Archive For: Success

Grabbing Attention

I was at the Integrate Trade Show in Melbourne this week. A show all about Audio Visual for conferences, corporates and large areas.

So many exhibitors had spend huge money on their stands showing off their latest and greatest technology. Some of the big brands built two story exhibitions with screens and logos everywhere.

It was a huge waste of money.

These same brands looked like they spent very little money on creating an atmosphere for the visitor or training their staff on how to approach and interact with the visitors.

Create LED had a different approach.

They had a much smaller presence. A simple black cloth background. A different display using one unique product, their Air Magic Box and staff who smiled, engaged with people who walked past and created a pleasant experience.

Their return on investment would have been significantly greater than that of the big name, multi-storied booth exhibitors. Mainly because they focussed on what counts, the Visitor and not themselves.

Grabbing the attention of a visitor is not all about you. It is mainly about the visitor. What is something new and unusual for them that will get their attention and start a conversation about their interests and needs?

This works not only at trade shows, but also in one on one conversations at networking events, presenting at conferences or your traditional marketing pieces.

How do you get their attention?

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What Are You Looking For?

I happened to notice Winston the Wonder Poodle basking in the sun a couple of days ago. Now this spot is in the kitchen just under the cook top. It is not the most comfy place to rest but it was the only place in the house where the sun was coming in.

Winston is a sun lover. He will frequently track down the most obscure place where there is a glimpse of sun so he can rest in it and keep warm. He knows what he is after and he tracks it down.

What are you looking for?

It is four months and four days until Christmas day. The year is effectively two thirds done.

Have you gotten the results you are after?

Isn’t it funny that those who feel that they have achieved more actually knew what they wanted in the first place. They knew what they were looking for, made plans and took action to get there.

If you truly want to achieve some fantastic results by the end of the year, how will you do it and who will help you get there?

What are you looking for?

If you are looking for a mentor/coach, I have some good news, there are two spots available in my mentoring program. To help you get results by Christmas 2017, I am offering these spots, with a three month commitment at my association price of $650 per month. Contact me via my website for more information or to book in.

Regardless of the steps you take, you MUST take steps. Knowing what direction to take the steps in to get you closer to your goal makes all the difference.

So what are you looking for?

 

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YES – It’s a Sign of Love

Image: ShutterStock

For a country with three of the top ten most liveable cities, it is a shame that our politics don’t match. Particularly when it comes to Marriage Equality.

Our politicians have decided not to do the job that we elected them to and get us to do an Australian Idol kind of vote that is non-binding (ie they don’t have to act on the results in any way) and could possibly be illegal (there is a case before the High Court as we speak). If politicians want to know what the public think, an opinion poll would be more statistically accurate and cost about $100 million less. (Polls show up to 72% of Australians support marriage equality)

Putting all that to one side, what we are talking about is legislating love. That has never worked and has never served the people when it has been tried. My gorgeous wife is of Sri Lankan descent. In a not too distant past, some governments would have stopped (or tried to stop) our “inter-racial” marriage.

Everyone has their own opinion and will vote how they choose. But I am not clear on what voting against marriage equality will gain.

Couples will still live together, will still love each other, will still raise families if they choose, still pay taxes, still go about their normal lives – regardless of the outcome.

But voting against it means that their spouse will not be recognised under law. So should their spouse die, they will be faced with reams of paperwork to access what current married spouses take for granted. This happened to Lara Ryan and I couldn’t imagine the turmoil. In a Facebook post she talks about how she had to:

  • Get police permission to write “Spouse” on incident reports
  • Cross out boxes for Husband and Father on the birth certificate of her newborn
  • Scream in an emergency room, “She’s my wife – I know it’s not legal but she’s my wife”

Because GLBTIQ marriage is not recognised in Australia, should you get married overseas, you cannot get divorced here (because we don’t believe you got married!) Recently the United Nations said that Australia is in breach of human rights because of this because one person had to apply to them to try and get some kind of closure on their marriage. Our government is still considering this breach.

A gay couple married in the UK came to Australia for their honeymoon. Tragically one of them died here. Under our law they were not considered married so the surviving partner could not sign next of kin documents or take the appropriate action at a time of great grief.

These are just a few of the issues that are faced by our lack of marriage equality. All because their committed relationships are not recognised by our laws.

