How Helping Others Will Help You to Get What You Want in Life

It began as a gloomy, hectic, downright downer of a Wednesday workday.

Just over twelve hours earlier on Tuesday afternoon I had wrapped up a disappointing business call. An important project had taken an unexpected detour and seemed like my progress would be set back for months. It really knocked the wind out of my sails.

Try as I might to shake this feeling, it remained with me the next morning. I was running around but felt like I was spinning my wheels. I’m sure you know the feeling.

Just when I was about to write-off the day, a magical phone call turned it around. Dare I say it even turned my week, and perhaps even my month, around?

After hours of line-ups at the bank and appointments, I parked my car on a green, leafy street in Chicago near its beautiful Lakeshore Drive scenery, and initiated a periscope conference call. It was time for a coaching session with my favorite (and most successful) client and her business partner. Let’s call them Kate and John.

Hearing Kates' voice and smile brought a smile to my face. Things were already starting to get better. But it was the help I could deliver to them that would really make my day.

Kate and John were dealing with “more money, more problems” in their rapidly growing business. The more revenue they generated, the more they were tempted to – and often did – take that money and add employees, invest in side projects, and fill office space, even though none of these directly contributed to the financial health of the business. Kate and John found themselves overwhelmed by the monster they had created.

My clients are two of the most generous, helping, and value-adding people that I know. Yet the truth is that Kate and John are out of their league when it comes to growing a multi-million dollar business and the team that comes with it. This is all new to them. As a result, a complex business has been built where a simple solution would have done the job just as well, but with less stress.

Adding more employees not only increased their expenses but it also dramatically elevated the amount of time required to manage these new hires. Almost all of this responsibility fell on John’s shoulders and it was getting to a point where something was going to give – either his work performance or his health. John had set no boundaries and was paying the price for it. As Kate exclaimed with exasperation, “You don’t even get a lunch break!”

We were deeply concerned about the enormous stress and pressure that had been heaped upon John. Something had to be done. He needed help.

This was my cue to come to the rescue and show John how to implement my time and energy management secrets along with my goal-setting and priority organization systems. These solutions would simplify his life.

“Sounds like me”, you might be thinking about your work or even family responsibilities. If you can relate to John, then you’ll appreciate how we fixed the situation.

I started softly, first by explaining to them how the President of the company has the authority to schedule his own lunch break. We set boundaries on how employees could contact him, and implemented a chain of command so that not every decision required his feedback.

Then we reviewed their business priorities. Did it really matter to the business how many “Likes” they were getting on Facebook? Could they directly track sales from participation in social media? No, they replied, and so I had them table this project for a month. No new resources would be devoted to it, and Hank was no longer permitted to put any of his time or energy into meetings about social media. “Just make sure you have a team member from your Customer Satisfaction Department answering any questions that come up on those sites and leave it at that,” I instructed.

We made similar adjustments to other non-essential projects that somehow John and his team had gotten mired into. It’s really amazing how a successful business can spin out of control when it starts chasing every shiny new object.

John was slowly getting it. We systematized his day and freed up his time and energy. Next, I pointed out that they’ve never hired anyone smarter than them in their company and that all this stress was from trying to do everything himself. I challenged them to stop adding many junior team members and instead focus on finding a senior team member to help in the areas of finance or marketing. This would be another big step in freeing up John’s time and energy.

As we came to the top of the hour and time to wrap up our session, I gave them their marching orders.

First, Kate and John would map out the top three to five priorities in their business. Fortunately, it was clear for Kate and John where their true priorities were.

Second, they’d identify the top key employee that they needed to add. This one key hire should make a huge difference in their business.

Finally, I recommended Kate and John improve top-down communication within their team through a weekly team e-mail newsletter. The team newsletter will explain the company’s vision, monitor the company’s progress, and recognize employees that go above and beyond the call of duty. It will even highlight – rather than hiding – areas of concern in the business.

By implementing a weekly message to their team, John will further reduce the amount of drama amongst his team. Much of the stress and pressure in many work places can be avoided with greater transparency from the top down. Junior team members need to know where the company is heading, and why decisions are being made. No one wants to be left in the dark.

Furthermore, by showing the team where it is going and even where it is hurting, it will bring out the best in their ability. Just as I want to help John and Kate, so do their employees. At the end of the day, people want to help people. If their employees knew what Kate and John needed, they’d go out of their way to deliver it.

People want to help people. We are driven to do this. It makes us feel good. As one of my favorite virtual mentors, Frank McKinney once said, “You cannot brighten another person’s path without lighting your own.”

The secret to success in life is that simple. Help others. Add value to their life.

As Corey Anton writes in his book, Sources of Significance, “People need to sense that they have not squandered nor trivialized the very gift of their lives. They need to believe that they have something to give as well as feel that they have, in fact, adequately given. People’s lives gain significance not by being provided for nor by securing material comforts, but rather, when individuals are called to sacrifice self and talents for something beautiful, grand, or noble.”

