March 2008
Art of NetworkingBe sure to set your printer to "landscape" mode before printing.
Art of Networking
Top 10 Tips to "CLICK" Quick
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Although my guidance counselor suggested I drop out of high school, I graduated from high school with a vocational diploma in woodworking; the school system did not consider me college material. Thank God I felt differently. For several years, I mopped floors on the midnight shift at LaGuardia Airport while I attended college.
Over the next three decades, I used my Ten Truths and tapped into the hundreds of relationships I developed to build one of the largest professional networking organizations in America. It was my way of testifying to the spiritual paradigm of ONENESS and the power of people working together. It is also a testimony of the strength of one man who dared to dream—despite insurmountable odds.
I believe the goal of all networking is to CLICK: to create the win-win. For those in business, "time is money." To this end, CLICK: Ten Truths to Building Extraordinary Relationships helps answer two critical questions: Do you find yourself wasting time networking and investing in business relationships that don't add value? And, why do some business relationships never work and others seem to CLICK?
From a personal perspective, doesn't it feel good when you CLICK (create a win-win) with someone? Wouldn't you like to know how to do it more often and enjoy the benefits of extraordinary relationships in your business and life? The following Top 10 Tips to CLICK will give you the tools you need to build extraordinary relationships in business and in life … quickly.
1. Be Authentic: Be who you really are. Have an agenda, know why you're there, what you want and need. Be on your best behavior—but always be yourself.
2. Be in the Moment: Please … shut up and listen with your eyes and ears. Ask good questions. Roaming eyes (looking over and around someone) is an instant turnoff. Your task is to understand the other person first.
3. Find a Need and Fill It: Help someone with their child, health, or wealth and you will CLICK quick. Using the paradigm of ONENESS, pretend you're in a contest with the other person to see who can genuinely give, serve and add value first. Always look for the win-win.
4. Follow-up or Be Forgotten: Attention spans are short these days. Following up demonstrates you care and helps build the connection. It also will impress people, because 98% won't do it.
5. Give Credit and Take the Blame: This is especially true when you lead a team. Remember you have a limited amount of time; therefore, quickly rid yourself of toxic people and bloodsuckers—people who drain you of your time, energy, and patience.
6. Make Others Feel Significant and/or Important: Give sincere compliments. Appropriateness is the key, be it the hair, jewelry, suit, tie, remarks, accomplishments, ideas, etc. Remember, insincerity is the highest form of B.S.
7. Don't Be Boring: Talking only about sports, weather, and/or business can be boring. Read! Lead with your passion/purpose. Self-depreciating humor is a great ice breaker. Do not pre-judge people.
8. Have a Great Soundbite: It's like having a hit record. Prepare a short 15-20-second statement that says: A) who you are, B) where you're from, C) what you do, D) how you add value, and E) a quantifiable evaluation of your value. A great soundbite should pique people's interest and give them something substantial from which to establish a connection.
Here is my soundbite:
"Hi, I'm George Fraser from Cleveland, Ohio, by way of Brooklyn, New York. I'm the Founder and CEO of FraserNet, Inc. We are a global leadership network. I write books and speak on networking and building wealth. Over the last 25 years, I've helped over 5,000 people find just the right job and generate over $500 million in new business. It's a pleasure to meet you."
It is 67 words and takes about 20 seconds to deliver. I have several versions of the same soundbite and use them appropriately. Spend quality time writing out your soundbite.
9. Smile Please: You'll attract more people. A gentle smile while standing, listening, and/or talking is infectious. It signals openness, warmth, energy, and interest.
10. Pay Attention to Appearance and Hygiene: Yes … how you look matters. First impressions stick for a long time, so make a great one! Looking and smelling good go perfectly with feeling good and sounding good. It's an unbeatable quartet if you want to be on the team.
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George C. Fraser, master teacher and visionary with rare combination of business and people skills, is chairman and CEO of FraserNet, Inc. He founded FraserNet, Inc., the nation's largest network of black professionals, business owners, and community leaders, and is the author of Success Runs in Our Race (Harper Collins, revised 2004) and Race for Success (William Morrow, 1998). This article is based on his latest book CLICK: Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships (McGraw-Hill, 2008). For more information please visit www.frasernet.com or www.10truths2click.com.
