Today I heard four words that almost made me weep tears of joy.

We were having a bit of a challenge with some online technology. We have this fancy form that we are asking people to fill out in order to get a Jump Start session with one of my coaches. Hopefully by the time you read this it will be working: http://www.successconnections.com/jumpstart/

And every 2 or 3 times someone filled it out something wouldn’t work. Argh!

My team had tried very hard to handle it without me. But alas, someone found me on a site and said, “Help, I can’t get this form to work!”

So being the diligent problem solver that I am, I started to troubleshoot and test the system to see what the problem was.

I called my Marketing Manager, explained the problem and said, “OK I’ll call [my virtual assistant] and see what needs to happen.” 

My Marketing Manager uttered these four words that almost made me weep… 

“I’ll take care of it!” Ahhh…..the relief in knowing that someone else is in charge. 

As a visionary, creative and leader of my empire, the last thing I need to be doing is solving technology problems. Thank goodness my team has been trained well in “owning” the problem and keeping me out of the middle. 

It’s what I call the grown up business model. It’s one where I do what I do best and leave the rest to the experts on my team. And this is the strategy that separates the “empire builders” from the rest – being able to let go and let others take charge. 

So what’s your gig – where do you get caught up in solving problems that suck your time and energy away from what you really should be doing? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Not to long ago I signed up for a 9 week course that a friend of mine was putting on. I had all the best intentions to download the course and follow along…but I didn’t. Over the weekend I finally finished downloading all the materials …and…then nothing. I got sidetracked again.

I realized this wasn’t the first time for me. I did the same thing with Mark Joyner’s Simpleology. I also never finished listening to all the CDs from Nido Quebin (they got kind of boring so that’s my story on that one.) And I’m sure there are a few more somewhere that got started and never finished. And its not like this is a $25 book I buy from Barnes & Nobles on a whim that never gets read. These programs can be quite a chunk of change!

And then it occurred to me.

This is what happens to 90% of people who invest in some kind of self-study or virtual learning. We invest with all the right intentions but then we get busy with life and forget to follow through. 17 binders of information products later, they sit, stacked on a shelf or in boxes in a corner of our office, waiting for that day when we actually have time to do something with it.

The funniest story I ever heard was from a woman who had invested in my Virtual Team Building program. She was feeling “buyers remorse” with yet another purchase. She explained that she had invested in over $20k worth of programs in the last 2 years and recently just put them all on ebay and sold them. After helping her see some ways to break that pattern by actually implementing our program…she agreed not to put mine on ebay. =-)

Why do people invest in programs they never use? What is this compulsion we have to learn more stuff? What keeps people from following through on their commitments in an online program?

What I realized is that most self study type programs are not designed to keep people engaged. When you consider the avalanche of emails that we receive daily to the constant fires that we encounter that must be handled immediately, spending time on a self guided program tends to fall by the way side.

So what can you do as a participant to keep yourself engaged so you actually get a good return on your investment? Here are 4 insights I discovered by running my own experiment:

1. Get reconnected to the why. Why did you originally invest in it? What was the problem you wanted solved? I’m sure that didn’t go away magically.
2. Create a schedule to complete the program. If you paid $10k for an MBA would you not go to class? Well, if you went to San Diego State you might not but that’s not the point. Treat it like a class you have to attend live every week in order to “pass” and you’ll create a stronger connection to completing it.
3. Set up accountability. Too often the program shows up in the mail but there is no guidance or support for it. Get a business or success coach to hold you accountable or get a buddy to support you with weekly commitments. One of the ways we support our clients is we include a membership in our coaching community so they can get access to live support.
4. Delegate it. Just because you bought it doesn’t mean you have to learn it. I’ve given members of my team different programs that I want them to learn. If they are responsible for the strategy they might as well benefit from your investment too.

The most important thing is to not let too much time go by. The more time that passes the less painful the cost of not completing it. Its too easy to forget that you wasted that money. MAs the Nike commerical says, “Just do it!” Get going. Take yourself to coffee for an hour and just start the program. You’ll be glad you did later.

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…

We’ve had a few spots open in my VIP Level mastermind group which tends to generate a lot of questions about, you guessed it, why should I join your mastermind?

As I look back over the years that I’ve facilitated these high end groups, three reasons come to mind that cause a business owner to have a huge jump in income through mastermind participation.

