Archive for the 'Productivity' Category

May 09 2009

The 5 W’s Breed Problems. HOW? Solves Them.

Forget The 5 W’s!

     Asking and answering: Who? What? When? Where? and Why? is the stuff that reporters and PR people feed on…it’s the cornerstone of a weak corporate management mentality, and of (even weaker) government managers and directors.

     Constant attention to answering these five questions makes for useless, time-wasting pursuit for business owners, managers and entrepreneurs. Any entrepreneur worth her or his salt will typically respond “So What!” to those who exert themselves trying to provide the answers to them.

     Asking associates, employees, customers and vendors to give you the answers to Who? What? When? Where? and Why? is nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to uncover the person and circumstances to place blame on when something doesn’t go right…usually as a way to cover one’s own butt! 

     And besides the fact that absolutely no one cares except those engaged in the game, it’s a complete waste of time, money and energy (and I’ll be happy to prove it; send me an email with your phone number and I’ll spell out the details in a 3-minute call!), it’s also the wrong attitude if you’re serious about growing your business.

It’s one of the most basic differences between entrepreneurial and corporate on-the-job actions, and between entrepreneurial and corporate off-the-job lifestyles.

                                                         

     Which of these behavioral choices (dogged pursuit of answers to the 5 W’s, OR overlooking the 5 W’s to concentrate on the HOW?) do you think is most productive for the business? For living life? For the personal and professional growth and development of the people involved?

[If you’re not with me here,you’re a 9 to 5 guy and should just stay there, and must have gotten to this blog by mistake, and you should probably “X” out now and go get your rocks off by visiting Facebook or Disney or ESPN or something not so threatening to your mindset.]

     Is PLACING BLAME the answer in your organization? Does it seem to be an S.O.P goal? Maybe it’s time to hit the road and find a place that respects your efforts? Many of the world’s most successful and fastest-growing organizations actually REWARD what most corporate executives would certainly regard as “FAILURE.”

     Not succeeding at reaching a legitimate goal is not failure. It is instead a positive step in the direction of achieving success because it eliminates one pathway that doesn’t take you to where you want to go. So it serves to narrow down your pursuits more meaningfully.

     Still doubtful? Think about the answers you get from any human on Earth when you ask the question “WHY?” Go ahead; think about it! You get excuses, right? “WHY?” is a breeding ground for excuses.

     Try instead asking “HOW?” as in “HOW” can we perform this task more effectively next time (vs. “Why did this happen?”). HOW? “What three steps can you recommend to prevent this problem in the future?” will provide much more actionable information than a long, time-wasting autopsy which will only show what happened and who did what to whom. 

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US or 931.854.0474

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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May 05 2009

HEARING IS NOT LISTENING

Effective Communications

 

Requires EFFORT!

 

If you’re willing to put out the extra effort because clear, concise and accurate communications is important to you and your business, be prepared to take a more active listening role. As you may need to project yourself more assertively, be equally conscious of the need to become a better listener.

Resist the temptation to skip ahead in your mind while someone else is speaking. Stop trying to imagine what’s next and, perhaps even worse, stop reviewing in your mind over and over what has already been said. You can always check that later, or simply interrupt to request a once-over on the part you missed or didn’t understand.

When your mind races ahead of what’s being said, or drags behind to mull over something that has already passed by, you miss the present moment and the statements that are being made, as well as the nuances of expression and intonations that give the words their true meaning. You must work at staying focused and not allowing your mind to drift.

How can you keep your listening and comprehension skills on the front burner? Follow these four simple rules of good listening:

  1. TAKE DEEP BREATHS. Just as flames die without oxygen, so will your ability to keep focused on the present moment die out when your “normal” way of breathing fails to get enough oxygen to your brain. By deep breathing (which no one needs to notice if you practice it enough), you will also be prompted to not cross your arms or legs or hands…all signals that subconsciously tell the speaker that you are mentally “closed off” and not receptive; often these nonverbal signals communicate defensiveness as well.

  2. TAKE NOTES. Writing down what you hear keeps your brain uncluttered by getting the words from the speaker through your ears, into your brain and down your arms into your hands and fingers and onto paper (or your keyboard, if appropriate for the setting and circumstances). You can keep your notes and look at them anytime without the distraction or taxing of your memory that occurs when you carry the comments or instructions around in your mind like a ping-pong ball lottery drum filled with tumbling numbers. Taking notes helps you listen more carefully.

