Wednesday, December 31, 2008

摘自失落的致富经典- by Wallace D.Wattles

The Power of Pausing

By: Brian Tracy

All the top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most important skills of listening is simply to pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking, rather than jumping in with the first thing that you can think of, take three to five seconds to pause quietly and wait.

Becoming a Master of the Pause
All excellent listeners are masters of the pause. They are comfortable with silences. When the other person finishes speaking, they take a breath, relax and smile before saying anything. They know that the pause is a key part of good communications.

Three Benefits of Pausing
Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the information you need to make the sale.

Carefully Consider What You Just Heard
The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.

Understanding With Greater Efficiency
The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in relation to your product or service.

The Message You Send
When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it. Pausing allows you to read between the lines.

Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments before you reply.

Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Goals and Make Them Work! by Chris Widener

Here are some simple ways to set goals so that we achieve them! After all, what good is a goal if it isn't something you achieve? Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure that you see change in your life this year.

Narrow your focus. That's right, start small. Pick two or three areas tops, that you want to work on. Too many people say to themselves, "I want to do this, and this, and this, and this..." and they end up doing nothing! Most of what you do throughout your day can be done without a lot of mental or emotional exertion, but change isn't one of them. So focus down to a couple. This way you can get some victory in these areas. Here are some areas to think about: Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, Spiritual, Financial, and Relational. What areas need some work? Now, what one thing should be the first item on the change list? The others will come later, but for now, you should focus on two or three total.

Keep the long-term in mind, but set your sights on achieving your goals in the short-term. Do you want to lose 75 pounds? Good. Long-term you will. But for now, think short-term. Don't think about losing 75 pounds by summer 2010. Think about losing 5 pounds by February 1st. This does two things. First, it makes it urgent. Instead of blowing it and saying, "Oh well, I still have 17 months to lose the 75 pounds" (because eventually that becomes 2 months to lose 75 pounds) your goal is only a few weeks out. This is better in terms of reaching your goal. Secondly, as you reach these shorter goals, it gives you regular victories instead of regular progress. Progress feels good, but achieving a goal is awesome!

Reward yourself when you achieve the goal. When you lose the 5 pounds by February 1st, go get yourself a Grande whole-milk mocha. But just one! Then get back to your goal for March 1st. This puts a little fun back into the process of self-control and self-discipline. You will look forward to the reward and when the going gets tough, you will say, "two more weeks, two more pounds, then..."

That's it. I truly believe that it can be that simple for you.

Chris Widener

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Sales

By Jim Klein

By the time you finish reading the next few "Sales Advisor" articles, you will have learned how to present your product or service properly, and how to present the benefits of your product or service that will solve your prospects problems and make closing the sale a mere formality.

Before I talk about the right way to present, let's first talk about the wrong way.

One of the most common mistakes sales people make when presenting their product or service is to use a generic presentation. They design and use one presentation, or use the presentation their company designed on every sales call.

This type of presentation has one key problem; it does not deal specifically with the problem your particular prospect has. These generic presentations may cover general problems or situations your target market has, however, for a sales presentation to be extremely effective it must deal with the specific issues of your current prospect.

A lot of sales presentations are very boring to the prospect. Many sales people spend too much time during their presentation talking about their company, how big they are, and the structure of the company and other boring facts. They list all the features of their product when the prospect doesn't care about features; they want to know how the product or service will benefit them.

A generic presentation contains many features and benefits that will not be relevant to every prospect. Many sales people think if they learn every feature and benefit their product or service offers, and then present them all to their prospect, the prospect will pick out the ones they like and purchase.

However, there are far too many features and benefits of any product or service to include them all in a generic presentation, in hopes the prospect will pick the ones that fit their situation and then based on those decide to purchase from you.

This type of presentation doesn't really even require a sales person to be present. This type of presentation could just as easily be put on a CD and played for the prospect.

This generic presentation shows no professionalism and a total lack of preparation on the part of the sales person. The prospect will feel like they're just another name on your list of possible buyers. They don't want to be just another buyer. They want to feel special, like they're the most important person in the world. Because to them they are the most important person, no one else matters.

I know that may sound cold, however, it's true.

Many sales people forget that all other information matters to the prospect only if they are getting what they want. The prospect doesn't want to hear about you, your company, or any other information unless you answer the most important question on the prospects mind.

What's the one thing the prospect wants to know?

They want to know WIIFM.

What's in it for me? How am I going to benefit from buying and owning your product or service?

Talking about everything else without answering this question only turns the prospect off, and makes you sound like every other sales person they've ever met.

When you ask questions and probe for the problems the prospect faces during the qualifying process, then you can take the information you gathered and tailor your presentation, presenting the features and benefits that will give them the results they desire, and show the prospect that your product or service is the answer they have been searching for.

You will then answer their most important question, "what's in it for me?"

You need to be prepared with a presentation you can tailor to each individual prospect's wants, needs and desires. Your presentation should be well planned in regards to the language and structure.

By this point, you should have an in depth understanding of your target market so you can prepare and rehearse a presentation, allowing places in the presentation to make it unique to each particular prospects wants and needs.

Much of the tension and anxiety many sales people feel prior to presenting their product or service will vanish by preparing and presenting in this way. You will have the confidence that what you are going to share with them will be of interest to them and provide them with real value.

Most importantly, you'll find you're more effective; you'll close more sales in less time, and provide a win - win situation which will ultimately put more money in your pocket and provide you with an abundance of satisfied clients. And satisfied clients become a source of repeat business and referrals for years to come.

Next week, I will show you the right way to present your product or service.

Wherever You Are, Be There

Jim Rohn March 27, 2008

One of the major reasons why we fail to find happiness or to create unique lifestyle is because we have not yet mastered the art of being.

While we are home our thoughts are still absorbed with solving the challenges we face at the office. And when we are at the office we find ourselves worrying about problems at home.

We go through the day without really listening to what others are saying to us. We may be hearing the words, but we aren't absorbing the message.

As we go through the day we find ourselves focusing on past experiences or future possibilities. We are so involved in yesterday and tomorrow that we never even notice that today is slipping by.

We go through the day rather than getting something from the day. We are everywhere at any given moment in time except living in that moment in time.

Lifestyle is learning to be wherever you are. It is developing a unique focus on the current moment, and drawing from it all of the substance and wealth of experience and emotions that it has to offer. Lifestyle is taking time to watch a sunset. Lifestyle is listening to silence. Lifestyle is capturing each moment so that it becomes a new part of what we are and of what we are in the process of becoming. Lifestyle is not something we do; it is something we experience. And until we learn to be there, we will never master the art of living well.

