Curt Skene - Something to Think About

Are you monetizing your minutes?

2009-08-21T23:04:00.002-04:00

One of the biggest challenges executives in transition struggle with is turning their efforts into dollars. True, everyone is networking, linking in, twittering and creating elevator pitches but are these efforts getting results? Honestly, I have been on LinkedIn for years and I bet less than 10 people have ever cultivated my list and asked for referrals. As a career coach I have listened to hundreds of elevator pitches and sadly they are the same old thing… Here’s who I am, here’s what I did and here’s what I want. Employers don’t care! They want to know one thing… How will their life be different with you in it!

Let me ask you, what would happen if you did the basics in career search better than anyone else? What would happen if you made sure every activity was targeted to your success? Would you create more chances and close that dream career opportunity sooner then your competition? Being successful is about monetizing every minute of your search. Your intro needs to excite them, your stories need to impress them and most importantly your defining statement needs to demonstrate why they need you more then anyone else. This is a job market where being good just won’t cut it because there are too many good people competing against you!

Everyone in transition has tough decisions to make and you need to be making them. Is your resume strong enough to stand alone? If its not then you have to find ways that make the employer desire you long before they see your resume. You also need to ask whether you are communicating your expertise as best as you can? Experts build brand that attracts opportunity to them. For example, are you standing up in groups and presenting yourself as a compelling thought leader? As I have said to a number of execs, an effective career search is definitely a full contact sport

Execs in transition need to take a hard look at every activity they do and ask it’s effectively monetizing their time? One trap I see happening is people become support group addicts. They have their Monday session, their Tuesday evening session, their Wednesday coffee club and the list grows on! What if you decided to only go to one group a week and you took that extra time to attend another networking event where the people who can hire you go?

Let’s be clear there is a time to help and there is a time to ask for help! One of the biggest faults I have noticed that today people do all this helping but they are reluctant to ask for help in return. Keep in mind this is your life we are talking about and there are people out there who can help you if they simply know what you need.

Now this last tip may surprise you but I want you to take some of your time to play really hard. A career transition is stressful, its humbling, and for more than a few it can be devastating to the ego so you need to find a release. What do you think would happen if you really worked hard for three and a half days and then let loose doing something that rejuvenated your mind body spirit. You need to find balance or the stress will show through when you least needed it to.

Here’s to your success!

Curt Skene is a popular speaker across North America and a powerful career coach to over 40 people in career transition. His website is www.curtskene.com

How Can You Become The Expert?

2009-08-03T18:24:00.005-04:00

In a crowded world where everybody is fighting to be noticed, what makes professionals stand out? Is it their looks, their personality or their expertise? I will admit I really do like good looking people and I do like people who are fun to be with but in the end the most important thing I need is people who can help me move my business forward. I mention this because I believe people have to become brilliant at branding their expertise more than anything else. This is especially true the more one moves up the corporate ladder.
When you face a glut in the market (i.e. lots of choice available) it really is a risky proposition to simply hope you will be perceived to be better over the matter of a few meetings. Sadly because of the glut there are lots of great people available to do what you do. In fact, in the last few months I have witnessed many situations where great people took home the silver medal because companies perceived there was someone else who was just a little better. I know it’s not fair but perception beats reality nine times out of ten.

So here’s something I want you to remember… “There is no exact definition for what makes someone the expert but there is a perception of who the experts are. Expertise is a brand that is created when you take deep knowledge and couple it with an industry reputation of knowing how to apply it. However, you don’t really have to be the expert but you do have to be perceived as the expert.

So what are you doing to create the perception that you are the expert that can make the difference?

First off, experts must stand for something because no one can be amazing at everything. Wayne Gretzky was amazing at putting the puck in the net. Technically he was a lousy skater, he sure wasn’t tough but when it came to scoring goals he was the expert. You need to look at your market and decide where your strengths need to be. While it may seem like a scary proposition the law of sacrifice says “you have to give up something to get something.” Once you have decided where your expertise lies set a plan to grow your skills every day. It doesn’t take a lot of time just 30-60 minutes each and every day and I guarantee you will be an expert in no time at all.

Once you have developed a body of knowledge you must then create a strategy to communicate your expertise to the world. You can create a website, write a blog, speak to groups, create audio/video clips or simply start asking brilliant questions that define you as an industry thought leader. The key is to do something every week that reaches out to others and builds up your brand as the expert. If you write a blog then invite people to read it. If you post audio/video clips then tag them with keywords and link them to your website. If you write articles make sure you place them where your target companies will read them.

Your goal is to create a pull strategy whereby companies are drawn to your expertise before you even know who they are. What you need is your brand to start pulling opportunities in like your recruiting efforts were in cruise control. Soon you should notice is that as your brand begins to distinguish you, companies will start to perceive you as the best one to solve their problems. Remember the Law of Perception says “it’s not a battle of skills but a battle of perception as to who offers more value that often wins.”

The Eyes Have It!

2009-06-08T03:13:00.006-04:00

This article essentially mirrored what I was going to say so instead of re-inventing i have copied it and left all of the "credits" intact.

By Roger Ellerton Phd, ISP, CMC, Renewal Technologies Inc. www.renewal.ca

Have you ever noticed that people’s eyes move when they are thinking? This is valuable information that can provides us with clues as to whether they are thinking in pictures, sounds, feelings or talking to themselves. Or in other words, information about their lead and preferred representational systems.

William James (Principles of Psychology, 1890) first suggested that internal representations and eye movements may be related. This observation was not explored further until the 1970’s when Richard Bandler, John Grinder, Robert Dilts and others conducted further experimentation in this area.

According to neurological research, eye movement both laterally and vertically seems to be associated with activating different parts of the brain. In the neurological literature, these movements are called lateral eye movements (LEM) and in NLP we call them eye accessing cues because they give us insights as to how people are accessing information.

To get an idea how your eyes move, consider the following questions. For each question, as you think of the answer, notice the direction(s) your eyes move (up down or to the side) or if your eyes do not seem to move notice if you have a sense that you are looking in a certain direction (even if only for a fraction of a second).

What is the colour of your front door?

What will you look like in 15 years?

What does your favourite music sound like?

What would your voice sound like if you had marbles in your mouth?

When you talk to yourself, what type of voice do you use?

What does it feel like to be in a nice warm bath?

Did you notice your eyes had a tendency to look up for the first two questions, to the side for the next two questions and down for the last two questions? In general, if you are making a picture in your mind your eyes will tend to go up to the left or the right, for sounds laterally to the left or right, and down to the left or right for feelings or when you talk to yourself.

More specifically, if you are right-handed, you may have noticed the following (for people who are left handed, interchange left and right in the following text):

Question 1 - eyes up and to your left. This is a question about something you have seen before and hence you remembered it -- visual remembered (VR).

Question 2 - eyes up and to your right. This is a question about something that I assume you have not seen before and hence you constructed this picture - visual constructed (VC).

