Habit #7 in Steve Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is called, "Sharpen the Saw." Covey uses the common analogy of a woodcutter who is sawing for several days straight and is becoming less and less productive. The process of cutting dulls the blade. So the solution is to periodically sharpen the saw.
I've found that in practice, most people fail to understand what sharpening the saw really means. If you're overworking yourself and your productivity begins to fall of, common wisdom says to take a break, maybe even go on vacation. However, that isn't sharpening the saw - that's putting the saw down. When you put down a dull blade for a while, the blade will be dull when you pick it up again.
Sharpening the saw is actually an activity, just as the analogy suggests. Think about what it would mean to sharpen the saw of your life. Here are some saw-sharpening ideas:
Exercise
Improve your diet
Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)
Learn a new skill
Join a club
Meditate
Write in your journal
Have a deep conversation with someone
Set some new goals or review/update your old goals
Organize your home or office
Go out on a date
Clear out a bunch of little tasks that you've been putting off
Now the woodcutter can't just alternate between cutting wood and sharpening the saw indefinitely. Downtime is needed too, but it isn't the same as sharpening the saw. The woodcutter can become even more productive by sharpening the blade, studying new woodcutting techniques, working out to become stronger, and learning from other woodcutters.
Forgetting to intentionally sharpen the saw can lead to a feeling of burnout. If you merely alternate between productive work and downtime, your productive capacity will drop off. You're still working hard, but you don't feel as productive as you think you should be. When you sharpen yourself regularly, you'll find out that you can flow along at a steady pace week after week without getting burnt out.
Whenever I feel burnt out or overwhelmed, taking a day or two off helps a little, but not very much. What yields a much greater benefit for me is attending a weekend seminar, reading an inspiring book, or having an interesting conversation. It's common to see as people return from a conference with a notable spike in motivation that lasts for weeks. But this isn't really a break or a vacation- going to a conference is an activity, but it's that kind that often increases energy and motivation.
Mark McCormack, a renown lawyer, athlete, and writer, focused a great deal of his energy on unlocking the power of goal setting. In his book What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School, he unveils the results of a longitudinal study he performed at one of America's most eminent universities, Harvard. He conducted the study between 1979 and 1989, studying students in Harvard's MBA program. In 1979, he asked the participants a simple question, "Have you set clear, written goals for your future and made plans to accomplish them?"
The results to this seemingly simple question were rather surprising. A mere 3% of the students sampled said that they did indeed have a very clear picture in mind as to what their goals are and how they intended to get there. 13% had goals in mind but had not written them down. The remainder, a staggering 84% had no specific goals in mind.
McCormack revisited his subjects ten years later in 1989. He found that the 13% those who said they had goals but not in writing earned twice as much, on average, as the 84% who didn't have goals for their future. Most astounding is that the 3% of graduates who had a clear, written plan for success were earning, on average, TEN TIMES as much as the remaining 97% of Harvard MBA graduates.
The only difference between the two groups of people were the goals they had upon graduation.
The reason this simple key to success is so overlooked is easy; people just don't get it. They don't understand the importance of goal setting or the impact that it will have on their eventual success. Having a clear and concise vision of where you want to be and what you need to do to make that happen is essential to reaching your full potential.
Why People Don't Set Goals:
They think goals aren't important
People are a product of their upbringing. When someone comes from a family who doesn't emphasize the importance of success goals, it can't be expected that he or she will set their for his or herself.
They don't know how
Instead of having goals, most people have wishes or dreams of what they want to be. They don't have a clear understanding of what it takes to make these dreams a reality.
They have a fear of failure
No one wants to set themselves up for failure. Some people feel like by setting goals they are holding themselves accountable for something they aren't going to be able to attain. By not setting any goals, there is no expectations and therefore no chance of failure.
They have a fear of rejection
The fears instilled in us by middle school somehow manage to stay with us well into adulthood; the fear of rejection drives many. Some fear that if they fail, others will criticize them. If they do have goals, they keep them confidential so no one else will be holding them accountable.
Taken from Goals! How to Get Everything You Want-Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy
Attitude: Entrepreneur's have the mindset of an eternal optimist. There are no excuses and the only problems that exist are ones that can be overcome. There is a solution for everything and quitting is never an option.
