5 Reasons Your Job Search May Be Failing…

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Whether you are currently unemployed or employed but looking for a career transition, here are 5 reasons your search may not be yielding the results you desire.

  1. Lack of Focus: I personally know several people who are currently unemployed and if I ask them, “What do you want?” they respond with, “A job.” In today’s market, if you don’t have absolute clarity on what you want, you are doomed to failure. Where your focus goes, your energy flows. Be specific in defining your niche in business, the exact position you want, or have absolute clarity on the value can add in a specific role, otherwise, you are just another generalist. There are ten people behind you and in front of you “looking for a job.”
  2. The Shotgun Approach: Many people still look for a job by sending out hundreds of resumes hoping for an interview. Never mistake action for productivity. This could lead to a mentality of scarcity, desperation, and sending the message that you hope someone will help you out. Develop a list of 3-5 companies you want to work for and do everything you can to work your way into them! Research, develop relationships, get the education for the positions they have open and find a problem you can solve. Companies today need innovators, focused thinkers and producers.
  3. Fear of Change: Managing adversity, growth, and risk-taking is a muscle that some people have not flexed in a long time. So many people today are looking for certainty. You need to stand out, be BOLD, and create an impression so you are remembered. Take risks and be courageous approaching businesses. Stand out by letting go of your fear! Embrace change! Remember, “your success in life is directly proportional to the amount of risk and uncertainty you can manage.”
  4. Lack of Tenacity: How many “no’s” would it take before you gave up? Most people quit after one, two or three tries. How much time are you willing to commit to achieve your goals? Most people live in a world of instant gratification and aren’t willing to put up with short term pain to have long term pleasure. Remember Winston Churchill; “Never, Never, Never Give Up.” There is a reason we remember Thomas Edison and the light bulb. Long term focus and never taking a failure personally produces a light that makes a difference in everyone’s life.
  5. Not Enough Hope/Faith: Have you ever said to yourself, “What’s the use, why do I keep trying, this job search will never end?” We all have our doubts at times and the most predominant thoughts control your reality; majority rules. If you are not feeding your mind with consistent positive thoughts AND taking positive actions, your belief that a job is not possible will become your reality. Faith without action is useless and action without faith is useless too! Feed your mind positive messages and have a plan to execute. Choose your peer groups carefully, stay away from the nay-sayers. Let them have their results…you take the job!

It is never easy facing adversity and change; especially when there is more month at the end of the money than money at the end of the month. However, by staying focused on the specific job/position you desire, stop the distractions, be bold and courageous by standing out, being tenacious in what you desire, and keep the faith, you will have that position a lot faster than if you didn’t. Happy Hunting!

 

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Build Unstoppable Confidence: Lead the Troops

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Develop Unstoppable self esteem & self confidence in your team!Self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-worth are one of the principles of “self-help” that are constantly spoken, written, and talked about. Let’s take a look at what people really mean when they say they need more of them. What do people really mean when they say, “I need to work on my self-confidence?”

When I hear client tell me they need more self-confidence and self-worth, what I hear them really expressing is that they need a little more self-competence. Confidence is about having the BELIEF, or assurance that something is the way that it is. The word confidence is normally followed by the word, “in…” Most people want more confidence in their own self or in knowing they can perform a task. Who would turn down feeling more confident? Being confident unlocks other empowering emotional states, like courage and boldness that are vital in the pursuit of a worthy goal.

Quick example, let’s say a client wants more self-confidence in speaking to women. In order to be self-confident and to speak to a woman, he has to have spoken to women in the past in such a way that he remembers his successes at it. No past successes equals no feelings of self-confidence. What he really needs to build and develop are the skills to become more competent in speaking to women. When he becomes more competent at speaking to women, naturally, his confidence level will rise. While self-confidence is the BELIEF in the ability to perform a task, competence is built through the PROCESS of taking the actions necessary, suitable or required to complete a task.

