Business Coaching

Brian Tracy Blog

I am spending a lot of time communicating with Brian Tracy International following the creation of the iLearning Global training platform and generally strengthening my relationship.

These are exciting times and i used to have permission to publish Brian's articles on this business coaching blog but they didn't always fit in with the direction I wanted to move but they always had good advice in them.

So I have found the solution.

I have reconfirmed my permission to publish and I have created a specialist Brian Tracy blog.

Initial posts include:

Who is Brian Tracy - general background information of this well known speaker and trainer

The Think It Over Sales Close - you can still get the order when the customer says those dreadful words "I want to think it over"



Stop Procrastinating: Get Started In The Right Way - how you start affects whether you finish so make sure you start in the right way.

My intention is to keep you updated with what is being posted to my Brian Tracy blog, perhaps on a weekly basis

iLearning Global EDGE Small Business Training

Have you had a chance to look at the new training platform that could change business training forever, bringing the leading experts to your PC whenever you want and need them?

It is called iLearning Global which is a portal packed with inspirational business development and personal improvement videos, audio recordings and ebooks.

They are now going one step further and putting together a structured small business training program using these materials in expert directed guide education for those who want it.

And it is called the EDGE. (the clue of what the EDGE stands for is in the previous sentence.)

When you gain access to the iLearning Global portal and see all the material, you may have two reactions:

1. "Great - I can get started on exactly what I need" as you take control of the way you access and use the information; or
    
   
2. "This is great stuff but there is so much. Where do I start?"

So the iLearning Global EDGE is for you if you fell into the second category - you want to learn but you want structure and guidance.

But it's not for you if you know you have a sales or marketing problem and you want to spend your precious time applying the marketing ideas of Jay Abraham or Brian Tracy's sales strategies.

It is your choice but that is the flexibility which iLearning Global brings - top quality resources accessed when you need them.

Join iLearning Global

See my iLearning Global specialist blog for more information about the iLearning Global EDGE small business training program.
     

iLearning Global: Business Development & Network Marketing

I have just been listening to a call about the launch of iLearning Global, a new way of personal business development put together by Brian Tracy, Bill Bartmann and a few others which is attracting the cream of trainers, consultants and speakers.

It is a very interesting idea and similar to how I saw DT Alpha from Stephen Pierce working out. Unfortunately that never moved forward beyond the promise although Stephen's DT Alpha blog is excellent.

The iLearning Global Deal

There are two levels of membership:1

1. As a customer and you get access to all the top quality material which is being added to on an ongoing basis.
    
   
2. As a marketer where you also get access to the training material but you also have the chance to promote iLearning Global and benefit from the multi-level marketing income opportunities.

And what's the difference in cost?

Just $20.

Stigma Of Network Marketing

I don't know about you but there is something I don't trust about most network marketing or multi-level marketing schemes.

Now partly it's because I'm sceptical about the magic pills etc on offer but iLearning Global is a little different.

I believe in continuing learning and I believe in learning from top quality information from the leading experts in the world.

That's why a major element of my blog is based on bringing you the ideas of the Business Development Superstars.

Men like Jay Abraham, Brian Tracy and Chet Holmes.

And yes, those three have already signed up to provide product for iLearning Global along with other big names like Mark Victor Hansen (co-author Chicken Soup For The Soul, Bill Bartmann (who has been ranked 25th richest man in America and won entrepreneur of the year awards), Jim Cathcart (relationship selling) and many more.

Take a look at iLearning Global.

This is still very early - the big launch is in March 2009 so it is a great time to get involved.

There are two sites for you to look at.

The main website for iLearning Global - www.ilearningglobal.tv

 and www.ilearningglobal.biz which is the commercial site.
 

How To Assess The iLearning Opportunity

Go to the iLearning Global commercial site and watch these videos:

Bill Bartman ILG testimonial - famous entrepreneur and once reported to be the 25th wealthiest man in the US.

ilearning Global credibility

Introduction to the iLearning Global Opportunity with Brian Tracy

The five rights of iLearning Global - with Brian Tracy

These short videos give you a great idea about the potential of iLearning Group and the backing it is receiving from these top people.

