I keep seeing these funny articles in different magazines like “What does Carrie Underwood listen to?” or “What’s on Matt Lauer’s IPOD?” It struck me as kind of funny until the other day when someone asked me, “Melanie, what do you listen to that helps you have a success mindset?

For me, it happens in multiple ways. I’m a big proponent of creating a success environment that pulls you towards your goals. I can’t always be with my mastermind so I find ways to create that energy with or without them. Listening to audio programs helps!

Two of my favorite audio programs right now are:

• David Neagle’s Art of Success CDs. David is a very powerful wealth accelerator and has a way to teaching the Law of Attraction so it actually works!
• Zig Ziglar’s Closing Secrets. I love how he tells stories to help build rapport and connect with your prospect.
• ULTIMATE Wealth & Success Circle CDs. I actually do listen to my own CD series…I hear things from my monthly wealth experts that I often miss the first time.

I’m also a BIG music person and I have over 10,000 songs on my IPOD. I’ve got the monster big 80 G video IPOD and even though it’s a bit large I love it. I take it everywhere…in the car driving errands, to the gym or when I walking on my treadmill at home and even on planes or any time that I’m just chilling out.

Because music is so important to me, a cool song can get me hyped up and back on track too. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

• My new favorite song by Natasha Beddingfeld, “Pocketful of Sunshine”. I’ve been listening to this on french fry days. The days when things are getting a bit frustrating and you are wondering if it would be easier to just go tend the counter at McDonald’s.
• “New Soul” by Yael Naim. I love this cool little song that explores what it must be like to figure out how to be human and deal with each other’s idiosyncrasies.
• “Clumsy” by Fergie. I don’t know what it is but I just love her…maybe because she has such a smokin hot body and she has over come a lot of bad influences from her past. She has a real spiritual side to her which I like.
• Anything disco…I know, I know…but for some reason it just makes me want to dance and that lightens my mind immediately.

I also have all of my meditation CDs and the Goal-Setting and Procrastination Release tools from my ULTIMATE Success Generator loaded up. I listen to a track from these every morning to set my day in the right direction.

So what’s on YOUR IPOD that gets your head in the right place? What gets you motivated and ready for action? Feel free to share by posting your comments here.

I’m just back from speaking at another live event.

And I’m noticing a significant trend…

Conference producers who have all the right intentions but not the right turnout (aka not enough people show up.)

So what’s going on with that? Live events are probably one of the most significant ways to get access to the right education to turn your business around. But over and over again I find that it’s hard to get people to show up? Its not that we have a decline in entrepreneurs starting businesses as that is actually growing. And I watch the people in the room having these huge breakthroughs so I know being there works.

Here are some of the things I saw happen for people at that event:

• Learned about a strategy, tool or new way of thinking to get better results
• Made new contacts with people who can really help make things happen
• Eliminated feelings of isolation and replaced with new friendships and mentors
• Transcended the “online networking” with tools like Facebook and Twitter to having real connections with real people who actually get you and want to do business with you
• Discovered how other people are making their business successful and short cut your own path
• Tapped into the synergy and “mastermind energy” of a group and get a million dollar idea (this happened to me this weekend)
• Socialized outside of the event so that the “getting to know” part could be more real (hence, connections that survive beyond the biz card exchange.)

I can probably make a list a mile long of the benefits of live events. So what keeps people from accessing this kind of resource? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

• Is it too many choices for what to invest your time and money in?
• Not clear from the event materials why you should come?
• Afraid to spend the money to travel?

What could possibly keep you from attending an event in person with all these possibilities? Anyway, I’m on a bit of a rant but I am curious and would love to hear your input. No matter how hard we all try to make online learning and networking a valuable tool, there just is no way to replace what can happen  in person.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts by commenting on the blog…I’ll post mine after I hear from you…

Wow, this was one of the nicest places I’ve ever stayed.

I’m not typically a big Mexico enthusiast. Not being a big partier and knowing that the water in Mexico is always a risk to Montezuma’s Revenge, I tend to keep to the Caribbean and Hawaii for my exotic vacations.

As luck would have it, as we were planning our “birthday get away” two of the Hawaii airlines went bankrupt so ticket prices were insane. And I’m glad, because this trip was a slice of paradise.

Could it have been the 5-star service? Having a private butler? A concierge dedicated just to us? Great food at the Japanese restaurant and steak houses? The most amazing view of the ocean from our suite? The all-inclusive resort experience? Yep, all of that and more.

