A MOMENT OF SILENCE
We cannot mark the start of a new year without marking the tragedy of the recent past. The regions affected by the quake and the resulting terrible tsunami tragedy gives me reason to pause, reflect and consider the things that really matter most in life. I wanted to also take a moment to send personal condolences from me and my family to all the victims and people affected by this terrible disaster and tragedy. Our hearts goes out to all the families who have lost loved ones and whose loved ones are still missing. The devastation and horrific magnitude of what happened is so tragic and sad.
In this Edition
1. 11 Ways to Make 2005 Your Best Year Ever
2. The Power of Questions
3. A Few Powerful Questions for You
4. Quotes
5. Recommended Reading and Viewing
11 WAYS TO MAKE 2005 YOUR BEST YEAR EVER
It is hard to believe that I initially published this article in the first edition of the EIG newsletter, which dates back to January 2001; I cannot believe that we are now going into the 5th year of the newsletter. The response to this article was amazing; it was picked up by many respected magazines and prestigious newsletters around the world including Message from the Masters, Meeting Planners International and SelfGrowth.com, and it has since turned in to one of my professional speaking programs. On the request of the many people who did not have an opportunity to read the first newsletter and/or believe it is particularly applicable this year, I am reprinting it to start off this New Year. I hope you enjoy it.
January – the start of a fresh new year. This is a wonderful time to take stock and reflect on the year gone by, the triumphs you achieved, the time you shared with family and friends, the good choices you made in business. But in order to grow and develop both personally and professionally, you also have to look back at and acknowledge the things that challenged you, the things that did not go so well.
There is nothing wrong with setbacks, in fact, I believe that if we don’t have obstacles to overcome along the way we won’t learn and grow. Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, once said, “ If you want to increase your rate of success, you better be prepared to increase your rate of failure.”
We all have hopes and dreams for this New Year. The slate is wiped clean for all of us as we start afresh. Why not take a few moments in this New Year to think about your dreams and goals for 2005? In what areas do you want to grow? What is truly important to you? What challenges do you want to take on? Most of us don’t realize what we can accomplish when we unleash the hidden talents that we possess. To help you make this New Year your best ever, take a few moments to ponder these 11 suggestions:
1. CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Have a clear vision and focus of what you want to achieve and set a time frame. Challenge yourself to be the best you can be at all times. Visualize what you want to accomplish. See it in your mind. Write down your goals, have a plan of action, and never doubt you will be successful.
2. FIND THE LOVE FACTOR
Surround yourself with loving, supportive people. Stay away from the dream stealers, the people who would bring you down. Cherish the special people in your life and let them know you cherish them.
3. DEDICATE QUALITY TIME
Life is so precious; make the most of each and every day. Rise early, spend some quality time by yourself as well as with those you care about. Go for a walk, workout, read a book. Value not only the time you spend with your loved ones, but also the time you spend by yourself.
4. STRETCH YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Do at least one thing a day, which makes you feel uncomfortable. Push yourself; you will be amazed how far you can go. Remember: on the other side of fear is freedom. To remain stagnant is not to grow. To reach your full potential, you must rise above the fray and soar like an eagle.
5. BE PASSIONATE
Show passion in everything you do. Let it show in your body language, in your smile, in your voice. Let your eyes sparkle. Let the world see and hear your enthusiasm and let it feel your passion.
6. SERVE OTHERS
Be a role model and mentor for people. Volunteer in your community and help others achieve their goals. Your world will be enriched and a better place for sharing your talents and giving freely of your time. Leave a lasting legacy.
7. DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF
Let go of the little things you can’t control. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Recognize that perfection isn’t always the only option. Don’t let life’s imperfections bother you. Lighten up and see the funny side of things when they go wrong, the learning in them. Be tolerant, smile…don’t waste your energies on the small stuff, you have much bigger fish to fry.
8. LIVE WITH INTEGRITY
Always be true to yourself. Take pride in whatever you do. Be proud of who you are and what you represent. Accept others with all their flaws. Show compassion and goodwill to your fellow human beings. Be dignified. Lead a life of purpose and be proud of your values.
9. SHOW GRATITUDE
Show gratitude and say thank-you to the people who have helped you along the way. Send a handwritten letter to someone who has touched you. Call up a friend or loved one and tell them how much they mean to you. Compliment a colleague or business associate on a job well done. Show people you appreciate and care about them. Acts of kindness cost nothing but mean everything.
10. CELEBRATE SUCCESS
Be proud of your achievements. Take time to recognize yourself and others for even the small successes. But also be humble and dignified, sensitive to people who are not as fortunate as you.
11. EXUDE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
I cannot express enough the importance of having a positive attitude and believing in yourself. Yes, you can be well intentioned, you can be determined, but without a positive attitude about yourself and about life, you will not succeed. Dreams will die, goals will fade, and gloom and darkness will replace clear blue skies and sunshine in your mind and heart.