There is also a 25 minute video from Brian Tracy which explains why it is so important to take responsibility for your life and improve it through continual learning.

The ILearning Global Bank of Training Materials

We are in the pre-launch phase of iLearning Global as I write this at the end of January 2009 but the "bank" already contains some great material.

It is split between videos, audios and ebooks depending on your learning preferences and what is convenient to you at the time.

I have just had a quick browse so far and I will be paying close attention to the names I already know - Jay Abraham, Chet Holmes, Brian Tracy - and introduce myself to others.

But this is the tip of the iceberg of what will be in the iLearning Global bank of training materials.

My Thoughts On Succeeding In Network Marketing

I said earlier that I have been very sceptical of network marketing - and in fact someone rang me earlier this week asking for my advice and I said "I don't take network marketing clients.".

1. Is there are need for the product.?
   
   Does the networking marketing product make peoples lives better?
   
   iLearning Global brings you information to help you to improve your business and life.
    
   
2. Is the need recognised by the market?
   
   It is much easier and nicer helping a person to buy than to have to sell them on the idea.
   
   The self improvement market is massive so there is ready demand for iLearning Global but for every learner there are many more who don't recognise the importance of developing themselves.
   
   However my experience is that when most people start, the realise the value and continue to want to know more so iLearning Global is focused on a market that should attract millions more to it.
    
   
3. Is the networking marketing product credible?
   
   Is it coming from a reliable source and will it do "what it says on the tin?"
   
   The iLearning faculty has many of the best known names in their specialist areas and as it builds up momentum, who wouldn't want to be involved.
    
   
4. Are you interested in using the product?
   
   Is this something that appeals to you personally so you can relate and empathise to the people who will buy?
   
   If you are already a committed learner, then you will recognise the value in iLearning Global.
   
   
5. Is this a product that you are proud to promote?
   
   If you don't believe in the value of the product, you won't put the time, energy and money that you could into marketing and selling it.
   
   Network marketing relies on creating a virtuous circle of people gaining from the product and telling other people and gaining financially.
   
   iLearning Global brings together great information from many of the world's leading experts and delivers it through top notch technology. You can be proud of iLearning Global.
    
   
6. Have you found this network marketing opportunity early?
   
   We all only have limited circles of people we can influence so the earlier you are, the more people you know you can introduce and so can they. Early, active people build the big streams of passive income.
   
   iLearning Global is having its big launch in mid March 2009. You are not the first but you can be one of the early people to become involved with iLearning Global.
    
   
7. Is the network marketing product great value on its own without the extra income opportunities?
   
   If the product provides great value, you can sell with confidence.
   
   This is very much the thrust of the iLearning Global offer.
   
   The chance to promote it and earn money is a nice extra but for most of us, we will generate more money by putting what we learn into action.
    
   
8. Does the network marketing company provide you with the tools to make it easy for you to sell?
   
   An easy to market and order system makes the process much more effective.
   
   iLearning Global gives you your own link/version of the commercial website - here's mine.
   

iGlobal Learning meets all these criteria in my opinion but even if you shun the network marketing opportunity, there is no denying the value of the training resources provided.

Eat That Frog - Stop Procrastinating

This morning I have been following Brian Tracy's advice by "eating that frog" this morning.

The idea is that if you have a frog to eat, it's better to get it over and done with. You certainly don't want to be sitting there looking at it all day.

I haven't really eaten a frog of course but what I have done is tackled a few jobs that I have been putting off, and off because I didn't want to do them.

I hate filling in forms and anything connected with compliance. It doesn't earn me extra money and doesn't move my business forward.

But this morning I am feeling very virtuous.

I have dealt with the Information Commisioner, submitted forms for two of my dormant companies with Companies House including deciding on one of them, that it is more trouble than it is worth so I have applied for it to be struck off the register of companies.

