3 Reasons Your Kids Need to Listen To Inspirational Content in the Morning

What is the very first thing you reach for in the morning? Be honest. It’s your smartphone. We all do it. It takes a very disciplined person to not reach for your phone. This is a very dangerous habit for a variety of reasons, but most importantly, it sets the tone for your day.

If the first thing you do is look at the news, which is almost never positive, you are feeding your mind mental potato chips. Having a bag of chips every once in a while probably won’t do any long term damage to your body, but eating these deep fried snacks every day, or worse yet, multiple times a day, will most definitely start to take its toll on your body, your health, and your mental well being. Ditto on checking email or social media. These should not be the first images your mind sees.

When you wake up your brain is in what is referred to as alpha stage. It is in this stage that your subconscious mind is susceptible to whatever messages you send it. Send it negative messages about doom, despair, and problems at the office, and your brain will respond back with dreadful thoughts and runaway fantasies about just that. It can and will do this on autopilot, the same way you can drive to work multitasking not even remembering the route you took to get there. It’s scary how the brain can play these negative novelas in our heads without us even trying.

I have good news for you. If the first thing you do is listen to something inspirational, you are feeding your mind mental protein. All human beings need protein in the literal sense. In the figurative sense, your brain needs mental protein. I’ll speak for myself, but my brain needs it hourly. If I am not careful, my brain has no problem spielberg-ing one of those negative novelas I alluded to earlier.

Several years ago I decided that I would apply the same practice with my children. Every morning in the car I play motivational speeches by Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, Les Brown, Joel Osteen, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and many more, as I drove them to school. That 15-20 minute ride is our time. I won’t respond to phone calls or emails and I’ll have them put their phones away. They have to listen to whatever message I’m playing for them that morning.

Then came Alexa. We have multiple Alexa speakers throughout the house so I stream the speeches on all the devices in the home the minute I wake them up at 7:00 AM. I make sure that the very first thing they hear is something motivational and something to inspire them. Occasionally I’ll start with the song “Eye of The Tiger” by Survivor and then transition into the talks. Most of the stuff I play for them has to be set to some type of music or I tend to lose them. I have it playing as they get dressed, as they eat cereal, and as they brush their teeth and groom themselves. I don’t turn Alexa off until we are out the door. Once we are in the car it resumes again.

I’m going to give you three reasons your kids need to listen to inspirational content in the morning.

1. Not Everything is on Prime Now

The Prime Now generation is used to instant gratification. Everything they could ever want is at their fingertips instantly. Food? Order from Grubhub or Doordash. Movie? Stream it or buy it. Video game? Download it. Underwear? On it’s way. You don’t even have to leave your home if you don’t want to. This is an amazing luxury when you are a consumer and you have money to spend.

Our children think reaching a goal is easy…everything to them is instant.

You and I both know that the real world doesn’t operate this way. Dear child, you want to master the piano? Prime Now can’t help you. My son, you didn’t make the football team? Bingeing on the entire catalog of football movies on Netflix isn’t going to help you. Our children think reaching a goal is easy. Why shouldn’t they? They’ve grown up thinking everything is instant.

Many, if not most of these talks tackle the topic of failure, persistence, and grit. Children need to hear these messages of resiliency more than ever so that when they do hit their first wall of rejection or failure, and we know they will, they are prepared to handle it and understand that it is just part of the journey.

2. The “F” Word

Most of us were raised in a household where we were taught that to be “the best” you had to make the fewest mistakes. This was then reinforced in school and sometimes even in church. Children are taught at a young age to avoid failure. They are led to believe that coloring outside the lines, risk taking, and making mistakes are not rewarded.

Failure is my favorite “F” word. If there is anything that these motivational speeches have taught me and my children, it is that failure is not the end of the world. Our kids know about Thomas Edison’s 1000 failed attempts at creating the lightbulb. They know about David Goggins having to complete 60,000+ pullups just to be able break the record of 4030. Our five children know that JK Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers before publishing her first Harry Potter novel. Our kids have a friendly relationship with failure. To them, failure is just a part of the process.

3. Celebs Carry More Weight

I’m just Dad. I’m the guy who asks my kids to take out the garbage or put the dishes away. I’m sure this doesn’t happen to you, but sometimes, my messages fall on deaf ears at home. When my children hear Dwayne Johnson talk about hard work and waking up at 4:30 AM in the morning to go to the gym, it impresses them, because well, look at him. My wife and I wake up at 4:30 AM in the morning to hit the gym too, but I don’t look like him. It sounds intense coming from him. It doesn’t sound awesome coming from me.

When the Rock talks about hard work and waking up at 4:30 AM it sounds impressive.

The same thing goes for influencers. I love it when I hear influencers share their journey about how long it took to become successful at whatever it is that they are doing. My kids love watching multi-millionaire professional gamer Ninja. I loved watching the video on his rise to fame and his dedication to his craft. Same thing with Ryan’s family from Ryan’s Toy Review. That family had to put out one piece of content every day for a long time before they saw success. One piece of video content every day is not easy, especially when you are not making money to do it.

I hope you enjoyed this piece and look forward to hearing about your results from having your children listen to inspirational messages in the morning!

Follow me here and subscribe here for all the latest tips on how to increase sales by up to 400%!

– Paul

5 Reasons You Need To Be The Biggest Cheerleader in Your Organization

If you played sports in high school, college, or even in the pros you know that on every team there is always that one, if you’re lucky two, players on your team that may not be the most valuable players on the court or on the field, but they are certainly the most inspirational players on the sidelines or in the locker room. They cheer the loudest. They take pleasure in watching their teammates score. They take it personal when something happens to a member of their team or the coach. They find ways to contribute even if it isn’t reflected on the scoreboard. When they are gone, their presence is missed in a big way.

For the sake of this piece, I am going to refer to these unsung heroes as cheerleaders. Cheerleaders don’t only exist in sports. They exist in business. They exist in marriage. They are friends and family. Some of them know you personally. Some of them have never met you. Some are vocal, and some silently applaud from afar.

Have you ever hung around a football game after a loss? Pay close attention to the cheerleaders. After a game, the cheer squad is either on the sideline cheering or they’re at the tunnel or bus greeting their player with smiles and chants as they return. Win or lose, their job is to do one thing: cheer.