We all have the need to grow. Our bodies are muscle machines that are built to take on resistance. Every muscle, fiber and tendon in our body is meant to handle stress and strain. When we take on resistance, we naturally become stronger. We build more muscle, the more we experience resistance. The less resistance we take on, the more we experience atrophy. We become weaker and weaker. People who want more self-confidence are simply not competent at doing something they really want to do.

However, have you seen the person who succeeds and still appears to have a low self-confidence? How does that happen? While developing competence at a task, there is trial and error; sometimes things work and sometimes not. If our hero mentioned above gets the courage to speak to a women ten times, there may be only two attempts that produce a positive result. Building a healthy level of competence comes on focusing and celebrating on the two things out of ten that were done RIGHT. That goes against all human nature. If you got a 97% on a school test, would that be enough, or would you be inclined to search through everything you got right to find that one question you got wrong?

Competence is built by focusing on what you did that was the best, and learn/forget the rest. Most people would never acknowledge the 97% of what was right on the test in their pursuit of finding what they missed. You’ll notice a pattern that all people with low self-confidence can always tell you what they have done incorrect, wrong, or poorly.

Self-confidence is the result of being Competent in a specific task or achievement. Competence is built by accepting challenges in the pursuit of a worthy goal; a person has to be willing to push through resistance to become stronger. As new actions are taken, staying focused on celebrating what is done right, (not wrong), will lay the foundation for competence and ultimately an unshakeable feeling of confidence.

To lead more effectively today:

  • Identify specific areas where a person wants to be more self-confident
  • Support them to develop a strategy to become more competent
  • Focus on catching people “doing things right” (they’re probably focusing on what’s wrong)
  • Celebrate competent actions, (they will be uncomfortable doing this, so push through)

 

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Effective Leadership…

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Every manager and business executive is faced with higher and higher demands for their team’s productivity and work output. Pushing directly back against those demands are the employees’ needs to feel that they, and their work, is appreciated. With increased stress and pressure on performance and output, it is easy to see how management and employees can easily become divided.

As a top executive or business owner, how do you effectively bridge the gap between pushing for productivity and genuine appreciation for a job well done? One of the places to start is in understanding where you employees’s “finish line” is. Their “finish line” is the optimum place to give positive feedback and appreciation for their efforts.

Look at your employees and ask yourself, “What is John Smith weakest at: starting tasks, changing tasks or finishing tasks?” You may ask yourself, “why not focus on what they are best at instead?” The answer is because they already know they are good in that area, it comes naturally, and people only grow in confidence when they have to do something tough and overcome an obstacle.

The employees’ weakness identifies their personal “finish line.” This is where a leader can be most effective in showing appreciation because this is where the persons greatest obstacles lie.

Someone who has trouble starting things, needs reinforcement when they start. People who have trouble being flexible and changing things in mid-stride, need reinforcement when they are flexible. And people who have problems finishing tasks get the most from accepting what they “have” finished. Most managers just want to focus on giving feedback when the job is completed. This fails to acknowledge the moments when the employees overcame their limitations to get the job finished.

Simply stated, some people need reinforcement just for starting, others for being flexible and changing things, while others need the reinforcement when they finish the task. An effective leader will identify where their employees cross their own personal finish line and take advantage of it!

So take a little bit of a different approach with your staff and ask yourself, “Where are they weakest in their job; starting tasks, being flexible to change in the middle of things, or completing the task?”  Take advantage of when you see them overcome their personal weaknesses because that is the perfect moment appreciate their efforts and maximize the productivity of the team!

Leaders Think Outside The Box

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One of the most important traits of effective leaders is to define a problem, think outside the box, and come up with an innovative solution. It is an art that some people seem to be a “natural” at. But, if we take a look at just throwing away the box, then there will always be a space for creativity to come into play. Here are a few ways to prevent putting yourself in a box!

