Are some people born luckier than others?

Do they have an advantage over you?

There is no doubt that some people have been born into money. That meaning that they had family that created wealth before they were born. The question is; are they luckier than you? That depends on the meaning you give to the work ‘lucky’. I’ve met some very honorable people who were born into money. I’ve also met some absolute jerks who were born into money. Let me focus on the honorable ones.

The honorable ones have decided that success only comes before work in the dictionary. They have decided that they are blessed but have decided to make a mark in the world by their own initiative. They were going to work! I enjoy the word initiative because it means one's personal and responsible decision. That decision is to take action and not depend on what they were part of at birth.

Take for example Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook. In a recent interview with Mark’s Mom and Dad with New York magazine, the Zuckerberg's revealed that like their son they are thrifty and do not flash their cash around. Ed Zuckerberg founded a business in 1978 but refuses to retire because his career is his ‘baby’. In other words he enjoys his work.

So no matter what circumstances you were born into, you need to take initiative, enjoy your work and be thrifty. That way you can be one of the luckiest people alive.

When today can you start to refocus?

Do you love what you do in your business life?

Is this your passion?

When you look at business, you need to remember that you must never do things just for the money. You must do it because you are passionate about helping others get what they want. If you are not passionate about what you are doing – this will be seen by your potential clients.

If your passion is seen by your potential clients, they will want to listen to you and potentially buy from you. If not, you will be trying to ‘sell’ at all times. You will be pushy and pushing people to buy.

Is this the way of life you want to live?

What are you doing to understand the needs of others?

You realize that you were born with one mouth and two ears for a reason, don’t you?

The other day I was in an appointment with a prospective client. You could see that she was somewhat uneasy about me being with her. I am sure she was expecting a sales pitch, but it never happened. While I am a very passionate person about what I do, I asked her questions in order to find out the company situation. Her answers helped me tremendously as I found out particular areas of concern that she had in her company.

At the end of our appointment she had calmed down entirely and was more of a friend than she was at the beginning of our discussion. Isn’t this the best way to start a potential business relationship?

What can you do today to get people to open up more to you?

Choosing a successor for your business

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were Shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room.

When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful - in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified.. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed, Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "This is your next Chief Executive Officer!

His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. “How could he be the new CEO?" the others said.

Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!"

The moral of this story;
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.

Do you review and learn from your past actions?

In other words are you an active learner?

It has been my experience that if I make the time to review my past action, I learn from them. The review I am talking about is a written exercise to re-construct an experience that you’ve had, and then itemize what you’ve learned from it.

I can hear one of you saying ‘That is going to be a lot of work.’ Yes that is true, and if you want to grow as a person you need to do what successful people do. Successful people become successful by reviewing their past actions, so they don’t make the same mistakes again.

If you don’t like repeating your mistakes try this process;

1. Pick an experience you want to learn from.
2. Review in point form the key actions from the experience.
3. Draw some conclusions from your review.
4. Plan on how to use the conclusions in your life.

You want to become an active learner, don’t you?

When today can you take action on this?

Have you set inspirational goals for your life?

There is a saying by Lewis Carroll the author of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, that states, ‘If you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there.’ What this means is that if you don’t have a destination, you can wander all over the place and accomplish what you wanted – that is nothing.

It is the same thing with your business. If you can’t answer these questions right now, you need to answer them very soon;

• Why are you in business?
• Who are your prime customer’s?
• Why are they your prime customer focus?
• What are the results that you need to achieve this day?
• What are the results that you need to achieve this week?
• What are the results that you need to achieve this year?
• What will be the impact if you don’t achieve those results?

My final question is; when will you know the answers to these questions?

Will you ever be able to achieve your goals?

In other words are you physically and mentally capable?

It has been shown that people that are in a good state mentally and physically are more capable of working the long hours and applying themselves in the achievement of their goals.

It has also been shown that being physically and mentally fit also gives you the ability to have energy, enthusiasm and passion for what you want to accomplish.

If you are in a fine state both physically and mentally, my compliments.

If you aren’t what can you do today to take charge of your future by taking control of your body and mind?

