Attitude is Everything
Jim Rohn
Last week I posted a quote by Zig Ziggler about "Attitude" and ran across the following this week:
The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.
Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and that predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.
Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.
No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.
If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.
If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.
Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Here is another recent email to me from Blair Singer
Hi Paul,
Why would someone happily pay $11 a gallon for something that falls from the sky, yet complain when spending $4 a gallon at the gas pump?
Pretty wild, isn't it? But Fiji water has done a stellar job of positioning itself as the finest water available to the market. How? The price, the story, and target marketing.
Fiji water is possibly the most expensive bottled water on the market. A fact that they're proud of, and so are their customers. The price is an indication of value and supports their story.
"Drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent." That distance "is part of what makes us so much more pure and so much healthier than other bottled waters."
If you drink Fiji you'll also be happy to know that Fiji Water has a naturally high level of silica which "helps strengthen your hair, skin and nails."
This is water for the "elite," served in the finest hotels and restaurants.
Even with their premium price, Fiji is about to replace Evian (if they haven't already) as the best selling premium water here in the states. In fact, there's no sign of sales slowing down.
Wondering how to sell more product, at a higher price, to a loyal and raving market? Take a look at how you're positioning yourself.
Be awesome,
Blair
Hi Paul,
Why would someone happily pay $11 a gallon for something that falls from the sky, yet complain when spending $4 a gallon at the gas pump?
Pretty wild, isn't it? But Fiji water has done a stellar job of positioning itself as the finest water available to the market. How? The price, the story, and target marketing.
Fiji water is possibly the most expensive bottled water on the market. A fact that they're proud of, and so are their customers. The price is an indication of value and supports their story.
"Drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent." That distance "is part of what makes us so much more pure and so much healthier than other bottled waters."
If you drink Fiji you'll also be happy to know that Fiji Water has a naturally high level of silica which "helps strengthen your hair, skin and nails."
This is water for the "elite," served in the finest hotels and restaurants.
Even with their premium price, Fiji is about to replace Evian (if they haven't already) as the best selling premium water here in the states. In fact, there's no sign of sales slowing down.
Wondering how to sell more product, at a higher price, to a loyal and raving market? Take a look at how you're positioning yourself.
Be awesome,
Blair
An expert from another email from Blair Singer
The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch
1. Credibility - it's always important to establish credibility, even more so when you only have 30 seconds to get your message across
2. Promise - let the person know exactly what they will receive
3. Risk removal - this one's often overlooked yet can also be the most appealing aspect of your pitch. Risk removal makes it safe and comfortable for your audience to move the conversation further.
Go ahead and examine your pitch and see how you use the above elements.
In my next email we'll dive into this a bit further... right now, I'm going to dive back into the emailed pitches.
Be awesome,
Blair
The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch
1. Credibility - it's always important to establish credibility, even more so when you only have 30 seconds to get your message across
2. Promise - let the person know exactly what they will receive
3. Risk removal - this one's often overlooked yet can also be the most appealing aspect of your pitch. Risk removal makes it safe and comfortable for your audience to move the conversation further.
Go ahead and examine your pitch and see how you use the above elements.
In my next email we'll dive into this a bit further... right now, I'm going to dive back into the emailed pitches.
Be awesome,
Blair
4 Ways to Pass the B-to-B Gatekeeper
by Britt Brouse, associate editor, Inside Direct Mail
Ever wonder what happens to your B-to-B mail? Will it make it to the right person? If you are targeting businesses, especially mid- to large-sized companies, your mailing is likely to face the B-to-B gatekeeper, an employee who receives and sorts a company’s mail and decides which pieces warrant attention from the boss or decision maker. “If you watch them at their jobs, you know they sort the mail pretty quickly,” says Bob Bly, copywriter and author of “The White Paper Marketing Handbook.”
A gatekeeper will screen about 80 percent of B-to-B marketing mail, says Greg Demetriou, president of Farmingdale, N.Y.–based American Mail Communications. Here are four ways to create a B-to-B mail piece that will pass inspection.
Segment efforts by company size
Before you tailor your mailings to get past a gatekeeper, consider appending data regarding company sizes to your lists. “Large corporations are much more likely to have gatekeepers than small offices and home offices. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the company, the more likely they are to have gatekeepers; the smaller, the less likely,” Bly claims. (A good cutoff for companies that have direct mail gatekeepers is anywhere above 25 employees.)
