Keeping Up Productivity During Q2string(33) "Keeping Up Productivity During Q2"

April 11, 2016
, , , Balance, Business, Goals, Productivity 6
Image courtesy of khunaspix, of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of khunaspix, of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now that we’re into Q2, all of your 2016 goals for your business should be well underway. The downside of Q2 is that many people begin to lose their momentum around this time of the year. The weather is getting nicer, the days are getting longer, and our attention span at work is getting shorter.

One great way to maintain momentum in your business is to focus on elevating your morning routine.

The ideal morning routine starts the night before, by ensuring you are set up for success. Turn off all electronic devices at least 90 minutes before bed, and never use these devices in your bed to start with. Studies show that using these devices in bed can retrain your brain to associate your bed with being awake. These studies also show that even the smallest electronic device emits enough light to stimulate your brain and promote wakefulness.

In the morning, try to wake up earlier than you need to. Before 6 a.m. is ideal, as it gives you plenty of time to eat a full breakfast, hit the gym, and get your blood flowing and brain working before you get into the meat of your day. Set a routine, and keep that routine as often as possible. Once you are settling into work, focus on projects that you are passionate about. Stay off your email as long as possible, as this is a productivity and time suck. Focus on the important things first, and hit your email later when you have time to knock off smaller tasks. Busy work should be punted to later in the day. Your mind will thank you.

What kind of morning routine do you follow to keep productive? Tell me about it in the comments below.

Short Term Goals for Long Term Successstring(38) "Short Term Goals for Long Term Success"

March 17, 2016
, , , Goals 5

What is your goal for your business for the next year? How about for the next quarter? Next month?

A lot of business owners don’t have goals broken down like this, but why not? It’s difficult to reach a goal that doesn’t exist, and just saying that you want to grow your business isn’t specific enough to actually help you achieve results.

To really achieve the results you want, you need to set concrete goals, and you need to write them down.

Start far into the future. What age do you want to feel comfortable retiring? What amount in savings will make you comfortable retiring? Will you pass your business to one of your children, a trusted employee, or someone else? Map out your far out into the future goal.

Now that you know the far future you need to set yourself up to hit this goal. What milestones do you need to hit in 10, 5, or 2 years that will put you on the right path? What does your business look like at these intervals? How many employees will you have at the end of these times?

One year from today, where does your business need to be to hit your larger goals? What changes do you need to make to set yourself up for long term success? Do you need to hire more help now, or can it wait? What networking groups will you join in the next year? How are you spending your time?

At the end of the next financial quarter, what changes will you have made to start inching toward where you want to be? This is a great time to start looking at the numbers of your business, and diving into what changes you need to make over time to hit your overall goals.

In just the next month, what are your plans? It takes 21 days of doing something consistently to make it a habit, so what habits do you need to hit your goals? What can you implement in your life to start with that will help you reach your goals?

I know it may sound silly to break your goals down this much, but if you don’t know what you’re shooting for, you’ll never hit your target. Long term goals can seem too far away and too massive to be goals that you can actually work toward right now, so breaking them out into more manageable time frames can be more beneficial than you could image.

What is your long-term goal? How are you working toward it? Tell me in the comments below!

Make a Resolution You Can Keep for 2016string(39) "Make a Resolution You Can Keep for 2016"

December 31, 2015
, , , Goals, Growth 1

newyearsThe new year is always a time when people choose to make resolutions to make positive changes in their lives. In general, people’s resolutions tend to fall flat, and I know we’re all guilty of taking up a resolution and dropping it by the end of January.

For 2016, you should consider making a resolution that is not only realistic so you’ll be more likely to keep it, you should also consider making it something that can help you grow your business. Here are three resolution ideas, and how to keep yourself motivated to complete them (if growing your business isn’t enough motivation, that is).

 

At least once a quarter, attend a networking event where you don’t already know everyone

And, to top it off, make it a point to get to know the people you don’t already have connections with. How else are you going to grow your network in 2016? You have to put yourself out there!

Need motivation? At the beginning of the quarter, post on your social media that you are looking for events to attend. As your current contacts suggest events in their circles to you, make plans to attend some and ask your contact to hold you accountable. Having someone to ensure you attend the event can be enough to motivate many people.

 

Make a plan and keep it

This refers to a budget, a hiring plan, and an end goal for where you’d like to see you and your business by the end of 2016. You should spend the first couple weeks of 2016 making this plan, and perfecting it. Above all else, make sure that your plan is something that you will strive to complete, but is also doable.

Need motivation? Set measurable and attainable goals for deadlines throughout the year, and when you reach one of those goals at or before deadline, reward yourself. Go see a movie, have your favorite meal, spend time with loved ones – whatever you can promise yourself that you will work toward.

