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Ideas@Work! - Strategies for Success

October 11, 2006

In this issue...
Point to Ponder
Success Library
Understand the Mindset of a Prospect
Last minute notes and thoughts
Thanks for reading this issue...

Point to Ponder

"The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself. It is not in your environment; it is not in luck or chance, or in the help of others; it is in yourself alone." Orison Swett Marden, founding publisher of Success Unlimited Magazine.

Happy and smart is the person who stops long enough to both 'see' and 'seize' the opportunities that surround them. Each of us has 1440 minutes in our day with which we may capture and/or create magic within our lives and our professional roles. Each day we have the opportunity to get up and get out into the world, to explore  opportunities to both earn and learn. We also have opportunities to serve and care for our clients which will enhance their lives. Often, our success is in direct response to how well we act on and leverage those opportunities.

As former IBM leader, Buck Rogers said, "Our problem in the immediate future will not be the lack of opportunities for the really motivated, but the lack of motivated people ready and able to take advantage of the opportunities." That certainly seems the case here in Alberta with our growing labour shortage.

Sometimes opportunities present themselves as challenges, obstacles, or problems. The opportunity is only seized when a solution-oriented mindset is applied.

This challenge, when overcome, provides an opportunity for you to grow and expand your skills as well as abilities to serve. It can lead to new products, services, and skills which keep you on the leading edge in your career or business.

Over the past year or so, I've gotten instruction and coaching in the use of Dreamweaver. This applied learning allows me to do some of the little tweaks on my various websites without having to send the materials to Victoria or Mundare and then wait to see it uploaded. The struggle to learn has been an opportunity to expand and leverage my ability to better serve my clients and audiences.

Now, when I have a speaking engagement, I can quickly create a special resource based webpage just for each client and their respective audience.  It has been a great opportunity to dig deep into my creativity. This allows me to create additional value and provide follow up reinforcement to help my audiences act on and leverage my Ideas At Work!  See www.ideaman.net/Advantage1.htm for a recent example.

I remember my friend Paul, who provides the hosting for our Ideaman site, telling me I should learn to do this many years ago. At the time, I was reluctant (ok, scared) to tackle what I considered a major challenge beyond my comfort zone. It was, but it was worth the challenge to gain the skills to better serve and promote my business and services. Irene, from Vitrak Creative, has been patient in teaching me along the way and correcting and tweaking my work. She has been very helpful in helping me create template pages to allow me to do this, as well as helping keep my sites fresh and current. (Speaking of learning curves, boy have we been on one in preparing and building the Quantum Success 3-volume series.)

  • What have you been missing?
  • What opportunities are within your grasp?
  • What do you need to learn?
  • What disguised opportunities await you?

Make this month one of opportunities taken and success will naturally follow.

© 2006 Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey

PS: This picture is incoming Toastmasters' Intenational President Terry Daily presenting me with my Accredited Speaker award in Palm Desert, August of 1998. It was a struggle in focus and learning, but the journey was so worth it ...it still is!

 

Success Library

Each month I take the opportunity to recommend a few books that I feel will help you expand or enhance your leadership, career, or business. This month I have the distinct pleasure to give you complimentary access to 85 of the top authors, leaders, and business experts in North America (and the UK). It has grown into an amazing 3 volume set.

Over the past 'many' months, I've mentioned my work on Quantum Success and the amazing people who have contributed their wisdom to our collection. You will find these 3 volumes full of fantastic ideas, techniques and tips to help you succeed. I am humbled by their response. I am inspired and educated by their wisdom and example.  

Quantum Success was started as an opportunity to share with the CAPS Halifax Chapter at the end of November (05). I flew in to conduct a one day workshop on "taking your authorship to the next level" prior to our CAPS National Conference in Ottawa. It has been an opportunity to be the recipient of the generosity of some of the top speakers and business authors in North America. It will be an opportunity to raise both awareness and much needed funds for Laura's Hope to help combat and find a cure for Huntington's disease. It has been a challenge for time and creativity, but, as with all challenges, it was worth the struggle. I am proud of what we have been able to create together!

This month I am going to give each of you the opportunity to download a 'complimentary' copy of this 3-volume success series for yourself.

Simply go to our Quantum Success website and fill in the simple form to receive your complimentary copy. We will send you to a special download page that will be available for a short time, so act today!

I invite you to share this website and our offer with everyone you know or have in your email address book. Encourage your friends, family, colleagues, suppliers, clients, and community contacts to visit our website to download their personal complimentary copy.

Please do so today!