Next I am going to tackle my personal tax return. I may not complete it today but I intend to this week.

And you know what, I feel good.

Eating that frog works.

So what unpleasant task are you putting off which keeps nagging away at your mind?

Is it something that you must do like the legal submissions I made or is it a task that is really important but difficult?

Just raise it to the very top of your work list.

No excuses.

Just commit to doing it and then, get it done. Go on, eat your frog.

You will feel much better and all that stress, strain and mental energy which your frog is draining away will be lifted.

This is just one of the time management tips included in Brian Tracy's excellent 21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time (see review) or available for just P&P from Brian Tracy. All these 21 success secrets audios are very good.  

21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time Brian Tracy

In my series of blogs on common mistakes made by entrepreneurs, time management has been a recurring theme so it seemed a good idea to introduce you to one of my favourite short time management programs - Brian Tracy and his "21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time and Double Your Productivity".

One of the biggest problems when I talk to entrepreneurs about developing their business is the concern that they don't have time to do what they already do, let alone find the time to do some new activities.

I understand but it is the wrong way to think.

It leads straight into Brian Tracy's first tip for managing your time:

Tip 1 - Make the Decision to Manage Your Time

Simple but so true.

Until you decide to do something and commit to doing it, you are never going to succeed.

So the very first step you must take if you want to manage your time more effectively is to decide that you will. Until you decide that you will carefully plan out your day and stay focused on your most important, highest payoff activities, it is not going to happen.

As Brian Tracy points out, you must be self disciplined and I do like his definition:

"Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it whether you feel like it or not."

So can you make yourself do what you should do or do you allow yourself to be distracted?

Or perhaps you are not even sure what your most important activities are to meet your goals?

Brian Tracy's "21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time" gives you the techniques to help you to set goals and define priorities.

Jumping on we get to:

Tip 6 Use the Law of Forced Efficiency

I had not heard of this law before but it recognises that you only have the time to do the most important things.

When you are under real pressure, your are very focused on what is most important and you ignore the unimportant tasks quite naturally. It gets more difficult when theer is a lot you could do but you are sure what you should do.

This is where the law of forced efficiency comes in because it forces you to answer four questions:

• What is the highest use of your time? what brings the highest return?
   
  
• Why are you on the payroll? If you are the managing director, first and foremost it is to do the work of the managing director and accept full responsibility for the financial performance of your business.
   
  
• What can you and only you do, that if done well, could make a real difference?
   
  
• Having answered the first three questions, what is now the most valuable use of your time?

Now that you have identified the tasks that matter most, it comes back to self discipline. While I think about it Brian Tracy has a short audio program on the miracle of self discipline. This isn't in my collection yet but I think a version of it soon needs to be. It is also included as a bonus in Brian's Flight Plan promotion which looks an excellent deal.

Jumping on again to:

Tip 18 Set Clear Posteriorities

A new word on me until I listened to "21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time".

Brian Tracy defines priorities as tasks you will do more of and sooner.

Posteriorities are the opposite - tasks you will do less of and later.

While the language seems strange this is such an important point.

To do something new or to do more of something you must create space for it.

An hour spent on one task means an hour less to spend on other tasks.

So if you are going to do more at work, does that mean an hour less at home? An hour less for "you time"? Or does it mean that you will stop doing something that you already do.

Not identifying your posteriorities is a major reason why people feel overwhelmed.

So what will you stop doing? What tasks can be done by somebody else? What activities aren't worth doing at all?

Conclusion on 21 Great Ways To Manage Your Time by Brian Tracy

I have talked about three of Brian Tracy's ideas for managing your time which he believes will double your productivity.

This is another excellent audio program with over an hour of practical and common sense advice on how to achieve more in the time available so that you can lead a better, happier and more productive life.

I rate this audio CD with 4.5 stars which makes it highly recommended.