 

Keep your focus

As I’ve said numerous times before, keep your work at work and your personal life at home. So many of us are guilty of bringing work home, or daydreaming about weekend plans at our office. Keep these things separate and maintain your focus in 2016 – you’ll be amazed at the results.

Need motivation? The quality time with your loved ones, the improved productivity at work, and the cleared peace of mind should be more than enough motivation.

 

What are you resolving to do for 2016? Share with me in the comments below!

The Secret to Successstring(21) "The Secret to Success"

September 10, 2015
, Business, Entrepreneurial Enterprise, Goals, Growth, Ivan Misner, personal story, Strategy, Success 1

I do a countless amount of interviews each year, and one of the questions I get asked most often is: “What is your secret to success?”  In this video, I tell my personal story about my journey on the road to success and, if you are thinking the road was a quick and easy one–think again.  

I often tell people who are striving to achieve success in a snap that I am a twenty-year ‘overnight’ success.  In other words, there is no such thing as overnight success.  It took me twenty years of working diligently and consistently, day in and day out, doing the same things over and over in order to achieve some degree of success.  I firmly believe that the secret to success without hard work is still a secret.  However, there is a key idea which I talk about in this video that I learned through doing research for my book Masters of Success, and it can really help when it comes to attaining success.

What’s your take on the secret to success?  Are your ideas on how success is achieved different than the ideas I discuss within this video?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Premature Solicitor

Networking Mixers: Make Your Time Count!string(40) "Networking Mixers: Make Your Time Count!"

August 31, 2015
, , Conversation, Goals, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics 3

NetworkingSome people go to a networking mixer with only one goal in mind: surviving until the time they plan to leave.  However, networking doesn’t have to be a dreaded activity!  Here are two tips to help you make the most of your time at networking mixers, and to help you enjoy yourself so the time will practically fly by.

  1. Set a Goal for the Number of People You’ll Meet.  To get the most out of a networking event, set a goal regarding the number of contacts you want to make or the number of business cards you want to collect.  Don’t leave until you’ve met your goal.If you feel inspired, set a goal to meet fifteen to twenty people and make sure you get each person’s business card.  If you don’t feel so hot, shoot for less.  In either case, set a reachable goal based on the attendance and the type of group.
  2. Spend Ten Minutes or Less with Each Person You Meet and Don’t Linger with Friends and Associates.  Since your first goal is to meet a given number of people, you can’t spend too much time with any one person, no matter how interesting the conversation gets.  Stay focused on making as many contacts as you can.  When you meet people who are very interesting and with whom you want to spend more time, set up appointments with them.  You can always meet later to continue the conversation.Don’t try to close business deals while you’re networking; it’s impractical.  Set a date to meet and discuss your product or service in an environment more conducive to doing business.  You may be able to increase your business with hot prospects if you take the time to fully understand their needs.Learn to leave conversations gracefully.  Honesty is usually the best policy; tell them you need to connect with a few more people, sample the hors d’oeuvres, or get another drink.  If you feel uncomfortable with that, exit like a host by introducing new acquaintances to someone you know.  Better yet, if it seems appropriate, ask them to introduce you to people they know.Above all, don’t linger with friends and associates.  These are people you already know, and you’re there to meet people you don’t know.  I attended a mixer once where I saw several business friends stand and talk with one another for two hours.  On their way out, one actually complained, “This was a waste of time.  I didn’t get any business from it, did you?”  Ummm, seriously??  

I highly recommend you try executing these two tips at your next networking mixer.  After you do so, come back and leave a comment in the forum below to let me know how it worked out.  I’m confident you’ll be pleased with the results and I’d love to hear about your experience!

 

Who Cares about Your Business?string(30) "Who Cares about Your Business?"

March 30, 2015
, , , , , , Building Relationships, Business, Collaboration, Connections, Goals, Growth, Motivation, Networking, Networking Prep, Networking Tactics, Referral Incentives, Referrals, Relationships

Do you know who really cares about your business and wants to help you?  Realistically, there are only a few basic ways of motivating people to care about and help build your business.  Basically, it comes down to relationships and rewards.  

Photo courtesy of graur codrin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo courtesy of graur codrin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some folks, usually friends or family, will simply want to help because they like you and want you to do well.  These people will be motivated by the relationship itself.

But in most other cases, the long term motivation to build your business is not based primarily on whether or not the other person likes you.  Business partnerships, including referral relationships, almost always include some form of mutual reward; typically in the form of social or financial gain.  Both you and your networking partner have something to gain, and you are both eager to help each other achieve it.

Some people are motivated by the potential for business referrals you can send, while others are motivated by the prestige and opportunities created by having a relationship with you.  Regardless of the underlying motivation behind them, relationships can take time to prove profitable in a substantial way, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth cultivating.  Ultimately, strong relationships will steer back opportunities because of the nature of networking itself and of the endless variety of products and services to which it can lead.