Or more simply, as Zig Ziglar taught us, “You’ll get all that you want in life if you help others get what they want.”

You see, it’s not all about us. It never was. It never will be. It’s about helping others. When I let myself get absorbed in my schedule, my inconveniences, and my happiness, the chase for satisfaction became elusive. It wasn’t until I concentrated on helping others, on adding value to the world, on solving problems, and clearly communicating solutions to other people, that I found what I was looking for.

It was a golden hour. Kate and John experienced big breakthroughs. We delivered clarity to their future, and most important, we helped alleviate the stress and strain that had been wearing down John. And it also brightened my day.

Helping them helped me.

As the session ended and I stepped out of my car to run yet another errand, the clouds parted and a warm ray of spring sunshine fell down upon me. I rushed to my next appointment with a smile on my face, one that stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, and even the remainder of the week. Helping others helped me. It works every time.

And that will work for you too. It’s so easy. Just help as many people as you can. Start today.

[Ed. Note: Ray Buckner is offering a complete blueprint to helping you take control of your financial future with a web-based business that you can operate from anywhere in the world – including a coffee shop, your kitchen table, or anywhere around the world where there is Internet access. Discover how you can achieve the American Dream and your financial independence here. You’ve never seen anything like this before.]

When Opportunity Knocks

Just when you think that your plate is full, it gets fuller.

And just when you think that can’t handle any more, you’re given more to handle.

That’s how opportunity invites itself into your life.

Opportunity never looks for the perfect time when you have your ducks in order, and room on your plate to take on another project.

Opportunity strikes when it’s least convenient and when you’re most overwhelmed…

…and that’s why they say: Seize the opportunity

because if you don’t strike when the iron is hot, then you’ll likely lose that opportunity all together.

But the thing is this… opportunity doesn’t just come a knock’n without a GOOD reason.

The truth is that  Opportunity is ATTRACTED to Action, and the more action you take, the better the opportunities that you’ll get in life.

I don’t know why it’s that way, but it just is.

Action creates opportunity.

And opportunity is the precursor to luck.

And I can tell you that I’ve been really lucky in my career – first with my offline business and now onto my online businesses...

…and now with my coaching and mentorship programs for men and women all over the world who want to quickly build a business that’s profitable, systems driven, and serves their lifestyle.

And now, just as I thought that I couldn’t take on any more on my plate… I was presented with another amazing opportunity that’s put me way out of my comfort zone, and is going to be a game changer.

Seems like the harder I work, the luckier I get.

And now, I just keep running into opportunities at every turn. It all started by making a decision to become a business owner instead of an employee. 

I haven't developed a new info product or reinvented any wheel, but I do have a burning desire to build an empire by helping hundreds of thousands of people worldwide change their lives for the better – physically AND financially.

I had to get out of my comfort zone and kept taking massive action… and opportunity kept on knocking.

The point I’m making here that the harder you work, the luckier you’ll be, because opportunity is attracted to action…

and people of action seem to be the luckiest and live the fullest of lives.$

[Ed. Note: If you’re ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your marketing skills – and, in the process, increase your income many times over – you won’t want to miss this free presentation on how thousands of people are laughing their money worries away using this brand new "Smart System".

How To Improve Yourself

Here’s one of the most important motivational quotes you’ll ever hear. It’s from American author and poet, Maya Angelou, who said…

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Wow.

That’s powerful.

And it’s true.

Don’t you think this is worth remembering when you work with your clients?

What they want is to be recognized and appreciated, because most people don’t get that at home or at work.

But if they get it from you, they’ll stay with you forever.

Now I’ve got another one for you…

“You cannot brighten another’s path without lighting your own.” – Frank McKinney

There’s a big lesson here for you…

…if you want to improve yourself, then you MUST become a teacher and mentor to MORE people.

The teacher always learns as much, if not more, than the student.

And the more you learn, the more you can help others, and the positive cycle continues, making you better and better at what you do, and allowing you to help more and more people.

Changing someone else’s life will change yours for the better, too.

Take 10 minutes and list all the people you can help this week. Then take action and do something about it!

Be a Go-Giver,

Ray

PS – Want to hear about my Thank You Therapy Sessions?

Recently I went through a short spell of a troubled, scarcity mindset…I was overwhelmed with work and got frustrated.

Here’s what got me out of that cloudy period. I call it, “Thank You Therapy“:

You see, being able to give to others has made everything right in the world.

Each day I mail two handwritten Thank You notes to friends, colleagues, peers, clients, readers that have written me, or authors of my favorite books. Yep, complete strangers!

This takes me about 15 minutes and costs almost $7 (two nice thank you cards + $1 stamps to the USA – where most recipients live).

