April 6th, 2010
Most people are interested, but they are not committed. Commitment means you are willing to do “whatever it takes” to make it. For you and your business, it’s no different. You must understand one simple principle: Successful people are willing to do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. If you want to be successful at anything, you can’t dabble at it. You’ve got to make a commitment and then follow through with it. You’ve got to put some time, effort, energy and passion into it.
“Character is the ability to follow through on a goal, dream or commitment long after the excitement of the moment is gone.”
I challenge you to make these five commitments today. They are:
- Stretch yourself. Stretching means you raise your own personal bar while raising your standards. Stretching takes discipline. Discipline means saying “no” to some things. You may have to say “no” to the time stealers, the dream stealers. To stretch to the next level, you may have to say “no” to the golf games or late nights. You may even have to say “no” to techno. Technology is great, but too much of it can steal your time, your energy and even your dreams. This means turning off the TV, the e-mails, the Internet and cell phones today so you can say “yes” to your future, “yes” to your dreams and “yes” to the next level of success.
Go for excellence. There’s a big difference between having an excellent game and having game excellence. The superstars are always striving for game excellence, they have a constant improvement attitude and they are competing with themselves to get better.
- Take personal responsibility for your life. This means taking charge of your future. It means stepping up every aspect of your life and demanding more of yourself than others expect. When you take charge of your life, there will be no blaming, no excuses and no rationalizations. You become the type of person who finds the reasons things will work instead of looking for the reasons they won’t.
- Be flexible. Flexibility gives you the ultimate power. Successful people know there is no such thing as all or nothing and everything is not always black and white. Everybody is different and every situation is different. Remember that life is a process and the individuals who are flexible and open to new ideas have an advantage over those who are closed-minded.
- Be a team player. This means knowing your role. Team players are willing to put the team’s objectives ahead of their own personal objectives. This means working with others for the good of the whole. Team players edify and build up those who are around them. They help create a team synergy by becoming part of the solution instead of the problem.
- Follow through. To succeed at any level, you have got to follow through by taking massive action each and every day. This means putting forth the energy and effort to make it happen. It means being the type of person who just goes out and does it. … Nike has a famous saying: “Just do it!”
If you will make these five commitments, they will change your life.
Tags: reward for success, success, successful
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April 2nd, 2010
This past week it was reported that the top 5 auto makers experienced an increase in sales largely because of attractive buyer incentives marketed in part through viral marketing. These incentives were so successful at GM that they are now adding 900 to 1,000 auto workers working a third shift. Incentives included low interest rates and special deals for returning customers.
The past two years restaurants, amusement parks, retailers and auto makers have retain or increased business by using incentive marketing. Either two for one admittance into amusement parks, restaurant coupons or special interest rates. Combined with viral marketing posting advertising special discounts and other incentives is more powerful than ever. Viral communication excites and drive people to run through the streets in Santa suits or come to grand openings with no other advertising except for an announcement posted on Twitter. Imagine how well your business will do posting a viral message along with an incentive to buy a discoun t-shirt today or other item in your store today.
Viral Marketing Tips:
- Set a goal about what you want to achieve and dream big!
- What type of emotion are trying to trigger?
- Think about what excites and leave the sales pitch in the background because otherwise it is a big turn off.
- Communicate that there is more fun to come with another future event.
- Allow sharing of information or specials deals and downloads.
- Pump up your viral event with announcements on social networks before, during and after.
Another idea is to post your special coupon, gift card or merchandise giveaway for an afternoon or morning only. You can bet if they miss it they will keep their eyes open next time and jum on it. Recently, Starbuck’s posted a free pastry with purchase on Facebook that could be shared with friends. Although the special offer ended by 10:30 that morning, it was immediately shared with thousands within minutes.
After two years of economic challenge buyers will now always be conditioned to look for added value for their money. To stay in business and grow you must demonstrate interest in your customers all the time. Like any valued relationship in your life, it is important to show that you care. What better way to say you care then doing so on no special day just for the mere reason of saying you really care. Your customers will be so impressed by a just because offer and it will make more of an impact than the typical holiday discount to drive at the end of the year. After all you will be out there on any given Thursday or Friday just because without the crowds out there during the Christmas holiday getting more attention.
It’s easy to get lazy and use the same marketing techniques year after year. You stop saying thank you or saying or “I value you” because your customers may no longer ordering appetizers and bottles of wine with dinner. It doesn’t take a lot to make a little more effort to be considerate and appreciative, but it’s easy to forget how important it is. Remember when you opened your business and were so happy to make any sale that you kept your first $1.00? Your invest of time and money spent on incentives will let your customers know you care and you will soon find you will receive more in return!