Intention: Things that are done with intent have positive results. Entrepreneurs work with the end result in mind and set forth a plan of attack that will get them to their ultimate goal.
Purpose: Everyone has something that motivates them; freedom, money, family, etc. Entrepreneurs know exactly what they want in life and have a purpose ALWAYS in mind that drives them to get what they want.
Passion: Passion is the fuel that drives you. Just like having a purpose, successful people have a passion for what they do that drives them toward that success. Passion is also contagious. The more others see this passion, the more likely they are to follow suit. Success isn't just about one person getting to where they want to be; this effort takes an entire group of people and the more passion they see in their leader, the more inclined they'll be to follow.
Resolve: Persistence creates winners! Instead of viewing obstacles as they are, entrepreneurs use these barriers to build strength. There is always a lesson to be learned whether the outcome was successful or not.
Plan: Entrepreneurs have specific goals that map out their route to success. These goals are meticulously planned out, making it much easier to follow the path to their eventual success.
Responsibilities: A "no excuses" mentality is what separates someone who is successful from a person who is mediocre. Entrepreneurs always accept responsibility for their actions and the actions of the people around them. The idea is that "we win as a team and we lose as a team". Also, they're not afraid to step up to the plate. While others shy away from more work and more time invested, successful people will always be willing to take on whatever it takes to get the job done and get the job done well.
Words: The words you speak and the way that you use them says a lot about what kind of person you are. Those who are below average talk about others. Average individuals talk about events and circumstances. Entrepreneurs (winners) talk about goals and ideas, especially their own!
Actions: What you do is a direct reflection of your character. Anyone can talk the talk but those who are able to walk the walk are the real winners in life. Entrepreneurs are always ready for the action. They understand that actions are what will ultimately produce results and aren't afraid to take them.
Peers: The saying is that you are the average of the five people who are closest to. Entrepreneurs understand this theory and cater their peer groups accordingly. They spend their time with the people who they want to be like and those who support them in their journey to success.
How do you cultivate a customer focus? By listening, interpreting, evaluating, and understanding your customers' wants and needs. It's only after listening and internalizing your customer's goals that you can respond appropriately.
Being an active listener doesn't minimize your need to be clear, concise and persuasive. It simply improves your ability to perform those tasks to the best of your ability. Astute listening skills arm you with the tools you need to respond appropriately and become more successful. Below are four ways that you can improve your active listening skills.
Ask good questions and then listen carefully to the responses
Be sure to observe nonverbal communication, too, including tone, pitch, intonation, and energy level. Note body language to truly understand what your customers are trying to tell you.
Establish conversations where there is interaction between you and your customers
Ask open-ended questions. Listen to the responses. Respond by letting them know how you interpreted what they said to make sure you didn't misunderstand. Listen again and then ask another question that will help you address their wants. You'll not only get the information you need, but you'll also establish a relationship with a customer that has the potential to bring in future business.
Listen attentively
Customers want you to focus on them and tune in to their special needs. You can let them know you're listening by nodding from time to time or with brief spoken responses. If there's something you don't understand, don't act as though you do. Ask for clarification.
Don't let your mind drift off
Keep your focus; don't look around to see what else is going on near you. Don't worry about what you'll say next. That will happen naturally by responding to what the customer has to say. Work on solving customer problems and becoming the ultimate resource person for subsequent ones.
The best salespeople don't sell products or services - they solves their customer's problems. By asking open-ended questions, you can sometimes uncover issues the customer wasn't aware of and avert a problem before it occurs. That makes you a hero - a "go-to" person who can be relied on to not only solve, but avoid problems.
When you listen actively, you position yourself to identify and address customer needs productively and profitably. That's the stuff great salespeople are made of. And it all happens because you're a good listener.
Adapted from the article, "How to Build Sales by Active Listening," by Carol Dunitz, Ph. D. (www.ezinearticles.com)
I recently wrote a profile of Jay Leno for SellingPower magazine. That article pointed out that Leno isn’t just an entertainer, but also a consummate sales professional. Leno’s first job was in Sales (door-to-door, in fact) and he’s always been active in selling both his TV program and his numerous public speaking engagements. Most recently, Leno led the charge to sell his new prime-time program to NBC affiliates.