Just listening to these ideas won't help you much, putting the time management techniques into action will and the brevity of the audio means that you can listen to it every time you believe you need to gee up the control of your time.

Other Audio Programs In the 21 Secrets To Success Series

So far I have reviewed two other of these audios, both excellent.

Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires

21 Success Secrets of High Performance Businesses

Click over to the Brian Tracy website and you will see that you can have a free copy of any one of the Success Secrets audios (you pay P&P) which sounds a great deal to me.            

Brian Tracy Time Management Videos

Here are some of Brian's time management related videos to help to inspire you.

Time Management For Professionals

Time Management And the 80/20 Rule

Additional Time Management Resources

Time management is such an important issue and I don't have good habits so deeply ingrained that I'm not tempted to stray.

I have recently signed up for Eben Pagan's Wake Up Productive program and while it is closed, you can still watch the launch video which does have some very valuable time management tips.

Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy is giving away for free his audio recording program, 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires and I thought that I should listen to my copy again and write a review (if you just want to jump straight to the free offer see Self Made Millionaires.)

The 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires is a 72 minute audio CD and is part of a series of 21 Success Secret audios (I reviewed the 21 Success Secrets of High Performance Businesses some months ago).

The CD tells you about the mindset issues involved in becoming a self made millionaire and this is a journey that top business trainer and guru Brian Tracy has made himself from his early days as a manual worker, through his time as a salesperson and from managing and starting many different businesses.

It promises to tell you the simple, effective and fairly easy to apply steps to becoming a self made millionaire based on research and interviews with self made millionaires. Brian Tracy always has this simple premise. If you think and act like a self made millionaire, you will start to accumulate wealth.

I will just pick out a few of the secrets to explore in a little detail although the 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires has about an hour of solid content with a short introduction at the beginning and a five minute pitch for a financial training program at the end.

Secret 3 - See Yourself As Self Employed

It doesn't matter whether you already have your own significant sized business, you are a self employed professional or you are an employee, you must adopt a self employed mindset.

Your success depends on you - what you think and do. While you will receive some help along the way, you must accept complete responsibility for your life.

If you want something, you have to make it happen and be prepared to make the changes necessary in your life.

Secret 7 - Dedicate Yourself To Lifelong Learning

I wrote yesterday about the problems of information overload and introduced you to Peter Thomson's ideas on the Performance Effectiveness Quotient but I wanted to make sure that I was still advocating lifelong learning.

Ideally you learn knowledge, learn to apply that knowledge and then practice so that you build up your skills and your actions lead you to success.

Unfortunately we tend to use only a small part of our mental powers but that means that we have a great potential for improvement by training our brain and building up the mental muscles.

Brian Tracy says that the average person spends 500 to 1,000 hours per year in their car. The lower end means that you spend the equivalent of 62 eight hour working days there. Think how much you could learn by attending so many intensive seminars and then commit to audio learning to make more productive use of the time.

This is what I do. Some of my driving will be spent listening to classic rock bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones but much of the time is spent listening to people like Brian Tracy, Jay Abraham, Peter Thomson and many others as I have come to appreciate the power of audio learning.

Secret 8 - Pay Yourself First

You may have heard this secret before in books like Rich Dad Poor Dad but the idea is that you take a certain percentage off the top of your income, save/invest that and then live within your remaining earnings. This common amount recommended to save is 10%.

It seems that poor people spend whatever they earn and then spend a bit more while people destined to be rich, commit to saving some of their income, virtually regardless of how much they earn.

I admit that it's much easier for the well off to cut back on their champagne and caviar lifestyle than it is for lower paid households struggling to meet life's essentials but it's the concept that's important.

Brian Tracy makes the point that if you can't imagine saving 10% of your income, then don't try to start by saving 10%. Instead save 1% and commit to living within the 99% remainder (and not a penny more).

Then when you have proven that you can save a little, increase your savings rate to 2%, then 3%...

