Archive for the ‘Business Growth’ Category
Everyone Sells
It surprised me when I got this reaction when I told someone how many sales calls I make every week “How can you do that many calls?” she asked. ”How can I not?” I replied. As Suzanne says, believe “Sales are what you do FOR people not TO people.” I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales. Anyone in your business has the ability to make a sale or to lose a sale.
There are a few indispensible principles and procedures that any good salesperson must embrace. Honesty and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur. With these two traits in place, a relationship of trust can be established with your clients. Zig Ziglar’s mother told him, “Son, if a man’s word is no good, eventually he’ll be no good.” If you commit to something, follow through. You can’t make a good deal with a bad person. There is some money out there that is not worth having. One of my coaches calls that “crazy money”.
One of our 10K clients reminded me of something that a lot of entrepreneurs skip over when it comes to sales — prospecting. That word drives fear into the heart of the individual who doesn’t believe that selling something to someone is for their benefit and overall well-being. We all prospect and don’t even know we are doing it. When you start the dating process, you are actually prospecting for the person you want to marry. When you have a product to sell, you need someone to sell it, so you have to go out and find the folks who need what you have. If you don’t believe that their lives will be better because of what you have to sell them, they you are either selling the wrong thing or you are selling it to the wrong person. A true prospect needs your product or services, has a potential desire to own that product or service and has financial ability to make that decision.
Prospecting becomes second nature when you can implement this quote: “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want.” When you are truly interested in other people, you will learn what they like. If they like you, and most people like folks who take an interest in them, they’ll help you find people who do need what you have to sell, even if they don’t.
Mastering sales techniques, principles and systems should be the first skill set entrepreneurs aspire to acquire. Good business starts from the inside — the belief in what you have to sell is so strong and you have an honest desire to help your clients get their needs met. Here are 7 success strategies to help you master the essentials:
1. Be able to easily explain what you sell and who buys it.
2. Believe in what you sell.
3. Form partnerships with people.
4. Listen.
5. Every conversation you have with client is of monumental importance.
6. Everyone on your team can be taught to actively prospect.
7. You will sell more when people like you. People like you when you show interest in them.
Remember, it is all about the know-like-trust factor. The faster you get there, the faster your prospect becomes a client. Be in the business of making a difference in people’s lives.
-Cathi Harley, Director of Coaching
The Trillion Dollar Marketing Secret That Almost No One is Using.
Yup, you read that right, a Trillion Dollars Secret to growing your business that most people aren’t using AND almost no one is talking about.
So I want you to take a minute and imagine a marketing strategy that’s:
- Been around over 100 years
- CRAZY effective
- Brings in nearly $2 Trillion in sales
- AND that is being almost completely ignored by our industry?
- BUT all the “Big Boys” – Bank of America, Disney, CapitalOne and Time Warner Cable – are using it, loving it and raking in the money!
It’s called Direct Mail Marketing.
Think Magazine subscriptions, Record Clubs, Sweepstakes, Time-Life Books, Credit Card Offers….. that letter from Aunt Edna.
You see, direct mail is basically sending you some physical mail to elicit a response, whether that is to get a magazine, a book, join a sweepstakes or to visit your Aunt in Tallahassee.
Direct Mail works, in fact as other sectors of advertising are falling off in their effectiveness, direct mail is growing – especially when it’s used for cross-channel marketing (basically using a postcard or letter to drive traffic to a website or salespage).
Remember, it’s only “junk mail” when you don’t want it or aren’t looking for it.
But if you get a card, letter or DVD in the mail and it’s exactly what you need, it has the answer you’re looking for you’d be really happy and grateful, wouldn’t you?
It also works because as Suzanne says all the time “Zigg” while they “Zagg”. And since so many people in our industry are not using mail, then simply sending some mail is a “Zigg” – because let’s face it… everyone’s email in-box is pretty full these days.
Think about it, do you get less than a 100 emails a day? Now imagine what your prospects inbox looks like as they are looking for a solution to their problem.
So how are we using Direct Mail here at Suzanne Evans Coaching?
- We mail a copy of our Free DVD when you first join our list
- We send pre-event postcards to let people know when we’ve got a new event happening in their area
- We send registration gifts to people who register for various events and programs (what’s great about this is that we can then involve them before the event even starts
- We send “lumpy” letters – i.e. last year’s Be the Change Button, which went viral on social media and created a lot of buzz for the event.