In the SellingPower article, I included a sidebar entitled “How to Sell Like Jay Leno.” The sidebar was intended for sales managers and had advice about setting up a sales team to encourage the kind of personable sales style — a combination of determination and likeability — that Leno uses.
Since Leno's new TV show looks likely to be a big success, I thought it would be fun to revisit that advice. You’ll have to find a copy of the magazine to get the full version, but here’s a shorter version, with a bit extra added (rule #6 is new):
RULE #1: Failure is never permanent. Leno wasn’t an overnight sensation. Some of his early performances on Carson’s Tonight Show were weak and he didn’t appear on television for years. But he kept honing his skills and eventually became a regular guest on Letterman’s show, eventually earning him a guest host gig on Tonight, which led to his current success.
RULE #2: Work is better than vacation. Leno is famous for spending his free time doing personal appearances that help his career. He seldom, if ever, takes vacations although he is quite generous in giving vacations to his staff. The truth is that, unlike people who see work as a way to fund other “fun” activities, Leno see work as something that’s fun all by itself.
RULE #3: Fake it before you make it. Leno has a history of sticking his neck out to further his career. For example, when Leno was just beginning to appear regularly on television, his career got a big public relations boost when he was selected “Best Face to Caricature” by the “American Caricature Association,” an organization that he invented.
RULE #4: Everyone is a potential customer. Unlike celebrities who remain distant from their public, Leno makes a point of being accessible. He invariably waves and smiles when he’s spotted in driving one of his many rare automobiles. When hired for speeches, he greets and shakes the hands of as many people as possible.
RULE #5: Give back to the community. One way that Leno builds his image as a likeable guy is to dedicate time to community service. For example, Leno has been known to fly at his own expense to Chicago or Detroit to do benefits for the homeless. While Leno’s generosity is clearly genuine, there’s no doubt that it helps his “brand” when people view him as a nice guy.
RULE #6: Be generous with your thank-yous. After the original article appeared, Leno personally called SellingPower publisher Gerhard Gschwandtner and thanked him for the publishing the article. He didn’t have to do that, but that gives you an indication of how Leno thinks. Leno truly is the nice guy he plays on TV — and that’s why he’s so successful.
We hear plenty of success stories, but no one wants to talk about their business failures unless and/or until they are wildly successful. If you've ever started a business, and it has been a failure, then you know
of what I am about to speak. If not, read on for an inside look at what the demise of a business taught me, a serial freelancer and entrepreneur.
Failure is a wonderful - yes, WONDERFUL - thing. In fact, I think everyone should fail at their first few businesses. Why?
Mainly, failure teaches you what NOT to do. Most entrepreneurs are stubborn by nature. If you have an entrepreneurial streak and are on to what you think is a wonderful idea, wild pigs couldn't stop you from forging ahead. Sometimes, in spite of dire market research, talking with business mentors and the warnings of friends and family, you just have to give it a try.
An example: For two and a half years, I ran an online business, EthnicHomeDecor.com. I was convinced that the business was a good idea because my products weren't mass produced, there was a built-in customer base and I could keep my overhead low by running the business from home. In spite of all of this, the business failed. I was crushed because I had put a lot of time, money and effort into the enterprise. After the business closed, I was despondent for a few months. However, after a while, I took the time to assess how and why the business failed because I already had an idea for another business and didn't want to repeat the same mistakes.
I learned three valuable lessons from this business failure.
a. Do in-depth market research: It's tempting to just "start now" when you get a great idea. And, technology makes it so easy. Thanks to the Internet, websites, brochures, e-mail campaigns, etc. are so easy to produce and distribute. Who wants to spend weeks or months doing in-depth market research when you can be up and running online in as little as a day?