You need to be the biggest cheerleader in your organization. When I refer to cheering, I am not talking about yelling out chants like, “Be aggressive. Be, Be, aggressive.” Cheerleading as I will define it in this blog is recognizing the hard work and the effort of those around you by praising them, thanking them, and congratulating them on their wins, no matter how small or large. You can do this online, offline, individually, or in groups. There are many different ways to honor someone’s hard work.

Learn to celebrate others and be happy for them. Genuinely happy.

Learn to celebrate others and be happy for them. Genuinely happy. This might take some practice on your part. It did for me. It takes a big person with a little ego to cheer on the successes of other people without being envious. It’s easy to fall into the “When will it be my turn?” trap. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling that way. We all have, but don’t stay in that mental place. Focus on what you want. Live there. Celebrating someone else’s victory is no different than having that poster of your childhood hero plastered on your bedroom wall. Cheering for your hero on the poster was effortless. It didn’t matter that you didn’t have any of their skills, talents or superpowers. That poster served as a reminder of who you wanted to become. Let the wins of those in your organization inspire and remind you of you want to become now.

Complimenting others may feel awkward at first, but don’t stop trying. If people aren’t used to you being so supportive, they may question your authenticity. Pay them no mind. Find something positive to say about someone and acknowledge it. The best way to greet someone is with a smile and a compliment. I’ll cover more of the “How To” in a separate post. This entry, part one, will be “The Why.”

Here are five reasons you need to be the biggest cheerleader in your organization.

1. People Are Starving For Recognition

You overestimate your own use of recognition. It’s okay. We all do. Have you ever had someone tell you something negative you might have said about them, only to remind that person that you complimented them about X,Y, and Z? I won’t dare to try to explain the human brain, but most people tend to remember negative events more than positive events, and they remember these negative experiences with vivid detail. Knowing this, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that you can’t over compliment someone. You might argue that in some relationships it may come off as desperate and needy, especially when you are showered with compliments too early, but trust me, you’ll notice and miss those kind words if they disappear.

Studies show that recognition is third to 1) salary, and 2) job security, when it comes to picking a place to work. Most employers don’t recognize the efforts of their team, or worse yet, take credit for their team’s hard work. A good leader knows that when something goes wrong, it’s their fault. A great leader knows that something goes right, it was the team’s effort.

During a trip to NASA in 1962, President John F. Kennedy introduced himself to a janitor and asked him what it was that he did. The janitor profoundly responded with, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.” Mic drop. That is precisely how you should treat every member of your organization. There is no role too small-especially when someone takes pride in what they do. Make it your goal this week to recognize someone on your team that deserves to hear how valuable they are to the group. It doesn’t have to be on a soapbox. Even just pulling them aside and letting them know how much you value them will be enough.

2. It Serves as Motivation

Competition is a part of life. In sports, business, and even romance, there has to be a winner and a loser. This is the ying and the yang. No one wants a participation trophy. In fact, studies have shown that when kids get token awards it has the opposite effect and makes them feel worse than losing does. So why sugarcoat the fact that someone is excelling? For fear of making other people feel bad about themselves? Horse crap.

Recognizing top producers creates a culture of winning and of friendly competition. It sets a standard for others to strive to achieve. I’ve worked with managers who won’t publicly praise their top performers because they “don’t want to inflate their egos…” and lose them to a competitor. What a horrible, cannibalistic culture that is. That isn’t how you are going to keep your top talent. Cheer them on. Make them feel valuable. Let them inspire those around them.

If God can do it for them, he can do it for you. Let the wins of your peers or colleagues motivate you.

Sharing the success of others may make you feel uncomfortable about where you are in your career or in life. I’ve been there. Not so long ago, you couldn’t have paid me to watch a show like MTV’s “Cribs” or “The Secret Lives of the Super Rich” because I convinced myself that, “I’d never afford those things anyway, so why look?” That was such a poor mindset. These days I’m hooked on shows that showcase the trappings of success yielded from hard work, and love hearing about the victories of my peers. If God can do it for them, he can do it for you. Let the wins of your peers or colleagues motivate you. There’s no shame in sharing someone else’s win or giving them a pat on the back.

3. Referrals & Partnership Opportunities

When you make a habit of paying honor to your colleagues it opens up the possibilities for them to refer business back to you. Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, & Google (FAANG) don’t just compete with one another, they collaborate with one another. Don’t believe me? Google at least two of these companies as one search query followed by the word collaboration and see what pops up. If you haven’t done this before, you are in for a surprise.

Whats my point? Even if someone in your organization wanted to capture 100% of the business in your territory, they wouldn’t be able to. Why not develop a strategic alliance with that person or team and be in a position to capture the overflow? The best way to develop these alliances is by being one of their biggest cheerleaders. There are a lot of ways to do this and it’ll be covered in the second part of this blog topic, but for now, understand that people are more likely to do business with someone they know, like, and trust, versus someone they don’t know. If you’re regularly celebrating their wins with them they will know who you are.

4. You Don’t Come Off As Desperate

We’ve all made the mistake of trying to promote our business or service on social media only to come off like the guy in a bar begging someone for a telephone number. Are you a millennial? My bad. The guy in the bar begging for an Instagram handle. No one wants to be that guy, and yet we have no problem doing just that on the internet. Don’t be that guy.

Instead of sharing the “Use me!” or “Buy my product! Buy my service!” post, why not try offering up some praise to someone else in your organization. It doesn’t necessarily have to be about who has the most sales. It might be you simply offering up a thank you post to the person who makes sure there is hot coffee every morning. When was the last time you did something like that? The best part is that that person will be appreciate it and others will follow your lead by chiming in with their own praise and thank you’s. Would you call yourself a cheerleader of your organization? If not. Why not? I know that some of you will say, “Why should I be a fan when they don’t acknowledge me?” Point taken. I would argue that the minute you start complimenting members of your organization, or cheering on your company as a whole, you’d be surprised by how quickly you’ll get noticed and how different you will be treated. Every organization needs cheerleaders and the great ones have superfans.

