The 45 Year Plan Doesn’t Work

95% Of People Are Broke

Are you on the 45 year plan? Perhaps you don’t know it as such but
it’s the plan your parents prescribed to you way back.

“Get a good education. Get a good job. And stick at it until
you retire. You can get the pension and live off your super”

Well unfortunately for most people, this’plan’ is not working
out. The plan is flawed and even if you do make it to the end
with a few dollars in super, generally it’s not enough or you
have to watch out for the crooks who scam you with outrageous
promises like 10% returns on your money, then leave you high
and dry.

Hey you’re not alone. Most of us go down this path.
We get a job out of school or uni ,say at 20 years, and then work
frantically for the next 45 years until we hit 65 hoping and
praying all our blood, sweat and tears will afford us a life better
than munching on home brand milk arrowroot biscuits and sipping
homebrand tea at the retirement village.

The sad facts are though (and these have been the same for the past 55 years)
is that 1 person out of 100 will be rich at 65, 4 will be financially fit,
5 will need to continue to work, 28 will be dead and 62 will be broke.

Therefore what this tells us is that out of 100 people turning 65, 95%
are in financial trouble to broke. These people can’t write a cheque for $500.
And it took 45 years to get to that position.

Isn’t this something that you are trying to avoid? Isn’t this why you
have come through my website and left me your details?

Most people want to have more money, pay less tax and have more
time freedom to do what they want, when they want and with whom
they want. There is a solution if you are open to looking.

When I mention the 2 year plan, most people get a little bit curious.
When they discover the skill that can give them financial independance,
they get quite excited and they ask me for information.

Now not everybody does. And I’m sure you know
the types of people I’m talking about.

They usually sit around on the couch, eating pizza, swilling beer,
complaining about the government and never being serious about
their financial security.

Can I get you some information?

It will take 10 minutes in front of your computer for me to walk you
through it. And I mean 10 minutes; not half an hour.

If you want to check out the 2 year plan and escape the 45 year rut
email me info@switchshopsaveclub.com and leave me your details
including your phone number. Don’ t worry. If this is not for you I
won’t be ringing and chasing you on the phone. I don’t like it being
done to me and I won’t do it to you. I only speak with those people
who want to chat with me.

Let’s catch up soon.

Be Sociable, Share!

Inheritance – The Word That Makes Me Squirm

Inheritance is something we look forward to receiving from our parents. While we may not consciously fo out of our way to display our excitement at the potential of receiving an inheritance, we all do secretly hope that one day we shall get one.

Being an only child I assumed that I would get an inheritance from my parents when they passed on. They were good people who worked hard and always did the right thing for the family. My Dad was the typical hunter gather who looked after his family. Growing up in the Depression I suppose help instill those kind of values into him. Thankfully those traits and a sense of resposibility for my family have been passed onto me.

After the passing of both of my parents within a three year period of each other I received my inheritance. I was excited about firstly receiving one and secondly having an opportunity to make my family’s life a little easier. But it wasn’t that easy.

Not ever having a lot of money myself I was unaccustomed to dealing with an instant windfall. I thought I knew how to handle money as I had been in the real estate industry for years. I was not. In fact I was very inexperienced.

For a sum of money that my parents took 60 years to gather, I was able to blow or lose in about 18 months. Bad investments involving slick salesmen soon saw all my inheritance gone. But there was worse to come.

I had to face my family, my wife and my children and let them know I had let them down. Not intentionally but nievely. I was so ashamed that I have never told them. I am so embarrased that a guy with a good pedigree for real estate could make such a blunder and do it so quickly.

When my daughter asks what I did with grandma’s money, I duck and weave. it hurts. I don’t answer her. But when I look into her eyes and I mean really look into her eyes I see a level of desperation and sadness that just sickens me.

It sickens me literally. I have been a nervous wreck. I’ve gained 30 kg in weight. I have anxiety attacks. I rarely sleep well. And I constantly beat myself.

But at 53 years and 11 months I know I still have time to claw my inheritance back. I know I can’t work any harder in my job so I need to leverage my efforts in a part time business.

I realise I don’t have millions of dollars to go out and buy real estate unemcumbered and live of the rental income. Those options are not open to me.

But I do know about leverage. Not leverage of money but leverage of time.

Recently a friend introduced my a way to leverage my time to create long term residual income. Without extra money commitments I can build a business part time and not only get back my inheritance but exceed it.

And here’s the best thing. I will be able to stand tall, look my family squarely in the face and say “I am responsible”. I will be able to say to my daughter “Dad is providing you with a great inheritance” and that means more to me than money will ever be able to buy.

