Idea Sellers

Thwarting Your Success Nemesis

Each of us has an enemy, not necessarily one of a spiritual nature, but a physical being capable of stopping us at every turn. He or she has the power and ability to thwart our very success each day, to wreak havoc on our sales plans and drain us of our motivation. This person can stop us cold and make us feel miserable in the process.

Chances are, you know this person intimately. Perhaps you already spend a great amount of time engaged in negative conversation with him or her. You may have succumbed to the energy-robbing and dream-busting power that this individual has over you. It becomes easy if you have developed a defeatist attitude. Just who is this sinister and powerful person?

Sadly, it is you. To be more specific, it is your subconscious mind, that which steers your every move. In Dr. Shad Helmstetter's great work "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself," he revealed that we are typically engaged in regular self-defeating conversation with ourselves. We doubt our capabilities. We learn to fear both success and failure. We develop an attitude that we cannot be winners so why even try. This is a sickness that must change now.

We need to be expectant. We must get up in the morning expecting the best that life has to offer. We must change our attitudes and adjust our comfort zone. We can no longer accept the status quo. Life is too short to live in such a quagmire of mediocrity or defeat.

I wake up each day eager to discover new things, to enjoy God's wonders, to meet new people and to pursue exciting selling opportunities. I have fun doing it. Do you go into each sales call optimistic and expectant of victory? What would be the purpose otherwise? Do you go out each day confident that you have the solutions for your clients issues? I will not even go through the motions of preparing a quotation unless I fully expected to receive the pending order! In the event that I would feel otherwise, it would be best to stay home and in bed for the day, for my sour attitude would predict my downfall.

Be vigilant. The next time you catch yourself saying something negative about yourself. Stop right there and laugh, instead saying to yourself that you are a winner. After all, it is unlikely that there is anyone else throwing these stones at you. Instead, catch yourself doing something right and pat yourself on the back. Do it often. Make certain to smile, for a smile contains great power and the innate ability to crush negative thoughts. Be considerate of yourself, after all, you deserve it.

So today, design your plan and then go immediately to work on achieving it, not allowing anyone to say you cannot or to steal your dreams. Be expectant and notice how things will begin to change in your favor. Do this for the next 30 days. It may become the most productive month of your life!

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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When The Heat is On, Step Up to the Plate

Dalton Carriker, 12-year-old little league hero, knocked out the winning home run to claim the championship for his Georgia team. He stepped up, in the heat of baseball battle, rising to the occasion, claiming victory. His expressed joy and elation are beyond words as he claims his bases after his victory-clinching effort.

Almost a century before, Joseph P. Kennedy said "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." He could have been speaking of young Dalton Carriker. He is a great example, despite his years, of an individual who decided to make a real difference, ignoring the pressure of the moment, to find victory. Winners act decisively in the face of adversity. Winners find a way to ignore the pressure, the heat, the stress, to pursue a course of action leading them to victory. It is a familiar story line, one that all of us need to experience ourselves.

Many people tend to collapse, to submit to adversity when the going gets tough. They discontinue their efforts, feeling and fearing impending defeat. They may even wallow in loss, saying that it is what they deserve. Here is the truth: We were not created for loss, but for victory. Our innate nature is to win, however society has convinced us otherwise. Do not be fooled. You are a winner, designed to persevere and win. Get a grip. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and blaming others. Take responsibility and action now.

Many salespeople endure a slump at one time or another. It may be severe enough to end a career, to cut and run. Slumps however, are usually of our own making. A sales slump is a product of lackluster effort during the previous several months leading up to the slump. It is the resulting state after a lack of focus, action and abandonment of a sales plan. Instead of feeling beaten and conceding to this adversity, it is actually time to rise up and get busy! Apply these success steps:

1. Find something to get excited about.
2. Embrace a new product in your mix.
3. Increase your training and expertise.
4. Define a new market and generate new prospects.
5. Take sales action. Get busy.
6. Fill your sales funnel.
7. Make that first new sale happen quickly.