Secret 15 - Practice Self Discipline In All Things

If you want to be a self made millionaire, you have to realise that it's not going to happen without commitment to paying the price you have to pay.

You have to do what you should do, when you should do it, regardless of whether you feel like it. Put off the necessary actions to become a millionaire and you introduce delays in the flood of cash that should be going into your bank account.

Brian Tracy says that successful people do the things that people who fail don't like to do. Successful people often don't like to do them either but they do them.

Conclusion

I've just looked at four of the 21 Success Secrets but I hope you can see that it is a good program to help you get your mind focused on becoming a self made millionaire.

I rate Brian Tracy very highly and the 21 Success Secrets Of Self Made Millionaires is another excellent product. I rate it as 4.5 stars and when you have your copy, I recommend that you listen to it about five times (or more) to really drill the ideas and millionaire making mindset into your brain. Do the exercises Brian sets - this isn't a spectator sport.

Then listen to it again every three to six months to make sure that you are keeping on the right track. 

Here is a sample from the 21 Secrets of Self Made Millionaires as a video.

You can order your free copy of the audio CD from 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires.

Keys To Reaching Your Full Potential

A quick reminder that the FREE Ideas to Income teleseminar on March 4th, 2008 is Brian Tracy explaining why personal development and business training are the keys to reaching your full potential.

You can register for the call at the Ideas to Income website.

If you like the look of the series of Ideas to Income seminars but the times are difficult, if you register you will be offered the opportunity to gain access to the all of the calls at your own convenience.

Brian Tracy is one of the business development superstars who I feature in this blog and I am always amazed at the scope that he is able to cover.

To paraphrase one of Brian's favourite sayings, if you want to be rich you have to do what rich people do. Most are committed to continually learning and question whether they have found the best way to think and act.

For more details of Brian Tracy I recommend that you take a look at his website. I particularly like his Secrets of Success audio programs.

Crunch Point Brian Tracy

Crunch Point by Brian Tracy

Book Summary Review

"Crunch Point: The 21 Secrets to Succeeding When It Matters Most" by Brian Tracy is a great read for any business owner or manager who is in a difficult position because business performance is poor.

I have reviewed this book through a business summary service and it is clear that the summariser has the same issue with Brian Tracy as I do.

The content of Crunch Point is so rich in valuable advice, information and guidance that a 117 page book is reduced to 15 pages in the book summary. Often BusinessSummaries take a 300 page book and reduce it to 8 to 10 pages of core ideas and concepts.

Brian Tracy takes his style of identifying 21 secrets of success and applies it to dealing with a business in trouble.

If you have ever been in that situation, how difficult and stressful it can be.

That's why tip #1 is Stay Calm.

Easier said than done but rather than take you through each of the tips in turn I thought I'd concentrate on this one. If you want the summary, just click over to BusinessSummaries and sign up to their free trial (available at the time of writing). Brian Tracy would prefer you to buy the book or the Brian Tracy University may have an audio program.

The tips in this area are:

1. Take a deep breath - it calms your mind.
    
2. Look to take control immediately - mentally and emotionally.
    
3. Recognise that the two biggest fears are the fear of rejection and the fear of failure. Both can cause anger, depression and paralysis.
    
4. Watch the way you talk to yourself. Your inner dialogue controls about 95% of your emotions.
    
5. Study the problem carefully and try to see it from different angles as you look for solutions. One tip I have heard is imagine that you are someone else and think what would they do. What would Richard Branson do? What would Indiana Jones do? What would Genghis Khan do?
    
6. Look for valuable lessons. Just identifying a positive opportunity or finding a valuable lesson can help make you feel better.

The Crunch Point book then looks at the other 20 secrets for success and if you are a Brian Tracy fan, you will know that another tip covers zero based thinking in the crisis. It really is a great way for making those different decisions that bit clearer and easier to make.

I rate Crunch Point a four star book summary. The summary is great and a valuable précis that can be read quickly and a very useful set of notes but I want to read the book as well.