How’s your inheritance providing going. Have a look at what I’m doing by dropping me a line info@switchshopsaveclub.com

Be Sociable, Share!

Getting A Zest For Life To Do Bigger Things

Have you lost your zest for life/ Is your life in a bit of a slump? Wanna do bigger things but feel stuck. This article below by Jon Fields could be your life breaker.

Resolutions don’t change bodies, minds, careers, businesses and lives, actions do.

But, without the right approach, it can be near impossible to take the actions needed to get where you’re desperate to go!

Behavior change–exercise, diet, meditation, changing careers or launching a business, writing a book, making art–is hard, really hard. Most people fail. Not because they’re incapable of doing what needs to be done, but because they don’t know how to do it right.

They don’t know where to find valid information. They don’t know whom to trust. They don’t understand what it really takes to cultivate substantial progress and change. And they don’t know how to create the structures that absolutely must be in place to support the small daily behaviors that culminate in extraordinary change and achievement over time.

Here are the 7 keys to successful behavior change and quest achievement:

1. Knowledge

You must know what the right behaviors, actions and decisions are. If you want to lose 50 pounds, you need to know what action will lead to that outcome. If you want to launch or build a world-changing venture, you need to know the steps that will make it happen (and more importantly the ones to avoid that’ll tear it down). If you’re trying to build a good life, you need to know what goes into that bucket and what needs to be tossed.

2. Support

You need support on three levels, if possible: peer support, co-striver support and mentor support.

Peer support is critical as a source of inspiration, information and accountability.
Co-striver support (people who are striving to do similar things at similar times) adds the element of creating what’s called a “normalizing” experience. Knowing a tight-knit group of co-strivers are going through similar struggles, embracing tough challenges and working through them makes you realize you’re not alone and, although it’s tough, there are others right there with you and you’re all going to get through it together. Note, too, you don’t all have to be working on the same thing, project, quest or organization. It’s more about sharing the experience on the level of parallel play.
Mentors and coaches are people who are further down the road than you who can share wisdom and insights designed to help you correct course, avoid mistakes (though, some you’ll have to make yourself to get how to do it right) and accelerate your quest. Most important when finding and choosing mentors and coaches, too, is that (a) you trust them, (b) they’re genuinely qualified to help you, either through training or experience and (c) they’re invested in your success and genuinely care.

Collectively, these people come together to form your Circle of Champions. Research shows, having this group artfully chosen and fully-committed to your vision ups your likelihood of success exponentially and often shortens the time frame and makes the dance far more enjoyable.

3. Motivation

You’ve got to have a clearly established “why.” If it’s a simple change or goal you aspire to, old school carrot and stick, i.e., extrinsic motivation will often get the job done.

But for longer term, more complex, involved quests, a deeper, more intrinsic, internal source of motivation will be a stronger driver of consistent action over time, which is what determines success.

One key to intrinsic motivation is something I call “alignment.” When the behaviors you’re looking to cultivate or the quest you aspire to complete is poorly aligned with who you are and what makes you come alive, it makes the process so jarring to your system, your likelihood of doing the work to needed to succeed plummets.

When what you’re trying to build is so tightly aligned with all aspects of who you are that it feels like it’s an organic extension of your being, you’ll still end up working like crazy to get it done, but it will feel far more effortless. High-levels of alignment tend to jack intrinsic motivation through the roof. And they keep it there longer. Your “why” is more about DNA than packaging.

This can be a huge issue with aspiring entrepreneurs and career changers. In addition to personal alignment, you also need to align business model, mode of delivery, creative orientation, leadership orientation and a number of other “degrees of alignment” that will be specific to your quest.

When you understand how to tee it all up right, your quest sings. You don’t ever need to look for a reason to do the work. Problem is, very few people know how to do this well.

Instead, they align their actions and vision with what they think will succeed, what looks good or “justifiable” on paper, rather than aligning their quest and actions with the fiber of their being. Huge mistake.

Because even if you end up building something the world deems successful, you’ll end suffering way more than necessary and will be significantly more likely to have built a business or achieved a quest the world deems a success, but you experience as a miss or, worse…a cage.

4. Simplicity

Legendary Stanford professor, B.J. Fogg, has studied persuasion for years and devised his own model for behavior change. One of the big discoveries, simplicity trumps information. Take the complexity out of your approach and make it as easy as possible to learn what to do and then do it.

When it comes to action-taking, simplicity rules, complexity drools.
If you want to exercise every morning, leave your running shoes and clothes right next to your bed when you rise and have a running partner meet you every morning outside your door.

I meditate for 25 minutes every morning like clockwork, no matter my schedule is the rest of the day. And no matter where I am in the world or how tired I may be when I awaken.

