The Truth About Frogs….
If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first. Discipline yourself to begin immediately and then to persist until the task is complete before you go on to something else. Don’t Procrastinate
If you have to eat a live frog at all, it doesn’t pay to sit and look at it for very long. The key to reaching high levels of performance and productivity is to develop the lifelong habit of tackling your major task first thing each morning. You must develop the routine of “eating your frog” before you do anything else and without taking too much time to think about it.
Successful, effective people are those who launch directly into their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily and single-mindedly until those tasks are complete. “Failure to execute” is one of the biggest problems in organizations today. Many people confuse activity with accomplishment. They talk continually, hold endless meetings, and make wonderful plans, but in the final analysis, no one does the job and gets the results required. Develop a Positive Addiction
You can actually develop a “positive addiction” to endorphins and to the feeling of enhanced clarity, confidence, and competence that they trigger. When you develop this addiction, you will, at an unconscious level, begin to organize your life in such a way that you are continually starting and completing ever more important tasks and projects. You will actually become addicted, in a very positive sense, to success and contribution. No Shortcuts
Practice is the key to mastering any skill. Fortunately, your mind is like a muscle. It grows stronger and more capable with use. With practice, you can learn any behaviour or develop any habit that you consider either desirable or necessary. Action Exercise
What is your “frog?” What is the one task that you despise doing each day? Once you have chosen your “frog,” make it a habit to wake up every morning and do that task first.
Mini Eat That Frog Comes to Perth!
What a year it has been so far!
In just the last 120 days, we’ve had over 1000 people attend our Brian Tracy seminars around Australia!
We’ve rolled-out the Mini Eat That Frog National Tour, and trained a lot of people already in our new event, Selling like a Pro.
If you’re not familiar with the Eat That Frog metaphor, please see this video:
http://www.eatthatfrogmovie.com
We have toured all around Australia teaching people this philosophy of how to:
- Eliminate Procrastination
- Get More Done in Less Time;
- Become a High Performance Time Manager; and
- Achieve Your Goals in the 5 Key Areas of Your Life
We are excited to be bringing this world-renowned training to Perth this Thursday, December 3rd!
This event will be presented by me, Mark Garbelotto, Master Trainer with Brian Tracy International.
This event will sell out, so for more information and to book your seat go to www.eatthatfrog.com.au/mini or call 1300 795 129 today!
A Time for Truth….
By Brian Tracy
Most of our social, economic, and political problems are rooted in the desire to get something for nothing, multiplied in intensity by the twin emotions of envy and resentment. Just as the lowest common denominators of human nature are greed and laziness, the fastest and easiest way to justify an attempt to get something for nothing is to proclaim that those who have what you want do not deserve it, and you do.
The Two Worldviews
There are two general ways of looking at the world. A person can have a benevolent worldview or a malevolent worldview. A person with a benevolent worldview looks at life and the world honestly and realistically, recognizing that there are many problems and deficiencies, but for the most part, it is a good place and definitely preferable to the alternatives. People who have a benevolent worldview create everything good and worthwhile in society.
People with a malevolent worldview, on the other hand, are primarily negative and cynical in their outlooks. They look for the worst in people and situations. They are characterized by low self-esteem and self-worth. They don’t like themselves, and as a result, they don’t like many others. They see problems everywhere. They see injustice, oppression, unfairness, and inequalities of income and status. No solution is ever enough. No situation is every satisfactory. For these people, there is always something wrong.
Your Self-Esteem and Self-Image
The central role of self-esteem and self-image—how much you like yourself and how you see yourself—cannot be overemphasized. They constitute the person you are inside. These core elements of your personality have overwhelming affects on your worldview. Each person has a deep inner need to feel important and valuable, and be respected by others. Each person needs to believe in something bigger than himself.
Political Opportunism
At the political level, there will always be opportunistic people who will offer to represent those who do not want to work for what they get. These opportunistic politicians will create elaborate arguments to prove why these prospective voters should be given free money. As soon as the spectre of free money, of something for nothing or very little, raises its ugly head, more and more people will attempt to get it.
The Test for Truth
The two great questions you have to ponder when considering any personal and government action are these: First, “Is it true for me?” Is what you are saying or hearing true for you, or do you think it may be true for others, but not for yourself? Listen to your inner voice. Be perfectly honest with yourself. Trust your own instincts. Only accept the premise or promise that feels right and is consistent with your own personal knowledge and experience.
Action Exercise
Many of our most complex problems could be quickly relieved if each person were to ask themselves this question, “Is this true for me?”
