The Year No Stops Stopping You

At every point where you have the opportunity this year to ASK, remember that a 'no' will not kill you or damage you... it doesn't have to hurt a bit if you simply become proud of the attempt rather than the result!

Best Poem Ever (Well one of them for sure!)

Find your limits and push past them

Santa teaches Go for No!

 

We decided it was time for Santa to deliver everyone (kids and parents alike) a little lesson about asking and 'going for no!'

Keep Yourself In the Game

Hot streaks. Cold streaks. Good and bad streaks... happen. The more you keeping swinging, eventually you will get a hit. Just remember, keep yourself in the game.

Rejection Therapy Goes Mainstream

Thanks to Jia Jiang's viral Krisy Kreme video we're hopeful that a 'go for no' mindset is taking hold in today's consciousness!

If you have not seen it, the video features Jiang entering a Krispy Kreme store and asking for an Olympic-style logo of donuts - something he is certain will get him a quick 'no' response. Instead, he encounters Jackie, a tenacious and creative employee who actually pulls off the task. So in the process of trying to get rejected, Jiang ends up discovering someone who does her utmost to go the extra mile and makes Krispy Kreme look pretty good too. 

Overall, what makes the video so special is because it's about two people - one who had the courage to ask and one who had the heart to help.

Creating a Posture that Reduces Rejection

When it comes to 'Go for No' we often talk about the 'numbers game' aspect. That is only one small piece of what a 'Go for No!" mindset is all about.

One powerful nuance has to do with your physical posture. Think about a person who is 'yes' focused. They lean forward - invade space - talk fast - trying to persuade and manipulate. What does the customer or prospect do? They may actually physically move backward... or if not they will mentally. They can sense the pressure.

That is not what the 'Go for No!' posture is about at all. When you are not invested in having to force someone to say 'yes' to you, your posture is relaxed. You can have a normal conversation where you ask questions, gather information, and make a recommendation on what you heard (even if the recommendation is, you don't have the right thing for your customer or prospect!)

 Is it possible to create a posture that reduces rejection? Well, hard to say. It will certainly reduce the pressure and stress created for your prospect. It will certainly reduce the negatives a 'yes' focus creates on your personal posture and demeanor. And that, ironically, may just lead to a yes. 

Did you really fail?

Everyone Has Fears, Even Wizards

One of my absolute favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. The movie has such perfect lessons about courage and fear. Loved the Cowardly Lion. I remember thinking as kid, how brave he was even as he walked through the scary forest and repeated "I do believe in spooks" he continued forward. Of course we learn that no one could give him courage, and that he had it in him all along. Another one of my favorite scenes is Dorothy and Professor Marvel (later the Wizard) talking about his adventures; a great reminder that everyone has fears, even Wizards!

NO Doesn't Have to Be Scary

I had a wild imagination like all kids. One of my friends and I were convinced that the house across the street from hers was a) haunted and/or... b) a witch lived there. Of course, all evidence that we were able to gather (including sneaking around the house and peering into windows) always appeared extremely suspicious. That's how 'NO' is. We sneak around, avoid it, and it becomes a scary thing, frightening us when we think we'll have to meet up with it. We allow over over-active imagination to make it worse than it is. My friend and I never solved the mystery of the house across the street, we let it drift in favor of some other pressing activity...  spying on the boy next door. . But you can solve this mystery, NO doesn't have to scare you any more!  

Rethinking Rejection: Sales Philosophy

Most of us have been taught and trained to do what we call, 'go for yes.' What if you started to 'go for no?'
Go for No! is about intentionally increasing your failure rate... in other words to hear NO more often.

What? Is that the stupidest advice ever?? 
Hang on.

Here's an example:  When a typical seller has a list of ten (qualified) people that they would like to share their product or service with they will put that list through their 'go for yes' filter.

They will analyze the list and make a few decisions: first, they will decide that 6 of those people will probably say, 'no.' So, they won't contact them. (Why bother? Just to get a 'no?') Then, they spot the three people on the list that most likely will say 'maybe' or 'not yet'. And then they will spot the one person that they are confident is a 'yes.'

They will contact the one 'yes' and get the 'yes.' And if they are really feeling good, they'll try for the maybe people. At least one or two. And now they'll start looking for their next perfect, easy, 'yes.'