First, be wary of being caught in an “either-or” mindset. A great way to look at it is that one choice is a dictatorship (no choice), two choices is a dilemma (either-or), and three choices are where creativity and opportunity begin. In business, statements like “we either need to do this or that” are restricting and put you in a box. When three or more ideas are generated, they have to be compared how they can solve the problem instead of being compared against each other. Stay away from thinking “it is this OR that.”

Second, listen for “if…then” statements. “If he would just do this…THEN I would be able to…” or “IF accounting would just…then sales would…” These statements are dangerous, especially from leadership within an organization. They can point blame and shut down ways for creative solutions to emerge. It is a great pattern to deflect taking responsibility for an issue. That creates a box that can be tough to get out of.

Third, is a proactive way to really think outside of the box, practice the simple art of “saying it the way you want it to be.” So many people can tell you what they “don’t” want. I know this sound simple, but simple things can create the greatest change. Many times the “box” is created by resisting change. Saying it the way you want it to be keeps the focus towards the future and away from the past. Moving from what you “don’t want” to what you “do want,” creates vision, possibility and solutions.

Thinking “outside the box” starts with staying away from “either-or” and “if-then”. Staying proactive by “saying it the way you want it to be” will open up a future oriented positive focus. Identifying these language patterns are a powerful first step to finding solutions.

Increase your Return on Investment…

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One key question asked prior to spending money in most businesses is, “What is the projected return on investment (ROI)?”  When trying to figure out where to invest in your business emotionally and financially, where is the best place to put your resources? Naturally, a follow-up question then is, “How can I increase my ROI from my business expenses?”

I have one sure fire way to increase your Return On Investment and grow your business. It is three simple steps.

  1. Write down everything in your business that has a very high ROI. What are the key strengths of your business and what is working well? Do you have solid systems, people or products?
  2. Now that the easy part is over, what are the areas of weakness in your business? What are you ignoring? Are you having problems with sales, marketing, customer service, or products? This is the hard part because chances are, this is the part of your business where you have the greatest fear or experience the greatest procrastination in.
  3. Take the list of weaknesses and identify which one you are avoiding the most. Then invest in whatever it takes and IMMERSE yourself in making it your strength. You will have to fire ineffective people, invest in sales training when you don’t have money, hire a product developer to make a better widget, or invest in an online presence. Face your biggest fears and implement change.

It is important that you commit and have a “whatever it takes” mentality to the changes you commit to make.

Immersion into the areas of weakness in your business is paramount for success. If you weather the uncertainty of change, whether financial, intellectual, or systemic, your “Return on Immersion (your new ROI)” will always leave you and your business more profitable. That is the only sure fire way that I know to increase and always get the greatest ROI in your business!

I’d love to hear from you!  Comment below and share your experience. What is an area of your business where you immersed yourself in something new and the ROI was HUGE, as a result?

 

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Here Are My Three Favorite Resources to Help You Find & Maintain Your Motivation…

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There are patterns everywhere in nature, and if you immerse yourself long enough in an area of study, they become evident. One of the patterns I have been experiencing with my clients in the last few months has been the request for resources to stay motivated. With a high level of negativity in the media lately, people are struggle to keep their levels of motivation, inspiration and creativity high.

So, I asked myself, “If I was stranded on a deserted island and could take one resource for motivation & inspiration, one for personal change, and one for pleasure & enjoyment, what would I take?”

Well, this is a harder question to answer than it seems. I have probably seven large bookcases in my basement full of materials, two smaller ones in my office and probably a couple hundred audio CD’s in my library.

After great anguish and deliberation, here is what I would throw in my suitcase if I was stranded on a deserted island.