It is worth every penny – and exponentially more. 

I just finished writing my daily Thank You’s. It has left me with a big smile on my face.

But the real kicker is putting them in the mailbox…knowing that someone out there is going to get a nice surprise in the mail.

After all, when it comes to getting REAL letters (not email), we’re still like kids on Christmas. It’s nice when something real shows up.

But even nicer when you are the sender.

That’s my Thank You Therapy.

Give it a try today.

Talk soon!

[Ed. Note: If you’re ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your marketing skills – and, in the process, increase your income many times over – you won’t want to miss this free presentation on how thousands of people are laughing their money worries away using this brand new "Smart System".

Criticism Is the Price of Success – Prepare for It and Profit From It

In What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Marshall Goldsmith talks about how important feedback is to success:

Feedback is very useful for telling us “where we are.” Without feedback… we couldn’t have results. We couldn’t keep score. We wouldn’t know if we were getting better or worse. Just as salespeople need feedback on what’s selling and leaders need feedback on how they are perceived by their subordinates, we all need feedback to see where we are, where we need to go, and to measure our progress.

Goldsmith acknowledges that negative feedback “can be employed by others to reinforce our feelings of failure, or at least remind us of them – and our reaction is rarely positive.” Worst of all, negative feedback can sometimes shut us down. “We close ranks, turn into our shell, and shut the world out.”

When Goldsmith was a child, his mother told him he had no mechanical skills. He went through high school believing that, and, when he was 18, scored at the bottom of the entire nation in a test given by the U.S. Army.

A few years later, a professor persuaded him to take another look at his mechanical abilities. That’s when he realized his mother was wrong, and he was “just living out the expectations [he] had chosen to believe.”

So that might be the first thing to say about profiting from criticism. Recognize that a negative comment about you or your abilities cannot damage you unless you let it.

Goldsmith says that he wasted years, convinced that he was mechanically inept. But he didn’t blame his mother. He blamed himself. “I was the one who kept telling myself, ‘You can’t do this!’ I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to be true.”

Here are some useful techniques for profiting from criticism.

1. Remember that criticism is the price of success.

As writer Elbert Hubbard said, “Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” So if you do something, you’re going to be subject to criticism. President Obama gets criticized. Clint Eastwood gets criticized. Even Mother Theresa was criticized. The more success you have, the more criticism you will engender. Some of it will be helpful. Most of it will be useless. But don’t be afraid of it. It won’t kill you. It will only make you stronger.

2. Dump your failure-support group.

This group includes jealous friends, professional enemies, and habitual critics. These people get their kicks from kicking you when you are up. They want you to be down where they are. Don’t go there. Just ignore them.

3. If you can’t ignore your critics, frame your responses strategically.

Sometimes, you won’t be able to ignore your critics – if, for example the criticism is coming from your boss or your family. That’s when you need to stay calm and respond strategically.

In Self-Esteem, Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning recommend a technique they call “clouding.” “Clouding involves a token agreement with a critic. It is used when criticism is neither constructive nor accurate. When you use clouding to deal with criticism, you are saying to the critic, ‘Yes, some of what is on your screen is on my screen.’ But to yourself you add, ‘And some isn’t.’ You ‘cloud’ by agreeing in part, probability, or principle.”

Agreeing in part – finding one part of your critic’s comments to agree with or acknowledge.

The Criticism: You’re not reliable. You forget to pick up the kids, you let the bills pile up until we could lose the roof over our heads, and I can’t ever count on you to be there when I need you.

Your Response: You’re certainly right that I did forget to pick up the kids last week after their swimming lesson.

Agreeing in probability – acknowledging that there’s a possibility your critic could be right. The chances may be a million to one against it, but you can truthfully say, “It’s possible you’re right.”

The Criticism: Starting a business now is a terrible idea. The economy is in the crapper, and you’re just wasting time and money.

Your Response: Yes, it’s possible that my business won’t work out.

Agreeing in principle – acknowledging the logic of your critic’s argument, but not necessarily agreeing with his assumptions. This clouding technique uses the conditional “if/then” format.

The Criticism: You’re really taking a chance by claiming all these deductions you don’t have receipts for. The IRS is cracking down. You’re just asking for an audit. It’s stupid to try to save a few bucks and bring them down on you like a pack of bloodhounds.

Your Response: You’re right. If I take the deductions, I’ll be attracting more attention to myself. And if I get audited, it will be a real hassle.

4. Take helpful criticism seriously.

Helpful criticism is sometimes harsh but it’s always well intended. It’s not hard to identify it. The hard thing is to accept that it is helpful and use it to improve yourself.

In Succeed for Yourself: Unlock Your Potential for Success and Happiness, Richard Denny says, “Constructive criticism is not negative, so be enthusiastic about it. Remember, you are very fortunate if you receive it. Encourage others to offer constructive criticism.”