First, being challenged. I remember when I worked for Motorola. The camaraderie of my workmates spurred me to accomplish as much as they did…or more. But when I went out on my own I lost that motivation factor. Being a part of a high level mastermind can do that for you. Just knowing that your partner is working on a seven figure marketing strategy will inspire you to look at those strategies for your business. Who wants to feel like they’ve been left behind? No one.

Second, collaborative thinking to uplevel your game. Solving problems in your own head poses a problem…it was your thinking that caused the problem in the first place. When you have access to many different people in a mastermind, you overcome that challenge and tap into collaboration. It allows you to access a solution generating energy that can only get created when multiple brain powers are present. You will have ideas revealed to you that you never even thought of before.

Third, access to the right resources. In my VIP Level group, there have been relationships forged that allow a member to catapult their results forward. Marketing expertise is shared, joint ventures created, accessing knowledge that would cost you thousands of dollars you get simply by asking for help. Again, participating in a high level mastermind causes you to shortcut your learning curve and costs as you move forward at lightening speed.

When someone tells you they’ve broken seven figures in their mastermind group, now you know why. This kind of success can only be replicated with the power of many successful minds coming together to support you in success. Now I have to admit I’m partial to facilitated groups like I run because you get the best of my coaching AND the mastermind. The important thing is: figure out what works for you and do it.

If you are ready to boost your business with a mastermind, check out www.fasttracktolifestylebusiness.com. Groups are filling up fast!

Becoming the center of influence in your chosen niche is an excellent way to build your brand as the expert of choice. An underutilized strategy by many leaders in professional services is establishing your own membership-based business. Find out why the membership-based business model is a smart way to generate more profits and position yourself as the expert in your industry almost immediately.

Wednesday, November 14th 2007 at 11:00 am PST

Together with Sheri McConnell, the President and Founder of the National Association of Women Writers and the Association of Web Entrepreneurs, we’ll be sharing:

• The many benefits of the membership-based business model including free publicity, immediate platform, and more
• How to leverage your position as a gatekeeper
• Core elements to consider before creating your own membership-based company
• Key roles as the leader
• How to select your team of professional experts
• What systems you need to implement to run a profitable membership-based company

This class is available to all members of the ULTIMATE Wealth & Success Circle, with the option of attending the call live or enjoying the recording on CD delivered straight to your mailbox.

Not yet a Member? Join today for just $9.95 the first month. You’ll get instant access to this class along with coaching, support and resources to transform your overwhelm into simple, easy to follow success strategies!

http://www.ultimatewealthandsuccesscircle.com/register

See you on the call,

After the 5th person told me about reading “The 4 Hour Work-Week” by Timothy Ferriss, I had to pick it up and see what the buzz was all about.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to read all about how to work less, right?

The book is truly a paradigm-shift for most of us, especially those who truly love what they do.

Here is a quick overview of what I took away from the book (I either learned it or was reminded of a concept in a new way.)

• There is a source for “cheap” labor overseas that was only a rumor for me previously (Ferriss provides actual websites but remember you get what you pay for)
• Most entrepreneur’s don’t delegate because they think because they can do it better that they should keep the task. Ferriss points out the goal is really to free your time to focus on bigger and better things — like your lifestyle! Virtual assistants and contractors can help you explode your success.
• You must test your ideas before you invest countless hours and money building something you don’t know if the world wants or will buy. He maps out a great testing strategy.
• The ruthless “task” cut-back process is fantastic. The addiction to email is the #1 contributor to unaccomplished goals!
• His story about getting rid of the 80% of the “time wasting, energy draining” clients was right up my alley. I also teach my clients this and it works!

Here is what I would offer to those who jump on the “4-Hour Workweek” bandwagon.

The truth is if you love your work, you will never want to work only 4 hours a week. My guess is Ferriss has huge ADD and never really had a calling. But his calling became to teach others how to simplify their approach to living their ideal lifestyle. The principles in this book are excellent if you apply them to your own world.

Remember, a formula only works for you if you know how to align it with your own values, priorities and needs. Take what works and leave the rest.

If you love the idea of building a team and/or using virtual assistants (and you should) you might want to check out www.virtualteambuildingtelebootcamp.com. It is the program I teach to help people truly master the necessary skills, mindset and habits of someone who has a virtual team.

As for the book, for less than the price of dinner you will definitely get a brand new take on how to work less! It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

I attended Christopher Howard’s Billionaire Bootcamp last week on the big island of Hawaii. It was a phenomenal experience. Over the course of the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of my biggest a-ha’s in the blog. Of all the trainings and courses I’ve attended (and I attend at least 4 per year and speak at 10) this is by far one of the most powerful transformational events.