Question 3 - eyes on the horizontal plane to your left. This is a question about something you have heard before - auditory remembered (AR).

Question 4 - eyes on the horizontal plane to your right. This is a question about something you have not heard before - auditory constructed (AC).

Question 5 - eyes down and to the left. This is a question about your self talk - auditory digital (Ad).

Question 6 - eyes down and to the right. This is a question about your feelings- kinesthetic (K).
Note: The above eye patterns are how your eyes would move if you are right-handed. The following picture describes the eye patterns for a right-handed person as you look at them - please note this distinction. These patterns are fairly consistent across all races, with the possible exception of the Basques, who appear to have a number of exceptions to the rule. For many left-handed people, the chart is reversed i.e. mirror image.

Eye Pattern Chart Looking at the Other Person

If you would like to have some fun with your friends or family, here are some other questions you can take turns asking each other - or you can make up your own.

Visual Remembered - What is the colour of the shirt you wore yesterday? Which of your friends has the shortest hair?
Visual Constructed - What would your room look like if it were painted yellow with big purple circles? Can you imagine the top half of a tiger on the bottom half of an elephant?
Auditory Remembered - What does your best friend’s voice sound like? Which is louder, your door bell or your telephone?
Auditory Constructed - What will your voice sound like in 10 years? What would it sound like if you played your two favourite pieces of music at the same time?
Auditory Digital - What is something you continually tell yourself? What are your thoughts about this article?
Kinesthetic - What does it feel like to walk barefoot on a cool sandy beach? What does it feel like when you rub your fingers on sandpaper?

People’s Eyes do not Always Move
Sometimes people’s eyes do not move and this may be due to:
Look to talk rule: Some people have a look to talk rule. That is, when you are making eye contact with them, they will also look at you and their eyes will seem not to move or move very slightly and quickly. What may be happening in this situation, is that they are defocusing their eyes so that their ‘internal’ eye can look in the appropriate direction.
Near term memory. If the answer is something that is well-known to the person (i.e. What is their name?) or is a recent observation, then they do not need to search for the answer and their eyes will not move.

Using Eye Patterns to Assess Truthfulness or Congruence
If a person is describing something that they have seen or heard, then their eyes should primarily move to visual or auditory remembered. However if a person is making something up, then their eyes will tend to move to visual or auditory constructed, indicating that the person is constructing some part of the situation they are describing. This may indicate that the person is uncertain or untruthful about what they are thinking.

Be careful assuming someone is untruthful. For example, suppose you asked me a question about something that I had never thought about before. To formulate an answer, I may have to look at or hear one or more pieces of true information in a way that I had never done so before. In this situation, I would be constructing an answer and my eyes would most likely move to visual or auditory constructed.

Lead and Preferred Representational Systems
People have habitual eye movements related to their lead and preferred representational systems. I am right-handed and my lead system is auditory digital. If you were to ask me, what is the colour of my front door, my eyes would first go down to my left (auditory digital) before going up to my left (visual remembered). Why? Because the first thing I would do is repeat the question and make sense of it (auditory digital), and then get the answer (visual remembered).
In a similar manner, if your lead system is visual and I asked you what does it feel like to be in a nice warm bath, you would probably get a picture of being in the bath (visual remembered) before accessing the feeling.

Your preferred representational system is the sensory modality (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, auditory digital) you use to organize and understand some experience or situation. If I am speaking to someone or giving a presentation and I notice that their eyes keep going up to visual, even if I am not using visual words or pictures, then this is a clue that they may be forming visual internal representations and their preferred representational system is visual. On the other hand if their eyes are tracking on the horizontal plane, then they are processing in sounds and their preferred representational system is auditory. If their eyes are going down, then they may be processing kinesthetically or making sense if what I am saying (auditory digital). If in addition, their eyes are going down to the right and they are right-handed, then their preferred representational system is most likely kinesthetic.

Building Your Confidence in Reading Eye Accessing Cues
There are a number of ways to practice reading eye accessing cues, here are two:
Practice with your friends (with their permission): Watch their eye accessing cues and then verify your observations with them.
Watch talk shows on TV (make sure it is spontaneous and not rehearsed.). This is a great way to practice as you can stare at the people on the TV and it will not bother them at all. Notice if there is a relationship between where the person looks and the predicates they use i.e. if the person’s eyes are looking up, do they tend to use more visual words?

And NLP is Much more than that!
Author: Roger Ellerton is a certified NLP trainer, certified management consultant and the founder and managing partner of Renewal Technologies. He can be reached at Renewal Technologies http://www.renewal.ca/index.html. The above article is an extract from his book Live Your Dreams - Let Reality Catch Up: NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You.
Copyright © 2004, Renewal Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up: NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You by Roger Ellerton is rapidly becoming the standard for introducing NLP and is a valuable resource of proven techniques and concepts for managers and coaches. Parents and those in the helping professions, indeed anyone looking for personal improvement or assisting others with personal change, are also finding great value in this book. Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.indigo.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble and other fine book retailers.

What If You Planned For More Laughter?

2009-06-04T09:07:00.007-04:00

Did you ever notice how positive laughter can be in our life? Strangers become friends because they share a joke. Old wounds heal because laughter makes one forget. That which ailed us disappears instantly because laughter really is the best form of medicine. Simply put, I think we all need more laughter in our life. If you think back through your life which moments stick out the most? I bet it’s the times where laughter got the best of you and you never forgot how great that felt.

So anyways there I was thinking to myself, if laughter is so great why the heck don’t we invite more of it into our lives and why don’t we make more of an effort to make others laugh?

Imagine, just for a moment… what if we did?

When you make fun of yourself, you disempower others.

Laughter dissolves tension, stress, anxiety, irritation, anger, grief, and depression. Like crying, laughter lowers inhibitions, allowing the release of pent-up emotions.

Medical researches have found that laughter boosts the immune system. If we know stress will kill us then laughter must keep us alive.

Laughter releases endorphins that make us feel great.

Laughter helps integrate both hemispheres of our brain, for the left hemisphere is used to decipher the verbal content of a joke while the right hemisphere interprets whether it is funny or not.

Laughter adds spice to life.

Develop your sense of laughter and you will find you are more productive, a better communicator, and a superior team player.

Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh. The more you share laughter the more friends you will have.

Laughter brings the balance we need to get through the turbulence of life comfortably.10. Laughter is even equivalent to a small amount of exercise. It massages all the organs of the body.

Laughter can help you accept the inevitable, rise to any challenge, handle the unexpected and come out of any difficulty smiling.

But here’s the clincher, the "piece de resistance" laughter helps our customer see us in a positive light. Not only will they like us more but they will like what we do. Just try to be critical when you are laughing and smiling it’s practically impossible to do.

Plain and simple people just see the world differently when they are in a happy place.

So this month ask yourself, where can I plan to include more laughter? Is there a funny story you can share? Is there a funny perspective you can offer? Just do something to make your customer laugh and I bet they will invite you to be a bigger part of their life!