5. Thank your critics.

I make it a habit to send a personal “thank you” to anyone whose criticism has helped me do better work.

6. Solicit criticism – from people you respect – while there is plenty of time to make changes.

One of the most successful publishers I know does this regularly. When considering the launch of a new product, he sends a memo to a small group of more experienced publishers explaining his concept and asking them to poke holes in it.

By getting their criticism early, he doesn’t feel its sting. After all, it’s not his baby that is being criticized. It’s just an idea. And ideas, as we all know, are not worth anything until they are put into action.

Another benefit – and this is a big one – is that it saves him time and frustration. By getting input on an idea before he’s done a lot of work on it, it is much easier for him to make changes.$

[Ed. Note: If you’re ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your marketing skills – and, in the process, increase your income many times over – you won’t want to miss this free presentation on how thousands of people are laughing their money worries away using this brand new "Smart System".

You Have to Know Your Numbers To Keep the Money You Make

The vast majority of small business owner’s don’t receive regular financial reports from their accountants. And according to Chuck Kremer and Ron Rizzuto, authors of Managing by the Numbers, 90% don’t know how to interpret that information or use it.

Well guess what?

That attitude will catch up to you.

Your business will grow beyond the stage where just keeping an eye on your bank balance isn’t enough anymore. You’ll take on more employees and overhead. You’ll invest in projects with a slower return. And your “machine” will be much more complicated.

Your job as the business owner is to steer this ship. Guessing and instinct won’t work anymore.

The good news is you don’t have to be an accountant to master this stuff. Fortunately, my  background is in financial services. I had to have a basic understanding of business accounting to pass my securities exams. But that was the extent of it. 

But one of my strengths is that I’m never ashamed to admit I don’t know something. Willful ignorance is shameful. Asking questions never is. Don’t be afraid to start small.

Understanding your business numbers is about much more than just knowing where your money is coming from, or making penny-pinching budgets. You’ll be able to quickly gauge the health of your company or business over a given period of time. And you will also be aware of your spending patterns, and of cycles in your sales — periods of higher sales and dry periods when you should expect a dip in revenue.

At minimum, the three key reports you need to understand are your Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Cash Flow Statement. Keep a close eye on these three numbers in particular:

• Net Profit is captured on your Income Statement. It tells you whether or not you’re making money — in other words, whether your sales exceed your costs over a given time span. But be aware that this number can also be distorted by variations in cash flow, so you’ll also need to track OCF.
• Operating Cash Flow (OCF) is captured on your Cash Flow Statement. If your OCF is consistently positive, you know you’re generating enough cash from operations to meet your regular expenses. If your OCF is consistently larger than Net Profit, it also indicates that you’re doing a good job of turning your profits into cash. If you don’t have a healthy OCF, you’re on the way down — even if you’re showing profits.
• Return on Assets (ROA) is calculated by taking the Net Profit from your Income Statement and dividing it by the average Assets from your Balance Sheet. (To get your average assets for a given time period, add together the assets from the start of the period you’re tracking and the assets at the end of the period and divide by 2.) ROA tells how well you’re doing at managing sales and expenses, and how effectively you’re managing your assets.

If you want to make these statements work for you, you need to track them over time so you know whether your performance on these three “bottom lines” is improving or declining.

I’ve requested a Balance Sheet and Income statement to be prepared for me every 6 months, and a Cash Flow Statement every month.

When you learn how to read your financials, I bet you’ll also discover some things that seem totally counterintuitive to you.

For example, you might think that to make more money you should just create new products to sell. That makes sense, right?

I thought so too. But it turns out that three to four months goes by from the time you first start investing in production to the time you make our very first sale. That’s called your Operating Cycle, and it doesn’t just matter for manufacturers or brick and mortar retailers. It turns out that you are were carrying the costs of new product development for several months. Your cash flow had to sustain that. The Return on Investment for new products is also much more gradual than I previously believed, so it can take much longer than you realize to make a profit on them.

If you don’t understand these cycles in your own business, you can suddenly find yourself pinched for cash — and pinched for sleep too when those 3am worries set in.

Tens of thousands of businesses go under every year while still turning a profit, because they didn’t know how to track their Cash Flow.

Understanding your numbers will keep you out of these traps. And it’ll help you get the most from your accountants too. You’ll know exactly what information to ask for, and exactly which reports you need in order to increase your profits quickly and systematically. You won’t be flying blind anymore, because you’ll know precisely where those funds should be invested to fuel growth.

If you’re just starting out — or if you’ve been at it for a few years like I have — go online and pick up a stack of books. The two that I mentioned in this article are a great place to start. Block out some time and study this stuff. And then sit down with your accountants and ask questions, even if you think it sounds dumb. That’s your job as a business owner. And it’s all part of transitioning from that “start up dream” to a mature business.