But first, let me preface with the environment. The event was at the Hilton Waikoloa. Its a beautiful venue with lakes, waterfalls and most importantly…dolphins. Every day when I was able to squeeze in a 45 minute lunch, I would sit by the dolphins and enjoy a meal with some of my fellow attendees. One day, the dolphins were playing and jumping around. Here are a couple of pictures, the first one is of the dolphin jumping out of the water “doing tricks” and the second was where they swam by my feet for lunch.

The learnings from this event go beyond what I expected. One of my biggest a-has was actually quite simple — do what works already. There was one day of “games” where we formed teams. My first team exercise had to do with building and selling a business. The collective lessons we all learned in the first exercise was pretty powerful. Here are the top three:

1. Start with a strong, clear plan of action.
A few players on the team jumped into immediate action and started running around trying to achieve results. I stayed at home base with the CEO and tried to get him to work with me to put a plan in place.

Result: Very little results and a lot of frustration. The teams that did best in this round had a clear defined strategy with each team member knowing what to do and why.

Lesson: No matter how much time you have, always map out a strategic plan.

2. Focus on the high payoff opportunities.
One of our team members made a mistake in negotations and we had a HUGE problem that was going to cost us a fortune. At that time, the CEO and I were working on a huge contract that was worth $3million. The interesting thing was that our “CEO” got all caught up in solving the problem and neglected moving forward with the opportunity.

Result: Once we finally got our CFO (Chief Financial Officer) to tally up the damages and the team realized that they were focusing on a problem, allowing all of our energy, focus and resources to get sucked AWAY FROM putting together a deal that would make the problem insignificant.

Lesson: Always have a high-payoff filter that allows you to instantly become aware of the payoff of where your focus is.

3. Leverage your strengths by aligning with a power team.
During the third and final round, I found myself wanting to quit the game. I was standing in a long line, frustrated with how many people were cutting and crowding, when my partner called me out of line and said she had found a way around the line. Her innovativeness put us light years beyond the other teams with a power deal. We invested in the deal and skyrocketed to the top of the wealth quota. That innovative problem-solving coupled with the relationships and trust for results we had established through-out the day opened up a landslide of joint venture opportunities.

Result: We ended up one of the wealthiest teams at the end of the day because we leveraged the power of a team. I was not always in my competency but I knew enough to surround myself with people who knew what they were doing and add value in my own unique way.

Lesson: Success is built by mitigating your weakness through the leverage of teams. I was one of the wealthiest people at the end of the day. I had no idea what I was doing half the time, but I also was willing to connect the right people to build a power team. This is the basis of what I teach in my own coaching program and even built a program called Virtual Team Building Secrets around it.

Here are a few of the power players on my team (I’ll admit now I was so focused on the games that I neglected to use my camera enough!)

Michael Starr, Logicall Communications,
and his partner Julie, from Kingsgrove, Australia.

Tracy Monteforte, www.WTPowers.com, one of the experts featured in the
Virtual Team Building Secrets, from Northern California.

Cecil Bernard and his wife Jackie, www.cbsecurity.co.uk
from London, England.

The UPLEVEL Your Business Seminar in Los Gatos, CA
Just got back from speaking at the Uplevel Seminar. The event was targeted towards business owners who are taking their business to the next level. Here are the top 5 takeaways from my point of view:

1. Have good insurance. As a small business owner, insurance is what helps you protect what you make. It’s a good thing Pirie from State Farm was there because I’ve been looking for some additional insurance and she was able to help me out!

2. Proper Positioning is vital to your branding and marketing strategy. One of the attendees learned that his offering is actually much bigger (think social club) than just his product.

3. The right mindset is key. After I presented the visioning and mindset segment of the event, many of the attendees stopped by to tell me that they were quite overwhelmed, had a lot of fear about moving forward, and some just felt quite stuck. This is totally normal and yet is the biggest obstacle. I steered them all towards the ULTIMATE Business Breakthrough Intensive.

4. Breakdown your Marketing Plan into 90 day goals. When you look at EVERYTHING that has to get accomplished, it can feel really big. When you see the big picture and then focus on accomplishing something in the next 90 days, it becomes much more manageable.