Just to be clear because I know someone reading this is thinking it. Yes, there is a time and place for laugher. All I am saying is plan for more laughter, take more chances to make others laugh and you just may find that these grey days of a crappy economy may instantly get a little brighter.

What If You Did Something?

2009-05-01T11:11:00.009-04:00

SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION: If you are looking for a business coach who helps you work through your business or career challenges please call me. I have twice been recognized worldwide for my business development programs/strategies. The fact I am also a certified hypnotist just adds even more power to my program.

Have you ever noticed that some companies (or people) can be masters at doing nothing when it comes to the things they know they should be doing? Some are so good at doing nothing they can justify it to a point that it almost makes sense. I hear things like, we don’t have the time, we don’t have the resources, we can’t find the perfect person, we need to oversee everything, trust me when it comes to doing nothing I’ve heard every excuse in the book. But the bottom line is if you want to get ahead you gotta do something!

I share this with you because today I found myself listening to another myriad of excuses as to why doing something would be practically impossible. In listening I was wondering if these folks had so much money they could simply afford to do nothing but I knew that wasn’t true. Now I know these companies stuck with doing nothing are smart companies. I have a ton of respect for the leaders but for some reason they are stuck.

I think one thing that happens is we tend to get overwhelmed at the thought of doing something because we feel whatever we do must be perfect. But hold on… don’t we teach our kids its better to do something rather than nothing? As parents don’t we talk endlessly about the virtues of giving something a fair chance?

Of course there is also the infamous, “I don’t have the time to do something.” “Yes, I know I should do something but I am just too darned busy doing other things.” Now to a logical person I can imagine how that might make sense however when you dig deeper you often find that the things they are busy doing is not anywhere near as important as the things they are not doing. In reality, I think most of us, including me, could easily stop doing 20% of the things we are doing today and life would still go on and of course we could then do something we need to be doing with our new found time.

Quite honestly, I used to excel at doing nothing too but then I learned the simple secret of doing something, doing one thing each and every day that would move me forward. It’s much like the financial principal of paying yourself first. What do you think would happen if you found thirty minutes to do something every day? How long do you think it would take before the benefits would pay off? My bet is that in less than thirty days you would see a real tangible difference in your business.

Now another challenge I find stems from our perception that in order to do something we need 100% control because we all know no one can do something quite like we can. My simple advice is to simply get over it. So what if something isn’t perfect the first time it’s done. At least you took a step in the right direction. Giving up control was extremely hard for me because I really liked the way I did things. However, when I got over myself and started to look a little more objectively I realized that while things weren’t quite like I would have done it, the work was still good and more importantly it was something that would move me forward.

30 Questions To Help You Attract Your Dream Career Opportunity

2009-04-22T03:44:00.007-04:00

NOTE: Feel free to contact me if you want help preparing yourself for a brilliant future. I have various career coaching programs available to fit any budget.

Attracting your dream career can be a real challenge for many reasons but with excellent preparation any "reasonable" opportunity can be well within your grasp.

When I counsel career seekers I offer a number of powerful ideas for standing out and making yourself the chosen one. Remember skills and experience are important but that only gets you in the door.

Below is a list of questions that should challenge your thinking and super boost your chances for success!

Feel free to contact me if you want help setting yourself up for a brilliant future. I have various coaching programs available to fit any budget.

1) How can you create WOW?
2) How can you make your value more visible?
3) What are the career search “basics” you need to do brilliantly?
4) What specifically does your dream career look like?
5) Where do the people you need to meet hang out?
6) What obstacles are currently standing in your way?
7) What business is your dream employer really in?
8) What are the three things they must know about you?
9) What great questions can you ask?
10) What is your 8-second elevator message?
11) Whose help do you need in order to be successful?
12) What is the “after photo” you can create in the employer’s mind?
13) What “else” do you have to offer this employer?
14) What career search activities do you need to keep track of and commit to?
15) How can you get their attention in this busy world?
16) How can you anticipate the employer’s needs better?
17) What would make your dream employer seek you out?
18) Who is your hero and what would they do in this situation?
19) How could you go against tradition?
20) What should you stop, start and do more of?
21) How can you be more personal in your approach?
22) How can you think inside the box?
23) What tough decisions do you have to make?
24) How can you be more fun?
25) How else might you be able to help?
26) What’s changed in the world and what might change?
27) How well do you know this employer?
28) What can you be better at?
29) What did you learn today and how can you apply it tomorrow?
30) How can you be more memorable?

What if you said things a little differently?

2009-01-29T12:59:00.014-05:00

I am pretty sure you may have heard the expression, “if you keep doing the same thing you are going to keep getting the same result.” Well that is true for the things we say as well.

So what do you think would happen if you started saying things differently? Let me give you an example. In my speaking business I want people to know that I am a great speaker, easy to deal with, fun, exciting and affordable. Now I could run around and yell out to everyone but how many other speakers do you think are saying the exact same thing? If you said lots, my bet is you're right! So in reality my message would be lost in a crowd of same sayers, just like everyone else. So, if I ask you to think about your business, do you really think your competition is saying things much different than you? I doubt it.

So in order to be different in my message, here is one way I flipped things around to say it differently:

TOP 10 REASONS WHY MEETING PLANNERS MIGHT NOT HIRE CURT
10. They find the sound of audience laughter and clapping very annoying!

9. They really like the idea of spending twice as much on someone half as good!

8. They enjoy the thrill of not knowing how things will turn out!

7. They believe compliments, congratulations and accolades are overrated anyways!

6. They know learning new things should never be this fun and exciting!

5. They are hoping Brad Pitt or Jennifer Anniston will reconsider!

4. They want their audience to be extremely well rested after the session!

3. They don't believe hiring a great speaker should be this simple!

2. The last thing they need is to get a job promotion!

1. They just didn't know to call Curt first!

It you notice in almost every point I was implying the exact opposite. By simply flipping my message I can accomplish two important things:

because I am saying it differently I am offering a unique spin to my message (and people like unique).

because I am saying something indirectly it is often easier to be accepted by the subconscious mind of the listener.

If you read books on persuasion you will notice how much they talk about the power of indirect communication because the critical mind just doesn’t notice enough to object!

So this month try this exercise out. Think of something you would normally say to promote yourself or your business. Now think of how you could flip it by implying the opposite. Then ask how else could you say it? If you are feeling really brave try to write a paragraph that sounds unique but is essentially saying the same few things in many different ways.

Till next we speak!!

Get Them Saying Yes!

2008-12-18T13:39:00.011-05:00

Article Credit: Kevin Hogan

Whether you want a coworker to help you with a project, or a salesclerk to give you a refund - or anything in between - these tips will help you persuade anyone to do anything.

Use the right word. And that is--FAVOR. This word increases your odds of getting what you want because it shows that you know you're asking someone to make a sacrifice. It also implies that you appreciate their sacrifice, not that you expect it.