A natural result of this is that you are still promoting your product, your service, or your business. “But Paul, I’m a sole proprietor and I don’t have any employees.” Recognize your clients. Praise the vendors that come through your doors. Thank the Amazon or the Arrowhead water delivery guy/gal for always making sure your clients are hydrated and their packages are delivered on time. When you praise those in your organization, or those who help support your business, you still win. You can’t go wrong being the biggest cheerleader in your circle.

5. Better Home Life

You can’t over compliment someone-especially not at home. If you are married you will either learn this the hard way or you’ve already learned it. Hopefully, I’ll save you some time and heartache.

When you started dating your partner, you spent most of your time focusing on all their wonderful qualities. In some cases, you magnified them. You knew about some of their faults and you ignored them, or minimized them. I want you to go back to that place. It will do wonders for your relationship. Easier said than done, I know. Some of you will contend that your partner doesn’t compliment you enough to deserve your honey dew dipped words of affection. Do it anyway. They need to hear that you appreciate them, and quite frankly, you need to hear yourself saying it. It may feel fake at first. Stay the course. Your partner will eventually take notice. Most people give up on the one yard line of success. Did I just use a football metaphor and motivational quote as relationship advice? Yes. I did.

If you have young children, you know what it’s like to praise them when they deserve it, and when they don’t deserve it. Parents unselfishly shower kids ten years of age or under with supportive dialogue like “You can do it!” or “You are so good at (fill in the blank)”. As the child gets older that praise turns into constructive criticism that may graduate to insults by the time they are young adults still living at home. I speak from personal experience. As I write this, my wife and I are dealing with the emotional struggle of having had our two eldest children in their 20s move out in the same year. Their departures were prompted by their desire for more freedom, less supervision, and the perceived notion of less responsibilities at home. I mean how could a parent possibly expect their 20 something year old child who doesn’t pay rent to take out the garbage, right? It’s difficult seeing your child leave the nest and if there is anything I learned during this process it is that we should all be more stingy with our criticisms and more generous with our compliments.

I want you to strive to be the biggest cheerleader in your organization and at home. I hope that these tips inspire you and remove any doubt that everyone wins when you honor and praise everyone around you.

Follow me here and subscribe here for all the latest tips on how to increase sales by up to 400%!

– Paul

7 Tips On How To Get Over Losing a Business Partner

Being an entrepreneur is challenging. It may be the most difficult journey that you will ever embark on. Because of this, many entrepreneurs choose to partner up with other like minded individuals, especially when they have skill sets that compliment one another.

Forming a partnership sounds attractive. Fifty percent of the burden, responsibility, finance, and stress is shouldered by someone else, and bonus, you’ll have a warm body there to comfort you should things not work out right? What could go wrong? The long and short answer is everything.

Statistics show that seventy percent of all business partnerships fail. Yup. Seven out of ten of them will go bust. I’ve gone through this twice now, incidentally, in the same business venture. Same business. Two different partners lost. I’m the last man standing.

When a business partnership fails it can be devastating. Not only do you lose a partner, friend, and confidant, but your business may also be jeopardized. I am giving to give you seven tips that will help you weather the storm and come out stronger.

Tip #1 – Don’t Play The Blame Game

The first thing you are going to want to do is either blame yourself, or blame your ex-partner. It’s very similar to a divorce. Your ex will have their version of what happened, and you will have yours. There is no point in rehashing what you believe what went wrong. Who’s fault it was, is irrelevant at this point. It’s over. Time to move on.

Some of you will blame yourself over the failed partnership. Don’t do this-even if you genuinely believe that it was your fault. Blaming yourself is a self destructive behavior and your energy can be used better elsewhere. You may have made mistakes. You are in good company. Every entrepreneur makes mistakes. Every. Single. One. Some mistakes are larger than others, I know, but very few are final, or worse yet, fatal. Your career doesn’t have to end here. One failed business venture does not define who you are.

Every entrepreneur makes mistakes. Every. Single. One.

Analyze what happened. Acknowledge your mistakes. Own what went wrong, but don’t beat yourself up over it. You can assume responsibility without having to berate yourself or remind yourself of “how you messed up.” When you take responsibility for your situation it is empowering. When you blame everyone else for your circumstances, you are telling yourself that you have no control over what is happening to you, and that is a lie. You have total control over what is happening and complete control over how you are going to respond to it.

Tip #2 – Don’t Burn Your Bridges

These is another one of those easier said than done tips. Like a divorce, not all parties can stay friends after the separation. It is easier when at least one side is open to an amicable separation, but nothing is guaranteed.

Even if the separation is under good terms, don’t burn any bridges. You don’t have to keep the door open for a possible reunion, but why split on bad terms? You might have a partner that is going around bad mouthing you to other people. Ignore it. You might have a partner that blames the separation entirely on you. Who cares? Unless the dissolution of the business relationship is so bad that legal intervention is required, I’d recommend just letting everything the former partner does roll off your back like water to a duck.

In my case, my business partner was my Uncle. My relationship with him was more like a father & son relationship. I knew, and he knew, that we would see each other during family functions and that it would be best if we let bygones be bygones. We don’t discuss business at any family events. It’s not worth the aggravation, and all it does is pick at old scars.

Tip #3 – Don’t Troll

Ever troll an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend on the web? Nah. Not you right? The same thing happens in business. People troll each other. Former employees, staff, and yes, even former business partners.

Trolling is a waste of time. You aren’t going to find what you are looking for. If you are hoping to find news on your ex-partner losing it all or images of them living under a bridge in a cardboard box, it isn’t going to happen. People post their wins on social media, not their losses. All you are going to see is the glammed up victories that your former partner has racked up since you two have parted ways. Some might be true. Some might be embellished. Who cares? Focus on building up your wins, ignore what everyone else is doing.

Another thing you will find yourself doing is decoding hidden messages in your ex-partners social media posts assuming that every message is a jab at you. I don’t mean to burst your bubble, but the truth is, you don’t occupy that much space in your ex-partner’s mind unless you did something really dirty to them. Those posts are probably not about you.

Tip #4 – Don’t Get a Rebound Partner

Have you ever had a friend break up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, only to try and ease the pain by getting with someone else right away? This is known as a rebound relationship. As crazy as this sounds, the same thing can happen in business.

