Archive for Goal Setting
In This New World, You Better be Fast to Change!
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Some good friends of ours turned us onto to Red Box last week. And, for those of you who do not know what Red box is, let me explain. For one measly buck you can walk up to the Red Box at over 15000 locations and rent a movie. No lines, no check out person, just you, the Red Box, and one buck. That is it. Sounds pretty simple right? It is.
Now why do I like Red Box? Well, first off I would occasionally rent a movie from Comcast. It is easy and I never have to worry about returning the movie…but why can Red Box give me a movie for $1 and Comcast wants $3-4?? Highway robbery I tell ya!
Last night I thought about Blockbuster and Hollywood video. Does anyone go to these places anymore? And if so why?
So what does this have to do with you business? Well, times, they are a changing. If you think you have the market cornered, then you are deceived at your very core. There is someone, somewhere, plotting to do it better, faster, and cheaper than you. They are lying in wait to jump up and take your clients. They are opening up bank accounts to deposit checks, cash, and credit card payments that once went to you.
So you say, “is there anything I can do?” Yep, there sure is and here is a quick list of action items you can take right away…
1. You need to be constantly reinventing yourself for your market. People want something new. What is the latest, the greatest, the freshest. Take your product or service and give it an overhaul.
2. You need to be on the Honeymoon with you clients all the time. Never assume your relationship is so forged in stone that you no longer have to work at keeping it. You need to constantly woo and wow your best clients. They demand it and are looking for a quick divorce from you if you do not keep up.
3. You need to pay close attention to the competition. Running a small business does not mean go in a cave. Keep your clients close and your competition even closer. You need to know what they are up to and when they are up to it!
4. Don’t wait, do it today! Got a new product? A new Service? Get it out today. Stop waiting for it to be perfect, because it never will. Take massive action today! There is not time to think, ponder, and plan…just get off your butt and do it!
5. Stay lean and mean! If you think you need a large overhead to run your business then look at the Red Box vs Blockbuster. Which one would you rather own? A store with rent, overhead, and lots of employees…or a box that automatically takes money without you being there? I dunno…tough one. If you want to stay in the game, you need to control your expenses and come up with ways to do business faster with less money.
I gotta go and return my 1 dollar movie…man I feel like a good steward of my money…
This Can Make You Rich, Healthy, And Beautiful…
Posted by: | CommentsEveryone is looking for the “answer”. How can I get more sales? How can I manage my time better? How can I eat 10 saltine crackers in under a minute without having anything to drink? (Actually that can’t be done, we tried…)
Anyway, you get my point. Let me share with you a very simple truth to making whatever you want happen…
DECIDE.
Yep, that’s it. Simply decide. You want to be a winner – decide. You want more sales – decide. You want to lose weight – decide. You see nothing happens until you make the decision. I meet a lot of people who want a lot of things, but only a few people move from wanting to getting and the bridge is simply the decision to go after the dream.
Now when I say to decide, I really mean you need to sell out to the decision. Selling out means that you will do whatever it takes to make your want a reality. When you decide to go after the vision, you will get resistance. There will be mountains to overcome, hurdles to jump, and battles to fight. There will be days you want to slip, days your will be fully engaged, and days you will question your decision. If you are sold out, then you will overcome all of these hurdles.
You may have to work harder than the guy next to you, you may have to run farther than the guy before you, and you may need to make more calls than the person in front of you, but if you are completely sold out the gaining the victory, then these things will not matter.
Everyone has a magic potion to make you rich, skinny, and beautiful they want to sell you, but the real sell comes when you sell yourself on your dream.
Now, go out and make a friend, cause if you make a friend you will make a sale! (maybe the first friend you need to make is be a friend to yourself…just a thought)
Persistence…But I am Tired
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My Pastor had a great quote from Charles Spurgeon several months ago. It was…
“It was by persistence that the snail made it to the ark”
How great is that? The slowest, slimiest, squishy of all creatures made it to the ark simply on the back of never giving up! I had some great conversations this week with a couple of great friends. Both of them are High I personalities. Outgoing, friendly, and never meet a stranger. Although the conversations were at separate times, a common theme occured…it was that the news is nothing but junk! Even the conservative shows like Hanity and The Factor, only talk about the crap that is going on all around us.
It got me thinking about this quote, the snail, and my own personal life. I am done with the news (except for the weather, because I really need to know if I should bring my umbrella to the golf course.)
I also started thinking about what it takes to be persistent, reach your goals, and when things will get better. Here is what I have come up with…
1. Persistence requires focus on your goal. You simply can not let distractions around you interfere with your goal. Eliminate them, run from them and squash them from your life.
2. Persistence requires a healthy dose of daily motivation. No one is constantly happy. We all need food for energy and we all need motivation for persistence.
3. Time is short, so make diligent progress everyday. The snail didn’t have an infinite amount of time to make it to the ark. That ship was sailing on a specific day at a specific time. You need to make every day count and do at least one thing that moves you closer to your goal.
4. Eliminate excuses. It really doesn’t matter if you are short, tall, fat, thin, educated or not, rich or poor, old or young…today is the day to start saying why it can be done rather than why it can not. I like what Tony Robbins said at a conference one time…”I know you can’t, but what would it look like if you could?”
5. Engage in healthy relationships. You need to be an encourager and you need to be encouraged and that means two things…
A. You may need to change your attitude.
B. You may need to change your friends.
Now go out and make it a great day!