I firmly believe that most relationships will probably prove rewarding in the long term, even in cases where you don’t receive referrals in return.  There are a few super successful people to whom we send referrals who’ve never reciprocated with a referral back.  We’re motivated to continue helping them in any way we can simply because they will work with people we refer to them.  That makes us look good, because it’s very difficult for the average person to start a working relationship with these very successful, very busy people.

If we refer someone, it opens a door that might never have otherwise opened.  The new person that we are referring to our very busy friends or associates is the one who now goes out of his way to reciprocate.  That’s our motivation; helping our networking partners achieve their goals.  And, of course, in one form or another, it winds up coming back in some way.

What are some experiences you’ve had in which you’ve benefitted in some way or another as a result of truly caring about others’ businesses and helping them to grow and achieve their goals?  I’d love to hear your story/stories so please share your experiences in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

Continuous Partial Attentionstring(28) "Continuous Partial Attention"

March 26, 2015
, , , , Focus, Goals, Networking, Networking Prep, Productivity, Video Blog 3

How many times have you been at a networking function and realized that half of the people there are paying more attention to their mobile devices than to the other attendees they showed up to meet and network with?  Worse, have you yourself been guilty of staying so glued to your phone or tablet that you have missed the opportunity to make a powerful connection with the person standing right in front of you?

We are living in a world that is more connected than ever and there are some definite pitfalls in our hyperconnected world as it intersects with our business relationships and our networking.  One of these pitfalls is that hyperconnectivity can lead to a state of what I call ‘continuous partial attention.’

In this video, I introduce the concept of ‘continuous partial attention’ and I also discuss the risks and repercussions which accompany it.  Watch the video now to learn how to avoid falling into a state of continuous partial attention and prevent it from wreaking havoc on your productivity at work and your ability to achieve your goals.

If you have any stories about how falling victim to a state of continuous partial attention has affected you or someone you know, I’d love for you to share your experience in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

 

Networking and Friendsstring(22) "Networking and Friends"

March 23, 2015
, , , , , , Building Relationships, Connections, Goals, Networking, Networking Prep, Purpose, Relationships, Strategy, System 6

One of the strengths of a good networking group is that most of the members become friends.  And ironically, one of the weaknesses is that most of the members become friends.  It’s both a strength and a weakness.  Accountability becomes key in running a good network because friends don’t like to hold friends accountable.  But, people who truly understand networking are not going to have a problem with system and structure.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It can be dangerously easy for a networking group that meets regularly to become a coffee talk session with little or no networking going on.  That’s exactly what happens when a group loses sight of their purpose, focus, system, and structure–or never has any of those things to begin with.

People begin to make up their own agendas and the networking loses focus.  When you lose focus, the meetings become social.  Networking should be about business.  Of course there has to be a social aspect, but it’s really about business, commitment, and accountability.  People can be like water and tend to take the path of least resistance.  Without the proper framework in which to operate, the agenda becomes the topic of the day and it ends up being whatever the person running the group thinks the meeting should be about.  That sort of inconsistency over time is a problem for a networking group.

Even if you have a good, strong leader, at some point the person’s life will change or maybe he or she will simply get burned out.  The problem starts if there is no one else to teach.  Teaching is a leaky-bucket process.  You start with a whole bucket of information.  When that information is taught to someone else, some of that information leaks out and the people being taught only get that limited version of the information.  In turn, when that person teaches someone else, the material continues to get watered down based on their understanding and ability to articulate the material.

By the time you are in the third or fourth generation of people passing along the information, you only have about half a bucket remaining.  When the bucket of information gets low, people start putting in their own stuff.  Very rarely does the material improve over time with this process.

In short, it is a beautiful thing when people in a networking group become close friends–the key to making sure it doesn’t detract from the goals of building each other’s business through networking, however, is to ensure that no matter what type of networking group you’re in the group has a strong sense of purpose, a solid structure, and that each member is committed to carrying out the systems for networking which are already in place. 

So, how does your networking group maintain its focus and its commitment to its systematic networking practices (e.g., careful selection of leadership, effective training programs, etc.)?  I’d love to hear your thoughts–please share them in the comment forum below.  Thanks so much for your participation!

 

The Success Principlesstring(22) "The Success Principles"

January 29, 2015
, , , , Author, Book, Focus, Goals, Growth, Motivation, personal story, Self Development, Strategy, Success, System, VCP Process, Video Blog

In this video, I talk to my good friend Jack Canfield about Jack’s just-released updated edition of his bestselling book, “The Success Principles.”