After a business breakup, you need to focus on improving your business and yourself, not on finding a replacement partner. Fight the urge to go out and find a new partner. This can be especially difficult, even terrifying, if the ex-partner was the financier or the business’s main source of capital. I’ve been there. When I originally started my company there were three partners. Our third partner was less involved in the day to day and more involved in the pay to play. We eventually parted ways and my uncle and I were forced to increase sales and find new streams of income to supplement the loss of our financier.

You will get through this. You just need to be creative and resourceful. The last thing you want to do right now is partner up with someone during this vulnerable phase, only to find out that the new partner wasn’t the right fit either. If you think surviving one business breakup is tough, try surviving two in one year. It’s not good for your psyche, company morale, or your blood pressure.

Take this time to reflect. Analyze your business model. Seek out mentors not new business partners. More on that later.

Tip #5 – Turn To Fitness

Now is absolutely not the time to turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain or stress. I know it’s an easy, temporary fix, and many an entrepreneur will succumb to binge drinking, smoking, or even eating.

Instead of giving into vices, I want you to give into fitness. I shouldn’t have to sell you on the health benefits of working out on a regular basis. If you have a regular workout routine, then keep doing what you are doing. If you don’t have a regular workout routine you are going to have to develop one. ASAP.

There will be days when you will want to stay in bed. I’ve been there. Force yourself to get up. If you can’t force yourself to get up and find an accountability partner. In my case, my accountability partner is my wife. She kicks me out of bed every morning at 4:30 AM. Find someone who can do that for you. In extreme cases it may require having someone physically coming to your home and ringing your doorbell until you get up. Hell, you might even have to pay someone. Do whatever it takes until you have developed the habit of getting out of bed on your own.

When all hell is breaking loose in your professional life, it is critical that you feel like you have some control over your life, and having a physical regimen is one small way to reassure yourself that you are in control. You will feel better after working out. Every. Time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a bad workout. You’ll will still feel better, more accomplished, and victorious. Acknowledging that small win builds momentum and gives you permission to recognize all the little victorious that follow.

Don’t troll social media. People only post their wins online.

Tip #6 – Lead The Troops

Just because the breakup isn’t talked about openly, doesn’t mean that people aren’t aware of it. The troops will talk. I know this from personal experience. If you have staff or employees, it’s very important that you are transparent with them about what is taking place.

Organize a staff meeting with a plan of action addressing the current state of your business. Do not, under any circumstances, disparage your former partner. Assume all responsibility for the current situation you are in. No one respects a leader that doesn’t take ownership. If it fails it’s on you. If it succeeds, it was a team effort. That’s leadership 101.

Make sure you have a strategy in place and share that strategy and the vision with your team. Hiding from your staff is the worst thing you can do as people will begin to jump to their own conclusions, and trust me, their own conclusions will never be positive. Instead of leaving them to their own imaginations, be specific about what your plans are and give specific dates as to when they will be executed.

During the initial breakup phase it is important that you meet with the team no less than once per month.

Tip #7 – Prepare For Defectors

I am the eternal optimist. I recite self affirmations over 500 times a day. I practice abundance meditation for 20 minutes a day. I share this with you because in spite of all my inner happy-happy talk, I know that with the loss of a business partner, there will be defectors.

Some people will leave with your ex. You will lose some of your talent. Prepare for this and have a strategy in place for when and if this happens. This is a part of business and there’s nothing that you can do about it. It has been said that if you organization isn’t growing, it is shrinking. You should always be recruiting new talent as your talent is always being recruited by your competitor. Don’t be naive enough to think that your staff or team isn’t being approached by other companies. You can still lose talent even if losing a business partner has nothing to do with it.

When and if there are people who leave your organization, tips one, two, and three will still apply. Take the higher ground and focus on building the business. Build a business and a company culture that is so attractive that people won’t want to leave.

Tip #8 – Pray

This should really be tip number one. I’m not going to impose my religious beliefs on you, but I am going to tell you that there is a higher power at work here, and you aren’t going to be able to convince me otherwise. My Higher Power is God. When things start to go sideways, I turn to my Heavenly Father. In the same fashion that your children turn to you when things go wrong, there is a comfort in knowing that I can turn to my Heavenly Father when I am feeling lost, or stressed or scared.

Praying is free. You can pray anywhere and at anytime. You can pray in your car on your way to the office. You can pray in the shower. This is the beauty of the gift of prayer, and it’s at your disposal whenever you need it.

Take solace in knowing that you aren’t in this alone. Many successful businesses started as duos only to end up as sole proprietors. You’ll get through this.

Starting a business with a partner is almost like being married with a child. The child of course, is your business, and in the beginning, everyone plans for, and hopes for the best. Things don’t always work out as planned and I hope these tips will empower you to keep moving forward in your endeavor. Don’t throw your dream away just because your second biggest supporter, second only to you, stopped sharing the same dream. This too shall pass. You will either survive this chapter and become bitter or become better. I say better.

Follow me here and subscribe here for all the latest tips on how to increase sales by up to 400%!

– Paul

3 Things Sales Professionals Can Learn From Anthony Joshua

If you aren’t a boxing fan, or have been living under a rock, you may not have heard that on June 1st, 2019, Andy Ruiz, a real life version of Rocky Balboa, and the first Mexican Boxing Heavyweight Champion in history, beat Olympic Gold Medalist and Adonis, Anthony Joshua and stripped him of his boxing titles about 6 months ago. The last time something like this happened was on February 11, 1990 when Buster Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson.  Sales professionals can learn a lot from both fighters, although more can be learned from Anthony Joshua’s return to glory on December 7th, 2019.

I’m going to give you 3 things Sales Pros can learn from Anthony Joshua.

1) No one Is Too Big To Fail

At the time of their first fight, Anthony Joshua was undefeated and Andy Ruiz was an 11-1 underdog. Joshua, underestimated Ruiz and rightfully so. At first glance, Ruiz does not look like your prototypical boxer. Some, perhaps most, would argue that he is overweight. No one can blame Joshua for overlooking his competitor who ultimately defeated him and shocked the world. This was Anthony Joshua’s first mistake: assuming that he was too big to fail.

