn't difficult and the answers
are not mysterious.
I think there are a small number of ESSENTIALS for success.
Lots of people have listed them, sometimes coming up with
The Seven Rules, a "Top 10," or whatever. My mentor, Jim
Rohn, often talked about "The Four If's That Make Life
Worthwhile." Jack Canfield's excellent book, "The Success
Principles," lists 64 items, but I suspect that's excessive.
In the end, the essentials that count are the ones you put
in your own words, using your own experience. Every really
successful person has a list, and they stick to it. When
they drift away or get confused, they come back to it. They
depend on it. They build their success by sticking to the
principles, the rules, or the "laws" that have meaning and
clarity for them. To achieve great things, you'll need your
own Essentials for Success.
Here are some of mine:
1. Clarity about Your Desired Result. Most people are
unclear about their priorities and what they truly want. You
should be clear. Define your finish line in specific,
measurable results.
2. What Stands in Your Way? There are always obstacles and
challenges, and high achievers are not surprise or stymied
by this. List the people, places, and things you'll have to
over-come to achieve the success you desire.
3. Have a Strategy. Exactly how will you over-come and win?
What will you have to learn, solve, or eliminate? Who will
help? What's your budget and what's your schedule for
success? Having--and following--a good plan makes everything
easier.
4. Obsessive Determination. Some people call this focus or
persistence or single-mindedness. Whatever you call it,
success requires that you put everything you have into doing
your best. Playing safe or going half-way rarely wins the
prize.
You may have other elements or "bonus-items," but there are
Key Essentials and success requires that we understand and
obey them. Success is not an accident! It is (always!) the
predictable result of doing the right things, in the right
way, at the right time. When we violate the rules, we lose
the game. What are your Essentials for Success?

ELIMINATE THE BOTTLENECK!

In any process, there is an upper limit to how powerful the
results can be, and the limit is always the same: A
bottleneck.
In watering your garden, the smallest point limits how much
water passes through the hose. The bottleneck may be the
valve on the side of your house, the diameter of the hose,
or the little washer inside the coupling. Wherever the
bottleneck occurs, it limits the flow through the entire
hose, and the solution is always the same: increase the flow
at that one critical point, and the results are instant and
dramatic!
No matter how smart or skilled you are, something limits the
success you will achieve. There may be several points of
"friction", but there is always one item that limits you
more than all the others combined! Fix it and the results
are amazing! You could have a breakthrough of extraordinary
proportions!
Here are four common bottlenecks:
1. Not Acting as a Business. Many professionals and
entrepreneurs have a dream, not a business. They work
without focus, without clear priorities, and without
results. The bottleneck is lack of clarity. Define and work
the business!
2. Ineffective Marketing. If you aren't getting enough
inquiries, the bottleneck is in your advertising. Find a way
to let more of your most desired customers know about you.
Everyone wants great service at a fair price! Help them find
you!
3. Ineffective Sales Technique. If lots of folks show up,
ask questions, and compliment you on your work but don't
buy, your bottleneck is closing the sale. Work with a sales
coach, buy books or get a mentor, but fix this! Mary Kay
Ashe said, "Nothing happens until someone sells something!"
4. Inadequate Value Added. This is probably the hardest one
to admit, but if people try your product or service, and
don’t become steady customers, something is wrong. To
achieve unusual success, you must transform casual customers
into life-long partners. It may be a problem with your
pricing or your delivery, but it must be fixed!
What bottleneck is holding you back in your work, and in
your life?

FOUR OBSTACLES TO CLOSING

If you are in sales, you might know the difficultly and stress that comes with the end game of selling. But do you know that there are several reasons for why it is?
First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don't like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else.

Fear of Criticism

They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.

Fear of Rejection

The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.

Customers Are Busy

The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn't that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It's just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.

Inertia is Hard to Break

The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.

Everyone Buys at the Same Time

The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn't buy from you, they will from someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, recognize the normal fear of making a buying mistake experienced by the customer. Give him every reason you can think of to be confident in dealing with you.

Second, accept that everyone you talk to is busy and you are interrupting. Always ask if this is a good time for him to give you his undivided attention. If not, arrange to see him another time.