How to Find the Olympian Within

Denis Waitley September 3, 2008

You’re standing on the highest pedestal, the one in the center. You hear the roar of approval from the crowd. As the first note of the national anthem is played in the Olympic stadium, you feel all the pride and honor that accompanies this moment. Ten thousand hours of preparation for this one triumphant moment in history. You’ve won the gold!

That dream of an Olympic championship is in the heart of every amateur athlete, just as the Grand Final, World Cup, Super Bowl and Wimbledon are the goals of professional football players and tennis players. What are your dreams? You’re most likely not a world-class athlete, but surely you have aspirations of your own. Perhaps you imagine a metaphorical gold medal being placed around your neck by the CEO of your company or by your friends and family for being the best in your own unique way. Maybe you wonder whether you’re up to the risk of starting your own business.

On Sundays, my grandparents would take us children to ride the huge merry-go-round next to the San Diego Zoo. We could hardly wait to mount those bobbing zebras, lions, tigers and stallions, and whirl round and round to the music of the antique pipe organ. Surrounded by mirrors and lights, our hearts would pound in anticipation as we stretched out desperately, trying to be the one among all the riders who would grab the gold ring and win another ride. So began my competitive spirit.

Since you’re probably younger than I am, you may never even have heard of grabbing the gold ring on the carousel. But in the 40s, and 50s, if you reached out and caught it, you not only got a free ride—your name was also announced over the loudspeaker and all the other kids and their parents would applaud. And, of course, the kids all wished it could have been them instead of you.

Reflecting now on my youth, I’ve come to some realizations. I guess I did start out thinking of success and winning as something that you got by reaching outside yourself and proving to others that you were worthy. Come to think of it, most of my friends also believed that you had to prove or earn or win or perform in some special way, and then you would deserve the gold ring or the Olympic gold medal.

The approval of others seemed to precede feelings of self-confidence and self-worth. You were entitled to feel good about yourself only after you performed well. Why did it take me so many years to discover that just the reverse ought to be true?

After devoting most of my lifetime to investigating the wellsprings of personal and professional success, I’m able to make the following statements with great confidence:
  • You need to feel love inside yourself before you can offer it to anyone else.
  • Your own sense of value determines the quality of your performance. Performance is only a reflection of internal worth, not a measure of it.
  • The less you try to impress, the more impressive you are.
  • What you show the world on the outside is a mirror image of how you feel on the inside.
  • You should chase your passion, not your pension.
The key trait shared by athletic champions and winners in every walk of life is the fundamental belief in one’s own internal value.

If your success depends on external possessions, you’ll be subject to constant anxiety. When your peer group cheers one of your accomplishments, you’ll feel good for a while, but then you’ll wonder if they’ll cheer as loudly the next time. If they’re critical, you will feel hurt and threatened. The truth is, you can never win over a long period if your concept of success depends upon the perfect performance or the placing of a gold medal around your neck.

It’s obvious that talent, looks and other attributes aren’t equally distributed, but we’re all given an abundance of value—more than we could use in several lifetimes. The game of life certainly isn’t played on a level playing field for each of us in terms of education, a supportive home life and other circumstances beyond our control, but I can assure you that you were born with the qualities of a champion. That’s what I mean by value.

You see, champions are born, but they can be unmade by their perceptions, exposure and responses. Losers are not born to lose. They’re programmed that way by their own responses to their environment and their decisions.

There’s a phrase I like to use—The Inner Winner—that describes the kind of person who recognizes his or her internal value, and who is able to use that recognition as the foundation for achieving any goal. The secret of wearing the gold medal around your neck in the external world is that first you must be an Inner Winner. You must recognize that you’re already an Olympian Within.

Radiate Enthusiasm in All That You Do

Paul J. Meyer March 27, 2008

Everyone has seen people who never seem to lose, or when they do, they bounce right back and win again. They seem to have the "Midas Touch." Everything they touch turns to gold. What is the golden thread that runs through these people? This thread is enthusiasm - the common denominator of success.

More than any other characteristic or trait of human personality, enthusiasm is the edge that helps people succeed - as a parent, student, employee, leader, or whatever role they may play. Enthusiasm radiates a message to people that you are happy, confident, and prosperous in all your endeavors.

When you turn on the power of enthusiasm in your life and when you apply it in lavish quantities to every area of your life, you put the world's most powerful force to work for you. Think about the power of enthusiasm:

Enthusiasm persuades without pressure.

Enthusiasm glows, permeates, and immediately captures the interest of others.

Enthusiasm sparks excitement inside you that makes you "wake up and live!"

Enthusiasm overcomes the emotional temperature of any situation.

Enthusiasm paves the way for new ideas.

Enthusiasm produces confidence that cries to the world: "I've got what it takes!"

Enthusiasm spreads like an eagle soaring in the wind. Enthusiasm blasts every obstacle from your path.

Enthusiasm is like the yeast that raises the dough.

Enthusiasm sways the will of another into harmony with your own goals.

Enthusiasm draws others to you and electrifies them with positive thinking.

Practice enthusiasm in every facet of your life. Saturate yourself with enthusiastic confidence. Become a true enthusiast - a person with thoughts that breathe and words that ignite action - and make everything you do turn to gold!

Coveted Wisdom

Stephen Covey, A Highly Effective Leader

Todd Eliason December 2, 2008

Over the past six months, the world has witnessed the financial consequences of what happens when the basic principles of honesty, thrift, living within your means and saving for a rainy day are substituted for a me-first, win-at-all-cost, grab-all-the-money-you-can kind of culture. What is needed more now than ever is a dose of common sense, back-to-basics thinking—a commitment to tried-and-true principles that best-selling author, entrepreneur and leadership icon Stephen Covey has taught throughout his distinguished career.

"Financial success—prestige, wealth, recognition, accomplishment—will always be secondary in greatness," Covey says. "Primary greatness is about character and contribution. Primary greatness asks, What are you doing to make a difference in the world? Do you live truly by your values? Do you have total integrity in all of your relationships? And when correct principles are not followed or ignored, the result can be catastrophic as we have witnessed the past year in the financial markets."

Money, whether in government or on Wall Street, can change one's motivation and integrity if money is the No. 1 objective, Covey says. "At this crucial time in our history, we need leaders who can affirm other people's worth and potential to help them find their voice," he says.

Sound advice like this has made Covey one of the most sought-after voices in business, education and government. To date, Covey has personally taught 36 heads of state, and his company, FranklinCovey, has worked with 800 of the Fortune 1,000 companies.

Stephen Covey

All-Star Resume

Covey has seen and done it all when it comes to helping people from all walks of life realize the greatness that lies within them. His first book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, was named the most influential business book of the 20th century by Forbes magazine. (The audio version became the first nonfiction audio-book in U.S. publishing history to sell more than 1 million copies.) In 1996, TIME magazine named Covey one of the 25 most influential Americans. Tens of millions of people in business, government, schools and families have greatly benefited by applying the principles of Covey's classic book.