Remember, people will frequently forget what you said to them, sometimes forget what you did for them, but they will never forget how you made them feel. Make your New Year’s resolution for this year not only to have your best year ever, but also to help those you care for achieve the same goal.
Copyright 2000: Charles M. Marcus
THE POWER OF QUESTIONS
One of the most important and powerful ways that you can stand out in the arena of life is by asking powerful questions. Sounds simple and makes sense doesn’t it? But from my experience, especially in the business world, it doesn’t happen very often. People are so pre-occupied with talking about themselves, their company, their products and services, their agenda, the features, the benefits, showing off the fancy brochure, and are way too focused on their view of the goal.
Now I am not saying some of these things are not important, they certainly are, but trust me on this one, if you want to differentiate yourself from your competition, stand out from the crowd, be looked upon as a total professional, be it in sales, service, etc. do yourself a favor, and start asking your prospect, customers and clients powerful questions. This serves two purposes. Firstly, you will be surprised about the information you will gather that will help you with your goal. Secondly, it brings the other person into the conversation and makes them feel that it is also about their goal.
Your prospect, client or customer doesn’t care about what is important to you, and I assume that this does not come as a shock to some of you. What they actually care about is what is important to them! They want to know that you are truly interested in them, that you care about what they care about, that you have their best interests at heart, and, that you are not just out to make the sale or close the deal, or achieve your goals.
By asking thought provoking, intelligent open-ended questions, you will find out a lot about the people you want to do business with. In my experience the right questions will help you identify very quickly people’s challenges, needs, problems, and even the objections that may stop you from doing business with them. Once you have identified their concerns and problems, then, and only then, have you earned the right to start talking about what solutions you can offer them. And, you will be speaking the right language for them to hear about your solutions!
Powerful questions builds credibility, credibility builds trust, and trust earns you loyal happy clients and customers who want to do business with you, and most importantly, who become advocates of yours and who want to recommend your products and services to there friends, colleagues and family.
The quality of your questions will determine the quality of the answers you will receive. Before you make any presentations or have any more client meetings either in person or on the telephone, do your homework on the person or company you want to do business with, and identify the questions you need to ask to engage them and to gather valuable information. Be Bold. Be Imaginative. Be Thought Provoking. Your reward will be their trust, respect, admiration and their business!!!!!!!!! The right questions will position you as an expert in your field, make you stand out from the crowd, and will make you memorable to them. And being memorable to the people you want to do business with is good, very good indeed.
A FEW POWERFUL QUESTIONS FOR YOU
What are you going to do differently in 2005 after reading the two above articles to make this your best year ever?
What courageous questions are you going to ask the people you want to do business with, or get to know?
What price are you willing to pay and what sacrifices are you prepared to make to be extra ordinary this year and to stand out from the crowd?
Make no mistake about it, there are sacrifices to be made and a price to be paid, but for those of you who want to be the best you can be, who are willing to take risks, face rejection, be bold, courageous, get out of your comfort zone, for those of you who have a strong work ethic and who focus on service instead of selling, who will do what most other people are not prepared to do, who have the drive, vision, courage, fortitude and discipline to be consistent and committed in everything you do, you will have a fantastic year……..The standards are high my friends, but the rewards are great.
Talk less, listen more, ask interesting powerful questions, be a person who gives great value and impeccable service and watch your business and your friendships grow by leaps and bounds.
QUOTES
“The fearful are caught as often as the bold” Helen Keller
“There is one and only one person who can chart the course of your success…You!!” Charles Marcus
“When your face is down in the dirt—-you have a whole new perspective on life” Sharon Stone
RECOMMENDED READING and VIEWING
A First Serving of Milk and Cookies for Success by Daniel Saintjean with Goyan Goads
This is a one of a kind book. It is totally unique, politically incorrect, whacky, funny and one of the most generous books I have read. It contains 586 pages (yes, you have it correct, 586 pages) of wonderful lessons, principles, truths, gems and words of wisdom on how to achieve success in every area of your life. The value of the content of the book alone makes it a great buy. It also includes hundreds of dollars worth of valuable downloadable information as a value added bonus, but what makes it extra special is that a generous portion of the proceeds of every book sold goes to worthy charity causes. Go to www.milkandcookiesforsuccess.com for more information and to order your very own copy.
Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer
This is a “must read” book for everyone in the world of business and selling. Jeffrey Gitomer is right on the money with his 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness. His book is well laid out and rich in content. Gitomer pulls no punches and tells it like it is in the world of sales, but he knows his stuff and I loved his style of writing. This book is rich in wisdom, but is also a real fun read. I read it in a couple of hours on a recent plane ride, couldn’t put it down. It will also become a great resource for you to keep going back to.
If you like a daily dose of motivation, inspiration, education and wisdom do yourself a favor and go to www.dailyinbox.com. There you will find six very different newsletters that you can choose from to subscribe to free of charge and they come to you daily on the net. You can also subscribe to all six if you wish!!!! Enjoy.