One of the keys has been to prepare my meditation area before I go to bed. I set up my cushion, a glass of water, my timer, and a blanket if it’s cold. I remove complexity and, more important, I remove decision-making from the system.

What you’ll find is that it’s not the doing of the thing that’s hard. It’s the beginning. Once I’m on the cushion, the next 25 minutes flow with relative ease (okay, so maybe that took a bit of practice).

But research shows beginning a task or a process is a far greater challenge than continuing it once it’s begun. So make it as simple as possible to begin.

5. Measurement

You need to create a very clear picture of what success looks like. Because if you don’t, you wont understand what you’re aspiring to. Nor will you know when you’ve arrived.

Things like mission statements, painted pictures, perfect-day exercises, outcome visualizations, they can all help you understand where you’re going and what your personal metrics for success are.

But, when you’re in the part of any quest I call The Thrash, you often don’t yet have a clear beat on your metrics for success. But you still need something to strive for. You need something to measure. You need to know if you’re moving forward, backward or sideways.

While you’re in this part of your journey, your Circle of Champions will be a powerful source of guidance (and sanity) to allow you to divine and refine what matters and what’s worth measuring. They will see things that you are blind to.

6. Framework

Once you have the first five in place, you need an action framework. A plan of action that’s not just some one-size-fits-all, but rather a simple to use methodology (again, if it’s complex, it won’t work) that allows you to:

Identify the daily, weekly and monthly actions needed to get from where you are now to where you want to go.
Memorialize them, either in writing or digitally.
Track progress over time (this, according to the work of Professor Teresa Amabile, is critical).
Adapt to changing circumstances and new information, without losing momentum

There is no one-size-fits-all here. Some great approaches to explore include systems by Productive Flourishing’s Charlie Gilkey or Behance’s Action Method

7. Ritual

This may be last but it may also be most important. You must break the giant action steps of your quest into bite size habits, turning the big action steps from intimidating behaviors into easy rituals.

What’s the difference?

Behavior requires willpower. Rituals happen auto-magically.
Rituals (or habits) are behaviors repeated in a systematic way over time that move from conscious choice to autopilot action. The more you ritualize success activities, the more you free-up brainpower and willpower, making it more likely that you’ll do the things needed to change what you’re trying to change.
When you’re building behaviors and actions into rituals that require some level of will, you’re better off building the ritual into the earlier part of your day. This is because willpower is a limited resource and by late afternoon, your tank starts to run pretty close to empty.

If it’s a behavior you actually enjoy or are intrinsically drawn to, like painting or playing guitar or creating a product, business or service you love, these will generally require far less willpower. Time of day becomes less important.

Putting It All Together

Does all of this take effort?

Darn straight it does.

But the cost of not putting in the effort is worse. Not doing the work leads to a life of futility, unrealized potential, of unexpressed humanity and unrequited connection. I’d rather do the work than muddle through life with my soul-tank, my body, my mindset, my relationships, my art, and my potential perpetually on half-empty.

So, what’s the best time to reclaim your quest?

Right now.

No matter what your goal, now is the time to move your body, eat better, meditate, set the wheels in motion for a new career, start a venture, business, or movement or create the art buried in your soul.

Just take action right now.

Your likelihood of success goes up massively once you’ve put the above keys into place. Do the work, find the people, create the systems, implement the knowledge, and build the support needed to breathe life back into your life.

And most important, Commit.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.” – W. H. Murray

Hope you regain your zest for life (your mojo) and go onto achieve bigger things

Article by Jonathan Fields

Be Sociable, Share!

How To Better Engage Via Social Media To Grow Your Business

Social Media Engagement – It’s About Time

Engaging with people on social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pininterest can lead you to building a better business. But quite frankly who’s got the time to do all of this and run a successful business.

Here’s 3 tips to help your engage better and not take up all your time.

Be Live Everyday.
You need to interact with people everyday. Building relationships requires you to be live with people. You can’t outsource this to a social media company or consultant who does not have your ‘voice’. You must be present and live.
It Takes 5 Minutes
Engage with your followers and fans for 5 minutes an hour per working day. Let’s say as a home business operator you kick off your day at 8am and close shop at around 8pm. Now I’m not saying you need to work 12 hour days plus but your engagement on social media needs to be 5 minutes per hour. So if you are working on your business for 12 hoursa day, then a 5 minute committment per hour would give you 60 minutes or 1 hour a day on social media. Why spread it out? Because your customers are coming onto their Facebook or Twitter profile or pages throughout the day. This is more beneficial if you work in a global business where your customers are all over the world.
Get Help
Once you start getting 25 – 30,000 people you are servicng on social media, you may need to get some help communicating with them. This is the time you may need a customer care support person to answer questions on your behalf. The customer care person can alert you to mentions on social media and take care of simple tasks to satidfy your customers. But as far as posts go, never rent out your voice to another person. Be you only.