Born in 1932 in Salt Lake City, Covey benefited from strong family influences. His mother and father constantly confirmed his worth and potential even as a young child. His business acumen was fostered by his Grandfather Covey, an entrepreneur who set up businesses all over the western United States. The spiritual side that is so prevalent in Covey's books results in part from many days at the knee of his Grandpa Richards, who was a great spiritual leader in his church.

Being the eldest sibling, Stephen Covey was the heir apparent destined to take over the family business, which owned several hotels, motels and lots of land. But he found his calling elsewhere. While serving his church as a young missionary in Great Britain, he had a mentor who taught him the art of training leaders. Although he felt inadequate for the job at first, his mentor saw in him a rare and natural talent. Covey says he had never experienced such satisfaction than training those leaders and soon developed a passion for teaching. After he finished his academic work at Harvard Business School, he made it known to his father that he would not be taking over the family business, but instead wanted to teach principles that had universal and timeless applications.

Bringing Back the Character Ethic

The genesis of Covey's work started when he was working on his doctorate. He immersed himself in an in-depth study of many authors of success literature over the past 200 years. He pored over thousands of articles and essays from popular psychology, personal development and self-help. It wasn't long before he noticed a pattern in the content.

Almost all of the literature in the first 150 years focused on what Covey calls "character ethic" attributes such as integrity, humility, courage, patience and the Golden Rule. "These basic principles of effective living and true success depended on integrating these principles into one's character," Covey says. One of his favorite authors was Ben Franklin, whose autobiography was representative of this kind of literature.

Conversely, Covey noticed a distinct shift in the success philosophy published after World War II. "I became enamored with how we had moved away from the character ethic toward what I call the personality ethic, where success was more based on personality, technique, appearance and having a positive mental attitude," Covey says. While beneficial, personality ethic attributes are secondary to character ethic traits, he says. "We have become so focused on building ourselves up we have forgotten the foundation that holds it up is that of character and integrity. Many are focused on reaping the goods without the need to sow the fields."

Covey says people can get by using the personality ethic to help make favorable first impressions, but these secondary traits have no long-term worth in long-term relationships. "Eventually, if there is no integrity, the challenges of life will reveal one's true character," Covey says. "As Emerson once said, 'What you are shouts so loudly in my ears I cannot hear what you say.' " Out of these findings Covey went on to write The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which received critical acclaim when it debuted in 1990, and today remains one of the best-selling business books.

Finding Your Voice and Inspiring Others to Do the Same

The world has changed drastically since Covey's 7 Habits book was published. Being effective as individuals, entrepreneurs and business organizations is no longer an option, he says. This topic is the main voice of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. During research for this book he was amazed at how alienated people are in their job environments. "We came to realize the need to affirm people's worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves," he says. "We need to help people gain access to those higher levels of genius and motivation. We need to help find their voice and have them help others to do the same."

The central theme of the book is that if individual business owners would see their roles of leadership as being based on helping other people and inspiring them to find their voices, they would not only keep their own integrity, but would develop such a reputation for trustworthiness that it would be like a magnet, drawing other people to them. One of those magnets Covey points out in his book is Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangledesh. His story beautifully illustrates the path to finding one's voice and helping others find theirs.

Yunus saw a need to help his impoverished fellow citizens in Bangladesh. He met a woman who made bamboo stools for pennies a day. In discussing the business with her he learned she didn't have the money to buy the necessary bamboo and was forced to get it from a local trader who would buy her product at an unfair price. In fact, the entire village worked under these unfair restrictions. After some research, Yunus found it would only take US$27 to help them out. After giving each the same amount, he told them it was a loan and they could repay him when they were able. Yunus even asked the local bank to participate, saying he would guarantee each loan the villagers were not able to pay back. Yet each villager who was loaned money repaid every penny. This led Yunus to establish his own microcredit lending institution called the Grameen Bank in which he duplicated this same program with other villages.

Grameen Bank now works with more than 46,000 villages, giving microloans totaling $500 a year to empower the poor, most of whom are women. The microcredit movement has now spread the world over, helping millions escape the grips of poverty. "Survival today requires new skills, new mindsets," Covey says. "People will be required to build on and reach beyond effectiveness to greatness, just as Muhammad Yunus did. People are longing for fulfillment, to experience passion and to contribute to society. The 8th Habit is about finding your voice while inspiring others to do the same."

Principles are Timeless

Covey believes being principle centered lies at the heart of leadership— principles that are universal and timeless that provide a foundation and compass to guide every decision and every act. "?I've based my life's work on promoting principle- centered leadership," he says. "The principles I teach—integrity, honesty, trust, compassion, accountability— are found throughout the world, including many religions and philosophies. If you deal with principles honestly, they apply everywhere and in every situation."

Covey is quick to clarify that leadership is not defined by one's position, title, status or rank. "Working with people, including 50-plus heads of state, from all over the world and from all walks of life, I can't tell you how important it is to communicate effectively to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves," he says. "We need to help more people to find their own purpose and unique contribution."

With so many accolades and skins on the wall, you would think Covey is ready to ride off into the sunset. "I still have a lot of work to do and am currently working on several books," he says. "I'm turning more and more toward the social goals of crime, education and poverty. My work will always consist of trying to get people focused upon good principles, especially character and contribution."

Make More than Just Your New Year's Eve Rock: Six Ways to Take Charge of 2009

As the year comes to a close, it's time to think about what you want next year to look like. Stephen Covey, one of the most prolific leadership authors of our time, says there are six things you can do right now to make 2009 your best year ever:

1. Be proactive.
It's more than just taking initiative. It means being responsible for your own life. Empower yourself to lead and spread your influence no matter what position you hold.

2. Sharpen the saw.
Decide what's truly important. Sharpen your saw early in the day by learning to say no to the unimportant and yes to the highly important.

3. Seek to understand before seeking to be understood. It's human nature to want to be understood, but when both parties are trying to be understood, neither party is listening. By making the investment to understand the other party, you can magically transform the course of your conversations.

4. Begin with the end in mind. Start today with an image of the end of your life as the frame of reference by which everything else is examined. With a clear idea of where you are going, examine everything in the context of what matters to you most.

5. Develop a vision mission statement. Get a deep sense of your life's mission, purpose and value system, then establish your goals and a system of accountability that keeps you on track.

6. Think win-win.There is enough success for everyone, so don't view another person's success as success achieved at your expense or exclusion.

