You playing the lottery?

The lure of winning the lottery on the surface may seem exciting and for a lot of people, it is part of their life. A recent survey indicated that a 1/3 of people in the united states think winning the lottery is the only way to become financially secure. People focus on the very few, highly publicized winners and think that sounds good to them. Well, why not. And can you blame them, it sure looks good on the surface.

The truth is, you have a better chance getting into a car accident, plane crash or getting struck by lightning. How many people do you know that have been struck by lightning? I can’t think of anyone that I know who has been struck by lightning. The odds of being winning a state lottery are about 120 million to 1. I’d call that a long shot. The other thing is that AFTER most people win the lottery their life gets worse. Yes, really. There was a study done on Michigan state lottery winners and most of them eventually lost all their money, lost friends, families split, and other hardships. So much so that most admit they’d have been better off having never won the money. I know most of you will disagree, but those are the facts.

I say all of this because there is no such thing as something for nothing and we must build value and quality into everything we do. Building anything takes time and must be done in the right way. In building a house there are some stages that are important and they are to be competed in order and correctly. The failure to do so will result in problems down the road. The stages are: Foundation, Framing, Plumbing/Mechanical/Electrical, Insulation/Drywall, and Exterior and finish. To have a little fun, let’s put this in terms of running your own business and look at the stages of building your business or brand.

1. Foundation: this is the beginning, maybe an idea or concept you envision can be turned into something meaningful. This is where it all begins.

2. Framing: Where you go up and develop, moving outward. You bring your idea into concretion. How are you going to do it?

3. Plumbing/Mechanical/Electrical: This is the working parts of the home; so how are you going to implement? How will it all work together? This is the engineering of the plan. The working parts behind the scenes, infrastructure, etc. The details and reality of the concept in action.

4. Insulation/Drywall: How are you going to protect your idea from the challenges? What could go wrong? Make the internal parts work smoothly and insulate from stormy weather. Also, you may have had to make some adaptations to your original idea. You have to be flexible when necessary.

5. Exterior and Finish: This is what people see, the finished product. It is everything as a finished product ready for people to use and enjoy. The fulfillment of your concept in its completed stage. Now keep things moving and working properly,

So unlike winning the lottery, building anything of value takes some time and there are no short cuts. We must build our business, our family, our relationships, wealth, reputation and anything else that is important by doing it one step at a time. The process is important and is the largest portion of achievement. It is the part that is meaningful. How many athletes come out of college, sign big bonuses and lose everything within a few years after they leave the game? It is a process of building and done methodically. This will ensure long lasting satisfaction that will endure.

Ignite your passion!

Are you on track??

Now that we are through almost 2 months of the year, ask yourself, “How is it going so far”? I hope you took the time to set goals at the beginning of the year. If you didn’t, then why not? And if you did, how much closer are you to your destination? Reaching a destination doesn’t happen by accident. It takes vision, desire, planning, preparation and execution.

Since about 1/6 of the year is gone (and you can’t get that time back), how are you really feeling about how your year is shaping up? Are you settling for a satisfactory series of accomplishments?

Let’s get honest here. We are the ones who shape our destiny, our reality, our future. So if you are truly on track and chugging along or ahead of where you would need to be, then you are achieving and that’s awesome. Remember, there will always be bumps in the road, obstacles and detours on the way. So don’t be surprised when things come up that will sidetrack you. Deal with it quickly and get back moving.

If you are convinced that you deserve what you set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year, then if deserves your complete attention and nothing should stand in your way of getting what you want out of life. Its good to keep life in balance too. Don’t lose sight of the big picture, especially family, friends, personal development, and enjoyment.

Here are some things to help with your goals and where you are at:

ON TRACK: Congratulations! The good news is, that you are doing great and you can build on the success and momentum. The bad news is, you may have some challenges and obstacles that will likely cross your path. They key is, how will you deal with your success? Now is not the time to sit back and rest. Now is the time to buckle down and keep things going in the direction you want to go. You may even want to take a step back and look into areas where you can get even better. The point is, don’t get comfortable.

OFF TRACK: Well, first off, the bad news. You are falling short and need to pick it up in one or more crucial areas. The good news is, there is still time to recover and get back on track. You still have 10 months to get it together and be where you wish to be at the end of the year. You should definitely take a look at what has worked and what has not. Continually make adjustments and tweak what you are doing until things start to flow. Get help from your superior or a coach. Someone outside yourself can give great insight and point out things in ways you may have not considered before.

Attitude: Stay positive and avoid negative people like the plague. Keep your vision for what you want and do not stop until your goals and dreams are realized. Stay in the game and keep advancing toward your dream and enjoy every day of the journey.