When you 'go for no' you don't prejudge, analyze or filter: in other words you don't say 'no' for other people, you let them say 'no' to what you have to offer. And that's when the magic happens.

Join me for a very special 'Go for No!' 30 Day Challenge webinar, October 31st, at 3 pm ET. This is a $247 value training that is being offered at no charge for the month of NOvember! So get signed up here and let some 'go for no' magic work for you!

Eating NO for Breakfast

In our Go for No! DVD Movie, Wayne Allyn Root said, "I always say that I eat NO for breakfast. 'NO' is the opening dialogue of a conversation. That's all no is. When someone says 'NO' to you, that's the start of a long negotiation."

For many people, they might get this on the surface, but putting it into practice is another thing! You can begin by just creating a 'no awareness.' How many no's are you getting a day... or a week, or month? If it's none or not many... it's time to start adopting a new mindset. No's are the breakfast of champions!

Opportunity

We all would love "lightning to strike" in our business right? Are you out there with lightning rods? Or are you hiding behind the Christmas decorations in the back of the closet? Which way do you think gets more strikes? Of course, you know the answer to that. 

When Do You Finally Give Up?

When is it time to finally quit?

When we've quit...
We've quit things. Oh yes, the Go for No! people know when to quit. We quit when we realize that the success or achievement of the goal or project will no longer get us closer to our ultimate goals and dreams. And even though in a couple cases we've still been passionate about what we'd originally set out to do - we know we've reached the end.

When we don't quit...
But when the goal is important enough, we don't quit just because things are taking longer than we thought. (they always do.) Are harder than we want them to be (they always are.) Or even cause us to doubt our sanity!  In the end, Thomas Edison said it best...

A Go for No! World vs. Go for Yes World

We started thinking about the 'go for no' philosophy almost like it is living in a different world.  As we grow older and we learn life's lessons there is a certain amount of wisdom that is gained. And because of this our view of the world changes. In many ways, the change is not for the better. We learn that people will let us down and that things happen that are out of our control and won't always go our way.  We've grown up believing that looking like a success to other people is a good thing and important. And it's this exact belief that we are raised with that hems us in, causing us to rethink taking risks, being bold and failing. It's this constant striving for success that we call living in a Go for Yes World. But living in a Go for No! World is a whole new perspective, and here it is, defined in the most succinct way that we could...

Recipe for Courage

Think there is no such thing as a recipe for Courage. Or is there? Here is our take on what it takes to craft and build your courage! Comments? What did we miss? What would you add? Be sure to read the special not at the bottom of the recipe!

Chinese Food, Fears, and Bathing

You know that old saying that motivation is like a great Chinese food meal? It's great, but a couple hours later you're hungry again.

Zig Ziglar had a great comeback to this: "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."

When it comes to overcoming fears, specifically in 'sales', it also must become a daily ritual in order to truly change how you react emotionally and deal with fears of rejection etc., not to mention to start getting better results. 

Sure it would be great to go to the dentist one time, get a teeth cleaning that takes all day to do and then not have to go back for five or ten years. Of course it does not work that way. Most people, because of fear put off making calls for days and weeks and ending up as a personal commitment to spend 8 hours in one day doing nothing but getting on the phone. And that never happens! Not to mention, it does absolutely nothing to help with fear!
 The answer of course, is to do a little each day. And if you've got some major fears then day one should be spent gathering the names and numbers of the three people you want to call. That's it! Day two, make your first call. No matter the outcome, celebrate your activity. Then the next day, call the next person on your list. A little bit each day slowly reduces the fear, adds confidence, and solidifies a habit. 

So back to food for a moment. Big meals are great (especially Chinese!) but when it comes to truly overcoming fear... just like in dieting, it is done much more successfully by eating many small meals throughout the day. 

Today is the Day that NO...

When we were kids, asking for things was second nature. 'No' was only temporary resting place for us to regroup and come around again. It's time to get that tenacity back!

Get Your Butterflies On

In our book Go for No! we layout what we call the 5 Failure Levels. Level Four is Failing Bigger and Faster.

Go for the BIG No or BIG Opportunity. How do you know if you are working on a BIG No? For me, it's butterflies. You know butterflies in your stomach that make you feel slightly queasy, a bit uneasy.