Oh, and the impact on non-GLBTIQ people if GLBTIQ people get married? NONE. (Well except for missing out on some fantastic celebrations). According to the multiple other countries that allow everyone to get married, there has been no devastation, no corruption of the innocent, all that has happened is that anyone can now take the steps to get married.

Voting Yes on our non-binding plebiscite is a vote of love. It is a vote for other peoples love as well as your own. It is a vote for allowing basic rights to those that have been denied them. It is a vote of tolerance. It is a vote of consideration. It is a vote to allow people to show publicly what others already know. It is a vote for our country to move forward.

Some people will vote No for religious reasons but I don’t understand that. Most religions I know of are founded on love. Nearly every holy scripture, regardless of religion, will have a quote saying that love is the foundation of life (or something to that affect). While you may not agree with marriage equality, who are you to impose your will on another who will keep loving their partner regardless of what you think? Wouldn’t it be an act of love to contribute to their security, their happiness, their love?

Let’s be super honest, the sanctity of marriage has long past. We have TV shows where people get married without having met the person before. Celebrities get married for a matter of hours, not even days. It is not uncommon for people to have been married multiple times (I am up to my second but that’s where it ends for me!) It is a great institution and a display of commitment, but let’s not say it is something it is not.

In a world where we see hate in action on a daily basis, it is time for a strong act of love.

 

PS Shaun Micallef puts forward one of the best arguments on this subject. It’s worth watching.

 

 

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Most Important Sale

Image: ShutterStock

 

All the sales trainers I have ever had the good fortune to learn under have constantly said that the most important sale is the first sale, and the first sale is always to yourself!

If you don’t believe in the value of your product or service, how can you then sell it to others?

What they didn’t say is that you don’t just make this sale once. You will need to make this sale over and over again.

So many people make you doubt yourself, your product, your service, your price, your delivery method, your expertise and they do it, not to attack you, but to better position themselves in the negotiation.

On Friday I was referred to an organisation that was hosting a two day conference for 200 CXOs on the following Wednesday and Thursday. After an initial email briefing where they requested a “strong and experienced MC” I sent them a high level proposal.

Sunday they got back to me saying that it was a lot more than they had budgeted and in fact their budget was a third of my quoted price. They felt it was an easy gig. Very straight forward simply introducing people and asking a few questions.

This is where the doubt started to creep in.

Fortunately I know there is no such thing as an “Easy MC gig”.

Now most professionals (be they MCs, speakers, sports people, business people or whatever) make things look easy. Maybe they make it look effortless rather than easy. The reason for this, is they are good at what they do because they work at it.

As I advised this prospect, while it may seem easy, I have spent over 20 years honing my skill to make it look easy. So when the AV fails (as it will), when a speak finished in half the time and I step in with relevant and meaningful questions, when the audience is about to go to sleep and they need to be energised, when one of the strong minded CXO takes over the microphone during question time and starts waffling on with no question in sight or when a sponsor needs some attention, I will have you covered no matter what – that is what you are paying for!

My delighted clients, repeat clients and referring clients show me that my fee is fair and that I deliver great value for that fee.

So I had to decline that prospects offer to work for 1/3 my usual fee.

What about you? Have you made that most important sale?

Even if you are not directly in sales, it is important to know that you add real value to those around you. If you need it, collect some testimonials, quotes or evidence of that value so when you are starting to doubt yourself, you can look at the proof of the value you offer.

The first sale is always to you and you need to be sure you can keep making that sale time and time again. You are too important not to make it!

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It’s In the Doing

Image: Makita.com.au

We recently purchased one of these Random Orbital Sanders. Just the thing to sand some reclaimed timber that we want to use at the Shed.

I spent four hours over the weekend removing old nails and sanding old fence palings.

So now my hands feel a bit sore, my ankle is swollen, my back is a little sore, and I feel fabulous.

It is because I can look at the piles of palings all sanded, packed and ready to take to the shed and feel great about what I have achieved.

Many of us now spend our days working flat out and struggle to see what we have achieved at the end of the day. It can feel like a merry-go-round. Another day doing the same thing and feeling like you are getting nowhere.

So how can you visualise your “doing” so you can see what you have achieved?

Is it creating a graph of the sales calls you have made, the articles you have published, or the number of times people listen to your podcast? Is it a timeline showing progress on your next event, a project plan showing how close you are to the due date or a task list with the completed tasks all marked off?