- We promote book and product launches through postcards, fliers and letters
- And Fun surprise mailings
And the best thing about Direct Mail Marketing is that you can use it wherever you are in your business.
- Just starting out – send a warm letter
- Having an event – send a postcard
- Send a freebie CD or DVD through the mail
- Hosting a meetup – send an invitation
- Targeting a high-end group of prospects – FedEx a personal DVD player with a professionally edited video of your offer on it and put a post-it that says “Play Me”
- Integrate mail into any “Big Push: campaigns you have, like we do for Be the Change.
Direct Mail is a powerful, effective and underutilized marketing strategy that can have you standing out from the others in your field.
What is one thing you could add right now to your marketing and business building efforts?
Start adding direct mail today and take your piece of the Trillion Dollar Secret.
-Brian Stark, Director of Strategic Development
3 Simple Things You Can’t Do Without
What a blast to spend time with the Women of the Curio Market in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe last year through Suzanne’s Global Empowerment Journey project. I knew it was going to be an inspiring trip, but I had no idea how much I would learn from these incredible and fascinating ladies.
I came away with such a new perspective and realization that sometimes we forget some of the simple ways we can rejuvenate, motivate and even inspire ourselves….For example:
Celebration:
Whew, did these women love to celebrate. At even the slightest moment of “good” news, they would break into song out of gratitude for us being there to work with them.
This would happen frequently whether they were singing a song about “working for the gold” or another song we heard called “I thank you for the rest of my life.” Come on…don’t you just love that?!
It reminded me that so often we take things for granted…like getting a new client. That’s I am so adamant about doing a happy dance every time we here at SEC bring on a new client, every time a home study is sold…really any time money comes into our business. That sense of celebration and excitement creates a joyful and grateful place to do all our work from.
Giving:
At the end of our journey, the women passed around a big bag and each of the shop owners placed one of their curios they normally sell in the bag as a symbol of their appreciation. It brought nearly all of us to tears. Realizing, that should they sell one of these items in their shop, it meant money to feed themselves and their families for at least a day or two… but they were willing to share what they had with us… oh… so beautiful.
It was a great reminder how important it is to not wait until you have “enough” to give, before you actually do give. The power in giving is when we give from a place of knowing there is always enough and that whatever we do give to others will come back to us many times over.
Community:
You could feel the sense of support and community even though these women pretty much sold the same items from shop to shop in their Curio Market. Their shops were small little sectioned of squares of space, each full of African bowls, carvings and batik cloth.
It was so exciting to see the love they had for each other and to discuss with them new ways they could further support each other in promoting each other’s shops so they could all thrive as a whole.
I came back with a new sense of my own community, not just the incredible group of entrepreneurs I went to Zimbabwe with, but also my connection to you… the Suzanne Evans Community… as well as my colleagues, friends and family.
We aren’t meant to do this all alone and the more we can celebrate with each other, give to one another and support each other in our growth, the more all of us succeed and truly create the change we want to see in the world.
So here is my question to you…are you taking time everyday to celebrate, give and build your community? If not, start right NOW.
What is one thing you can celebrate right now in your life and in your business? Did you get a new client? Did some unexpected money come in? Do you have food in your refrigerator? Do you have a refrigerator? Whatever it is… Celebrate it!
What is one piece of giving you could do today? Can you donate some time or money to a cause that is dear to your heart? Can you give some canned food to the food shelter? Can you go online and donate $25 to Kiva.com and help an entrepreneur in a developing country? Whatever it is… Give It!
What is one thing you could do today to build community? Can you connect with your accountability partner? Can you reach out to a friend or mentor who understands building a business? Can you connect with a facebook friend and offer some support? Whatever it is… Build Community around it!
Make sure you are bringing these 3 things into your business and into your life EVERY day, and who knows, you may just burst into song too!
-Paige Stapleton, SEC Director of Client Development
How I Gave It All Up
For years I was known for insane work ethic. I think the immature or jealous would have said I was a workaholic. I think I was year 1 and 2 of business, but there was not much of a choice when working a 60 hour a week day job AND building a business. The next several years I became less about insanity working and more about being wildly focused and intense. There are a few reasons I did this….
1) It takes it. It really does….especially in the beginning.
2) I loved what I was doing. The more I did it. The more I loved it.
3) I know from experience, my mentors, and study that you can outrun anybody if you put in the effort and I am living proof. I am not the smartest or the best but I can outwork and out last anyone.