Make it interesting. Unusual requests are more likely to be granted than routine ones. For example, in a study done at the University of Pennsylvania, people had more success at collecting 37 cents from strangers than just a quarter. Experts say this is because most people's automatic response is to ignore a request they hear all the time like, "Hey, can you spare a quarter?" If you ask for something out of the ordinary, it piques someone's interest they think you have a good reason for making such a specific request.

Tell them it's OK to refuse. If you say, "I understand if you can't do this," it doubles your chances of getting what you want. By giving someone the illusion of control, they're more inclined to help you out. And here's one last tip from Woman's World magazine: Research shows that people are more likely to grant you a favor between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. That's when they feel most energized, least frazzled and most agreeable.

BONUS THOUGHT... The Yes-Set states that if you ask your customer a series of YES questions they will be more inclined to answer YES to the other “big” questions you are asking.

When Was The Last Time You Took The Time To Reflect On Your Past?

2008-11-19T16:18:00.003-05:00

For me personally, reflection is a very powerful exercise! Reflection gives me time to look back and think of all the things I have learned and experienced and put them into perspective in my life. This year as I turned 40 I took the time to look back through my life and capture some of my own personal life lessons. This little exercise has become a source of great inspiration for me. I am honoured this month to share my lessons with you...

In my first 40 years I learned that …

Death is not about dying but more about learning to live.
Your brain will answer any question you ask of it, all you ever have to do is ask the questions.

Extraordinary experiences will happen when you least expect them and the most extraordinary friends will appear when you most need them.

Good things don’t happen if you just sit back and want for them.
Family isn’t always determined by genetics it’s an honour you can share with those people in your life who mean the most to you.

You really haven’t learned anything until you apply what it is that you know.
The difference between a positive and negative experience is only a shift in thinking away.

You should forgive yourself for who you’ve been and where you are and become the person you have always dreamed you could be.

If you don’t like what you see, change it. If you can’t change it, get over it. If you can change but choose not to, accept it.

People spend too much time thinking about what has already happened and they cannot change, what might happen but never really does or what they should be doing but are not willing to commit to.

Thinking too much can make the most obvious answers seem ridiculously complicated.

Kids are smarter then we give them credit for and adults are dumber then we would ever care to admit.

It took 80 years for the fax machine to be commercially accepted, it took 1,000 mistakes before the light bulb was invented, Post-It notes were discovered by accident, yet in our own life we try something once and determine that it wasn’t meant to be.

The only real difference between our brain and that of a dog is we have the ability to adapt, yet we so seldom change.

Our brain is driven by images; so we need to be able to picture it in order to become it.

We often stop at the first answer we come to, leaving many other alternatives sadly undiscovered.

In 2010 the book of knowledge will double every 11 hours making us feel dumber than we already feel.

Most decisions that we make in our life are based on assumptions that we have allowed ourselves to believe are fact.

No one experiences life quite like we do.

Those who spend their time sitting on the edge without fully experiencing life, will likely die of boredom.

We spend hot days wishing for cold ones and cold days wishing for warm ones, we spend our youth wishing for age and our age wishing for youth and sadly we spend the rest of our time wondering why we are not happy.

The best times in life are dancing with your kids.

When kids fall while learning to walk we hug them and love them for the progress that they made, but as adults if we fall we call it a failure and give up.

Its easier being a parent when you are the child and being a teacher when you are the student.

You don’t need anyone else’s permission to go out and succeed.

There are poor people rich in spirit and rich people poor in spirit.

Waking up tomorrow isn’t ever a sure thing.
A child’s mind is the best invention there ever was.

People don’t always want to hear what you think.

People who are the most successful, have often failed the most.

Broken relationships can be rekindled.

Some of the most admired businesses can go broke in a day.

We spend too much time regretting what we said and too little time making amends.

We will often do anything for others but little for ourself.

Words are a small part of how we actually communicate.

Deaf people are deaf no matter how loud you speak.

You should never live with regret.

Doing “unexpected” nice things can be the best feeling ever.

Credit card companies now yield more power then the Federal Reserve a sure sign that most of us will likely implode.

We live in neighborhoods packed full of houses where nobody knows anyone’s name.

The "Law of Feeling" states that it is not what we know, but how we feel about what we know that gets us to take real action.

On one day it took less than an hour to change the world forever.

Reflection is a wonderful exercise as it keeps us connected with our past and gives us insight for the future. By reflecting we can learn the types of things that excite us, scare us, challenge us and thrill us. This month take some time and reflect on your past, write down your own personal lessons and then look for trends. Did you notice anything interesting? Ask yourself, how will you apply your observations to creating a better future?

Spend some time reflecting on your past, ask yourself what did learn and how can you apply it to your future.

What trends do you see in the things you have captured? Many times we will capture the essence of our true passion.

What are the lessons/insights you want to pass on to your kids or those people in life you care most about?

Do me a favour, if you capture any personal lessons that really opened your eyes, let me know as I would love to share in your learning!

Powerful Mind Laws You Should Know!

2008-11-14T10:26:00.009-05:00

In my keynote I share a number of powerful mind laws that explains/reinforces just how our mind works. Here they are for your reference. NOTE: Not every mind law is discussed in every session.

Law of Expectations.
Your expectations determine your attitude and your attitude determines your reality. You get not what you want in life but what you expect. Always expect the best!

The Law of Feeling.
Every thought we hold in our head is made up of two factors, knowledge and feeling. A thought consists of a piece of knowledge with the charge of a feeling attached to it and it is the feeling alone that gives motivation to the thought. Therefore no matter how important or magnificent the knowledge you acquired may be, if there is not some form of feeling attached to it nothing will happen!

The Law of Emotion.
When emotion and logic are in conflict, emotion will almost always win. That is why every buying decision is 100% emotional. We use reason and logic to justify our buying decisions (to ourselves and others), but our buying decisions are always emotional. We use our logic to justify the illogical. Whatever emotion is dominant during your conversation with the prospective client will determine what the client does. There are two emotions: Desire - Which is to own the product. Fear - Making a mistake or getting the wrong product. Everything that you can do including becoming excited, positive, and absolutely convinced your product is better for the customer increases the customer's rate of desire. Why? Emotions are contagious. "Closing a sale is simply a transfer of enthusiasm." It is when you transfer the desire, the enthusiasm for the product into the mind of the customer that the customer decides to buy!

Law of Reverse Effect.
The harder we try to consciously do something, the more difficult it becomes to do! Therefore the more we try to convince the customer to buy from us, the less likely our chances become.
Law of Reciprocity.One of the most potent of the weapons of influence around us is the rule for reciprocation. The rule says that we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us. NOTE: You cannot force reciprocity; your intention must be genuine in order for reciprocity to be invoked.

Law of Attraction.
We attract whatever we choose to give our attention to--whether wanted or unwanted. This is one of the most powerful laws of the universe. It says that you are a living magnet. You will attract into your life, people, circumstances, opportunities, and customers that are in harmony with your dominant thoughts. Everything you do to get your mind thinking positively and emotionally about something it is that you want or desire will tend to attract into your life people and customers that will help you achieve those goals.