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The "Butterfly Effect" of Networking
I recently traveled to Necker Island in the Caribbean where I met with about 20 business leaders, including Sir Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways and owner of the island.
My journey to this island was a dramatic example of the "Butterfly Effect of Networking." The "Butterfly Effect" is the theory that a small action in one place has a ripple effect that creates a dramatic action in another place. It is like a pebble in a pond, creating ripples on the surface. For networking, it is about how a seemingly minor connection or conversation with one person may, after many ripples across the network, end in a dramatic connection later. During that week on the island, I lived that concept to its fullest.
It started several years ago when I received a phone call from a woman I did not know but who has since become a good friend. Her name is Kim George. Kim asked me if I would be willing to help with the creation of an online networking and social capital community. It took some work to put this together, but at the time I had no idea what type of ripple effect this request would have on my life. I did it because it fit the values and direction that I wanted to take my company. With that, the ripple began.
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The ripples that take place in the networking process may not be clear when the pebble drops into the water and the ripple begins.
What is certain is that there is a ripple.
And if you follow that ripple and make the most of the contacts you meet during each stage of that journey, it can lead you to making connections and creating relationships that may surprise you when you look back to where the journey first started.
Called the father of modern networking by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the founder and chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization. His latest New York Times best selling book, Masters of Sales, can be viewed at www.MastersBooks.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company. He can be reached at misner@bni.com.
BNI in the News
The Wall Street Journal Names BNI in List of Top 25 High-Performing Franchises!
According to The Wall Street Journal's list of top performing franchises, published on February 12, 2008, BNI is one of the top 25 franchise high performers. The list of 25 franchise high performers was compiled over the past three years from franchise data analyzed by FRANdata, an independent research firm located in Arlington, Virginia.
The article in which the list is published focuses on diverse concepts that have become very successful franchises, making it clear that franchising is no longer dominated by a single sector—the food industry.
Click here to read the article.
Celebrate the Art of Business Growth and Success During International Networking Week, Feb. 4-8
Business networking, always an essential skill for commercial success, is even more necessary in a slow economy, where word-of-mouth recommendations and one-to-one encounters with potential clients can protect and expand profits.
The second annual International Networking Week, which celebrates the remarkable success networking strategies have achieved, will be held from Feb. 4 to 8.
While International Networking Week is an initiative of BNI, the largest business networking organization in the world, its goal is to bring together diverse groups to create new contacts and expand business horizons.
Click here to read the article.
Spreading Networking Word
By Rachel Brant
Dagmar Lacy of Olympic Northwest Insurance works mainly out of Port Orchard, but was looking to expand her business further north.
Through a local Business Networking International (BNI) group, she was able to do just that and her clientele grew exponentially.
Feb. 4-8 is International Networking Week, and BNI, the largest business networking organization in the world, wants people to take advantage of BNI opportunities that are available right here in Kitsap County.
Kitsap County is home to many networking groups including two chartered BNI chapters and two soon-to-be chartered groups in Silverdale.
Click here to read the article.
CreateTheDream.com Kicks Off International Networking Week for Home Business Entrepreneurs
Small business magazine celebrates weeklong opportunities to meet and connect with other like-minded business owners.
Monday, February 4th, marks the beginning of International Networking Week, and Create the Dream! Magazine is celebrating in grand fashion. During this week-long event, the magazine will be releasing special interviews, features, podcasts and video illustrating the key role that networking plays in the development and success of businesses across the world.
International Networking Week is the creation of BNI International, and Dr. Ivan Misner. The weeklong encompasses events across the globe, with the hopes of becoming a driving factor in achieving worldwide awareness about business networking.
Click here to read the article.
My BNI DayI can't do that date!
Have you ever been at a [BNI chapter] meeting when the Treasurer is announcing the next six speakers and it goes something like this?
'Bob you're next week, Steve then it's you on the 15th, James 22nd, Clive 29th … ,' but Clive cuts in and says he can't do the 29th. The Treasurer then asks Sally, but she's away, Jean is on a course and no-one else has their diary with them. So it ends up a mess and 'Oh well, I'll confirm next week,' says the Treasurer.