If I am not getting butterflies in my stomach once a week (minimum) I know that I am not pushing myself and my failure rate.

One week it's contacting a business celeb for an interview. Next, it's calling on a BIG company to speak at their annual conference. The next it's trying something technical (lots of failures there!)... All I know is... I need to feel those butterflies. So, how are you getting your butterflies on?

Entrepreneurs Do A Brain Download

Michele Price, @Prosperitygal on twitter, is creating a unique audio book based on a signature question she asks on her Breakthrough Business Strategies radio show. (#BBSradio on twitter).

Michele Price serves free content to businesses internationally on Breakthrough Business Strategies radio from Houston, TX. Every Monday she delivers expertise from high-profile speakers and authors to grow businesses for entrepreneurs worldwide. 

After each guest’s interview she asks a question designed to stimulate deep thinking.  And now, her newest project is to stimulate a similar positive international change by creating a #Braindownload program for everyone. But she needs your help!

Her digital audio book will feature thought leaders like Mari Smith, Simon Mainwaring, JeffreyHayzlett, Ann Handley, Carol Roth, Guy Kawasaki, and many, many more.

 

Using Indiegogo to crowdfund, Michele has created fun and exciting perks for each level of participation.  

One of those perks includes a second audio book of Michele’s proprietary process of tapping into your own BrainDownload mindset using meditative and question based exercises. (I opted for this!)

Check out the BrainDownload event now as time is running out!

http://www.indiegogo.com/braindownload 

Billionaire Blakely's Dad was Failure-Loving Father

Sara Blakely, billionaire founder of the women's undergarment sensation Spanx, wasn't just encouraged to succeed by her father... she was encouraged to fail. 

She was quoted as saying, "my father used to ask my brother and me what we had failed at recently and then congratulate us. He did complete reverse psychology on us.  Failure was something we sought out and not this scary thing. I think many people are debilitated by the fear of failure, so he gave us a real gift."

Sara has also said that over time, because of his encouragement and (literal) high-fives for failing that her definition of failure became not trying. Looks like her Dad's failure-focus paid off!

Persistence Got a Workout from Fitness Guru Denise Austin

You might not know her by name but you'd probably recognize her in a tight pair of workout pants and tank top. Her name is Denise Austin and she's sold more than 20 million exercise videos and DVDs, authored over 10 fitness books, and starred in the longest running fitness show in the history of television.

So... what special talent and skills did Denise Austin have to get to the heights of fitness guru-dom? In a recent article with her alma matter, California State University, Long Beach, she shares how she got invited to a Washington D.C. (through her CSULB connections) dinner for the President's Council on Fitness. Just a California-based fitness trainer with a growing business, it was at the dinner that Denise had the good fortune to meet fitness legend Jack LaLanne. It was right then that Denise says she "gathered the courage" to ask if she could be on his TV exercise show. He gave her a start on his show, and within a month she became his co-host and he, her mentor.  Her entrepreneurial spirit continued and Denise, passionate and driven, continued to grow and build her business.

When she went back to speak to the students at CSULB she told them "Go after it. Don't wait for people to call you back." She instructed them to be proactive in their phone calls and to reach out to whatever opportunities may come your way.

When she was proposing a fitness segment for NBC's Today Show, Denise recounted that she had called the show's producer 35 times, always having the assistant tell her that the producer would call her back. He never did. Finally, the 36th time by her count, she called him up in the evening and he happened to answer. Denise was the NBC fitness expert for four years - so it looks like the 36th time was a charm.

Rethink Sales Rejection, Skillfully Sales Handle Objections!

We're bringing together two of the most important pieces to any salesperson’s toolkit: handling rejection and objections!

Mike Krause (of Sales Sense Solutions) and I will be teaching a webinar, June 13th - Rethinking Sales Rejection and Skillfully Handling Sales Objections.


To attend for free, all you need to do is sign up!

 https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/187060338

Be a Weeble

When I grew up there was a Hasbro Playskool toy called 'weebles.' The marketing phrase that they used was: "Weebles wobble, but they don't fall down."

People will try to tip you over. A lot.

Be a weeble.

Making Mistakes to Succeed

If we know we learn from our mistakes then why are we so afraid to make them? 