Tags: blood donation incentives, corporate incentives, customer incentives, incentive programs
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March 31st, 2010
Negatives and positives are most always based on perception and tend to rent space in our minds and largely dictate our reaction to situations. - M. Raymond Sheppard
How do your customers perceive your business? Do you view your employeeas your best asset. Those that work in Customer Service and Sales not only complete three to four main functions, they are the key to your business' success. Your front line people are often closer to your customers than you are. They hear unscenored customer complaints, suggestions and are a wonderful creative source. Customers freely communicate what they want and need each and every day because they feel comfortable doing so. Your front line contacts are your best source of marketing information reducing your guess work.
If we changed our perception of our front line employees and truly listened, we would find how valuable they really are to our success. They may not be some of your key managers or most educated but they are immensely important to your business. By changing your perception of front line employees, their perception of you will also change. They will feel appreciated, empowered and help you create customer driven products and services leading to more business. Customer Service and Sales staff in essence becomes an important part of our marketing teams.
Employee incentive and empowerment programs that unfold organically in their minds while avoiding forced creativity and action will prove to be immediately effective. To begin your employee incentive and customer driven solutions campaign you need to focus on a few things first:
1) Participative Management - Schedule opportunities to meet and exchange ideas that are fun in their environment.
2) Put People at Ease - Mirror your front line and leave your management hat in your office. Answer the phone or work in the sales field. Walk and talk their language.
3) Self-Awareness - Ask yourself some honest questions. Do you visit your front line staff often? Do you congregate only with certain types of people? Do your front line employees approach you warmly? Do you greet employees in the parking lot or at lunch? In other words, do they know you are a real human being?
4) Do they have an opportunity to see a part of the real you? Do you participate in charity drives, brown bag lunches and summer picnics?
Offering your employees a part of yourself and a point reward program will provide immediate benefits. Employees will feel that they are part of your team and they will invest themselves into the success of the company. A reward program will maintain their interest because it rewards them with theirchoice of rewards. They can select quality merchadise, travel and share it all with the entire family. Platforms are attractive seamless and will keep your employees engaged.
According to the Service Research Bureau, 59% of lost business is the result of a poor customer service experience. Can you imagine the loss and the time it took these companies to earn that business? Frontline employees have a tough job. They need to be cheerful and helpful, provide solutions, communicate well, and know about the workings of your company. Not an easy task. Retaining qualified people is not easy and is more important than ever. Buyers are shoping around for the best service more than ever before. Because many front line jobs are considered entry level with a sometimes a long road to advancement, an incentive program is crucial for these employees and to your business.
Can these front line employees really make a difference? Here are just a few examples:
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One Forest Service employee suggestioned that money collected from visitors to forests and campgrounds into the Treasury account be completed weekely rather than monthly. This simple suggested was projected to save $1 million over five years in employee time, transportation costs and bank deposit fees.
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A Support Clerk from Grand Junction, Colo., Veterans Affairs Medical Center suggested that VA hospitals allow veterans take home any unused prescriptions after they're discharged, instead of throwing the medications away saving in excess of $14 million dollars.
Empower and train your front line employees. Invest in your employees to retain and grown your business!
Tags: incentive programs, reward, rewards
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March 30th, 2010
It is spring, a time for renewal and a fresh start. We invest time in spring cleaning around the house, plant flowers, wash off the lawn chairs in preparation for BBQ’s and fun times ahead. It is also the perfect time to do the same with your business. Consider this a season of renewal. Take a step back and look at your business, what needs to be cleaned out and spruced up? Do you need to invest in your website? Do you have a clear goal of what you want to accomplish this season? What role do you want your employees to take during your business’ renewal? New Year’s Day is not the only opportunity to get motivated and set goals.
Businesses have been cutting back and reducing their marketing budgets so much that they are not going to be ready to take part in the economic renewal. When is this finally going to happen? Now, there are signs everywhere. Restaurants have wait times, people are buying kids spring clothes and businesses that have worked wisely have actually expanded. As with the early signs of spring, you will miss the signs of the renewal if you don’t look for them.
Companies that continue to provide good service, new servics and keep their names out there have a greater change for growth. Give your customers a reason to take a second look. If we all think about Hallmark stores, we know that each season we go into their stores for a birthday or Easter card we know that seasonal marketing is everywhere capturing our eye to bring into their stores. The only thing that does not change is the good service we come to expect with each visit.