Law of Belief.
Your beliefs become your realities. Since you always act in a manner consistent with your beliefs about yourself, your company, your customers, your work, etc. if you act in a manner consistent with your beliefs then that will become your reality. You can never sell to someone else something you do not believe in. The more you believe in it, the easier it is to convey that conviction to someone else.

Reticular Activating System.
Your reticular activating system is like a filter between your conscious mind and your subconscious mind. It takes instructions from your conscious mind and passes them on to your subconscious. For example, the instruction might be, "listen out for anyone saying my name".
There are some interesting points about your reticular activating system that make it an essential tool for business.

First, you can deliberately program the reticular activating system by choosing the exact messages you send from your consicous mind. For example, you can set goals, or say affirmations, or visualize your goals. Napoleon Hill said that we can achieve any realistic goal if we keep on thinking of that goal, and stop thinking any negative thoughts about it. Of course, if we keep thinking that we can't achieve a goal, our subconscious will help us - not achieve it.

Second, your reticular activating system cannot distinguish between 'real events' and 'synthetic' reality. In other words it tends to believe whatever message you give it. Imagine that you're going to be giving a speech. You can practice giving that speech by visualizing it in your mind. This 'pretend' practice should improve your ability to give the speech.

Pain/Pleasure Principal.
People will seek pleasure and avoid pain. When both pain and pleasure exist, the desire to avoid pain will be stronger.

Hawthorne Effect.
The Hawthorne Effect has become a well publicized phenomenon. It states that by merely participating in a test, trial or study the participants (or patients) have a better experience because of the focusing of interest toward them which is gratifying and thus rewarding in its own sake. For this reason the persons involved document better results irregardless of the change provided or the treatment experienced.
The designation "Hawthorne" derives from a number of studies which were performed on workers at the Western Electric Plant in Cicero, Illinois, in 1927. One of the studies was in regard to improved lighting which was found to significantly improve worker productivity. Rather than simply accept this data one investigator decided to repeat the study with decreased lighting and found that this also improved productivity. The conclusion was that it was the attention itself which was the important factor, not the lighting.

Law of Contrast.
This is my own personal law that says that when there is a distinction of significant difference between two solutions and that distinction is of interest to the customer, the recognition of that difference is instantaneous and the resulting impression (either positive or negative) is etched immediately in the customers long term memory. Two points to consider; the customer must care about what you are showing them and you must give them a frame of reference to compare against. If you tell a customer you have eight offices in North America you need to make sure that this important to them. If you tell them you have twelve trained professionals you better set perspective or they may think twelve is a poor number. For example, “In an industry where most companies outsource their support services, we have twelve experts on staff, ready to help you.

People Learn By Connection

2008-07-20T04:11:00.005-04:00

In this demo video I talk about the power of connection. Remember: Its not what people say but how you connect to what they say....

Which reminds me of this old story....

The boss of a Madison Avenue advertising agency called a spontaneous staff meeting in the middle of a particularly stressful week. This is one pretty sharp boss!)

When everyone gathered, the boss, who understood the benefits of having fun, told the burnt out staff the purpose of the meeting was to have a quick contest. The theme: Viagra advertising slogans. The only rule was that they had to use past ad slogans, originally written for other products, that captured the essence of Viagra. Slight variations were acceptable. About seven minutes later, they turned in their suggestions and created a Top Ten List. With all the laughter and camaraderie, the rest of the week went very well for everyone.

The top ten were:

10. Viagra, Whaazzzz up!

9. Viagra, The quicker pecker upper.

8. Viagra, Like a rock!

7. Viagra, When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.

6. Viagra, Be all that you can be.

5. Viagra, Reach out and touch someone.

4. Viagra, Strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.

3. Viagra, home of the whopper!

2. Viagra, We bring good things to Life!

And the unanimous number one slogan:

1. This is your winkie. This is your winkie on drugs.

Remember: I said nothing wrong but where you took this in your mind is totally up to you.

Some Great Questions to Ask

2008-07-20T04:06:00.008-04:00

In this demo video I talk about the key to success is asking Great Questions. Questions give you a new perspective and encourage different points of view. Here I share a few brilliant questions that can help define you and your business. In my keynote I share over 80 different questions that audience members can start asking to find more business and attract more opportunity.

Some of my favourite questions are:

How can you think inside the box?
What if this was meant to be good news?
What are the "basics" you can do brilliantly?
How can you fight for human attention?
Who's your hero and what would they do?

My goal is the get you thinking and challenging the norm you are currently living.

The Awesome Power of Networking

2008-07-20T04:01:00.007-04:00

In this demo video I share three stories that demonstrates the importance of networking. I am a firm believer that every answer you seek lies somewhere within your current circle of influence and all you need to do is ask. The key to success in networking is not in just asking your network but in getting your network to ask theirs.

The Power of Association

2008-07-20T03:53:00.008-04:00

In this demo video I talk about the power of association and how a sales rep used it to steal away a $15,000.00 sale. This is the best sales demonstration I have ever experienced.

Go Ahead... Have a Laugh on Me!

2008-06-10T14:59:00.004-04:00

Here's a fun free hypnosis session for you to try. It takes just 15 minutes and in the end you just may find that everytime you smile, you start to laugh.

This is just a simple deomonstration on the power for hypnosis and how quickly it can help make powerful lasting changes. So go ahead and give it a try and have a laugh on me!

Try this demo laugh hypnosis out

A Lesson on Two Wheels

2008-05-07T14:09:00.005-04:00

Sometimes when I am riding my bike in the summer I get the strangest thoughts running through my mind. For example, one day it occurred to me that I can’t purposely fall off my bike. Sure I can crash myself into a fence or drive over a cliff but to just fall off seemed nearly impossible to do. There I was riding my bike, trying to fall off and I just didn’t know how to do it.

Now my point is, at one time way back in my childhood I was convinced I couldn’t possibly stay on my bike and I had many scrapes, bumps and bruises to prove it. Then something happened, just like a flip of a switch, and there I was riding and I didn’t know how to fall off anymore.

I tell you this because I know how hard it is to learn new things. I know there is a frustrating period of trial and error and I know that error can often equate to pain. I remember telling my son how much biking would be a part of his life, but he just couldn’t see it. To him, walking was all he ever needed (or his parents to drive him). Then one day his own bike riding switch flipped and his life changed in that very instant. Friends that were once too far away were now an easy bike ride to get to. Walks that took him thirty minutes were now down to a seven minute bike ride. Activities that he could have never considered were now easily within his grasp. Learning to ride a bike changed his life.

I am going to bet that in your business today (like right this minute) there are new things you should be learning to do. It might be a new technology, a new sales approach or a new way to manage your people. But like many business executives you talk yourself out of it because learning something new can cause you great pain. I know that feeling because I have been there too.

But learning to ride a bike taught us some valuable lessons didn’t it? It taught us to just do it because we really don’t have any idea how life changing it really can be. It taught us to get right back on the minute we fall off. It taught us it’s often easier to do it when you have others who support you. It taught us that one day, often without warning, our lives would be different and our hard work would all pay off.