4) It was all a part of a grand plan. (Most people don’t know this about me- I never shared it until now)
My friend, Larry Winget, says “Dreams don’t come true. Plans come true.” And I have had a plan for everything in my business every year, every month, every day from the start. 90% of all of it I have shared with my clients, tribe, and team, and the rest has been my personal plan.
Years ago when I read the quote about ” living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can live the rest of your life like most people can’t ” it made a ton of sense to me.
Basketball players can’t play for ever.
Opera singers voices change.
Carpenters hand eventually get shaky
But no matter what you do you can set yourself up for forever. And that is what I have been doing the last five years. I intentionally lived my life in such a way that I could live it in a certain way now. Don’t get me wrong….I work hard. I manage 15-17 full time employees, run 20 events a year, 20 launches, speak 1-2 times a month, but I have been able to scale back, slow down, and shift priorities.
It was always my plan.
I was known for super late nights …..I am now usually in bed by 10.
I coached 7-9 hours a day…..I now coach 3.
I did all my own copy, launch planning, sales, and management….. I now do about 10%
I worked in the evening and on weekends…. now only on occasion or when I want to.
I did not get lucky or lazy. It was a plan. And it worked because if you work a plan it always does. Here is my advice to you if you want to set yourself up for long term.
1) Have a plan. And work it. To an insane default. Do every damn thing you say you will do.
2) Don’t launch a business and expect to get to be where I am now and when you are not get pissed and stop. It took me and every other Inc 500 winner years to get to here. Be patient. Work the plan.
3) Over hire as you get more and more successful. Last year I over staffed myself. I knew it. But I was hiring for where I wanted to go and not where I was.
4) Know what you want out of life. Business sucks if your life sucks. Money does not replace joy.
So, you too can start to give some of it up. It just might not be this year, but plan it and it will happen.
-Suzanne Evans
Are you striving to be a “Best Place to Work” Company?
In a recent survey by Deloitte Consulting and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists, a nonprofit educational association, 75 percent of corporate respondents identified the ability to attract, motivate and retain talent as a top five priority for their annual agendas, up from 69 percent in 2006 and 56 percent in 2005. This growth was even more pronounced among companies with revenues exceeding $1 billion; 77 percent of respondents in this category identified the issue as a top five priority, slightly higher than the control of health care costs (73 percent).
One way that employers may attract, motivate and retain talent is by providing desirable or attractive benefits. However, benefits are costly and the costs are rising. In order to balance the competing objectives of providing benefits that will be attractive to employees and controlling costs, employers need to consider a number of issues.
First of all, companies should consider employees concerns about equity. Equity is when executives receive substantially better benefit packages than a company’s “rank and file” employees. Employee dissatisfaction may result and significant disparities between executive and employee benefits can sometimes become an issue in labor union negotiations. As an example some company executives can receive what is called a golden handshake or golden parachute. A golden parachute or handshake is a clause put in an executive’s contract to grant them large benefits if their employment is terminated. This type of package can be viewed as a benefit to the executive receiving the contract, but a disadvantage to those employees at a lower level. The view from the employer’s side is that they secure work for high-paid executives, but the downside is that the contract does not specify the executive to perform well.
Next, employers considering benefits to attract, retain and motivate employees need to take into consideration economic issues. According to National Underwriter Life & Health magazine, in a 2006 study, 90% of
the benefit managers surveyed rated “controlling costs of both health and welfare benefits” as the most important factor they consider in making benefit decisions. As benefit costs appear to be increasing exponentially, employers are trying to control those costs. In addition to paying some share of employee’s benefit costs, companies must pay costs of administrating the plan. Administrative costs are those costs to the employer via fees from equity companies who are the initial benefit provider. According to the survey listed above, reducing human resources administrative costs was significantly lower in importance this year compared to a similar study constructed in 2002. This is perhaps a sign that concerns of increasing costs in medical plans are taking precedence over reducing administrative costs. While controlling costs may improve a company’s bottom line, going too far in this direction by reducing benefits or by shifting more of the costs to employees may reduce job satisfaction or motivation on part of employer’s workers.