Monday, December 29, 2008

如何在未来的一年内让收入倍增

身为销售专业人士与销售领袖,如何在未来的一年内让收入倍增?

1。找重量级的准客户

2。增加多一倍的客户

3。找原有的客户作传介绍

4。有求原有的客户给推荐信

5。多加一倍每日的准客户拜访次数

6。多加一倍每日的电话市场开发次数,时间

7。每日多增加一倍A级准客户名单

8。多加一倍每星期的新准客户名单

9。提升一倍电话市场开发技巧

10。提升一倍销售呈现技巧

11。提升一倍销售结束技巧

12。从原有的客户群中找出多一倍可以作传介绍的客户

13。减少一倍无生产力的活动如开会,发呆,谈天,情绪低落。。

14。减少一倍每次拜访客户的时间

15。减少一倍每天在公路上的时间

16。增加一倍准代理的名单

17。增加一倍跟代理陪同上阵的时间

18。增加一倍培训代理的时间

19。协助代理多增加一倍他们的准客户名单

20。协助代理多增加一倍电话市场开发的时间

21。降低一倍代理所浪费的时间

22。增加一倍的组员完成海外旅游奖


共勉之!


KK Chin 陈求广
Unit Trust Consultant
012-201 8375

文茜世界周报2008年12月28日

文茜世界周报2008年12月27日

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Leveraging Your Financial Potential

By: Brian Tracy

Know the Right People
One of the greatest forms of financial leverage is contacts. Knowing the right people and being known by them can open doors for you that can save you years of hard work. The quality and quantity of your contacts and your relationships will have more to do with your success than perhaps any other factor.

Here are three things you can do to expand your list of contacts. First, make a list of the 25 people you feel it would be most useful for you to get to know. Develop a strategy to get to meet everyone of them over the next 12 months. Then make a list of 25 more.

List the people in charge of the major corporations that would be useful for you to know. List the mayor, list the congressmen, list the senator. List the important people that it would be helpful for you to know and then make a plan to meet them.

Network at Every Opportunity
Second is for you to network at every opportunity. Join business and trade associations. Attend meetings. Get involved. Volunteer for service on a key committee. This action alone can cut years off your career.

Once, when I was working with the Chamber of Commerce, I came to the attention of a senior executive who hired me away from the company I was working for a year later at triple the salary. Meeting people is very important. Network at every opportunity.

Get Involved in the Community
The third way is to get involved in community service organizations. The best people in every community, the people you should know and who should know you, are usually involved in public service in some way. Start with the United Way in your own city, or get involved in any charity that you care about or that you're interested in. You'll be amazed at the quality of people that you'll meet doing voluntary service.

Unlock Your Creativity
Another form of leverage is creativity. Remember, one new idea is all you need to start a fortune. Everyone has the ability to come up with creative ideas and solutions if they look for them. All great fortunes begin with an idea.

Create Good Work Habits
A powerful form of leverage that can help you is good work habits. Good work habits make an extraordinary difference. In a recent study, 104 chief executive officers all agreed that the ability to set priorities and then to get the job done fast were the two qualities that most readily led to promotion and increases in pay. Good work habits will bring you to the attention of the important people in your life as fast or faster than anything else you can do. In the final analysis, you always get paid for your results. If you develop a reputation for being the person who gets the job done fast, that alone can put you onto the fast track in your career.

Your Action Assignment
Now, here are two things you can do to leverage your financial potential:

First, get involved in the business, trade, civic and social organizations in your community. Once you become a member, off ER to help and serve on committees. This will bring you to the attention of people who can help you faster than any other way.

Second, develop excellent work habits. Be punctual. Plan your work and work your plan. Always concentrate your conscious energies on high priority tasks and make sure that you are doing things that are important to your boss and to your company.

Strategic Thinking

By: Brian Tracy

The Quality of Thoughtfulness
The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive. In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness."

Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Your Most Powerful Tool
The most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability. Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

Use a Two Pronged Approach
The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.

Increase Your "Return On Energy"
In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability. And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.

Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to increase your return on equity and your return on energy.

First, think about everything that you are doing in terms of its financial return to your organization. What are the things that you do that yield the highest return on equity? Whatever they are, do more of them.

Second, think in personal terms about the things you do that give you the highest return on energy. Where do you contribute the greatest value and achieve the greatest satisfaction? Whatever they are, do more of these things.

Break Away From Old Ideas

By: Brian Tracy

Highly creative people tend to have fluid, flexible, adaptive minds. Here are three statements that creative people can make easily and which you learn by regular practice.

Admit It When You Are Wrong
The first is simply, "I was wrong." Many people are so concerned with being right that all their mental energy is consumed by stonewalling, bluffing, blaming and denying. If you're wrong, admit it and get on to the solution or the next step.

Face Up to Mistakes
Second, non-creative people think that it is a sign of weakness to say, "I made a mistake." On the contrary, it is actually a sign of mental maturity, personal strength and individual character. Remember, everybody makes mistakes every single day.

Be Flexible With New Information
The third statement that creative people use easily is, "I changed my mind." It is amazing how many uncomfortable situations people get into and stay in because they are unwilling or afraid to admit that they've changed their minds.

Be Willing to Cut Your Losses
If you get new information or if you find that you feel differently about a previous decision, accept that you have changed your mind and don't let anyone or anything back you into a corner. If a decision does not serve your best interests as you see them now, have the ego-strength and the courage to "cut your losses," to change your mind and then get on to better things.

Action Exercises
Here are two ways you can break out of narrow thinking patterns and become more creative.

First, be willing to admit that you are not perfect, you make mistakes, you are wrong on a regular basis. This is a mark of intelligence and courage.

Second, with new information, be willing to change your mind. Most of what you know about your business today will change completely in the coming years so be the first to recognize it.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

How To Guarantee Your Prospect Is Ready To Purchase

By Jim Klein

At this point, you believe your prospect has a problem you can help him/her solve with your product or service. It appears the prospect has the desire to solve the problem, and the finances to afford the solution. If you have completed all the steps up to this point, your prospect should be on the edge of their seat, waiting to hear your solution.

They should be so excited at this point; they're almost begging you to tell them how you're going to help them. You're ready to give them your solution. You're ready for the band to play and the curtain to open, and you step up on stage to come to their rescue with your product or service.

Stop and ask yourself if you've asked the right questions that get at these four issues:

1. Is there a real problem begging for a solution? Is something missing, and are they unable to find a solution by themselves?

2. Is there a commitment to change things and move forward? Are they in a place where they are finally ready to take action?

3. Are they willing to invest in a solution? Can they put in the time, energy, and money to do what it takes to make the change?