Motivation & “I can do it!” attitude: Zig Ziglar’s Goals (18-CD’s in 3 parts): “Changing the Picture, Qualities of Success & The Goals Program”

Personal Change: Matthew James: “Huna: Creating Prosperity & Wealth”  (there are great guided meditations in the program to release disempowering emotions, limiting decisions and create change, if you have not taken any courses in NLP, Time Line or Hypnosis, this may be hard to follow at points: a good substitute would be “Empowering Your Life” for the beginner)

To find an answer for anything in life: The Bible (despite your religious preference, the Bible continues to hold an answer for “how” to live a moral, ethical, and fulfilling life in any situation)

My Favorite Fiction books of all time, I could reread forever: James Clavell: “Shogun”   Stephen Ambrose: “D-Day”  Larry Collins: “Is Paris Burning?”   Paul Coehlo: “The Alchemist”  Robert Heinlein: “Starship Troopers (the book) and the best for last—-Orson Scott Card: “Ender’s Game”

OK, so it was greater than three categories but I couldn’t help myself once I got on a roll. They say it is best to take a shower before you realize that you need one and the same goes for staying motivated, inspired and empowered in your life. If you don’t feed your mind healthy messages then chances are the messages it sends you won’t be healthy either. Be proactive and give yourself something great to think about before you realize you are in that funk again.

Love to hear you check in your favorites whether they be book, audio or otherwise! Spread the motivation, inspiration and positive thoughts! The world needs it now more than ever!

 

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Success in 5 minutes or less: Time Management that works!

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Set your timers for 5 minutes and let’s get started! Successful people do several things to start their day right. They plot out in some way, shape or form where they want to be at the end of the day.

Follow these steps, and in less than 5 minutes, you too, will find success before bedtime!

  1. Remember, successful people are very quick to make decisions and very slow to change them. Sometimes it is good to be a mule, engage stubbornness (after the decision is made) and not budge.
  2. In order to figure out what the right choice is, you need to engage your whole mind into the decision process! You can’t logically talk yourself into something and expect to be committed. Take time to meditate for 1-2 minutes on what is most important. Building rapport with the unconscious mind will allow you to “trust your gut” or “follow your intuition.” Successful people rely on their “gut.”
  3. Make sure you state decisions “the way you want it to be.” How many times do people talk about everything they don’t want? Keep your mind focused in the positive. Are you focused on winning, or not losing?
  4. Use powerful, simple language for conviction and congruency: “I am…., I commit to…, or I will…” There is no try, could, should, must, may, ought to, maybe, want to or wishing about it; either do or do not.
  5. And the best for last. Take out a 3×5 card and write down your Success List for the day. Take the top 3-5 specific things you have decided to do and don’t go to bed until they are completed. Write them down, commit to them, and say them out loud. Something changes inside when you speak your truth for the day.

These 5 steps shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes. Take 1-2 minutes to meditate on your priorities, commit with conviction and congruency to what you decide to complete, write and say it out loud, and then see what happens when you head hits the pillow and you feel that success you always dreamt of!  Time management doesn’t get any simpler than this!

Share with me your successes below!

Success in Three Minutes a Day… How To Stay Focused

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Some of the most popular and famous self-help books are the ones that are short, simple and concise. Take James Allens’ classic book, “As a Man Thinketh.”  is powerful and insightful. Benjamin Franklin is remembered for his exercise around living 13 Core Values; the first ever self-help exercise.

Another short classic is a wonderful little book called, “It Works,” by RHJ. The Success Solution presented in the book is also simple, powerful and effective.

One of the greatest challenges any Executive or Entrepreneur faces when it comes to achieving goals is being focused. This process is designed to help you stay focused on achieving what you want in life and business.

 

Here are the simple steps. So, if you are ready, grab a clean journal and proceed.

1-  Write down everything you sincerely, earnestly and truthfully desire in your business and life. It is OK to have it shift from day to day or week to week as you work on figuring out what those items are. Have them be as specific as possible; use the SMART format when writing them.

2-  Go through the list at least three times a day: morning, noon and night

3-  Feel free to rewrite you list from time to time, rearrange and reprioritize it. Add and delete items as necessary. When your fears and doubts pop up in your mind, just pull out your list and reread it.

4-  Take action and don’t tell anyone what’s on your list.

5-  When items on your list start to appear, be sure and give a HUGE “THANK YOU” for them coming to fruition. Gratitude is important because it leads to true happiness in life.

