We’re almost at the end of January, and I’ll bet none of your competitors have picked up the phone, send a postcard, or dropped by with a Frappa-Macha-Lacha-Whatever to any of their prospects, clients, Networking Partners or Strategic Alliances so far in 2014.
It really is so easy to differentiate yourself from everyone else in your industry. High touch always makes an impact. Only every time.
When you get up in the morning totally jazzed about adding massive value to people, today isn’t just another day. It’s TuesYAY! Yesterday was MonYAY! Tomorrow’s WednesYAY! Yeah baby, you’re getting the hang of it now….
Whatever it is that you want, if you really, really want it sincerely enough, there’s always a way to create it. There are no exceptions to this. And if you’re thinking of posting something in the comment thread below to try and prove me wrong, you’ve actually proven that you’d prefer to put your creativity into being right versus putting your creativity in getting what you really, really sincerely want. Which may mean, just maybe, kinda, sorta, that you don’t really, really sincerely want that particular thing. Which is okay. So the real question is….whattaya really, really sincerely want? Really?
Most people give thanks on Sundays. I also give thanks on Tuesdays, because Tuesday is garbage day. As I walk around my home gathering the garbage from all of the garbage cans in our various rooms, I talk out loud with God.
“Thank you God for allowing me to deliver enough value to my clients to allow us to live in such a beautiful home with amazing views of the Rocky Mountains. Thank you for the food wrappers and packaging in the garbage can which means we’ve had enough to eat and stay healthy. Thank you for the messy garbage cans in each of my three childrens’ bedrooms which means each of our kids have space to decorate and have their privacy. Thank you for my three-year old’s diaper pail because you’ve blessed us with a little one and so many others haven’t had that blessing. Thank you for Karin cleaning the kitty litter. Thank you for the wine bottles heading for recycling. Thanks for the men and women who grew the grapes and turned them into wine. Please bless them and their families. Thank you for the garbage man who comes and takes our trash and please bless him and his family. Thank you for the heavy garbage cans that I get to push to the curb because it means that we have received enough to have trash and I get a little cardio in between the garage door and the curb. Thank you for everything, God.”
You don’t have to wait for November for Thanksgiving. You can celebrate Thanksgiving every Tuesday. And then work up to every day. And then every moment.
A simple practice that has worked very well for me over the years and may work well for you: There’s lot of bad news out there from shootings, to just about anything else you can imagine. Every time you hear a bad news story, immediately think of something you’re thankful for. And over time, apply this not only to bad news stories but to every time you hear anything even remotely negative in any form. For overachievers, think of two positive things for every negative one you hear. This isn’t denial that bad things happen to good people. It’s training your mind to think correctly on abundance and gratitude. Just a thought.
Social Media is full of paradoxes. Just for clarification, a paradox is a seemingly apparent contradiction.
SoMe exposes how interconnected we all are and actually always have been but didn’t know it. And we can become even more connected as more and more of the world gets online.
Make sure that as you get more connected you go deeper with the people who matter most to you. It’s up to you to determine who matters most to you. It could be clients, prospects, networking partners, referral relationships, strategic alliances, or all of them.
It would almost seem like the goal is to just collect friends, connections and followers, but that’s not really the goal. The goal is while connecting with lots of people, create and enrich specific relationships. Connect with lots. Go deeper with few.
I’m taking my 14-year old daughter to see Rush tonight in Denver. Row 20, seats 9 and 10 on the floor. Directly in front of Geddy (stage left). I’m so excited I can barely see straight. I took her last Fall to see Yes in Denver. If Genesis ever regroups, I’ll take her to see them. And then I’ll be ready to die. Yes, Rush and Genesis have been my favorite bands for over 30 years. Having a teenage daughter who knows and likes their music is fantastic.
What does this have to do with anything? What do you enjoy so much that you get giddy like a school kid just thinking about it? If it takes you a little while to get an answer to this question, that might be an indication that you’re probably working too hard. Yeah, yeah, I know, the economy. Economy schmonomy. There’s always gonna be external things like the economy, politics, weather, and lots of other things that we have no real control over.
Few people actually take the time to sit down and actually figure out their interests and then design their life to include these interests on a regular basis. About 2% of the people, actually. We just get “busy”. Yes, we should be productive, and add huge value to our families and chosen professions. But having fun is important. Very important. Look down from your computer or smart phone screen for the next 60 seconds and think about what you really enjoy. And if you’re not doing it on a scheduled basis, figure out a way to make it a frequent part of your life. You’re worth it.
On 7/29/13 LinkedIn is retiring their LinkedIn Signal feature. Over the years, I’ve trained lots of biz professionals how to use LinkedIn Signal for huge lead generation and referral creation purposes, but don’t you worry. The brain trust here at Knebl Communications, LLC are always inventing new and creative ways to combine Old School/High Touch strategies and tactics with New School/High Tech strategies and tactics for highly profitable, mutually beneficial, win-win, business relationships. That is all. Over and out.
I had a woman schedule an appointment with me to discuss the possibility of hiring me to deliver some speaking and training engagements. Prior to getting on our phone conversation this morning, I went through my normal pre-call Social Media SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).
I checked LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter quickly to learn about her so that I could add as much value as possible to our conversation and possible relationship. I quickly discovered that she went to the same two colleges that I did and that she has a newborn. I also saw that she recently returned from a trip to Aruba.
I brought this information into our conversation in a non-creepy manner and immediately started developing a “Know/Like/Trust” relationship with her. I’d be shocked if we don’t do business together. Lots of business together.
How are you using the amazing free Social Media tools available to you to build rapport with your Clients, Prospects, Networking Partners and Strategic Alliances faster? If you’d like help with this, just let me know. I’m all about paying it forward and I love for you to make me prove it.