I promise you it’s not difficult. It’s like learning a new language, or cracking a code. You’ll be amazed at the patterns you start seeing in your figures. You might even find you enjoy it, like I did. You certainly will appreciate your efforts at your next accounting meeting, and every time you look at your bank account.

[Ed. Note: If you’re ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your marketing skills – and, in the process, increase your income many times over – you won’t want to miss this free presentation on how thousands of people are laughing their money worries away using this brand new "Smart System".

The Most Important Entrepreneurship Article You’ll Ever Read

With the word entrepreneur becoming increasingly popular with media pundits on both the right and the left, more and more people are coming to realize that entrepreneurship was the driving force behind America’s widespread prosperity – prosperity that few Americans could have imagined as recent as the mid-20th century.

Entrepreneurship, in fact, embodies the spirit of the American Dream. After all, many of the Founding Fathers were entrepreneurs, and perhaps the two most famous in that regard are George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. They also are good examples of just how far apart the results of individual entrepreneurs can be. Though they were both farmers, Washington was one of the richest men in America, while Jefferson struggled financially throughout his life and died broke.

Jefferson’s financial difficulties are a reminder that there are no guarantees for the entrepreneur, who labors away without the luxury of a safety net. In fact, perhaps the single greatest attribute of an entrepreneur is his willingness to take risks – including the risk of losing everything if he fails. By everything, I’m not just referring to savings, stocks, bonds, and collectibles. I’m talking about his house, his furniture, his cars – everything he owns – not to mention his credit and his self-esteem.

In this vein, Barbara Walters did an excellent special a few years back on self-made billionaires. The slant of the show belied the rhetoric of politicians who pander to voters by implying that being rich, of and by itself, is evil. They would have people believe that rich people somehow prevent others from getting ahead financially. The truth, of course, is that most wealthy people achieved their success by creating products and services that others want.

Barbara Walters’ first guest was Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil. Laliberte, who had a net worth of $2.5 billion at the time, struggled early in his career as a street performer in Montreal before venturing out as an entrepreneur. Today, his multibillion-dollar business showcases in over 271 cities worldwide, employing tens of thousands of people in the process.

When Walters asked Laliberte if he still takes risks, he quickly responded, “Every day.” Wall Street Journal Wealth Reporter Robert Frank, who added his insights throughout the show, then explained, “Part of the risk-taking personality is the ability to overcome failure. …One of the things that makes billionaires successful is their reaction to failure.”

Unfortunately, those who spew out class-warfare rhetoric are clueless about the risks the entrepreneur takes in his quest to achieve the American Dream. Or about the self-evident principle: The greater the risk, the greater the potential reward.

As a result, politicians have a stubborn habit of stepping in and trying to curb the natural rewards of the marketplace, insisting that “it’s unfair” for the super rich to make so much more than the average working person. That’s right, no other explanation other than “it’s unfair.”

It goes without saying that from a moral point of view, their position is indefensible. If people are truly free, they should be free to become as wealthy as their talent, creativity, and hard work can take them, so long as they do not use force or fraud against anyone else. The American Dream is about opportunity, not guarantees.

And from an economic viewpoint, it’s a no-brainer. Contrary to what some politicians would like us to believe, it’s impossible for anyone to become rich without creating jobs. Wealthy folks start and expand businesses and, in the process, employ others – not just by hiring people, but through the jobs that are created indirectly by those who furnish the raw materials, parts, transportation, etc. that their businesses require.

But what about someone who spends hundreds of millions of dollars indulging himself in such luxuries as mansions, private jets, and yachts? It doesn’t take a Ludwig von Mises to explain that workers are needed to build those mansions, private jets, and yachts, not to mention to produce the materials and thousands of parts and accessories that go into them. Then, once built, it takes people to operate and service those mansions, private jets, and yachts – which means long-term employment.

Thus, economic reality makes it clear that the entrepreneur is not the villain some politicians make him out to be. On the contrary, he is a bona fide hero who creates jobs and wealth for everyone who is willing to work, thus giving others a leg up in achieving the American Dream.

As such, entrepreneurs who accumulate great fortunes should be admired rather than scorned. To vilify someone for having “too much” is the height of asininity and self-destructiveness. The American Dream is not about envy; it’s about getting what you want in life by creating products and services that are valued in the free market.

The single most important fact about entrepreneurs such as Bill Gates and the deceased Steve Jobs is that their great wealth not only does not prevent others from becoming successful, it actually gives their customers the tools to become wealthy themselves. Think computers, hand-held electronic devices, and cell phones, to name but a few of the more obvious of such tools, all of which are easily available to even the most financially challenged among us.

The optimistic side of me wants to believe that truth may be on a roll here. If so, it needs all the help it can get. As angry redistribution-of-wealth advocates preach about lame abstracts such as social justice and fairness, those of us who know the truth about the American Dream need to spread the word.