6-  Repeat!

One final note, be sure that what you want will only bring on positive consequences. Remember that everything you put on the list will have both an upside and a downside that comes with it. It has to be good for you to have and also good for all of those around you.  Start with small items on your list and work your way up to the larger ones.

This simple exercise will test you to your limit because it is really an exercise in consistent, long term focus. I have to keep remembering to review, rewrite and update my list. It is fun and challenging, which means like most things that are worthwhile in life, the results will be amazing.

I would love to hear of your successes below and welcome your comments below!

If you would like more information on other classic short books that create profound results, visit: www.executivebooks.com

 

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8 Reasons Not to Hire An Executive Coach

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Self-Confidence, The Side Benefit of Keeping Your Promises

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One of my clients, an extremely successful entrepreneur and businessman for whom I feel tremendous respect, closes every coaching session with, “I will strive to complete my campaign in its entirety, you have my word, and I have my word.” To which I respond, “And, I love your word.”

What is so powerful about that sentence is “the word.”  The secret power of the “Word” is the underlying commitment to achieve what is on his list no matter what the cost before our next coaching session. Remarkably, he has completed his campaign for the last straight 108 weeks of coaching. How powerful is that? What’s the secret?

Over the last two years, things have come and gone on his weekly commitment sheet. Some have stayed the same but many others have come and gone as he completed them. What has been consistent is that he has kept his commitment and word to himself.

At the core of all self-confidence, power and success is the ability to follow through and do what you say you are going to do long after the excitement and passion of the moment passes.

And, why is that so powerful? Because when you set a commitment or goal, you have to automatically put your obstacles in place.

Specifically, you will always have to overcome some combination of the following challenging emotional states to keep your word: fatigue, discouragement, feeling inadequate, loneliness, overwhelm, doubt, nervousness, humiliation, incompetence, frustration, resentment, powerlessness, anger, and even jealousy of others.

The power of self-confidence and keeping your word is learning to embrace these emotional states as they come up, and accept them as appropriate and warranted given the goal that you are pursuing. If you stop trying to run away from these negative emotions,  you are already half way towards the successful completion of your goal. The power comes through pushing through those disempowering states. Even better, get excited about them! Anticipate these emotions and welcome them as part of a natural component on your path to victory.

I recently supported another high level business executive who had an interesting belief about what needed to happen in order for him to be successful in his job. He needed to be put into a position where he was expected to do the impossible, solve that challenge when no one else could, and in his words, “face that ugly beast that no one else could kill.” He gets paid handsomely to do such valiant deeds!

Successful people know how to embrace and use fatigue or moments of indecision and take responsibility. They create a link that takes them from the disempowering state to a more resourceful one.

My client has powerful days because he conditions himself to push through obstacles and push through what most people would consider disempowering states to create an incredible business and life.

In many ways, your success –not only in your business, but in your personal life too, is directly proportional to amount of challenging emotional states you can overcome on a daily basis in the pursuit of your goals. Not surprisingly, that’s also directly proportional to the amount of self-confidence you will have. That’s the power of keeping “your word.”

 

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7 Proven Techniques to Be Your Own Executive Coach

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I often tell people that, “I am my own best client.” Being an Executive Life Coach gives me the privilege to meet an amazing array of successful leaders, from business owners to executives.  Together, we establish new patterns of success, explore more effective ways to approach challenges, and set up strategies to stay on track.

And although a lot happens during a call, a large portion of the work happens outside of a coaching session –namely the client has to engage the motivation to take action and implement the strategies from the call.  Here are 7 simple strategies you can use to coach *yourself* whether or not you are in fact working with an executive coach.

1-  Stop for a few moments every morning and reconnect with your life’s purpose, truths and desires. Take a look at the big picture of what you want to create, your mission, purpose, and desires for the future. Really focus on getting to your place of truth of what you most desire. Go deeper than, “win the lottery, get a date, take my kids to school and relax tonight watching tv.” Find a moment to reflect on the inner truths of your life. It will serve and guide your decisions and actions the rest of the day.