Browsing Brian Tracy's website I noticed that the there is a Crunch Point recording available in Brian Tracy teleseminar series and it's my understanding that you get the first recording free and there is no obligation to buy more. Sounds like it is worth considering - Brian Tracy Crunch Point - it was at the bottom of page one when I looked but you may have to click through if they change the order.

You can buy Crunch Point from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

Other Resources If Your Business is in Difficulty

You may be interested in top author and marketer, Mark Joyner and his 7 Day Business Turnaround Kit (link to sales letter). (10 May 2008 - I am currently evaluating this turnaround program and my impression is that it is excellent for businesses that can make money selling information - see Business Turnaround for my review comments). Mark Joyner has a great reputation and reading the sales letter, you will see that you only pay at the end if you believe your business is back on track.

BusinessSummaries is a great service and has a free trial offer on at the moment.

The Four D's of Financial Success

With the permission of Brian Tracy International, I am delighted to feature another of Brian's articles on this blog.

The Four D's of Financial Success
By: Brian Tracy

Start From Nothing and Become Financially Independent

More than eighty percent of self-made millionaires in America began with nothing or in many cases, less than nothing. I can certainly relate to that because when I was growing up and right into my early 30s, I never had any extra money with which to start a fortune. It seemed to me that there was always enough, if not more than enough bills, to absorb every penny I earned. I was always in debt.

Be Ready for Your Opportunity

And even if a great business opportunity did come along, I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. As I began studying financial success and self-made millionaires, I noticed that almost everyone around me was in pretty much the same boat. The idea of becoming really wealthy was a distant dream with very little possibility of coming true. You may be in the same situation, with more bills than money or assets.

Look at the Numbers

The statistics are a little scary. Of 100 people who reach retirement age, according to insurance industry statistics, only one will be wealthy. Four out of the hundred will be financially independent; fifteen will have some savings put aside. And the other 80 will be dependent on pensions, still working or broke - this after a lifetime of well-paid work in the most affluent society in human history. Now why does this happen?

Why People Retire Poor

There are two main reasons why people retire poor. First, they never decide to retire rich. They wish and hope and pray, but they never make a firm, unequivocal decision that they're going to do it. Second, even if they do decide to retire rich, they procrastinate until it's too late. They always have some good reason for putting it off.

Start With Desire and Decision

If you sincerely want to beat the odds, to achieve financial independence and retire wealthy, there are four critical steps that you must take, all starting with the letter D.

The first step is desire. You must want it badly enough to make an unshakable commitment and to be willing to make sacrifices. The second D is decision. You must make a decision right now to do whatever is necessary, to be willing to pay any price, go any distance, to achieve your goal.

Practice Determination and Discipline

The third D is determination, which is to keep at it until you succeed in spite of all the problems and obstacles you will experience. And the fourth D is discipline - the discipline to master yourself to develop the habits necessary for achieving financial independence.

Those are the four Ds. Desire, Decision, Determination and Discipline. And you can measure how successful you're going to be in the future by measuring how well you're doing in each of those on a scale of one to ten.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a decision, right now, that you are going to be financially independent, no matter what obstacles you face in the short term. Then write it down, make a plan and start to work on it every single day.

Second, resolve in advance that you will persist in the face of every setback or obstacle you face. You will never give up. You will keep on moving forward until you finally achieve your goal.

Imagine if you could become a millionaire today!

Your life would be easier and more fun. You could be taking more vacations, and spending the kind of time with your family that you really want.

If you're like me you want financial success, and you want to know the secrets of how all these millionaires made their money.

The 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires

I've spent years interviewing millionaires - to find out what their secret is, and how they made their money. In this CD I tell you the 21 most powerful success secrets of self-made millionaires.

My 60 minute CD will give you the skills you need to become a millionaire today.

Buy the 21 Success Secrets of Self Made Millionaires now at BrianTracy.com

Thanks Brian.