Starting over does not mean starting from scratch. You still have all of your experience, product and industry knowledge and sales training. You are simply taking a new approach. These 7 steps will serve to ignite your motivation and excitement. Your first new sale will soon be the first of many, marking the beginning of the next phase of your career, perhaps your most successful ever! Forget the slump and act now. The past does not equal your future.

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Personal Development Blog List Keeps Growing

I am pleased that Priscilla Palmer tagged me, adding Idea Sellers to her impressive and growing list of personal development blog sites. It is an honor to be in such fine company. This comprehensive compilation already includes most of the blogs that I read, but I have still managed to add a few more quality blogs to the mix:

Amy Hedin at There is no Maximum to Human Potential
Ellen Weber at Brain Based Business
David Bohl at Reflections on Balance

Carlon Haas at Possess Less Exist More

Gyanishat Diet Hack

Enoch Tan at Mind Reality

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day

Adam Kayce at Monk at Work

Al at 7pproductions.com

Alan Torres at Made to Be Great

Alexander Kjerulf at The Chief Happiness Officer

Alex Shalman at AlexShalman.com

Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net

Andrea J. Lee at Money, Meaning, and Beyond

Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com

Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development

Anita Pathik Law at Power of four Way

Antonio Thornton at AntonioThornton.com

Belle Wong at Abundance Journal

Blogfuse at LifeDev

Brad Isaac at Achieve It

Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Brian Kim at briankim.net

Bob at everyeveryminute

Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com

Clyde at Feeling Good

Conceive, Believe, Achieve at Conceive, Believe, Achieve

Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker

Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure

Damian Carr at Soul Terminal

Daniel Sitter at Idea Sellers

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet

David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence

David Seah at David Seah.com

Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com

Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners

Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear

Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business

Dick Richards at Come Gather Round

Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer

Donna Karlin at Perspectives

Dr. Charles Parker at The Core Psych Blog

Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog

Drew Rozell at Drew Rozell.com

Edward Mills at Evolving Times

Emmanuel Lopez at The Adventures of Motivatorman

Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership

Ellesse at Goal Setting College

Eric Napier at Quotation Collection

Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World

Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas

Grayson at Modern Worker Blog

Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project

Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com

Don Simkovich at Hey Don

Hilda Carroll at Living Out Loud

Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog

Honman at Open Your Mind to Prosperity

Inkedmn at The Cranking Widgets Blog

Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded

Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives

Jason and Michael at Black Belt Productivity

Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day

Jay White at dumb little man tips for life

Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk

Jeff Lilly at Druid Journal

Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster

Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness

Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah

Jerry Hart at Blue Print to emarketing

Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

John Pratt at John Pratt International

John Place at John Place Online

John Wesley at Pick The Brain

Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence

Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden

Kailani at An Island Review

Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose

Karen at Journey with Water Learner

Karen Lynch at Live The Power

Karen Wallace at The Clearing Space

Karl Staib at Karl Staib.com

Kevin Kinchen at Creative Power of Thought

Killeris at Attitude, The Ultimate Power

Kim and Jason at Escape Adulthood

Kim George at Doing What You Can Do

Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin

K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now

Leah Maclean at Working Solo

Laura Young at The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life

Lee Nutter at bmindful

Leo Baruta at Zen Habits

Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development

Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living

Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life

Maddy at Illuminated Minds Want to Know

Maria Palma at The Good Life

Mark at The Naked Soul

Mark Forster at Get Everything Done

Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order

Mark W Shead at Productivity 501

Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily

Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders

Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog

Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution

My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner

Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence

Neil Patel at Quick Sprout

Nick Smith at Life 2.0

Nneka at Balanced Life Center

Organize-It at Organize-It

Pamala Slim at Escape From Cubicle Nation

Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker

Paul at Paul’s Tips

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Aldin at Great Circle

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great

Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success

Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro

Ririan at Ririanproject

Rob at 7Breaths

Rob Cooke at Leave the Office

Robert at Compassionate Council

Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz

Rosa Say at Managing With Aloha Coaching

Ryan Marle at The Alpha Project

S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion

Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog

Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret

Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name Is Blog

Scott H Young at Scott H Young

Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit

Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path

Shaheen Lakhan at GNIF Brain Blogger

Simone and Mandy at Outfit Inspirations

Slade Roberson at Shift Your Spirits

Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early

Spike at Organize It

Stephanie and Jeffrey at Brains on Purpose

Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com

Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com

Steven Aitchison at Change Your Thoughts

Surjit at Gurushabad

Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business

Thom Quinn at Qlog

Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog

Tom Spanton at TRCoach

Tim Taylor at My Agapic Life

Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest

Torlink at You Create Reality

Travis Wright at Cultivate Greatness

Trizoko at Trizoko.com

Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key

Troy Worman at Orbit Now!

Tupelo Kenyon at Tupelokenyon.com

Vickie at Contemplate This

Wan Qi at Meditation Forum Mantras

WildBill at PassionateBlogger

and these collaborated sites:

Did I Get Things Done

GTD Wannabe

Life Coaches Blog Stratagies for a Greater Life

Lifehack.org

Thanks again Priscilla for getting the ball rolling on this wonderful compilation concerning such an important topic! My hope is that all of us will dig in, learn and and benefit from this vast library.

...........................
Daniel Sitter
Author

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The Vince Lombardi Sales Approach

As we approach another exciting American football season, I am reminded of one of the most prolific leaders of our time. Green Bay Packers football coach Vince Lombardi continuously preached the message of focusing on the basics. He would constantly drill these ideas and practices into the mindset of his players. He often said that success is found through the mastery of basic skills.

There were likely times that his players and coaches grew tired of his message, yet it was difficult to argue with the stunning results he achieved. Lombardi was a legitimate winner, a champion, possibly even a hero. What are these football basics he espoused that consistently led his team to victory? He demanded mastery of the following:

1. Kicking
2. Throwing
3. Catching
4. Tackling
5. Blocking

How do these athletic skills and the Lombardi method translate into successful sales techniques?

1. Kicking = Asking Relevant Questions
To initiate conversation and to get our customer talking, we must ask relevant, effective, thought-provoking questions. We must learn to probe for key details that will furnish the details we need to provide the best solutions possible. Our questions convey empathy and confirmation that we truly understand their needs.

2. Throwing = Sales Presentation
Our effective sales presentation, regardless of whether it is on-on-one or to a group, is critical to our overall sales success. Our prospects and customers must be clear on what we are offering them. We must convey both expertise and confidence in that we have the solutions for their concerns.

3. Catching = Listening Skills
Many salespeople make the mistake of talking too much. We tend to plan our next statement while our customer is speaking. We must learn to be quiet and listen effectively so as to thoroughly understand the needs of our customers and the issues that are important to them. They must know with certainly that we understand their needs and are customizing our solutions approach just for them.

4. Tackling = Learning
We must be constantly expanding our comfort zone, learning new skills and enhancing our personal development. We must also keep in front of the learning curve regarding the technology and product developments in our field. In these ways, we bring maximum value to our customers.

5. Blocking = Focus
Salespeople need to block out distractions and keep a laser-like focus on the task at hand. One of the most productive things we can do is to complete current tasks before moving on to new ones. Do not allow interruptions and distractions to cause you to deviate from your sales plan and goals.

This is indeed a back-to-basics approach, just like Vince Lombardi would teach. You simply cannot lose when you strategically shed the complexities of a situation and concentrate on the basics. Selling is often most rewarding at every level when kept plain and simple. Now go out to your marketplace and make Vince proud!

"If you can accept losing, you can't win."  - Vince Lombardi 

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Selling the Details with Pride and Confidence

I met an interesting and colorful engineering manager this past week. His automotive products company produces major interior components for an elite German car company. After introductions and a brief presentation, he escorted me on a plant tour and proudly explained each of the manufacturing areas with great pride, providing details of each function. He showed me the intricacies of their methods and the quality of their end products. Very impressive.