The overwhelming message ere is to love your customers. Service them. Engage with them and you’ll grow a bigger, better, more profitable business.

Be Sociable, Share!

10 Gratitude Tips For A Better Life

Gratitude – The Art Of Being Grateful

Have you said thank you to someone to show how grateful you are for them today? It’s such a small thing, but it can have a huge impact on your life, and the life of that person.

Find little ways to incorporate gratitude in your life, and you’ll be much happier … and you’ll make the people around you much happier as well. That will have a ripple effect that will make the world a better place … with such a small gesture!

Saying thank you isn’t hard at all. But the words can lose meaning if they’re just words. You need to say them with sincerity, or show your gratitude through little actions.

Can you imagine a world where everyone showed gratitude? If someone did you a kindness, you’d give them a warm smile and say thank you. If you were having a bad day, someone else would take time out of her life to comfort you, out of gratitude for a kindness you did her yesterday. People would still get angry, or sad, but would know to find ways to be grateful, even in difficult situations.

I know, I know … I’m an idealist, and such a world will never exist. But that’s OK. I can accept the world as it is … and at the same time, show my gratitude for what a wonderful world we have. And what wonderful people are in my life. And in doing so, my little acts of gratitude will radiate throughout the world, changing it in subtle but profound ways.

Corny? Perhaps. I can be corny at times. But let me tell you: incorporating gratitude in my life (even if I’m not always successful at it) has changed me and has made me happier. I recommend it heartily.

For those who’d like to do little things to show their gratitude, to a specific person or to life in general, here are a few ideas that work for me:

Create a Gratitude Ritual. As I described before, on many mornings I do a little ritual: I just close my eyes, and take a couple of minutes to think of the people and things I’m grateful for.
Send a thank-you note. You know, it’s nice to get a little note thanking you for something you did. You don’t need to send someone a formal thank-you card (although that’s a nice touch), but just a little note (or email) saying thank you for a specific thing the person has done for you can go a long way. And it only takes a minute!
Give a free hug. OK, only do this when appropriate … but if you have a loved one in your life, give them a hug! Often we can go too long without showing our affection and gratitude, even to those who are closest to us. Don’t neglect this important part of your relationship. By “free” hug, I mean don’t expect anything in return — just give it as a gift of gratitude. If you give a hug to a stranger, be prepared to run very fast afterward.
Give thanks for today! You don’t even have to thank a person … you can thank life itself! Wake up, and greet the day with gratitude. Be thankful you’re alive!
Do someone a free favor. Without expecting anything in return, do something nice for someone. Just something small. Get them a drink or a coffee, do a chore for them, offer to do an errand, anything they’d appreciate, really. Think of what the person likes, wants or needs, and try to do something (even something small) to help them. Actions speak louder than words, and doing something nice will show you’re grateful more than just saying it.
Give a little gift. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but a little gift can be a tremendous gesture. I often send brownies for a couple of bucks. People love them. It’s easy to do.
Give someone a list of all they’ve done that you’re grateful for. Take 5 minutes and make a list of 10 or 50 things you love about someone, or things they’ve done for you that you appreciate.
Acknowledge them publicly. Who doesn’t love public praise? Find a way to acknowledge the contributions of someone, to show your gratitude, in a public way … in your office, among friends and family, on your blog, in your local newspaper.
Surprise them with kindness. Actually, this is mostly the same as Item #5, but with a twist: surprise the person. That little extra step of surprising them can make a big difference. When your wife comes home from work, have a lovely dinner prepared. When your mom walks out her front door in the morning, have her car nice and clean. When your daughter opens her lunch pail, have a little note and a treat waiting for her. You get the idea.
Say thanks even for negative things in your life. This is the hard part, in truth. When things go wrong, when we’re not happy, when people are mean to us, when we are worn down by the million slings and arrows of everyday life … we don’t want to say thank you. But in truth, this is the time when it matters most. If you’ve mastered the first 9 items on this list, you’re ready to master this one.

When life gets you down, when you’re hurt or angry or confused or frustrated, take a moment to stop and close your eyes and find things to be thankful for. Your health, your family, your job, the roof over your head, the fact that you’ll have a next meal, the beauty of the world around you, the good people in your life, your new Macintosh computer. Whatever you can think of, be thankful for them … and express that gratitude somehow. Realize that all is not bad in this world, and be happy for that.