  3. MAINTAIN GOOD EYE CONTACT. It’s a fact that just as you can “hear” a smile, you can “see” what you hear in person. In other words, good eye contact (not staring) communicates attention and interest. You will also absorb more of what the speaker really means by the words used, by watching for gestures and facial expressions in the process. Can you look in the mirror and tell yourself how happy you are while actually communicating something else with your face, hands and posture?

  4. PARAPHRASE WHAT YOU HEAR by repeating back what you got from it in your own words, and in the form of a question. “Do I understand you correctly to mean that…?” (finish the question with your own words, interpreting what you think you understood). “If I understand you correctly, you’re saying…is that right?” works fine too. The speaker will be flattered. Asking for examples is another great technique.

The point is to take responsibility for listening carefully and taking notes and repeating back things to clarify and make sure that what is said is what you heard. It’s YOUR job to be sure that YOU’RE right, right?

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US or 931.854.0474

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

One response so far

May 04 2009

SENSITIVITY MOTIVATION…R U A 10?

Okay, Boss…where

                                                 

do you rate yourself?

                                                                               

     Where do you rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest) in motivational skills?

     You’re a business owner or manager. When’s the last time you put your brain in a blender and flipped it on “Puree”? (Er, never, I hope, but then you wouldn’t likely be reading this, right?) Well, here’s the point: what methods do you use to get people to sit up and pay attention? To jump? To dive in? To follow? 

     How aware are you of the fact that if your associates and employees have the same “take” on your business that you have from the control tower, they wouldn’t be associates and employees. They’d be running their own businesses, and maybe even competing. Sooooo, maybe it’s a good time to consider some new approaches.

     Let’s start by trying something you’re probably afraid to do (most entrepreneurs are): Tune in to other people’s sensitivities, and show them that you are aware of their feelings by directly or indirectly addressing them in the meetings you run, the directions you give, the requests you make, the emails you send, the phone discussions you have.

“I realize and appreciate that some of you may feel uncomfortable about having to share the burdens of this benefit plan reduction we’re making. I know because I am experiencing this cutback as well, but for now we all need to pull together in order to survive and grow. I fully understand the added stress this decision may put on you and your family and can assure you we will make some mid-air corrections at the first possible opportunity” is better than an announcement slip in the pay envelope!

     This is not to suggest you mollycoddle (I do love that word!) every employee sensitivity or cave in to every wimpy request. But it does mean that it’s important to the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health of your organization to recognize and appreciate that leadership is often defined by one’s ability to relate to and mobilize others. The “relate to” part has to do with sensitivity.

     True leaders know their followers. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they play to the strengths. They know how and when to challenge, and how to get the most productive efforts from each because they start with sensitivity…and then apply detective skills.

     You cannot motivate others for maximum effectiveness without knowing what makes them “tick” and without knowing what their current needs are. A trophy or plaque means nothing to someone struggling to afford new tires. A cash bonus is meaningless to someone who’s just inherited a big bank account.

     It doesn’t take as much effort as you might think to stay in touch with what your peoples’ lives are all about, and you need not step off the deep end of socializing to know how to reward and challenge appropriately and productively. 

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      . . . I’m open to your input anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thank you for visiting. Good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

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May 02 2009

SMALL BUSINESS STIMULUS BUDGETING

“It Don’t Matter To Me!”

                                                                              

     That song title should be your answer (aside from the ungrammatical “don’t”) to any question about who’s to blame for this economy. All that matters in the end is what you are doing about it for your own business or professional practice.

     Whether you’re a doctor, a retailer, a small-size manufacturer, a distributor, agent, or service provider, it’s time to take a hard look at how you are dealing with your current spending plans. This, for example, is NOT the time to fold up the sales and customer service training rug and store it in the basement. Besides the fact that basement-stored rugs attract mold and mildew, there are better solutions.

     Check in with your local community college or adult education program for an inexpensive training option. Or, do it yourself! Or round-up a team of masters or doctoral students from a nearby university to put a program together for you.

     Many internship programs across the country award academic credits for firsthand real-life experiences. A combination of business and education or psychology majors should be able to package a good motivational training program for your business. Some training is better than no training!

     Just be sure you present such a program in the right light and discourage over-the-top expectations. Help your people to see such an occasion as an opportunity to foster idea exchanges and teamwork, instead of setting up training quality judgements. Point out that what they will get from any program is what they end up putting into it.

     Speaking of motivation, remember that small frequent rewards (like family entertainment arrangements and lunch invitations) are more meaningful in the overall scheme of things than high-priced permanent rewards (like salary/benefit increases).