His company operates in a JIT (just-in-time) mode and cannot afford to produce any scrap or have any production outages. There are no factory seconds. The quality, workmanship and aesthetic appeal of their products was incredible to say the least.

He then shared a brief story of his recent visit to a Mercedes car dealership while on vacation.  He was immediately drawn to the 500 Series model in the showroom. He examined it with a focused scrutiny that only a person of his considerable experience could muster.

A salesman approached and began a conversation. The engineer opened the door and asked the salesman to examine the interior door panel. The salesman instantly began a well-practiced presentation about the fine leather and quality workmanship. The engineer, after listening to the commentary, said that the door panels lacked the attention to detail that he would have expected to see on such an automobile. He carefully described each of his observations and told the salesman that Mercedes should be utilizing the services of his company to provide their door panels. The speechless and somewhat offended salesman had little else to say and departed, sensing that there was no imminent sales opportunity. 

While admittedly, the showroom is not the most appropriate forum to reveal the perceived weaknesses of a competitor's product, I was impressed with this engineer's pride and "ownership" of his products. He knows that every part leaving his plant will be assembled on a fine automobile later that same day; a car destined for a proud owner who has previously ordered that very car. He personally stands behind every component bound for the assembly plant.

As salespeople, we not only need to be sold on our products, but need to be proud to represent them as well. If we sell Acuras but drive a Chevy, we have a basic conflict, one that will become evident in our selling efforts. Belief and pride must permeate our presentations if we expect others to get on-board and purchase from us.

Do you use what you sell? Would you? Why wouldn't you? If you expect others to say yes when you ask for their Parker pen order, you had better write it up with your Parker pen, not a plastic ball-point model.

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Eight Random Things About Daniel Sitter

I was tagged by Jason Jacobsohn to provide eight random facts about myself. This is a meme that has been floating across the web for some time, but does offer us a chance to get a wider glimpse of some of the personality behind the blog articles we read. Since my blog is centered around sales and creative selling ideas, I seldom veer from my topics to participate in contests, memes and so forth. So, I chose to respond on the weekend! Here are my fun facts:

1.  Now a displaced Yankee living in the south, I grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Yes, I am a Cleveland Browns fan!

2.  Beginning at age 42, I have since earned the rank of Sho Dan, a Black-Belt in Shotokan karate. Inside me beats the heart of a 25 year old.

3.  I have been playing guitar for 30 years and have played in a number of rock bands. During that time, having written or co-written hundreds of songs.

4.  My favorite place to go is the beach. I love the sights, sounds and smells! I can eat pounds of shellfish!

5. I am of German and Irish heritage which explains a lot about my drive and tech abilities.I can deal with yes or no, but really dislike the words maybe or I'll try.

6. I love sales. It's the thrill of the chase and the constantly changing scenery that gets me. I get bored easily and thoroughly enjoy meeting new people each day.

7. My favorite saying is "The answer is always no unless you ask."

8. I have written two books, Learning For Profit and the soon to be published Superior Selling Skills Mastery. More to come.

There you have it! I have also selected several interesting and talented bloggers, out of my niche, that I would like to know more about and am now officially tagging them. Most of these people usually stick with their niche as well, so hopefully, we will be learning more about each of them by next weekend!

Patrick Schaber

Ardath Albee

Steve Poland

Chris Garrett

Katie Konrath

Pamela Slim 

Ted Demopoulos 

Jim Kukral

Donald Latumahina

Scott Ginsberg
      

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Procrastination Killed The Sales Star

I always liked the Buggles' 80's classic, "Video Killed the Radio Star," so please indulge me as I borrow from that title. "I will get around to it. We'll get back to you later. We'll look at it later this week. Call me if you have any more problems. I will try to do it this afternoon. I will take care of it later." Do any of these statements sound familiar? If your are like most of us, you are guilty of using many if not all of them at times. To paraphrase J.A. Splender, "Why do now what you can put off until later?"

