Motivation

There are laws at work in the universe regarding the flow of energy. As money is energy, it follows the same laws, and the Law of Attraction concerns the cycle of giving and getting. You give what you want to get—  what you put out in the world comes back to you.  The universe gives you things, and when you give them back, you complete the flow of energy. Giving back is spiritual in nature. Take an inventory of all that you have now and all that you get every day. Are you grateful for it? Giving back is a way of saying thank you to the universe, and it creates a sense of alliance with the universal laws of abundance. There is enough for everyone; you need not hoard what is given to you. When you give back you are sending out an energetic message that you acknowledge that you have enough and you have a heart of gratitude for all that has come your way. When you give back, you open yourself to receive more. Giving back, or tithing, can come in different forms. It can come in the...

If you don’t pay attention for long enough, you’ll start to find that your email inbox is littered with marketing emails. Once these reach a tipping point and the user becomes properly enraged and goes on an “unsubscribe” crusade, the marketer loses. But e-commerce sites feel like they have to do it. Email marketing is cheap and easy and (when done properly) works. So, how do you avoid the unsubscribe crusade? This infographic from email management firm Email Delivered provides five great tips for making sure your email is opened: This story originally appeared on  PR Daily

There are no shortage of instructional sales books. In fact, there are probably too many. The difficulty with most of the books is that they tend to teach you how to follow a process or structure that can limit your ability to think on your feet or adjust to a dynamic situation. A little bit of structured selling isn't a bad thing, but following steps that someone designed to sell to a certain type of buyer isn't going to provide a perfect fit for every situation. The reality is, there are a few basic steps that you can take to move light years ahead of the rest -- key word being "basic" -- that have little to do with the product or service that you're selling. In fact, they have nothing to do with the product or service you're selling, but instead have everything to do with you. Selling has very little to do with what you sell and everything to do with how you sell, not the product, but yourself. People buy most products in a business setting because they lik...

Did you know that a vital key to sales success is listening? The ability to listen well is absolutely indispensable for success in all human relationships. The ability to be a good listener in a sales conversation is the foundation of the new model of selling. It leads to easier sales, higher earnings and greater enjoyment from the sales profession. Being A Good Talker is Not Enough Many salespeople have been brought up with the idea that, in order to be good at your profession, you must be a glad-hander and a good talker. You have even heard people say, "You have the 'gift of the gab'; you should be in sales!" Focus On the Other Person Nothing could be further from the truth. As many as seventy five percent of all top salespeople are defined as introverts on psychological tests. They are very easy going and other-centered. They would much rather listen than talk. They are very interested in the thoughts and feelings of other people and they are quite comfortable sitt...

Most salespeople talk way too much. In today’s market, chatty salespeople are champing at the bit to swamp prospects with information. My research shows that the average salesperson talks over 81 percent of the time in a selling situation. Not only is that approach ineffective, it’s losing you sales. You can close more sales, simply by talking less. Here are seven ways to do it: 1. Be distinct from the competition.  When prospects perceive you as similar to other salespeople, you are in trouble. As a result, your goal is to be perceived as totally distinct from the competition. The next time a prospect asks you why he should do business with you, you should reply, “I’m not sure that you should. Would it be okay if I asked you a few questions to better understand your situation?” This approach is different, more credible, and immediately separates you from other salespeople.  2. Understand your prospect’s challenges.  Most salespeople spend their time t...

Ever wonder why some company’s sales programs are more successful than others? During a recent forum at Emergence Capital that included Bill Binch, Marketo’s EVP of Worldwide Sales, followed by panels dedicated to sales efficiency and growth strategies with speakers from ServiceMax, InsideSales, Zendesk, Fuze, and InsideView, I compiled 10 “sales secrets” based on their experiences. 1. Give sales reps transactions quotas, not revenue quotas.  Binch joined Marketo in May 2008. To make a difference in the first 90 days and remove hurdles to closing deals, he changed quota metrics from revenues to transactions. Six months later Binch put some rules around business and discounts, but it initially gave sales reps confidence to close deals, regardless of the deal size or customer brand. 2. Partner with marketing from the beginning.  Scott Berg, COO at ServiceMax commented, “Sales starts with a demand generation pipeline model, but ul...

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A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do. Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service. The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively . Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude. There are people who, instead of listening to what is being said to them, are already listening to what they are going to say themselves. Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see. Don't ever wrestle with a pig. You'll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it. The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when...

One of the first things successful people realize is the old adage, “If it is to be, it is up to me.” That is your success and your course is up to you. This doesn't mean that you do it all alone. It simply means that you take responsibility for your life and your career. Too many people today look at opportunity and figure it is up to someone else to make sure they get it. They look at financial security and hope that the government will make sure they live safely in retirement or in case of disability. They wait and wait, figuring that it is all up to someone else. And then the wait is over, and it is too late to do anything. Their life is over and they are filled with regret. But this isn't true for you. You know that you must take responsibility for your life. It is up to you.  The fact is that nobody else is going to do it for you, you must do it yourself. I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations...

Personal excellence is perhaps the most important of all invisible and intangible assets that you can acquire. Achieving personal excellence in your business or industry requires lifelong dedication. But once you get into the top 10% of your field, you will be one of the highest paid people in the country. You will enjoy the respect and esteem of the people around you. You will be able to live your life the way you want to live it. You will enjoy high levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. Build Your Intellectual Assets Each person has or can acquire three forms of intellectual capital. These require an investment of study and hard work, but they pay off in higher income for the rest of your life. The first type of intellectual capital you can acquire consists of your core knowledge, skills, and abilities. These are the result of education, experience, and training. They determine how well you do your job and the value of your contribution to your business. Build Your...

