A few weeks ago one of my clients asked how he could stop missing deadlines and get more predictable results with his business. Now I’ve worked with this client for a couple of months and I had a pretty good idea of why he wasn’t able to achieve his goals on time. I asked him, “Jason, can you please tell me your strategy for predictable failures?”
I think he was a little shocked at first but then I explained. “Well, you have gotten very good at making sure you don’t get the results you want, right? So the good news is that when you have a strategy that gets you predictable results – even if its the wrong results – then you can flip it into a positive strategy!
So here is what I did with Jason.
First I asked him to explain step by step how exactly he made sure he screwed up a plan and didn’t get good results.
Here was his strategy for missed deadlines:
1. When I decide to start the project, establish a due date without looking at calendar or other commitments so it’s completely unrealistic.
2. Set up myself up so that you I multiple important projects going at the same time.
3. Keep the project plan in my head and wake up stressing every day about it.
4. Tell myself I’m going to work on the project then answer other peoples urgent requests via email and phone and don’t get anything done.
5. Guarantee I won’t finish anything by starting lots of tasks simultaneously.
When you start to understand the thoughts, behaviors and choices you make to get bad results you can “rewire” your process to get great results.
Then we took take Jason’s poor results strategy and flipped it into one that could deliver guaranteed results. For instance, if we did the opposite of each action from above, Jason would:
1. When starting a project, always look at calendar and other commitments before deciding on deadline.
2. Be realistic about other projects and commitments so I’m not over-committing and under-performing.
3. Spend an hour to map out all the steps in the project and transfer them to my calendar (or project planning system.)
4. Book chunks of time where I turn off phones and email and do NOTHING but work on my project.
5. Be diligent with my focus and complete one task at a time.
Successful outcomes happen when proven steps are used together. Most of us fall into a trap of habits that deliver poor results – missed deadlines, mediocre sales, stressful launches, etc. By “flipping” those bad habits into their opposite actions you can start to achieve improved results!
What will you try this on? Got a bad habit of missing deadlines that you want to improve? Share them below…
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Most entrepreneurs are continually battling overwhelm with too many things to do, opportunities to capture and money to make! Melanie Benson Strick, Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach & Virtual Team Building Expert, teaches entrepreneurs how to stop feeling overwhelmed so they can create more money, more freedom and more prestige.
Get the Entrepreneur’s Secret Weapon to revolutionize your results and get on the fast-track to a freedom based business. Take this free chapter from my book, The Power of The Virtual Team, as a gift from me at http://www.thepowerofthevirtualteam.com
Copyright 2007-2011 Melanie Benson Strick and Success Connections Inc
VAClassroom has just announced their Product Launch Support Specialist Certification Program and I’m giving everyone that uses my link to sign up for it during the promotion period, an exclusive VAClassroom Product Launch Support Specialist Bonus.
Here’s my VAClassroom affiliate link…use it to qualify for my VAClassroom Support Specialist Bonus offer:
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Once you are certified, you will:
Confidently assume the “quarterback” role for all your clients’ product launches!
Know for certain that you’ve received the proper training to market yourself as a highly sought after Product Launch Support Specialist—and be able to prove it with your certification.
Connect with an exploding number of new ideal clients who are lacking the key tools and techniques to effectively bring their products and services to market on the web!
Have a Product Launch System that you can even utilize for your OWN products, resulting in new income streams for your business!
VAClassroom is all about teaching VAs how to learn many of the most in-demand skills in the industry today such as Internet marketing, social media, Camtasia Skills, fantastic Facebook pages, and virtual event management.
So, my VAClassroom Product Launch Support Specialist Certification Program Bonus is all about helping you get the most out of your VAClassroom training.
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Product Launch Success Checklist #1: Setting Up for Product Launch Success Product Launch Success Checklist #2: Top Strategy Secrets Product Launch Success Checklist #3: Bringing It All Together Product Launch Success Checklist #4: Easy Promotion Kit
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How to Sell Your Products Before You Launch! 30 Pre-Sell Launch Strategies to add to your toolbox.