The lobby of our building, where our
butler and concierge are. This is actually where
we checked in…very nice to have the golf cart take
you directly to your building and not have long lines to check in.

The view from our ocean-front suite.

This is in front of one of the restaurants –
every place on the property seems to
have a fantastic view!

One of my two fav spots — in the pool on
my raft or in the cabana reading a book.
It wasn’t even a business book –
I finally dug into an Oprah’s book club
recommendation called Middlesex.

We left the property only once to go in to Cancun for
a nice dinner at Laguna Grill. It’s a Fodor’s Choice
and well worth the $140 US dollars to eat there.

This crocodile decided to join us for dinner
he swam right up to our table (which was on the lagoon)
and waited for us to share a tasty morsel with him.

The best part? While I was off recharging, my amazing team of virtual assistants keeps my business making money. I’ve built my business to make money with — or without — me being present. That’s one of the distinctions of a lifestyle business. Otherwise, you just have a job!

If it were not for the Mexican water, I’d go back in a heart beat. My only issue with the whole experience is that as a 5-star resort, they were giving out crappy locally bottled water. When we figured out what was bothering out stomachs, we asked for Evian and they gave it to us immediately. So why not just give out Evian to start with?

Recently I spoke at a great event called Master Trainer Camp. If you get my bimonthly ezine then you probably saw me share information about the opportunity.

For a moment, I’d like to pull the curtain back and be very vulnerable with you. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to speak at this event. As someone who teaches the value of focusing on your highest payoff opportunities, my radar was going off. I was concerned with new conference producers what would happen and would they be able to pull off their dream! Not only that…but you probably know by now I’m a “Four Seasons” kinda of girl so when I heard we were at a camp, my assistant immediately started scouring for local hotels (didn’t find any…but that part worked out ok anyway.)

I liked the two women who put on the event very much and something in my instincts said…”go.” So I said yes.

Linda Block (all the way from Germany),
myself and Linda Welch.

I’m really glad that I’ve learned to balance my instincts with facts and data.

This was one of the best small events I’ve ever been a “trainer” for. Not only were the other speaker/trainers amazing, but the attendees were truly amazing experts who were ready to explode their speaking and training potential. Some of the people I met are going to impact me forever.

Plus I met some amazing new clients who have jumped on the opportunity for me to help them get focused on their high payoff activities and develop more leverage in their life and business. Yahoo! Here are some pictures of a few of the people I was able to capture a picture with.

Stephan Stavrakis of www.gettingthingsdonenow.
Stephan was a blast to get to know and
he is a phenomenal trainer and NLP master!

Lisa Sasevich (www.theinvisibleclose.com), Graham White (www.effectiveethicalmarketing.com) and me.

Graham introduced me to Lisa last year and she has been a HUGE help
in my speaking success. Graham was instrumental in my new website. I’d never met either in person so it was a ton of fun to hang out with them. Thanks Guys!

Martin Wales of www.customercatcher.com. We’ve never seen
each other speak…it was great to finally get to know each
other rather than a quick “hi” in the hallways.

Lisa, Suzanne Falter-Barns and I decided to take in some of the nature
at the camp and go for a walk. Being on the top of the mountain and see
the fog roll in over the ocean was truly amazing!

For a few months now I’ve been musing over what’s happened at my chiropractor’s office. He has finally lost me as a client and I thought I’d capture the “lesson learned” so we all know exactly what to do if you want to chase clients away.

I should first say that I was an absolute raving fan. This guy is very personable, had completely reasonable prices and I believed his values were truly aligned with making a difference. He also had a great office staff that kept him on time and organized.

Within a two month period I probably referred him to over 20 people. So what went wrong?

First, within a two week period a ton of changes happened. He changed his front office staff to someone really wacky. She scared me and made me feel uncomfortable. Plus she made a ton of mistakes with scheduling. One day I was on a coaching call and she called my cell and home 7 times in a row. I felt like I was being stalked.

Lesson: Always make sure your team is an excellent representation of who you are.

Second, he set up a client mill. He went for the temptation to move more clients through his already very quick adjustment process in record time. One day I walked in and there was just one big adjusting room. He told us that he wanted all the patients to be able to hear what he consulted the other’s on. Yikes! How totally inappropriate.

When we asked for a private room, scary desk lady gave us weird, condescending looks. Double yikes! Note to self, don’t tell her about how scary she is, you never know what could happen.