How are you wired? Brain-Based business expert Robyn McMaster says that "Procrastinators are made not born." Her top reasons for procrastination are:

1. Temptations to do other things.
2. Brain chemistry.
3. It is a learned behavior, witnessed in others repeatedly.
4. Avoiding Consequences.
5. Laziness.

So why do we do really procrastinate? Why will we endure the certain pain and hardship that procrastination so often brings? Is it the thrill of the last minute rush? Is it laziness? Perhaps we just do not care.

Often, we procrastinate because it is the easiest alternative at the time, and human nature likes easy. It likely is a combination of all of these thoughts. One thing is for certain, procrastination can generally be thought of as your enemy. It will usually hurt your productivity.

Selling and marketing are dynamic activities, often requiring immediate responses to changing conditions. Waiting can spell disaster. Procrastination can produce lost accounts. "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today." That is solid advice, providing that you have an appropriate, focused and productivity-generating to-do list. Frankly, some things simply don't belong on your list of valid interruptions.

Shed yourself of those. Your productivity demands that you successfully deal with your "A-list" items and immediate surprises now. These generally cannot wait until another day. A pre-emptive strike, offering a solution to your customer before their current situation erupts into a massive problem or offering an immediate response to their problem when it occurs will certainly endear you to them, forming an attachment that your competitors will envy. If you choose to procrastinate instead, you will open the opportunity door for these same competitors, one that you may have a difficult if not impossible task of opening again.

Action is the opposite of procrastination. Which will you choose? 

...........................
Daniel Sitter
Author

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Is it Ozzie or Ozzy That You Are Selling?

In the late 1950's, the hit family television show was Ozzie and Harriet. In 2007, it's The Osbournes, featuring Ozzy and Sharon! What's the difference, you ask? Today, hardly anyone would notice the Ozzie and Harriet Show. In the 50's, The Osbournes would have incited riotous behavior and force network cancellation. How times have changed!

Have sales and marketing changed too? Go back and view some of the old vintage commercials and print ads from that era and compare them with the sleek efforts of today. Visually, there is hardly a comparison, but what about the underlying message? At the very core of marketing and sales, the "song remains the same," but the complexity and delivery are incredibly distant. All that in just fifty years! Could you imagine a 1957 televised commercial involving feminine products, male enhancement or condoms? Everything is now on the table.

Yes, the sales conversation has changed drastically, but the basic message has not. Down through time, basic principles have not really changed at all. Most are as relevant today as they were perhaps thousands of years ago, and will be for centuries to come. Selling still involves one party assisting another to buy. Selling still adds value and is generally a necessary function of most business transactions.

Selling closes the deal that marketing brought to the sales table. Sales and marketing are more closely inter-twined than at any point in the past. Today, sales and marketing work in a symbiotic, precise relationship, one dominated by focus, clarity and purpose.

Our choice of words, our sales verbiage, has become more specific and much more selective. Many words have multiple meanings, multiple variations of spelling and may mean different things in various cultures. We must be ever so careful of our word selection and usage, making certain that it is appropriate for our audience. Do you mean Ozzie or Ozzy?

Depending upon your age, when the name Ozz_ is heard, it usually will create a mental image of one man or another. You will either think of the Nelsons or the Osbournes, and that is alright. But... if you are selling music and entertainment, you had better be clear regarding which Ozz_ you are selling!

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Differentiate Your Selling Efforts

Australian entrepreneur, Darren Rouse of ProBlogger has produced a short video focusing upon differentiating your blog from others. Darren is a prolific figure in the blogosphere, with tremendous traffic associated with his blogging efforts. Although he is speaking about blogs, one can easily associate his advice with other efforts, especially selling. His presentation focused on five basics:

1. Appearance   
2. Voice
3. Pictures, Video 
4. Brand   
5. Content   

Is your image attractive to your customers and are you making a stellar first impression? Are you dressing in a professional manner, appropriate for your industry? Are your marketing and sales materials modern, professionally designed and produced? What are your prospects seeing?