Employers designing benefits plans may also run into certain political issues. For example, Wal-Mart recently experienced a surge of negative public opinion and political outcry when memos came to light that revealed that the company had contemplated cutting benefit costs by dismissing elderly workers and those with health problems and limiting employees eligibility by restricting many to part time schedules. Another political issue is if married employees with families receive benefits for their spouse or daycare benefits for their children. Offering coverage for controversial or experimental medical treatments, or denying such coverage could have political repercussions as could the denial of benefits to unmarried life partners. Lastly, the Starbucks article could bring up a point on politics. This article speaks how employees are eligible to participate in the company’s 401(K) plan if they are full time or part time and receives over 240 hours of work. It would seem that the misappropriation could be seen that a full time worker is getting similar benefits as compared to the part time worker.
Competitiveness may be a key factor when employers are deciding what benefits to contribute to employees. The attractiveness of your benefits package can make a difference, with regards to attracting new hires, between pulling in star candidates and having to settle for average performers, especially when the labor market is tight. (Potter and Youngman) The disadvantage of using employee benefits to attract new applicants is it may take additional effort to make them feel that your benefits are better than the next interviewing company’s. The key to competitiveness is differentiation. Even when particular benefit elements are seen as desirable or almost universally offered, employers could still differentiate their programs.
“More experienced” applicants may be the ones most likely to place the most weight on a company’s benefits package in considering whether to accept a job offer. According to Employee Benefit News, much is being written about the value of retaining and recruiting older workers. The advantages of having mature employees-baby boomers and members of the Silent Generation preceding them-are well known, they tend to be stable and loyal. Most are highly skilled. Workers with long tenures possess workplace experience and institutional knowledge that is difficult, if not impossible to replace. If there is a downside to employing a veteran workforce, it’s higher health care bills. There’s no getting around the fact that older human assets break down more often and require more costly maintenance.
Lastly, employers looking to make benefit decisions based on employee attractiveness, retention and motivation need to look at overall employee satisfaction. Again, according to the National Underwriter Life & Health magazine, in a 2006 study found that attracting and retaining employees and increasing employee job satisfaction continue to be the two most important goals of benefit plans among over 500 employers with 10 to 2000+ employees. They said, “Helping employees plan for their financial future is also key.”
A factor to consider along with job satisfaction is motivation. To further explain the connection between job satisfaction and motivation and employee benefits, it is useful to take a look at Hertzberg’s theory. Hertzberg’s theory describes motivation as being based on two factors: motivators that are associated with job satisfaction, and hygiene and maintenance factors, which are called job dis-satisfiers. Motivators consist of achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement. They are central and related directly to the nature of the work and rewards attainable from work performance. Hygiene includes company policy and administration, supervision, salary, interpersonal relations with superiors, subordinates and peers and working conditions. These are extrinsic and associated with the work environment. The important thing to remember is that these two factors are different. For instance, providing for hygiene needs can prevent dissatisfaction for the employee and disadvantages to the employer, but does not contribute to satisfaction and therefore cannot increase motivation. The best way to increase motivation is from the central factors, so it is advantageous for employers to identify and utilize effective motivators.
In conclusion, in considering how to use benefits as a means to attract, retain and motivate employees companies need to take into account issues related to equity, cost, politics, competition, recruiting and even job satisfaction and motivation. Overall it is interesting to see employers who worry more about the benefits that are provided than the employees do. Although benefits are a consideration of potential employees, the top consideration when deciding to join or remain with an employer is “the quality of coworker and/or customer relationships,” followed by the opportunity for work/life balance and “working for an organization whose purpose/mission they agree with.”
Lindsey Pascoe, Controller
Movements, Tribes and Leadership in Today’s Market
It may be tricky to put your finger on it but you know when someone has it — you feel a force that is stronger than you, propels you, inspires you — leadership. I am honored to have been called a leader and it got me thinking about what makes a leader in the 21st century. I believe it is about behavior, what you do on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis to achieve success. I would love to share with you how to become a more effective, admirable and dynamic leader — starting now.
1. Establish a vision — Suzanne Evans calls it a Movement. Seth Godin calls it Tribes. Whatever you call it, as a leader you must choose a final destination that’s worth the journey. Great leaders see outcomes that are worthy of people’s efforts. By worthy, I am not talking about money but at things that are important, contributing to people, to community and to the world. I love this saying “Anyone can steer the ship, it takes a leader to chart the course. A leader sees the whole trip in their mind before they leave the dock.” They have vision for getting to their destination, they understand what it will take to get there, they know who they’ll need on the team to be successful, and they recognize the obstacles long before they appear on the horizon.