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Video 1: Introduction to Video Marketing
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Here’s my VAClassroom Product Launch Support Specialist Bonus Rules:
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Connect | Inspire | Empower
Three Days :: A Dozen Amazing Entrepreneurial Women
The purpose of the retreat is to focus on getting clear about our business goals for the upcoming year and beyond, to foster new and renewed relationships and perhaps, build a joint venture partnership or two… you never know! Learn more at http://www.elitemastermindretreat.com
Ok. Here’s the quick version. Everything you wanted to know about word of mouth marketing but were afraid to ask. It all comes down to this:
Happy customers are your best advertisers. If people like you and what you do, they will tell their friends.
Lesson 1: The Definition of Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of Mouth Marketing is a) giving people a reason to talk about you and b) making it easier for the conversation to take place.
It’s C to C Marketing – when a consumer tells a customer about you. Actually, it’s B to C to C. When it comes out of the mouth of a marketer, it’s marketing. When a real person repeats it, it’s word of mouth.
It’s more than just marketing–it’s also product design and customer service. People talk about fantastic stuff and great treatment they get from companies they like.
Lesson 2: The Four Rules of Word of Mouth Marketing
Rule #1: Be Interesting
Nobody talks about boring companies, boring products, boring ads. Everyone can be interesting. Before you run an ad, before you launch a product, ask your spouse about it. Trust me…if he or she finds it interesting, you’ve got a winner.
Rule #2: Make People Happy
Create amazing products. Provide excellent service. Go the extra mile. Make sure the work you do gets people energized, excited, and eager to tell a friend.
Rule #3: Earn Trust and Respect
Nobody talks about a company that they don’t trust or don’t like. Earn the respect of your customers. Be good to them. Talk to them. Honor their intelligence. Fulfill their needs. Stay honest. Every company can be nicer, and every one of us can work to make our company a little better to its customers.
Rule #4: Make It Easy
Find a simple topic that is easy to repeat. Not your fomal brand statement, not your product description. Forget elevator pitch…it’s the pass-in-the-hall test. What can people tell a friend about you in one sentence?
Then do everything you can to make it easy to share that topic. Use tell-a-friend forms on your web site. Put it in an email. Pass out flyers. Blog it. Stick it on a t-shirt.
I’m very happy to report that Adobe was able to solve my installation issue and I now have the CreativeSuite back on my computer. But now….
My Microsoft Office products will not open! Can you believe this????? Talk about frustration!!!!!
I shouldn’t have celebrated in such earnest the last time around.
I called Adobe back and they sent me to a web page that has instructions for fixing the particular error that I received, and told me that they couldn’t help because it was a Microsoft issue. Ah-hem, I didn’t have this problem BEFORE Adobe changed all kinds of registry keys and other Windows files to get CS3 reinstalled.
Now, I’m going to have to call Microsoft and spend another wasteful amount of time on the phone trying to get this resolved.
After 8+ hours on the phone with a company that starts with an ‘A’ and ends with an ‘e’, (I don’t want to name names but it’s a type of Southwestern house), and over 3 of those hours today, they still can’t figure out how to reinstall my very expensive “suite”. Funny, the program was installed on both my working computers before. On my newest laptop, the RAM corrupted and after the Dell tech installed new RAM, it corrupted my ‘suite’, so I deinstalled, then attempted to re-install with no luck. It would only install 2 of the 10 or so programs, even with repeat attempts and several choice words.
Today, doesn’t it all in a sudden corrupt on my old laptop. Arghhhhhhh! Windows decides to install an update and reboot while my unsuspecting computer was idle and just minding its own business. When it restarted and I tried to open my Photoshop again, it told me I must uninstall and reinstall. Grrrrrrr…. (of course I was in the middle of a project). Ok, so I go into the control panel, uninstall the programs and followed its request. Ay carumba…as it did on the other compuer, only 2 of the many programs installed and I’m still stuck on the phone with A….e, while they’ve taken control of my computer to try to figure it out. I’m on hour 2 on this call to India now and while the fellow I’m dealing with in tech support is really nice, patient and determined, it’s wearing a little thin for me.
Rohan told me a few minutes ago, it’s not A….e’s falt – it’s a problem with Windows. Not that that would really surprise me but hmmm…that’s kinda strange when it’s happened on TWO computers now – one has Windows 7 and the other Window Vista. Hrumph…
I don’t want to have to shell out tons of moola for the latest suite – this must work – I paid a small fortune the first time ’round!
Problem really is – I use these programs pretty much every day to create graphics, manipulate photos and design website and ezines for myself and my clients. FRUSTRATING!