What is your message? Is it clearly articulated? Is it focused to a point that those who hear it are crystal clear about what is your unique product or service offering? Is your marketing voice being heard above all of the competing noise in the marketplace? Is your message being understood? Do your targeted customers know who you are and what sets you apart from others? Are your prospects hearing and listening to your message?

How do your prospects and customers view you and your company?  Do your prospects have a clear picture of why they need your products and services? Are your selling efforts producing results? 

What is your position in the marketplace? Are you clearly differentiated from others in your field? Have you established your brand? Is your brand understood in the marketplace? Are you focused upon developing your brand, therefore establishing and maintaining your position in the minds of your customers and prospects?

What are your unique strengths? What advantages do you offer in the marketplace? Are your products and services relevant to your prospective customers?

Darren's message to bloggers is indeed relevant to all salespersons and business owners, whether you blog or not. A side note: If you own a business, you need a blog!

So, where do we go from here? Simply follow this procedure, guaranteed to produce astonishing sales results:

1. Prepare.
2. Market.
3. Communicate.
4. Sell.
5. Communicate.
6. Repeat.

...........................
Daniel Sitter
Author

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Selling Entrepreneurial Security and Growth

Regis Philbin told a story of his continuing relationship over a period of years with a New York City cop, Thomas Caruso. While on his beat, Caruso would frequently accompany Philbin as he walked to a gym several blocks away, sharing warm conversation. Philbin, of course, would tell countless stories of Notre Dame from his experiences and Curoso, thoroughly enjoying them, would get caught up in the experiences. Philbin, shocked to discover that Caruso had never been to the Indiana campus, arranged for a trip for the two of them which they thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, so much so that they did it again and remain friends to this day!

Philbin described seeing his friend every so often and just yesterday enjoyed lunch together. Regis was again shocked to discover that Caruso, now retired from the force, was president of Noble Security Company. What a security company it is! Regis was totally surprised to discover just how successful this cop/entrepreneur had become. Kelly was quick to point out that it was undoubtedly his affiliation with Notre Dame that made the difference with his success!

Caruso transferred his police career experience and relationships with other like-minded, outstanding officers into a growing, profitable business concept. It's always gratifying to hear of entrepreneurial success, especially among the heroes of New York's Finest! Caruso sells safety and peace of mind to celebrities who desire protection.

Regis and Kelly discussed the story of Regis' relationship with Tom Caruso for several minutes and concluded with Regis giving a great plug for Caruso's company on the air. That warm story and free publicity likely produced a number of new prospects for Noble Security. Such is the power of social and business networking, connections and personal relationships. Granted, this unique relationship provided the opportunity to receive national exposure, but the same result can be experienced by most of us in our networking efforts, although it may rake a little longer if we lack that prime-time connection.

The principle of Six Degrees of Separation states that we are all related somehow within six iterations. Since that is true, our very relationships will eventually provide us with the exposure we desire. Again, the key is persistence. Get your compelling message out to as many people as possible on a continuous basis, and as they share it with others, your goals will be met. Harvey Mackay and Mark Victor Hansen built their empires on the back of their Rolodex. They realized that the resources and people they needed to accomplish their goals were close by.

The lesson here is to make certain that everyone you know is aware of what you do and what your expertise is. Taken a step further, inform your friends of your goals ask them for their contacts that may help you. The resources you need are there, you simply need to connect the dots. 

...........................
Daniel Sitter
Author

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It's Easy. We Do All of the Selling For You.

"It's easy. We do all the selling for you." Does that empty promise sound familiar? Our airwaves and business opportunity periodicals are full of them. Take a pill and lose 20 pounds! Buy these wrist bands and triple your strength. Pay this fee, we do all the work. Buy this car and feel younger. Wear this perfume and drive the men crazy.

How about the message behind these Axe and Link cologne commercials!