WHAT'S YOUR PERSONAL ROI?

The concept of personal return on investment (ROI) is one that's been steadily gaining currency in the business world over the past few years. While the term can be defined in several ways, in common usage it's just what it sounds like: the investment potential that you, as an employee, offer to your company.

And like any other resource, you're only as good as your ROI. The harsh realities of survival in the Great Recession have hammered this point home to employers and employees alike. As a modern worker, you've got to be hardnosed about your ultimate value to your employer. You ignore this at your peril.

Perform a tough, even brutal self-assessment of your value, focusing on these factors: 

• What are you really good at?
• What makes you special?
• What distinguishes you from your peers?
• How do you personally help the company achieve its corporate goals?

As a business resource, your value is dollar-driven. A good rule of thumb is that you should be able to prove that you've earned or saved the company at least three times your base salary every single year.

You may not be able to provide a specific dollar amount or percentage for your personal ROI, but you should be able to demonstrate the fact that, without you, the company would be worse off.

And never forget this: you can't assume that anyone will automatically realize your worth. So in addition to being able to prove your ROI when called upon, you need to be proactive about stepping forward and demonstrating that hiring you was a positive investment decision. This is especially true if you feel you're undervalued. As the saying goes, the squeaky wheel gets the grease; but be careful here, because obnoxious squeakiness can get you the boot instead.

Demonstrate by your actions and initiative that you're worthy. Then, be politely assertive, though not aggressive, in pointing out your personal ROI to those who matter in your organization-so that you can maximize your value both to the company and to yourself.

HOW TO ASK ANYTHING YOU WANT

One of life's fundamental truths states: Ask and you shall receive. Isn't that simple? Of course it is. The world responds to those who ask. Most people in this world, however, find themselves in settled lives, never really achieving or receiving what they hold in their dreams... because they just never ask.
There are many good reasons to ask, and the rewards are substantial. If you're not moving closer to what you really want, you probably aren't doing enough asking.
Reasons Why We Don't Ask
So, why do people stumble when they have an opportunity to ask? Five reasons, really:

Ignorance. Many of us don't know what to ask for. Either we don't know what is available to us because we have never been exposed to it, or we are so out of touch with ourselves that we no longer are able to perceive our real needs and wants. And, in many cases, we don't know who to ask, when to ask, or even HOW to ask.
Limiting and Inaccurate Beliefs. Since our childhood, we've been programmed by our parents, and through schooling, religious training and even the media to STOP asking.
Fear. Having learned all about rejection, embarrassment, vulnerability and hurt in our childhood and early adult years, we find it easier to settle for less than deal with the fear that's resulted from these past experiences.
Low Self-Esteem. Most of us feel unworthy or too inadequate to create the kind of life we want. As a result, we don't believe our needs and wants are worth pursuing.
Pride. Many of us are convinced we need to do everything for ourselves, or we'll look foolish or lose respect among our family and peers.
Take Control!
The truth is, when you take control of your life by asking for what you want and need, you can accomplish anything your heart desires. No doubt, you know of people who seem to walk into any situation and any relationship expecting success. They achieve success again and again because they've learned - and acted on - one simple truth: You will reach your goals only with the help of others.
What are common characteristics shared between people who've mastered the art of asking?
They know what they want. They are clear about their vision, purpose and goals.
They believe that what they're asking for is very possible.
They are passionate about what they are requesting.
They act even when they're afraid or feel fear.
They learn from experience so that they become better "askers" with every ask.
They are persistent. If at first they don't receive, they ask, ask, ask until they do.
You can turn your life around, regardless of the obstacles you currently face. Get clear. Get passionate. Take a giant step past that fear. And if at first you don't succeed, take this minor setback as a signal to you . . . to ask again!

5 SECRETS TO GREATER FULFILLMENT

Like many people, you may experience times in your life when you're seeking something, but are unsure what of what it is. Maybe you want to live a life that has purpose, reward and challenge or perhaps you desire more excitement.