And then, when you’ve mastered that skill, think of the negative things in your life … and give thanks for them. That person who was mean to you? Thank them for teaching you patience and understanding. That dog that tore up your trash? Thank him for teaching you humility as you pick up the trash. The natural disaster you went through? Thank it for reminding you of what is important in life. The illness you are going through? Thank it for making you stronger.

Article by Leo Babuata

Be Sociable, Share!

12 Charismatic Ways To Get More Business

How To Be Charismatic In 12 Easy Steps Without Being Sleazy Or Slimey

Question: What do some people seem to have that makes you want to do business with them almost instantly? When you meet you immediately feel at ease. Their smile melts you and you are immediately attracted to them

Answer: They are CHARISMATIC!

I like to think of myself as an amiable guy, but I wouldn’t claim to be charismatic. Charismatic is an adjective I would apply to someone like Jay Leno or Tony Robbins. Bill Clinton is supposed to be very charismatic. I know die-hard conservatives who changed their views about him after speaking to him for just five minutes.

Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of effect on people? Wouldn’t it feel good to know that you have the ability to make everyone you meet like you… and want to work with you?

Just a few hours ago, such a man came to my office. He had just taken over managing my bond account after my longtime account manager retired. I didn’t want to like this young upstart because I resented it when my old account manager left. I felt (irrationally) abandoned. But within five minutes, we were talking about cigars and martial arts. By the time he left a half-hour later (we were scheduled to meet for only 15 minutes), I had promised him more of my business. I had also given him a copy of my latest book and a $20 cigar!

He should have given me a cigar. But that’s the power of charisma.

Many salespeople are charismatic. You meet them. You like them. You buy from them. Even when they don’t have the best product or the best pricing.

Charismatic people seem to be born that way. They have an uncanny, natural ability to sell almost anything, including their ideas. They don’t follow the usual rules. They smile a lot. They chat a lot.

Do they have skills that the rest of us – the non-gifted lot – can learn?

Absolutely!

Here are 12 ways you can become more charismatic and get more out of all your business relationships. Most of them are based on the principles identified by Robert Cialdini in his book Influence: “The Psychology of Persuasion.”

People tend to do business with people they like. So behave in a way that makes you likable. Be polite and patient. Avoid being crude, rude, gruff, or impatient.
People are attracted to people who keep their word. That means when you make a promise, do exactly what you promised. Do it by the deadline you promised – or sooner.
People trust people who have their best interests at heart. They will think you have their best interests at heart when you give them advice that benefits them more than it benefits you.
People want to do business with people who are experts in their fields. So first, you need to actually become an expert in your field through practice, research, training, education, and study. Then you need to do things (such as writing articles and books or giving speeches) that demonstrate your expertise to potential customers and business associates.
People feel comfortable giving money to people who are honest, ethical, and aboveboard. So don’t lie in your marketing materials (or elsewhere). Telling the truth is much more effective.
People are attracted to people who are physically attractive or at least not physically repulsive. So eat right. Exercise. Stay fit. Be well-groomed. Dress well. And pay attention to your personal hygiene.
People feel better with people who seem to be “real.” The best way to show that you’re a regular guy is to be cordial, friendly, and genuinely interested in others. Instead of talking about yourself, ask about them. Ask about their company, their job, their industry, even their family and hobbies.
People respond to people who listen and pay attention to what they are saying. Remember the old cliché: You have two ears and one mouth because you should listen twice as much as you talk.
People feel comfortable with people who are like them. The trick here is to identify one thing you have in common with the other person. It could be gold, kids, pets, or anything else. Then, use that to cement a bond between you.
People are attracted to people who are humble. So don’t be a braggart. And never discuss how much money you make.
People are impressed by people who seem busy. That’s why you should never tell a prospective customer that things are slow and you really need his business. Think about doctors. How would you feel if you walked into a doctor’s office and you were the only patient? Wouldn’t you wonder how good he was? As much as you hate it when you have to sit there and wait, don’t you feel more assured when a doctor’s waiting room is packed? Of course, you do.
People want to be surrounded by helpful people – people who make their lives easier and save them time. They also prefer to deal with people who are flexible and accommodating, not rigid and difficult.

Which of these people-pleasing skills do you have already? Congratulate yourself for acquiring them, and practice them more.

Which ones do you still need to develop? You can’t do it overnight, but you can – and should – work on them over time.

Be Sociable, Share!

Survey Your Customers For A Better Business

Take A Survey – Build Relationships, Create More Sales

Simply taking a survey isn’t going to work.

You can’t ask strangers questions at a mall and earn their trust, so please don’t think you can do this without any consideration ahead of time online.

