In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Fears getting the best of you? Ask yourself,
“Is this information I’m getting?” In other
words, newsworthy material I should listen
to? You’ll feel an answer. If it’s “yes,” then pay
attention. If it’s, “No. Just same old fear and
whining,” then lay it down. You only need to
attend to clear and helpful information.

This is a really important distinction. The chatter in our heads is either shi*-stirring propaganda
or it’s information with very important direction. Either/Or. The rubble-rousing kind of
monologue has no data and information in it–except, of course, that you’re doomed, are never
going to make it, are a loser now and always, Life sucks–and on and on. But when you dissect it,
you see that’s not information.

Information is defined in Webster’s as 1. “the communication or reception of knowledge or intelligence.”
(What’s that tell you about your self-talk?) 2. “the knowledge obtained from investigation, study or
instruction: FACTS, DATA.”

So, as you’ve got your head in your hands, lamenting over a dismal month of sales and everything you
did wrong, ask yourself, “Is this information I’m getting?” Facts, data, knowledge or intelligence?
Or is it a bunch of fear-mongering ka-ka designed specifically to pull me down? You will find this simple
question clears away all of the cobwebs: the answer is either yes or no. If it’s information, you will not
feel great emotion anymore, just a clearing to walk through to a more effective solution. If it’s not
factual data that you can use…what are you going to do with the chatter in your head? You must
summon the self-respect to walk away from it and ask instead, “What information do I need to get me
back on the right path?”

This simple question has saved me from balancing out on many a ledge. Try it yourself!

Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free call October 10th, PLUS much more! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/

Hate to sell? In celebration of my 10th anniversary, I am reprising one of my most beloved programs. A 4-part/2-week course, Grillin’ the Gremlin: Freedom for the Sales Phobic. Learn the 7 reasons you do not sell EAGERLY or WELL. This is the LAST time you’ll ever get his program, and the ONLY time you get to work with me for peanuts. Jump on this. It’s good only until Tuesday Oct 18th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/gg/

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

You must begin filling your Rolodex from day -450.
That means, 18 months before you start your business,
start collecting your contacts! And real contacts, not
Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter contacts. Then never stop.
Your Rolodex is THE currency of your business success.

My ex-husband will never, ever be out of work as long as he lives. Why? Because he’s a relationship building master. Now, not when it comes to marriage, mind you, but for the more distant relationships, he’s sheer genius. By the time he and my daughter are done with dinner at a restaurant, he’s made at least two life-long friends. Imagine how many times they’ve gone out for dinner in 16 years…how many times he’s met someone new, and you can begin to picture the size of his Rolodex.

In business, he is known far and wide for his friendliness and reliability–but that’s not why he makes life-long friends in every deli, bank and business meeting–and why he’ll never be out of work. (Drum roll)…It’s because he extends a superficial relationship into something more meaningful, then maintains it. My daughter is a junior in high school. He is still sending presents to the daughter of her second grade teacher. The only reason I even *remember* my daughter’s second-grade teacher is because my ex extended that relationship (extended it beyond school by becoming interested in her upcoming nuptials, etc.) and then maintained it by sending an anniversary card and a “congratulations on the new baby” card…and to this day, a birthday card or present for the teacher’s daughter.

I bust his chops all the time because so much of the time he’s brown-nosing–especially in collecting business relationships or any other that will help, say, my daughter get into college or get in good with the field hockey coach. I’m more, well, pure-hearted with my relationships (no agenda)…but then again, I don’t have his Rolodex. I’m more passive with relationships. Hell, I don’t even make friends in a restaurant, let alone friends who’ll one day be reading my eulogy.

I always say: how we do life is how we do business. How we do relationships in life is how we do relationships in business. And sometimes what works in life does NOT work in business: I can have a light hand with relationships in life because I’m highly independent and love my own company–but in business, loving my own company ain’t going to get me business.

So, I ask you–how full is your Rolodex? How easily do you collect relationships? My ex does it, as I illustrated above, just as easily in his personal life as he does in his business life. If it’s not so easy for you in life to extend and maintain relationships, it may be challenging in business. But here’s the only advice on that: get over it. It’s actually been challenging for me to get over it, and I’m a work in progress, but we must ALL take a page out of my ex’s book. In fact, he should write one, don’t you think?

Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free call October 7th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/

Hate to sell? In celebration of my 10th anniversary, I am reprising one of my most beloved programs. A 4-part/2-week course, Grillin’ the Gremlin: Freedom for the Sales Phobic. Learn the 7 reasons you do not sell EAGERLY or WELL. This is the LAST time you’ll ever get his program, and the ONLY time you get to work with me for peanuts. Jump on this. It’s good only until Tuesday Oct 18th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/gg/

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Set out to answer the question,
“What can I be the BEST in the
world at?” It may take years to
find the answer, but seek it, and
know that it must be answered
one day, so watch yourself and
ask your clients often, “What do
I do best in the world?” The
question is not, “Of all of my
skills, what am I best at doing?”
It’s what are you the best in the
world at. Period.

I was on a telecall a couple of years ago led by an older business man whom I respected–
though I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember who it was. But he said that on his desk
he had a question: “What can I be the BEST in the world at?” And he admitted that he was
still valiantly trying to answer it. So, I adopted the idea and put the question on my desk,
believing that I *would* answer it. It, like all things that our physical senses experience
routinely, disappeared into the woodwork most days–but every so often, my Reticular
Activating System would have me catch sight of it again and I’d ponder the possibility:
What can I be the BEST in the world at?

Be assured that it’s a game-changer to know you can go toe-to-toe with the best in your
field and give either as good a performance or, more likely, a better one. Suddenly,
with this realization, your stock just took a quantum leap. You know you deserve, can,
and must command top-dollar for what you do–assuming, of course, that it is wanted.
As the best leaf-presser in the world, you may have a tough time with that. But if what
you’re “the best at” is valuable to the marketplace, you’ve just written your golden ticket.

Steve Jobs knew he was the best in the world at
innovation and made no qualms about boasting
so publicly. Writers Lev Grossman and Harry
McCracken wrote in Time Magazine’s October 17,
2001 issue: “Jobs dubbed the $2,495 Mac ‘insanely
great,’ a bit of self-praise that became forever
associated with him and Apple.” He didn’t listen
to his customers or his employees: he knew the
brilliance of his own mind and knew that to succeed,
he and everyone at Apple would do best listening to
it without reservation. They did–and the world was
changed.

On the one hand, you don’t have to broadcast to the world that you’re the best; one can
be more humble about it. But there’s also something very compelling about an expert
who asserts with conviction that he can do something no one else can. Humans aspire
to self-actualization, after all; we are fascinated by the evidence before us of one who
has reached it–at least on one  level.

Just the other day at my public speaking training, I said, for the first time, with clear
eyes and cellular certainty that I am the best in the world at extracting the message
an entrepreneur has been born to share–and that will change the world and
build a business empire. I would never compare myself to Steve Jobs, but I said it
with the same kind of knowing he had that no one can do what I do better. It was true.
It was simple. It was real. And so I said it. And I went on to let them know that come
2012, my stock price would be very different. It wasn’t a ploy or a manipulation. It
was just the truth–take it or leave it. It had impact.

Knowing what you’re the best in the world at is a game-changer. As I said
above, the question is not, “Of all that I do, which skill am I the best at?” It’s What am
I the best in the world at?

I suggest you write the question out and look at it every day–as that business man has
done, and as I did (and still do). Your subconscious will work on it, and one day, if you
want it enough, if you believe in yourself enough, the answer will come. And it will be
a brand new day.

Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free
call October 17th, PLUS much more! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/

Hate to sell? In celebration of my 10th anniversary, I am reprising one of my most beloved programs. A 4-part/2-week course, Grillin’ the Gremlin: Freedom for the Sales Phobic. Learn the 7 reasons you do not sell EAGERLY or WELL. This is the LAST time you’ll ever get his program, and the ONLY time you get to work with me for peanuts. Jump on this. It’s good only until Tuesday Oct 18th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/gg/

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Set limits with your coaching/consulting clients before you even engage them. Put these limits in writing and get their verbal and even written agreement to abide by them. Limits on how often they can postpone before you sever the relationship; on the latest they can send you an assignment; what you will do if they fail to work with you in a timely manner, etc.