     Look at ways to promote your business without having to bite the media advertising bullet that will undoubtedly break a tooth if not your wallet. www.BizBrag.com is a terrific free site to register with and post free news releases and newsy photos — every day if you like!

     People are selling everything under the sun on Twitter these days. Also for free. You need tenacious endurance to make Twitter work for you, but it will if you will. Didn’t tenacious endurance get you to where you are anyway? 

     Are you asking people in your family to help you with certain tasks that will help free up your time so you can be more focused on sales, for example? Maybe retired Uncle Harvey wouldn’t mind at all coming in a few times a week to do some light cleaning (in exchange for some sports tickets or a couple of dinners out) to help offset custodial service fees?

     Cover the tax-deductible cost of some business books for your college student son, daughter, neice, nephew, or cousin in exchange for some office, fieldwork or factory floor interns? Combine expenses with neighboring businesses? Shared transportation and shipping costs, even direct mail postage, advertising, clerical and website maintenance sharing are possible.

     Think it out. Tough it out. But stay focused in the process, and stimulate your OWN budget!    

# # #      

      . . . I’m open to your input anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thank you for visiting. Good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

FREE BLOG SUBSCRIPTION? Click on ”Posts RSS Feed” (Center Column). FEELING CREATIVE? Visit the daily growing 7-Word Story (That’s now 231 days in the making) and add your own 7 words: http://halalpiar.com/?page_id=157

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Apr 30 2009

THE 25-HOUR DAY!

The 25-Hour Day:

                                        

Work, Sleep or Play?

                                                                                            

     I am about to find more hours in the day to get something important done that I’ve been choosing to backseat since December. I know, I can almost hear all those sharp little skeptical, sarcastic comments now. But, you know what? I’m going to make more time anyway.

     Here’s the background: This is my 311th blog post in the past 370 days, and almost all of those missed were in the first couple of months. It takes me 1-2 hours every night to write, edit, post and cross-promote visitors to the blog through posts on other sites and networks.

     Kathy gave me a webcam for Christmas, and I haven’t made the time to use it or play with it enough to make it be a useful tool. Fridays are the slowest nights for blog visits. Makes sense, right? Who sits around on Friday nights reading blogs?

     Beginning tomorrow, Friday, May 1, 2009, I am going to stop writing Friday blog posts and use the time to start mastering the webcam and applications of it so that I can develop and deliver a series of video clips that will slowly replace Friday night written posts over the next 4-6 weeks, and serve a myriad of other business and educational purposes as well.

     I am working with a range of topics to help:

  • Jumpstart entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ventures without investors 
  • Offer step-at-a-time tight-budget marketing how-to’s for business owners and managers 
  • Boost professional practice development for doctors and allied medical science and health professionals 
  • Spell out proven personal and professional growth and development strategies and tactics for small business and corporate executives that will increase sales 
  • Provide little-known proven job-hunting (and hiring) tips 
  • Reveal the secrets of keeping “family” in the family business during hard times 
  • Lay out a complete menu of practical and realistic ways to grow business in a stagnant economy

. . . among many other “here-and-now” subjects.

     I am planning to create and produce a few series of fast-paced and provocative 3-5 minute video clips. 

     I will greatly appreciate your ideas and feedback about the 3 top topics you would most like to see addressed, and the kinds of input you think would be most helpful to you. The more specific you can be with your suggestions and questions, the more specific I can be with my suggestions and answers. I look forward to hearing from you (email address below; phone number and mailing address at www.TheWriterWorks.com

# # #      

      . . . I’m open to your input anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thank you for visiting. Good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

FREE BLOG SUBSCRIPTION? Click on ”Posts RSS Feed” (Center Column). FEELING CREATIVE? Visit the daily growing 7-Word Story (That’s now 230 days in the making) and add your own 7 words: http://halalpiar.com/?page_id=157

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Apr 29 2009

SELF-DOUBT UNDERMINES SALES SUCCESS

Not sure of yourself?

                                   

You are breeding failure!

                                                                                               

     Data fusion company Jigsaw says, Sales success depends on sales rep productivity, management effectiveness, and the ability to collaborate…with customers, partners and colleagues.”  

     What’s the connection with self-doubt? Sales rep productivity, management effectiveness, and the ability to collaborate ALL depend on the ability to eliminate self-doubt. Consider the following which you’ve certainly heard, but probably don’t believe. Maybe you think it’s not important enough to actually addreess for more than ten seconds. But it is.

Everything in existence is in existence

only because it exists in your brain.