2-  Make a list of the top 3-5 very specific things you are fearing, procrastinating or just plain old scared to death to do. They should be things that are moving you towards your purpose, truth, mission, and desires from step #1. I often ask myself, “If I were to die tonight, what would I do today to die a whole and complete man, knowing that I lived my purpose? What small challenges would I overcome for my own personal triumphs?” Remember the 80-20 rule? That top 20% is the sum of the small action items where you are currently out of integrity because you may be fearful and procrastinating.

3-  Move your body to motivate yourself to kick some ass: personally and with others. Pick up that old song, move your body and sing at the top of your lungs. You have to move if you want to create energy. Remember, force = mass X acceleration. If you never move your mass, you will never start to accelerate your life and it will never have any energy. You have to move! We are made to move. Drop the expectations of hours at the gym, do something simple, stretch, walk, and find a way to move! Listen to that song, put your chin up and shoulders back, take a deep breath from down in your diaphragm. Enjoy the feeling!

4-  Break the rules. Even yours sometimes! I’m not talking about doing something to get youself in jail but if you would never roll down the windows and sing at the top of your lungs…do it. Break some small rules to experience that little emotional “Yeah” (I repeat, nothing against the law! :D)  People stuck in their lives of hum-drum will just tell you to be quiet and keep things even keeled, but emotional moment sticks with you!!! So bring in the passion!  Dare to go against expectations, take a risk or buck conventions a bit!

5-  Find a peer group to create leverage to complete items #1-4. We all need some outside support to achieve our dreams. I have three very close people (besides my wife) who help to keep me focused, energized and accountable to what I say I am going to do. It is great to have a full life and share it with others. You guys know who you are and “YOU ROCK!”  They are my greatest cheer team and they also hold nothing back in terms of direct feedback! Remember, no one stands up and the Oscars to accept the award and says, “Yeah man, I deserve this. I worked my butt off and no one helped me at all. I am the man.” Instead, they always have people to thank for their success. Who would you thank?

6-  Learn something new that is of interest to you and apply it. Read all you can and immerse yourself in developing your personal interests. It will build into your life creativity, mastery of skill, and it will become not what you know, but who you are. And, remember to apply one thing you learn everyday until it is mastered in your life.

7-  Last and best… Remember to work from you places of strength, not weakness. Remember the basic principles that define who you are and how you want to live your life.  Remember that while you may be driving to fix and change something in your life, you are also perfect the way you are now. Remember to stay focused on your basic strengths and use them. If you are a person whose strength is mastering a single task, then become the first chair soloist. And if you are a big picture strategist, become the conductor of the orchestra. Both need each other! Stay focused on who you are and what you can become. Stay away from focusing on what you are not and what you “should” become.

There might be a time when you decide that you need the support and expert guidance of an executive life coach, but there are many times when you can take the task on yourself.  These 7 steps can help you to coach yourself.

To your continued success,

James

 

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Avoid This Networking Blunder: Don’t Ask This Question!

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Have you ever been out networking, meeting and greeting, and towards the end of your conversation with someone, they ask you, “So, how can I help you?”  What’s worse, have you been asking that question to people that you meet?

That is a dangerous question to ask for a couple of reasons.

One, it might be a clue that you may have been making the conversation all about you. The general rule of thumb is that a good networking meeting will consist of discussing yourself thirty percent of the time and engaging the other person to talk seventy percent of the time. If a conversation has been going great and that question pops out, perhaps you have been talking more than listening.

Two, if that’s not the case and they have shared a good bit of information about themselves or their business, it indicates that you either don’t truly understand what problems they face, or you don’t have a clue as to how you can help them.  Either way, it’s not good.

In the first instance, not only can it totally breaks rapport, but it puts the person on the spot and places them in a situation where they’re supposed to figure if and how they fit in your business model, instead of you focusing on the problems they encounter, understanding their needs, and showing them how you might be able to help.