Do you have clients routinely appear late at your session appointments? Or let you know rather late that they have to cancel? How about those who have an excuse for not having done the assignment they agreed to do the week before? Or, if, as in my case, their assignment is a written one–they send it to you two hours before your scheduled appointment instead of a full day before? And do you have a tangent-runner? Someone who talks much too long? And even on a topic unrelated to your sessions?

If you haven’t met any such client, you will. I’ve met them all after ten years, and you want to be prepared with each one of these scenarios (and any others) by setting parameters before you begin coaching them. And each one (except the last) must be met with a hard consequence if they do it more than once. Tell them up-front that you allow them to be late only once, and after that,  either 1) you’ll charge them $20 or 2) double the time they were late and subtract that from the call. So, late 5 minutes? You’ll get off 10 minutes early. I don’t recommend that you tell them that the session will end at its regularly scheduled time no matter how late they are because a) you may be the type to go over-time, so that won’t mean anything, and b) it won’t stop the behavior. Make the consequence tough to stop the behavior.

Which leads to the other issues. Make sure you tell them that they are charged if they fail to cancel within 18-24 hours, whatever feels best to you. AND tell them up front that this will be the case even if it’s a heart-rending story! You’ll get pulled into empathy and compassion otherwise and fold like a stack of cards–and miss an opportunity to have scheduled someone else.

What if they don’t do their assignment? Remember: a consequence that will change their behavior. But your reputation is at stake with this one, as well.  The fact is, you’re not going to have success stories if clients don’t do their work. So, your future directly hinges on their following through with their commitments. I’d get really tough here, right at the outset. Tell them that if they come to an appointment without their homework, you will 1) cancel the session and they’ll pay for it, or 2) after 2x, you’ll cancel the relationship, with no refund of any previous payment.

And remember, do this before you start and get their agreement in writing.

How to ward off a tangential talker? Well, hopefully you’ll never know you have one of you tell them up front that you are dedicated to giving your clients the very best of your time and so you have a policy that if anyone goes off-topic, you will steer the ship back on course and to please not take offense if you cut them off. If you say this in the beginning, before you know them at all, they won’t take it personally.

Be sure to get all 75 tips from my 14-page special report here.

And be SURE to grab today’s special offer–The Audience Leadership Assessment–my 108-question assessment that tests your strengths and weaknesses in 7 core competencies of public speaking. This is a GREAT assessment and you can take it for just $20.01 today and tomorrow only! Go to: http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/speakingassessment/

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Tip #24 Hate technology? You don’t have to love it, but you must learn everything you need to know about technology. If you have a lot of capital, you can hire techies, but if you don’t, it’s on you. There’s no escaping it. It’s here to stay and you won’t make it in business without it. TIP: Prioritize the platforms you’ll need and just tackle them one at a time.                    Tip #25: Technology you need to understand: Video cameras; video editing software; YouTube; all other social media; your autoresponder/shopping cart; your merchant account or PayPal; WordPress; Optimize Press for instant sales pages and squeeze pages; desk mic; audio recording software (free on-line)—for the basics.

I don’t know how this lands on you, but so many of  my start-up clients get stopped by technology. Some of the older ones actually think they can have a business without it.  It’s just not possible. There are so many facets of marketing so many things you need to do, that you must become adept at technology. You will need a website and to know your website–even if you have a developer. You will need to sell your services in written pieces, which means sales letters and squeeze pages–and that entails software. I recommend and love Optimize Press.

One of my favorite pieces of technology is my desk mic. I send my clients audio messages regularly when I don’t have time to type or when I want them to hear my voice. I use Free Hi-Q Recorder for the audio software (very rudimentary but all you need for this function) and a Logitech desk mic.

I have a Canon FS200 video camera–with a mic function (which is very important). It’s simple to use and I get good quality videos from it. I also have a Logitech webcam. And for video software (my inner movie-director was found 2 years ago! I never dreamed that would happen. Try it! You may love it!)…I use Adobe Premiere 8. I’m sure there’s an updated version now, but this has been easy enough for me to learn. And you need this. You need to do videos and edit them.