Whatever type of greater fulfillment in life that you seek, these 5 secrets for living a more satisfying, fulfilling life will start you in the right direction:

1. Do what you truly enjoy.
Have you always wanted to read more books, write poetry or travel to Europe?

• Whatever it is you really love to do, make a plan right away to do it and do it often.
• Avoid making any excuses for why you "can't" do something you really want to do.
• Make it happen: put it in your calendar and turn down other invitations if you need to.
• Set a goal and create an action plan to ensure you fit into your life whatever it is that makes your heart sing.

2. Open your mind to new possibilities.

Be willing to make changes in your life. When you keep your mind open, interesting and exciting experiences will come your way. You just might stumble in to the most fulfilling life ever by trying something new.

• Maybe you ought to take that job transfer to another state.
• Perhaps you should join the club that several of your friends want you to explore.
• Get to know someone new and totally different.

3. Save your money for something special.
Whatever it is you yearn for - your own condo, a first cruise, or a new electric car - focus on working and saving to get it. Part of living a great life is going after something you really want.

• Set up a bank account to save specifically for the object or experience you desire. Make it a priority to make regular deposits to this account.

• Saving money over a period of time and then buying your "dream" is incredibly fulfilling when the dream has a strong presence in your everyday life.

• In fact, a fulfilling life involves several episodes of saving and obtaining milestones and rewards of your own choosing.

4. Enlarge your support network.
Build strong relationships with a supportive, nurturing circle of friends and family members who cherish you. Almost nothing enriches your life more than having others close to you whom you can call at any time.

5. Develop a sense of adventure.
When you arise in the morning, look toward the next 24 hours with a sense of wonder and fascination.

• Ask yourself: "What's going to happen today?" Will you meet a new person that becomes a good friend? Will you be assigned a new project at work and develop new skills in the process?

• Whatever challenge comes your way, confront it and give it your best effort. If you consider life's trials as great journeys you traverse, you'll truly discover valuable knowledge about yourself and the world around you.

• Life becomes fulfilling when you view it as a huge adventure made up of smaller fascinating experiences.

If you find yourself wanting more out of life, endeavor to do what you enjoy, keep yourself open to new possibilities, and face each day with a spirit of adventure. Discover the passionate life you deserve by embracing these 5 secrets to greater fulfillment. You'll truly live your best life.

PRACTICE THE SEVEN SECRETS OF SALES SUCCESS

There are seven secrets, or principles, of sales success. They are practiced by all the highest paid salespeople every day. The regular application of these principles is virtually guaranteed to move you to the top of your field.

Success Secret Number 1: Get serious!
Make a decision to go all the way to the top of your field. Make a today decision to join the top 10%. There is no one and nothing that can hold you back from being the best except yourself. Remember, it takes just as long to be great as to be mediocre. The time is going to pass anyway. Your job is to commit to excellence, to get better and better each day, and to never, never stop until you reach the summit.

Success Secret Number 2: Identify your limiting skill to sales success.
Identify your weakest single skill and make a plan to become absolutely excellent in that area. Ask yourself, and your boss, "What one skill, if I developed and did it consistently in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on my sales?" Whatever your answer to this question, write it down, set a deadline, make a plan, and then work on it every day. This decision alone can change your life.

Success Secret Number 3: Get around the right people.
Get around positive, successful people. Associate with men and women who are going somewhere with their lives. And get away from negative, critical, complaining people. They drag you down, tire you out, distract and discourage you, and lead you inevitably to underachievement and failure. Remember, you cannot fly with the eagles if you continue to scratch with the turkeys.

Success Secret Number 4: Take excellent care of your physical health.
You need high levels of energy to sell effectively, and to bounce back from continual rejection and discouragement. Be sure to eat the right foods, get the right amount of exercise and get plenty of rest and recreation. Make a decision that you are going to live to be 80 years old, or more, and begin today to do whatever you have to do to achieve that goal.

Success Secret Number 5: Visualize yourself as one of the top people in your field. Imagine yourself performing at your best all day long. Feed your subconscious mind with vivid, exciting, emotionalized pictures of yourself as positive, confident, competent and completely in control of every part of your life. These clear mental pictures preprogram you and motivate you to sell at your best in any situation.

Success Secret Number 6: Practice positive self-talk continually.
Control your inner dialogue. Talk to yourself the way you want to be rather than the way you might be today.