We all have experienced challenges during this economy but we must look forward to come out of it. We know that there is a day when we will finally be in a good place forgetting exactly when things all began to be positive once again. It is funny how we can remember when things began to go bad but not so much so when things began to be positive again. Working together with others we can keep ourselves focused on our own motivational programs with small rewards along the way.
Motivational tips for you and your employees:
1) Have a grip party for a 1/2 hour. Discuss light weight problems this economy has caused your company, have each participant find one funny solution and move on.
2) Hold a meeting outside in the beautiful spring weather to inspire a discussion about how you will renew your business. Ask each person to provide at least 3 solutions but how deeper discussion for a follow up meeting.
3) Thank your customers with added services and pleasant changes to your store or website.
4) Survey your customers for their opinions on how you could serve them better, why they do business with you and how you can motivate them to do more business with you.
5) Look to your competition, visit their stores and websites what is it that you found to be attractive about their business. Note the positive differences between you and them.
6) Read, research and rediscover your industry. What has changed since you went into business? Can you develop a niche in your industry?
7) Provide reward programs using platforms that focus on providing capitvating incentives that attract customers again and again.
Whether you are thinking about customer retention or buiding your business, use the freshness of the season to start you off in the right direction.
Tags: awards, motivate, motivation, motivational, motivational programs
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March 24th, 2010
Difficult, trying times reveal just how positive you really are. Think about it.
What’s the virtue in being positive when you’re on a roll, when everything is clicking for you and falling your way?
Your potential for business excellence, excellence in your marriage, and excellence in your family life demands that you master the skill of staying U.P. (Ultra-Positive) even when–and especially when–everyone else isn’t. There is a tendency in tough times to zero in on the things that are “out of whack” and forget about all that is working in our lives and in our country.
When you’re Ultra-Positive, you’ll be more creative, productive, energetic, attractive, and most importantly, receptive to God’s will. Remember, staying positive does not mean remaining passive. Take action. Defend the truth. Become part of the solution! Here are seventeen practical options to build your momentum. Pick your favorites and get started today. Then spread the joy to others.
1. Make the Decision to Stay U.P.
Nothing of consequence happens until you promise yourself that you’ll become the most positive person you know, even in light of challenging circumstances. Raise your standards! Become an inspiration to others. Everything else flows from this key decision to separate yourself from the herd mentality, from the vast majority who blame, whine, gossip, and predict the sky is falling. Life is short. Refuse to buy into this mass hypnotism…Take a stand, starting now.
2. Start U.P. then end U.P. every day.
One of the simplest ways to reduce stress and anxiety is to begin and end each day with what I call Positive Mental Nutrition™. Feed your mind with inspirational ideas, spiritual truth, or motivational nuggets for ten to fifteen minutes immediately upon awakening each morning and right before drifting to sleep each evening. During these two time periods, your mind is extremely susceptible to programming, so make sure your inputs are positive, healthy, and goal-directed. Read, visualize, affirm, pray, and rewrite your goals…and practice feeling thankful for what you do have!
3. Summarize Each Day’s Victories, Large or Small, in Writing.
This one practice alone can zap fear and generate quantum leaps in self-confidence. Start logging your accomplishments each evening in a notebook, hardbound journal, or on your computer. What a great, 4:8 habit!
4. U.P. your Physical Exercise
Another pillar of Ultra-Positive living is consistent, moderate exercise. This includes aerobic work to burn fat and improve heart health; weight work to tone and strengthen your muscles and elevate metabolism; and flexibility work to stay loose and limber. Exercise more. Exercise a lot more! Face the facts. When you’re in terrific shape and feel better about yourself, you feel better about your life and more optimistic about your future. You’re positioned to live U.P. to your full potential.
5. Break U.P. the Big Four
Negative thinking leads to negative emotions, which in turn trigger more negative thinking. The vicious cycle becomes engaged. The top four negative emotions include fear, worry, blame, and guilt. These terrorize your potential and immobilize your efforts toward becoming Ultra-Positive. When you begin experiencing results you didn’t want or expect, it’s easy to get scared and start thinking more about potential losses than potential gains. This mind-set triggers worry or what I call reverse goal setting, where you vividly imagine what you don’t want. To transfer the burden of worry, you will often blame someone or something outside of yourself. Alternatively, you may exaggerate your role in the negative events and experience guilt. Consider negative emotions to be lies from the enemy. Deal with them directly by refusing to entertain the thoughts that fuel them. This is a point very much worth reinforcing: Invest your time thinking about what you want instead of what you don’t want.