Whatever you do, find a way to show progress on your doing.

The feeling of achievement and success comes from “doing” and often in our technological world, we miss that sense of achievement.

How do you measure your “doing”?

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Sensation of Simplicity

Under the strict supervision of Winston the Wonder Poodle, my gorgeous wife and I spent the weekend at our shed doing a few more bits around the place with our good friends Danielle and David.

On Sunday when they left to go and volunteer for Rotary, we did a few more things and then had lunch in front of the fire.

I am the first to admit that our shed is “rustic”. We are slowly but surely adding the creature comforts, A recent addition has been the fireplace which came in handy since it was 2C overnight!

But a simple ploughman’s lunch (that’s posh for “whatever is in the fridge/cupboard on a plate”) in front of the fire with your loved one was sensational. There is something hypnotic about watching the flames, feeling toasty warm while you are eating yummy food at a warm drink.

There is a lot of pleasure in getting back to the simple things and not being reliant on technology or complex and sophisticated set ups.

In business, that may be a simple phone call, a direct conversation, a basic agreement or an understanding chat over coffee rather than some sophisticated communication strategy or complex legal contract. While there is a place for these things, never underestimate the power of simplicity.

Simplicity gives the feeling of effortlessness and connection, and that is simply sensational.

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Make No Mistakes

Over the weekend, my lovely wife Sam and I did a bit of handy man work up at our shed.

Sam was operating the drop saw and … well … the picture says it all. Drop Saw 1, Sam 0.

The good news is that it was only a minor incident with a small graze on her hand. As the Black Knight said, “tis but a scratch.”

In a recent episode of the Get More Success show, guests Sonya and Sacha said that they make no mistakes. They are purely learning experiences. When something doesn’t work, they now know what NOT to do so they do something different.

This is what Sam did.

I guarantee she will not put her hand under a rotating blade again. She has learnt how little effort is needed to break the skin. I also know she will be a lot more focussed on where her hands are in relation to all the tools she is using.

What about you?

Whether it is using tools, dealing with your kids or dealing with customers and colleagues in the work place, do you make mistakes or is your experience purely focussed on learning what will move you forward?

 

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Are You In Control?

Are you in control?

There are so many people in the workplace who continually quest for control. Unfortunately for them, control is an illusion.

It seems to be that just when you think you’re in control something will happen to show you that it is clearly not the case. For example, my year was starting very well. I had my marketing and sales process is all down pat. I was firing on all cylinders … and then I broke my leg! Spending four months sitting in a chair definitely had an impact!

This weekend I got to see Australia’s premier improvisations troop, Impro Melbourne, in action. While watching the show, it made me think that the only way to stay in control is to be aware that you truly never have control. Rather than fighting for control, it’s all about being able to influence the situation that you’re in.

Watching the Director’s trying to influence a situation, giving the actors the freedom to do what they think best within some loose guidelines, created some amazing performances. It is the willingness to trust others and understand that they are all working towards the larger goal that gives both freedom and a sense of control.

You never know what someone else will do with the words that you say, the emails you send, or the input you give. All you truly have control over is your reaction to it.

So the purist form of control is understanding that you have no control whatsoever. Simply being in the moment and being willing to take responsibility for the situation and your response to it is enough.

Are you in control?

 

 

 

 

 

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Are You Flexible?

Image: ShutterStock

If you stop and listen to any management consultant or coach, they will tell you about “Change”.

Change in the technology age is considered “Normal”. Just as you get comfortable with Facebook they change how it operates. You no longer buy software with your computer, you pay an annual fee and get continual updates. You don’t need to perform your own computer backups anymore because anything you store on the cloud is backed up regularly.

Technology shifts so fast that new phones only have an effective life of about three years, and we are ok with that because the latest and greatest does more, has more and IS more. Some technology is so awesome, we can’t imagine life without it. I mean, what did you do before Google Maps?

So change is happening and all this technology and process “out there” is changing but what about you?

You may be willing to embrace new technology but are you able to let go of old ways that no longer serve you? Are you able to shift your thinking and admit you were misinformed, confused or simply, plain old WRONG?

Flexibility is more about letting go of old ways than it is embracing new ones.

It is about maintaining an open mind and using that gap between the stimulus and the response described by Dr Viktor Frankl, to give a considered response rather than a gut reaction.

