Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only YOU have the power to make those seeds grow. YOU are responsible, not your mother, not your father, not society, not capitalism, and certainly not the circle of friends or business associates you hang around.

The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created: the human mind. No computer can come close to duplicating the goal setting, goal seeking, goal-attaining mechanism of the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. YOU were born a winner. YOU were born rich. YOU can be a success if only YOU make the right choice.

“Success is not only reserved for the extraordinary gifted people, it is available for those who seek it with a commitment and vision.”

YOU cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for, their lives. They are the perennial victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather. YOU can exercise control over your life only to the degree that YOU believe that YOU are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.

Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. Thoughts and beliefs cause everything. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. One’s success is dependent upon one’s level of confidence.

We are responsible for thinking confidently about ourselves and the attainment of our goals. Whatever the conscious mind accepts as true and chooses to believe, the subconscious will be driven to achieve. We are responsible for what we consciously choose to accept and believe. Our attitudes and actions are a result of habits ingrained in us over a period of time. We are responsible for either reinforcing good habits or unlearning bad habits and consciously replacing them with consistently practiced good habits.

If YOU associate with positive-thinking people, YOU are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks. In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, YOU are responsible. Once YOU recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, YOU are on the road to success. If YOU fail to accept this basic tenet, no success system or formula will pull you out of the hole you have dug for yourself.

Acceptance of responsibility is the crucial starting point of a successful life. None of the practical techniques for achievement are of value unless YOU first realize that YOU can take control of your life. YOU will not set a definite goal, with a plan for its attainment on a certain date, unless YOU realize that YOU will take control of your life by doing so. If YOU believe that you are totally controlled by fate, your environment, or other external forces, then YOU most certainly will be ruled by those forces. All causation is mental, and YOU can control your thoughts.

“IT’S UP TO YOU”

“IF YOU THINK YOU CAN OR IF YOU THINK YOU CAN’T, WHICHEVER WAY IS RIGHT”

“SUCCESS IS A CHOICE, ONLY YOUR CHOICE … And you need to make it more than once!”

All too often the cry is heard ‘you can’t get good people’ or ‘why can’t I get my people to do as I tell them’. Well here’s a few ideas that may make life a lot easier.

Consider for a moment, the business owner who has 10 people working in the business yet they’re the ones doing all the work. What’s the point!

Firstly, let’s get back to basics. Most people in business will understand how important systems are. Systems are usually responsible for having a business that runs smoothly (and profitably). With systems in place, it’s simply a matter of employing people to run those systems. Michael Gerber’s fantastic book (The E-Myth), really highlights how important systems are for businesses to be successful. A real life example of course is McDonalds. With a food product that at best, could only be described as average, it is simply a matter of systems that keep it a hugely successful entity.

The point is, get the systems built in your business. If you feel like you’re banging your head up against a brick wall, take a look at the systems in your business. Look at the most basic things from answering the phone all the way through to how you produce your product. If your systems aren’t clearly defined and easy to understand, how can anyone understand what you want. Preferably write them down and turn them into checklists. This is the basic foundation of business and in turn getting your people to work as a team, something that equals more than the sum of it’s parts.

So, the systems have been built and are clearly defined, and now it’s a matter of recruiting the right people to run those systems. The DISC working personality profile can really help in selecting the right people for the job. With this knowledge, you can then recruit the right people for the job. However, the real challenge lies ahead. It’s not just a matter of having people who come in, follow the system and get the job done. What you are looking for now is SYNERGY!

Synergy comes from having people who are committed to a ‘common goal’. If people are involved in setting the ‘common goal’, they are generally more likely to commit. If you , as the business owner are dictating to your team ‘this is the goal’, don’t expect much commitment. If your team has ownership, they are much more likely to achieve. Ownership is also very useful when designing and building your systems, let alone setting goals. Keep asking the team this question…’I’m looking for [certain outcome], how do you think we should go about achieving that?’ The successful business owner has team members that say ‘I think we should do like this’. An unsuccessful business owner has team members that say ‘I don’t know, you’re the boss’.

Finally, be aware of what you are teaching your team. By this I mean, if a baby cries and it’s mother comes running. What will the baby lean to do after a while? Exactly, let out a cry and in rushes Mum. All I ask is to be very aware of what you are teaching your team. If you’re saying to yourself ‘no-one can do it like me’ and you jump in and do it, your team is learning from that.

If you would like to learn more about how you can get your staff to work like a team call your ACTION Business Coach David Guest on 1300 728 466.

Yellow Pages deadlines are coming up, so you need to act now to make sure your ad is giving you the best return on investment.

So many people ‘blow’ their Yellow Pages ad. It’s their very best selling opportunity, yet they give it the least thought. They just let their Yellow Pages rep write and design their ad, then say ‘yes, that looks fine’ without really thinking whether it’s going to sell.

Yellow Pages is a golden market – the people looking in the book have already decided to buy, they just want to know who from. Your Yellow Pages ad is your chance to put your hand up and say ‘buy from me!’.

If you leave it in the hands of Yellow Pages, you’ll end up with an ad that looks like every other ad on the page. You have to ask yourself, ‘why is my Yellow Pages rep going to write me a better as than my competitor, when he’s writing their ad too?’.