Alternatively, if you do understand the problems they face, but still ask them how you can help them, you run the risk of appearing like you don’t know how to tackle their issues which is not likely to foster trust and ruin your credibility as an expert in your field.

The reality is, if you have been asking questions, getting the other person to speak to you and been engaged, you should be able to get a pretty good idea of their problems and challenges. People more often than not, will tell you at least a couple of areas where they can improve something in their business.  From there, you can pretty easily determine whether or not you can help that person.

If it’s a good fit, fantastic, forge ahead, but if you see that you cannot or do not know how to solve their problems, add value by connecting them with someone who can.  After all, that’s what networking is all about!

Do you have some networking tips?  Share the wealth!  Comment below!

Are You Making This Sales and Marketing Mistake?

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Ask any small business owner what they would most like to have in their business and they more than likely will respond with, “more business!”

We all want clients calling and walking in the door with orders in hand. That’s why we engage in the game of sales and marketing.

So, the question is:  Are your sales and marketing efforts working? Have you dumped thousands into a website, social media, and print advertising over the years with little return on investment? If so, what caused the sales and marketing failure?

You might be focusing too much effort on sales and marketing and too little on prospecting. Prospecting has to come before sales and marketing. It is a small distinction that will make your company money.

Here are some examples of marketing versus prospecting.

Using Neuro Linguistic Programing NLP in your sales communication makes a difference!Some activities that define marketing in your business might be sending out email offers, writing e-books, posting on social media sites, writing a newsletter, creating video or audio podcasts, attending networking events, reviewing and updating your website, distributing fliers, handing out business cards or other print advertising and doing some public speaking.

Prospecting by comparison is about making a personal contact with someone. Cold calling, email solicitating with a follow up phone call the next day, following warm leads from client referrals, calling previous clients asking for referrals, and stopping by businesses in person to solicit  business.

Prospecting is being face to face (or phone to phone) with someone to see if they are a good prospect to start and market/sell.

Prospecting needs to come first because having qualified prospects will allow you to get the most out of your sales and marketing budget. 

You can work all day on creating a kick ass website, writing phenomenal content, and having an online presence, but at the end of the day if the phone doesn’t ring with a sale, there is no new business.

That small distinction between marketing and prospecting may seem trivial but it’s not.  Often success comes from a small distinction that creates a massive shift in results.

Making sure that prospecting is part of your daily routine will shift your sales and marketing’s effectiveness. It is the critical step to getting every small business where it wants to be:  having clients and customers walking in the door with orders in hand.

Is Life Coaching and Executive Coaching Effective? Experts Speak Out

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Whether you’re interested in Executive Coaching or Life Coaching, personal coaching can help you get unstuck or perform better.

Here is what others have to say:

 

“Who exactly seeks out a coach? Winners who want even more out of life.”  – Chicago Tribune

 

“People who use a career coach find jobs 15% to 46% faster than those who don’t, according to a study by talent management firm Lee Hecht Harrison.”
– Wall Street Journal Jan. 2009

 

“Business Coaching is attracting America’s top CEO’s because, put simply, business coaching works. Asked for a conservative estimate of the the monetary payoff from the coaching they got, these managers described an average return of more than $100,000, or about six times what the coaching had cost their companies.”
– FORTUNE Magazine Feb 2001

 

“A coach may be the guardian angel you need to rev up your career.”
– MONEY Magazine

 

“If ever stressed out corporate America could use a little couch-time, it’s now. Trust in big companies is at an all-time low. Baby-boomers have been burned; Gen Xers aren’t expecting the Corporation to take care of them. Under the circumstances, employees are much likelier to go outside and get independent advice to help them be better managers.”
– Karen Cates, Northwestern’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management

 

“Between 25 percent and 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies use executive coaches.”
– Suvey, The Hay Group, International

 

“Across corporate America, coaching sessions at many companies have become as routine for executives as budget forecasts and quota meetings.”
– Investors Business Daily

