I’ve got a gold mine in my back yard do you want some of the gold?

This question was posed by a speaker I heard many years ago. Then he said all that you have to do is buy a shovel. How would you respond to this request?

This is what some of the people said to his question;

• I am not sure I have time to dig for gold.
• A shovel could be very expensive?
• How much gold is there?
• How deep is the gold?

The reason why I posed this scenario is that many times in our lives we are literally handed unbelievable opportunities but we say 'no' or put the request off. This is because we didn’t feel it was our idea or the opportunity didn’t fit what our plan was.

All that I can say with those types of thoughts is – how sad. Did you ever think that some unforeseen opportunities were dropped in your lap at the right time for the right reason? If you’ve rejected the last opportunity I think you should accept the next opportunity as it will get you out of the rut you are in, and give you a new experience in life.

Do you believe that the job you have right now is an important one?

Now consider this very seriously. This is because if you are not treating your present job with respect and dignity, how do you expect to move on to bigger and better things?

Yes, all of the work we do today leads to our tomorrows. This includes the jobs, careers or missions that we fulfill in our life.

So the next time you are taking it easy in your present job and are happy about it – remember that your actions will lay heavily on the next actions you try to take.

I am sure you would agree that you can’t go from 0 to 100 in a split second.

How do you speak?

Do you try to speak in words that convey hope and happiness? I hoped you answered yes to that question. If you didn’t you might not be focused enough on the good things that life brings when you are optimistic.

As a business owner if you are not optimistic, how do you expect the people you work with to bring their ‘A’ game? As a leader in your company how do you expect to solve your prospective client’s problems if you are not optimistic and forward looking with hope?

To conclude I would suggest developing a question that you can ask yourself each morning to get more client focused and optimistic. I would suggest that this question should start with these key words – ‘How can I…?’

Is what you are doing remarkable?

The basic principle is that in order to sell products or service, you need to truly impress your prospective clients. In other words; are you doing things that help you stand out from your competitors? Have you taken the same lackluster products, service or ideas that your competitors are selling and made them interesting for the marketplace?

If you haven’t done this I have a question for you; how can you change your ideas into something that is worth commenting about? When people comment about how you’ve done more than just satisfied their needs or wants and speak about it - that is being remarkable.

It is only when you transform what others are doing into something special and your own, that you will be head and shoulders above your competitors.

What are your manners like?

The other day I was asking a ‘teckie’ his opinion about what I thought was an important issue. When I started to ask my question, he went to his smart phone and started to answer his e-mail.

When I stopped speaking he looked up and told me to continue as he could do two things at once.

What a dreamer!

I know that you would agree that you like someone’s full attention when you are communicating with them. It is the same with me. What this ‘teckie’ doesn’t realize is that his inattention to me cost him business.

The next time you are approached, remember what the result will be if you don't pay full attention to them.