7 Disciplines for High Performance
There are seven disciplines you must develop if you want to achieve all that is possible for you. You can learn these disciplines through practice and repetition until they become automatic.
Goal Setting
Every morning, take three to five minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. Get a spiral notebook for this purpose. By writing out your ten goals at the beginning of each day, you will program them deep into your subconscious mind.
This daily goal writing will activate your mental powers. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day, you will see opportunities and possibilities to move more rapidly toward your goals.
Planning and Organizing
Take a few minutes, preferably the night before, to plan out every activity of the coming day. Always work from a list. Always think on paper. This is one of the most powerful and important disciplines of all for high performance.
Priority Setting
The essence of all time management, personal management, and life management is contained in your ability to set the proper priorities on the use of your time. This is essential for high performance.
Concentration on your Highest-Value Activities
Your ability to work single-mindedly on your most important task will contribute as much to your success as any other discipline you can develop. Exercise and Proper Nutrition
Your health is more important than anything else. By disciplining yourself to exercise regularly and to eat carefully, you will promote the highest possible levels of health and fitness throughout your life. Learning and Growth
Your mind is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field. Time for Important People in your Life
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Build time for your relationships into every day, no matter how busy you get. Action Exercise
These seven disciplines will ensure that you perform at the highest level and get the greatest satisfaction and results from everything you do. Study these seven disciplines and then make a plan for how you can incorporate each of them into your daily life.
By Brian Tracy
Ensuring Success at Work
November 22, 2009
Ensuring Success at Work
By Brian Tracy
The very best times you will ever have at any job or company are when you are getting along wonderfully well with your boss. On the other hand, the very worst times you will ever have at any job are when you are not getting along well with your boss. And the major reason why employees have problems with their bosses is because of a lack of clarity about what exactly is to be done, and to what standard, and in what order of priority.
It is important to your boss that you are making the appropriate decisions for the company and completing your job. In order to make decisions effectively, you must know the three types of decisions.
Three Types of Decisions
There are three types of decisions in any organization or family. When decisions involve other people, it is important that everyone is clear about what kind of a decision is under consideration.
Command Decisions
These decisions have to be made by the boss or the person in charge. These decisions are so important that one person is solely responsible for making up his mind about what is to be done.
Hiring a key staff member, firing a poor performer, making an important investment decision, or even negotiating a new loan with the bank are all command decisions. They must be made by the person in charge.
Do you want a wealth of resources you can use at home or in the car to build your knowledge and wealth?
Call our office on 1300 795 129 to order Brian Tracy books and CDs such as The Art of Closing the Sale, Advanced Selling Skills, and Flight Plan.
Consultative Decisions
This is a decision where you, or the boss, ask for advice and take input from other people. You combine the opinions, ideas, and inputs of others, together with your own, and make a decision. Even though it invites the advice and participation of others, a consultative decision is not made based on that advice.
You may be thinking of hiring a new person, assigning someone a particular task, spending a certain amount of money on a business activity, or embarking on a new sales or marketing campaign. If you are the boss, you can ask for advice from everyone before you finally close the door and make your final decision.
Consensus Decisions
The third type of decision is one that is made on the basis of consensus. This is a democratic decision where everyone gets involved, discusses the pros and cons, and then agrees on what is to be done.
Sometimes, everyone is in agreement, and sometimes the decision is made by a democratic vote, where the majority rules. Once the decision has been made, everyone commits to making the decision successful, however they may have voted during the discussion phase.
Action Exercise
Practice participative management with your staff, hold weekly staff meetings and invite everyone to participate and ask questions.
Give the gift of knowledge this Christmas: order your Brian Tracy books and CDs as Christmas gifts for family, friends, clients.
Call 1300 795 129 to place orders for books and CDs like Flight Plan, Speak to Win, and The Psychology of Selling.
Maximise Profits
November 13, 2009
Maximize Profits
By Brian Tracy
Sales are only one barometer for success. Your ultimate goal is to increase profits in order to achieve the greatest possible return on your investment of money, time, and energy. Every customer, activity, product, or service yields a specific profit of a specific amount. In some cases, you may actually be losing money in one or more of these three areas. One of the most important things you can do for your growing business is to determine where to focus the investment of your time and money based on the return thrown off by this investment.
Personal Profitability
To truly analyze the profitability of your business, you must first examine your personal rate of return. From this personal perspective, what is your major expense? It’s your time. By now, you should have developed the habit of continually asking yourself this basic question: Would I pay someone else my hourly rate to perform this task? If not, you are failing to maximize the return on your time. In other words, you are investing your time in an area that yields less than the optimum rate of return. You are incurring a "loss of opportunity" cost. This, in turn, affects the overall profitability of your business.