6. Forgive Someone, Including Yourself, Daily
Harboring grudges and hostility against anyone, including yourself, tends to attract more circumstances to be upset about. Practice forgiving somebody every day for real or imagined transgressions. The better you become at forgiveness, the more positive you can become as a human being. If you skip this one, I’ll even forgive you.
7. Quarantine Negativity if You Can’t Dissolve It
Carve out a particular time and place to worry (worry time) and to complain (issue time) each week. This is extremely effective because then the rest of your week isn’t diluted with the minority of negative circumstances that can infect otherwise healthy days. When you cut the spontaneity out of negativity, you severely weaken it.
8. Focus on God. He’s U.P.
Remind yourself of everything you know to be true about God. God is all-powerful. God is love. God is sovereign. God is always with us. God is absolute truth. God never changes. And so on. Thinking about God is good, really good! And the bigger you make God, the smaller your problems become.
9. Schedule Four-Minute Positive Injections Every Two Hours
Think of these as Positive Pit Stops. Review your goals or mission. Practice affirmation or visualization. Pray. Read the Bible. Relive a positive memory. Write a thank-you card or send an e-mail of appreciation to someone important. Ask 4:8 Questions. (See page 33 in that smiley face book)
10. Simplify and Declutter to stay U.P.
Complexity is negative. Simplicity is positive. Room by room, drawer by drawer, try tossing one tiny item of clutter every day for thirty consecutive days. My 1% clients love this one and so will you, because doing even a small task will help you to feel more positive. Break your jumbo-sized goals into sub-goals and milestones, and then splinter them into even smaller pieces if necessary to spur you into action. Renegotiate or downsize existing commitments to lighten your load a bit for the next thirty days.
11. Get to Bed Sixty Minutes Earlier for Ten Straight Days
Fatigue, especially chronic fatigue, invites negativity and cowardly thinking. During periods of intense or prolonged stress, extra sleep will help your brain remain an ally in the war against mediocrity. Cut something out of the evening schedule (maybe the bad news) and drift to sleep with visions of victories dancing in your head. Your body, mind, and spirit will thank you.
12. Take a Twenty-Four-Hour Mental Fast
Become Ultra-Positive one day at a time. You can rid your attitude of toxic thoughts through the practice of mental fasting. Read and reread The 4:8 Principle if you want to master this simple, relevant, powerful and biblically-based mental technique. During your fast, abstain from all complaining, fear-mongering, criticizing, excuse-making, gossiping, and worrying whatsoever! Start with a twenty-four minute fast and gradually discipline your mind to repel all negativity for a whole day. Focus on progress. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
13. Stay U.P. and Watch Your Favorite Funny Movies
Laughter is fabulously positive. Research indicates that people who laugh more actually have more fun. Isn’t that surprising? Consider building your own comedy library on DVD. Save funny movies on TIVO. Watch often. You’ll stay healthier, more creative, and less stressed–and that’s a great alternative to the medicine cabinet.
14. Have a Counter-Attack Plan U.P. and Ready
Become hypersensitive to your thought life. Since you can be negative only when you’re thinking “8:4 thoughts,” you can quickly become positive by thinking “4:8 thoughts.” This is called the Principle of Substitution. The split-second you notice any negative thought running through your mind, replace it emphatically with something like, “I am responsible” or “I trust God” “God is with me” “This is temporary” or “I can do it.” Repeat, repeat, repeat! Be ready with your comeback before the heat of the moment. Make negative, limiting thoughts unwelcome in your mind.
15. Re-Engage an Old Hobby to Stay U.P.
Involve yourself in a positive activity that used to be important to you but may have gotten squeezed out of your life due to other priorities. This will be both therapeutic and rejuvenating. Consider it a gift to yourself.
16. Intentionally Cultivate Ultra-Positive Company
This one is mandatory. It’s next to impossible to become or stay U.P. when the people you live and work with are petty, “8:4 thinkers.” Nothing equals the influence of your habitual associations. Especially now, be purposeful about which people are close to you on a regular basis. The people you hang out with influence your outlook on life. As you become more optimistic, you will attract more optimistic people in your life, and that’s good.
17. Help Someone Else U.P.
Donate your money. Donate your time. Volunteer. Simply serve someone less fortunate (and there are a billion or so to choose from) or contribute your talents and gifts to a worthy organization. Helping those who need help reduces self-centeredness and puts your own challenges into a much more positive perspective.
The key to staying U.P. is to remember that every situation can indeed be positive when you view it through the lens of Philippians 4:8, as an opportunity for spiritual growth, character refinement and the redistribution of joy.
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January 8th, 2010
Want to know how to make 2010 your best year ever?
Stop Killing Your Sales!
