... you will only get the results you've always gotten before.
Take a deep breath. Be brave. Do one thing that frightens you. Step out of your comfort zone each and every day.
One small step, taken consistently day-by-day, allows new energy to enter your life.
That new energy will lead you to achieving your life's purpose and living the difference you are in the world to make.
I've had the opportunity to meet with several highly successful business people in December and January to talk to them about their business development (biz dev for short) strategies.
Here's a quick recap of what makes these people so successful.
They are passionate and completely in love with their business, work and people they serve.
They focus relentlessly on sales, because they know they are not going to build a business without consistent revenue growth. I mean they focus on generating sales to the exclusion of everything else.
They don't waste their time. They focus on biz dev day in and day out each day.
They're not looking at free information.
They don't attend Webinars to "learn" more about sales and marketing. They DO sales instead.
They focus on their passion, industry, serving existing clients and driving sales, period.
Nothing is more important to them than growing their vision so they can serve more clients in a bigger way.
In their off time they read industry pubs and material that will improve their life even more.
Which leads me to ask. What are you focusing on in the New Year?
Regrettably, if you're not focusing on sales and growing your business you may see more of 2011 in 2012 instead of a new, brighter vision of an enhanced New Year.
Where is your mindset in 2012? Click "Comments" directly below this post and let us all know.
When you dive into today...
... The energy and thoughts you bring into the day matters.
... Your gifts can have impact on both your life and the lives of others.
... Your vision needs to be seen and experienced, because only you can express YOUR unique gifts to the world.
.... Your voice needs to be heard. You have things to tell us that only you can say.
My art has always been to inspire your brilliance. I’m calling on you today to step up or miss yet another opportunity to be guided.
Then you’ll have to hope another chance arises, when you’re ready.
Regrettably, those who wait until they are ready never are.
The reason is, saying you’ll wait until you’re ready is a reaction called fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of knowing that you can live life on your own terms, where you’re responsible for your own outcomes.
When you step-up and act, you instinctively know that your life will change. I know that change may seem frightening. The reason is, it's diving into the deep part of the pool called the "unknown."
I invite you to replace that fear with new found courage; the courage called action.
Here is your first action step.
Fill out the pre-coaching survey at http://billgluth.com/QForm.htm. I'll help you see where you and your business are now, clearly.
Your only cost for this initial analysis of your business and gifts is the time you spend.
Are you ready to step up and live the life you truly desire instead of the life you’re settling for right now?
We’re living in the 21st Century - a time that is filled with new ideas, technologies, insights and potentials.
The problem is, most people continue to live principles developed in the early 1900’s, which was the start of the industrial revolution.
This was a time when the “masses” were trained to work in factories or offices.
Most people have been conditioned to believe you must get a degree or learn a trade, have a career path to follow, get a job and earn a paycheck from a business entity that takes care of you.
Today, those business entities are not able to sustain everyone. The old school career path is not stable any longer.
You don’t have to go to work in a job you hate.
You must create values that utilize your greatest gifts, your talents, knowledge, passion and experience, in a way that enhances the lives of others.
This is the time to shift the paradigm of work.
I’m purposing a revolution of happiness through small business.
You must develop your talents, gain experience, find your passion and drink from the well of knowledge from a variety of sources.
Then you must use your talent, knowledge, passion and experience to create your “art” and impact those who resonate with you most.
It’s all about personal self-empowerment, which is the only true path to a life of freedom, satisfaction and joyful success and fulfillment.
It's been said that the purpose of life is to be happy.
As adults we are most happy when we are creating values that enhance the lives of others.
One way we "play" as adults is when we share the values we’ve created through a small business of our own creation.
Your business is an art form and a spiritual pursuit.
In its most powerful and compelling form, it can inspire and fully leverage your unique gifts/greatness instead of rewarding you for living a repressed and mediocre life experience.
When working for others the reward is always smaller because you are delivering a value instead of creating values that matter, i.e. changes lives.
As a result, your gifts have a specific market value that is generally far less than the true value you deserve.
Photo courtesy: Demcenco Boucher
Have a wonderful, safe, prosperous and very Happy New Year
Every New Year presents a new set of circumstances.
From my position in small business I'm seeing 2012 as the year of focused action.
That means you don't have time to waste.
Focus on what your want in your business. Write down real decisions you've made about 2012 in plan form.
Eliminate encumbrances, distractions and other things that inhibit your progress in reaching your true goals.
Plan each day. Ask yourself, "What will I do today today to achieve my focused decisions (goals) in 2012?" Be sure you're moving forward productively every day.
If revenue growth is your goal, make sure 40% or more of every working day is spent on sales related, revenue generating activities. Social media is great, but if it isn't generating sales, you need to put a new plan in place.
The point is to focus on what you want to achieve and take REAL steps every day to achieve it.
If you don't know what you want or how to go about getting it, then get help so you can see your business from a broader perspective.
2012 is a powerful year and you can be the change you want to see in the world. The secret is to know what you want and take action every day to get it.
In other words, focus.
2012 Graphic Courtesy of: Joseph Chang
"I have always thought of Christmas as a good time; a kind, forgiving, generous, pleasant time; a time when men and women seem to open their hearts freely, and so I say, God bless Christmas!" - Charles Dickens
Enjoy a wonderful Christmas weekend.
In a recent "Name your own price business coaching" meeting, I helped someone understand how important it is to extend beyond their comfort zone.
Then I gave them exact action steps to take to get moving in the right direction.
In this case they needed to grow their small business.
Unfortunately, like most people, they were not doing anywhere near enough marketing and outreach to attract clients and fill their sales pipeline.
I suggested they start with doing some recordings that they could use as a freemium.
Since budget was low, I showed them how to do it for free, without a lot of "techie" background.
To help them overcome their own self doubt about being "Good enough" to do a recording as an expert, I pointed them to one my videos that talked about why You Have to Be Willing to Suck, when starting new creative tasks.
I was pleased to see that they are taking action. They emailed me to say, "I will send you my first recording, which may suck, but of course you have to suck sometimes :))."
It’s so true.
When it comes to the creative process, you have to be willing to suck at first. Then with practice you become better and better.
Perfection is not the goal. Taking ACTION is. Focused action is the only thing proven to create a great result, consistently.
The reason is, no one else is willing to step out of their comfort zone to create a new result, so the few who are have a distinct advantage.
Then I congratulated them on their courage.
Realize this important fact.
Stepping out of your comfort zone may be the greatest present you can give to yourself this holiday season.
"A non-doer is very often a critic-that is, someone who sits back and watches doers, and then waxes philosophically about how the doers are doing. It's easy to be a critic, but being a doer requires effort, risk, and change." Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
I'm a Buzz Agent and was invited to participate in the Lipogen PS Plus campaign.
By the second week of taking this product, my memory, concentration and ability to focus was greatly enhanced. It's like I "Woke up" and got much clearer.
This is a great product for those of us who need our brain to be strong. Give it a try. I recommend it highly.