People Profitability
Payroll represents one of the largest expense items for most businesses. As a business grows, it typically hires additional staff according to the most pressing need at the moment. Once a person has been hired, often she or he can become a permanent fixture, even when the company’s needs change. Many entrepreneurs are too busy creating products, designing services, and generating revenues to pay close attention to employee performance. Over time, the result can be an inefficient and ineffective staff and a bloated payroll.
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Do you want to learn how to maximise your profits and increase your sales? Come to Mark Garbelotto’s Selling like a Professional Training Workshop in November!
Customer Profitability
Some customers are more profitable than others; some may actually be costing you money. Can you identify your most profitable customers? Do you know any who are unprofitable? There is not necessarily any connection between the size of the customer or the volume of business he produces and his profitability. There are several questions you should ask as you examine your customers profitability: How often does each customer purchase from you? What is the average size of each purchase? What is the profit margin of the product(s) purchased? How much time is spent providing customer service after the sale? What is the "product returns" record of each customer?
Concentrate on Profitable Customers
Many companies regularly “fire” the top 10 percent of their customers. They stop doing business with those who generate the least revenues or yield the lowest on their return purchases, choosing to concentrate on their more profitable customers and attracting more like them. At the very least, be diligent in rooting out those customers who actually cost you money—regardless of the revenues they generate. You cannot afford to carry this unprofitable load.
Action Exercise
Identify your most and your least profitable customers. Focus on the most profitable.
Learn how to identify your most profitable customers and generate business through Brian Tracy’s proven sales system. Don’t miss out on the Selling like a Professional Training Workshop in Melbourne and Townsville in November!
Call our office on 1300 795 129 to register before this event sells out!
How to Build Long-Term Relationships
October 29, 2009
Build Long-Term Relationships
By Brian Tracy
Full 85 percent of the happiness and success you enjoy in life will be determined by the quality of your relationships with others. All of your selling success today, and for the rest of your career, will be based on the quality of the relationships that you form with your customers. Because of the complexity of your product or service, customers are usually unable to make an accurate judgment of the details of what you are selling. Instead, they have to depend upon how they feel about you and your claims. For most customers today, the relationship comes first. It is more important then the product or service itself.
Relationship Selling Model
The building and maintaining of high-quality sales relationships proceeds in four stages. We call this the Relationship Selling Model.
Stage One
The first stage, roughly 40 percent of the sale, is the development of trust. This is best achieved by asking good questions and listening closely to answers. In fact, a recent survey of members of the Purchasing Managers Association of America (PMAA) concluded that the salespeople these professional buyers rated "the best" were the people who asked the most questions before attempting to sell.
Stage Two
The second stage of building high-quality sales relationships, 30 percent of the process, is focusing on identifying the true needs and wants of the prospect.
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Do you want to learn how to build high-quality sales relationships? Come to Mark Garbelotto’s new training workshop, Selling like a Professional in Melbourne, Sydney or Townsville in November. |
Instead of talking about what you are selling, you ask questions about the prospect and his or her situation. You probe the answers you get and, as Stephen Covey says, "See first to understand, then to be understood."
Once you have built a high level of trust by asking questions and seeking to understand how your product or service can help the prospect in some way, you move to stage three.
Stage Three
20 percent of the relationship between you and your customer is presenting solutions. In this stage, you show the prospect how he or she could be better off with what you are selling than he or she is today. You carefully match the prospect’s expressed needs with the specific features and benefits of your product or service.
Stage Four
In phase four, the final 10 percent of the Relationship Selling Model, you ask for confirmation from the prospect to make a decision and take action on your offering. You close the sale.
The relationship selling model is based on trust. You develop trust by asking the customer about his or her needs and then by listening intently to the answers. The more you ask good questions and listen carefully to the customer, the more the customer will trust you and open up to you. When the customer trusts you enough, he or she will tell you everything you need to know to9 either make a sale or to determine that this customer is not a good prospect for what you are selling.
Action Exercise
Focus first and foremost on the prospect and the relationship–before anything else. Concentrate on building a high level of trust. Only when you have built a bridge of understanding of the prospect’s real needs should you start talking about what you are selling. When the relationship is strong, the sale will take care of itself.
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Take action now and learn how to Sell like a Pro at Mark Garbelotto’s upcoming Training Workshop. This event will sell out, so secure your seats now for ‘Selling like a Professional‘ and you’ll be on your way to success in selling. Call our office on 1300 795 129 for more information on this event. |