Netflix and Blockbuster. Amazon and Toys R Us. Uber/Lyft and Taxi Drivers. What do they all have in common? In each case, the original titan fell prey to an emerging competitor that they didn’t take serious enough.

You should embrace the statement, “No one is too big to fail.” as it represents both opportunity and motivation. You may not believe it, but you can most certainly take over a market, or an industry, even if there is a bigger player ahead of you. No one bats .1000 and if you just hang in there long enough, you’ll get your opportunity at bat. Now if your the big dog, this also means that you can’t sit on your laurels. Someone, somewhere is trying to take your spot. You can operate from a place of fear, or you can look at this as an opportunity to keep your edge. If you feel threatened by competition, a career in sales is most certainly not for you.

If you feel threatened by competition, a career in sales is most certainly not for you.

2) Not All of Your Strategies will work

Just like Rocky Balboa, Andy Ruiz, a relatively unknown boxer, was a replacement fighter. He had six week to prepare for the biggest fight of his life where he had a -2500 odds of winning. What most people, including Anthony Joshua didn’t know, was that Andy Ruiz was a powerful puncher with a quick inside game. In other words, if you got too close he could stun you with explosive close range shots.

In their first fight, Anthony Joshua fell prey to Ruiz’s inside game. That is primarily why Joshua lost in one of the greatest upsets in boxing history. He, a much more technical fighter, should have known better. That strategy failed miserably.

Not all of your strategies or ideas are going to work. In fact, many of them are going to fail. Some in as a spectacular fashion as Anthony Joshua’s public fall from his pedestal. Others will be in complete isolation. Don’t fret. It happens to everyone. There’s a reason that companies like Amazon, Disney, Apple, Google, and Facebook spend millions of dollars on research and development on ideas that end up in the trash, and it’s because they want to stay ahead of the pack. I realize that your budget may not permit you to spend that kind of money testing and improving, but there are many inexpensive ways to make your product or service better. Be curious. Test ideas. You will fall. Get back up.

During their second bout, Anthony Joshua put on a boxing clinic. He learned from his mistake in the first fight, and jabbed & punched Andy Ruiz from a distance all twelve rounds. It wasn’t flashy, but it did the job. Joshua won in a unanimous decision.

3) Get Back in The Ring

Anthony Joshua did not have to activate his rematch clause. He could have retired and lived a very comfortable life, but within days of his loss to Ruiz, he asked for a rematch. It wasn’t for the glory nor the money, although I’m sure he had no problem depositing his $100M payout. He didn’t get back in the ring to prove his doubters wrong. He did it to prove himself right.

As an entrepreneur you will experience setbacks. You will experience failures. You will experience losses. There will be moments when you won’t want to get back in the ring. You will want to give up. You will say things like, “It’s not worth it.” or “I can’t take this…” I’ve said those exact same things to myself and even to my wife.

You are one idea away from becoming a millionaire.

You have to be willing to get back in the ring when you don’t want to, and even when you don’t need to. I hate going to the gym at 4:30 AM in the morning. It’s cold. I’m tired. My eyes are red. I dread my early morning workout days which are 3-4 times a week, but every time I walk out of the gym 2 hours later, I feel more accomplished and dare I say, victorious? I conquered the inner voice that said, “Don’t do it.” and I celebrate the first small victory of the day. When you get back in the ring after a lost sale, or a bad day, what you are doing sub-consciously is telling yourself that that one bad day did not define you. Anyone can quit when the going gets tough, but it’s the winners who stay in the game for however long it takes to win.

You are one idea away from becoming a millionaire. You are one recruit or sale away from earning the top position in your company. You are one presentation away from signing the biggest contract of your life. Get back in the ring and prove yourself right.

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– Paul

3 Tips That Will Get You More Sales

No. This isn’t click bait. Yes. I know that the generic answer is simple: sell more of your company’s product or service and you will make more money. That is a given. You already know that. What you may not know is how to do this while adding even more value to your position without going crazy.

Here’s what I know about you. You are a professional salesperson, or you employ professional salespeople.

Right now, I’m only speaking to the professional sales people, although employers can still benefit from this content. Personally, I am both. I still sell and I employ professional salespeople so I do empathize and relate to both very important positions as one cannot exist without the other.

I am going to give you 3 quick tips on how to make more money at sales.

Tip #1 – Outbound Prospecting

I’m used to reaching out to the client cold. I come from an industry where we fish for business. All day. Every day. Real Estate practitioners are not fed leads unless they are purchased or the salesperson has developed some type of internet marketing that gets their phone or their IM to buzz. Other professions receive warm lead inquiries from their marketing departments and it is the salesperson’s job to get a hold of the prospect. Either way – you will need to develop your outbound prospecting skills and strategies.

The best of the best sales salespeople know how to follow up with a client using all the tools that they have access to including but not limited to texting, instant messaging, social media messaging, and even video messaging. Not someone might argue, “But Paul, isn’t that taking it too far? Do I really want to send them a text, an email, a video message, and a social media IM?” My short answer is YES. You don’t ever know what form of communication they prefer, and more importantly, you are making the false assumption that they will review every message they get immediately. That’s is a huge false assumption. They might review the text message today, and not get to your email until 3-4 weeks from now. I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes. I’ve had clients not reply to a single email or text message, but respond to my LinkedIn inmail request. It’ll happen to you too. Use everything you’ve got unless prohibited by your company.

You don’t know [initially] what form of communication a prospect prefers, and you assume that they will review every message they get immediately.

Tip #2 – Close Early. Close Often.

Has this ever happened to you? You receive a lead. You contact lead. Lead says I’m ready to buy. You start selling them on all the benefits of your product or service over the phone, text, or via IM. Lead receives info and never buys. What happened? Chances are you talked them out of the sale. When someone says I am ready to buy, that isn’t the moment to start selling again. They’ve already sold themselves. You close the sale. Simple closes include:

• How would you like to pay for this?
• I’m sending you the link to order it right now.
• I think I have a coupon code that expires in the next few hours…(only if true)

Here’s my point – close early. It’s your job to make the sale, not give them ammunition that could result in additional objections you’ll have to overcome. The minute you start closing, any objections or questions they might have about your product or service will come out. Then and only then should you be handling those and only those objections. Then once you’ve handled those objections, your close again. So it should look something like this:

• Close.
• Handle objection if any.
• Close Again.
• Handle objection if any.
• Close Again.
• Handle objection if any.
• Close Again.