Smart designs get noticed
Gatekeepers may have a keen understanding of the bosses’ professional needs or save mail simply on the basis that “it looks important.” In the former case, you need to appeal to the business’s present needs and performance. “I want that gatekeeper to say, ‘You know, I really have to show this to the boss; this really might be good for us,’” asserts Demetriou. In the latter case, Bly recommends a design that doesn’t look too promotional and instead resembles important correspondence, such as content-based mailings (newsletter or whitepaper). Along the same lines, Demetriou suggests that a high-end package will more likely pique interest than a self-mailer.
Appeal to a gatekeeper directly
You can also target the gatekeeper directly with offers, freemiums and premiums that address her responsibilities as an employee. Bly cites an example of a classic 9˝ x 12˝ mailing that was addressed to the prospect and had a smaller envelope spot-glued to it, addressed “To the Receptionist.” The smaller envelope explained the benefits of how and why the boss would profit if he or she had this great technology. Bly says the mailing was a “keeper” because it also offered an incentive to the gatekeeper where she could return a reply card and get a premium or discount.
Don’t forget the mailroom
When sending a mailing to a company with 25-plus employees, marketers need to realize the mailroom is their first real barrier. “In the bigger companies, Standard mail is usually not making it upstairs. The higher up the corporate ladder you’re going to reach, the more highly produced your approach has to be,” explains Demetriou, who says that mailings to C-level executives at large companies have the best chance of surpassing the mailroom if they arrive via a courier service or in dimensional packaging. Bly adds, “You don’t want 40 of your pieces to arrive in one day in the same pile. Mail three to five pieces at a time, and then wait a day or two before mailing the next five.”
by Britt Brouse, associate editor, Inside Direct Mail
Ever wonder what happens to your B-to-B mail? Will it make it to the right person? If you are targeting businesses, especially mid- to large-sized companies, your mailing is likely to face the B-to-B gatekeeper, an employee who receives and sorts a company’s mail and decides which pieces warrant attention from the boss or decision maker. “If you watch them at their jobs, you know they sort the mail pretty quickly,” says Bob Bly, copywriter and author of “The White Paper Marketing Handbook.”
A gatekeeper will screen about 80 percent of B-to-B marketing mail, says Greg Demetriou, president of Farmingdale, N.Y.–based American Mail Communications. Here are four ways to create a B-to-B mail piece that will pass inspection.
Segment efforts by company size
Before you tailor your mailings to get past a gatekeeper, consider appending data regarding company sizes to your lists. “Large corporations are much more likely to have gatekeepers than small offices and home offices. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the company, the more likely they are to have gatekeepers; the smaller, the less likely,” Bly claims. (A good cutoff for companies that have direct mail gatekeepers is anywhere above 25 employees.)
Smart designs get noticed
Gatekeepers may have a keen understanding of the bosses’ professional needs or save mail simply on the basis that “it looks important.” In the former case, you need to appeal to the business’s present needs and performance. “I want that gatekeeper to say, ‘You know, I really have to show this to the boss; this really might be good for us,’” asserts Demetriou. In the latter case, Bly recommends a design that doesn’t look too promotional and instead resembles important correspondence, such as content-based mailings (newsletter or whitepaper). Along the same lines, Demetriou suggests that a high-end package will more likely pique interest than a self-mailer.
Appeal to a gatekeeper directly
You can also target the gatekeeper directly with offers, freemiums and premiums that address her responsibilities as an employee. Bly cites an example of a classic 9˝ x 12˝ mailing that was addressed to the prospect and had a smaller envelope spot-glued to it, addressed “To the Receptionist.” The smaller envelope explained the benefits of how and why the boss would profit if he or she had this great technology. Bly says the mailing was a “keeper” because it also offered an incentive to the gatekeeper where she could return a reply card and get a premium or discount.
Don’t forget the mailroom
When sending a mailing to a company with 25-plus employees, marketers need to realize the mailroom is their first real barrier. “In the bigger companies, Standard mail is usually not making it upstairs. The higher up the corporate ladder you’re going to reach, the more highly produced your approach has to be,” explains Demetriou, who says that mailings to C-level executives at large companies have the best chance of surpassing the mailroom if they arrive via a courier service or in dimensional packaging. Bly adds, “You don’t want 40 of your pieces to arrive in one day in the same pile. Mail three to five pieces at a time, and then wait a day or two before mailing the next five.”
Understanding Your Personal Energy Cycle
Laura Stack
An important piece of productivity concerns what time of day you select to work on which activities. Everyone has a natural time during the day when they are "UP" (prime time) and a natural time when they are "DOWN" (down time). During prime time, your brain is "on"; your batteries are charged and you're able to focus. During down time, your brain feels "slow"; it's difficult to muddle through your work.