Tell me: what does that say to any visitors? And more important, what does it say about the Treasurer? Do they run their business that way? Would I refer to someone that disorganised?
Read this blog.
BNI's OSCAR Award
A Plano restaurant, Original Pancake House (OPH) received an Outstanding Support at a Chapter Appreciation Reward (OSCAR) from an active chapter of the world's largest Business Referral Organization - Business Networking International (BNI).
Click here to read the article.
The Butterfly Effect of NetworkingThere is no telling just where networking, in the true sense of the word, will take you. Dr Ivan Misner, founder and CEO of BNI, experienced an amazing sequence of events, which started with a phone call from a woman he did not know, and culminated in a meeting with Sir Richard Branson on the island of Necker in the Caribbean.
Observant readers will note that this is a reprint of Ivan Misner's "From the Founder" article.
Click here to read the article.
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| Beth Misner presents Oakmont Elementary Room 6 with a $1000 mini-grant for their science project supplies. |
BNI-Misner Foundation Announces 2008 General Fund Campaign
The BNI-Misner Foundation was started ten years ago by BNI Founder and Chair Dr. Ivan Misner, and me, his wife, Elisabeth. As we focus on our 2008 BNI theme of "Making a Difference in the Way the World Does Business," we also would like to release our motto for the BNI Foundation: "Changing the business world of tomorrow through education today." This will remain our motto for the coming years as we move forward in the BNI-Misner Foundation. The Foundation has been actively supporting children and education through awarding $1000 mini-grants to schools, libraries, and other non-profits, which provide educational services to children.
The exciting thing about the BNI Foundation is that all our giving is concentrated in areas where BNI has active chapters, in the US and every other country in which we operate! As we take the concept of Givers Gain into the communities that are supporting our members' businesses, the communities benefit twice—once from the success of local businesses and again from the influx of funds into children's educational programs in that city.
Some of the projects we have funded include buying books for classroom libraries in many schools where budget cuts have limited the students' access to the school library or forced the libraries to close; providing and delivering specially-made inhalers to young asthmatic students so they miss fewer days of school; and, purchasing computer software packages to enhance teaching in subjects such as history, math, and language arts.
In a gracious e-mail concerning one such project, Kerry Stenger, recipient of a BNI-Misner Foundation Mini-Grant, said, "It is fantastic to see an organization take a stance and put their support behind such important educational issues like early literacy. The funds that you have provided will go to good use in furthering our students' efforts to become strategic and effective readers."
How You Can Contribute—and Make a Difference in the World
We are thrilled to report that our giving was over $140,000 in 2007. This represents mini-grants given to teachers, schools, clubs, and groups that benefit children and education. This is the most we have given since the inception of the BNI Foundation.
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| Beth Misner presents Mrs. Wright's second grade class at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church with a check for a $1000 mini-grant to buy a classroom computer. |
The first program is a new level of recognition: the BNI Foundation Monthly Heroes. This new category of donors will be recognized at our International Conference in November. Anyone who contributes a minimum of $50 a month to the general fund of the foundation will be recognized as a BNI Foundation Monthly Hero!
Monthly donations can be mailed to the BNI-Misner Foundation, 545 College Commerce Way, Upland, CA 91786, or made online by going to www.bni.org. You will be redirected to a credit card processing site powered by the BNI Foundation's administrative office, located in the California Community Foundation. If you wish to make an automatic monthly donation by credit card, please email the BNI Foundation at foundation@bni.com, and that will be coordinated with you for your convenience.
Also, during 2008, Ivan and I have decided that when a BNI region or chapter does a fundraiser to benefit the BNI Foundation's general fund with a minimum contribution of $2000, we will match up to $5000.
We have also formed a committee of BNI Directors (US and International) to help promote the foundation more effectively within BNI. We are calling this the BNI Foundation Fund Development Committee. This committee will also be part of the review process for the applications we currently are getting in. Committee members automatically commit to be BNI Foundation Monthly Heroes! At this time, we have over 15 Directors who have volunteered to serve on this committee.