Well, it's not everyone - probably just two groups really.
 The first group are the people that really learned from their mistakes... they actually learned and internalized that the mistake they made didn't kill them and that they survived it. Plus they got some new data to make changes and keep trying.
 However, emotion is stronger than intellect. For the second group, they internalized the emotions that came with making mistakes rather than the benefits gleaned (data and survival). Feelings of foolishness, stupidity, embarrassment, and shame were part of their experience. These make us feel bad and become feelings that we want to avoid at all costs.  And yet those feelings don't really serve us except to make us shrink.

So which of the two groups is going to be more productive in today's world?

We like to say that your N.Q. (No-Quotient) is more important than your I.Q. (Intelligence Quotient). In today's world we believe that your N.Q. - the number of times you are willing to hear no's, make mistakes, try stuff, be rejected, and fail greatly will catapult you into an exclusive group in whatever endeavor you are involved in.  So... which group are you in?

Fear of Failure Removes Opportunity for Giving Extraordinary Customer Service

There's an acronym that might familiar to you if you've worked in the "corporate" world... CYA. Cover Your Ass. In other words, don't make mistakes. Do not fail. Sadly, this is the culture of so many organizations... countries even.  In Finland, they're extremely risk averse - the biggest reason for not being entrepreneurial is the fear of failure. This is the reason why young entrepreneurs of Finland, lead by Aalto Entrepreneurship Society and Boardman Tulenkantajat group, actually arranged a 'National Failure Day' in order to change Finnish culture to be more embracing to failure.

In America, we could argue we are better off, and yet we still have a way to go. Failure is still something that most people do everything in their power to avoid.  But in recognizing and addressing those failures is where companies and organizations often have the best opportunities to turn negative customer service situations into extraordinary service experiences. But two things must happen first.

1) Companies to need to be listening to their customers as much as they share information with them.
And then...
2) They need to stop avoiding and/or fearing moments when they have failed. Failures happen, but what you do afterward can turn that from a failure into a success story.

 I'll be discussing this Monday, April 16th on Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio with host, Michele Price. Join us!

The Only 2 Things You Absolutely, Positively Must Be Doing To Successfully Close More Sales

Call it what you will: following up, checking in, touching base - you're trying to turn invested time into profitable time.  If you are selling a product or a service you cannot assume that your first contact with someone will close a sale. Actually, just don't. I recently came across this statistic (from the Sales & Marketing Management Institute) that said: 

• 87% of all leads are never pursued 
• 48% of all sales leads that are pursued are dropped after the first call/meeting 
• AND YET... 80% of all sales close after the fifth contact/meeting

The only two things you absolutely, positively must be doing to successfully close more sales: Planning and Persisting

1) PLAN for how and when you are going to follow up with your qualified prospective customers. Are they on social media sites like pintrest, twitter, or facebook? Find out! It's a fantastic way to develop a more personal relationship with with current customers but also prospective ones. Get a system. There are fabulous systems out there for need and budget. But don't be fooled, the system will only get you so far... you still have to... 
 2) PERSIST.  The systems are only as good as people who have the courage and persistence to use them and follow through on their prompts.  While it's easy to get overwhelmed with tools and technology,  ultimately the responsibility always comes back to us and we know this.  Persistence can often lead to being rejected. And that can mean having our confidence and belief in ourselves that we are good, smart, and competent people shattered because someone says "no." Give up having to "look good." Give up on the facade and put yourself on the line. And when you do this - you'll become one of those statistics... the good ones!

I'll be discussing this TODAY on Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio with host, Michele Price. Join us!

The Top 5 Movies for Entrepreneurs

In order, the five top movies that all entrepreneurs should see at least once. These movies will inspire you, might frustrate you, but remind you why you do what you do and not to give up on a dream.

5) Working Girl
"You can bend the rules plenty once you get to the top, but not while you're trying to get there. And if you're someone like me, you can't get there without bending the rules."
Okay, a movie about the corporate world to start the list, but it's a great movie about not giving up on your dream. And at the very end when we see that Tess, the main character, has "made it" because she's in an office with a window, the camera pulls back to show her little window within a huge office building in a sea of more office buildings. You'll be relived to remember that as an entrepreneur, you aren't trapped and actually work on your terms.

