I think everyone in America has heard at one time or another this statement…

“You can do anything you put your mind to!”

What I always like to say is “That’s great, now prove it!”

You see proving it is really where the rubber meets the road. Taking action is what seperates the winners from losers.

If you want to find out more about this listen to our most recent podcast…

At any rate, most people would watch this as a comedy, get a few laughs, and try and recite oneliners to their buddies at work the next day, but I saw something totally different and something that is a great business lesson.

I saw Passsion. Paul was passionate about his job of being the security guard at the mall. He came up with ideas to make things more efficient for the customers, he had a great attitude, and he had a good work ethic. Now people made fun of Paul. Why would anyone take the job of mall security guard so seriously? Well serious people take their jobs, whatever they may be, seriously.

• Do you take your role seriously?
• Do you have unbridled PASSION for your business?
• Do you constantly seek out ways to improve your clients experience?

If not, now is as good a time as any to get started. Be Passionate, Have Fun, and Get Going!e

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…

About 5 years ago, I was on the bottle water aisle and normally I would just get my water, head past the magazine rack, and race tot the checkout line…but on this day I stopped. I stopped to look at the magazines. I asked myself this simple question….

“If there are 5 Sports magazines, why does someone choose one magazine over another?”

This same question could be true about your business. If there are X number of competitors , then why does someone choose you over the competition?

I had a client tell me one time it was because of their awesome service. I had another client tell me it was because the were accredited. Really, you mean a client actually paid you money because you had some initials after your name? Give me a break!

People are people and they make choices based on EMOTIONS, and PROBLEMS they are trying to solve. Let’s go back to the magazine ads. Does your headline scream…

HEY YOU! WE KNOW HOW TO FIX YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH _____(you fill in the blank)____ FAST, EASY, and PAIN FREE!

or does it say…

Hey you, we are really friendly, have really low prices, and we have so many certifications we must be trustworthy!

As I stood in front of the magazines that day, I realized that I needed better headlines to attract the client I wanted. Headlines were everything. They get the client in the door and once they are there it is your sales process that keeps them.

Want to learn more about headlines? Listen to our podcast And if you want flatter abs, then check out our friend, Jacob Nordby at www.fatforfood.com

Is it service? Is it convenience? Is it price? Who the heck knows? Well let me share with you a marketing and sales truth about value…

What is value to one person, may not be value to another.

Let me share some stories to illustrate what people find as valuable…

Last Christmas my wife got me several presents. Some shirts, some ties, but one stuck out more than any other…that was an I-pod charger for my car! It cost her 5 buck at target. Why did I find so much value in this inexpensive gift? Because my i-pod would lose its charge after 30 minutes in the car! I am trying to listen to Zig Ziglar and bam, no juice! It solved a huge frustration for me and I didn’t even know that an i-pod charger existed!!!

At our mortgage company we do a lot of purchase loans. People come to us to buy a home. We used to send out clients cookies after they closed. They came in a little tin with our logo on it. Pretty clever we thought! But, while clients liked it, they didn’t see it as real value. I mean come on? Are they really going to refer their friend because they get a tin of cookies? i think not! That is when it hit us. We need to give them something that THEY find valuable. Buying a home is fun, moving sucks! I remember moving into our home. I would have killed for a bar of soap or a handy wipe the day we moved. Everything was boxed up. I could not find my phillips head screw driver to save my life! And that is how the closing bucket was formed. Now, everyone who buys a home get a big bucket full of everything from tools to toiletpaper. If you need it the day you move, it is in the bucket. Needless to say it has been a huge hit!

Why? Because it is thoughtful, needed, and the clients see it as real value!

So how do you create value in your business?

1. Ask your clients what their biggest problem is? The solution is the value!
2. Listen for common complaints from clients. Solve them and that is your value.
3. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you value from doing business with you? I betcha it won’t be a stress ball with your logo on it!

Great word, but how do you really do that? I mean come on, if your pipeline just blew up, the seller just backed out, and the buyer just lost their job how can you be of good cheer? It all comes down to a little perspective. Change your perspective and you will change your attitude. Change your attitude to one of hope and you will begin to see all of the possibilities that were always there. Gain hope and you will begin to make plans. Make plans and you will begin to take action, and taking action ALWAYS conquers fear!

Today’s world of real estate holds many opportunities. I read a statistic from NAMB, that said this year,  the industry will be a 2.6 trillion (that’s right, trillion) dollar industry! WOW! That represents alot of opportunity!

Have you ever heard someone say, “well, back in the good ole days…” I would say that this time will be referenced down the road. “Well, back in the good ole days you could buy a home for 80 cents on the dollar, get a rate below 6%, and an $8000 check from the gubment!” Don’t let opportunity pass you by! Be of good cheer! Carry the torch and be passionate about the opportunities all around you!

Lets look at these Perspective Changers…

• Foreclosures Are up to I have the opportunity to find buyers and bargains!
• Unemployment is 10% to 90% of my prospects have a job!
• Loans are hard to get to over 50% of the people have credit above 700 and can get a mortgage!
  
• The news is so negative to I will be the torch bearer for my clients and lead the charge to growing my business and helping my clients succeed!

Just a little right perspective. That is all we really need to get the ball rolling!

Now go make a friend, because if you do that, you will make a sale! I guarantee it!!!

I often tell the story of lost keys. We have all lost our car keys at one time or another. Do you remember the last time you lost your keys? Do you remember that sense of panic that ran through your mind? Where are they? Where were they last? What am I going to do????

That mindset is a great mindset for any sales person. You should get up every morning and say I have to find and make a sale today!! You should hit the ground looking for a sale with the same frame of mind that you take on when you realize you just lost your keys and must find them at all cost! Let’s take a look at how this can apply to your sales career…

1. You realize you must find a sale today!

2. You start asking great questions….

• Where did my last sale come from?
• How did I find my last sale?
• Where did I look for my last sale?
• Where is the most logical place that I could find a paying client?
• Who could I ask for a referral?

3. You don’t stop until every stone has been looked under and the sale (keys) has been made!

When we get really focused on the main thing, then we start to uncover the process and amazingly we find what we are looking for!

Now, go out and make a friend, because if you make a friend, you will make a sale! I guarantee it!

Now before you go nuts, I am not talking about your derier. I am talking about all those buts that you use to keep you from pursuing your dream or passion. I have people ask me for advice all the time and when I give the advice, I usually hear something like this…

That sounds great…BUT

I would really like to start…BUT

Buy would that be awesome…BUT

Sure, I could do that…BUT

If you need a visual, check out this video…

You see where I am going with this one? It is their BUT that is so big that they will never get anything accomplished. So the question is not “do these pants make my but look big?” Instead the question is “What will you do to get rid of that big BUT?”

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)