Posts Tagged ‘Habits’

Platinum Rule

Monday, October 17th, 2011

A long time ago, someone told about the Platinum Rule – “Do unto others as they want done unto them…”

In other words, before you try and impress a client, prospect or industry find out what they want.

Makes sense doesn’t it?

Then why is almost no one living by this rule? How come every time someone attempts to sell me something they start off by handing over a brochure?

While I’m sure there are a ton of reasons, I think that we have all become experts at talking and completely forgotten how to listen.

We are so consumed with pushing information (email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) that we neglect to ask ourselves the following question – “Does anyone care about what I am saying?”

What if you became the one person who listened first?

What if you put the interests of others before your own?

Why not give it a shot?

Tags: asking others first, Business, business coach, business coaching, communication, executive coaching, golden rule, Habits, impress a client prospect industry, listening, Platinum rule, relationships
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life, Sales, Uncategorized |

Problems vs. Solutions

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Last night at dinner, I placed a bunch of broccoli on my daughter’s plate. Her immediate response, was the same as always – “That’s too much, I could never eat all that broccoli!”

I countered with my classic – “I have a lot of faith in you Corinne, you can do anything you chose.”

I’m OK with my daughter seeing a plate full of broccoli and seeing a problem with no possible solution – she’s 4 years old. However, at some point ( I think I’ll wait until her 5^th birthday) I want her to change the way she thinks and recognize that she is responsible for finding a solution to life’s challenges.

Unfortunately, most people still approach problems like my 4 year old. They see every difficulty as an insurmountable challenge and instead of looking for the solution they spend all of the energy putting together a list of excuses why they won’t be successful.

The simple truth is that there are two types of people in this world – those that find problems and those that find solutions.

Guess which one makes more money and has more success?

Which one are you?

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars

Tags: accountability, choices, commitment, discipline, goals, growth, Habits, happiness, Life, point of view, productivity, results, success, value
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life, Sales, Uncategorized |

Are you neglecting to execute?

Monday, June 6th, 2011

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Juhann Wolfgang Von Goethe

This past week, I had a meeting with a prospect where we discussed a handful of the fundamentals necessary to be successful in sales.

He admitted that they aren’t executing the basics, but that they at least know what to do.

I argued that knowing what to do is useless, unless you do something with that knowledge.

What simple habit are you neglecting to execute?

Tags: accountability, commitment, discipline, distractions, Habits, Sales, success
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life, Sales, Uncategorized |

Blind Spot

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Have you ever changed lanes in traffic and been startled by a loud horn from someone that you just cutoff?

Unless you ride the bus to work, this has probably happened to you on multiple occasions.

The problem we all have as drivers is that there is a small area that you can’t see in your rear view mirror called your “blind spot”.

What most people don’t realize is that they also have blind spots in their personal and professional lives.

These are areas where we have (and often have had for a long time) deficiencies we don’t realize.

For example, in my first few years in business I would attend many networking events. Rarely did I meet anyone interesting and often left the event wondering why I had wasted my time.

One evening a good friend and client of mine (Larry) walked up to me and said, “Why don’t you just go home?” When I asked why he suggested I leave, Larry told me that, “Everyone can tell you don’t want to be here. You stand in a corner with this awful look on your face like you are better than everyone else. Do you think people want to talk to someone like that?”

Initially, my feelings were hurt. However, now I was aware that the reason I wasn’t getting good results from networking was because I was a jerk.

I changed my behavior and built my business attending these events.

Where’s your blind spot?

Tags: blind spot, Business, business coach, business coaching, business owners, change, coaching, events, growth, Habits, interest, networking, relationships, success
Posted in Uncategorized |

Is 2011 Going to Be Different?

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

After 7 years of coaching hundreds of business owners and professionals, I have heard my fair share of nonsense.

Here’s one of my favorites…. “Next year is going to be different! Next year is going to the year where I change my habits, lose weight, make more sales calls, plan my week in advance, blah, blah, blah….”

And then it happens, January 1st hits and most people jump right back into the same behavior that got them their current results.

Asked why they didn’t change, I almost always here “I’m too busy…”

Aren’t you tired of making the same excuses? Isn’t it time to change?

How is 2011 going to be different for you?

CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.

Click here to learn more about my new book – Thrive.

Click here to learn more about the next Reach Leadership Series Class. We are featuring Dr. Greg Sipes!

Tags: achieve, business coach, business coaching, change, coach, discipline, Habits, New Year's Resolution
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life, Sales, Uncategorized |

Brochures

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

Today, I did something that I haven’t done in a long time – speed networking.

In case you have never been, here’s how it works. You sit at a table of complete strangers (typically 8 per table) and everyone get’s 2 minutes to describe their business to everyone else.

It was a great opportunity for me to brush up on my “elevator pitch” and meet a bunch of new people.

Since I hadn’t been in a long time I was also interested in finding out how other businesses were promoting themselves. I was curious to see what new technological advancements had been made in the networking arena.

It’s turns out not much.

I was amazed by the fact that out of the 21 people I met more than half passed out a brochure describing their company. One individual even passed out 2!

Let me be perfectly clear about one thing. All of those brochures (not 95%) will be in the garbage by the end of the day. All of them.

Do you remember the last time you sat down at your desk and pulled out your “brochure file” to learn more about a company?

If you do, I would like to introduce you to a new piece of technology that sits on your desk. It’s called a computer and this computer is hooked up to this magical thing called the internet. If you want to learn about anything on the planet you visit this wise genie called Mr. Google.

If you are going to use a handout I recommend that you design it with the understanding that it will be thrown away after someone looks at it for maybe 30 seconds. And by the way, the last thing you want them to do is to read it while you are talking to them.

In an age filled with nonstop information, people are going to connect with people. Get rid of the brochures and you do the selling instead.

