Friday, August 24, 2012

Are You Willing to Go the Extra Mile?

Are you someone who consistently goes the extra mile and routinely over delivers on your promises?  It's rare these days, but it's the hallmark of high achievers who know that exceeding expectations helps you stand out from the crowd. Almost by force of habit, successful people simply do more.

As a result, they experience not only greater financial rewards for their extra efforts but also a personal transformation, becoming more self-confident, more self-reliant, and more influential with those around them. 
These high achievers stand out from the crowd because of their extra efforts.  They are unwilling to give up, even in the face of difficult times. 

They get the promotions, they get the loyal customers, they grow their businesses twice as fast, they get financial rewards, job security, and they go home feeling satisfied.

Do you exceed expectations? 

Do you surprise people with more than they were expecting from you? 

Do you have the opportunity - but also the personal initiative - to go the extra mile?
 
To be successful you must change your thinking. You can only win by making extra efforts. People who go the extra mile always get payback. You will discover yourself becoming more self-confident, more self-reliant and more influential with those around you.  People notice the special services and all the small touches that make dealing with you so pleasurable.   

And when they are talking to their friends they will mention you and recommend you because you are the one who stands out.  People will see that you pay attention to detail, that you consider all the small things that really make a business successful, that you care about your image, and that you belong with all the other people who work hard to achieve. You will attract new business and new opportunities.

Listen to any success story and you will hear of someone who worked exceptionally hard to get what they wanted.   You’ll hear how they put in the extra time, did what wasn’t always part of their  job and over-delivered on what was asked of them.

What have you been doing for the past couple of years? Think of what you could accomplish if you made it a habit to exceed everyone’s expectations. Image what doors could be open to you if you decided to be of better service and value.

How are you willing to go the extra mile?  What kind of extra service are you willing to provide in order to stand out from the rest?  What areas of your life could you be giving more of your effort and time, becoming more valuable, and improving your reputation?

Be willing to treat everyone like you’d treat your best friend.   Don’t skimp on service.  Don’t be mediocre or run of the mill.  Show people what you are capable of.  

Put your best foot forward.  Show everyone around you how much you care about your image and reputation through everything you do.



Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Do Affirmations Really Work?

Do affirmations really work?


Affirmations (meaning a statement said with confidence about a perceived truth) have helped thousands of people make significant changes in their lives.  But they don't always work for everyone.  Why can one person have great success using this tool while another feels no results at all?

An affirmation will work because it has the ability to program your mind into believing the stated concept.  This is because the mind does not know the difference between what is real or fantasy.  For example, when you watch a movie and you start to laugh or cry your mind is empathizing with the characters on the screen even though it is only make believe.

There are both positive and negative types of affirmations.  I'm sure many of us can remember as a child being told by a teacher, or another adult that we didn't have the ability to do something, or we were fat, clumsy, etc.  These negative statements can stay with us in the conscious or unconscious mind, and can become the beliefs in which we live by.  Therefore, we then reinforce these negative beliefs throughout our lives.

Positive affirmations or simply positive self talk has the power to create successful outcomes in our lives because our thoughts shape our actions and our actions are what bring results.  Napoleon Hill examined this direct connection between thoughts -actions -results in his landmark best seller, Think and Grow Rich.

Affirmations can be a powerful tool to help you change your mood, state of mind, and manifest the change you desire in your life. As powerful as positive affirmations can be, if a negative belief is deeply rooted in our unconscious mind then it has the ability to override a positive affirmation even if we aren't aware of it.  This is why for many people; affirmations don't seem to work.  Their negative beliefs are over powering their positive ones.

So how can we add more muscle to an affirmation so it has the power to triumph over our negative thinking?  Here are some suggestions on how to make them work for you.

7 Guidelines for Creating Powerful and Effective Affirmations

1.  Identify any negative or limiting beliefs that you currently hold.  Make a list of what you've always thought of as your negative qualities.  Include any criticisms others have made of you that you've been holding onto; whether it's something your siblings, parents and peers used to say about you when you were a child, or what your boss told you in your last annual review.  Don't judge if they're accurate and remember we all have flaws.  Simply make a note of them and look for a common theme, such as "I'm unworthy." This will be a great place to start making a shift in your life. When you write out the recurring belief notice if you holding on to it anywhere in your body?

2.  Now write out an affirmation on the positive aspect of your self-judgment.  You may want to use a thesaurus to find more powerful words to beef up your statement.  For example instead of saying, "I'm worthy."  You could say, "I'm remarkable and cherished."