The truth is – he’s not. It’s impossible. How can someone write two ads for the same product in the same section and make them both ‘stand out’. One will have to topple the other.

So what’s a poor Yellow Pages rep to do – give away the best ideas to one client and the dud ideas to another? Of course not. He simply does the same type of generic boring ad for everyone. Even when you ask for a couple of specific things, it will still turn out the same. After all, the Yellow Pages are still doing the design and most of the writing.

The only answer is to write and design the ad yourself. But how do you do that if you have no idea where to start. Easy – get the ActionCOACH guide called Instant Yellow Pages.

You’ll learn all about what works in Yellow Pages and what doesn’t. You’ll discover how to write a Yellow Pages headline, what you should include and what you should leave out, how your ad should look, what photos to put in and more. Best of all, you’ll see examples of super-successful Yellow Pages ads and get ready-to-go templates of IMPACT-driven Yellow Pages ads. You just fill in the blanks.

If you ‘re spending more than $5000 in Yellow Pages, you should definitely get this guide. Not only will you start to see more returns from Yellow Pages, you’ll be able to cut down on other marketing costs, like newspaper ads.

Some of our clients have had such success from Yellow Pages after applying these techniques, they’ve completely stopped all other marketing. Now that’s an aim worth striving for.

To get your copy of the Instant Yellow Pages E-Book, email  davidguest at actioncoach.com and I’ll send you your complimentary copy TODAY.

Many businesses spend thousands of dollars each year on expensive advertising campaigns, to attract more customers.

But what they don’t realise, is that probably the most cost effective way of generating new leads, is through customer referrals.

Although this seems straight forward enough, there are a lot of things to consider before putting a referral strategy into place in your business. One of the most obvious is choosing the right strategy for your business.

There are probably more than a dozen different strategies that you could use in your business right now. In fact, you could probably use more than one at the same time. But putting a referral strategy into place, is not as easy as it sounds. You need to look at the pros and cons of each different one before you make your decision.

Of the many things you need to consider, one of the most important, is what you’re going to offer to make it worthwhile for your customer to give you the names of their friends. If your offer does not represent value for money, it won’t motivate your clients to take action. But you need to be careful that you don’t cut too far into your profit margin, it’s important to find a balance somewhere in between.

You also need to consider whether or not your customers believe that you deserve a referral. If your customer service, or your products are not first rate, then it’s very unlikely that people will be knocking you over in the rush to give you the names of their friends.

When searching for the correct strategy for your business, you also need to consider how much effort your customers need to put in to give you a referral. No matter how much people like you and your business, they won’t spend all day filling out forms, or answering one hundred questions, just to give you a new lead. You need to understand that if the system you chose doesn’t require much effort from the consumer, it’s bound to be more successful.

Our 45 page e-book, Instant Referral Strategies, gives you dozens of referral strategies, with step by step advice to putting each one into place. You’ll discover how to create instant cashflow from your referral strategy, how to simply ask your customers for a referral, and sales designed to get your customers to drag their friends into your store.

Imagine if each one of your existing customers referred just one other person to your business. You could double the size of your business in less than 6 months. Instant Referral Strategies will show you how to do just that. You’ll discover how to identify the types of people you’d like to do business with, and how to attract more ‘A’ and ‘B’ grade customers.

You’ll see which offers get the best response, without sending you broke, as well as straight forward advice on creating a referral card that makes it easy for your customers to promote your business. We also analyse each strategy making it easy to chose the one that’s right for your business.

This manual is packed with simple, easy to follow ideas that will increase your business in a way you never thought possible.

To get your copy of this e-book, e-mail me at davidguest@actioncoach.com and start building your referral business today!

Dedicated to multiplying your profits,

David

Many small business owners rely on networking to generate new business. But is it really that effective?

It really depends on how you look at it. You see, if you think that networking if free, think again!

In business time is your most valuable asset, and to trade time for leads can be very expensive.

Lets say you spend 2 hours at a networking lunch. During that time there is a meal and guest speaker, and you really only get to meet the people sitting next to you. For a tradesperson who charges $80-$100 per hour, those leads cost you $100 each! Now if you invested that money in other marketing, would you get a better result?

If you break down the word Net-working, you’ll see it doesn’t say “Net-lunching”, or “Net-have a really good chat”.

The key to successful networking is…

1. Be clear on your objectives. It might be to meet and collect the cards of 10 qualified business owners.
2. Be short and sharp. Don’t spend too much time with one person. You can always arrange another meeting after the event to explore any opportunities further.
3. Make sure you have a follow-up process. Don’t leave the pile of cards on your desk, get something out to them. Either an email, or thank you card. If you do only this step, you will be in the to 10% of networkers.
4. People buy from people they trust. The best way to build trust with someone is to promise something small, and then deliver as promised. Make sure you make and keep small commitments. Once again, you’ll be in the minority if you do this one.
5. Treat networking time as a valuable asset not to be wasted, and ask yourself after each networking opportunity. “What did I do well? How can I improve next time?”

Follow these simple steps and you’ll start to see some amazing results.