So with how you see life, yours as well as those around you, are you Flexible?

 

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It Takes Time

Image: ShutterStock

Are we there yet?

It feels like I have been on the road to recovery from this broken ankle for eons, but it has only been a matter of months. I have had the screws and metal work out for a little while now but still I am not cured.

It seems that sitting on your backside, doing no physical activity and not putting any weight on your leg means that for that leg, the ligaments and tendons have all constricted. So that now when I walk I look a little like Quasi Modo!

I am frustrated.

I had plans. When that metal work was out and I stopped using the boot, I had stuff to do. But it turns out that it takes time.

Too much physical exertion exhausts me. My fitness (the little I had) has left me so that even when I am singing with my choir, I am out of breath on songs that didn’t use to affect me. Regaining that fitness takes time.

While my mind is ready for my body to be better, my body needs more time. A lot more time. There will be stretching, gentle exercise and plenty of positive self talk to get me there.

It is frustrating but it is also my reality.

Do you find that as well? Maybe you aren’t getting the sales results you are after, the promotion you know you deserve hasn’t been realised or even after all your workouts, your fitness hasn’t improved yet. It takes time.

You are on the path. Keep doing the work and know that sometimes it just takes time.

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It’s Done

There is nothing like seeing your name in print.

It is even better when it is on a body of work that contributes to the lives of others.

The book above, Mortgages Demystified, has been a labour of love for one of my mentoring clients, Andrew Larcombe. After months of work, years of experience and a lot of fine work detail, the book is DONE!

Now naturally as a mentoring client of mine I want to rave about how good the book is (and it is really good!)
I also want you to make sure that you know there is a really good first release deal which includes postage, a finance audit and audio program on the Negative Gearing Trap (you can check out the deal here).
As an avid property investor myself, I also want to make sure that you learn some of the basic finance principles and ideas in this book that will have a significant impact on your financial future.

Most importantly, I want you to experience the feeling of “It’s Done”.

That feeling when you have finally achieved something you have been striving for. All the hard work, inconvenience, and effort finally turning into the outcome you are after. The look that Andrew had on his face holding the copy of his book that he had been talking about for years and finally had been able to put together. It’s Done!

Andrew willingly admits that I have been his “fluffy slipper”. It was easy for him to get sidetracked on more “urgent” issues in his business and his life (he got married, had a honeymoon, hired new staff, doubled his mortgage broker mentor program all while writing this book). Knowing I was around to give him a kick in the backside with the “fluffy slipper” and focus on what was “important” made all the difference.

Where do you need the “fluffy slipper”? What is happening in your life where you want to feel “It’s Done!”

 

 

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Have You Got The Right Person?

As we were shopping on the weekend, I spotted this young man putting up that sign. It is the sort where you spray the glass, apply the sign and then squeeze all the air bubbles out.

He was doing a crap job of it and I suspect it was not his fault.

To me, he looked like he was 15. The is a chance he is older and because I am an old fart everyone just looks young but the reality is, his age should not matter. It is the outcome that counts.

The outcome was ordinary!

If you look at the sign, it is on an angle and not square with the window. If this angle or skew is part of the decoration, I can live with it, but when something is slightly off, I notice it and it becomes a barrier. A small one, but a barrier none-the-less.

After he had finished, there were still air bubbles in it. During the process of applying the poster, he was scrapping all over the place. I would have thought a systemised approach starting at the middle and then moving out would have worked well. Maybe his technique is the store approved one, but the results were still ordinary.

It felt like they had the wrong person for the job.

Maybe he is the right person for the job and he is just learning. Then why not have someone who knows what they are doing be standing there advising, training, and guiding him to excellence.

Maybe he got it wrong and it needs to be re-done. After he finished, nobody came out to review his work, advise on corrections or ask him to re-do it.

Maybe because it is the end of the lease, they just don’t care. This is what it felt like.

I have said it before, you have to make it easy to be the customer. There are so many things that can act as a barrier to your customers. Your shop or business decor is one of them. Posters on the wrong angle, not set up correctly or not conveying the brand appropriately are not major issues. Most of the time you won’t know what’s wrong, you will simply know something “doesn’t look right”. This becomes a barrier and it can easily be enough to stop you entering the store or doing business.

Make it easy for your customer and for you team. Get the Right Person doing the Right Job at the Right Time.