For example, repeat to yourself these powerful words, over and over again. "I like myself! I'm the best! I can do it! I love my work!"

Say to yourself, "I feel happy! I feel healthy! I feel terrific!"

Remember, fully 95% of your emotions are determined by the way you talk to yourself, most of the time. The way you feel determines how you behave. And how you behave determines how much you sell.

Your job is to get yourself on an upward spiral where you think and talk to yourself positively, all day long. You think, walk, talk and act like the very best people in your field. When you do, your success becomes inevitable.

Success Secret Number 7: Take positive action toward your goals, every single day.
Be proactive rather than reactive. Grab the bull by the horns. If you are not happy with your income, get out there and get face to face with more customers. If you are not happy with any part of your life, accept responsibility and take charge.

All successful salespeople are intensely action oriented. They have a sense of urgency. They develop a bias for action. They do it now! They have a compulsion to closure. They maintain a fast tempo and move quickly in everything they do.

And the good news is this. The faster you move, the more energy you have. The faster you move, the more ground you cover. The faster you move, the more people you see. The more people you see, the more experience you get. The more experience you get, the more sales you make. The more people you see and the more sales you make, the more your self-esteem and self-respect goes up, and the more you will feel like great about yourself. You will have more energy. You will be happier and more positive.

The faster you move, the more you take complete control of your entire life and virtually guarantee that you will be one of the top performers and the highest paid people in your field.

Salespeople are among the most important people in America. Every single company depends for its survival on the success of its salespeople. High sales is the number one reason for company success. Low sales is the number one reason for company failure. And you can be in the driver's seat.

HOW TO CONQUER CHANGE USING 5 TIMELY TIPS

Heart-based time management is all about finding time, increasing productivity, and deepening your experience of each and every moment. And heart-based time management works best when you are using your time efficiently and effectively. But what happens when something unexpected enters the scene and disrupts your carefully laid plans?
Well, here’s something to consider:

The more you plan for change, the less you need to change your plans.

The best time management techniques will never provide you with the level of control you might wish you could exercise over your time. That’s because life is, by definition, bigger than your plans. So a key element in successful time management is cultivating openness to change.

Unfortunately, this foundational fact is not a component of many time management systems. Often, the models are static and linear. This leads to people constructing their plans upon illusions of life's predictability. We like to think that life is predictable, even if it is not.

So, initially, the idea of planning for change might seem foreign or even disturbing. You may encounter resistance, both from yourself and from others, as you consider taking a different approach to time management - one where you acknowledge that you are living and working within a world in constant transition.

You may encounter arguments like the following, as you open to change and embark on this heart-based journey:

1. "Change is unpredictable. There’s no point in even thinking about it."

2. "The unexpected creates stress. Why go there? Best to stick with what you know."

3. "Change brings losses along with any gains. If you avoid change you can avoid getting hurt!"

4. "Change requires added focus and work. Tiring to even consider - stick with what is!"

5. "Change reveals the limits of your control. How frustrating and scary is that?"

Of course, it's human nature to resent new and shifting demands. Fortunately, it's also human nature to blossom and thrive when such challenges are embraced rather than shied away from.

"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." Charles Darwin

5 Timely Tips for Embracing Life's Constant Changes So They Don’t Derail You

1. The more you accept change as a constant, the more prepared you are. The more prepared you are, the more productive you are.

2. Expecting change keeps you alert and interested. Resistance generates stress and inflexibility. Your effectiveness and energy increase when you engage with curiosity.

3. Genuinely accepting the inevitability of loss and change doesn’t lessen the pain of it. But it does help you embrace reality and open to the gains and opportunities that emerge.

4. You develop new strengths when you focus and work to welcome change. Your confidence in your skills grows as you allow intensive times of change to foster growth and positive turning points in your life.

5. Truly accepting the limits of your control helps you train your focus on what you can change. That means that you invest your efforts and energies where your power lies - a wonderfully efficient way to use your time!
You may be tempted to pursue routines that turn into ruts. Just remember that, while routine is not necessarily a bad thing, those who excel not only accept life's ongoing changes - they capitalize on those changes.