But when executed the way I’m going to teach you today, taking a survey can be the difference between copy that converts and copy that flops. It can make or break a pay per click campaign on Facebook. Taking a survey in the right way can take a Tele-Class that might have produced 25 attendees and create 250+ who pack out your lines.

Grab your pen and paper because you will want to do more than just read today’s article, you need to activate it quickly!

Implementation that happens as quickly as possible is far more successful than implementation that is delayed, thought through and processed. Why? Because if someone who is successful gives you a brilliant idea and you ACT on it, you go from having mere knowledge of the situation – gnosis- to having experienced what HAPPENS when you accomplish the knowledge, activate and propel it forward- epignosis. Your homework today is to activate what I teach you and then come back to me with your results.

Taking a survey is something that you want to do strategically. You don’t want to wing it.

When you ask questions of your clients, it’s important to not only pay attention to the answers they give you, but you want to influence them in the direction that you would desire that they should go. What direction is that? The direction where their honest answers are, the things they are already thinking about and talking about.

Your questions need to be written in such a way that your clients spill the beans, so to speak. They are already very familiar with how they feel and have opinions about things that matter to them. Your job is to do whatever you can so that YOU become familiar with this as well.

Conversion goes way up when you speak to your clients in the same language they think in all day. Email campaigns convert, social media pay per click ads get higher response and even tele-classes get greater results when you KNOW how to speak in the words your clients are most familiar with.

How To Ask Your Customers To Participate In A Survey?

Most people email blast their customers asking them to paricipate. But this is not effective as most emails get caught in the spam filter.

Make the customer feel special and important. Invite them to participate by sending them an invitation in the post. It’s personal, it gets seen, the customer feels important and you’ll get better results. We use a service that allows us to personalise our message from just 47 cents each. It’s brilliant!

The invitation directs our customers to a link to carry out an online survey.

We use Survey Monkey for all of our surveys.

Three Rules For Successful Survey Taking:

1. Do not ask open ended questions. Lead with multiple choice and give the option of none of the above, or all of the above. The choices should reflect where you know they will go and then give you a percentage of which direction is strongest. If you leave it open ended, the input will be too confusing because people have to think too much.

2. Don’t ask more than 8 questions, preferably 4-6. If you are doing a survey that is going to go beyond 8 questions, give your clients the option to not have to answer every question. Leave only 4-6 as the mandatory needed to participate. Remember, most people won’t want to do long surveys, so keep it brief but not so brief there’s no interest.

3. Report your results. People not only love to give opinions and suggestions, but even more than that, they love to see what OTHERS are saying! So give your clients who answer your questions an opportunity to ‘spy’ on all of your responses!

Make it fun.

Make it something that is motivated by helping your clients more fully.

Don’t pitch them, don’t try to sell them. Ask questions so you can more fully serve them.

Here’s to happier customers, better relationships and more business. Thanks survey!

Be Sociable, Share!

10 Great Customer Service Tips The Sheraton Noosa Need To Adopt

Sheraton Noosa Resort and Spa 10 Great Customer Service Tips The Sheraton Noosa Need To Adopt

Customer service exhibited by Melanie at the Sheraton Noosa today was definately not 5 star. Melanie via by my booking agent has declined my request for a refund due to the cancellation of a business trip I was on later this week caused by excess flooding and road closures from the Wide Bay region to the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. As I write this 230,000 properties are without electricity. Bundaberg city is about to experience it’s worst flood since 1942 while Gympie will again take the brunt of rising flood waters which have already affected 50 central business district businesses.

You can start to get the picture as to why my trip in these regions have been cancelled; resulting in my attempted cancellation and refund at the Sheraton Noosa.

Unfortunately my customer service experience with the Sheraton Noosa has been far from the 5 star experience the global hotel group promotes.

Customer service is an integral part of any business and should not be seen as an extension of it. A company’s most vital asset is its customers. Without them, we would not and could not exist in business. When you satisfy your customers, they not only help you grow by continuing to do business with you, but recommend you to friends and associates. With social media being a big part of our lives, word of mouth can spread globally extremely fast.

The practice of customer service should be as present throughout all divisions of a business and not exclusively to the sales environment.