BUT, I learned that using the Internet to research an idea saves me much more time - not to mention money - in the long run. And, you know what? I have discarded three or four business ideas since I started taking the
time to do this, because even though my heart said, "This will work," my head said, "Only a fool repeats the same mistake twice." I'm a lot of things, but fool I am not.
b. Erase regrets. It's human nature to feel scared to try again when you have previously failed. But, the saddest words in the English language to me are, "I wish I had …" After I got over the initial disappointment of closing the business, I realized that I'm glad I tried it. I would have always wondered if I hadn't. Could I have been in major retail stores by now? Would I have been the black Martha Stewart? Yadda, yadda, yadda. Now, I know. Looking back, I realize that when you examine "failure," you open the door to success.
c. Know your numbers: This is the most valuable lesson I learned from my business failure - and one that I hope every aspiring freelancer/entrepreneur takes to heart. It is the basis for the e-book, "The Small Biz Owner's Complete Marketing Kit!" which is marketing advice specifically geared for those who are serious about starting and/or growing a small business.
I hung on to EthnicHomeDecor.com probably a year longer than I should have. As I said earlier, entrepreneurs are a stubborn lot. I had an extremely successful business mentor (he had sold his staffing firm for millions), and one of the things he used to say to me was, "To know your business, you have to know your numbers. They will never lead you wrong."
In a sense you have to detach yourself from every other aspect of your enterprise. Numbers don't lie. You can't hope it will get better or disregard it and think it will get better. Doing financial projections is crucial for ANY business - freelance writing, running a retail store, operating an online shop, etc. You must, must, must have a handle on what's coming in, what's going out and what it's costing you to produce your product/service.
Take freelance writing as an example. Let's say that your goal is $4,000/month and your average bill rate is $40/hour. So, in a given month you need to average 5 billed hours a day to make your goal (calculated
using 20 working days a month). Working an average of 8 hours a day, that leaves 3 hours/day of non-billable hours. Presumably you would spend this marketing and performing back-end office functions (billing, running errands, doing follow-up calls, etc.).
Of those 60 non-billable hours a month, how many are devoted towards only marketing? Let's say, two-thirds, or 40. Of those 40 hours, what types of marketing are you doing to reach how many prospects to bring in what kind of money? Does the bulk of your income come from magazine articles, restaurant reviews, copywriting for individual local businesses, etc.? Do you reach your audience via email queries, e-newsletters, postcard mailings, cold calling, etc.? How much does it cost and how long does it take you to reach your prospects? As you can see, everything is a number - either in dollars or time. And, these are but a few of the questions you will have to ask - and answer - to get a handle on how you want to proceed. There are many, many more, depending on what your business is.
When I revamped InkwellEditorial.com and started to take on freelance writing projects again, I made myself do a business plan asking just these types of questions. Who do I want to target, how will I reach them, how many hours per day do I want to work, what types of projects do I want to take on, what amount of passive revenue will come from the website, from article writing, etc. Every freelancer should do this. If more did, maybe there wouldn't be so many starving writers. But, I digress.
Knowing your numbers will pay off in two major ways: 1) you can easily build on your success because you can fine tune what is working; and 2) you can cut out what isn't working.
Once you identify what is working, you can find ways to build on it. For example, if copywriting for neighborhood businesses pays more, then you can direct more of your marketing dollars to increasing this client base. If you find that while writing for magazines pays well but it takes too long to reach them and the lag time between work performed and payment received is too long, then you can spend less of your time targeting this market.
Another fabulous thing about knowing what is working is adding complementary products and services to an already successful client base. For example, if you sell art online, you might consider adding a line of t-shirts
with your most popular design on them, in addition to selling the art prints. If you are a copywriter, adding a line of cups, mugs, mouse pads, etc. with your witticisms emblazoned on them could be another revenue stream. The possibilities are endless and sometimes, your secondary revenue stream can grow to become your biggest income producer.
An article on the Wall Street Journal site, StartupJournal.com, "Selling T-Shirts Is Big Business on Web" illustrates this point beautifully. In essence, the entrepreneur featured wanted to turn his family entertainment newsletter into a successful online business. So, he designed a well-thought-out website with lots of interactive features. The article states, "Almost as an afterthought, he designed a T-shirt with his company's logo, a circus ringmaster holding a megaphone. Today the online and print newsletters have flopped. But the shirts are pulling in up to $3,000 per month …. All over the Web, bloggers, artists and entrepreneurs are unexpectedly finding that T-shirts are more reliable moneymakers than the original ideas that brought them to the Internet."