The Top 10 Sales Killers
Any veteran in business can tell you a story about the one that got away. Veterans who are successful in business today learned valuable lessons from those situations and, hopefully, never repeated them. As challenging as the business of selling might be for some, losing sales is unbelievably easy. Learn from the mistakes of others so you won’t have many of the sad stories to tell.
Sales Killer #1 – Unprofessional appearance. If you want people to listen to you and heed your advice regarding your product or service, you have to come across both in appearance and demeanor as a professional expert. This means that you are appropriately groomed. You walk with confidence. People will buy from you based more on your conviction and enthusiasm for your product than they will your product knowledge.
Sales Killer #2 – Talking too much. When you’re talking, you’re telling. When you ask questions to get clients talking about their needs, you’re selling. You’re finding out what they want to own. Only then can you guide them to the right product or service.
Sales Killer #3 – Your vocabulary. Words create pictures in our minds. Certain words that are inherent to selling turn people off. For example, I caution people in business to avoid using the word “contract” when handling the details of a large ticket sale. We all know that contracts are legally binding documents and require legal efforts to get out of them. If appropriate, call your contract an “agreement,” “form,” or “paperwork.” The mental image is less threatening. Think about the words you use and replace any negative word-picture images with gentler, more positive ones.
Sales Killer #4 – Not investing time in building rapport. Good rapport builds trust. No one will want to make a purchase from someone they don’t like and trust. Don’t just jump right into a presentation on your product. Get to know your client a bit.
Sales Killer #5 – Lack of a qualification system. A certain percentage of the people you talk with will not be good candidates for your product or service. If they don’t have the need or the money for your product or service, there is no sale. Your challenge is to figure this out as early in your communication with them as possible. Come up with at least 3 or 4 questions the answers to which will tell you if they’re qualified to own your offering.
Sales Killer #6 – Not knowing when to stop presenting and close the sale. Too many salespeople think they have to tell potential clients everything they know about the product. Even after a client has indicated that the product is right for them, the salesperson keeps talking. Doing so could easily turn the client off about working with you and cost you the sale.
Sales Killer #7 – Ego. Selling is a service business. You must set aside your wants and needs to serve the wants and needs of others. Get the dollar signs out of your eyes when you’re with clients. If they suspect you’re pushing the sale because of what’s in it for you instead of what’s in their best interests, they’ll find another company to do business with.
Sales Killer #8 – Not knowing how to close. In many cases, all you have to do is ask a direct question in order to close a sale.
“If I have the red one you mentioned, do you want to take it with you today or shall I ship it to you?”
“Will you be making your purchase today by cash, check or credit card?”
Sales Killer #9 – Not paying attention to details. If you skim over details or shortcut your presentation because you’ve done it so many times that you’re bored with it, you’ll lose sales. Remember, every presentation is new to your client. So give it with enthusiasm and without shortcuts unless your client indicates that certain details you would normally cover aren’t of interest to them. This carries over to your paperwork and ability to handle a computer (if your orders are entered that way). Any missing information can cause clients to quickly lose faith in their decision and walk away.
Sales Killer #10 – Poor fulfillment. This ties into paying attention to details. If you or your company does not have the practices and policies in place to properly fulfill the expectations of your clients, you will find yourself working harder and harder to get new business. Invest some time and effort in laying out procedures that can be standardized and followed by everyone who works with you. Salespeople should not promise anything above or beyond the company standard. Everyone should be expected to meet or exceed it.
If you want 2010 to be more successful than 2009, you need to think differently, plan differently, and act differently.
Wishing you greatness,
Tom Hopkins
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January 5th, 2010
People who have achieved their goals knew what they wanted in the first place. They decided what to go after, and they went after it. One of the most compelling reasons why people do not get what they want is that they never decided what they wanted! They never defined the desires of their hearts in complete detail.
Why don’t you know what you want? Why isn’t it spelled out in detail in your mind? Most likely, it is because you have lost touch with the desires of your heart. You were probably taught that you couldn’t have whatever you wanted. You were probably taught that it was more important to do what made other people happy. Seeking your happiness was considered selfish, so you learned not to define your happiness. Now, you find yourself completely unaware of what your preferences are, how you really want to live your life, and what your goals are for your life.
Take back your life! Start honoring your preferences, no matter how small they seem. Even if you don’t know what you prefer, pretend you do, and make a decision. You’ll be more keenly aware of whether that decision made you happy or not and you will learn your preferences!