We need to explain to all who will listen that the individual who aspires to great wealth by creating products and services people want is not the cause of America’s problems, but, rather, the solution to its problems.

When an individual focuses on hard work, resourcefulness, and wealth creation – and is willing to take risks – it puts him in a position to achieve the same American Dream that millions of wealthy people have experienced through their own efforts.

[Ed. Note: If you’re ready for a treasure chest of proven ideas, strategies, and techniques that are guaranteed to dramatically improve your marketing skills – and, in the process, increase your income many times over – you won’t want to miss this free presentation on how thousands of people are laughing their money worries away using this brand new "Smart System".

How to Get the Money to Come To You

You’re about to discover one of the best ‘obvious secrets’ I’ve ever learned about ‘Getting Money’ and ‘Creating Value’. Dan Sullivan, the founder of Strategic Coach, shared this and it really hit me like a ton of bricks.

What Dan shared was this…

“All Money Earned Ethically Is A Byproduct Of Value Creation”
Now, there’s ‘real’ value in the world, and there’s ‘perceived’ value. And the important point about this is the following: To the consumer, whatever their perception of value is, that is their reality.

Let me repeat: To the consumer, whatever their perception of value is, that is their reality.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they think they are valuable, but they don’t communicate that value. If you don’t communicate that value through the use of effective and compelling direct response marketing here’s what will happen: You’ll think that what you have is valuable, but your prospects, or customers, or clients, or patients will not know the value, or understand the value, or interpret the value you’re offering them.

Here’s the point:

Money will only come to you once you create value – not just in the creation of your products or services – but also in the creation of powerful and effective communications.

You see there are three things you need in order to sell something…

1. You need a product or service, and that product or service needs to deliver everything (and more!) than what you say it will or promise it will. That’s just a given. You can’t have a long-term relationship by selling crappy products and services.

Now, let’s assume that the product or service you’re selling and providing is valuable and it’s everything you say it is. That’s only step one.

2. The second thing you need is a sales pitch or a marketing message. This is a huge focus for me and this is where you really need to communicate value. This is not just offering value that you think in the form of a product and service that is valuable, but actually creating value by entering a conversation that’s already existing in your prospect’s mind. (This was famously stated in 1937 by Robert Collier in one of the best classic marketing books available: ‘The Robert Collier Letter Book’.)

Now, assuming you have a marketing method or a sales pitch, that’s step two.

3. The third thing you need is a delivery system. Think of all the different ways you can deliver a message: Social media, offline advertising, blogging, online advertising, television, radio…and many more. And think of all the ‘old-school’ forms you can use to deliver a message: Direct mail, postcards, pre-recorded messages… and many more. That’s the way to deliver it.

Now that you know the three things you need in order to sell something, ask yourself this:

1. How can I create (or re-purpose) my product or service so that it OVER delivers on what I promise?

2. How can I craft a marketing message that enters the conversation already existing in the prospects mind? How can I create valuable communications?

(HINT: Understanding your prospects’ motivations is one of the first steps to creating compelling communications that cause people to want to buy your products and services.)

3. What delivery systems should I use to reach my prospects and customers most effectively?

(HINT: The more media you can use to reach your prospects and customers, the better. Some people get concerned about the cost of using more delivery systems. But remember: If you make more money on the backend, you can afford to spend more to acquire a customer than your competitors can. PLUS, you can use pre-recorded messages, postcards, direct mail, and many more delivery systems to deliver more value – and thus get more sales – from EXISTING customers. So don’t just think of a delivery system as something used for new customers and prospects. They can, and should, be used to deliver value to your current clients as well.)

So, in order to have money flow to you, you need to create value. If you spend enough time focusing on not only delivering great products and services, but more importantly, communicating the value of those products or services, and you start getting them in the hands of other people… then something kicks in where people start referring you and telling other people about you. Money will come once you create value.

Remember what Walt Disney said…

“Do What You Do So Well That They Will Want To See It Again And Bring Their Friends.”

Money comes when you create value. And the more value you create in the world, the more money you can make. Be a value creator.$

[Do you know how Facebook and Google became the most powerful companies in the world?

It’s NOT helping you share pics of last night’s dinner...
It’s NOT searching for drunken cat videos…

And it’s DEFINITELY NOT about free Gmail accounts.
 

The simple truth is Facebook and Google SELL TRAFFIC.

They SELL TRAFFIC to business owners, and that advertising revenue alone has turned them into billion dollar companies.
 

Traffic is the most valuable commodity on the internet, and that will never change.
 

This is why using the Traffic Authority business system is the ultimate way to make extra income in your business…
 

Click here to watch the video and start your own premium traffic business today!]