The Ten Must Do Tips of Customer Service

Know who is boss. You are in business to service customer needs, and you can only do that if you know what it is your customers want. When you truly listen to your customers, they let you know what they want and how you can provide good service. Never forget that the customer pays your salary and makes your job possible.
Be a good listener. Take the time to identify customer needs by asking questions and concentrating on what the customer is really saying. Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of making assumptions – thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants. Do you know what three things are most important to your customer? Assumptions can be costly, Sheraton Noosa.
Effective listening and undivided attention are particularly important when you are face to face with a customer; especially if you are in an open space where there is a great danger of preoccupation – looking around to see to whom else we could be engaging with.
Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don’t buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better you become at anticipating their needs. Communicate regularly so that you are aware of problems or upcoming needs.
Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Think about ways to generate good feelings about doing business with you. Customers are very sensitive and know whether or not you really care about them. Thank them every time you get a chance. Are you listening Sheraton Noosa
Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world’s best systems for getting things done, but if customers don’t understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how your systems work and how they simplify transactions. Be careful that your systems don’t reduce the human element of your organization.
Appreciate the power of “Yes”. Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you easy. Always do what you say you are going to do.
Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It’s easy and customers like it. The customer may not always be right, but the customer must always win. Deal with problems immediately and let customers know what you have done. Make it simple for customers to complain. Value their complaints. As much as we dislike it, it gives us an opportunity to improve. Even if customers are having a bad day, go out of your way to make them feel comfortable.
Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate yourself above the competition. Consider the following:
- What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere?
- What can you do to follow-up and thank people even when they don’t buy?
- What can you give customers that is totally unexpected?
Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in which you can find out what customers think and feel about your services.
Listen carefully to what they say.
Check back regularly to see how things are going.
Provide a method that invites constructive criticism, comments and suggestions.
Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation stems from the top. Treating customers and employees well is equally important. Perhaps I came across an unappreciated employee today but the image of the Sheraton Noosa has certainly been tarnished for me.

I am still trying to achievea positive result here with the Sheraton Noosa. If they do come to the party and refund my expenses then I shall post a comment below.

On the whole I shouldn’t have had to jump through so many hoops especially from a 5 star Hotel group as Sheraton. Customer service is critical for business survival. Let’s hope we see better service from the Sheraton Noosa from here on out.

Be Sociable, Share!

Wealth Building Principles Don’t Change

Wealth Building Principles

Most people would love to discover the wealth building secrets of millionaires. Strangely it can be found simply by asking. Yet people fail to hede the advice they are given.

They are convinced there’s more to it. What worked in the past doesn’t work now they assume. People keep chasing the ‘new thing’ and unfortunately for most get addicted to the the shiny new object syndrome and end up achieving very little or nothing.

Below is an extract from an article by Mark Ford of the Pebble Beach Newsletter who has written many best sellers on wealth building based on personal experience.

“So what are the most important things for entrepreneurs to know about wealth building?

Here is a short list:

You will never get rich chasing the next hot opportunity. Understand the larger business trends. Discover how wealth builders of the past have profited from them. And do the same with your time and money.

All businesses develop in much the same way. They go through stages, each one of which has its own problems, challenges, and opportunities. To take your business from one level to the next, you must learn what these problems, challenges, and opportunities are and take advantage of them.

Never invest in a business or an industry that you don’t understand. It doesn’t matter how great the opportunity seems. If you don’t know the market well, you will inevitably make bad and costly decisions.

When fledgling entrepreneurs come to me and ask me to mentor them in wealth building, I always tell them the same thing:

“Everything I know about wealth building I have already written down in the books I have written. You can find out what you need to know by reading those books.”

Most of the time, they don’t follow my advice. They can’t believe that something they might find in a bestselling book will give them what they are looking for: a formula for getting from zero to millions of dollars.

They tell me that they want to hire me to be their personal consultant, no matter what it costs. And when I explain that I am not taking on any new clients, they are discouraged. But they shouldn’t be.

There is no question that getting mentored by a successful wealth builder is more valuable than reading a book. But the value is in the prompting and coaching and correcting, not in the essential ideas.

If you are still struggling to hitch a ride on the money train, the problem may be that you don’t understand the fundamentals. Take this five-question test to judge your knowledge:

What is the single most important rule in acquiring great wealth?
What ROI do you need every year to acquire the net worth you are seeking?
What sort of enterprises will give you that ROI?
What is the optimal selling strategy for the most successful business in your industry?
What is the allowable acquisition cost for your business?

If you didn’t know the answers to at least four of the questions, you should read – or reread – two of my New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling books: “Automatic Wealth” and “Ready, Fire, Aim.” Combined, they contain everything I know about building wealth.”

So are you going to follow these wealth building ideas or move onto the next thing?

Be Sociable, Share!

Are You A Talker Or Doer?

Talkers vs Doers

I find people fascinating.

Not long ago, I was waiting at a stoplight and I saw a guy walking down the road who looked like he should have been on stage with the Grateful Dead.

I look at people like that and I have this natural interest to know the story behind those people.