Commit to this new belief: You deserve to have everything exactly the way you want it. Make it a priority to begin to know your wants and desires. Start simple by making a list of things you want to do and things you want to have. Keep writing until you find some of your core values, such as wanting to have loving relationships, to make a difference in your world or to be financially secure.
Think of what you love to do with your time. Write down several things that you love to do, and then make a list of all the ways you can think of to be making a living doing those things. Create a detailed description of the vision you have for your ideal life. Don’t limit yourself. Dream as big as you possibly can from your perspective right now.
In detail, what is going on in the financial area of your life? How much money do you make? How much do you have in savings and investments? What about your real estate? What kind of house or houses do you own? Create detailed visions of all the major areas of your life, your ideal career, your recreation time, your ideal body and physical health, your relationships with family and friends, your spiritual life, and the community in which you live. Create and write down your ideal vision for each area and review it on a daily basis.
All you have to do at this point is clarify your vision to yourself. Don’t worry about how it will happen right now. Once you have a clear picture of what you want going through your mind, the steps and opportunities to get it will appear. When you have completed your ideal vision of your life, share it with a supportive friend. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it! More than likely, they want the same thing for themselves but believe it’s impossible. Deciding what you want is the first step to getting what you want. Don’t put off creating your vision!
1. What do you want? (target)
2. Where are you now?
3. What steps are needed to get you there? (goals)
4. Why now?
5. Who will I have to be to get there?
6. When get there…then what?
7. What do I want to keep the same (in my life)?
I know, these questions may seem simplistic at first, but as a good friend of mine, T. Harv Ever says, “Most people don’t get what they want, because they don’t know what they want.” This first question is probably the most powerful, if answered correctly.
To answer the first and third question I recommend the SMARTER goal method. This takes the SMART goal method and adds a twist.
Specific – A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six “W” questions:
• Who: Who is involved?
• What: What do I want to accomplish?
• Where: Identify a location.
• When: Establish a time frame.
• Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
• Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
Measurable – Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as……How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Attainable – When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them.
Realistic – To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.
Tangible – A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible, or when you tie an tangible goal to a intangible goal, you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.
Intangible goals are your goals for the internal changes required to reach more tangible goals. They are the personality characteristics and the behavior patterns you must develop to pave the way to success in your career or for reaching some other long-term goal. Since intangible goals are vital for improving your effectiveness, give close attention to tangible ways for measuring them.
Evaluate – Your goals are not set in stone and will change from time to time. Constant evaluation of your goals is essential to reaching your goals. Change factors must be taken into consideration during your evaluation. Factors such as change in volunteer status, change in family or job responsibilities, or change in available resources may affect your stated goals.
Re-do – After a careful evaluation then you should re-do the goals that need changing and continue the SMARTER goal setting process.
Goal development and goal setting is process that changes and needs evaluation. The process of developing, initiating and following through on the SMARTER goals setting model is cyclical and should be continually worked on. As a sectional staff member, your personal and organizational goals should be examined critically at least once a year.
You’ll notice that I classify “what you want” as the target and your action steps as your goal. Here’s why. You desire, what you want to change is a fix point, that is a target. In order to get there you must take action, and most likely massive action.
So, how to hold yourself accountable for these actions? That’s where the goals come in. The goals are the actions you take in order to progress towards your target. For example, if you wanted to release 10 lbs of fat (that would be your target) your goal would be to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories per day and increase your output (exercise) by 500 calories per day.
As long as you hit your goals, your target automatically gets closer to you. DO you see the power in this?
By using these 7 mental strength questions and by applying the SMARTER target process you’ll be able to make magnificent changes in any part of your life.
Tags: motivate employees, motivation, relationships
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December 7th, 2009
Do-it-yourself web marketing options are cutting into the ad industry’s bottom line.
The fact that there is a huge gap between the percentage of time consumers spend online (it’s high) and the amount of money major marketers spend advertising online (it’s relatively low) drives executives at Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, the New York Times and every ad-supported startup out there completely nuts.
At conferences and panels, these web execs like to blame the problem on poorly educated advertisers.
We need to do a better job explaining how the internet works, they’ll say. Online ads aren’t interruptive or engaging enough, they’ll suppose. In both cases, they’re right. But only partly. A huge–$65 billion huge–part of the online advertising problem is that web marketers know exactly how the web works and how to engage its users–on their own.
These big companies know that using popular platforms like Facebook, YouTube, MySpace and yes, the internet itself, they can market their products without paying for any advertising at all.
To this point, it’s worth reading CEO of Media research and advisory firm Outsell Anthea Stratigos’s Q&A with Forbes.