4. Can they envision the future? Can they imagine more positive outcomes than they are experiencing now?

You need to have a firm resounding YES to each of these four issues. If you don't, before going in to your presentation I would suggest you stop and go back. Do you need to ask more questions to make sure you have uncovered their problem? Is the problem you uncovered urgent enough for the prospect to want to change?

If you go on with your presentation without having a real commitment, you may be wasting your time. This is where many salespeople make a huge mistake. They don't have a prospect that is ready, willing, and able to purchase, yet they feel they can close them. So they continue with the presentation, only to be put off with some lame excuse such as "I need to think about it".

This point in your qualifying will separate the men from the boys (sorry ladies). If the prospect is not absolutely 100% ready to make this change, you need to walk away.

I know what you're thinking, "WALK AWAY? I just spent all this time building rapport, creating interest and then asking all those probing questions, and you want me to walk away?"

Yes I do, for your sake, to save you time, energy, and your self esteem. You have a prospect who's not committed, so what do you think the chances are you will be able to close the sale?

You'll be much better off shaking hands and saying, "I'd rather turn you down now than let you down later.", or something like that.

What a powerful statement to make. Your prospect is thinking, "What? You're not going to give me the show? Every other sales person I've had here does, and then I thank them and put them off till next week". However, next week never comes.

But you're different than all the other sales people. You don't have to waste your time with prospects that aren't absolutely committed to making a change RIGHT NOW!

I'm not saying you blow them off totally and never talk to them again. 'Now' may not be the right time for them. There may be some circumstance preventing them from moving forward at this time; however, they may be ready sometime in the future.

So you ask them if it would be okay for you to follow up with them. Then send them a thank you note, and put them in your follow up system. Make sure to stay in touch, or call them back when you say you will. Don't neglect this opportunity to sell some easy business at another point down the road.

Its good when you have these follow ups in your system, and a few of them pay off every month. It's a great unexpected boost to your sales, and your cash flow, for that particular month.

If the prospect doesn't want you to follow up, that's okay too, just move on to the next.

Now, if you have a resounding yes to the four issues I noted earlier, then you should use a trial close to make sure the prospect is on the same page you are. The trial close does not need to be anything wordy or fancy. It can, and should be as simple as; "Are you really committed to making this happen?"

You can be more specific by including the problem they are looking to solve in the close; however, I don't believe it's necessary. What you want is for the prospect to give you a resounding 'Yes', so you know they absolutely must solve this problem.

If you've done every thing right up to this point and you get them to commit, the rest of the sales process, if done correctly, should lead to you walking out with a signature on the dotted line and a check in your hand.

The sale is complete, and everybody wins!

You've got your resounding 'Yes'; now it's time to make a simple statement that will lead you to the next step in the sales process. Make a statement leading to you presenting your product or service as the only solution to their problem.

Simply say; "Great, you're going to be glad I'm here." Or; "Great, let me show you how I can help."

Now, let's get to the part of the sales process where you get to dazzle them with your customized presentation...

Is Your Resistance and Doubts Keeping You Stuck? by Melissa Zollo, The Official Guide to Imagination

I am always amazed when people talk about their intentions and how much they want to make their life great. It is inspiring to listen to another person’s hopes and dreams, yet within minutes, no matter what they have said, accomplished or how much they have acquired, so often they exhibit some dominant limiting pattern of thought, beliefs, and habits that leaves them feeling hopeless, powerless, and stuck in resistance. It is this resistance or mood that prevents them from achieving the next level of success.


If we would stop long enough to examine ourselves, we would probably discover that we are hanging out in a fortress of resistance and a habitat of doubts. The walls of fear are fortified with reasons and excuses for why things are the way they are. A person’s resistance to changing their well fed habits is having more power over them than their desire or determination to realize their goals. They are lacking in decision and the commitment to break free.

Often doubts trigger automatic resistance and reactions. It takes no effort to react compulsively, without taking the time to use a solution based approach or the creative thinking required to design a new response. We all have our compulsive reactions. We all are misused by them. We all have play acted as if we had been rendered impotent and powerless by some person, event, or situation. The truth is that this is simply habit and old conditioning showing up.

• What are some of your learned doubts and excuses for not facing or dealing with your resistance? List the obvious ones.

• What do they give you?

• What comfort do they offer? Now go for the really subtle ones. This will take some effort. It takes a disciplined eye to catch and expose these inner parasites and bring the boogie monster out into the light.

“Resistance-boogie-monster-thoughts” can scream and torture you, frightening you with their negative messages. Sometimes they are so loud you want to cover your head for fear that someone else will hear. Then there are the seductive ones, the simmering ones that flow in a quiet whisper, like brook water, past our sensors and inner ear. Do any of these sound familiar?

“It’s not my fault that it happened, it’s hers.”

“I am so tired and just too stressed out.”

“If only I had the money.”

“I just can't find the time.”

“I promise I will start right after …”

“Times are hard for everyone. The world is going to pot.”

“I guess I just accept living a life that doesn’t make me happy.”

“I can’t forgive, you don’t know what they did to me.”

“Money, I need money. If I had money, then I’d be happy.”

Do you ever wonder why you cling to ideas that are inspired by rejection, sadness, and mistaken choices?

What will it take to admit unhappiness and seek your true destiny?

There may be many good reasons for you to feel the way that you feel right now. Seek to understand them and then open the door to your true passion. You have so much to gain if you will seek to correct all “the hurt” and move beyond the resistance.

Resistance and doubts are frequently fueled from fear of success. So often you sit around waiting for someone to rescue you, notice you, want you, need you and you focus everywhere else to avoid the beginning of healing. You anticipate problems, give up at challenges, and lose faith in yourself when storms appear. You sit down on the side lines for time-out when you should be getting back up and deciding that you are the next all-star come back kid of the season. Isn't it time to break out of your lobster trap of resistance and doubts and stop repelling the love, happiness, and success that are here right now? When you fall into the excuse, resist, and doubt yourself mode, you are using the laws of success in opposition to their intent of fulfilling your goals.

You are designed to be all that you desire to be.

If you want to become a vibrant, creative, responsible, powerful, human being, then stop transferring all of your power over to inner soundtracks that derail your forward motion. Refuse to allow people and circumstances to slowly strip away your natural ability to design new success results. Habit, resistance, and excuses, and addiction to failure sabotage more dreams that any outer circumstances and keep you bound to an unhappy past memory. They cause more misery than any epidemic or terrorist attack.

Why allow your denial and low frequency feeling to camouflage truth another moment? Why permit your old record of excuses to reprogram your best-designed hopes and aspirations and rob you of a life of rich experiencing that you will love?