Lesson: What’s good for your bottom line isn’t always good for your centers of influence and best clients. Remember how to give the VIP treatment for those who you love to work with that don’t fit your “normal” model.

Third, he raised his prices by almost three times. Now, I’m a big proponent of giving yourself a raise. And to be quite honest, he really did undercharge. But there was something that just didn’t seem to add up with a conversation we had about why his prices were so low to begin with.

He told me this long story about a chiropractor who saved his mother’s life when he was a child and how they had no money and that he never wanted ANYONE to ever not get chiropractic support because of money. Then HUGE price increase follows 30 days later.  Hmmmmm…..

Lesson: Be clear and honest with clients at all times so your authentic self shines through.

Last, and this was the cardinal sin for me. He approved a non-traditional office visit time then forgot the appointment. When I asked him about it he blamed his office staff for not reminding him. “OMG!!! He didn’t just blame his staff did he?” Yep, he did. Now granted, they may have made a mistake but I was pissed off that I squeezed in an appointment and took 60 minutes away from him HIGH PAYOFF activities to come meet him and he didn’t have his system in place.

Lesson: Always have systems in place to handle non-routine activities. And NEVER blame your staff. Just own it and ask how you can make it right.

I probably would have been willing to over look many of the issues had he handled that forgotten appointment with integrity. But it was like I got a window into his soul — he’s not in alignment with his truth. He’s scrambling to handle some kind of major “thing” and he’s not on top of his business growth.

Decided to go searching for new chiropractor …again…argh.

Sunday my partner and I decided to find some sunshine in Palm Springs, CA to work on our “vacation tans.” As we were driving out to the desert, we spontaneously migrated from our usual spot at the JW Marriott to La Quinta Resort.

La Quinta is a Waldorf-Astoria 5-star resort just past Palm Desert. It’s lay out is really unique in that it has little “pods” of rooms around a pool area (42 pools in all!)

What was really cool though was as we had lunch by the beautiful garden fountains, we met a man who was walking around with a rare breed of hawk.

“Alex”, the hawk is employed by the hotel to monitor the grounds for rodents and “undesirable” pests on the grounds. I thought it was such an interesting way to let nature manage what might be a problem for a 5-start resort guest (i.e. snakes.)

 
Me and “Alex” the hawk.

While we were out at La Quinta, we also noticed a really great summer program they have for kids. The rates start at $89/night, kids eat free and they even offer kid spa treatments. We are thinking of taking Mark’s daughter for her birthday since she has been hearing us talk about spas forever she is dying to go herself.

If you decide to check it out, let me know how you like it. There is a really great energy at this resort that is a bit more laid back and “rustic” with a Four Season’s level of service that you just can’t beat. And rumor has it that there is a lot of history in those rooms…many famous people from the old movie days have lived there.  

I’ll be going back to, and who knows, maybe we will have our next Platinum Elite Retreat there!

This past weekend I conducted my first 2008 Platinum Elite Mastermind retreat in Palm Desert California at the Miramonte Spa & Resort. It’s a smaller boutique type resort but I have to say, it’s a big winner in my book! 

I decided to treat myself and come in two days early just so I could have some down time, work on my book proposal and of course have some spa time. I even splurged for a suite over looking the gardens.The hotel’s service is truly wonderful. There were a few blips along the way but the staff truly did everything to make me comfortable, happy and to let me know I was important. 

Platinum mastermind members: Ira Bloomfield,
James Jackman, Michele PW, me, Kendall Summerhawk,
Christina Merkely, Beth Schneider, and Evan MK.    

One of our little adventures: the boat ride
at the JW Marriott to eat at Mikado’s.

My Platinum mastermind was ecstatic about the location and the experience. They all raved it was the best retreat yet (a few were new to the group the but ones who have been in for 2 years voted to return again next year!)

The mastermind experience was full of business growth strategies and challenges to experience huge shifts in their mindset and habits. But I have to admit that one of my favorite experiences was finding my new favorite spa treatment.

That’s right. For years I’ve raved about one spa in particular and I didn’t think any other place could win me over but it happened.

The Well (which is what they call their spa) has a fantastic treatment called the Organic Vegetable Wrap. I know it sounds like a sandwich, and I did feel like one too, but I felt like a million bucks after this treatment. It includes a body scrub, a gel-like vegetable concoction that you get wrapped up in, a head and foot massage (which were heavenly) and a full body Mediterranean massage.  