Another very exciting thing to announce is that a majority of the BNI Directors' Platinum Club have pledged DOUBLE (and some even quadruple) the monthly minimum for the BNI Foundation Monthly Heroes. Ivan and I are so humbled and impressed by the way we see our directors AND members living the Givers Gain philosophy with respect to charitable giving and would like to thank all of these special donors and all future donors.
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| The Parijat Academy in India used their mini-grant to purchase a new tin roof and desks for their students. |
In keeping with our corporate culture of the importance of referrals, applications to the BNI Foundation will be accepted "by referral only" beginning in 2008. If you know of a charity in your community that provides children's educational programs and is seeking funding for specific core curriculum projects, please refer them to the foundation personally via email: foundation@bni.com. They may qualify for a mini-grant!
Ivan and I would like to thank all the BNI members for your support of the BNI Foundation through the years. We feel very proud to be able to have a vehicle such as the foundation by which we can have a positive impact on children's educational programs in the communities that are supporting our members' businesses and BNI as a whole.
To learn more about the BNI-Misner Charitable Foundation, click here.
My BNI Story
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Some people are able to achieve their dreams because of a skill they have; some work really hard; some are lucky; and, then there are some of us who use our networking skills.
I did a one-to-one at a BNI conference with a woman named Jennifer Walker. During our meeting she asked me to go through my G.A.I.N.S. profile (Goals, Accomplishments, Interests, Networks, Skills). I gave her a couple of business goals, and she asked for a personal one. Not everyone does that, so I shared with her that since I was a little girl I have wanted to pet a lion, tiger, or leopard. We finished our one-to-one and went our separate ways.
It turns out that Jennifer's company, Walker Design, had done some PR for someone in Wisconsin that had a big cat—and she began the process of following up for me without me knowing about it.
Last summer I was visiting Mark and Rose Hackbarth and Dave Zemer in Milwaukee for a Referral Institute training seminar. I decided to spend an extra day checking out the sights and asked them to set something up for me. When the time came, they took me on a two-hour drive, refusing to tell me where we were going. We eventually pulled into a parking lot.
At first I didn't know what was going on, until I saw that the logo on the side of his huge black truck read, "Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue and Educational Center." I couldn't believe it! Right in front of me were lions, tigers, and even two spotted leopards! My heart practically stopped!
Our guide, Jeff, told us about the horrific conditions in which he rescued many of his cats. It sickened me to hear the stories of how Jeff rescued a 700-pound tiger from a 4'x 8' cage in Ohio, or how a beautiful white Bengal Tiger named Isis was rescued from spending all day standing a foot deep in her own feces. Jeff shared with us that he was building a new facility and would be rescuing even more big cats from these same types of circumstances.
To date, the BNI SF Bay region has donated over $1,400 to the rescue; I personally have "sponsored" Isis, the white Bengal Tiger, with over $5,000; and, I will be offering a matching program. For every dollar donated to the rescue between February 1st and March 31st, 2008, I will match up to $6,000. To learn more about the Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue and Educational Center, please go to www.wisconsinbigcats.org.
Did you ever imagine you could make someone's lifelong dreams come true by doing a G.A.I.N.S. profile? Have you been willing to share what your goals are? Have you been willing to go out of your way to make a dream come true for someone else? I will forever be thankful to Jennifer Walker for making my dream come true!
Submitted by Dawn Lyons, BNI Executive Director, BNI SF Bay, California
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Having a "free" sales team to turn to for support … what an amazing feeling! You have at your disposal, both nationally and internationally, the knowledge of a diverse group to turn to for advice, motivation, support, and help. They are a group of like-minded business professionals whom you can rely upon both professionally and personally.
Your BNI sales team becomes a part of your business and everyday living. It becomes a comfortable environment for you to network in. You have a sales team in which ideas, life, and business experiences are shared, concerns and challenges are brought forth, solutions are found, and incredible relationships are formed.
I have always been a giver; therefore, I had to become part of the one organization where "Givers Gain" is truly the philosophy and way of life.
And what is the result of all this? Passing and receiving good qualified referrals, helping others, and having a new family worldwide.
Thank you, Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI.