This month I want you to think about some of the things you need to be changing and I want you to challenge yourself to take whatever action is needed. I know it will feel awkward and it may be somewhat painful but I guarantee you that if you stick to it your own performance switch will go off and you will never again understand how it is to fall off again.

What Are The Basics You Need To Do Brilliantly?

2008-02-14T09:20:00.005-05:00

For many years I played the game of squash, and in all those years I took many lessons. In fact, I took lessons from at least four or five different squash pros. While each pro was different in their approach, each one of them was fixated on perfection. In some lessons I would spend 40 minutes just making sure my elbow was bent at the correct angle or that my feet were placed perfectly. In the end none of these changes really made a big difference, until the day I met Tim Gardiner. Tim was the squash pro at the Parkview Club and what he said in our first lesson has stuck with me all these years. He said, “We can spend hours on end working on your stance, your positioning and your grip but in reality none of those things are going to matter unless I can get you to commit to doing the basics brilliantly." He told me that most squash players had the same abilities and skill but it was the ones who were brilliant with the basics that rose to the top.

That day Tim taught me three things that changed my game. In no time I won my squash ladder, I then won the next squash ladder and I quickly moved into being a competitive squash player. I tell you this because this month I want you to think about mastering the basics in your world.

I think many of us get so stuck in our pursuit of perfection (or the pursuit of pizzazz) that we fail to focus on the simple things that will make a world of difference. We implement sophisticated CRM systems, we create slick customer presentations/websites and we write “knock'em dead” proposals but we forget about our commitment to the core.

In the world of relationships and business development I believe there are three activities we can all consider as part of our basic core:

Asking for customer commitment,

Uncover/probe for “true” client needs,

Actively farm and develop future opportunity,

So let me ask you, how would you rank yourself and/or your company in these three areas? Are you committed to doing the basics brilliantly? Perhaps in your world there are other things that are part of your core. What are they? How are you doing with them? Remember the “Hawthorne Effect” that taught us, “Things that are monitored, improve.”

This month take time to discover the basics in your business. Ask what are the “must do” simple things that will make all the difference in the world? Once you know what they are… then make a commitment to do them brilliantly!

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS

List as many ideas for the following …

1) What are the basic elements in your business?
2) How would you rate your performance in doing them?
3) What could you commit, in order to do them brilliantly?

How Can You Give Your Customers More Time?

2008-02-14T09:05:00.006-05:00

I read a great quote once that said, "In the past 20 years we have gone from speaking milliseconds to nanoseconds which is the equivalent of compressing 40 years into 4.8 minutes!"

This is the inspiration for my question this month, "How can you give your customers more time?"

Customers buy time every day. They buy availability, they buy delivery, they buy ease of implementation and they buy ease of use. In reality, aren't these all just elements of time? We want it now, we want to know how to use it now, we want it performing now. We don't have time to wait! We don't want to have to go to far to get it!

Everyone is under an incredible time constraint. Our workweeks are getting longer, our productivity expectations are getting bigger and our need to have a balanced home life is getting stronger. How does anyone keep up? How does your customer keep up? It reminds me of the old saying, "None of us have enough time but all of us have all that there is!"

When was the last time you stopped to think about how you can give your customers more time? Do you even know what time means to them?

Time could be:

time required to deliver/install

time required to decide

time to prepare

time required to change

time required to learn

time required to acquire

time available to reserve/pre-order

time service is accessible (especially in Professional sector)

time required to maintain

production time (amount of output per hour)

other ideas?

BONUS THOUGHT

I read about a great "best practice" whereby a Professional in North America hired his Admin in Australia. When he got up in the morning all of his work was done and it was waiting in his inbox! Could this idea work for you?

This month take some time to think about time. What does it mean to you, what does it mean to your customers, how can you be more efficient with time?
I will guarantee you that tomorrow's winners will be the masters of time.

Brainstorming Ideas

How would your customer define time?

How could you give customers more time?

Who's Your Hero and What Would They Do?

2008-02-14T09:01:00.007-05:00

On September 11th, 2001 New York City faced an unprecedented crisis with the attack and collapse of the World Trade Centre. Never before had any North American city faced such a tragedy, never before had a country seen such purposeful devastation.

As a leader, how can one find the inspiration, the power and the wisdom to rise above and lead during such a horrendous time in history? Rudy Guilliani, then mayor of New York City, was faced with that exact dilemma. Somehow in a crisis, he needed to find the power, the commitment, and the insight to carry a world that was in immense pain! Rudy Guilliani knew he couldn't do it alone so when he went home that night he sought out the wisdom of his own personal hero, by re-reading much of what had been written by Sir Winston Churchill.

I share this brief story with you because it allows me to introduce this month's powerful question, "Who is your hero and what would they do?" Imagine for a moment that you stepped into the shoes of someone whom you greatly admire. What do you think they would do if they were facing your challenges? You see, a hero is someone who shares your values and beliefs but is also someone who has another skill, characteristic or ability that you desire.

For many of us, our parents have played the hero role for much of our lives. I know when I feel challenged I often find myself wondering what would my Dad/Mom would do in this situation. Who else might play the hero role for you? Sports stars, movie stars, friends or relatives are just a few of the many possibilities. Have you ever noticed how many business books are sharing the insights of people who have succeeded in their goal? Could any of these people be your hero? Who even said your hero had to be a person? Why couldn't your hero be a company? Ask yourself, what would Wal-mart, Microsoft or Ben and Jerry's do if they were in your situation!
In order to apply this question, just ask yourself, "who is my hero (and yes you can have many!)" Write down their name and then ask yourself why are they your hero? Are they more knowledgable, driven, committed, caring, dedicated? What is it that you think they do better than you? If your hero is more compassionate, then ask yourself how can you show more compassion with the situation you are facing. If your hero is more caring than ask yourself how can you be more caring. When you model the skills and abilities of someone you admire, you soon develop them yourself.

Try using this approach on a situation you currently are facing. I will bet you the results will be incredible and it will open you up to new possibilities that have escaped you in the past.

Brainstorm Activity
Make a list of all the heroes in your life and write them down.

Ask yourself, why exactly are they your hero? What is it that they have/do?
Reframe your own thinking to ask yourself what you would need to do to become more like them.

One final note, whenever I present this question, undoubtably someone tells me that they don't really have a hero in their life. If that is you, ask yourself, "why not?" as we all need heros in our lives to inspire and motivate us.

How Can You Touch Their Heart?

2008-02-14T07:31:00.008-05:00

I want to share a poem with you that I wrote many years ago. Originally it was written for a very dear friend who was going through some very tough times but over the years I have shared it with many others as a way of saying I care.