In it, she tells Forbes that over the last eight years, companies have shifted $65 billion in annual spending away from traditional advertising channels and spent it on “page content, Web analytics, search engine optimization and site design.”
$65 billion is a huge number. Here’s how Anthea put it in context for Forbes:
To scale that, compare the total U.S. TV and cable advertising revenue for 2009, which is about $66 billion. The marketing dollars companies now spend on their own sites is equivalent to all TV ad revenue for the year. Eight years ago we said that the Global 2000 would be the dot-coms of tomorrow. That’s what’s playing out.
She says the shift is why she agrees with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s assement that global advertising isn’t just in a recession but has been “reset” at a lower level.
“Advertising which has left the news industries is not going to come back in its same shape or form.”
Tags: co-marketing, online marketing
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November 16th, 2009
Attracting proactive people isn’t easy, but it’s well worth the effort.
Every entrepreneur wants a talented, ambitious team. But finding, hiring and managing standout employees can be quite a challenge.
When Kevin Schaff started Thought Equity Motion six years ago, the idea was to sell pre-produced commercials made from stock video.
As the business evolved, however, it became clear that the emerging market opportunity was actually in licensing online video. Schaff, 35, decided to refocus the company on becoming the world’s largest repository of real time search, preview and online delivery for motion-based content. The industry “was fragmented,” says Schaff, who is also the company’s CEO. “We wanted to pull it all together.”
Today, Denver-based Thought Equity Motion works with content partners and clients including Paramount, National Geographic, the NCAA, Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, and Mad Men. “You can’t watch T.V. for 30 minutes and not see our product,” Schaff says. The company’s sales exceed $15 million a year.
Does he ever wish he could hit the fast forward button during job interviews to see which applicants would be the best employees? “Oh yeah,” he says. “People are by far the most expensive mistake we make.”
Entrepreneurs Still Struggle With Hiring
Small businesses need ambitious employees who can take initiative to get the job done. And small employers now have an opportunity to upgrade their workforce since the number of available job candidates has grown.
There’s evidence that small employers are putting more emphasis on soft skills: 50 percent of small business owners in an October Intuit Payroll survey say they would rather hire a flexible “people person” or a “jack of all trades” instead of a highly-specialized “creative genius” or “math whiz.”
The recession also has employees rethinking what they want in a job. An August CareerBuilder report found nearly 60 percent of workers surveyed were interested to work for a small business, and 20 percent of workers laid off from fulltime jobs over the last year had found jobs at small businesses.
These numbers are compelling for two reasons, says Jason Ferrara, CareerBuilder’s vice president of corporate marketing. First, they show the relevance of small businesses in a poor economy. Second, they say something about job seekers. “Not everyone wants to work for a large, multi-national company,” Ferrara says.
The good news? Small employers have a very large, interested applicant pool at their fingertips. The bad news? Small business hiring is up only 1.9 percent so far this year while salaries are down 6.5 percent, according to data from online small business payroll company SurePayroll. Many small businesses have trimmed workweeks to avoid layoffs–something that’s not always a great selling point with the most sought-after applicants. “What we’re seeing right now is a very strong level of underemployment,” says SurePayroll President Michael Alter.
Ferrara still sees small employers struggling to define their “employment brand,” or the company’s purpose and the type of workers it needs, while grappling with a resume deluge. When small companies do pinpoint the very best applicants, they can fall short in selling them on future opportunities for advancement. “Large companies do a better job at this,” Ferrara says. “As an entrepreneur, you’re more concerned about communicating the financial [aspects] of the company.”
Attracting the Best and Brightest
Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint, a San Francisco company that produces a line of naturally sweetened water products, says finding referrals is the ticket to attracting the best people in the recession. “If there’s a reference from somebody in the beverage industry who has worked with this person–or even a grocery chain that has worked with this person–it definitely helps,” says Goldin, whose company generates more than $1 million in sales annually.
Applicants have approached Hint with a great resume in hand, but Goldin, 42, still wants to know they’ve done their research. She remembers being impressed when Hint current head of sales contacted the company to say it was on his short list of desirable employers, and went on to explain why. “He’s terrific, and he could have gone to a lot of [companies],” she says. “He was really selling us on why he loved the product, and what he said made a ton of sense to us.”
Thought Equity has pulled its employees into the recruitment process by paying them a bonus for referring talented applicants who get hired. Encouraging employees to recruit their new coworkers has been very effective, says Schaff, who estimates 90 percent of the company’s new hires are coming to the company via referral.
The company still receives about 100 resumes every day–mainly from younger applicants. Jobs in technology and development can still be very tough to fill. The company must also constantly re-recruit its best employees as competitors try to upgrade their workforces. “Good people are always being recruited, and you always have to focus on making sure that you can retain them,” Schaff says.