Bonus Tip: Notice which of your friends seem to discourage you from expanding your horizons, and which ones encourage your taking reasonable and calculated risks to grow. Start building a community of support for yourself, and then notice how you begin to attract more opportunities to revitalize your life and grow through changes, both personally and professionally.
What is your next step in making the most of change as you continue your heart-based journey through time?

GET YOUR GOALS-GUARANTEED!

"Goals" is a topic that many people talk about, both in a positive as well as a negative sense. Some people are goal maniacs and others think they are a waste of time. Me? I am somewhat different. I just care about one thing - results. Goals: write 'em down; don't write 'em down, I don't care. Just get them! Achieve them! Live them! That is the only thing that should matter about goals, right?
If the only thing that matters is that we achieve our goals, then let's talk about ways that will guarantee that we get our goals! There is such a way... and here it is:
First, be realistic.
Too many people get hyped up by people promising them the world and they set goals that simply aren't realistic. Then they are disappointed and then decide that "goals" are bad. But wait a minute.
Don't I teach that anybody can achieve anything? Sort of. We have to be realistic. The best example is that a seven-foot center who plays basketball will never be a world champion jockey. A person who is five feet, two inches could be, given time. This is the difference between a realistic goal and one that isn't. Take some time and set a realistic goal or goals. This will make your goals guaranteed from the get go!
Second, memorize your goals.
Set them in stone in your mind. Know what they are. Prioritize them in order of importance and memorize them so that if anyone asked you, "What are you top seven goals?" you could answer immediately. This will embed the goals and the desired outcomes into your mind, which is the seed of action.
Visualize your goals.
Some people are really into this. Some people think it is total hooey. I am in the middle. I do not think that there is anything "magical" about the visualization process, but I do think that taking some time to regularly envision your dream and goals is a great thing. It deepens your desire to get your goals. It puts you into a frame of mind where you operate in a peak state. So, don't overdo it, but don't throw the baby out with the bathwater either. Put your goals deep into your mind by visualizing them periodically.
Set time frames.
Don't let your goal be, "I want to lose twenty pounds." Instead, let it be, "I want to lose twenty pounds in four months." Again, a reminder to be realistic. But you can do wonders for your goal setting if you break your goals and put time frames on them. This gives it a sense of urgency. It makes it some thing you are working "toward" rather than working "on." In fact, I would suggest setting long-range time frames, mid-range time frames, and short-range time frames.
Spend time and money on your goals.
Realize that any goal worth achieving is worth spending your resources, specifically time and money, on. Buy books, go to seminars, join associations, hire a coach, etc. Whatever you need to do to get your goals! Spending time and money will seed your dreams and you will reap the end result far beyond what you put into it. Big dreams have big costs, but even little dreams have a cost associated with them so count the cost.
Surround yourself with people who can propel you to your goals.
Never underestimate the power of the people around you to either drag you down or lift you up. Poisonous people can destroy your goal by systematically draining you of your passion and desire and replacing it with total pessimism! Passionate and positive people can invigorate you with renewed energy and a mind set on the dream. Get around people who will energize you!
Act on your goals each and every day.
Even if it is just a small step, it will leave you closer to your goal each and every day. If you have a savings goal, set aside even one dollar a day. Take a jar and empty your change into it at the end of each day. If you want to write a book, write each day, if even just two paragraphs! Small, step-by-step actions will produce the goal - guaranteed!
Be persistent!
I have long said that if the three most important words in real estate are "location," "location," "location," then the three most important words in getting what you desire are "persistence," "persistence," "persistence." In fact, be tenaciously persistent. Be ruthlessly persistent. Look, there will be all sorts of barriers and obstacles you will have to overcome if you want to achieve your dream. Dreams don't just roll over and die. You have to attack them! Go for it and don't give up! They can, and will, be yours!
Can you get your goals - guaranteed? You bet you can. And you will, if you put into practice the above principles.
If you...
Be realistic.
Memorize your goals.
Visualize your goals.
Set time frames.
Spend time and money on your goals.
Surround yourself with positive people.
Act on your goals every day and...
Be persistent.
You can get your goals - guaranteed!