While on this call, and the tech has had control of my computer, I’ve made and eaten dinner, done the dishes, vacuumed the top floor of my house, and handwritten this lengthy blog post. Hopefully, I won’t have to wear my headset to bed!
I’ll keep you posted. I’m hoping to report all’s well on the computer and program front before we move on to 2011!
The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery.
But while we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. So many of us are trained to notice what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it needs to become more than just a Thanksgiving word. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit. And that can take some time.
That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.
Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are whitewashed or ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope.
There are many things to be grateful for: colorful autumn leaves, legs that work, friends who listen and really hear, chocolate, fresh eggs, warm jackets, tomatoes, the ability to read, roses, our health, butterflies. What’s on your list?
Some Ways to Practice Gratitude
• Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful. You can make daily, weekly or monthly lists. Greater frequency may be better for creating a new habit, but just keeping that journal where you can see it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
• Make a gratitude collage by drawing or pasting pictures.
• Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your nighttime routine.
• Make a game of finding the hidden blessing in a challenging situation.
• When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.
• Notice how gratitude is impacting your life. Write about it, sing about it, express thanks for gratitude.
As you practice, an inner shift begins to occur, and you may be delighted to discover how content and hopeful you are feeling. That sense of fulfillment is gratitude at work.
If trying to maintain balance in your life makes you feel like a tightrope walker, you’re not alone. Most of us have so many demands on our time and energy, life can feel like a three-ring circus. Take this quiz to see how well you are meeting responsibilities, while also recognizing and fulfilling personal needs and wants.
True | False
1. The only way I can successfully manage my life is to take care of myself physically and emotionally.
2. Nurturing myself enlarges my capacity to help others.
3. I eat healthfully and exercise regularly.
4. I get check-ups, go to the dentist, and take preventative precautions.
5. I set aside personal, quiet time for myself, whether I’m meditating or simply letting my thoughts drift.
6. I experience the gifts of each season: ice skating, sledding, bundled-up beach walks; gardening, hiking, more time outside; camping, swimming, barbeques; harvesting the bounty, gathering wood, spending more time inside.
7. Creativity nurtures me, too. I do what I love, whether that’s cooking, drawing, painting, writing, dancing, singing or another creative pursuit.
8. Reaching out to others enriches my life. I spend quality time with family and friends.
9. Contributing to the world provides connection and purpose, so I give my time, energy and experience where it is most useful.
10. I notice and heed the emotional signals that tell me I’m out of balance: irritability, overwhelm, resentment.
11. If I feel that I’m catching a cold, I realize I may have stressed my immune system with overactivity, so I stop and take care of myself.
12. When I need or want to, I say no to requests for my time.
13. I listen to and honor the requests my body makes for such things as a nap, a walk, green vegetables, hot soup.
14. If I have something planned for myself, I don’t just toss that aside when someone makes a request of me.
15. I’m busy, but I find time to do the things I want to do.
16. I’m happy. I regularly experience well-being, contentment, even joy.
If you answered false more often than true, you may want to take a look at the questions to which you answered false and see if you can incorporate something of its message into your life. Please don’t hesitate to call if you’d like to explore this issue further.
A few weeks ago one of my clients asked how he could stop missing deadlines and get more predictable results with his business. Now I’ve worked with this client for a couple of months and I had a pretty good idea of why he wasn’t able to achieve his goals on time. I asked him, “Jason, can you please tell me your strategy for predictable failures?”
Confidently assume the “quarterback” role for all your clients’ product launches!
Ok. Here’s the quick version. Everything you wanted to know about word of mouth marketing but were afraid to ask. It all comes down to this:
I’m very happy to report that Adobe was able to solve my installation issue and I now have the CreativeSuite back on my computer. But now….
ter 8+ hours on the phone with a company that starts with an ‘A’ and ends with an ‘e’, (I don’t want to name names but it’s a type of Southwestern house), and over 3 of those hours today, they still can’t figure out how to reinstall my very expensive “suite”. Funny, the program was installed on both my working computers before. On my newest laptop, the RAM corrupted and after the Dell tech installed new RAM, it corrupted my ‘suite’, so I deinstalled, then attempted to re-install with no luck. It would only install 2 of the 10 or so programs, even with repeat attempts and several choice words.