A company that’s not growing is dying. This is an unpleasant reality that comes with the capitalist system, and it’s especially harsh for smaller or newer companies. Between concerns over debt, resource acquisition and client maintenance, plenty can go horrifically wrong. It’s no wonder that 80 percent of small businesses fail. The prudent investor must watch for these five warning signs. 1. Lackluster products.  A common challenge for any new business is separating themselves from the crowd. A company unable to provide a quality or niche product will likely get steam rolled by others already established in their field. Look through their product catalog to determine if the company has carved out a niche. If nothing stands out as unique to either the area or the market in general, rest assured someone else is already providing it. You should avoid investing in companies like that because, more often than not, you are disappointed in the end. 2. Lack of vision.  ...

Some people just have a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. They are, as the old saying goes, “Hung by the tongue.” A state trooper pulled a man over for speeding on a deserted road. Since the road was clear and the weather fine, the trooper had indicated that he may not give the man a ticket, and he let them off with a warning. He even complimented both the man and his wife for wearing their seat belts. At that point, the woman leaned over and said, “Well, officer, when you drive the speeds we do, you have to wear them.” That's when the trooper wrote the ticket. Gene and Carolyn were entertaining for the first time since the birth of their baby. Everything ran smoothly until one of Gene's buddies arrived with his new girlfriend—a woman whom Carolyn did not particularly care for. She beckoned her husband upstairs with the excuse that they had to check on the baby. In the privacy of the nursery, she spoke freely of her disdain for the new guest. When they went do...

Here's a good lesson... Just over a week or so ago I pitched for a 100k sales training programme. After a long winded process, 10 providers became 5 and then 5 became 2 with MTD being one of them. The final presentation that I just completed was to the board. 10 days before the presentation I was told: "We have state of the art rooms Sean so you can toggle your laptop in to the projector no problem. Also, as requested I will ensure that there are flip charts and pens in the room" Now, I've been around the block a few times to learn that you should always have a plan B! To that end I took my own projector and a spare flip chart... just incase. So what happened? Well, when I arrived the projector was not compatible with my laptop and the flips that the admin bod had sorted for me were "stolen" by someone in the training team! This could have been disastrous for me! Instead, acting kinda kool I just plugged in my own projector, hung up my own flip chart and wow...

Speech is habit, and through Vocal Awareness you will learn how to move from unconscious behavior to conscious behavior in every encounter so that you are always in charge of how you want to be known. Our body language speaks volumes. The following five tips will help you fine tune your body’s broadcast system. 1.There is no "off switch."  Stature is preparation for  everything  we do. Always stand in stature. Ask yourself what it might be like to  embody yourself  in stature. When you do so, the first discovery is that the body inhales. Your core muscles pull up and your chest expands. Arthur Joseph demonstrates how to stand with stature with a volunteer. Image credit: Vocal Awareness This is not simply standing up straight or at attention -- that is presentational and we tense. It is not only a physical posture, but a state of mind. In other words,  live in stature , don’t simply "present" in stature -- walking down the hallway, a conference call, meeting...

Knowledge fueled by emotion equals action. Action is the ingredient that ensures results.  Only action can cause reaction.  Further, only positive action can cause positive reaction.  Action. The whole world loves to watch those who make things happen, and it rewards them for causing waves of productive enterprise. I stress this because today I see many people who are really sold on affirmations. And yet there is a famous saying that, “Faith without action serves no useful purpose.” How true! I have nothing against affirmations as a tool to create action. Repeated to reinforce a disciplined plan, affirmations can help create wonderful results. But there is also a very thin line between faith and folly. You see, affirmations without action can be the beginnings of self-delusion, and for your well-being there is little worse than self-delusion. The man who dreams of wealth and yet walks daily toward certain financial disaster and the woman who wishes for happiness and yet t...

During an experiment, pigeons were put in cages with one green and one red button.  In one cage, if the birds pecked the green button they would get food every time.  In the other, the green button yielded food erratically and the pigeons had to persist to get enough food.  In both cases, pecking the red button did nothing.  Both sets of birds thrived, learning what they had to do to survive and to ignore the red button that yielded no food.  But when the birds that were used to getting a reward every time were put in the cage that fed them only occasionally, they failed to adapt; they hit their heads against the cage and pecked wildly at everything in sight. There are two worthwhile lessons from this study.  First, the pigeons quickly learned from experience to avoid the red button because it was unproductive.  There are lots of people who would lead smoother and happier lives if they just stopped pushing red buttons that never give them what they wan...

Everyone gets the same amount of time every day. We get all there is... 24 hours... 1,440 minutes. So, with time being such a precious commodity, why is it that so many of us spend our days worrying? Worry has almost become a national pastime for most. I suppose if we had a contract to live for a lifetime, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but we don’t. We just have now! Some of you may be reading this and thinking, “Yeah, he probably doesn’t have anything to worry about.” But that’s not true. I have plenty to worry about, I just choose not to, and I’d like to suggest that you follow suit and resolve right now, as you read this article, that you are not going to invest even one of those 1,440 minutes worrying... about anything. Clearly understand, there isn’t any situation that isn’t made worse by worry.  Worry never solves anything. Worry never prevents anything. Worry never heals anything.  Worry serves only one purpose... It makes matters worse. How? Well, quite simply, when ...

A young man wished to marry the farmer's beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission.  The farmer looked at him and said, "Son, go stand out in that field. I'm going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter."  The young man stood in the field awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out came the biggest, meanest looking bull he had ever seen.  He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through.  The barn door opened again. Unbelievable. . He had never seen anything so big and fierce in his life. It stood pawing the ground, it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be a better choice than this one he thought. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through.  The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest bull he had ever s...