Think of a moment when you achieved success using Spiritual Laws and had a great breakthrough whether in your personal life or in your career, in finances or in spiritual awareness. Can you see the possibility that you attracted success because you felt confident, because you had an inner conviction and your inner blueprint was strong? Because you had banished doubt and did not allow yourself to cave in to old patterns or let old excuses stop you? You simply refused to let your past memory torpedo you in the present moment. You removed your focus from a harvest of doubts and excuses and used your emotional fertilizers to achieve your goals. You stopped the old seduction, and ultimately you chose a new thought pattern. You consciously declared success, and summoned the fulfillment of your dream.

Well, if you did it once in any area of your life, you can reframe your perception anytime. You can redesign anything when you have a strong enough desire to live in a "doubt/fear-free inner zone.”

There comes a time when your decision, courage, commitment, and progress must no longer be halted by the line-up of excuses, justifications, doubts, and resistance. There comes a time when you need to test spiritual principles out and know if they are true, and to do this you must remain committed to your images and take the time to invest in designing new beliefs until you believe in yourself.

Choose now: Do you want to surrender all excuses for accepting what you don't want? Or do you want to grow, expand, advance, and succeed?

If you really deep listen and know what you want, and if you understand the laws of success and apply them faithfully, then you will have found the best antidote to the chronic return to resistance and abuse by doubts. It is to have a strong and vital image for your life, one that deeply ignites you into action, into joy, into feeling alive and wonderful, right here and now. Taking inner action prepares the way for the energy for opening doors to success where you didn’t even know they existed!

Learn to Image First Now! Will you accept the challenge to change one area of your life where you're not making the progress you dream of? Start by identifying the top five doubts you use to avoid really changing yourself. Ask yourself how you use resistance to justify your current problems.

Are you ready to commit this moment to aligning yourself with your new mental success blueprint instead of returning your old habits? If you are, then take a deep breath, stand up tall, and consciously claim this area of your life as a doubt and fear-free zone.

Activate your imagination. Image First and you will set a new pattern into motion for all future creative acts and results. Do this and you will prove to yourself that there is but one substance, consciousness or energy, and you are free to use it in creating your world and yourself.

Consciousness in action is imagination in action!

Remember that your feelings can link you to a world where all things are possible once you know Discover the Power of Imagination.

Never close a door on a dream – your dreams are calling you!

Melissa Zollo

Author's Bio
Melissa Zollo, law of attraction and self motivation and imagination specialist, is the author of "Discover the Power of Imagination" and "How to Unleash the Power With and Attract Money" CD audio programs. FREE daily tips and newsletter available at www.presentmemory.com.

Monday, December 22, 2008

文茜世界周报2008年12月21日

文茜世界周报2008年12月20日

Do not leave your lap top inside your car

Do not leave your lap top inside your car.....

FYI from the EE/RF experts

The detector detects battery in the laptop which is still active even laptop is in off mode. Usually battery has internal clock that clock up battery fuel gauge IC. This clock generate RF signal which can be picked up by the detector.

Laptop detector does really exist. For those who have never heard of it, here are the pictures of the detector:



http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:WhprmNFuJOzFAM:http://www.rf-spectrum-analyzer.com/rf-spectrum-analyzer.jpghttp://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:3QMRaGwzMjKTaM:http://deals4you.net/cube/images/uploads/kat600-b.jpg

Even the wifi, bluetooth or the entire notebook is completely off, it can still be detected via radio frequency, so never leave your laptop, pda, handphone …in the car coz PEOPLE KNOW.


These devices are not expensive, it costs less than RM50 for the thieves to start the "business".

Plan and Prepare in Advance

By: Brian Tracy

Use A Time Planner
A time planner, broken down by day, hour and minute, organized in advance, can be one of the most powerful, personal productivity tools of all. It enables you to see where you can consolidate and create blocks of time for concentrated work.

Eliminate All Distractions
During this working time, you turn off the telephone, eliminate all distractions and work non-stop. One of the best work habits of all is for you to get up early and work at home in the morning for several hours. You can get three times as much work done at home without interruptions as you ever could in a busy office where you are surrounded by people and bombarded by phone calls.

Create an Office in the Air
When you fly on business, you can create your office in the air by planning your work thoroughly before you depart. When the plane takes off, you can work non-stop for the entire flight. You will be amazed at how much work you can go through when you work steadily in an airplane, without interruptions.

Make Every Minute Count
One of the keys to high levels of performance and productivity is for you to make every minute count. Use travel and transition time, what is often called "gifts of time" to complete small chunks of larger tasks.

Remember, the pyramids were built one block at a time. A great life and a great career is built one task, and often, one part of a task, at a time. Your job in time management is to deliberately and creatively organize the concentrated time periods you need to get your key jobs done well, and on schedule.

Action Exercises
Here are two steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, think continually of different ways that you can save, schedule and consolidate large chunks of time. Use this time to work on important tasks with the most significant long-term consequences.

Second, make every minute count. Work steadily and continuously without diversion or distraction by planning and preparing your work in advance. Most of all, keep focused on the most important results for which you are responsible.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

If It Is To Be, It Is Up To Me! by David Allred

What are 10 two letter words that make up one of the most powerful lessons one can learn in this lifetime? It goes along with the saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself!” The 10 two letter words are: If it is to be, it is up to me! What a simple but profound concept on can learn from such simple words.

If it is to be….if what is to be? That is the great part, you can fill in the blank here. If _____ is to be then you have chosen for it to be and will then bring it into existence. The blank, the “it” is the part of this statement which allows you to become a creator. It allows you to bring into existence, or in your life, that which has not been there before. This is where you dreams become realities and your goals become achievable. If becoming a millionaire is to be, it is up to me. If having the best Christmas ever is to be, it is up to me. If success is to be, it is up to me!

I always speak of a 97% and a 3%. The 97% of the worlds population believe in a different saying than this one. Even though most may agree with this 10 two letter word phrase, they don’t really believe it or apply it. The 97% really believe in a phrase that goes something like this: If it is to be, who is going to give it to me…or….If it is to be, the government will provide it for me….or….If it is to be, it is free! I could go on and on.

Now the other 3% know the true meaning to this phrase and apply it. If there is anything that happens in their lives, it is because they made it happen. They thought it up, they set some goals, and they took consistent action in making sure that it happened. Do they quit when the road gets a little rough? No! Do they listen to the nay-sayers and the wanna-bes? No! Are they deterred by the masses opinions or the bandwagoners? No!

There is a simple theme common among most people who have achieved great success. One of the best times to achieve the greatest success, is in the midst of trial and hardship and when everyone else says not to do it, most likely, that is when you should do it. We know where most people in this world stand financially. So what most people say, is not what should be followed. Leaders know this and apply it well.