Your Virtual Friend
Although I do not stand beside you
and I cannot always be there with you
I take my place within you
I am, they say, your virtual friend

As you face your times of challenge
Be kind to yourself
As you are the heart and soul
You are, what many of us, strive to be
Continue to seek your courage
Hold on to your dreams
As sunny skies do linger near
And soon they will shine on you

So when you are set upon those times
Where the hurdles seem to get the best of you
Take a moment to think of me, I am someone who cares
I am, they say, your virtual friend.

Curt Skene

It's funny that on Valentines we have set aside a specific day to touch peoples hearts. With the shape of the world and the way its evolving don't you think most of us could use more caring, more often?

What do you think your customers would say if you called them up for no real purpose other than to say that you care and you're there to help? How could you honour those people close to you with a thoughtful gesture that makes them feel special. The "law of reciprocity" states that people will want to give back what has been given to them.

This Valentines, as you spend some time touching the hearts of those who surrond you, think about how you can touch their heart at other times of the year, like the times they least expect it. I guarantee you'll be amazed with the response you get!

What Has Changed With You?

2008-02-14T04:27:00.001-05:00

The other day a friend of mine remarked on just how much my four-year-old daughter had changed since the last time he saw her. “She is growing up to be quite a little woman”, he commented. I bet that she can be a real “helper” around the house.

Quite honestly his comments struck me as odd. First off, I didn’t really see that “big” of a difference in my daughter and secondly I had never thought of her as having the skills to be a great helper around the house. However, as I thought about it, I realized he was right, my daughter had indeed developed a lot more than I was giving her credit for. I realized that because I see her everyday, because I witness every subtle change she makes, I quickly absorb these changes in to my everyday perception of who she is. Somehow because I am so close to her, the changes she makes become less significant.

As parents, immense change in our children can go virtually unnoticed because we live and breathe them every day. However, since my friend has a more distant relationship, these changes jumped right out at him. What my friend taught me that day was that sometimes you can get too close, too enthralled and you need to step back and really make an effort to notice all of the little changes that have happened around you.

It was this little chance encounter with my friend that has prompted me to think about an often-overlooked question and that is, "What has changed with you?" When was the last time that you asked yourself this question?

Have you gained new expertise, new production equipment or new distribution channels? Do you have more income or more customers that would allow you to undertake new business opportunities that before were considered impossible? Do you have new employees who bring in a different level of expertise or have old employees taken new training giving them new skills you've never considered. Have you considered other departments, other divisions and other regions, are they doing things that you can leverage off?

This month, why not map out all the changes that have happened and ask yourself what do all of these changes mean to me? Like we do with our children, many times we can get too close to our business and fail to recognize all of the changes that have happened within us.

BRAINSTORMING IDEAS
List as many ideas for the following … I have included a few to get you started ...

How have you changed?
Has your attitude changed?
Has your beliefs changed?
Has your vision changed?
How has your financial situation changed?
Do you have more/less cash in the bank?
Do you have new ways to fund projects?
Has your cashflow changed?
Have your margins changed?
How has your customer list changed?
Do you have more customers... or fewer customers?
How has your relationship changed with them?
Are your customers getting older or younger?
How have their demographics changed?
Has the length of contract changed?
Have their expectations changed?
How has your business process changed?
Do you have new systems or new processes?
Are there new technology changes?
How has your business structure changed?
Has the decision process changed?
How have your employees changed?
Do you have more employees... or fewer employees?
How has the average age and work experience changed?
How has the skill set changed (education, business experience, language)?
How has the culture changed?

Keep in mind, the examples I've provided here are all very obvious things to look at. Your real value will come from looking closer and harder at the subtle changes that are specific to you and your organization. Once you've brainstormed a complete and thorough list of what has changed, ask yourself how can you leverage these changes better in the future?

How Can You Pay It Forward?

2008-02-14T04:23:00.003-05:00

Pay It Forward is a book, but it's also an idea. It's an action plan within a work of fiction. But does it have to be fiction? I hope not. In fact, since the book was released in January of 2000, a real-life social movement has emerged, not just in the U.S. but worldwide. What began as a work of fiction has already become much more.

Reuben St. Clair, the teacher protagonist of the book “Pay It Forward”, starts a movement with this voluntary, extra-credit assignment: THINK OF AN IDEA FOR WORLD CHANGE, AND PUT IT INTO ACTION.

Trevor, the 12-year-old hero of Pay It Forward, thinks of quite an idea. He describes it to his mother and teacher this way: "You see, I do something real good for three people. And then when they ask how they can pay it back, I say they have to Pay It Forward. To three more people. Each. So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven." He turned on the calculator, punched in a few numbers. "Then it sort of spreads out, see. To eighty-one. Then two hundred forty-three. Then seven hundred twenty-nine. Then two thousand, one hundred eighty-seven. See how big it gets?"

The preceding text was taken from the website www.payitforwardfoundation.org

I don’t know about you but I remember watching the movie, “Pay it Forward” and thinking to myself what a powerful, generous, life changing idea… Just imagine if the world bought in!

This month I thought it would be great if all of us took three ideas/life lessons, that have helped us immensely and paid them forward. Share them with three or more people who could benefit and would find value in what you have to offer. Then, of course, ask them to “pay it forward” to others.

Here’s what I am thinking…

What would happen if you thought of one employee, one customer and one personal friend and you were to share with them one of the powerful life lessons you have learned? In return you were to ask them to pay it forward to one other person in the company, one of their customers’ and also one of their personal friends.

What do you think would happen? Do you think your relationships would grow stronger? Do you think people’s perception of who you are and what you stand for might grow stronger. Do you think your world might become a better place?

I also want to remind you of the Law of Reciprocity that states, "that we will want to repay, in kind, what another person has generously provided us." The Law of Reciprocity exists inside of us; people will want to help others who have unselfishly helped them. Think of it as the emotional bank account that binds the loyalty in all our relationships!

Note: We cannot pursue reciprocity. When we try to invoke reciprocity directly, we lose sight of the reason for it: to help others!
Now, for my part I thought I would share three of the most powerful ideas that I have experienced in my business life.

1) Put Braille on your business card. While you may not have a reason to, it speaks volumes about the type of caring person you are and I guarantee your business card will stand out and be noticed more than any other card out there. The cost is approximately $60.00 and can be done at the CNIB.

2) Draw a pictogram of your company’s future. While I was President of ExecuTrain, my Vice President drew a wonderful 20-foot pictogram of the company’s journey and what lies ahead. She drew highway onramps and off ramps to show the employees who would be coming and leaving, she drew construction zones to illustrate the areas where we expected to undergo great change, she drew fast food joints and fine dining establishments to indicate questions we had to consider when defining our service model, she drew toll roads to illustrate our need to get our Accounts Receivable in order. I watched in awe as employees started to relate to this picture and were able to get a much clearer perspective of where our business was going and why we were doing some of the things we were doing.

3) Give new employees a “welcome” gift. When I was President of ExecuTrain, every new employee got a handwritten welcome card and a $25 Chapters Gift Certificate for their personal use. For me, I always thought that we should celebrate when people join the organization, not when they leave it.