Submitted by Emmy M. Vickers, BNI Senior Director, Prince Georges Count, Maryland
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It's no secret that business-by-referral is the best kind. Potential clients are predisposed to like and trust you; all that's left is for them to get to know you. The actual secret that many have yet to discover is how to conduct business networking efficiently and effectively in order to create referrals.
On the new three-CD set Business Networking Secrets, you will learn those skills from Dr. Ivan Misner, founder and CEO of BNI, the largest business networking organization in the world—and the most effective. And you will take those skills to the next level when Dr. Misner hands over the microphone to Tom Fleming, director of training for the Referral Institute, which offers college-level courses in the art of referring.
For those who aren't BNI members, Business Networking Secrets can improve your networking skills. For those who are BNI members or thinking of joining, these CDs will take four to six months off the learning curve, making you a better networker faster. For veteran BNI members, Business Networking Secrets will remind you of some of the skills you might have forgotten or neglected.
I had at least six "Eureka!" moments while listening to the CDs and was so impressed with their messages that I keep my set in my car so I can listen again and again on long drives.
If someone told me I could keep only one piece of BNI educational material—as good as the books and other CDs are—Business Networking Secrets is the one I would pick. Simply, it is outstanding.
To order BNI Networking Secrets, click here.
Submitted by Jean Heller, Vice President of The Visions Group, BNI Referral Masters, Clearwater, Florida
All Signs Point to BNI
I just returned from a successful business trip to Dublin, Ireland. When I came down from my hotel room for breakfast Friday morning and saw a sign saying "International Networking Week BNI," I was surprised and amazed. I had my breakfast, politely waited for signs that the meeting had concluded, and then popped my head in the room.
I was very warmly welcomed by Rosie (the visitor host), who in turn introduced me to Jim Booth (director) and Paul O'Connor (chapter director). I also spoke with a couple of other members before leaving. I can honestly say "Wear your BNI lapel pin" no matter where you travel!
It was a fantastic start to the day and truly proved how universal BNI is. Thank you to Dublin's MINT chapter for making a very short visit very worth while and for making International Networking Week one I won't forget.
Submitted by Kay Reeve, BNI Norman Chapter, East Anglia, UK
Breaking News
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Seven shows featuring BNI's Dr. Ivan Misner have been launched on BNI's new Internet TV portal in association with yourBusinessChannel.com. All of them contain top tips from the networking guru, and are absolutely free to watch.
Dr. Misner appears alongside Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, Penny Power, co-founder of business networking site Ecademy, two dozen Internet legends, including Shel Israel (author of Naked Conversations) and David Meerman Scott (bestselling author and buzz marketing expert), as well as an impressive lineup of experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and Microsoft.
Dr. Misner's new shows offer some of his top-shelf tips and secrets to help businesspeople to get more from networking. The shows have been put together to provide a no-nonsense, hard-hitting approach to key issues that businesspeople face. New shows are being launched every week with 20 shows available on the BNI Internet TV portal right now, and dozens more elsewhere on yourBusinessChannel.com.
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yourBusinessChannel.com is currently syndicated to almost five million business people each month, and is set to continue growing swiftly during 2008. To access the BNI networking channel on yourBusinessChannel.com, follow this link.
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Education is a cornerstone for BNI and a key differentiator for BNI from other referral or networking groups. BNI has literally thousands of educational materials available for members, including bestselling books by Dr. Misner, weekly podcasts by Dr. Misner, and the MSP training offered for all new members.
Beginning in February with BNI Minnesota, BNI is offering regional events that are focused on the launch of new BNI networking curriculum, BNI Networking Secrets. These events will offer a fun and energized environment that's a combination of skills training and trade show.
BNI is working with del Fuego to bring these events to the regions and offer new skills and new information specifically for entrepreneurs. Participants who attend receive an afternoon of training, the 3-CD series BNI Networking Secrets, and the opportunity to network and participate in a trade show with businesses from the region. These events can be a great value for a region and a great way to bring all chapters in a region together.
Some of the comments from the MN event include:
• "This seminar is not only the most interactive I've ever been to, it's also given me new information I can easily implement right away. I loved it."