I use Authorize.net and Practice Pay Solutions for merchant account. For autoresponders I use both Aweber (which I love and highly recommend, though they do not have an e-commerce function, which forced me to go over to) 1 Shopping Cart. They are okay. Don’t love them. HATE that they make you pay to get phone support–and their navigation is awkward and non-intuitive way too much of the time. The other option is Infusion Soft, which I haven’t looked into at this point.

And I don’t want to forget Talk Fusion, which allows you to embed videos into your emails (which I use regularly) and also have live video broadcasting features and video conferencing. I am a distributor for them, so if you check them out, you’ll be doing so under my profile.

Be sure to get all 75 tips from my 14-page special report here.

And today’s special offer is the ability to take The Audience Leadership Assessment–my 108-question assessment that tests your strengths and weaknesses in 7 core competencies of public speaking. This is a GREAT assessment and you can take it for just $20.01 today and tomorrow only! Go to: http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/speakingassessment/

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

TIP #62 It is essential that you build your business model around how you want to spend your days. You’re working for yourself, not for someone else! You don’t have to be miserable. Do your work the way you like to do it. Be in front of the computer, if that’s how you like to spend your days. Be on the phone, coaching. Get out and teach and speak. Write. But spend it the way you want to spend it.

This is another one of those tips that can be glossed over because you think you are spending your day doing what you love. You love your niche and you love your target market. But are you spending the hours in the processes you love the most? Or are you spending them the way you’ve been told you “should”?

At some point, you need to take stock: are you coaching when you should really just be writing because that’s what you love and it’s where you want your future to go? (A past client of mine just had this aha-moment recently). Are you giving seminars to groups when you really just want to do one-on-one consulting or coaching? Are you giving keynotes, when you really want to be creating changes, which means more time with your audiences than keynotes ever provide? Are you coaching when deep-down you know you’re a teacher? Are you poring over the internet to get clients–engaging with social media–when you really need to be in-person with people?

Are you making choices out of a presumption of what you should do, rather than what you love to do?
It is essential that you build your business, (which means your days) around your favorite things to do.

I’m celebrating 10 years in business all through October with these blog posts, a party/call on Monday, October 10th–and special invitations to take my programs and get my products at deep discounts. Today’s offer: work with me privately. This RARELY happens. Go see the 3 business-building options I’m offering here.

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

TIP # 17: What you offer MUST be “urgently” wanted. Period. Unless you don’t require much income. A product or program is urgently wanted only by those with an urgent want to alleviate a problem, or experience a fantasy.

This is the look you want on your customers’ faces. Sheer exaltation when they have what you offer in their hands. You don’t have to be Apple, or offer something as world-altering as an iPhone, but you do want to elicit this look.

So, what do you feel that way over? Anything that is going to 1) bring you unadulterated joy and/or 2) dramatically uplevel the quality of your life and/or 3) enhance your status.

What has to be there in the product/program for you to feel so elated? 1) Certainty in its quality; 2) Clarity that you’re getting more value than you’re paying; 3) A true love for it (i.e. some warm and fuzzy emotional connection).

When this is there, they urgently want what you’ve got.  This is true whether it’s a product or a program, of course.

Too many intellectual products and programs (books, CD’s, seminars, presentations, opt-in gifts, etc.) are not urgently wanted. They’re not “Brain-Sticky”–compelling, original and memorable–but the authors think they are and are confounded as to why they have few clients.

Following the logic above, then, it is essential that you design all of your intellectual property around the needs and fantasies of your market. Make sure that they:

1. Will bring them great joy
2. Improve the quality of their life
3. Enhance their status
4. Have obvious quality–in other words, tangible, concrete, WANTED results
5. Give FAR more than the ticket-price would ever reveal
6. Enable your market to feel confident, capable, smarter, prettier, sexier–whatever they want SO much that it evokes powerful emotions in them.

Maybe you could go back to your past clients and ask them to tell you how your programs do these for them, or HOW they could in the future!

See today’s special offer–work with me privately at deep discounts. 3 topics for building a Brain-Sticky business.  http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10-year-offers .