     If you think you’re not sure of yourself, or your ideas, or your abilities to pull off that big sale, or achieve that far-reaching goal, or dig yourself out of the hole you’re in, you can be sure you’ll succeed at not succeeding.

     Every single second that your mind drifts to doubtful feelings, you are pulling yourself deeper into defeat. Every second you can reverse that feeling counts for getting two seconds closer to success. How can you reverse a negative tide that’s sweeping through you, or under you, over or around you? The answer may sound trite, especially to those low on energy or willpower, but it is fact.

     You must start by learning and using every tidbit of information you can possibly know about you! You are the only person on Earth who knows what makes you tick, but you’ve probably set yourself up thousands of times to sweep what you know about the real you under your own rug!

     If you can know the thoughts, ideas, circumstances, people, environments, feelings, comments, memories, awarenesses, and emotions that weaken you, you are half-way to conquering self-doubt. Work at it. The most self-assured people in the world work at this nonstop for their lifetimes. Fears never go away, but the awareness of what triggers fear can be controlled.

     We’re not talking about simple rationalization here. You can’t read this and then go about your merry way being suddenly transformed and confident. You CAN, however, make a commitment to yourself that you will work at it and keep working at it because fear sucks! Because fear creates self-doubt and self-doubt will make a loser of you, and that itself is a fear to eliminate.

     How successful do you truly think you could be with both hands tied behind your back and a bag over your head? Yet, being afraid and choosing to set yourself up for self-doubt to keep creeping in is creating the same impossible, insurmountable degree of handicap. So the next step is to keep reminding yourself that the feelings that are holding you back, that are threatening to you are ones you somehow choose.

     Take some deep breaths http://halalpiar.com/?page_id=35 and collect yourself and remind yourself that no one knows more than you about you and the ways you do the things you do, so no one else can make choices for you. Choose to rise above it all. Choose to make it work. Choose to make it easy. Choose to be the success you are capable of being. Choose to appreciate your SELF! 

# # #      

      . . . I’m open to your input anytime: Hal@TheWriterWorks.com (”Businessworks” in the subject line) or comment below. Thank you for visiting. Good night and God bless you! halalpiar  # # # 

FREE BLOG SUBSCRIPTION? Click on ”Posts RSS Feed” (Center Column). FEELING CREATIVE? Visit the daily growing 7-Word Story (That’s now 229 days in the making) and add your own 7 words: http://halalpiar.com/?page_id=157

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Apr 26 2009

HOW TO MAKE YOUR GOALS WORK

Rule 1: Chunk it up!

 

If your job is to paint the Brooklyn Bridge, and your goal is to paint the Brooklyn Bridge, you’ll never make it!. If, on the other hand, your goal is to paint the first 100 feet of cable on the northeast quadrant by one week from Friday, and the first 100 feet of cable on the southwest quadrant by two weeks from Friday, and so on, and keep it flexible based on weather, etc, you will undoubtedly succeed.

If you put “clean house” on your list, it won’t happen. If you chunk it up into a series of small tasks like vacuum the second floor carpets, fold and put away the laundry, wash the first floor windows on the front of the house, de-clutter the kitchen counter, and so on, you will have much greater success.

Being specific and reducing the monster chores to small individual tasks not only keeps you on track, it serves to motivate as well because you’ll gain a sense of accomplishment each time you complete an item and cross it off your list (use a second color, by the way, to be able to still read what was on the list and keep track at the end of the day).

And interruptions? Life is an interruption! When interruptions come along add them to your list. (You run into a bee’s nest while painting the bridge and it takes an extra hour to get rid of it? Add “get rid of bee’s nest” to your list and then cross it out when you’ve taken care of it. While washing the first floor windows, you notice an overgrown shrub that’s scratching against the house siding? Add “trim overgrown shrub in front” to your list and cross it out when you’ve taken care of it.)

Keep reviewing your list of goals to see better ways to chunk it up. As you achieve or complete each chunk, cross it out, and add new chunks. Never-ending? Yes, goal-setting, like exercise and eating right, require commitment to changing your lifestyle. No one achieves their goals by dabbling with them. If you’re serious about goal-setting and pursuits, you need to be constantly monitoring them.

It helps to have a weekly checklist of goal criteria to be certain that you’re on track with keeping your goals specific, flexible, realistic, and due-dated. Without all four of these criteria, you have only a wish. Wishes, like hopes, get us nowhere. Action gets us somewhere. Any action is better than no action. Chunking up what you need to do and where you need to go works light year’s better than “paint the bridge” and “clean the house.” Now apply the same dynamics to your business and business planning.