2. Get Your Ego in Check — This is the secret for going from mediocrity to extraordinary success. You need to channel your ego’s energy into the larger goal of a great business. You can be incredibly ambitious, but your ambition is first and foremost for your business, not yourself. Where leaders make mistakes is when they start operating out of ego and think they’re somebody special…they get confused and off track. Things don’t get done and a lot of productivity is lost.
3. Serve Others — This step has 2 components: both external and internal. To serve inside your company, become a servant leader — one who strives to fulfill the needs of those who he or she leads. I love — not only like or respect — my team. I am not bashful about hugging them, encouraging them, about celebrating their successes. I want to know what is going on with their families, I want to know how their life is; I want to know what they need. I want people around me who love me, respect me and want to be with me. To serve externally, it is about donating of time, resources, ideas and items — all beyond just writing a check to a charity. The best way to receive is to give and then give some more.
4. Lead By Example — Mahatma Gandhi states “We must become the change we want to see.” It sounds very simple but it is incredibly true. The best leaders understand that people are keenly observing them and they’re aware that people believe what they see and not necessarily what they hear. So the best leaders are true examples. I will never forget Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s actions after 9/11 in his example of leadership, strength and resilience that inspired a nation.
5. Don’t Quit — No matter what happens, don’t quit. When the road gets bumpy, never, ever, give up. Persistence means sticking to your guns. No Plan B. No going back to getting a J-O-B. It’s keeping your commitment and taking actions consistent with your word. It’s all about “walking your talk.”
When you look around, see how many leaders you can identify in your life. They will have high endurance. They stay in the pool longer, swim more laps. When everyone else has gone to bed, the light in their home office is still on. These are the people who will impact the world.
The most important ingredient in leadership is self-leadership. Ask yourself these questions “Can you lead yourself? Do you have the discipline to create the habits that will allow you to improve upon and build something based on consistency and sustainability. Can you do it over and over? Can you do it well? Can you do enough to make an impact?”
- Cathi Harley
- Director of Coaching
Mind Map
Working on big projects that have many different components, or maybe ones with fewer components that are complicated can easily turn into quite the headache. In some cases, you may end up spending too much time on one task while the others are being ignored. Another example would be focusing on all the components, but jumping around so much that none of them are getting completed in a timely manner.
Approximately three months ago, I was given the project to get things ready and setup up for what we call a Master Mind. Basically, a Master Mind is three day, small conference that we have for our clients in the “Hell Raiser” group. Two weeks into working on it (among the usual daily work), I could feel the stress getting higher than normal. In the middle of the third week, I felt like there was too many things I needed to get done and I would most likely forget to do something.
In order to stop my head from exploding, I came up with the idea to create a mind map for the Master Mind. If I thought I was forgetting something, I would take a quick look at the mind map to remind myself; instead of trying to recall it from memory. Here is an example of a mind map.
The main bubble in the middle I had was “Master Mind” and I broke that up into 3 categories. The categories were “Conference Room”, “Catering” and “HIA Conference Center”. Then I broke down each of those categories, and kept breaking it down until there was nothing else left for them.
After creating a mind map, you are able to see how all the pieces fit together more easily. Being able to see the whole picture at once took a good amount of stress off my shoulders and made me feel more confident in completing the project correctly. When I completed a section of the mind map, I highlighted it so I would know not to concentrate in that area anymore.
This is a great tool to use when you have lots of things going on in your head. It is also good to do if you are a visual person that needs to see something for it to make sense. Next time you have a big project, give the mind map a try and see how it works for you.
-Brad Adams, Executive Assistant
The Money is in the Follow Up
It never ceases to amaze me how few business people make the time to follow-up after they have made initial contact with a potential client. I can think of at least six different situations in my own life that have happened recently when someone did not bother to follow up with me. These included a landscaper who designed plans for one of my properties, two different people who I spoke to me about needing their services at a live event, a sales rep for a water filtration system, and a contractor who was asked to send more specific information. In each of these situations I was very interested in the product or service offered by the person and was willing to spend thousands of dollars! Not one of them followed up with me.
This got me wondering…why don’t people follow-up? I think there are several reasons.
They don’t want to appear pushy. It may be true that following up too frequently will come across as being pushy. However, very few business people ever come close to crossing the line. In fact, one of the few times, a business owner was pushy was more because of his tone, rather than fact he actually followed up. As a business owner, you have to believe it is your responsibility to keep following up with your potential clients until you know for certain if they want to do business with you or tell you to “buzz off”. A weekly call is more than enough to keep in touch providing you make sure your call is short and to the point. In between calls, how about sending them a video? High touch using high tech!