 

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Sometimes You Need A Distraction

Image: The view from the west wing in the Shed looking to the North.

 

The worst spot for me to be is in my own head.

I have thoughts that circle around so much that sometimes I find it hard to tell what is the truth and what is just an opinion.

My broken ankle has exacerbated this situation. For the last three months or so, I have been unable to walk, drive or leave the house. I so need a distraction. For the last couple of weeks my gorgeous wife has been in Sri Lanka to become a God Mother so I have felt this isolation more keenly.

Luckily I have some amazing friends. After a couple of phone calls, my fabulous friend Anne said she would happily drive me the 90 minutes to see our farm, hang around for 30 mins or so and then drive the 90 mins back.

During our drive we both agreed that we had stuff and thoughts we needed to be sidetracked from and a days adventure was just the trick.

The Australian countryside is amazing. Having a drive with a good friend, chatting about life (including the beauty of the Oxford comma) and enjoying the world what just what I needed. Then to spend about an hour foofing around at the Shed while Anne went and had a chat to the horses and strolled around the farm, was brilliant.

Today I feel refreshed, invigorated and have a lot more clarity around what is truly important. I have a renewed focus and connection with the world. All this from a simple distraction.

Where is your head at? What would a distraction do for you?

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How’s Your Perspective?

Image: ShutterStock

One of the great things to come out of having a broken ankle/leg has been the shift of perspective.

At different stages I have had to use different mobility aids: crutches, wheel chair and even scooting down the hallway on an office chair. While using these different ways to get around, I realised how much I don’t consider anyone who is not able bodied.

For example, my gorgeous wife took me to Coles Supermarket to do some shopping with the trusty wheelchair. As we wheeled up and down the aisles I saw people do something weird and then realised that I usually do the exact same thing.

You know when you carry the basket around, it has a few things in it so it’s a little heavy, and then you can’t find the thing you want on the shelf. So you put the basket down, take a step back and peruse the whole shelf looking for it. Unbeknown to you, you have effectively blocked the entire aisle!

A simple “excuse me” had the person looking a little embarrassed and quickly moving out of the way.

I also found that now having a height in the chair of 1.2 metres (about 4 feet) rather than my usual 1.9 metres (about six foot three), I couldn’t what was on the top shelf. While I could see the stuff on the bottom shelf it was difficult for me to reach. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just a different perspective.

Another time I was wheeling into an electronics retailer and I couldn’t fit down half of the aisles. I wanted a portable hard drive and I could barely squeeze past the display to see them. They also had plenty of “specials” piled around the place. They looked great and effectively blocked me from passing.

I must stress the staff at all of these stores were happy to help me and make some special accomodations for me but it reinforced how we rarely consider those with needs different to our own. Whether they be physical, emotional or otherwise.

When you are dealing with your customers and prospects have you truly considered their perspective? Is there something particular that they need? Do you need to ask them more questions to find out what is really going on for them?

Hopefully you won’t need to fall off your motorbike to shift your perspective. A few simple questions and a willingness to step out of your ordinary situation should do it!

PS If you want some excellent perspective shifting and funny tv, I highly recommend watching Speechless.

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Winners are Grinners

Image: Deep Storage Facebook

This is Susan Earl.

She is an artist, a designer and an award winning director.

Her short film, Deep Storage, won the only award for short films at Geena Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas, USA.

Notice the grin. Winner are grinners.

You know when you wouldn’t have noticed the grin? Most likely during the scripting process, the finance raising, location scouting or the 20 years of foundation work she did before winning the award. Now there most certainly would have been some grins along the way (Susan is a naturally happy woman) but there was a lot of effort, uncertainty, and doubt as well.

This is not the first film win for Susan. A previous animation project, Valmay the Visitor, won Best Animation Short at Paris Independent Film Festival. She has also done a lot of work on other projects, some that were hers and some belonging to others.

What helps make the grin so big is that there is a lot that has gone into this win. She didn’t start out to win an award, she started to tell a decent story with two ideas in mind. What makes a home feel like home and why are storage facilities so prevalent? Why do we have so much stuff and why does it mean so much to us?

So a huge congratulations to Susan and a question for you dear reader. What are you working on today that will have you grinning like a winner in the not to distant future? You don’t have to win an award but your achievement or contribution will make you a winner.

That’s got to be something worth grinning about doesn’t it?

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