A true sales professional knows that it may take you closing up to 4 to 5 times before the buyer buys your product or service. Amateurs give up after the very first now. Handle objection. Close again.

Let me be clear. Closing a sale is not the same as convincing someone to do something they don’t want to do. You are not a professional “convincer.” You are a professional salesperson that can help someone who is already interested in your product or service make an educated decision based on how you handle their objections and close the sale. If they aren’t interested, there is no closing strategy in the world that you can use to get them to buy, and even if they do, they’ll suffer buyers remorse and you’ll suffer cancelled contracts or charge backs. You don’t want or need that.

Tip #3 – Follow Up

Chances are, you’ve heard the saying, “The fortune is in the follow up.” This couldn’t be more true. Outside of not closing the prospect enough times, not following up is the second biggest reason professional salespeople fail.

The higher the price point, the longer the prospect will take to make a decision. As crazy as this sounds, people don’t like making decisions-especially big ones. More often than not, people will take the, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?” path.

As the professional salesperson, you have to stay in communication with the prospect as they weigh out their options. This is where most salespeople give up. Believe it or not, you will lose more business due to lack of follow up than you will ever lose to a poor presentation or due to your professional sales skills.

The average consumer needs to be reminded (contacted) a minimum of 7 times in order for them to remember your message and/or who you are. Just having one conversation, one consultation, sending one email, one text message, or leaving one voicemail is not enough for them to consider you as their Real Estate Agent.

Most salespeople DO NOT follow up enough with their prospects because they are afraid of calling, texting, messaging, mailing, or contacting them too much out of fear that the client will be turned off by them.

You will lose more clients by not following up enough over a bad presentation.

There are plenty of ways for a client to be turned off by you, but professionally following up and demonstrating your enthusiasm to work with them is not one of them. If you do your job and follow up effectively and professionally, only one of two things will happen:

1. The client will let you know they aren’t interested
2. The client will let you know they are interested.

That’s it.

Having someone tell you they aren’t moving forward is not the end of the world. In fact, it’ll help save you time in the long run. You want prospective clients to make a decision. It saves you time. Stop taking it personal when someone decides to not sell or buy. Them deciding to not buy or sell has nothing to do with you. Now, if they tell you they aren’t going to buy or sell, and then they do with someone else-that was you. Sorry. Sorry not sorry.

You will have that happen to you. More than once. There’s nothing you can do about it. Your goal should be to have about 20-30 warm prospects and 4-5 hot prospects that you are working with at any given time.

You warm and hot list should be changing on a daily basis. You are adding and subtracting hot and warm leads daily. If your funnel of hot and warm prospects is shrinking consistently for more than 3 days, you are not prospecting enough. There will reach a time when your inflow of prospects is more than your outbound efforts through the use of internet marketing.

Most coaches will tell you to just prospect on the phone or to just canvass. These coaches don’t want to adapt to the market or learn new skills. This is why you must always incorporate an active and passive marketing strategy daily. Too passive and you won’t see results for 6-8 months MAYBE. Too active and you’ll be stuck prospecting for the rest of your career.

Apply this tips today. Make our profession proud!

Follow me here and subscribe here for all the latest tips on how to increase sales by up to 400%!

– Paul

4 Ways To Deal With Stress During The Holidays

It should come as no surprise that stress levels peak during the holidays. You’ve got parties to go to, dinners to attend, festive holiday wardrobe to wear, and gifts to purchase, all the while stretching a paycheck, that for most of us, didn’t cut it during the regular part of the year, let alone during the 4th quarter when most retailers are using every gimmick in the book to get themselves back in the black.

I’m not poo-poo’ing the Holidays. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I love the Holidays and the hustle & bustle, the smells, the special dishes that typically only come once a year, and more importantly, the opportunity to reconnect with my family.

Yet despite how happy the Holidays make me, I’ve often asked myself, “If this is supposed to be the happiest time of the year-why I am so stressed out?”

Fortunately, I have a pretty high tolerance for stress. This comes in very handy in my line of work, and during the holidays. I’ll share with you my 4 tips to avoid having a mental break down during the holidays.

Tip #1 – Pick Only One Party To Go To

Around this time of year there are going to be parties, luncheons, mixers, and celebratory meetings. You don’t have to go to every event you get invited to. While it may be tempting, and dare I say adventurous to go to 3 events in one day, it can be draining on your energy level and maybe even your liver.

I’m a people pleaser. I enjoy making people happy. Sometimes I have a difficult time saying “No.” especially to people I care about. This often gets me into stressful situations. During the Holidays you might find yourself over-committing to more parties than you need to, or going nuts over how many different homes you need to visit delivering holiday cheer.

“If this is supposed to be the happiest time of the year-why I am so stressed out?”

The truth is, this type of stress can be avoided by simply picking one, maybe two events that you absolutely have to be present at and not worry about the rest. 

Tip #2 – Wear the Same Outfit More Than Once

If you absolutely have to go to more than one Holiday function, consider wearing the same outfit more than once. There is no shame in this and the fashion police aren’t going to arrest you. You have enough stress to deal with by wearing the same outfit more than once, you’ll save yourself time and the agony of trying to figure out what to pair what with. This is the same reason that some of the greatest minds in business wear the same thing every single day. It is to declutter your mind from unnecessary decisions.

Tip #3 – Give the Gift of Your Time

One of the greatest gifts that you can give anyone is the gift of your time. Think of that special person you haven’t visited with or taken the time to meet with and schedule a time to visit them. A gift isn’t even necessary, trust me, they’ll appreciate the gesture. These days even just picking up the phone and calling someone and chatting on the phone is a gift. We’ve become a society of texter’s and IM’ers that many of us have forgotten whats it like to simply talk on the phone. Don’t just text that person an invitation to lunch-CALL him or her. If they don’t answer leave them a message. Even if their schedules don’t permit an opportunity to meet, the fact that you called them speaks volumes. 