# # #

Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Make today a GREAT Day for Someone !

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Apr 21 2009

CERTA BONUM CERTAMEN (Latin)

“Fight The Good Fight!”

                                                                                         

(English translation)

             

     Now how did I know that? It’s the motto for Iona College in New Rochelle, NY, where I received my undergraduate degree. Why is it headlining tonight’s blog post? Because it’s a well-intended slogan that speaks of strength in life, but is fairly ridiculous when it’s interpreted as a call to business owner action.

     In fact, the American mindset of jam-it-down-their-throats competitiveness that rises from football fields nationwide is arguably the real root of all evil in business today. Waging war with the competition. Fighting the government. Beating up on your industry. Breaking down customer resistance. Smashing prior sales records. Kicking regulatory butts. Arguing tooth and nail.

     Are we really all that angry with what’s around us? Are we going to bed and waking up mad? Or is it all a big act? Are we covering up our true feelings? Are we blindsiding ourselves out of commission? What do all these upset-feeling words communicate? Is business really that big of a battle?

     YES. If you choose it to be. YES, if you choose to be too weak-willed to cut out your own path. YES, if you choose to think there’s no way to peaceably co-exist with other businesses. YES, if you choose to look around you and see only enemies. Everyone is NOT the enemy. Don’t choose that perception.

     You already know FDR’s famous “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” quote. We’ve even hear cartoon character Ziggy proclaim “We should enjoy here while we’re here because there’s no here there.” Yet we persist at being fearful. We invest ourselves in neurotic and paranoiac behaviors that require us to take argumentative stances in our daily dealings.

     How can you pull your spiraling business up out of this never-ending, bottomless hole of fear that things won’t work out, things won’t survive unless you do battle somewhere with something or someone, and conquer it, or her, or him, or they?

     Here’s how: You start by acknowledging that the bad choices are choices. You start by realizing it’s just as easy to choose receptivity and positiveness, and cooperation, and business alliances. It’s just as easy to join forces as to fight forces, in fact it’s easier.

     It is FEAR that’s threatening your business. And you are CHOOSING fear. Change the channel in your brain. Get rid of mental boxing, wrestling, and mixed martial arts. Get rid of non-stop news reports. Just shut ’em down. It’s a choice. Why would you choose to torture and stress yourself?

     If any news event is major enough to warrant your attention, someone in your neighborhood will come knocking at your door to tell you. In the meantime, your news fixation is paralyzing you and your business. It’s locking your brain into negativity and preventing forward motion.

     QUIT THE NEWS FOR JUST ONE WEEK! The world will not end (and in case it does, you won’t have wasted time worrying about it) and you stand to gain/re-gain consciousness. Don’t “fight the good fight” unless you mean to choose self-worth and life’s values over evil and stress. Your business needs you. Your family needs you. You need your SELF.    

# # #

                                                         

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Hal@Businessworks.US or 302.933.0116

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

5 responses so far

Apr 20 2009

IBM, Babe Ruth and Thomas Edison

“Your success in life will

                                             

depend on what you do

                                                                              

after you do what you

                                                                              

are expected to do!”

                                                                                                
— FROM A STORY TOLD BY INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED
AUTHOR AND MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER BRIAN TRACY
                                                                                                               

     In its heyday, upstart computer giant IBM had a rallying cry that reverberated throughout the entire sales and customer service industry. The words, “The sale begins after the sale is made!” set the tone for an entire generation of customer service based sales and customer relationship management that followed.

     IBM support people were said to literally descend from the sky in parachutes within an hour of any service call. In fact, we are still following this tenacious, persistent, kill ’em with kindness, build-that-database, get-that-return-sale attitude. And actually, it’s more pronounced now than ever, ushered in by lightening fast advances in hi-tech and media communications, and the rapid advances in consumer savvyism.

     What does this mean for you, the entrepreneur, you the small business and professional practice owner/manager? Here are some thoughts to think:

     Brian Tracy’s quote at the top says it best. The point is that you who own/run a business are of necessity, engaged in sales. Keeping sales and production (that’s service production as well as product production) in balance is part of the alltime great entrepreneurial challenge. The whole world admires a one-man-band, but that doesn’t make producing the music any easier.

     Going the extra mile is what it’s all about. Moving forward even when you think you can’t is what it’s all about. Greatness has only ever come from those who pushed onward in the face of major losses, and who did it again and again.