As you can see, you will never know WHERE to expand your efforts if you don't FIRST know what's working and what's not.
Back to my online store, EthnicHomeDecor.com: I remember the day I decided to close up shop. I had taken a weekend to go over my numbers in detail (this was right after tax season and my accountant basically bullied me into doing it). I had been avoiding it because, in my gut, I knew what the outcome was going to be and I was trying to avoid the inevitable. But, seeing everything in black and white made me face the fact that without a huge cash infusion, the business would not survive.
The numbers did give me some closure though. I did not second guess my decision. And sometimes, that is the biggest payoff of all.
Article Taken from Afterhours Inspirational Stores
Ask, Ask, Ask
Jack Canfield and Mark V. Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Soul
The greatest saleswoman in the world today doesn't mind if you call her a girl. That's because Markita Andrews has generated more than eighty thousand dollars selling Girl Scout cookies since she was eleven years old.
Going door-to-door after school, the painfully shy Markita transformed herself into a cookie-selling dynamo when she discovered, at age 13, the secret of selling.
It starts with desire. Burning, white-hot desire.
For Markita and her mother, who worked as a waitress in New York after her husband left then when Markita was eight years old, their dream was to travel the globe. "I'll work hard to make enough money to send you to college," her mother said one day. "You'll go to college and when you graduate, you'll make enough money to take you and me around the world. Okay?"
So at age 13 when Markita read in her Girl Scout magazine that the Scout who sold the most cookies would win an all-expenses-paid trip for two around the world, she decided to sell all the Girl Scout cookies she could - more Girl Scout cookies than anyone in the world, ever.
But desire alone was not enough. To make her dream come true, Markita knew she needed a plan.
"Always wear your right outfit, your professional garb," her aunt advised. "When you are doing business, dress like you are doing business. Wear your Girl Scout uniform. When you go up to people in their tenement buildings at 4:30p or 6:30p and especially on Friday night, ask for a big order. Always smile, whether they buy or not, always be nice. And don't ask them to buy your cookies, ask them to invest."
Lots of other Scouts may have wanted that trip around the world. Lots of other Scouts may have had a plan. But only Markita went off in her uniform each day after school, ready to ask - and keep asking - folks to invest in her dream. "Hi, I have a dream. I'm earning a trip around the world for me and my mom by merchandising Girl Scout cookies," she'd say at the door. "Would you like to invest in one dozen or two dozen boxes of cookies?"
Markita sold 3,526 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that year and won her trip around the world. Since then, she has sold more than 42,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, spoken at sales conventions across the country, starred in a Disney movie about her adventure and has co-authored the best seller, How to Sell More Cookies, Condos, Cadillacs, Computers...And Everything Else.
Markita is no smarter and no more extroverted than thousands of other people, young and old, with dreams of their own. The difference is Markita had discovered the secret of selling: Ask, Ask, Ask! Many people fail before they even begin because they fail to ask for what they want. The fear of rejection leads many of us to reject ourselves and our dream long before anyone else ever has the chance - no matter what we're selling.
And everyone is selling something. "You're selling yourself everyday - in school, to your boss, to new people you meet," said Markita at 14. "My mother is a waitress; she slls the daily special. Mayors and presidents trying to get votes are selling...I see selling everywhere I look. Selling is part of of the whole world."
It takes enough courage to ask for what you want. Courage is not the absence of fear. And, as Markita has discovered, the more you ask, the easier (and more fun) it gets.
Once, on live TV, the producer decided to give Markita her toughest selling challenge. Markita was asked to sell Girl Scout cookies to another guest on the show. "Would you like to invest in one dozen or two dozen boxes of Girl Scout cookies?" she asked.
"Girl Scout cookies? I don't buy any Girl Scout cookies!" he replied. "I'm a Federal Penitentiary warden. I put 2,000 rapists, robbers, criminals, muggers, and child abusers to bed every night."
Unruffled, Markita quickly countered, "Mister, if you take some of these cookies, maybe you won't be so mean and angry and evil. And, Mister, I think it would be a good idea for you to take some of these cookies back for every one of your 2,000 prisoners, too."
