THE SUMMER OF DREAMS

Summer is the time for baseball, beaches, sun and fun. It's
a time to slow down, to rest, relax and vacation, right?
Isn't that what everyone does?
Well, not exactly. In my opinion, summer (and particularly
this long holiday weekend) is the time to design your
strategy and develop your plans for 2014.
Most of us do our year-end and new-year planning in
December, to coincide with the calendar. That seems
logical, but in fact it’s an "amateur mistake." The end of
the year is full of holidays. It's full of year-end tax
planning, distractions, busy-ness and stress, and under
those conditions, planning becomes a haphazard, hurried
thing.
In contrast, summer is a time for dreams. It's a time for
lazy afternoons, for watching the kids play at the beach
and taking long country drives. It's the perfect time to
design and plan your future.
In my opinion, now is the time to create the year you want
in 2014.  Everyone else is lazing away, but not you!  Use
these long summer days to plan your next conquest, to
detail your next project. Focus on the future you really
want and let the "lazy, hazy days of summer" motivate you
to dream bigger, go further and reach higher than ever
before.
Just be sure you don't let your summer day dreams end
there. As you dream, take notes! Get a calendar and set
some targets. Use your checkbook, profit and loss
statements, and sales data to develop a budget. Talk with
colleagues and share your dreams. Develop action strategies
and implementation plans.
This year, use summer to create the life you truly want.
Life will rush at you in the months and years ahead,
whether you are ready or not. Be ready! Have a plan. Take
action. Create the life you truly want and what better time
to prepare than after Independence Day, during the glorious
days of summer?

DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE

Have you ever considered starting your own business as a way to declare your independence from the bondage of relying on another person to create your income? I love the fact as a new business owner you are declaring your independence! So in the spirit of celebrating Independence Day, the 4th of July this article will explore the top 10 reasons to declare your independence today!

Reason #1: You have the FREEDOM to create your own income!
You determine how much you want to make and go after the ways/means to make the money, no one tells you that you will make only $12.00 an hour and yet give me $25.00 an hour worth of work.

Reason #2: You have the FREEDOM to determine how many days, hours you will work each week
You do not have to ask to go to lunch, take the day off or call in sick.

Reason #3: You have the Liberty to make changes as needed
If things are not working out and there is a better way to go, change it without the red tape.

Reason #4: You get to do something you love or are passionate about
Imagine waking up and wanting to work, not feeling forced to.

Reason #5: Eliminate the long commutes
Many have to look for jobs outside their community and face long drives on congested freeways. Eliminate the commute by starting a business from home.

Reason #6: You have the FREEDOM to choose who you work with
You pick your clients, your staff, etc. If it is not a good fit you choose to replace the staff or not work with the client.

Reason #7: FREEDOM from stress
Eliminate the stress of finding a job or the possibility getting a pink slip by being proactive and plan now for your independence.

Reason #8: FREEDOM to choose when you get up & when you get out of your PJ's
In some cases you can work from home in your PJ's and bunny slippers.

Reason #9: The cost to start a business today is minimal
What used to cost thousands and require a brick & mortar, now costs in many cases under $1,000.00 to get up and running.

Reason #10: The Tax Benefits
As an entrepreneur there are many advantages for you in the tax return arena. If you keep accurate records the benefits may surprise you. Check with a CTEC or CPA for full benefits.

These are just 10 of the numerous reasons to Declare Your Independence this July and start your own business. So what is holding you back today? There are so many options in launching a business whether it is as an entrepreneur or as part of a MLM or direct sales group, explore your options!

What a perfect time to launch this journey in your life as our country celebrates its Independence this weekend.   

THE SINGLE, BIGGEST MISTAKE SALESPEOPLE MAKE.

The multi-step process of building a winning proposal starts and ends with the customer’s input. The biggest mistake salespeople can make is not listening to customers. The more you listen to their issues, the deeper you will understand both their challenge and their vision of a solution. As you lay the foundation of each customer relationship and begin to tailor your presentation to suit each potential buying opportunity, remember these three imperatives for getting better information to tailor your solution:
Create a conversation – This should be a two-way dialog. Salespeople often unwittingly overwhelm clients by animatedly describing features of products and services. Unfortunately, clients may view this as a “data dump” of information. A better strategy: Ask questions that encourage customers to share details about their challenge and what they want the solution to achieve. Even if you think you already understand their issues, some facts may have changed since the meeting was arranged. Salespeople who master the art of listening – and really hearing what the customer says – consistently win more business.
Confirm – As you begin to develop the unique proposal designed to address this customer’s current challenge, check back in with the key Buying Influences on the details. Asking good questions to confirm each step of the process builds your credibility and shows the customer that you really want to understand their world and the challenges they face day today. Plus, it can help you the gain incremental commitments that build mutual understanding. As a result, you’re more likely to be aligned with the customer’s vision and your credibility increases as you show you care about the details.
Collaborate – Delivering a comprehensive solution involves numerous functions within your company – from products to shipping to customer support. Draw on resources within your own organization to ensure your proposal is as rich and well rounded as possible – and to ensure that key departments can deliver on each element of your proposal, before you present the final proposal to the customer. Selling your own people on your solution can be just as important – and just as challenging – as selling the customer on it.

Successfully addressing these three areas can be the key differentiator that elevates your solution from a proposal to a Win.

WHAT GET MEASURED GETS DONE

One of my favorite quotes is from Edward Deming, the famous
business consultant who revolutionized management theory.
He observed that in the end, what we measure and hold
ourselves accountable for, gets done.
Nobody likes being embarrassed by failing to complete a
task, and for most of us, the personal integrity issue is
even more potent than any embarrassment from "failure."
Once we’ve committed ourselves to complete a task or reach
an objective, we HATE falling short. I think that actually
explains a lot of failure, both in business and in our
personal lives.
We hate failing so much we refuse to set objective,
measurable expectations. We have dreams or wishes or
fantasies (call them what you will) but we hesitate to set
hard, measurable performance goals.
I see this in talking with people about coaching. When we
interview each other they tell me they are "ready" or want
to achieve more than they have in the past. When I ask them
to be specific, they often hesitate and then give me a
nice, vague statement about being "successful."
But success, my friends, is not a thing to be achieved!
Success is the result, almost a side-benefit of achieving
specific, measurable results. Success is the popular
acclaim or recognition we enjoy after we complete a series
of far more specific (and usually less spectacular) tasks.
If you want success, make more sales than anyone in your
company. If you want success, climb a mountain or publish a
best-seller. If you want success, do the things that get
the results you desire. I guarantee that success will
follow, but only AFTER you’ve achieved those more mundane,
measurable results.