First, let's chart your energy levels. Get out a piece of paper and draw a big "L" for a graph with a vertical and horizontal axis. Mark the vertical axis "0" to "100" to represent your energy level as a percentage. Mark the horizontal axis with your work hours, in one hour increments. When you arrive at work in the morning, draw a dot where energy intersects with time, to indicate how you feel in terms of your energy level. As the day progresses, draw a series of dots horizontally to show how your energy ebbs and flows. Then connect the dots and analyze your line chart.
If you wait until you're in down time to work on these types of activities, it will take much, much longer and be much, much more painful. The challenge for most people is that when they're in prime time, they feel GOOD! The last thing you might feel like doing when you're "up" is working on that report, writing a proposal, or analyzing those figures. But if you wait until you're going down, you've lost the opportunity to get it done quickly. The trick here is a lot of self-discipline. Resist the urge to do “fun, easy, trivial” things during this period or talk to your friends.
I actually have two prime times: one in the morning, and one early afternoon. When I'm in prime time, I need to make my marketing calls, because I need to be "up" and on top of the conversation. Sometimes, I will purposely let my voice mail pick up my calls, when I know I'm in down time and won't be as articulate as I'd like to be with a client. I will also respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) sent by prospective clients in prime time. I want to write quickly and succinctly, and my prime time is the key opportunity for that work.
Similarly, I listen to my body when I'm in down time. When I feel my energy level waning, a quick glance at the clock will usually tell me why. I know I need to get up, stretch, perhaps go for a quick walk around the block, eat an energy snack, or make a cup of tea. Then I will go back and work on some different activities, not necessarily ones with low priority, but those that don't require the brain power of the prime time tasks. If I don't listen to my body's signals and respond appropriately, I will get a rip-roaring headache, preventing me from taking advantage of my second prime time.
Another consideration is when to hold meetings. If you're a manager or professional with the ability to call a meeting during a certain time, really think about when to hold them. It's often eye-opening to do this prime time graphing activity with your staff or the people normally in attendance. I think you'll find that corporate America has trained most people to be “morning people.” Our natural energy cycles cause us to be “up” or have “prime” time first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, most people insist on holding meetings at that time. *Some* meetings are good to have during prime time, like those involving brainstorming, problem solving, or strategy. But routine staff meetings, project updates, or information-only meetings should be held during lulls in productivity. If you are stuck attending these meetings with no control over when they are held, a phone call to the chair with this graph as a team-building activity might be well-received. Also send that person this article!
I think about my energy level like a dimmer switch my hubbie John recently put in our bathroom. People don't operate at "OFF" and "ON." You're not running full-tilt all day long, then sleep at night. It's not "0" and "100%" but rather various levels all day. People are more like dimmer switches. Or cats.
My kitty Emma follows the sunshine all day. She plays some, sleeps some, eats some, and pays attention to her own desires. People say things like, "I *have* to check email at (x) time of day." Why? Better to schedule times to handle email when you're in down time and stick to a self-imposed limit. Rarely to people need to be going a hundred miles an hour to handle email. Pay attention and slow down when your brain and body tell you to.
Be a cat. Be a dimmer switch. Follow your rhythms and work with your brain's and body's desires for you throughout the day. Remember, it’s costly to have key people, including yourself, tied up in routine meetings during periods of peak energy and productivity. And it's costly for you to work on things you can do in your sleep during your peak productivity zone. Once you know what that zone is, protect it for all your worth! Be self-disciplined when you're "up." And listen to yourself and rest when you're "down." Meow.
Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.
Laura Stack
An important piece of productivity concerns what time of day you select to work on which activities. Everyone has a natural time during the day when they are "UP" (prime time) and a natural time when they are "DOWN" (down time). During prime time, your brain is "on"; your batteries are charged and you're able to focus. During down time, your brain feels "slow"; it's difficult to muddle through your work.
First, let's chart your energy levels. Get out a piece of paper and draw a big "L" for a graph with a vertical and horizontal axis. Mark the vertical axis "0" to "100" to represent your energy level as a percentage. Mark the horizontal axis with your work hours, in one hour increments. When you arrive at work in the morning, draw a dot where energy intersects with time, to indicate how you feel in terms of your energy level. As the day progresses, draw a series of dots horizontally to show how your energy ebbs and flows. Then connect the dots and analyze your line chart.