 

“Coaches are not for the meek. They’re for people who value unambiguous feedback. All coaches have one thing in common, it’s that they are ruthlessly results-oriented.”
– Fast Company Magazine

 

“Coaching is the universal language of change and learning.”
– CNN

 

“Executives and HR managers know coaching is the most potent tool for inducing lasting personal change.”
– Ivy Business Journal

 

“Part therapist, part consultant, part motivational expert, part professional organizer, part friend, part nag — the personal coach seeks to do for your life what a personal trainer does for your body.”
– Minneapolis-St. Paul Star-Tribune

“Once used to bolster troubled staffers, coaching now is part of the standard leadership development training for elite executives and talented up-and-comers at IBM, Motorola, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and Hewlett Packard. These companies are discreetly giving their best prospects what star athletes have long had: a trusted adviser to help reach their goals.”
– CNN.com

 

“Got a nagging feeling that your life could be more fulfilling? Want to change direction but aren’t sure how to do it? Here’s how to jump start your new life today … Hire a personal coach.”
– Modern Maturity

 

“Increasingly, nonprofit executives and managers are finding coaches a terrific sounding board and source of help in a demanding and complex job.”
– Nonprofit World

 

“The goal of coaching is the goal of good management: to make the most of an organization’s valuable resources.”
– Harvard Business Review

 

“An Ethics Resource Center study found that 90% of employees value leaders with integrity as highly as they value income. The Manchester survey of 140 companies shows nine in 10 executives believe coaching to be worth their time and dollars. The average return was more than $5 for each $1 spent.”
– The Denver Post

 

“What’s really driving the boom in coaching, is this: as we move from 30 miles an hour to 70 to 120 to 180……as we go from driving straight down the road to making right turns and left turns to abandoning cars and getting motorcycles…the whole game changes, and a lot of people are trying to keep up, learn how not to fall.”– John Kotter, Harvard Business School

“If you are inspired, you don’t need motivation.”  – Thomas Leonard, Father of Coaching 1955-2003

50 Ways to Get Motivated to Go to Work

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Do you remember the story of the Ugly Duckling? The swan egg gets mixed up in a nest of duck eggs. After the swan and ducks hatch, the gosling keeps comparing itself to the ducklings and all it sees is how it is different and believes it is ugly. Then, finally one day, the gosling becomes a swan, sees its reflection in the water and realized it is special and beautiful.

What does this have to do with being motivated to go to work? What you choose to focus on in life, and the meaning you attach to it, determines your experience.  Are you are happy , excited, and motivated to get to work each day? Perhaps you are focusing on something thinking it is ugly, when in reality, it is special and beautiful.

Did you open this email with the intention of seeing my 50 ways to be “Motivated to go to Work”?

It would not really be right to look at mine; after all, you are a swan, not a duck!

Here is how to develop your own 50 Ways to Get Motivated!

  1. Focus on 5 things you love about your drive to work.
  2. Sit in the parking lot at work and find 5 things that are wonderful from that vantage point.
  3. List 5 things you are going to be able to do this weekend as a direct result of earning money today.
  4. Sit at your desk and before you start work, think of 5 things you love about your workspace.
  5. Think of 5 benefits you are getting from your company today. (insurance, office supplies, computer?)
  6. Who are the 5 co-workers you are going to connect to today.
  7. Focus on 5 people who you will help solve problems for today. (clients or coworkers)
  8. Focus on 5 things you are going to learn today to grow.
  9. Focus on 5 Friendly Smiles you will give to someone you meet today because of work.
  10. Focus on 5 things you are looking forward to at work tomorrow.

There are your 50 Ways to Get Motivated to Go to Work! If you were not able to list 5 of each, keep building that muscle! Nothing changed for the goose except it switched its perspective from what it didn’t have to what it did have.

Too often we take the best things in life for granted. Remember how excited you were the first day you got the job offer? Changing your perspective might help you remember what you love about your job.

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