I suppose, for purposes of this last paragraph, I will change it to a 9 two letter word phrase with one three letter word. “If it is to be, it is up to YOU!”



Author's Bio
My name is David Allred and I am a successful Home Business Entrepreneur and avid blogger. Point blank, I teach people how to make money, and I give them the mindset to achieve it with.
www.createfinancialwealth.com

Success Leaves Tracks

By: Brian Tracy

When I began searching for the secrets of success many years ago, I discovered an interesting principle: success leaves tracks. A wise man who had studied success for more than 50 years concluded that the greatest success principle of all was, "learn from the experts."

Learn From the Experts
If you want to be a big success in any area, find out what other successful people in that area are doing, and do the same things, until you get the same results. When I studied the interviews, speeches, biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women, I found that they all had one quality in common. They were all described as being "extremely well organized." They used their time very, very well. They were highly productive and they got vastly more done in the same period of time than the average person.

Be Both Effective and Efficient
High performing men and women were both effective and efficient. They did the right things, and they did them in the right way. They were constantly looking for ways to improve the quality and quantity of their output. As a result, their contribution to their organizations was vastly higher and therefore much better paid, than the contributions of the average person.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, develop a study plan today to learn from the experts in your field. This can save you years of hard work.

Second, decide what is the most important thing to do, and then decide how to do it.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Change

By Zig Ziglar

Change can be good for you. In today's world of societal and corporate change, job security is a thing of the past. While we must face the fact that change is inevitable, we should also realize that many changes are positive and benefit both individuals and businesses.

Some things you can change and some you can't. You cannot change when you were born, where you were born, how you were born or to whom you were born. It's a fact that if you were born white you will stay white and if you were born black you will remain black. It's a fact that you cannot change a single event that has already happened. You can't change one whisper of yesterday. Tomorrow, however, is an entirely different matter. If you're willing to change your thinking today, you can change your life and your living to make your tomorrows better and brighter.

Example: As a student at Yazoo City High School in Mississippi, table tennis was one of my favorite sports. Frankly, I could beat most of my buddies at that particular sport. Then a new kid came to town and he beat me regularly. I was using the old three-finger grip; he was using the new "handshake" grip. I felt that I was playing as well as I could with the grip I was using so I changed to the "handshake" grip. Initial results were disastrous. My buddies beat me like a drum. But after a couple of weeks I started winning and eventually was able to beat the "new kid in town." I'm convinced there was no way I could have done that without changing my grip, though I actually got worse at first.

Message: Analyze your situation. Have you gone as far as you can go and are you doing as well as you can with present procedures? If so, don't be afraid to take two steps back if it will enable you to move three steps forward. Make those changes and I'll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a motivator and teacher. He is the author of 27 books and loved by millions of people world wide for his practical wisdom and his gift of hope.

8 Reasons To Dump A Mutual Fund

By Larry Macdonald
Many financial advisors and academics do not recommend selling stocks and mutual funds when prices are tumbling during bear markets. If you can just hold on through thick and thin, they argue, you are likely to enjoy returns better than any other asset class over the long run: an average annual yield of 6.5-7% after inflation, according to Professor Jeremy Siegel's, "Stocks for the Long Run" (1994).

However, there are occasions when selling a mutual fund might be warranted. Buy and hold is not forever. Here we look at the top eight reasons for selling a mutual fund.

1. Portfolio Rebalancing
Over time, trends in financial markets might cause asset allocations to diverge from desired settings. In other words, some mutual funds can grow to a large proportion of the portfolio while others shrink to a smaller proportion, exposing you to a different level of risk.

To avoid this outcome, the portfolio can be rebalanced periodically by selling units in funds that have relatively large weights and transferring the proceeds to funds that have relatively small weights. Under this rule, the time to sell equity mutual funds is when they have enjoyed good gains over an extended bull market and the percentage allocated to them has drifted up too high. (To learn more, read Rebalance Your Portfolio To Stay On Track.)

2. Mutual Fund Changes or Mismanagement
Mutual funds might change in a number of ways that can be at odds with your original reasons for buying. For example, a star portfolio manager could jump ship and be replaced by someone lacking the same capabilities. Or there may be style drift, which arises when a manager gradually alters his or her investing approach over time. (For more insight, check out Focus Pocus May Not Lead To Magical Returns and Should You Follow Your Fund Manager?)

Other signals to move on include an upward trend in annual management expense ratios (MERs) or a fund that has grown large relative to the market. If the fund has grown large compared to the market, managers could have difficulty differentiating their portfolios from the market in order to earn above-market returns.

3. Investor Growth
As you gain experience and acquire more wealth, you may outgrow mutual funds. With greater wealth comes the ability to buy enough individual stocks to achieve adequate diversification and avoid MERs. And with greater knowledge comes the confidence to do it yourself, whether it is actively picking stocks or buying and holding market indexes through exchange-traded funds (ETFs).


4. Life Cycle Changes
Although stocks historically have been the best investments to own over the long run, their volatility makes them unreliable vehicles in the short term. When retirement, children's post-secondary educations, or some other funding requirements approach, a good idea is to shift out of stock-market funds into assets that have more certain returns, such as bonds or term deposits, whose maturities coincide with the time that the funds will be needed. (To learn more, read The Seasons Of An Investor's Life.)

5. Mistakes
Sometimes, investors' due diligence is incomplete and they end up owning funds they otherwise would have not purchased. For example, the investor might discover that the fund is too volatile for their tastes, a closet-index fund with a high MER, or invested in undesirable securities.

Portfolio errors might also have been committed by the investor. A common mistake is over-diversifying with too many funds, which can be difficult to keep tabs on and can tend to average out to market performance (less fund fees).

Another common misstep is to confuse owning a large number of funds with diversification. A large number of funds will not smooth out fluctuations if they tend to move in the same direction. What's needed is a collection of funds, of which some can be expected to be up when others are down.

6. Valuation
Shift out of mutual funds to rebalance your fixed portfolio allocations by using a flexible or opportunistic approach. A common valuation yardstick is the price-earnings ratio (P/E ratio); for U.S. Stocks, it has averaged 14 to 15 over time, so if it rises to 24 to 26, valuations are overextended and the risk of a downturn is elevated. (See P/E Ratio: Introduction, for more.)

7. Something Better Comes Along
Investing legend Sir John Templeton advised selling whenever something better came along. In the mutual fund realm, some funds can come onto the market with innovations that are better at doing what your fund is doing. Or, over time, it may become apparent other portfolio managers are performing better against the same benchmarks.

8. Tax Reduction
Mutual funds held in taxable accounts might be down substantially from their purchase price. They can be sold to realize capital losses that are used to offset taxable capital gains and thus lower taxes.