Have you developed a game plan?

Do you know where you would like to take your business?

Do you think outside the box?

Do you look for different ways to do your work?

I believe it is an essential skill in the 21^st Century to look at ways to improve your business or actions in business. I know this because if you continue to do what you’ve always done, you will get the stuffing beat out of you by some business is looking at ways to improve their business. Settling for the status quo is a deadly attitude in business today.

Thinking outside the box is all about innovation. Innovation is the establishment of better or more effective products, processes, services, or ideas that are going to be accepted by your prospective clients. This will take some work, but the results can boost your business to levels it has not seen in years.

Isn’t today the day to start thinking outside the box?

Do you really know where you are going?

Have you established your vision so clear that you can see it and feel it?

I am sure you’ve heard this story before, although it still needs to be repeated as reinforcement. In the 1953 Graduating Class at Yale University researcher’s found out that only 3% had written goals. Twenty years later, the researcher’s polled the members of the class of 1953 and the results were astounding! Of the 3% that had written goals, they had accumulated more personal financial wealth than all the combined 97% that had not written goals.

What does that say to you?

What do you need to do today?

Are you analyzing the return on your marketing costs?

Are you reviewing the repayment from your business expenses?

On May 15^th, General Motors announced that it would stop advertising on Facebook. The decision was based on the fact that they have found that their ads did not have the impact they had hoped for.

This is a powerful statement for all businesses to consider. This is because if a major company like GM has doubts about their advertising on Facebook, it is a sign that all businesses must re-evaluate their marketing ways and view the results in greater detail.

When will you evaluate your marketing expenses versus the results?

Have you lost sight of your goal?

Or do you have a goal?

I strongly believe that if you don’t have a goal, you will wander aimlessly. It is the wandering aimlessly that can destroy your life. Yes, I said destroy. The reason for saying that 'destroy' word is because if we don’t have goals or objectives, we have know reason to take action. Taking action is the key to feeling alive and contributing to others.

What is one goal you can set for this coming week? Remember it must be S.M.A.R.T., which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Trackable.

Can you see how setting goals can make a difference in your life? If not e-mail me at timothygibney@sympatico.ca and I will send you a more detailed description of goal setting.

When was the last time you went on a date?

If that is some time ago think back.

I believe that dating and marketing are the same in many ways. If you come on too strong no one will be interested in you. In fact I believe there is only one reason for being pushy in a sales appointment or date it is because you just want to close the deal. You have not thought about the other person.Their thoughts or their feelings.

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with creating a sense of urgency. But it does make more sense if you relate it to the prospective client’s wants.

What can you do today that will make you ‘court’ or persuade your clients more effectively?

How much time do you spend improving your abilities?

Some people call this professional development.

The biggest challenge I’ve seen with recent university or college graduates, is that they think that some think they know it all. Many United States Colleges or Universities use the word commencement for the ceremony that awards their graduates the diplomas. I like the use of that word because commencement means the time at which something is supposed to begin. It means that now is the time to begin the other part of your education – the real life learning experiences in relation to your career.

That is why I like the use of the word professional development. No matter what you do, if you upgrade your skills and abilities you are showing that you take your job or profession seriously and by taking courses you are showing you want to improve – to be professional.

What can you do today to show your dedication to advancing in your career?

How much information do you give to your prospective client’s?

I believe that less is better.

Let me tell you why. If you find that you are giving your prospects a lot of information it is because you have not qualified them or understand what their needs or wants are.

The more information you give them, the more you will find that they get mind-overload. That is where they have all this information and are having difficulty in making a decision.

Our responsibility as sales/marketers is to understand our prospective clients and then give them what they want. Once you grasp this concept you will find that you are a better buyers’ assistant.

Wouldn't this be great?

Is it easy for you to say ‘no’ to requests?

Are you thinking that you don’t have an option?

Every person who owns a business has an option about what they are going to do and who they are going to work with. Let me give you an example; let’s say a very miserable person comes into your store. Do you want to have them as a client? Of course not! So you do have options.