Watch the video now to hear the truly amazing story of a man whose life was completely transformed as a result of following the principles in Jack’s book and to get both  Jack’s take  and my take on what it takes to be truly successful in any given area of life.

if you’ve read the earlier edition of Jack’s book, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Please share your feedback in the comment forum below. Thanks!

To learn more about the newly released edition of “The Success Principles,” please visit www.TheSuccessPrinciplesBook.com.

How to Persevere in the New Yearstring(32) "How to Persevere in the New Year"

January 5, 2015
, , , , , , , Focus, Goals, Growth, Purpose, Self Development, Strategy, Success 5

My good friend Julien Sharp is a brilliant editor who has worked on a countless number of writing projects for me and done a top-notch job. She is also founder of Funnybone Toys® and Funnybone MuseTM, a fantastic networker and businesswoman, and an exceptional author who contributed a great article entitled “From Mickey Mouse to Cruise Ships” to my 2007 bestseller, Masters of Sales.

Julien Sharp

Julien Sharp

The article talks about her early childhood dream to be a musical performer on The New Mickey Mouse Club, how that transitioned into a desperate longing to become a cruise ship entertainer, and how she went from a kid growing up in rural Indiana to a successful cruise ship entertainer performing in exotic locations like the southern Caribbean.

Although Julien’s story is certainly an interesting one, the reason I bring up her article is not to detail her journey from Mickey Mouse to Cruise Ships, but to focus on the main points in her article, which explain how she achieved success.

Julien says that even today, she’s never forgotten a quote she read as a young girl from Lee Iacocca: “You’ve got to say, ‘I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough, I can have it.’ It’s called perseverance.”

This idea became the mantra that guided Julien to success. She says, “I had to have the perseverance to finish what it took to achieve my goal, and I had to realize that perseverance virtually never comes into play without the first two words in the quote: ‘I think . . .”

As a result of making Iacocca’s quote her mantra, at an early age Julien learned:

  1. To convert her dream to a specific goal
  2. How to research her target market
  3. To create an impassioned sales presentation, and
  4. To sell with passion.

Julien’s all-encompassing goal was to sing on a cruise ship, so she researched her client (cruise ship companies), rehearsed her presentation (created a demo cassette, packaged with the most professional photo she could afford, and included an introductory letter detailing her experience, education and the absolute passion she had for achieving her goal), used her enthusiasm as her best selling tool (all her money and every ounce of emotional desire went into 12 demo packages destined for various cruise lines in Miami), and persisted in chasing her goal. It’s no surprise that she achieved that goal, and now she continues to achieve even greater goals with each new year.

So, what’s your goal this week? This month? This year? Please share your answers in the comment forum below and if you really want to achieve your goals, remember the Iacocca quote, take a lesson from Julien, and learn to persevere.

Year End Reflections and Goals for the New Yearstring(47) "Year End Reflections and Goals for the New Year"

January 1, 2015
, , , , , , , , Goals, Self Development, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Success, Uncategorized, Video Blog 8

For many cultures around the world, today marks the dawning of the new year.  Here in the United States, most people were up at midnight, full of energy, excitedly celebrating the clock striking 12:00 a.m.–the start of 2015 and, more importantly, the chance for people to start fresh and move forward in business and life in bigger and better ways.  So, what was I doing to celebrate the new year? . . . I was giving thanks for the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful view from my lake house in Big Bear, CA  (pictured below) and it moved me to record this video about year-end reflections and new-year goal setting.

The Current View from My House in Big Bear, CA

The Current View from My House in Big Bear, CA

The thing is, the only reason I’m able to sit here enjoying the life I’ve created is that I continue to reflect on the goings on of each passing year and strategically set new goals to accomplish bigger and better things with each coming year. New Year’s Day is the perfect time for all of us to sit down, take stock of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the past year and forge ahead in the new year with a fresh set of goals and a specific plan to achieve those goals.

In this video, I talk about how I go about setting goals each new year and I share the template (shown below) I use for outlining my goals on paper.  I share my main goals for business and life in 2015 and I would really love to hear your goals for the new year as well so please share your goals in the comment forum below.  Thanks and Happy New Year!!

GoalsAndControlsReportTemplate

How to Set Goals for the Year Aheadstring(35) "How to Set Goals for the Year Ahead"

December 18, 2014
, , , , Business, Goals, personal story, Self Development, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Success, Video Blog 3

As 2014 draws to a close, many people are beginning to think about what goals they would like to accomplish in the coming year. In light of this, I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you how I personally go about setting and achieving my own goals.

Watch the video now to get my top three tips on how to plan your goals and what actions to consistently take in order to achieve success when it comes to reaching your goals.  Also, I’d love to hear what tactics have worked for you in regard to goal accomplishment so please share your thoughts and ideas in the comment forum below.  Thanks!

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