Courage is a Muscle... Use it or Lose It!

When Have You Gone Too Far?

A major core of the ‘go for no’ philosophy is to be persistent, tenacious, to not give up. But, how do you know when enough is enough? When you have crossed that ‘line’ and you’ve gone too far with someone?

That darn line. Two big problems with the LINE... first is, it's invisible. Second, it's different for everyone. So, if "the line" is invisible AND it is different for each person, what is the only option for most people?  It's to stand SO FAR BACK you never, ever accidentally cross over it.

Why fear the line?
For almost every single one of us, we had a moment where we crossed the line and got smacked back down. If you've been in business for a while now, there was the one customer/prospect that one time that got upset with you. Or, maybe it was even a parent or a friend that let you have it because you went a little too far. We all have at least one story, one memory and so what we do is make sure that it never happens again.

However, if you never, ever step over the line you will never sell or operate at your full potential. Could you imagine if McDonald's decided: "most people don't want fries, and some people get mad when we offer so we are just going to stop doing it and wait until someone asks if we have french fries." 
That is crazy! They'd rather offer fries to everyone, every time and deal with the few individuals that it makes crazy. In the mean time, lots of people bought fries and McDonald's didn't run its business on the minority rule.

So what if you cross the line every now and again? Great - you discovered the line! Pull your toe back to safety and move on. The reality is you are sharing information about your products and services should be win-win. When you operate your business and your life in such a way as to never cross "the line" it's not just a lose-win (you lose) your customers and potential customers lose too. 

Great Leaders Fail Too!

You often won't find truly great leaders who are afraid to fail or who fear looking bad. Because great leaders understand and value great failures knowing that with great failures coming wisdom and progress.

Think of Rejection Differently!

Failure Philosophy to Succeed

Rejection Fears Sabotaging You?

Rejection fears can sabotage you. An all-too common comment we hear: what do you do when fear is keeping you off the phone? I'll be discussing on Breakthrough Business Strategies radio this Monday, January 21st 2013!

While online marketing and sales can can you pretty far, most sales will take place through conversations over the phone and it’s up to you to dial the number.

You cannot analyze your way out of this until the fear is gone. Action is the only remedy. So, adopt a simple three part strategy:
1) Only allow yourself to do the day’s most enjoyable task until the call(s) is made.
2) Write out the 1-2 points you want to discuss and end with a question. A final decision making question must be asked. Keep it short.
3) Be willing to be bad. Perfectionism is the enemy of lost sales and productivity. Besides, no one knows what it was supposed to be like just you!

Crazy and Stupid Ideas Rule

Did you ever have an idea but you didn't share it because you thought people would make fun of you? That someone else or the group you were in wouldn't like it? Perhaps you just didn't want to be ridiculed or made to feel stupid...

Einstein said, “If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.”

Yet we protect our 'ego' usually for the sake of not wanting to look like or feel like an idiot. And yet in remaining quiet, we don't protect ourselves, we merely ensure mediocrity. That fear of failure and fear of looking bad does not serve you in anyway except to hold you back and keep you from doing something amazing and changing what it is you want to change.

If you have a goal, dream, or something you want to accomplish, then join the ranks of history's greatest thinkers, philosophers, scientists, and innovators who were all told at one time or another that their ideas were stupid and crazy. Crazy and Stupid Ideas Rule.