 

We want to get this e-success series on the computer screens and in hands of ten's of thousands over the next month alone. We feel this will help raise awareness to this health challenge and help raise an additional $100,000 before year end. Our long term goal is to help raise over $250,000. What a great Christmas present for the Laura's Hope and the future! Will you help us?

I simply ask that each of you take a moment, as you read and apply the collective wisdom of our co-authors, to also reflect on the opportunity to help fund Laura's Hope and find a cure for Huntington's. Visit their website and seriously consider making a contribution to help fund the research that will provide the cure. Follow the above link for information on how you can donate in your country. That will be payment enough for all of us who co-authored this gift publication.

Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey, Creative Lead: Quantum Success

 

Understand the Mindset of a Prospect

By Mark LeBlanc

"Identify the issue, listen for the other person's mindset, and respond in a way which meets what that person wants and needs. If you do, you will create magic with that person." Mark Leblanc

You will find that prospects fall into one of four mindsets when it comes to buying your products and engaging your services.

If you can identify the mindset of your prospect, and then respond in a manner that meets what that prospect wants and needs at that moment, you will go a long way toward building trust and rapport with your prospects. This is the ultimate communication tool and it is so easy. It requires that you listen carefully. Before I share the four mindsets with you, I want you to understand two very important points.

1. This is not about good people and bad people.

2. Everyone falls between these mindsets and you can move between the four in the blink of an eye.

The four mindsets are:

• A thinking mindset

• A doing mindset

• A struggling mindset

• An achieving mindset

You can refer to people in these mindsets as Thinkers, Doers, Strugglers, and Achievers.

The Thinker

A Thinker is someone who is thinking about buying your products and services. If you can understand this and respond accordingly, you can be of much better service.

Examples:

I am thinking about buying a car.

We've been thinking about remodeling our...

I think I will join a health club.

Maybe we should work with a financial planner.

I was wondering about...

And your Thinker flag goes up. If you know what this person wants and needs at this moment, you have it made.

WANT:    to make a decision

NEED:     information in order to make an informed decision

Do not try and sell to this prospect. Ask him or her how long they have been thinking about this? What kind of information are they looking for that would help them make this decision? What is their timeframe for making the decision? If you move quickly to sell this prospect, you run the risk of overwhelming him or her and thus alienating them.

If you slow down and provide the information they need in order to make the best decision for them, you will earn their trust and respect.

The Doer

A Doer is someone who has made the decision to buy your products and services. And hopefully from you. If you understand this and respond accordingly, you will have a better chance of making the sale today.

Examples:

I've made the decision to buy a new car.

We're going to switch accounting firms.

I am going to lose 10 pounds in 90 days.

Let's find someone to manage our money.

I am going to start my business this summer.

And your Doer flag goes up. If you know what this person wants and needs at this moment, you have it made.

WANT:    action

NEED:    your sense of urgency

Move quickly with this prospect. Ask him or her how soon they would like to take possession, or get the ball rolling, or what their target date is.

Take charge of this sale. Keep an eye on being productive and don't waste time. You will delight your prospect and you will stand head and shoulders above your competition.

The Struggler

A Struggler is someone who is in a momentary period of struggle. Everyone falls into this mindset from time to time depending on what issue or challenge is before us. If you can under­stand this prospect and respond accordingly, you can manage the sale properly or even let this one go. You don't have to sell everyone.

Examples:

You charge how much?

I'd never pay that price!

What kind of a deal can I get?

What is your hourly rate?

I am sooo busy. I just don't have time.

And your Struggler flag goes up. If you know what this person wants and needs at this moment, you have it made.

WANT:    a quick fix

NEED:    a new perspective

Be careful not to get wrapped up in this person's problems or you might find yourself in a moment of struggle. Draw this person out and help them think things through before they make a decision. You may need to provide a wake-up call or a new perspective. Don't make any mistakes and stick to your terms. If you bend the rules and go too far in order to accommodate this prospect, it will come back to haunt you.

The Achiever

Achievers are focused on what will happen when they put your products to good use or experi­ence the results and benefits of your services. With most Achievers, what you charge is likely to be perceived as an investment in the outcomes provided rather than a cost for your products or services.

Listen for:

We're looking for someone we can work with.

I'd like to work with someone who will...

I'd rather pay a little more and make sure...

It's important we find someone we can trust.

Our suppliers are an important part of our team.

And your Achiever flag goes up! What a happy day! Make sure you respond accordingly.