4) The Pursuit of Happyness
"You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period."
It's the ultimate overcoming all odds movie. When you see what Chris Gardner goes through, it gives some perspective.

3) The Social Network
"You don't even know what the thing is yet. How big it can get, how far it can go. This is no time to take your chips down. A million dollars isn't cool, you know what's cool?"
It's great to see a guy with such confidence. When you see Mark do what he does so well - it's inspiring to see the intensity and drive.

2) Up in the Air
"How much did they pay you to give up on your dreams?"
Why is a movie about a guy with a job that has him traveling the country non-stop firing people on this list? It's a great reminder that when you're self-employed nobody gets to fire you. And if you've just been fired or are afraid of getting fired, maybe it's just what you need anyway.

1) Jerry Maguire
"Twenty-four hours ago, man, I was hot! Now... I'm a cautionary tale. You see this jacket I'm wearing, you like it? Because I don't really need it. Because I'm cloaked in failure!"
The quintessential movie for all entrepreneurs. It's about failure, success, principles, and love. One of the best movies ever made.

BONUS... And if you're still not completely motivated - get a copy of Yes is Destination, No is How You Get There.
"I think a lot of times people give up too soon thinking they failed because they got a lot of NOs, instead of realizing, "hey, I'm still on track to do this. It's just taking longer than my ego mind thought it would." - Jack Canfield
If you are an entrepreneur, you'll want to make sure that the word 'no' and fear of failure and rejection is in your toolbox of assets rather than obstacles!

Go for No! but Get Creative

People often ask me, when it comes to going for no - do you just keep going at people over and over?  Well, the answer is YES... and NO!  When it comes to selling - and Go for No! you need to be creative!  Obviously, you would not want to approach the same person over and over again in the exact same way.  But when you 'go for no' you aren't giving up on someone just because you got one 'no' one time. To do so would be a huge waste of invested time (finding the prospect) not to mention the fact that people often say 'no' 3,4, and 5+ times before making a decision. 
 
So again, you need to be creative. I will be talking about this with Michele Price on her Breakthrough Business Strategies Radio Show on Monday. So start thinking, can you get creative?  For example, try this: create a list of at least 12 ways you could go back to the same person/prospect in a new or different way. If you come up with 12 ways - and you check in with someone every 2 months - you just created a two year follow up plan! Not bad. That is how you'll turn no's into yeses!

Avoiding Failure is Too Much Work

I like simple. Easy. Straight-forward. I don't like to over-think stuff.  So when it comes to chasing the perfect "success" - which requires detailed planning, perfect execution, and no room for error... it all just seems like too much work. I'd never start. And if I did, what are my guarantees? It could take forever!

I much rather enjoy trying stuff as fast as I can, making changes, learning, and then trying again. In some cases, failing over and over and eventually hitting success, in other cases - letting go and trying something else. One of Richard and my heroes is leadership and management "guru" Tom Peters. Tom has said, "Whoever Tries The Most Stuff And Screws The Most Stuff Up The Fastest Wins" among other great points extolling the virtues of failing fast.  For us, we'll just stick to failing our way to success.  Avoiding failure is just too much work.

Fail Big, Fail Fast, Fail Well

If you want to make serious progress this year, take my advice and start failing. Seth Godin was interviewed on video a while back saying, "If I fail more than you do, I win."
 
Don't make 2012 the year you played it safe.
 
Fail Big. How? Look for outrageous projects, big clients, crazy ventures - and don't do anything unless it gives you butterflies in your stomach. When you have those... that's the test -  you know it's big enough. 

Fail Fast. Learn from your failures and make the adjustments quickly.  Appreciate the failures and keep going and trying.

Fail Well. If you have a cat you know that they like to race around for a few minutes each day followed by hours of napping. So our cat, Courage, comes speeding through the living room toward his 6 foot cat tree. He springs up - flings his front legs into the air - claws out - prepared to grab onto the side of the perch. He totally misses the jump and falls backward. It was ugly and I saw the whole thing. Courage turned around and saw me; he was stunned.  He rubbed his paw over his face a couple times and walked it off. Now that's failing well.  It's gonna happen. People may even see it happen. Just walk it off.  Try again better.