7 Steps to Establishing Yourself as an Expert and Industry Leader

Today, I'm going to cover my favorite advanced leadership mindset and marketing tips that I've learned over the years. These 7 steps will help you break the 6-figure and even 7-figure barriers in your business by establishing yourself as leader in your industry and niche market.

1) You Must Have Extreme Self-confidence

Your business is not only about selling your product. It’s also about attracting people who want everything you have to offer. Your business is YOU. It doesn’t matter if you run a shop on main street in your town or a website serving people from all over the globe, you must be confident that what you bring to the world is unique and different from everyone else offering similar products.

2) You Must Take Action and Implement What You Learn

This step is not nearly as much fun as thinking big, but it is just as essential. The most successful people in the world are action takers. They don’t think too much, they just get it done. If you’re struggling with implementing what you know, then set more deadlines in your business. If you already have deadlines, cut them in half. Be bold. If you have a product planned for release in 3 months, cut that back and set a deadline of 2 months. You’ll find a way to get it done and you’ll be one step closer to being a leader in your industry. Life rewards action.

3) You Can Never Be Satisfied

You can never rest or try to sustain status quo. As Dan Kennedy says, “You must be finding the replacement for the replacement.”

If you are a salesperson having a record year, you must still be looking into the future and planning for when sales aren’t as easy. You must continue to stay hungry and remain on top of the trends in your industry.

Likewise, if you’re an online information marketer, it doesn’t matter if you are getting 10,000 visitors per day to your site from Search Engine Optimization and affiliates, if you don’t keep coming up with new stuff, eventually your traffic will dwindle and your business will die.

Keep learning and networking, and never be satisfied as long as you remain in business.

4) Really Big Thinking – “Make no little plans”
This is my favorite step on the list. I just love to think big, and to plan and predict future opportunities for my business. It’s a great exercise to do on airplanes, because research shows we’re more creative when we get outside of our daily work environment – plus, it’s much more productive than watching a movie you’ve seen before.

When it comes to big thinking, always conceive and believe that you will achieve great plans. You must be sure of yourself that you will dominate your chosen niche. You must not be afraid to create bigger and bolder ideas everyday and always be looking for markets where you can charge top dollar, and bigger projects and products that will allow you to do so.

5) You Must Work on the Macro and Micro Components of Your Business

Everyone wants to be the “idea guy”, but if you want to succeed you have to force yourself to be good at ideas, follow through, and details. You need to have every aspect of copy, product creation, and lead generation in place if you want to create a 6-figure or 7-figure income.

6) You Must Develop Multiple, High-Value Skills

It’s not enough to be just a good speaker, or salesperson, or product creator. We need multiple skills. First we have to identify an opportunity, then generate leads, then build interest in our prospects, then persuade our prospects to become customers, and finally deliver extreme value and service. Don’t just stop when you’ve become good in one area of expertise.

You also need to develop the skill of learning how to say NO. Too many folks spread themselves too thin, so you have to decide what projects are right for you and will advance your business.

7) Always Focus on Strategic Associations

If you sit at home and think you can avoid seminars and mastermind groups yet still develop powerful affiliate and business relationships, you are sorely mistaken. You need to be at seminars, having conversations in the hallways and at the bar, meeting new people online and offline.

Listen, by nature I’m am not an introverted person. A bit shy, but not introverted. Approaching and introducing myself to a stranger is not always easy. But guess what? Of all the strangers I’ve introduced myself to at the dozens of conferences I’ve attended, not one of them has bit me. And many of them have become friends, and a few of them have become lifelong business partners.

So get out there. Go to seminars and events. Plan ahead and have a list of people to meet and questions to ask AND people that you can help. Never go empty handed or without a plan.

Follow those 7 steps to start building a serious business and you’ll soon join the ranks of leaders in your industry.$

[Do you know how Facebook and Google became the most powerful companies in the world?

It’s NOT helping you share pics of last night’s dinner...
It’s NOT searching for drunken cat videos…

And it’s DEFINITELY NOT about free Gmail accounts.
 

The simple truth is Facebook and Google SELL TRAFFIC.

They SELL TRAFFIC to business owners, and that advertising revenue alone has turned them into billion dollar companies.
 

Traffic is the most valuable commodity on the internet, and that will never change.
 

This is why using the Traffic Authority business system is the ultimate way to make extra income in your business…
 

Click here to watch the video and start your own premium traffic business today!]

How to Be in the Top 5% of Your Industry

You’ve probably seen that bleak statistic before…. “50% of businesses fail within the first 5 years and 80% within the first 10 years.” A Google search will bring up reports hovering anywhere from 60%-90% fail rate in the first 5-10 years. Whatever the case…there are a lot of businesses that fail. Period. So let’s just make sure you aren’t one of them.

