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Monday Morning Motivators – August 18, 2008
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
"Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."
-- Warren Buffet
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Table of Contents
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1. “We Tried That” - Linda Fayerweather
2. - Rebecca Booth
3. Gratitude and Generosity - Pat Altvater
4. Can I Borrow Your Car? - Paula Frazier
5. To Do This Week
6. Fine Print
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1. “We Tried That Before”
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Last week when I mentioned brainstorming, I suggested that the phrase “We Tried That Before” not be allowed and the more I think about it, Leaders need to always be ready to squelch that phrase. It is a very vague phrase that needs examining to really drive home the point.
1. Who was “we”? Were “we” given the resources and empowered to succeed? The very fact that someone thought it was a good idea then, may merit a relook.
2. How hard did someone try? How long did they try? Watch a child try something new and you will observe them trying many times and doing different things to make it work, especially if the child saw an adult do it. Ah, there is part of the problem – we often don’t know if it can really work, so giving up early is easier then sweating!
3. What really was “That”? Often the idea sounds familiar but may not be exactly the same. Believe it or not, a small change in something you did before could have wildly different results when redone.
4. “Before” when? What was tried before may not have been viable but is now! Wind power has been around for centuries and for the last 40 years, people have been saying “it is not cost effective”. That is changing.
When all else fells to stop the naysayers from expounding “We Tried That Before”, tell them to bring a solution that will work. They may end up with a new appreciation for something tried and true.
Copyright 2008 Linda Fayerweather
Storm the Barn with New Ideas
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. Don't Stop Marketing
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Wringing your hands and moaning about the impending doom discussed by the media pundits is one way to deal with recessionary times but your business doesn't have to slide during slow times. Some of the most successful businesses have been launched during economic downturns. Looking for the silver lining is a start in the right direction for any business.
In Summary:
1. Have a Marketing Plan
2. Work the Marketing Plan
3. Have a Sales Plan, too.
Do NOT stop marketing, just do it smarter and more personal. You will come out of the recession with happy customers and maybe some new ones.
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419-855-3399
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
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3. Gratitude and Generosity
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The Ninth Principle of Manifesting Your Destiny by Wayne Dyer is Reacting to Your Manifestations with Gratitude and Generosity. I love to discuss gratitude because I believe it is our perfect expression! According to Dyer, “The nature of gratitude helps dispel the idea that we do not have enough, that we will never have enough, and that we ourselves are not enough.”
To practice an attitude of gratitude and generosity:
1. Be thankful and avoid complaining as much as possible. When you hear yourself complaining about a situation or person, stop yourself and instead become a love finder (instead of a fault finder).
2. Become a person willing to tell others how much you appreciate them. Practice this with your family and strangers. Say something appreciative to the waitress or store clerks who wait on you. Just be sincere!
3. Begin and end each day with an expression of gratitude. At both of these times, beginning and end of the day, take in a deep breath and be grateful for your life and everyone in it.
4. Practice generosity every day. Generosity includes offering kindness, care, love and nurturing where it is needed as well as freely giving what is needed.
This week practice gratitude and generosity!
Pat Altvater
Author, Journey to WOW – Ignite the Power Within
www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
www.transformationsinstitute.com
Pat Altvater
Author, Journey to WOW – Ignite the Power Within
www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
www.transformationsinstitute.com
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4. Can I Borrow Your Car?
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When you accept a referral, one of your primary responsibilities is to make your referral source look GREAT!
Active referral partners demonstrate that they care about you and your success by lending their credibility to you. Ultimately they put their reputation on the line and entrust you with the needs of someone else they’re in relationship with. Your actions can reflect well on your referral sources, and enhance their relationship with the prospects they place in your care, or they can reflect poorly on your referral sources and literally damage their associations.
Let’s look at it this way - At one time or another nearly everyone has the need to borrow a car. You ask a friend a favor, “Can I borrow your car?” You can generally count on a positive response when they trust you and want to help you. The same is true when you ask to “borrow” relationships in your referral marketing efforts.
You would NEVER grab the keys and go! You forgot you already started the car? Start it again. Don’t you love the sound that it makes? There’s no time to waste securing your coffee in the cup holder. Whoops – it just spilled all over the passenger seat. Just back it up, throw it in gear and DRIVE IT LIKE A RENTAL until it’s time to take it back! Your friend will completely understand if you bring it back late with an empty tank of gas. Right? Wrong! Do you honestly think you’ve got the slightest chance of ever borrowing their car again? No way!!!
Don’t laugh. People are guilty of referral high-jacking ALL the time. They snatch the keys to your most valuable relationships and assume that they’re now the new owner – no negotiations, no instructions, no payment plan. They just take them!
Borrowing referral relationships can be a lot like borrowing your best friend’s car. After all, the referral source “owns” the keys to their relationship. They’re acutely aware of how the prospect prefers to be handled and interacted with. Within reason, a referral partner must be comfortable with the route you’re taking. If there’s a breakdown, you should call them immediately. They’ll be in a position to advise and support you. You can think of them as the AAA of the referral process. If you need help, one call can sometimes take care of it all!
At minimum, a responsible borrower should return the car (the relationship) exactly like they found it. No better, no worse.
If you want to increase your chances of borrowing their car again, or any other mode of transportation parked in their garage, you should consider returning each one BETTER than you found it! They’ll actually ENCOURAGE you to borrow their car as often as you’d like. Over time you will earn trust, confidence and the keys to bigger, better and more valuable cars.
What can you do to “soup up” your relationships with your referral partners and have them encouraging you to take their best clients, colleagues and friends out for a spin?
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5. To Do This Week
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Take time to teach someone something this week.