3.  Speak the affirmation out loud for about five minutes three times a day - morning, mid day and evening.  This is easy to do!  Write them down on index cards and just spen a minute in the morning while you have coffee or as you're getting dressed.  An index card can be kept in your glove compartment, hand bag, night table etc.

4.  When writing the affirmation(s) ... start with the words I am.  These are the two most powerful words in the English language.  The subconscious takes any sentence that starts with the words I am and turns it into a command - a directive to make it happen!  and be sure to use the present tense.  Describe what you want as though you already have it.  It is important to affirm what you want - not what you don't want.

5.  Keep it brief.  One simple, yet powerful sentence.

6.  Make it specific.  Vague affirmations produce vague results.

7.  Include an action word ending with -ing.  One that expresses the emotional state you would be feeling if you had already achieved the goal.  i.e. - enjoying, relaxing, thriving

I encourage you to think about the goal(s) that lie ahead of you.  Create positive affirmations that will excite you and inspire you to take the action necessary to move closer to those goals.  Affirmations do work, if you believe in them.  The most successful people whether they have achieved success in business, sports, financial wealth, or weight loss ...have all found the power in positive affirmations.

Your thoughts will shape your world.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

7 Surefire Ways to Get New Bookings Now!

With over 17 years of Direct Sales experience as a top personal seller as well as an influential leader and recruiter, I personally held over 1500 in-home parties.  Here are some of my "not so secret" ways to fill your calendar with bookings....



7 Surefire Ways to Get Bookings NOW!
 
1.  Get your catalogs out there!
Your company spends lots of money creating your most important marketing tool – your catalog. Get it out there and it will bring you bookings. Here are some ideas:
  • Send a catalog to a friend, neighbor or co-worker that has moved
  • Put a catalog in the teacher's lounge at your child's school.
  • Put a catalog in your employee lunchroom.
  • Give a catalog to the receptionist at your Dr. or dentist office.
  • Put current catalog in your neighbor's door.  Include a 10% off coupon.
  • Have your husband take a catalog to work
 
2.  Throw Yourself a party!
Find a reason to celebrate something (your company’s new products, your business anniversary, a promotion, working on a new incentive trip) and invite everyone you know to come help you celebrate! Offer incentives if they bring a guest and host it as an open house to increase attendance. It could even be a fund raiser for your favorite charity.
 
3. Get yourself out there!
If you’re face to face with people, they’ll get your enthusiasm and want to share in it. Here are some ideas for getting out there and meeting new people:
  • Have a booth at a school fair.
  • Work with other consultants in your down line or area and host a booth at a local Women’s fair.
  • Check out local job fairs – they’re filled with people looking for work!
 
4. Advertise!
Get the word out to people who need to know about you! Here are some ideas of where to advertise:
  • The service area of your local newspaper
  • Your church bulletin
  • Your alumni newsletter
  • School football, drama or musical programs
 
5. Think of some new places and environments to host shows
You can do your presentation in some interesting places – not just a host’s home. If you can do an open house format, the possibilities are endless. Here are some ideas:       
  • Host an office party during lunch or after work. Attendance will be automatic!
  • Host a restaurant party – the host doesn’t have to do anything except invite people and show up!
  • Hold a “multiple host” event, holding several shows in the same place on the same night.
  • Host a show before or during a PTA meeting. 
6. Make your party a booking event! 
  • Create an awesome booking “commercial” which highlights the benefits of booking a show with you  
  • At the beginning of the party mention your host’s goals. Have the hostess tell why she decided to host a party.  
  • Offer a gift wrapped gift to the host at your show; 1 booking, she takes off the bow, two bookings, she takes off the wrapper, three bookings, she gets to keep the gift!  
  • Offer “instant booking gifts” as a bonus for hosts who book on days and/or months you need to make a goal. 
  • Make your parties fun so your guests will want to book
7Use one of these other awesome ideas:
  • Include a business card or flyer with ALL your bill payments Participate in a school fund-raiser.
  • Wear clothing with your company logo on it.
  • Have your business information printed directly on your checks
  • Call your realtor with suggestions for "new home packages"
  • Start a "Host of the month" club (12 hosts agree to place at least a $30.00 order each month, and 1 of the 12 months, they also get all the host benefits!)
  • Carry a notepad to jot down names of potential hosts as you think of them.