I hope you can use these ideas in your business, either pass them on or pay it forward with your own three great ideas.

Brainstorming Ideas

What great lessons/ideas can you share?
Who will you share them with?

Do Customers Really Buy Price?

2008-02-14T04:20:00.003-05:00

I am often told that customers buy based on price and to some extent there may be some truth to that rumour, but study after study tells me customers buy confidence, selection, features long before they look at price. I want you to seriously consider the following in your own life:
When you buy a house do you buy the cheapest one or do things like location, neighbourhood and "built in" features play a major role in your decision?
When you buy a car do you buy the cheapest one or does service, style, size, and efficiency play a role in your decision?

When you buy formal clothes (i.e. suit or dress) do you buy the cheapest on the market or do fashion, fit and brand play a major role in your decision?
When you buy any product do you buy the “absolute cheapest” on the market or do you think that the cheapest is often a statement inherent quality?

Actually cars are a funny one because there are many people who own two cars yet they leave one in the driveway all day as they take the bus/subway to work. My point is, I don’t believe you and I buy based on price and neither do our customers. I believe there are two reasons why our customers buy based on price

They don’t have any attachment with the decision therefore they don’t care about the outcome.
You didn’t give them sufficient enough emotional reason to buy specifically from you.

When customers don’t care about the decision that usually indicates that they have nothing vested in the outcome. That is why purchasing departments are often difficult to deal with (or the boss who has nothing to do with the product/service being purchased). When dealing with these people ask what would they care about and then sell specifically to that. If you don’t get them involved in wanting to be part of the outcome then YES you may have to become the lowest priced on the market to win the business.

The two emotions that drive almost every buying decision is DESIRE and FEAR. Customers care about being recognized, admired, having a sense of belonging or they care about making a safe, secure, smart decision. If you listen to what they say you will hear where their emotional connection is. If a customer wants to be the coolest then most likely they don’t care about the warranty so don’t create confusion, sell specifically to the emotion they need to feel.

Does that mean our customers will always buy if we figure out their emotional trigger? No, every customer has a certain amount of time and money they are willing to invest in order to achieve the feeling they want. Your challenge to figure out where that threshold is. You have likely heard the expression people buy with emotion and justify with logic. It’s true. Find their emotional reason then back it up with logical evidence to support their decision. If the customer is emotionally attached enough they will help you support their decision.

As Harry Beckwith says, "Price is often the reason given but seldom the answer, LOOK DEEPER!"

How Can You Think Inside the Box?

2008-02-14T03:56:00.000-05:00

If you have ever attended one of my sessions you know I am very passionate about helping businesses make it happen! If you know anyone who could use over 100 ideas for finding more business and creating more opportunity I would appreciate hearing from you!!

If I hear one more creativity person say, “you've got to think outside the box” I am going to pop someone. I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time, money or resources to go outside the box. Heck, I can barely afford the box! The secret to moving your business or career forward in these tough and challenging times is to learn to think inside the box. Ask what can you do with what you have that will take you one step closer to your vision. My guess is that 70% of all “out of the box thinking” goes nowhere and then because we can’t do it, we do the next best thing… NOTHING!

So let me ask you, how can you think inside the box? What can you do with what you have that would make a difference?

If you are in sales, what can you do with the leads, product and customers you have? In marketing what can you do with the budget, channel and sales force you have? In customer service what can you do with the process you have? Inside the box means making do with what you have, Keeping it simple and taking baby steps that let their cumlative effect make the difference.

Many times I find we spend too much time stuck in "wishful thinking" trying to be more than we can be at the moment. In fact, according to Baha Habashy, Canadian Information Overload Guru, (http://www.integrity-plus.com/) knowledge workers today are spending on average 42% of their time in “planning and reacting” meetings (which sure doesn’t leave a lot of time for the doing!). Inside the box thinking means moving forward with what you have. You don’t get anymore time, money or resources you make it work with what you have.

So what could you do to increase sales using just the things you already have? What could you do to increase customer satsifaction? Why not look all around your business and apply “in the box thinking” and see what comes out.

Now I’m not saying that there is no room for thinking outside of the box. In fact, there is great money to be made, outside the box. What I am saying is choose your battles wisely, its great to go big but don’t put all of your energy going outside the box especially when you know 70% of businesses never ever get there.

What Great Questions Can You Ask?

2008-02-14T03:50:00.000-05:00

A lot of what I speak on centres around asking questions. Questions that help companies attract and sustain profitable business. This month I thought it might be helpful for you if I shared just a few of the hundreds of questions I have created over the last two years. Your mission is to apply them to your business and see where they lead you.

Questions are fuel for your imagination, fuel that allows you to excel further than you have ever been before. Questions unlock creativity, unlock boundaries and allow you to step outside your current existence. Questions change your perspective, challenge your awareness and ignite your curiosity. Great leaders ask great questions, do you?

1. What other accessories could you build for your product/service?
Have you noticed that many companies have shifted to being in the accessory business? It’s no longer the clothes you wear but the accessories that go with it? Gaming units are practically given away so that more people can buy the games. You can get a great printer for less than $100 but the ink seems to last half the time. Dinner out now means the drink, the wine, the appetizer, the entrée, the dessert, the dessert wine and the cigar. You get the picture.

2. How could you build a gender specific offering?
What would happen? Would you use different colours, would you communicate differently, would you offer different services? Would you attract a more exclusive audience? Perhaps instead of gender, you segmented on target market.

3. If you could change one thing, what would it be?
Listen to your answer and ask why you haven’t done it. The ideas that will come to mind are usually very relevant.

4. What other companies could you bundle your product/service with?
Are there other companies that would benefit from selling your product/service as part of their offering? Can you create an exclusive bundle?

5. How can you deliver your product/service faster?
How can you go from order to delivery in half the time? What steps could you take out?

6. What if you had a “lite” version?
Could you create a teaser product/service that gets customers to start using an element of what you offer? A “lite” version reduces the barrier to entry, reduces customer risk and puts your product in more people's hands.

7. How can you get more “press coverage?”
What could you do to get more people talking about what you are doing? What could you do to create attention? Can you help a great cause? Can you do something unique? What would make you newsworthy?

8. How can you help your customers afford more of you?
Lee Iacocca founded the principles of auto financing based on this question. Can you bring customers together to share expenses, can you finance? Can you find financing partners for them? Can you pull from different budgets (i.e. capital vs. operation?)

9. What could you teach your customers that would give them more value?
Nobody knows your product better than you. What can you share? What new idea could you give them? How would you use it? Are other customers doing great things that you should be writing up? The more value you can create there more they will want to stick with you.

10. How could you double your business?
If you needed to double your business, what would you do? If you could do one thing to double your business what would it be?

11. What would your customer do?
What would your customer do if they were in charge? What would they change? What would they add? How would they do it differently? If you don’t know the answer, why not ask your customer.

I hope this month you will spend some time thinking about these questions and asking others. If you have any great questions I would love to hear them and share them with others.