So how do you say ‘no’ respectfully? I believe the best way is to be politely blunt. That is to say; ‘Mr. Prospect I don’t believe that we have the right connection to work together on a long-term basis. Due to this I would suggest you look to some of my competitors for your needs.’

Not only will you have helped them, but you will have taken a great weight off your shoulders of having a client that you don’t feel comfortable with.

Doesn’t this make sense?

Does your schedule reflect what is important to you?

Do you plan your day or week in a way that shows what is important to you?

I believe it is time that we all took a step back and looked at how we are living our lives. The reason for that is because if we are ignoring what is most important in our lives, we will lose. What do I mean by that? I mean that if you are ignoring for example your family, before you know it, they will be gone from your home and all those years that you could have bonded with them will be lost. As you know you can’t get back that time, can you?

The same is true in all areas of your life, isn't it?

Do you now see how important it is that your schedule reflects what is important to you?

How many times do you make an effort to contact your clients?

Is it 2 or 3 times?

According to Chet Holmes (a sales and marketing specialist), decision makers are now exposed to over 30,000 commercial messages daily, as compared to only 3,000/day ten years ago. According to the research it now takes 8.4 attempts for a salesperson to get in front of a prospect, while 10 years ago, it took only 4 tries.

So the question is; is your effort to contact your clients effective enough? If not, what are you going to do to make it more effective?

Is your marketing an expense or an investment?

In other words, how do you view you marketing?

It is my opinion that when it comes to marketing it can be placed in both areas. This is because if you view your marketing as an investment you will think long term. That is if you market your business in a proper and consistent way. This proper and consistent way is all about introducing those potential clients to the benefits that you offer, as compared to your competition.

If still you view your marketing as only an expense, it means that you are not being effective at introducing the benefits that your business offers. You are probably promoting discounts or sales events in your advertising.

We all need to examine our marketing and decide if we are discounters or professionals.

What is your decision?

What is the hardest word to say?

Some people think it is the word ‘sorry’ as an old song proposed.

I believe it is the word ‘why’. Why would I say that? Oops I just used it! I believe the reason we don’t ask this small question is because we don’t want to find the real reasons behind decisions that have been made. If you ask the question why, it opens up new opportunities for discussion.

Isn’t discussion the best thing that happens in a person’s life? I believe it is, because when you understand what is going on in a person life you can form a bond and this bond can lead to many opportunities.

When can you start asking more questions, especially ‘why’?

Do you believe the only way to accomplish something is on your own?

I hope you aren’t trapped by this thinking.

I understand the ‘lone wolf’ concept, although I also believe that by working with others more ideas are created for the success of a venture.

When you work with others you have to develop a high level of trust. Some people say that is a hard thing to do. It may be. But think about it this way. If you hired these staff members, you must have seen some good qualities in them. If they are still working for you, they must still have these good qualities. So why not trust them?

Could it be that you just can’t let go of the control? If that is right, what can you do today to improve your own trust level?

Do you like to analyze everything in microscopic detail?

If you do, are you sure you are not over analyzing it?

My concerns are based on the saying ‘analysis to paralysis’. Sometimes in our lives we spend so much time analyzing something that we fail to take action. Has this ever happened to you? If so, you’ve got trapped by the ‘analysis to paralysis’ syndrome.

This syndrome can be fatal, as we don’t take enough action to create an impact in our business or our life. I believe the problem comes from being afraid of making a mistake. I also believe that mistakes are your greatest friends. I know that because if you learn from your mistakes you will grow as a person and you will also grow your business.

What action can you take today to grow your business, without over analyzing it?

Does change really annoy you?

If it does please read on!

Recently I saw a Honda ad from the early 1980’s. The ad had these words in it; ‘Imagine if we resisted change. Without it there would be no progress.’

The question I have for you is; do you like many of the advancements that have happened in your life? I haven’t met many people who didn’t like advancements. The problem I see is that people like change/advancements when they initiate it, but don’t like it when it is forced on them. So the challenge for us is the meaning that we give to the changes in our lives.

What can you do today to change the way you view change or advancement in your life?