Enthusiastic people are fun to be around. People enjoy spending time with those who have a child-like excitement about life. Most people lose their child-like enthusiasm over time even for the things they once loved. Investing time on a daily basis thinking about and researching the things you most desire and enjoy is a smart use of your time.
The saddest days of our lives are the days in which we can find nothing to be enthusiastic about. Make time to dust off some of your hopes, dreams and desires. Invest some mental power figuring out what you’d like to have, do or become and develop plans for its attainment. This will keep you young and excited about the wonderful adventure that life really is.
One of the surest ways to ensure your success is to always be thinking about how you can serve your clients better. Most people and organizations don’t do this. It’s easy to fall into a status quo type of thinking and not be in continual improvement mode. Don’t do this – it’s a trap.
Service can always be improved upon. Always. Successful people do a better job of serving others than do unsuccessful people. Serve. Serve. Serve. Those who serve, deserve.
You can get an indication of the size of a person by whether they want all the glory or whether they shine the light on other people. A low self-image leads to wanting to hog the spotlight. A healthy self-image seeks out opportunities to sincerely praise others.
A good habit to develop is to make sure that you’re acknowledging others on a daily basis. Successful people give more recognition unto others than do unsuccessful people.
Yes, you should be technically proficient at your chosen profession. But being good at what you do with a bad or average attitude will never even come close to the levels of performance you’ll attain by being good at what you do with a great attitude. Attitude is the differentiator.
Continue to get better and better at whatever it is you do for a living. And at the same time, continue to work on developing a more and more positive attitude. Do this consistently and you’ll never worry about your next job, client, referral or promotion. It all starts with our attitude.
On a phone call yesterday morning with the CEO of a large company considering hiring me for some speaking and training engagements….
ME: “It’s nice to speak with you after exchanging some emails. What have you heard about me and the results I deliver so that I can respect your time and not tell you things you already know.”
CLIENT: “I know you help your clients significantly grow their revenues and based on the things I’ve heard you sound to me like a cross between Dos Equis’ “The Most Interesting Man In The World” and Keyser Söze from The Usual Suspects.”
ME: “pfhs*hj&eap@psbn#egh” (the sound of me laughing so hard that I spit up my coffee)
I may have to steal his line for branding purposes. ?
The older I get (BTW – I’m not that old although my children think I’m a fossil) the more I enjoy hanging out with kids and older people because in some ways they’re very similar. Most kids haven’t become cynical and still view the world as an exciting place full of possibilities. And most older people who have attained even a modicum of enlightenment after being on this planet for a long time, dealing with a lot of people and developing some wisdom, realize that most of the things people worry about really don’t matter a lot in the big scheme of things. And therefore they lighten up and enjoy life.
So it’s the people in the middle between being young and being old that you have to watch out for. You know the ones. The ones who judge people based on the car they drive, the school they went to, the CFP, MBA, PhD or EIEIO after their name on their business card. The ones who have forgotten what they knew when they were little about what life is all about. The ones who haven’t developed enough wisdom yet to realize that this too shall pass so let’s focus on the things that matter. Spend more time with kids and older people. There’s huge lessons to be learned. And remembered.
We become like the people we associate with. We know this is true in regards to our kids and there are definitely certain kids we don’t want our kids to hang around with. Adults are just kids with long, hairy legs.
Surround yourself with positive, uplifting, encouraging people. Start by being one yourself and you’ll find that others will naturally start to form a community around you. Love everybody. Just love the pessimists from a distance.
Success leaves clues and so does failure. Any long-term successful person has a winning attitude. And the key here is that the person is a long-term success and not a flash in the pan. The world is full of short-term successes. Anyone can sprint. It’s the long haul that counts.
No matter what good comes your way, if you have a losing attitude, you’re eventually going to lose. We reap what we sow. There is no reversing the law of the harvest. Develop a winning attitude. You will suffer defeat. It’s just part of being human. No matter what happens, keep that winning attitude. You’re in it for the long haul. And by long haul I mean your life. You were born to win.
We are surrounded on every side by people’s goals, dreams and ideals. Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal, dream or ideal. The computer or smart phone you’re reading this blog post on was once a goal, dream or ideal. Your ability to read was once a goal, dream or ideal. You get the point.
Oftentimes we make things more difficult than they need to be. Let’s keep things simple. K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple Sweetie. The easiest part of achieving your goal, dream or ideal is the work. Once you clearly define your goal, dream or ideal with a laser-like clarity, then figure out the cost in terms of time, effort and resources, all that’s left is the work.
Remember that a man or woman who chases two rabbits catches neither. Clearly define your goal, dream or ideal. Then make it a little clearer. And then a little clearer. Make it as clear as humanly possible. When you make up your mind about what you want and then you make your goal, dream or ideal crystal clear, congratulations – you’ve entered a very rare club that only 2% of humanity belongs to. When you’re that clear, and you follow that vision with action, you will have your goal, dream or ideal.
Our environment is a reflection of our attitude. This is true offline and online. We create our environment whether we realize it or not. By focusing on the positive, we build a positive environment around us.
Developing the habit of paying it forward and offering to help people on a daily basis through Social Media leads to tremendous amounts of good will and internet karma. Let people know that you sincerely care about them and that if you’re in a position to help them in some way, you’ll be happy to do so. Building your own community of like-minded, positive-focused people is one of the smartest, healthiest and profitable things you can do.
Ever notice that folks with a bad attitude tend to get bad results? And folks with a good attitude tend to get good results? This is no accident. It’s the law of the harvest in action. We reap what we sow.
If your attitude toward the world is good you’ll obtain good results. If your attitude is excellent, you’ll obtain excellent results. And if your attitude is so so, you’ll obtain so so results. How wonderful that we can choose our results by choosing our attitude.