     Edison tried unsuccessfully to invent the lightbulb 9,999 times before defeating the darkness. Babe Ruth’s incredible home run record was matched only by his incredible strikeout record. We all know and have seen many of the great Olympic performance hero stories. Each has always involved taking the extra step, even when all hope seems lost. 

     When you’ve completed what others (partners, family, employees, customers, vendors, industry and community associates) expect you to do, keep doing! Starting in a half hour before others and staying a half hour later is a good beginning. Making better use of time scheduling and delegating is another.

     Regardless of the tools you choose, it’s what’s under your hat that makes the difference…and the overriding awareness that whatever you do to exceed expectations is 100% your own choice. No one else will choose success for you and make it happen. But you can do both! Starting now.   

 Good Night and God Bless You!  halalpiar     

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Apr 18 2009

HAPPINESS SELLS!

 “Happiness runs

                                        

       in a circular motion…”

                                                                 

 From ’60s songster Donovan: “Happiness runs in a circular motion; life is but a little boat upon the sea…” 

 

     And (sorry to burst your ad agency’s bubble) HAPPINESS produces sales quicker thanall the ads and promotional materials and sales spiels and websites put together. Ticking off logical product/service features and gulping down huge doses of emotional triggers don’t make sales happen as fast as genuine feelings of happiness that are contagious . . . from ANY one in your organization to ANY one who is an existing customer or prospect.

     That’s not to say you don’t NEED all that traditional and nontraditional support material, but remember that it IS “support material” and that  N~O~T~H~I~N~G  replaces the value of spreading happiness around.

     Great! you say, but where’s the “Happy Button” you’re supposed to push? It’s not like Staple’s “That Was Easy” button (which of course never made anything easy) and sometimes my people or I just feel plain old crummy and we’re simply not happy. So there’s no happiness to pass around. Period. 

     Brrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt! The buzzer says you’re wrong!

                                                                                                                        

     Happiness is ALWAYS present. It’s your job to go get it!

Here are 5 STEPS TO A HAPPIER YOU WHO WILL SELL MORE. In fact, if you get TRULY and GENUINELY happier than you were yesterday, I guarantee you you’ll sell more than you did yesterday. Guaranteed! Ready? Here you go:

1) CHOOSE TO STOP SEEING THE SEA OF NEGATIVITY THAT’S ALL AROUND YOU AS NEGATIVE! Click that mental radio station in your head from 24-hour news (which is always negative) to easy listening music. And remember that no one else controls your stations or channel selector or tone and volume settings! No one else decides what goes on inside your head but YOU!

2) CHOOSE TO EXPERIENCE THE NEGATIVE PEOPLE IN YOUR LIFE AS NEEDY INSTEAD OF NEGATIVE. Think of them as people who need and are waiting for some positive sign from you — a word, a look, a touch that encourages, reassures. It might only take one positive sign from you for them to become positive themselves. They have a NEED to think and feel more positive. You can make the difference. You have the power.

3) FIX YOUR SIGHTS ON “HERE & NOW.” Take some deep breaths and pay attention to what’s right in front of you with each passing moment. Work to put the past (more than a minute ago) behind you and the future (more than one minute from now) off to the side. Both are fantasy. Reality is the present moment only!

4) SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVE MUSIC AND POSITIVE PEOPLE. Unfortunately, there’s not ever really enough positive music, but it IS out there. Find it. Dig it out. Put it on your ipod. Put it in your head. It’s your choice, no one else’s. Hum it. Sing it. Whistle it. Write out the lyrics. Program it into your brain. Positive people? They’re everywhere. Put your antennas up!     

5) TRY RECITING ALOUD A PRESENT TENSE GOAL STATEMENT THAT SOUNDS SOMETHING LIKE THE FOLLOWING, AND DO IT REPEATEDLY — WHEN YOU AWAKE, WHEN YOU SHOWER, WHEN YOU EXERCISE, WHEN YOU COMMUTE, WHEN YOU GO TO BED, AS YOU WALK. Something LIKE (make up your own!): “I am happy and healthy and physically fit. I am alert, safe and sound, wealthy, pain-free, emotionally clear, XYZ pounds, and I am selling more everyday by making everyone around me happier. Happiness is my path!”

Doubtful? Skeptical? Don’t be! It works! I have many hundreds of examples to prove it. Try it! What’s the worst could happen? You’ll be less miserable? HA! Start today and sell more tomorrow! (and it’s FREE!)

                                    

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Hal@Businessworks.US or 302.933.0116

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

  

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