• "This event was invaluable in helping me jumpstart some new things in my business this year."
On April 2, BNI Austin will hold their regional event at the same time as their BNI Member Extravaganza. The Austin event is co-hosted by the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber (GAHCC), bringing two well-known networking groups together for one event—BNI and GHACC. At this event participants will:
• Hear directly from Dr. Misner, the world's best source on how to build your business through referrals.
• Walk away with new skills and new information to increase their success.
• Receive BNI Networking Secrets, the world's first networking curriculum.
• Network with businesses from all over Central Texas.
For more information on how you can bring a regional event to your area, contact Beth Anderson, Assistant Director for BNI Minnesota, at beth@orgtrack.com.
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You are invited to participate in one of the most exciting happenings in business and marketing history!
From February 12th to April 15th David and Mary Scarborough are hosting ten free, live 70-minute teleseminars, with ten of the world's most respected and successful business and Internet marketing speakers, consultants, businesspeople, and authors.
Here's your chance to ask questions and rub elbows with the best-of-the-best business and marketing thought leaders … and learn how they were able to transform their ideas into profits.
Check out the remaining lineup: Tuesdays at 5pm Pacific and 8pm Eastern
MARCH 18TH: BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS PROFITABLY ONE REFERRAL AT A TIME
Speaker: Ivan Misner, Founder and CEO of Business Network International (BNI) and author of numerous books including the best-seller Master of Sales.
MARCH 25TH: USING THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR LIFE AND BUSINESS
Speaker: Keith Ferrazzi, Founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight and author of national bestseller Never Eat Alone
APRIL 1ST: BALANCING LIFE, LOVE, HEALTH AND SUCCESS
Speaker: Ric Thompson, Co-founder of top-rated website HealthyWealthynWise.com
APRIL 8TH - THE INS AND OUTS OF GOOGLE ADWORDS AND ADSENSE: REACHING 100 PEOPLE IN 10 MINUTES
Speaker: Perry Marshall, Founder of Perry Marshall Inc. and author of The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords
APRIL 15TH: CREATING THE LIFE YOU DESIRE BY MASTERING ONLINE MARKETING
Speaker: Mitch Meyerson, President of Guerrilla Marketing Coaching Certification Program and author and co-author of numerous books, including his latest, Mastering Online Marketing
Simply click on, or copy and paste the link below to reserve your spot on all remaining calls: http://www.Ideas-to-Income.com
PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY PHONE LINES, SO SPACE IS LIMITED.
Keep in mind: You'll have an opportunity to ask questions of all of our speakers before and during the teleseminars. So be thinking of yours and watch out for the emails, because they'll contain call-in and scheduling information as well.
They've also talked EACH SPEAKER INTO GIFTING SURPRISE BONUSES for EVERYONE ON THE CALL. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE ON THE CALL TO RECEIVE THEM!
So DON'T DELAY - RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW at: http://www.Ideas-to-Income.com
Words of Wisdom From Brian Tracy
BNI Members get 25% off BTU course fees. For more information, please click, call or e-mail: www.briantracyu.com/bnimembers; (866) 505-8345, Extension 21; bni@briantracyu.com
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Throughout history, the best thinkers have asked the question, "Why are some people more successful than others?"
This question crops up in history, philosophy, religion, metaphysics, psychology, and success literature. Aristotle said that behind every desire we have yet another desire … "The wish to be happy."
Throughout your life, you constantly strive to move away from pain toward pleasure, and away from discomfort toward comfort. Consciously and unconsciously, you strive to be happy. In business and in sales, we define happiness as "fulfilling our full potential and achieving everything that is possible for us."
What then are the qualities of the most successful and happy people in sales and business? Over the years, based on thousands of articles and research studies, I have concluded that there are basically seven qualities, each of which is learnable via practice and persistence. Here they are:
Ambitious. Successful people have an intense, burning desire to be successful, to achieve more and more, and to constantly raise the bar for themselves.
In addition, ambitious people see themselves capable of "being the best." From the time they begin their sales or business careers, they strive for excellence, to be among the very best people in their industry. They set bigger and bigger goals for themselves, and persist longer than anyone else to achieve those goals. And they never give up.