WANT:    teamwork

NEED:    a resource

Here is your opportunity to build a relationship that can last. Find out what is most important to this person and how your competitors worked with him. See if you can uncover the pros and the cons of your competitors. An Achiever will give you a prescription to succeed or fail. Stay close and never take this person for granted. If you do, you will lose, and they will look for another resource they can put on their team. That is a sad day.

© 2006 Mark Leblanc, All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author

Mark has been very generous with those of us in the speaking business, sharing ideas and counsel to help us grow our businesses. Visit his Small Business Success website to learn more about Growing Your Business. He is a contributing author to Quantum Success.

 

Last minute notes and thoughts

Belated Thanksgiving to our Canadian readers. We are thankful for your continued support and encouragement in sharing and applying our Ideas At Work!

September Success shared...  Keeping on track!

Wow! - what a productive month. Spoke for Westlock and Sherwood Park Chambers of Commerce (booked a board retreat for Jan '07 and some getting interest in additional work coming out of those presentations), an awards evening, CAPS Edmonton first fall meeting, DVD  launch for Style for Success friends Terry Pithers and Joanne Blake (they sure did it with style), a family wedding, and a coaching session for a new speech client. And, of course, getting Quantum Success phase one, done too! Whew!

Opportunities in October

October 6th: Something just for fun! Am entered in a local country radio station's Not So Desperate Farmers contest. They actually called and invited me to join. Guess they needed a 'mature' Idea Farmer to balance all the young'ns. I'm definitely the old bull in this herd. Lots of fun and the winner gets a trip to Jamaica in November. Gave me a chance to be creative in the marketing department too. Check out my ad. I'm farmer number 3.

October 12th: Official launch of Quantum Success 3 volume success series in support of Laura's Hope. Available on line later today (Oct. 11th). I will be investing any extra time doing promotion for this project across North America over the next couple of months. Our goal is to get at least 10,000 copies downloaded. Please help us get the word out, and of course download your complimentary copies.

October 14th:  Visiting CAPS Vancouver Chapter and getting a chance to reacquaint myself with this part of my family. I was one of the co-founders of this chapter back in 1997 and had the privilege to serve as President in 1999 & 2000. Will be a part of the annual fund raising auction. Will be donating a Quantum Success 3-volume series, collectors edition. It will be so good to reconnect as well as meet some of the newer members. Will also spend the weekend visiting friends and family and do a few client calls on Monday.

October 16th: Launch of the Speaker Gift Box campaign to Meeting Planners and clients across North America. A cooperative effort with 25 of my fellow speakers. Some of you may receive an separate email inviting you to visit this special website. Each speaker is offering complimentary gifts. There is no catch. We simply hope you will get to know us and perhaps hire some of us. If you know someone who qualifies (ie hires or recommends speakers for hire) pass along their name and email and I will make sure they get an invite. Waiting for the word to go, but should be coming out in next couple of weeks.

Oct. 18th: I am the closing speaker at a Leading Innovation conference in Vancouver. If you are in the Vancouver area, there might still be seats open. See you there.

Oct.19th: Special guest speaker for Smokey Lake Chamber of Commerce Small Business Week evening event.

October 25th: Sharing success secrets of gsining leverage for your career and business at the Edmonton Mastermind Club. Should be fun. If you are in the Edmonton area, come on down.

Oct. 28th: Speaking to the Independent Dairy Distributors for Saputo Foods in Calgary.

Also finishing preparation to host the CAPS National Chapter Speakers's Showcase in Vancouver this December. This year we will be giving our showcase speakers additional on-line and on-site exposure prior to the National convention. What a great opportunity to work with some of the best emerging speakers in our industry.

November: Emceeing a conference in Lethbridge first weekend. Attending meeting in Calgary toward end of November as guest of one of my national clients. Promotion of Quantum Success whenever I have some spare time. Goal is to get 10,000 plus copies downloaded before year end.

PS: Photo is taken in San Diego. Remember, even if you are on the right track you can be run over if you don't keep moving. Have a wonderful, productive, and successful month!

 

Thanks for reading this issue...

"You create opportunity. You develop the capacities for moving toward opportunity. You turn crises into creative opportunities and defeats into successes and frustration into fulfillment. With what? With your great invisible weapons: your good feelings about yourself, your determination to live the best life you can, and your feeling - that only you can give yourself - that you are a worthwhile, deserving person. You must fight for your right to fulfill the opportunity God gave your to use your life well." Dr. Maxwell Maltz

Seize the opportunity to make October a month of success and value.

Pass along my name to an organization you think would benefit from my Ideas At Work! with their leadership and team.

*****

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