5. Create a team. There were many different experts there that could help the attendees on everything from insurance and tax law to copywriting and PR. To get to your desired goals faster, leverage the power of a team of experts. Prirotize the order in which your projects need to get done though or you may find yourself slipping into overwhelm!

Here are some pix from the event:

From left: Lynn Pierce, Michele PW, Marc Harty, me,
Mary Pat Sorenson and Beth Schneider — liquid lunch time!

Marc Harty, Beth Schneider & I are ready for action!

Me teaching the keys to a successful mindset!

My good friend Leah Grant was the
first coach I ever met 5 1/2 years ago!

Mary Pat, Beth & Marc.

Leah with our dinner payment - pick a card any card!

Real Life Breakthroughs - How Four Entrepreneurs Broke through Their Limitations to Achieve Massive Results at the ULTIMATE Business Breakthrough Intensive

Join us for a four-part tele-interview series where I’ll be profiling four entrepreneurs and how their breakthrough has helped them achieve their goals. Starting January 25th, 2006 at 5:00 pm PST I’ll be interviewing four different graduates on their challenges, what they learned to do differently and how they were able to catapult to the next level of success after this event.

Participate in the upcoming calls on Feb 8th and Feb 15th for FREE as well as listen in on the past recordings to by going to:
http://www.successconnections.com/UBBI-TeleclassSignup.html.

Want to learn about the event on March 10 - 12 in Redondo Beach, CA:
http://www.successconnections.com/event.html

ULTIMATE Business Breakthrough November Event Pictures

The graduates!

The private client rountable.

The strategy and planning session.

The coaching team.

A “breakthrough” moment in progress.

Sales Mini-Lesson from my friend, Ari Galper of Unlock the Game

How to Sell Without Becoming a Commodity

The next time you walk from your car to your office, take a look down your street. How many real estate offices do you see? In the last few years, the real estate boom has motivated thousands of people to enter the field. Agents who were in on the ground floor are probably finding it easier, but trying to break in and slug it out, day after day, with the competition, can be difficult and often times frustrating.

That’s why Gavin Watts’ story is so informative and insightful. Gavin is a fairly new real estate agent. He didn’t have a sales background. In fact, he was a paramedic for 14 years. Like thousands of other agents, he wanted to ride the real estate boom and earn a better income for himself and his family.

But no one ever told him that real estate is a dog-eat-dog business. Today, though, Gavin’s sales are booming, with a 50 percent increase, to be exact. He’s attracting prospects to him. He gets return calls when he leaves voicemails he leaves. He’s having a ball and making a really good living. Here’s his story in his own words:

Dear Ari,
As you know, before I got into real estate, I had no background in sales. The idea of making cold calls was something I deeply feared, but the office I was going to join promised me a full sales training program that would teach me to sell by following “proven” scripts.

So I decided, “Why not? I’ll give it a try.” The first few weeks went well — lots of going out with other brokers, lots of coaching from my manager, and lots of training about contracts, rules, and regulations. But the first day I had to get on the phones myself, I began wondering if I’d made the right decision. I used all the sales methods I had learned. I was 100 percent “by the book.” I overcame objections. I pulled prospects along a linear sales process. I tried to close every time I could.

All I got was continued rejection.

It was almost as if “real estate agent” was as negative a stereotype as “salesperson.” It didn’t take me long to realize that if I kept approaching prospects the way every other agent was, I was asking for rejection.

I started having major issues making any phone calls, let alone cold calls, and I felt terrified when a prospect would ask me, “Why I should go with you?” and I had to defend myself.

The whole selling thing just felt so awkward and natural. All I wanted to do was help people with their real estate needs, and I kept wondering, “Why does ‘selling’ have to get in the way of helping people?”

That was the point when I found your Mastery program on your website. I read a couple of your articles, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks:

If I was going to succeed in real estate sales, I had to avoid every behavior that would associate me with a stereotypical real estate agent.

I ordered your Mastery Program that very day — and I haven’t looked back since. It turned my thinking upside-down in a positive way that made it possible for me to go back to being myself and yet be extremely effective when prospecting for new business.
The Mindset made complete sense to me. My goal is no longer to “get the listing.” Instead, I focus on getting knowledge from prospects as to whether I can help them or not.

Here are some specifics about what happened once I made that shift in my thinking and sales efforts — which have brought me more and more listings and made me the envy of my office.

Example One: Open Houses
You know how these go. Open houses are when a seller’s broker sets certain times to show the home to anyone who comes by. Last week, one particular woman seemed very interested in a home. She even gave me her card so I could follow up with her.