Tags: brochure, Business, business coaching, business owners, elevator pitch, Habits, networking, speed networking
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life |

The Great Shake Up

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

The other day as I was flipping through the channels, I saw a commercial for the most ridiculous item I had ever seen in my entire life – The Shake Weight.

The commercial featured a handful of guys, who probably worked out 12 – 15 hours a day, shaking this ridiculous looking weight in their hands. At first, I thought it was a joke, but I soon realized that this was a serious advertisement for an actual product.

I remember thinking “Surely no one is stupid enough to buy this idiotic gadget, then stand in their living room and shake themselves silly until they get ripped muscles.”

But, then I saw the magic phrase that convinced me that this product would be a hit – “instant results”. The maker of this silly tool claimed that in just 6 minutes a day you too could look like the guys in the video.

We are a nation full of people that are absolutely addicted to immediate gratification. We want to put in as little effort as possible to achieve amazing results in every aspect of our lives.

I have some bad news for you. That’s not the way it works.

If you want great relationships, a healthy body, a solid personal financial statement and smarter kids it’s going to take a lot of work.

There is no such thing as a short cut or a quick fix.

I just finished a great book called Talent is Overrated, by Geoff Colvin who argued that the most successful and talented people in the world were not born that way. Tiger Woods wasn’t born with innate golf skills. Nor did he buy a magical instructional golf video after watching an infomercial that turned his game around. Colvin argues (persuasively) that like all great achievers Tiger Woods became the best golfer in the world because he outworked everyone else.

So, then next time you are tempted to buy a product or service that guarantees immediate results, resist the urge.

Remember, success comes from a handful of behaviors practiced over time until they become a habit.

There are no short cuts.

Tags: accomplishments, achieve, business coaching, coaching, commitment, Habits, happiness, Instant gratification, success
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life, Sales |

The Rule

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

I have a “to do” list. It is related to my quarterly goals which are a subset of my 2012 objectives.

Like most, I get off track from time to time and wonder if I set the wrong goals.

Maybe.

However, when all is said and done, what is real reason that I set out to accomplish these daily to-do’s?

That is the question. In fact it may be the only question that matters.

Is my goal to have more checks on my “to-do” list than anyone else? Is it to make more money? Have more clients?

Something tells me that you probably face the same questions on a daily basis.

And if you answer is that you want more money, more clients and more stuff that is OK. As long as these things provide fulfillment to your question (What is the reason I do what I do?).

However, experience tells me that it is unlikely that the acquisition of more money, clients and things will lead to any satisfaction.

So, what will?

I am certain that it is different for everyone. Nevertheless, this week I would like to suggest that you try an experiment.

This week, let the following question guide your daily activity – “How can I make a positive contribution in the life of someone else?”

Give it a week, I promise you won’t regret the investment of putting the needs of others before your own.

Tags: accountability, achieve, Business, clients, commitment, discipline, goals, Habits, value
Posted in Blog, Business, Habits, Life |

What is Your Anchor?

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

Have you ever had one of those moments where you ask yourself – “What exactly am I doing in my profession, personal life, etc?”

For some, it can be as dramatic as when Jerry Maguire torpedoed his career by sending out the “memo”. If you don’t know what I am talking about you absolutely need to rent the movie.

For others, it might be as subtle as dinner conversation with your wife where you wonder aloud, “Am I on the right path?”

It’s called doubt. It happens to absolutely everyone, and it’s normal.

The question isn’t whether or not you will have doubt. The question is how will you respond to that doubt?

Your ability to effectively deal with inevitable doubt in your life has everything to do with your anchor.

Your anchor is a set of fundamental beliefs upon which you build your life. It is also referred to as your purpose.

This stronger this foundation, the easier it is for you to deal with the ups and downs that you will face throughout your life, both personally and professionally.

Most people don’t take the time to clearly define their foundation and as a result, their disposition is heavily influenced by their daily circumstances.

As you consider your “anchor” I would advise that you base it on fundamental truths and not material possessions or positions of status that can disappear at any moment.

Ask yourself, if I were about to face a storm, would my anchor steady the ship?

Tags: achieve, Business, doubt, goals, Habits, happiness
Posted in Business, Habits, Life |

Priorities

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

On Tuesday evenings, I stay late at the office to make some progress on my book. (By the way, if a draft isn’t complete by June 30th I have committed to getting the name Josh Miles tattooed on my left bicep. It’s a long story that involves 2 drinks (I typically stop at 1) at a Christmas party.)

Every time I begin working on the book, I am completely committed to staying until at least 10 or 11pm to maximize the amount of writing that gets done. However, I have yet to do it once and here’s why. As soon as the clock hits 8:15pm I realize that if I don’t go home immediately, I will not get to put my kids to bed which involves reading books, prayers and the final “tuck in”.

Last night was no different except for the fact that my daughter (Corinne, 3 yrs) had been out of town at her grandparents since Saturday. As soon as I got home, shut the door and begin my way upstairs, I heard a joyous “Daddy’s Home!” from both of the kids. My daughter literally jumped into my arms from near the top of the stairs, looked at me and said, “I’m so glad my daddy’s home, I missed you!”

At times I wonder if this silly need to tuck them in every night is really practical. Am I missing out on 6-8 hours of additional work each week that could propel my business?

Then, I have a daughter jump 3 stairs into my arms and I realize that there is no place I would rather be than with my family.

However, I will admit that it’s not always an easy decision. Just like everyone else, I really want my business to grow. But, I realize that I can’t do it all and I need to prioritize what’s important.

How about you? What do your priorities look like?

Tags: achieve, Business, commitment, dads, discipline, Habits, happiness, lessons, Priorities
Posted in Business, Habits, Life |

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