Aw Son, Just HIT the Thing
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I think my father had his doubts about how I’d turn out. He was always “encouraging” me to stop thinking so much and take direct action. But I was a slow learner in that area.
Most of us learn early that even with luck on our side, we’ve got to put some real effort into our [...]
The Corners We Don’t Mind Cutting
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It happens fairly often. About one customer in 50 steals from me.
But I’m not alone. Virtually every person I know who sells information products says they have the same experience.
No matter how good your product, no matter how much value you pile on, about two percent of your customers will order your product, [...]
I Won? Didn’t Know I Was IN a Contest
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Jack laughed out loud when the letter came.
“I won a sales contest,” he told us later, “and I didn’t even know I was in it.”
Jack, a freelance printing salesman, was one of our steadiest customers at the photo lab. He wasn’t really a photographer, but he sold full color brochures and picture postcards, and his [...]
But I Don’t Want to Wait THAT Long
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Years ago I worked in a camera shop with a man named Sam who was constantly bemoaning his bad luck. He often talked about Mr. Dawson, a man in his seventies who was really lucky. Dawson owned real estate all over the western suburbs of Chicago.
One day when he mentioned Dawson, I commented, “Hey, Sam, [...]
Burning Desire — Golden Key or Red Herring?
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Acres of Diamonds… you’ve read the famous story, or at least had it related to you.
A farmer hears tales of diamonds and begins dreaming of vast riches. He sells his farm and hikes off over the horizon, never to be heard from again. Rumors say that years later he died destitute, never having found [...]
How to Set Intentions that Energize You
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We’ve all heard how crucial it is to set intentions, goals and targets.
Powerful goals electrify us. Clear intentions energize and pull us forward.
Without a clearcut intention, we’re reactive and don’t get around to doing the important things when we want them done. Instead, we spend our time fighting random fires.
Without clear intentions, anything might [...]
How to Conquer Intimidating Goals
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“Oh that would be too hard for me — I could never learn to do that.”
We’ve all heard these words… you may even have said them yourself. Tackling new skills can feel intimidating. But we only feel intimidated because we overestimate the task and underestimate our own abilities. We aren’t confident enough in our natural [...]
Freedom from New Year’s Resolutions
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So we’ve got another January coming upon us, ready to wipe this year’s slate more or less clean.
Remember just about a year ago, in the first days of the first month, remember how it felt? Like you had this vast mound of time lying before you, like a huge, un-molded lump of fresh clay? [...]
Mix Business with Pleasure? There’s a Safe Way
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Want to drastically cut the workload in your business, reduce the emotional drain to nearly nothing, and inject more pleasure into your work day?
Here’s a secret — check your client list.
Got customers who often call you in the middle of the night with emergencies (real or imagined)?
Or demand you work every weekend [...]