Things are not always what they seem to be. What appears to be "too good to be true" often and usually is. Consider the wisdom of the following story:

There once was a King who commissioned a study to be done, the purpose of which was to gather the great wisdom of the universe. He sent scholars to the four corners of the earth to discover its wonders and report back to him. A year later, his emissaries returned and spent 6 months preparing their data for presentation to the King. They loaded their assessment on to 4 wagons, attached the several  teams of horses and brought it before their King. His Majesty was quite impressed with the depth of their research and the wonders which they assembled, however, he decided that the resulting report was too vast and complex, ordering his team of scholars to start over and further simplify their results.

Once again, the scholars traversed the earth for months, gathering additional data from their experiences and once again returned to the kingdom. As before, they spent a considerable amount of time compiling their data into the format and brevity desired by their King. Again summoned for their reporting duties, the scholars trimmed their report to a mere 30 volumes and 4 hours of presentation. As before, the King was amazed by their wisdom and discoveries, but decided that the results were still too complicated and lengthy for his people to understand and he ordered them back to the drawing board.

This cycle continued several more times over a period of many years until one day, the King exclaimed "Wonderful! Great! Superb! This is it, the wisdom of the ages!  I can now stand before my subjects and share this amazing discovery. He reviewed the short report as he prepared his weekly address to the people. Standing out on his balcony, with a smile of great accomplishment on his face, he warmly greeted his people and told them the story behind what he was going to announce. He then simply said:

"There ain't no free lunch."

There is seldom a substitute for hard work and persistence in any endeavor worth pursuing. There are no quick fixes, shortcuts or easy approaches. "That which is worth doing is worth doing right!" Promises to the contrary are meaningless and empty, likely to waste your time and energy, robbing you off opportunity elsewhere.

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Daniel Sitter
Author

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Learning an Exponential Entrepreneurial Mindset

Leverage is defined as the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it in a specific situation. According to Kevin Eikenberry, "When we use a lever, we use specific, correct actions to create great results. That is what we all want to do with our time - find the activities that will create greater results - personal, professional, business, financial, or others in our lives. Considering the returns (leverage) you will get on this investment, it will be time well spent."

Leveraging our assets, especially our time, must become an exponential process rather than the familiar linear method of exchanging our time for income. We must learn to think differently, adopting a new paradigm. Leverage is truly the key to wealth-building. Leverage is what gives the successful entrepreneur his competitive edge in the marketplace. A couple of good examples of high income, but still “caught in a linear model trap” are many doctors and lawyers. They lack leverage. Their income is in a 1:1 direct proportion to their productive time. We must learn to use our precious time carefully and enact systems to generate revenue for us consistently and in ratios of 2:1, 3:1 and so on, whether we are currently working or not. This is leverage at work. The systems we set into motion will work on our behalf 24/7/365.

A 1:1 linear relationship, where time spent working equals income, begs a simple question: What will he do when he runs out of workday? There are always just twenty-four hours in each day, approximately ten of which are available for productive sales work. This linear thinking mode is always going to provide a dead-end to earnings potential. We will simply run out of productive selling time.

An entrepreneur must utilize an exponential approach, a new mindset, whereas he develops and utilizes pre-developed systems for building income. These systems may be web sites, blogs, fax-on-demand services, social media, memberships, speaking engagements and so on. I favor a “multiple streams of income approach” popularized by Mark Victor Hansen. Revenues can be generated by the successful, simultaneous implementation of numerous systems providing these streams. For example, an engineering firm with this expanded paradigm may derive revenue from services rendered, sub-contracted work, construction, testing services, consulting, teaching, writing and publishing technical articles. This strategy reinforces the thinking that while one stream may be down, the others are up. Regardless, the streams will total far more than any individual, non-leveraged source of income would.

The key component to this entire thought process is clarity, and the acceptance of a new mindset by the entrepreneur, separating himself from the traditional 1:1 linear mode previously utilized. When we employ an exponential strategy, we open the floodgates of opportunity with limitless income potential. There is often far less stress and a great deal more enjoyment derived as well. This is how busy entrepreneurs can enjoy a lifestyle envied by others, and have the time to enjoy it as well.

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Daniel Sitter
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