Tip #4- Don’t Stress Out Over Gifts

It was Christmas 1991 and my parents were in the middle of a bitter divorce. I was old enough to figure out that Mom and Dad were playing hot potato with holiday duties, which ultimately resulted in Christmas being cancelled at our home.

This was uncharted territory for us. We were used to having a fully decorated tree with enough gifts underneath it to give the fire marshall a panic attack. We’d make a list of everything we wanted, while our mother and father met the demands of our hand written ransom notes. Someway, somehow, we got 90% of what we asked for.

Meeting our holiday expectations didn’t come without its costs, and it wasn’t only a financial toll.

We were used to our Dad working every Holiday as a grocery store manager so he could make double and triple time. Thanksgiving & Christmas dinners were always without him. He was rarely there to watch us open gifts. We’d visit family members delivering good cheer without Pops. He was an amazing provider, but what we really needed was his time.

Children are more resilient than adults give them credit for, myself included, and I happen to be a former child. My siblings and I didn’t mind not having the tree or gifts Christmas of ‘91, as knew we’d be celebrating elsewhere and one way or another we’d get gifts even if we didn’t get them at home.

“These days even just picking up the phone and calling someone and chatting on the phone is a gift.”

On the morning of Christmas Eve my mother woke us up full of excitement and said, “I have a surprise for you! I’m leaving, but I’ll be right back.”

She disappeared for a couple of hours and our minds ran wild with anticipation. Surely she coming back with the Sega Genesis that was on our list! My brother and I couldn’t wait to play the latest Sonic The Hedgehog game. We sat in the livingroom staring out the front window until we saw her car, a late model white Ford Crown Victoria, and tied to the top of the car was something I will never forget.

Our little minds thought gifts, but my Mom saw the bigger picture. Tied to the top of the car was a Christmas tree. Yep. We got our Christmas tree the night before Christmas. I’m not going to lie, the 1991 teenager in me was disappointed, but the present day Father of 5 in me recognizes the selfless significance of this. Her marriage was in shambles and as easy as it was to let her kids suffer the brunt of the battle, she did her best to make sure Christmas didn’t pass over our home.

I remember just a handful of Christmas gifts I received as a child. I’ll always remember that Christmas of ‘91. It’s easy to get caught up in gift giving, and if you’re not careful you’ll stress yourself out over gifts that most people, including your children, won’t remember.

Don’t stress yourself out over the gifts. Do what you can with what you’ve got. The saying, “Those that mind don’t matter, and those that matter don’t mind.” couldn’t me more true during the holidays. My Grandfather on my Wife’s side of the family gives me a screwdriver or some $4 tool every year, and you know what? Every once in a while they come in extra handy.

I hope you enjoy every second of the Holiday Season as it is one of the most magical times of the year and should be something we look forward to as opposed to dreading, or worse yet-fearing. May the words “Believe”, “Magic”, and “Joy” be with you not only during this season, but throughout the year.

Happy Holidays & New Year!

– Paul

3 Tips That Will Help You Get Over The Fear of Making Difficult Phone Calls

We’ve all experienced it. The procrastination of having to make a phone call that we don’t want to make. We live in a world where it’s easy to hide behind a keyboard or a text message or even a tweet. I’ve seen collegiate athletes de-commit on twitter and young people break up on Instagram.

“‘These days, when my kids call me, I know it’s urgent.”

This is why more than ever, it’s important to muster the courage and discipline of making the hard phone calls we don’t want to make.

Sometimes it’s because we don’t want to deliver bad news, let alone receive it. Other times it’s because we don’t want to deal with a particular person. On occasion it’s because we don’t want to be held accountable. Either way, you and I both know that nagging, dreadful feeling that comes from avoiding making a call we don’t want to make.

I am going to give you 3 tips that will motivate you to make the calls you’ve been avoiding.

Tip #1 – Stop Playing It Out In Your Head

You are not Quentin Tarantino. You are not a Hollywood producer, and chances are, you don’t write scripts for a living. I need you stop imagining all the possible scenarios of what you think will happen when you make the phone call you have been avoiding. I need you to do this because the scripts we rehearse in our heads are usually not the way the conversation goes.

Yes, you might argue that you knew that the call wasn’t going to end well, and even if you were right, I’m convinced that it didn’t play out exactly as you had imagined it to be. Conversely, how many times have you had conversations with someone, thinking it was going to go well, only to have the conversation turn into a heated debate or worse yet an argument?

All I am saying is that spending time and using energy dreaming up how a conversation is going to go is useless. Now, I’m not saying to go into a call blindly, in fact, quite the contrary. You’ll see that in Tip #3. All I am saying is that your energy is better spent on more productive activities than conjuring up a novela of what you think might happen which usually doesn’t.

Tip #2 – Stand Up

There have been quite a few studies on the benefits of standing while you work. Some support it. Some don’t. I’m not really going to argue for or against the health benefits. I am however going to tell you how it makes me feel when I am standing versus sitting down and conversing with others.

I feel in control.

Have you ever seen someone get into an argument on the phone in public? What happens? Typically they are more expressive, they use their arms, they might pace, and of course they may yell. I’m not saying that you can’t yell when you are sitting down, or that it’s even okay to yell at someone, but I am saying you respond to your bodies posture and it manifests itself in the way you speak.

If you know you are going into a conversation that might be difficult, try standing up first.

Top #3 – Be Upfront. Be Brief. Be Ready.

It is important that you know what you are going to talk about and that you address the most difficult topic(s) first.

“‘People can smell a phony a mile away.”

No one likes someone who tries to soften the blow by bs’ing for 20 minutes only to follow up feigned interest with the real reason you called.

I recommend starting your conversations with, “There’s something I need to talk to you about, can I steal 2 minutes?” Do this for two reasons:

1. The other person knows you are going to drop something on them.
2. It preps them for a short conversation.

The good old, “I’ve got good news and bad news, which do you want first?” doesn’t disappoint either.

It is also a good idea for you to have notes or bullet points ready prior to your conversation. This will keep your conversation brief and make sure you only discuss what needs to be discussed at that time.

There isn’t a phone call or conversation you can’t handle If you follow these simple 3 tips.

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– Paul

3 Tips on How To Deal With Rejection

When I was 18 years old I met someone who I thought was very successful. I vividly recall asking him, “How do I become as successful as you?” His response has remained with me my entire life.