On one hand, people are extremely unique. We have billions of unique beings running around all over the place.

On the other hand, it seems that all people end up in one of two groups.

You Have the Talkers, and You Have the Doers

You have people who say they will do things, and people with little need for talking that just get on with the doing.

Which path do you think leads to a fuller life?

They say talk is cheap.

It’s worse than cheap.

Because if you’re not awake and aware, it’s easy to fool yourself into believing that talking is progress.

It’s not. I’ve tried that enough times to know that talking gets you nowhere.

From what I’ve seen, it seems like some talkers talk because they’re more interested in the validation of their big plans by others than they actually are in making those plans happen.

Living for validation from others is a dead end. And if you start doing it, you’re in for a long and miserable road.

The question I ask myself is, “Why aren’t there more doers?”

What It Takes to Be a “Doer”

I remember years ago, I used to have this nasty habit of being a talker. I don’t really remember a specific situation, but I do very well remember the feeling I had over and over again.

Here’s how the cycle went:

I’d get involved with a person or project and there’d be grand plans. Time would pass without a lot of forward moving action on my part.

If the person asked about the grand plans, I’d start talking again (I was a good talker… and good at rationalizing any lack of progress.) In the end, not much happened.

Why did I do this over and over again?

It’s not because I was trying to screw someone over. The real reason was because I was scared.

I was scared of saying NO when initially presented with the idea. Very simple, but that’s the truth.

It’s Hard to “Do” Something When You Want to Be Doing Something Else

Certainly some people are talkers simply because they don’t want to work. They are, for lack of a better word, lazy. Those people are easy to spot.

But I think there’s another reason that people choose “talking” over “doing.” I think a lot of people “talk” because they’re not doing what they want to be doing. Instead, they feign interest with words. Who they’re trying to fool I don’t know. But it’s a very destructive habit to have. I know this.

Most people do what they think they should do, not what they want to do. And how exciting is that? Not very.

Now I’m sure a sentence like that is going to create quite a reaction in some of the people reading this. “Well, I have bills to pay and a family to feed!” they might say. “You can’t just expect me to shirk my responsibility and go off after what I want.”

Of course not.

I certainly wouldn’t recommend being irresponsible, but I would recommend you go after what you want, without exception. In my book, being miserable is no better than being “irresponsible.”

What else are we here to do except to do what makes us fulfilled?

So why don’t more people do what they really want to do?

Because They WILL Fail

Another reason not to be a doer is because it can scare you to death. Especially if you’re new at it.

Transitioning from a life characterized by talking into one of doing moves your chances of failing at some point to just about 100%.

It’s pretty much a sure thing. I couldn’t handle that for a long time. And so I didn’t commit. Too scary.

Committing to what you want and taking action based on that really puts you in a position where it’s going to be obvious to someone when you screw up.

Talking about your plans keeps you safe from ever having to experience that.

But if you can muster the courage to push through and become a doer, there’s a nice surprise waiting for you on the other side.

Because when you screw up, fall flat on your face and realize that you haven’t died… well, that’s a liberating moment in one’s life. I can tell you that.

You’ve faced your fear and moved past it. And from that point forward, that fear will no longer control you and keep you small.

We have a choice: to go after what we want or to learn how to take what we get.

I’d recommend you do both actually, provided you get the order right.

Go after what you want first, and then be accepting of what you get. Rinse and repeat.

Do what you want. Live life on your terms.

Start to act in the direction of your dreams.

You don’t need anyone to tell you it’s OK to want what you want. All you need is your own approval.

From there, it’s about action. How’s your 2013 going to turn out?

Another talkfest year or one of action?

Are you going to start that online business or are you going to talk about it in 2014. You know what you have to do. Take ACTION. Be a DOER

Be Sociable, Share!

Who Is Greg Reed

Work At Home| Work From Home | Home Based Business | Make Money At Home | Earn Income From Home | Consumer Direct Marketing | http://www.whoisgregreed.com

The 45 Year Plan Doesn’t Work

95% Of People Are Broke

Inheritance – The Word That Makes Me Squirm

Getting A Zest For Life To Do Bigger Things

10 Gratitude Tips For A Better Life

Gratitude – The Art Of Being Grateful

12 Charismatic Ways To Get More Business

How To Be Charismatic In 12 Easy Steps Without Being Sleazy Or Slimey

Survey Your Customers For A Better Business

Take A Survey – Build Relationships, Create More Sales

10 Great Customer Service Tips The Sheraton Noosa Need To Adopt

Wealth Building Principles Don’t Change

Wealth Building Principles

Are You A Talker Or Doer?

Talkers vs Doers