To your success

Ignite your passion!

Keep on building.

Now that the Super Bowl is over there is a new champion and we applaud the effort of a team that overcame obstacles, adversity, injuries, and the hardest fought games than they faced all season. Hats off to the Packers for an excellent season and superior teamwork. Everyone was excited (except Steelers fans) and for the moment we all tipped out hats to the new champions.

Interestingly enough, the very next day the headline in several sports pages was a prediction for the Super Bowl next year and already picking another team that will win it all. So much for letting someone savor victory.

Truth be told, many teams have been working feverishly on picking players for the draft, assessing and making coaching and personnel changes, and other details of the upcoming season. Even though it is a 17 week season, teams work are working 52 weeks of the year. A few select teams have been aggressively making trades and working deals for the draft. It never stops.

That brings me to a great parallel in business. I have been in more sales cycles than I can care to remember. Constantly working on hitting objectives, qualifying for club trips and maximizing earning potential. My point is this. You have to be a farmer. Yes a farmer. A farmer is one who is focused on this year’s crop, but is thinking way ahead to next year. He is thinking about what he will plant, what needs to be done in order to prepare, what equipment he will need, how his crop will fare in the marketplace, and anything else that will affect his crop.

When we are thinking of marketing our products and services, we must be aware of not only the present but the future as well. Plan for the upcoming seasons. Too often we limit our thinking to the present without respect to what the future holds. Yes, the present is important, but careful thought must go into the future if we are going to reap an abundant harvest. Included in this are our business, our reputation, our goals, and our vision for the immediate and remote future. A failure to plan way ahead in the future ensures that we will not get the desires that we truly wish to have. By this I mean we need to really thing deeply about where we want to be in, say 10 years. Will anyone say they want to be in exactly the same place??? I doubt it. SO, set lofty but realistic goals and figure out how you are going to get there. Here are some ways that will help.

• Think Big: In doing this your mind will explode with ideas that will get things moving in the direction you want to go in.
• Determine where you want to be: Figure out where you want to be in a SPECIFIC time frame and begin working away at it
• What needs to happen: Ask yourself what needs to happen in order to achieve your goals and the time involved.
• Develop a road map: Just like planning a trip, after you have taken the above steps make your map and begin in the direction of point A on your map.
• Write it down: If you don’t, it’s just a dream. The more detailed you are, the more clear your reality will become.

Have fun shaping your reality and achieving all that you would have for yourself. And, by the way, there will be obstacles. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. Stay positive and see it come to life in your vision and make it yours.

To your Success!

Cold calling is dead???? Don’t bet on it…

If you are in sales, in any form, you have probably heard the concept and later a book called, “Cold Calling is Dead.” Call me old fashion, but the way is see it is this: as a professional I bring a lot to the table and the idea that you can market yourself without picking up the telephone and connecting with an individual is ridiculous. I think the only reason that concept even had a hearing and brief following is that there is a lot of sales people that hate picking up the phone and calling someone that is not expecting their phone call. Some say it is “call reluctance”, I call it “fear of the phone.”


I learned a long time ago that I could do a lot on the phone and contact a lot of people in a short amount of time. Sure some people are initially annoyed when I call them, but if I can overcome that, then I have entrée. The most successful sales professionals consistently do the things that others are not willing to do and do it well. Cold calling is one of them.

That being said, there is nothing wrong with softening the beaches with a note, email, or marketing piece (which essentially gives you another reason to call). These can aide us in giving information about us or what we offer and can make what we have relevant. And a strong referral is also a fantastic way to get into a business. But you cannot arrange a meeting or sell a concept by telepathy – You have to contact them and the first way I would try to contact them is on the phone.

Remember how important it is to relate things you offer from their point of view. What you have may be wonderful, but if you cannot relate to them, showing how it will impact them in a positive way, you will go nowhere fast.

Hey, if I could get my phone to ring so much I didn’t have to make outbound calls, I would be all for it. But in reality, it just doesn’t work that way. Some people prefer to communicate via email, but I have never seen a business card with only an email and no phone number. Sometimes the person I am trying to reach won’t pick up the phone. My next move is to send an occasional email to get a response. And from there I will call and schedule an appointment. I can gain interest and gage response by conversing with them personally and will have a better chance of making a qualified appointment when I actually talk with someone.

People say I have a great face for inside sales, but I wonder if I have the look for someone who markets themselves electronically. Truth be told, people respond better on the phone because it is a conversation and not a planned out communication. Even better is the face to face meeting, which is where business is done. The point of cold calling is to secure appointments.

Maybe if I wrote a book and sold it online then I would never have to pick up the phone again, but until I do, I have to connect personally with people, get their attention, and solve problems.