If the sale was solely to realize a capital loss for taxation purposes, the investor will want to re-establish the position after the 30-day period required to avoid the superficial-loss rule. The investor might take a chance that the price will be the same, lower or might choose to hold a proxy for the fund's price movement.

Tax-loss selling tends to occur during August to late December. That's also the period when many funds have estimated the capital gains and income they will be distributing to investors at year end. These amounts are taxable in the hands of the investor, so an additional reason to sell a losing fund from the tax point of view may be to avoid a large year-end distribution that would require paying additional taxes. (Read A Long-Term Mindset Meets Dreaded Capital-Gains Tax, for more insight.)

Conclusion
Although these eight reasons should compel you to consider getting rid of your fund, remember to keep the impact of deferred sales charges, short-term trading fees and taxes in mind whenever you sell. If these other factors don't fall in your favor, it may not be the best time to get out.

by Larry Macdonald,

Larry MacDonald writes for leading business and financial publications in Canada. His home base is at Canadian Business Online where he contributes a regular column and posts daily to a blog called Investing Ideas. He has also been a regular contributor to The Globe and Mail, Investor's Digest of Canada, the Montreal Gazette, and the Ottawa Citizen. He has also authored a book called "The Bombardier Story: Planes, Trains, and Snowmobiles" (2002). Prior to taking up business and financial writing, MacDonald earned a master's degree in economics and worked for several as an economist in the federal government of Canada.

** This article and more are available at Investopedia.com - Your Source for Investing Education **

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Transform Yourself

Life coach Tony Robbins has noticed patterns in what makes people succeed or fail, what makes them happy or sad, and what creates a life of meaning and fulfillment versus a life of frustration and despair. To transform yourself and your life, Robbins says:

Don't live in "No Man's Land," that place where you're not really happy, but you're not unhappy enough to do anything about it. Don't passively accept what comes your way; drive your life toward what you really want.

See things as they are, not worse. Then see it better than it is, and then make it the way you see it.

Don't avoid failure. Failure is necessary for real learning to occur. Overcoming obstacles gives us psychological strength—the very thing that forms character.

Don't focus only on achievement. Extraordinary accomplishment does not guarantee joy, happiness, love and a sense of meaning. You must also focus on fulfillment.

Decide what you will no longer stand for and what you're committed to. Clarity is power.

Take massive action. You have to be willing to do the things you don't want to do. You have to build a momentum that consistent action produces.

Notice what's working and what's not working. When it is not working, change your approach. Keep changing until you finally achieve what you are committed to.

文茜世界周报2008年12月14日

Monday, December 15, 2008

Slice and Dice the Task

By: Brian Tracy

Why You Procrastinate
A major reason for procrastinating on big, important tasks is that they appear so large and formidable when you first approach them. One technique that you can use to cut a big task down to size is the "Salami slice" method of getting work done. With this method, you lay out the task in detail and then resolve to do just one slice of the job for the time being, like eating a roll of salami, one slice at a time. Or like eating one piece of a frog at a time.

Do One Small Part to Start
Psychologically, you will find it easier to do a single, small piece of a large project than to start on the whole job. Often, once you have started and completed a single part of the job, you will feel like doing just one more "slice." Soon, you will find yourself working through the job one part at a time, and before you know it, the job will be completed.

Just Get Started
Once you start working, you develop a sense of forward momentum and a feeling of accomplishment. You become energized and excited. You feel yourself internally motivated and propelled to keep going until the task is complete.

Action Exercises
Now, here are two actions you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, select one big important task and lay it out in front of you.

Second, select one part of the task and do it immediately.

Your 2009 Marketing Plan ... Where To Start? - Rod Moore


Many of you reading my weekly newsletter will soon be turning your ATTENTION to the creation of your 2009 Marketing Plan. This is something I highly recommend especially in light of the changing economic environment we are faced with.

My personal belief is that we are entering a vastly different economic environment for small business than we had for the most of 2008. So while you may have a marketing plan in place it may well be time for you to review it and update it accordingly.

But the big question of course is ... Where do you start?

Well I have always been a great believer in the idea that you begin with the end in mind. You must first know what you are looking to achieve before you can begin to develop a plan to achieve it. So it is important to get really clear on a few things about the end for your business.

So here is a few things to consider when reviewing your Marketing Plan for 2009:

1/ Exit Strategy - Most small business owners never stop and think about their exit strategy from their business. They are way to busy focusing on where to start the business rather than how they will get out of it. However it is worth giving some consideration to because how you grow and develop your business will be determined by how you plan on getting out of the business. Questions to ask yourself include ... 'How long do you plan to be in this business?' ... 'Is your plan to build the business up and sell it?' ... 'Are you looking to keep the business and have other people run it removing you from the need to be involved?'

2/ Vision - The next thing to consider is your VISION for the business. Where do you see your business at the end of 2009? What about in two, three or five years down the track? Developing an empowering vision for your business is one of the most important things you can do. Those businesses that change the world do so because they have had a vision to do so. So what is your VISION for your business?

3/ Personal - In developing your marketing plan I believe it is critical to consider what you want out of your business. What is in it for you personally? Without knowing what you personally want out of your business many business owners wind up working long hours, enduring excessive stress and achieve few rewards. So decide right up front what do you want out of the business. Is it to work less hours and make more money? Do you want your business to fit around your lifestyle? What is it you want out of your business?

4/ Reputation - Next it is important that you consider what it is you want to be known for. What is the reputation you want to develop in the marketplace? Give careful thought to this. One thing is certain ... we all develop some sort of reputation in the market so why not make a definite decision about what this reputation is going to be.

5/ Who - I am a great believer that we can ATTRACT the type of clients we want to attract ... if only we know who they are. A great exercise is to design your IDEAL CLIENT on paper. Make a list of all of their qualities and why you like working with them. By making this conscious decision you will automatically begin to attract more of them.

6/ How - Once you know who you want to ATTRACT then the next obvious question to ask is HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ATTRACT THEM? This is perhaps the single most important question that any business owner is faced with ... where are you going to find your next client? Obviously this is what the Attraction Marketing System is designed to do ... give you a systematic approach to attracting new clients. This is all about deciding on your STRATEGY.

7/ What - Your final consideration then is to decide on what SPECIFIC MARKETING TACTICS you will employ to ensure you follow through on your strategy. It is worth the exercise of developing a twelve month implementation plan where you decide on the specific tactics you will employ each month.

If you follow these 7 key areas when developing your 2009 Marketing Plan you will develop a solid plan of attack to kick start your business into the new year. In January I will be launching a 4 part Marketing Plan program for those of you who are serious enough to accelerate your business in 2009. Please look out for more details on this.