Ultimately, attracting talented, self-directed employees requires great positioning, great messaging and a great understanding of what they want in a job. Financial incentives don’t hurt, either: Hint offers its 25 employees equity in the company, something Goldin sees as a big motivator for the most talented, ambitious employees.
Alter predicts Main Street’s recovery will be slow as small business owners get their existing employees back up to full employment plus overtime before they start hiring new people. Still, he’s encouraged that small business wages have been declining at a shallower pace in recent months. “This tells me that we’re hitting bottom, and as we start to hit bottom we will recover,” he says. “I just don’t see a big, robust recovery.”
Strong recovery or not, Goldin plans to increase Hint’s headcount in 2010. “As we open with stores across the country, we’ll definitely need salespeople to manage those accounts,” she says.
Exceptional talent is out there, provided entrepreneurs can sell them on the opportunity and turn them loose on the job. Says Ferrara: “You should be hiring people who are smarter than you.”
Chris Penttila is a freelance journalist whose work has also appeared in The Costco Connection, Oregon Business magazine, QSR Magazine, TheStreet.com and other publications. She lives in the Chapel Hill, NC, area and covers workplace issues on her blog, Workplacediva.blogspot.com.
Tags: employee rewards, motivate, motivate employees
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October 24th, 2009
One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands and we don’t get to the top by ourselves. And one of the key ways to grow successful in our relationships is to be “life-giving” people to others. Every person we meet, we either give life to or take life from. You know what I mean. There are people who encourage you and when you are done being with them you feel built up. Then there are others who you feel torn down by. Successful people are people who have mastered the art of building others up.
One of the ways we build people up is to praise them. There is power in praising people! Something begins to happen in them, in you, and in your relationship when you praise someone. Remember a time when someone told you something about yourself in a praising manner? It was great, wasn’t it? You probably liked that person more after they praised you, didn’t you?
Now I am not talking about praising people for the sake of praising people. I am talking about honestly looking for and praising positive character traits and actions of others around you. Don’t lie to people. If they have done something wrong, correct it, but when they do something right, praise it!
With that said, here are benefits of and ways to start praising people.
Benefits
- Your relationship grows. Life is about relationships. Family relationships, friends and co-workers. When we begin to praise people for their positive aspects, our relationships grow. It puts them, and us, on the fast track.
- Your leadership and influence grows. Who is going to have greater leadership and influence capacity in the lives of their followers, the one who tears down or the one who builds up?
- Stronger relationships and loyalty. When the person is appreciated and praised, they become fiercely loyal, because they know that you care for them, love them, and appreciate them. This will take you to success.
- Happier, more fulfilled people. I truly believe it is our job to build others up, and that they need it. It is a good thing to invest in the lives of others by praising and encouraging them. Even if we never get anything in return, it is the right thing to do to build up other people. Someone else will always come along to tear them down; the successful person will instill in them the power of praise!
Some Ways to Praise
Character traits
Is there someone you know who is joyful? Hard-working? Honest? Then let them know how much you appreciate that in them. You can do it with a word or a card, or a phone call. Say something like this, “You know, Tom, I think it is great that you are such a hard worker. It seems like you are always the first one here and the last one to leave. You really set a good example and I want you to know how much I appreciate that.” Simple!
Action
Same idea as above. “Sue, I don’t know if anybody else has told you this, but your work on the Johnson account was excellent. You have a wonderful ability to communicate the vision of the project, and that helps all the rest of us out in our roles and tasks. Thanks for that. It is greatly appreciated.”
Other ways you can show praise and appreciation is with a card, a gift or time off from work.
Make it your goal to praise at least five people a day. If you can, praise 10 people a day. Or perhaps you can try to praise everyone you come in contact with. It just takes discipline and a little work.
Any way you cut it, though, there is power in praising people. First for them, then for you!
Made for Success Quote and Commentary
“There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say and how we say it.” —Dale Carnegie
Chris’s Commentary:
The way you are perceived can be a complex matter, but in essence it really boils down to these four areas. For that, we can be thankful because we can set our sights to make changes in these areas so as to more effectively lead and influence others. As we make gains in these areas, we will see our ability to help others increase dramatically and that, in turn, will be of ultimate benefit to us! Have you given thought to how you may be perceived in what you do, how you look, what you say, and how you say it?
Action Point:
Focus in on one of these areas today and write down three things you can do to make a bold change or improvement in that area. Then pick one and do it TODAY!
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