Another favorite: their salt water hydro pools. Ahhh….

Not only was the treatment insane…but the way they treat their clients is fantastic. I was given a choice of music and aromatherapy…wow! Needless to say, we will be back to this resort. I may even have to bring my honey out there to experience this wonderful resort. If you are heading to the Palm Springs area I highly recommend this resort!

One of the best moments was when I sat and talked with another guest, a manager from Wells Fargo Securities. When he asked why I was at the resort I told him that this is how I work with my clients. It was always my dream to travel and spend more time at luxury resorts so I decided I would work with clients who wanted the same thing. I could see the envy in his eye when he realized I do this all the time, not just once a year like most of the corporate world does.

My fourth Glazer-Kennedy Super Conference was outstanding. for some reason, it really stood out from any of the other events I’ve attended (even theirs.) Why?

Well my friend Ari Galper and I mused over what was different. One of the possibilities is that the Glazer-Kennedy team finally hit a tipping point.

There were over 1200 people, some fantastic key note speakers and the energy in the room was phenomenal. But it wasn’t always that way. Like most of us, they started with a few people in a hotel room while they built their “herd.” I understand that they have over 100,000 members in the lowest cost program.

So when you feel frustrated or bummed with your marketing results, remember that even the big wigs have small conversion. =-)

        George Ross, from The Apprentice was one of the best parts of the entire event. My friend James Malinchak participated in a fun mini-Apprentice contest and even won!

Gene Simmons, of the legendary band KISS

Group dinners with my team and my Dan Kennedy Conference friends!
Pix on Left: Shawn Driscoll, Michele PW, Katrina Sawa, Ann Pope (my personal assistant), Mary Pat Kavanagh, Ari Galper, Brian BoxerWhatcher and me!

Pix on Right: Robert Skrob (President of Information Marketing Assoc), Michele PW, David Neagle (he’s hiding behind me), Fabienne Frederickson, Bari Baumgardner, Tim Winders, a nice woman I can’t remember her name and Chris Bowman. Whew!

Tim Winders, myself and Bari. By attending these conferences I’ve created
relationships that go beyond exciting. Both of these people have become
esssential to my success! (I’ll share more on that later!)

Jim Palmer is a member of the ULTIMATE Wealth & Success Circle
and happens to be my next guest expert on creating profitable print newsletters.
I’m so glad I got a chance to meet him live first!

Troy White and myself (I’m not really hungover, just tired on the last day!) Again, Troy and I started our connection at my first DK event…and now I’m speaking at his Wild West Marketing Summit in Calgary this summer.

You can create your own tipping poing with the invaluable connections at events such as these. We get so busy in our day to day lives that it is often difficult to truly connect to allow new relationships to flourish.

It’s Sunday, 4:30 pm CST and I’m in Nashville Tennessee. I’m about ready to leave a 4 day conference (which I’ll share with you separately) when my friend Kristi Frank (you probably know her best from The Apprentice) buzzes by saying, “Crap, my flight to LA got cancelled!) Hmmm….she was on an earlier flight than me…I wonder if I have a problem with my flight?

Sure enough, my flight on American Airlines was cancelled too. So were a few of my other friends including Alexandria Brown, the Ezine Queen.

As I watched my friends scurry around, rebooking their hotel rooms or heading to the airport to get out on any plane possible, I noticed my friend Ali sitting calmly on the couch. I said, “So how do you envision spending your evening?”

Ali said, “I might be crazy but I think I’ll hire a private jet.”

Hence my “Big Thinker Adventure” began.

But I should probably back up ever so slightly and say that the most amazing thing had been happening all day. It was the last day of Dan Kennedy’s Super Conference and he had spent an entire day talking to us about Profit & Power, most importantly, marketing to the affluent.

So as Ali began to book a private jet to take us home I had a physical, emotional, and spiritual opportunity to get what being affluent is really like.

From start to finish, getting home changed my paradigm of how to turn a challenge into an opportunity forever. Plus, once you fly “private” you never want to go back. It was a total hoot to be chauffeured to our plane, flown home in a private leer jet, then have our drivers meet us at the plane, swiftly grab our bags and take us both to our respective homes.

There is just nothing like it and I don’t even know how to go back to flying out of LAX ever again. =-)

I’ll dissect more about my “Big Thinker Adventure” over a few posts and how we can create our own shift in reality at any time.

But for now, check out my little video chronicling my experience.