They forget. It’s easy to forget considering how busy we all are. You may have every intention of calling your potential client but you get caught up in your business. You didn’t schedule the follow-up and it doesn’t get done. This is a common dilemma but one that can be avoided by considering the follow-up like a scheduled appointment. Put it on your calendar for every week. Block out a minimum of 4 hours week for “follow up”.
They have never been taught. Many people have never received formal sales training like I did in my corporate job and have not learned why they should follow-up and how to make this happen. This is relatively easy to remedy. Start by asking or telling your potential client that you will follow-up on a specific day or time. Tell them how you will follow-up (telephone, email, face-to-face) and record this on your calendar. We all use Google calendar which includes a reminder so you don’t forget to follow-up.
Here’s the bottom line. You can easily differentiate yourself from your competition by making the effort to follow-up with your potential clients and new clients. Don’t take it for granted that they will call you. “Now, when were you going to call me?”
-Cathi Harley, Director of Coaching
Acting vs. Selling
I took my first acting class around the same time I attended my first 3-Day Event in the Coaching World. As I was operating a camera and taking in whatever information I could, I started to see a connection between sales tactics and acting tactics (or “Actics”)
When breaking down a scene as an actor, the first thing we were taught was the concept of Motivation. In this scene, what is your motivation? What do you want? Do you want your Brother to loan to you $1,000? Do you want your daughter to get out of the swimming pool and come inside for lunch? Whatever that motivation is, carry it throughout the scene until you get what you want.
The Next thing to consider is your Obstacles. What is getting in the way of your Goal? Could be the other person in the scene, could be that you are in a public, could be that there is a giant rain storm going on. Based on what
obstacles are in your path, you must use different Tactics to get what you want. You can be flattering, debasing, coy, innocent; many tactics will be used within one scene. Almost every scene in TV, Film and Theatre can be tested through these 3 acting methods.
I’m sure you can see already how this relates to making a Sale. There must be countless times when people are interested in your programs or services, but that they throw obstacles in your way like: “I can’t afford it right now” or “I need to talk to my Husband first.” It is then up to you to use different tactics to empower them to make a decision. And at the end of every scene, someone wins or someone loses (I’m sure there are cases of stalemates, but that’s not very dramatic, is it?)
So as you talk to your next possible client, think about your motivation and what tactics you are using when talking to them. If you are having trouble closing, try a new tactic. Selling is an art form same as acting, so it demands experimentation and practice.
BONUS: 3 Performance Tips for Shooting Video
Think about Visualization. If you are trying to get the viewer to imagine a situation or you are trying to tap into their pain points, be sure to visualize what you are talking about. It’ll help create a richer picture for the viewer to connect to.
Own the fact that you are the Expert in your field. In terms of video, characters who second guess themselves and don’t act confidently are less likely to be memorable.
The biggest critique young Actors get deals with Posture. Too many times, actors slump over themselves and don’t hold themselves up. Make sure and check your posture, so your back is straight and there is power in your stature. It’s something we do without even thinking about it. When performances go past Motivation and enter the land of Physical choices, that’s where the really good work lives.
-Daniel Maggio, Editor
Are You Hallucinating
I love this quote from Thomas Edison, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” And he should know a thing or two about vision, execution AND persistence.
Chances are probably pretty good that you are reading this with a lightbulb on somewhere in the room you are sitting.
Edison had the vision to “see” the lightbulb as possible (even though it had never existed before).
BUT he didn’t’ stop there, he didn’t just sit in his study and think about how much better the world would be if there were this safe, effective and easy to use light-source.
He moved into execution and actually worked toward creating it, birthing it into existence. And it took him 10,000 tries to actually make a working prototype.
And here’s where the persistence kicks in, after the first failure he kept going… after the 1000th failure… he kept going… after the 9,999th failure he kept going… until he made it work….
Because he had a clear vision, he had faith in it and he took action UNTIL his vision was made into reality.
I’ve got 3 simple “Yes” or “No” questions for you, so please answer them as truthfully as you can.
Question #1
Do you have a killer vision for how you see the world and how you see your world? Do you see how what you have to offer (your service, your product, your idea, your gift) can bring light into the world and make it a better place? Continue Reading