“When you have been told ‘No.’ as many times as I have been, you’ll be successful.”

A light bulb went off in my head. Game on.

Except that, it isn’t that easy. Rejection sucks. It hurts and can be emotionally draining. I don’t care how tough you are, no one likes rejection, and yet, you will have to learn how to overcome it as it is weaved into nearly every part of your life including but not limited to your dating life, social life, sports, insurance carriers, credit card applications, and even employment to name but a few.

Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to soften the blow and keep moving forward. As a Real Estate Broker who employs Real Estate Agents & Professional Salespeople, I can always tell when one of my sales agents has taken a beating at the hands of the rejection monster. I can hear the defeat in their voice and the fatigue in their posture. They may not say it verbally, but their body language says, “I can’t take this.” This is no different than the person who has been applying to job after job without being hired, or the person who has tried every dating site or app on the web without getting to the second date or worse yet, no dates at all.

Here’s the truth. You can take this. Rejection is just another form of resistance no different than the resistance our bodies must tolerate in order to build the physiques we want. I’d even argue that we can see the results in the same fashion we see our bodies improve, it’s just more subtle. As you become more resilient to rejection you gain confidence and that confidence is usually projected in the way you carry yourself and the way you dress & look. Trust me, you can spot someone who exudes confidence, and I will contend that a lot of that confidence stems in their ability to tolerate rejection. These people have an IDGAF what you think about me attitude. Now I know some of you will argue that this is a mask that some people put on to protect themselves from their insecurities, and while that may be true in some cases, that mask eventually grows thin and we all have to eventually deal with the person we face in the mirror every morning.

I am going to give you 3 quick tips on how to deal with rejection.

Tip #1 – It’s Not Personal

I know you’ve heard, “It’s not personal.” before. You may have also heard different variations of this that include, “It’s not you. It’s me.” or “You were a great candidate, but…”

Anyway you look at it, it’s a form of rejection, and as corny as it sounds, it isn’t personal. That’s right. It. Is. Not. Personal.

I want you to think of your favorite desert. What is it? For me it’s always something fruity and tart. Now, what is your least favorite food? If someone offered it to you would you eat it? Of course you wouldn’t because you don’t like it. When you reject the offer for your least favorite food, does that person break down emotionally? Nope. Why not? Because the fact that you dislike [insert least favorite food], has little to no effect on them. It is not a personal reflection of what you think about them at all, even though it was a form of rejection.

There are some men and women who are attracted to a certain look. Some prefer blondes or brunettes and some like their men with a little fur and facial hair. You can’t change what someone is attracted to, and while you might argue that you can change your physical appearance to match someone else’s tastes, that is a slippery slope you don’t want to be on. Once you start trying to change yourself for someone else, you start to lose your identity. I’m not going to get to deep into this, all I am repeating is that: it’s not an attack on who you are, it’s just what someone else is attracted to. Don’t take it personal.

In business, when someone chooses another product or service-it isn’t personal. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve heard, “Paul, we like you as a person, but we’ve decided to go with XYZ firm.”? More times than I care to admit. And you the know the weird part? I really felt like I had connected with many of those clients during my sales presentation. Why did I lose the sale? Because, say it with me, “It isn’t personal.” I lost that sale because my product or my service, or my presentation was not on point. I had to take responsibility and inventory of that fact. It wasn’t my personality that cost me the sale, it was my presentation or my inability to convey the benefits of my product or service. Once I understood this and took ownership of this, I was able to improve my presentation and properly explain why someone needed to sign with me instead of XYZ firm.

This same rationale applies to job hunting. If you know that you are applying for a position that requires some skills or qualities you don’t have, then you had better spend some time improving yourself instead of blaming the employer for not hiring you.

Tip #2 – Identify Who Your Prospect Really Is

One of the reasons most professional salespeople suffer a great deal of rejection is because they improperly label someone a candidate for their product, service just because some was nice to them or let them speak. Ditto for the dating scene.

Gals, just because someone gave you 5 minutes of their time does not mean that they are ready to date you.

Improper classification of a prospect is a HUGE reason that people suffer unnecessary rejection because they continue talking to the wrong people who aren’t going to buy what you have to offer anyway.

In sales you need to be spending most of your time prospecting for clients and then identifying which of those clients are potential buyers, or sellers in my case, and then spending most of your time with those opportunities. You have to be willing to let go of clients just as quickly as you have identified them as a lead that isn’t going to perform. I know what you are going to ask yourself next, “At what point do I let them go?”. I’d say after about 4-5 attempts with no contact is a good time to place them on some type of automated campaign. That’s a topic for another blog entry. Either way, get used to casting your net wide, and then sifting through the possible candidates. When you do this, you will see that you are actually being rejected less because you’ve properly identified the right prospects to invest your time in, and your closing ratio will go up.

The same rules apply to the dating scene. Don’t believe me? Why does Eharmony use their proprietary 32 dimensions to identify common interests to match people up? It is designed to help people properly identify the right candidates for them to date. When you do this, it brings down the rejection level considerably.

Tip #3 – Fill Your Pipeline

This might sound a little similar to the last tip, but it is worth mentioning. Once you’ve mastered identifying who your ideal prospects are, it is important that you don’t stop mining for gold. In other words, you can’t stop prospecting.

How does this help me deal with rejection? Well for one thing, if you spend most of your effort prospecting to fill your pipeline, then investing the rest of your time properly identifying the candidates you get, you have little to no time to spend wallowing in your rejection sorrows.

Filling your pipeline may mean different things to different people. At work it means constantly seeking out clients. On the job hunt it may mean applying to as many jobs as you feel qualified for, and for the dating scene, it means dating as many people as you feel comfortable dating until you find Mr. or Mrs. Right. Filling and re-filling your funnel instills a sense of confidence and independence in yourself, and prevents you from just settling for what is handed to you.

Rejection is not fun, but it is a part of life, and the sooner you learn how to deal with it, the more successful you will become in every area of your life. I hope these quick short tips help you on your quest to become the happiest and best version of yourself.

Follow me here and subscribe here for all the latest tips on how to increase sales by up to 400%!

– Paul