Some people want to blame the poor economy, increased competition, and/or inflation for their failures. But there are plenty of people who have proven that success is possible in spite of these challenges. As I see it, there are three main reasons so many businesses meet with failure…

1. Lack of a good product or service.
2. Lack of good marketing.
3. Lack of buyers.

Your job is to simply not be “lacking” in those three areas and you can beat the odds and be successful… But in reality that’s easier said than done or we wouldn’t be looking at an 80% failure rate would we?

Offer A Good…No A Great…Product Or Service.
Pioneering business leader, Peter Drucker gave the simplest definition, and what he called the primary purpose of business… “To create (and keep) customers.”

One of the major roles of being a successful business owner is to actually learn how to fulfill the needs and wants of your marketplace. Offer a product or service…whether it’s something you conceive or represent…and deliver it so that your customers are so happy with the experience that they buy again and again.

Your job as a business owner is to exceed the expectations that clients have because every customer has expectations. And when you exceed those expectations they will do business with you over and over and over again. That’s how you “keep” those customers.

Marketing…The Producer Of Your Success (Or Failure)

Peter Drucker nailed it again with this quote, “Marketing and innovation produce results, all other business functions are cost.”

But I’m not just talking about throwing money at expensive advertising in hopes that you see a return on your investment or building an “image” or a “brand”. No. I’m talking about effective direct response style marketing. This is the kind of marketing that provides results you can track. If more businesses learned and practiced effective, proven marketing techniques the 80% fail rate would dramatically flip to success.

You rarely see someone go out of business because their prices were too high or because they had too many customers. It’s usually because they don’t have enough customers and they’re pricing themselves too low. Low prices squeeze margins and can render a business incapable of delivering a service or a product that meets or exceeds expectations. A lack of customers and competing by low price are the results of ineffective, uneducated marketing.

Buyers…Finding (And Keeping) Your Place In The Market.
What happens if your marketplace gets too competitive or “dries up?” When people get into the “trap” of major competition or find people no longer buying what it is they’re selling, they need to change their approach and what they offer to fit what the marketplace actually wants. That means keeping your finger on the pulse of your market so that your business and marketing can evolve and you can innovate.

Remember These Four “M’s”…

As a successful marketer now, I’ve learned that there’s four things you need in business to be successful. I call them “The Four M’s”…Marketing…Margins…Management…and Model.

Model…Take A Look At The “Blueprint” Of Your Business…
What is your plan for generating revenues? This plan is your “model” or the “skeleton of your success”. Your model is the foundation that holds all of the other working parts. A solid model can lead to the success of your business likewise a weak model may lead to its demise.

Margins…. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Better”

Don’t forget that you are in a numbers game. Most business owners make that mistake. Do you know your numbers? How much do you actually make on what it is you sell? If you don’t know your margins, you might not be around (in business) long enough to find out.

Marketing…Yes Again…From Packaging To Profits

How do you effectively position, offer and uniquely package your products or services? I already touched on marketing but it’s really so important to the success of a business that it deserves extra attention. Your marketing ultimately determines your paycheck. Get your marketing “dialed in” and you’re already two steps ahead of your competition.

Management…I’m not Talking About People

The word “management” often conjures up ideas of managing a staff, but it doesn’t necessarily mean managing people. Management is simply your ability to keep track of stuff. It can mean your ability to manage your staff, your products, your services, your marketing, your margins, and your profits. When you own a business you are managing everything that relates to making you money every day.

Your Weakest Link…

These four M’s feed into each other and some of them are more critical to the formula of success than others. For example, I have never considered myself a great manager but learned such effective marketing that I was able to make high enough margins and develop a business model where based on those alone, I could do really well.

Prioritize your skills. After all, you could be the best manager in the world but if you have a weak model, poor margins, and your marketing isn’t good, you are still not going to make enough money to survive in business.

Never forget what it is you’re really doing when you have your own business…

Solving Problems For A Profit.

That’s it. There is a lot of “problems” in the world. If you can solve them, you can make a lot of profits. If you don’t know what “problems” you can solve, then find out what people are interested in buying and learn how to deliver them a solution in a confident, profitable manner.

If you do “solve people’s problems” just a little bit better than all of the other competitors out there, not only will you beat the 80% failure rate, but you will most likely be one of the top 5% of your marketplace.

Simply because you are reading this article right now, you are probably already in that category….or very close. After all, I think the reason up to 80% of businesses fail (and this is my opinion) is because most people don’t take the time to learn how to make their business succeed. (So congratulations on being one of those people that do.)

Remember as long as you aren’t “lacking” in the three crucial areas of business, (product/service, marketing and marketplace) and as long as you have a good model, healthy margins, effective marketing, and capable management, you can go out there and “beat the odds”. You can succeed.

[Ed. note: In his latest training series, Ray reveals simple ways to start a business... find a retirement career...make extra money in your spare time... and more. These are the routes to wealth the rich employ. Click here to learn more about them.]