Courageous. Successful people confront the fears that hold most people back: failure and rejection. The fear of failure causes you to think more of what you might lose if you take a chance than what you might gain. The fear of rejection makes you hypersensitive to the opinions or criticisms of other people, and especially to the negative reactions you get from prospective customers.
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain." What this means is that successful people confront their fears, face their fears, master their fears, and do it anyway. The wonderful thing is that, the more you do the things you fear, the less you fear doing them.
Eventually, you become fearless, and then unstoppable.
Committed. Successful people believe in their companies, products, customers, and themselves. They actually become emotionally involved in what they sell and who they sell it to. You've heard it said, "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Successful people care.
Because they are committed, top people love their work. They can hardly wait to get started in the morning and they hate to quit in the evening. This infectious enthusiasm for their products and services transfers into the minds of their customers. The customers then want to buy from these people and recommend them to their friends.
Professional. Top business people see themselves as consultants, dispensing good advice, council and recommendations to their customers. They see themselves as "helpers," continually looking for ways to help their customers to get more enjoyment and benefit from what they sell.
Instead of talking incessantly about their products or services, they ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. They look for ways that they can improve the life or work of their customers with their products or services. Their goal is to help their customers to be better off with their products or services than they could be without them.
Prepared. Preparation is the mark of the professional in today's competitive environment. Top people take the time to do pre-call research, finding out everything they can about their customers before they approach them the first time. They set pre-call objectives; they determine exactly what questions they will ask, and what results they want to achieve, in a particular sales meeting. Finally, top salespeople do detailed post-call analysis, writing down everything that was discussed in the sales meeting so they don't forget it later.
Because they are so well prepared, top salespeople have more confidence when they approach a customer. And customers can tell. Customers know when the salesperson has taken the time to do his preparation. This dramatically increases the salesperson's credibility and makes it much more likely that the customer will listen to the salesperson and buy his or her products or services.
Continue to Personally and Professionally Develop. Top sales professionals are dedicated to lifelong learning.
They realize that "to earn more, you must learn more." Whatever got you to where you are today is not enough to get you any further. Your current level of knowledge and skills is only sufficient to keep you where you are; it does not allow you to go any further. To increase your income, to grow in your field toward being one of the highest paid people, requires that you continually learn and apply new ideas.
The key to continuous learning is simple: Read in your field of sales and business 30-60 minutes each day. This will amount to about one book per week, or 50 books per year. Since the average sales or business person reads less than one book per year, reading regularly in your field will give you a distinct advantage over your competition.
Next, listen to audio programs in your car. The average sales professional sits behind the wheel of his car 500-1000 hours per year. This is the equivalent of 3-6 months of 40-hour weeks, or 1-2 university semesters. By turning your car into a university on wheels, you can become one of the best educated, most knowledgeable, and most skilled professionals in your field.
Finally, take all the seminars and additional courses that you possibly can. Attend sales seminars given by professionals in your city. Enroll in on-line learning programs for sales effectiveness. Become a life-long "do-it-to-yourself" project. Never stop learning and growing.
100% Responsible for Themselves. As important as anything else, top professionals see themselves as 100% responsible for themselves, and everything that happens to them.
Because they are responsible, they do not make excuses or blame others. They do not criticize or complain. They say, "If it's to be, it's up to me."
This attitude causes top people to see themselves as self-employed, as "Presidents" of their own personal sales corporations. They see themselves as responsible for every aspect of their own personal entrepreneurial business, including production, quality control, marketing, promotion, and training and development.
In summary, you have within you, right now, the ability to be, do, and have far more than you have ever before. The only limit to what you can achieve in the future is your imagination.
You can learn anything you need to learn, to accomplish any goal you can set for yourself. You can solve any problem, overcome any obstacle, and achieve any level of income you desire, if you will but apply yourself, and practice the seven qualities of top people until they become lifelong habits.
Good luck!
About Brian Tracy:
Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations.
Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 46 other countries worldwide. As a keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year.
Brian has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of sales, entrepreneurship, economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is a top-selling author of 42 books that have been translated into 35 languages and which are sold in 52 countries.