Draw a dotted line at about the 75% energy level mark across your line drawing to represent your peak productivity zone. Write these exact time ranges out to the side of your graph. These are your "expensive" hours, compared to other times during the day, because your brain is capable of doing higher-level activities in that range. It’s important to know when you’re in prime time, because you can get so much more done. The key is to focus on:
- Important tasks
Critical decisions
Problem solving
Complex thought
If you wait until you're in down time to work on these types of activities, it will take much, much longer and be much, much more painful. The challenge for most people is that when they're in prime time, they feel GOOD! The last thing you might feel like doing when you're "up" is working on that report, writing a proposal, or analyzing those figures. But if you wait until you're going down, you've lost the opportunity to get it done quickly. The trick here is a lot of self-discipline. Resist the urge to do “fun, easy, trivial” things during this period or talk to your friends.
I actually have two prime times: one in the morning, and one early afternoon. When I'm in prime time, I need to make my marketing calls, because I need to be "up" and on top of the conversation. Sometimes, I will purposely let my voice mail pick up my calls, when I know I'm in down time and won't be as articulate as I'd like to be with a client. I will also respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) sent by prospective clients in prime time. I want to write quickly and succinctly, and my prime time is the key opportunity for that work.
Similarly, I listen to my body when I'm in down time. When I feel my energy level waning, a quick glance at the clock will usually tell me why. I know I need to get up, stretch, perhaps go for a quick walk around the block, eat an energy snack, or make a cup of tea. Then I will go back and work on some different activities, not necessarily ones with low priority, but those that don't require the brain power of the prime time tasks. If I don't listen to my body's signals and respond appropriately, I will get a rip-roaring headache, preventing me from taking advantage of my second prime time.
Another consideration is when to hold meetings. If you're a manager or professional with the ability to call a meeting during a certain time, really think about when to hold them. It's often eye-opening to do this prime time graphing activity with your staff or the people normally in attendance. I think you'll find that corporate America has trained most people to be “morning people.” Our natural energy cycles cause us to be “up” or have “prime” time first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, most people insist on holding meetings at that time. *Some* meetings are good to have during prime time, like those involving brainstorming, problem solving, or strategy. But routine staff meetings, project updates, or information-only meetings should be held during lulls in productivity. If you are stuck attending these meetings with no control over when they are held, a phone call to the chair with this graph as a team-building activity might be well-received. Also send that person this article!
I think about my energy level like a dimmer switch my hubbie John recently put in our bathroom. People don't operate at "OFF" and "ON." You're not running full-tilt all day long, then sleep at night. It's not "0" and "100%" but rather various levels all day. People are more like dimmer switches. Or cats.
My kitty Emma follows the sunshine all day. She plays some, sleeps some, eats some, and pays attention to her own desires. People say things like, "I *have* to check email at (x) time of day." Why? Better to schedule times to handle email when you're in down time and stick to a self-imposed limit. Rarely to people need to be going a hundred miles an hour to handle email. Pay attention and slow down when your brain and body tell you to.
Be a cat. Be a dimmer switch. Follow your rhythms and work with your brain's and body's desires for you throughout the day. Remember, it’s costly to have key people, including yourself, tied up in routine meetings during periods of peak energy and productivity. And it's costly for you to work on things you can do in your sleep during your peak productivity zone. Once you know what that zone is, protect it for all your worth! Be self-disciplined when you're "up." And listen to yourself and rest when you're "down." Meow.
Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Spiraling Economy Has Consumers Cautious
With the economy continuing to struggle, consumers have tightened their purse strings and opted for practicality over discretionary when it comes to spending. According to the latest American Pulse Survey from BIGresearch, which surveyed 4,055 Americans, 61.7 percent said they’re dining out less to cope with the current economic environment. Here are some more noteworthy findings of the survey.
With the economy continuing to struggle, consumers have tightened their purse strings and opted for practicality over discretionary when it comes to spending. According to the latest American Pulse Survey from BIGresearch, which surveyed 4,055 Americans, 61.7 percent said they’re dining out less to cope with the current economic environment. Here are some more noteworthy findings of the survey.
- 57.3 percent of respondents have also cut back on their driving;
- 47.4 percent are attending fewer movies;
- 46.1 percent are forgoing department stores for discount retailers;
- 45.3 percent are cutting back on their vacation budgets;
- 67.9 percent say gas prices have affected their budgets the most, followed by groceries (47.2 percent), home heating and cooling costs (46.8 percent), and taxes (36.1 percent);
- 50.3 percent report having negotiated for better prices on products other than a home or vehicle due to the current economic situation; and
- the products/services consumers say they haggle the most on for better prices include tires/batteries/auto repair (38.6 percent), followed by appliances (37.3 percent) and electronics (37.2 percent).
If you are interested in solutions to offset the rising costs of doing business or everyday expenses, call me today! I can show you how to save your hard earned dollars on almost anything for which you are already writing checks. You can contact me at 260.341.6387 or info@PaulWHawkins.com
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