Just to emphasise - the 4Ds are Desire, Decision, Determination and Discipline

Desire - do you really want to be rich? It sounds obvious. Of course you do. But will you do what it takes? Are you familiar with The Secret - the film about the Law of Attraction and what you think about comes to be. The theory is that if you think about the problems of being poor, you will stay poor. If you think about being rich, you will be rich.

Decision - are you ready to make the decision to be rich? Are you prepared to put together a plan that will help you to identify opportunities for profit and then exploit them?

Determination - are you really ready to commit to the actions required? If it was easy, everyone would be rich so are you ready to push past the challenges and setbacks that will put off the less determined people.

Discipline - at the centre of taking the necessary actions is the effective use of your time and being disciplined about how you spend it.

This 21 Success Secrets is one of a collection of audio recordings made by Brian Tracy that is highly recommended and great value even if you don't need the whole series. 

Brian Tracy 21 Great Ways Combination Pack

Customers For Life by Brian Tracy

I am delighted to bring you another posting from Brian Tracy, thanks to the kind permission of Brian Tracy International.

Customers for Life by Brian Tracy

Never Worry About Money Again

What is the purpose of a business?

Every time I ask this question during a business seminar, the immediate answer that I get back is, "To make a profit."

The Real Purpose of A Business

But this answer is wrong.

The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer.

If a business successfully creates and keeps customers in a cost-effective way, it will make a profit while continuing to survive and thrive. If, for any reason, a business fails to attract or sustain a sufficient number of customers, it will experience losses. Too many losses will lead to the demise of the enterprise.

Why Businesses Fail

According to Dun and Bradstreet, the single, most important reason for the failure of businesses in America is lack of sales. And, of course, this refers to resales as well as initial sales.

So your company's job is to create and keep a customer, and your job is exactly the same. Remember, no matter what your official title is, you are a salesperson for yourself and your company. And the best way to increase your value as a salesperson is to build your customer base.

"Learn how to build loyal customers who buy from you over and over - and tell their friends!"

A satisfied customer is 10x easier to sell to than a new customer. A referral from a satisfied customer is 15x easier to sell to than a cold call.

Now you can develop a customer service strategy that will get people to buy from you over and over again, increasing your sales, income and profitability.

Customers for Life

The highest paid salespeople and the most profitable companies have the best reputation for customer service. You learn a series of low-cost, no-cost ways to get customers to buy from you, buy again, and tell their friends.

Buy Customers for Life today!

Why Businesses Succeed

The two most important words to keep in mind in developing a successful customer base are Positioning and Differentiation.

Positioning refers to the way your customers think and talk about you and your company when you are not there. The position that you hold in the customer's mind determines all of his reactions and interactions with you.

Your position determines whether or not your customer buys, whether he buys again and whether he refers others to you. Everything that you do with regard to your customer affects the way your customer thinks about you.

The Key to Competitive Advantage
Differentiation refers to your ability to separate yourself and your product or service from that of your competitors. And it is the key to building and maintaining a competitive advantage.

This is the advantage that you and your company have over your competitors in the same marketplace - the unique and special benefits that no one else can give your customer.

Select Your Customers Carefully
When you begin to think about acquiring and keeping customers for life, you need to think about the particular types of customers for whom your competitive advantage is so important that they would be poorly served by using anyone else's product.

You need to then emphasize again and again that the special features and benefits you offer are so important that they should not even think of going somewhere else. If, for any reason, you fail to do this, you may lose the customer and all the work you've done in building that relationship in the first place.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, determine exactly what your current positioning is today with your customers. How do they think about you and what do they say? How could you improve your positioning?

Second, determine your exact competitive advantage, your area of superiority in what you do. How can you increase in your area of excellence and then convey it better to your customers?

You can learn more about Brian Tracy and his techniques for business building and development at Brian Tracy International and the Brian Tracy University.

Everything I have seen and heard from Brian has been of a very high standard and I particularly like his Secrets of Success Series. You can tell from the above article that he covers a very wide area of business advice.