So I called her twice and got her answering machine both times, but I didn’t leave a message. Instead, I did exactly what you suggested about following up without putting pressure on people. I called back a third time and left this message: “Hi, it’s Gavin from the open house, and I just wanted to see if you might have any feedback about the home you walked through. Just feedback is fine, no pressure at all…just wanted to learn what your thoughts were.”

She called back seven minutes later! Even more amazing, she started to tell me her “truth,” as you describe in your program. I learned exactly where she stood, and that was a huge relief because I learned that there wasn’t a fit, so I didn’t have to keep chasing her. Ending the chasing game is a key strategy that I learned from you, and it has saved me untold hours of time and energy.

Example Two: Free Market Evaluations
One major marketing strategy that real estate agents use with prospects is to offer a free market evaluation of how their home compares to others that have recently sold in their neighborhood. A lot of sellers actually interview several agents and get these evaluations from them before deciding who they’ll list with.
The problem is, if you use any of the typical scripts, prospects shut down right away because they know that these “free” evaluations give agents a chance to apply subtle pressure to get the listing.
I decided to call a prospect who I thought would be good for one of these evaluations, but to do it based on your Mastery program, in a way that took the pressure off the call.

What I said to him was, “I’m happy to do an evaluation of your home to give you an approximate price that I think it can sell for, but under no circumstances do I want you to feel at any time that I’m using this as a way to get your business. I don’t want to make any assumptions here. I simply want to help you — no strings attached — and if you need my help afterwards, you can reach out to me at your convenience.” And this wasn’t just a “line”, this was the truth, based on your Mindset.

All I can say is, I could hear him melt on the phone. He invited me over, we had a great talk, I now have a solid relationship with him, and he knows that when he is ready to sell his home, he can call me knowing I’ll be 100% focused on his interests and not mine. I did what you said. I focused on helping him rather than on trying to “make the sale.” This approach just feels so right.

My results and how I feel are how I measure your program. My sales are up 50 percent. I feel centered and relaxed, and I don’t feel affected by the negative real estate stereotype that everyone else in the business I know carries.

Thanks to your coaching, I’ve released my mind from thinking about where my next paycheck is coming from, and it’s bringing me more business that I can handle.

If I had to summarize what I learned from you, it would be:
It’s not about what you’re selling, it’s about how you’re selling.

Thank you Ari, Gavin

Gavin Watts
RE/MAX Real Estate - Australia+61 7 3843 9108

Sales Mini-Lesson Take Aways

In your own field, you can probably come up with situations that are like the ones Gavin described. Here are some ideas about how you can use his examples to help you stay focused on how you’re selling rather than on what you’re selling:

Does your field have its own form of “open house”?

Most industries let prospects “walk through” the product or service by offering a free trial period or free demonstration. And, depending on the field you’re in, trade shows, exhibitions, and business networking events are like “open houses” where prospects can look at what you have to offer and leave contact information so you can call them later.

In any of these situations, you can adapt Gavin’s approach when you call the other person. If you reach him or her directly, you can say something along these lines:

“Hi, it’s Jill from ……, and I just wanted to see if you might have any feedback about our product or service now that you’ve had a chance to spend some time getting to know what it’s all about. Just feedback is fine, no pressure at all…just wanted to learn what your thoughts were.”
If you reach their voicemail, you can leave a message that is also along these lines. In many cases, your no-pressure message will lead to a return of your phone call and a cordial conversation.

Does your field offer its own types of “free market evaluation”?

Free, no-obligation initial consultations are the equivalent of real estate market evaluations. But, like Gavin, you may find that prospects pull back if they sense in any way that you are trying to exert sales pressure on them as you offer consultations.

The key here is to offer a consultation that is keyed specifically to the prospect’s problem or issue, and to make it clear that you’re offering it as a service without any expectation that a sale will result.

You can say something along these lines:
“I’d be happy to give you a free, no-obligation consultation so we can explore possible solutions for the issue you’re dealing with. But under no circumstances do I want you to feel I’m using this as a way to get your business. It’s completely no-strings-attached. I simply want to help you, and if you decide you’d like me to help you down the road, it would be totally at your convenience.”

When you fully integrate the Mindset from the Mastery Program of solving problems and not applying sales pressure, prospects will probably stop asking why they should go with you — because it will be obvious why they should.

To your success,

Ari Galper
Unlock The Game