Saturday, September 1, 2018

Every Black Person Should Read This - So Should Every Other Rational Person

I read an essay from basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and it prompted me to think of things that were much bigger than race.  He addressed things that affect the black race in America, but everyone can… and should… learn from what he shared.

NOTE: Even if you are the world’s biggest racial bigot – and PLEASE do not tell me if you are, I will completely hate you for just that alone (which is your right to think that way… but also mine to judge you) – there are valuable non-racial lessons to take away from his essay.

Here is a link to his essay, “What sports have taught me about race in America.”

Every black person should read this, but so should everyone else who is interested in making this world a better place through a better understanding.

Here are lessons that passed through my mind while reading this:
1. Your Success = Your Ability to Influence
2. Success in Sports = Way to Allow People to Hear You
3. The Hope of Glamour = Lack of Life Preparation
4. A Real Patriot is Loyal to Values – not Blind to Bosses

For those who feel like reading more, here are some of the lessons it explains in ways I never could before reading it.

Friday, August 17, 2018

But I Told You - Why don’t you get it? (How can I reach this person?)



Have you ever found yourself wondering WHY someone just doesn’t get something that’s SO obvious?

I know I have.  I’m not proud of it, but I’ve caught myself doing that.. maybe more times than I really want to admit, even to myself.

Still, it’s a frustrating experience… EVERY TIME.

So how can we avoid that frustration?

We can ignore it, BUT… that won’t really solve the problem, only make us numb to it.  So that’s not a good solution.

Shifting Focus: From Them to You

For just a moment, let’s shift our focus from “that person” to you.

I have an important question to ask you.

Do YOU prefer someone to TELL you what to do, OR… for you to figure it out yourself?

All of us need training.  That training might come from life (i.e. University of Hard Knocks) or another person.

Very few of us really follow what someone else says unconditionally.  If we can make sense of what they’re telling us, we might follow their advice, but if we don’t really “get it,” we probably aren’t going to “follow it.”

Now Back to Them

So what does this have to do with getting that other person to learn what we’re advising (telling?) them to do?

Yes, we’ve TOLD them what to do, BUT…

Do they REALLY get it?

They might be able to repeat the words we shared with them, maybe even intelligently paraphrase those words.

BUT… do they really understand WHY?

It might be a good idea to ask that person some questions:

Does that make sense?
WHY does that make sense?

Can you see any downsides?
What upsides do you see?

Do you think this is important?
WHY do you think it’s important?

What does asking these question accomplish?

Unless they’re complete morons (or completely honest individuals), they’ll answer the 1st question of each 2-question set correctly, BUT… then it’s important to follow up and have them substantiate that “right answer” by using their own words to explain WHY they think it’s the right answer.

This exercise will do one of two things:

1. They’ll either talk themselves into why you’re right about the advice (or direction) that you’re giving them, or…

2. They’ll have cracks in their explanation, and you’ll be able to see what they’re “missing.”

It’s important for you to listen carefully to make sure they’re really grasping things.  It gives you a chance to redirect them by clarifying the portions they’re not getting.  You’ll see where to modify WHAT YOU’RE SAYING (so that they’ll get it more clearly).

BUT… this exercise might do something else entirely different.

3. You might see a crack in your armor and see that you need to modify what the ADVICE YOU’RE TELLING THEM.  (Because we’re not always perfect, either.)

If you’re like most people, you just people to “do stuff” and not have to worry about it anymore and simply just will continue telling them what to do.


Friday, April 14, 2017

Video: Jack Canfield: 5 Things Successful People Do



5 Habits of Successful People - Jack Canfield

Given the choice, most of us prefer to “be successful,” but many people have no interest in doing what it takes to get there.  This is not about that person.  This advice is for the person who has enough desire to make a “wish” into a reality but might not know how to spend that effort or energy.

Success certainly requires more than a simple 5 minute video (This one is even shorter than that!), but this advice can help many of us from “spinning our wheels.”


Jack Canfield, the author/coordinator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, offers several ways to improve our success in life.

If you’d rather watch it on YouTube, here is the link:

In this video, he opens with the claim, “The most successful people in the world did not arrive there by accident…(They’re) in that position for a specific reason.”

So what are some of those reasons?  Canfield suggests that the difference lies within their habits.

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

1 Great Idea for Bloggers



When I started writing blog posts, I wasn’t sure about where I was going with them.  I wrote one about stock investing and gave advice around that.  One mentor suggested I just share what I want and what made me want it.  So I did that.

I initially created this blog to help people learn about marketing.  Ultimately, I realized that I really have a passion for helping people learn about business… even though I’m still a student learning more about business nearly every day… even after years of running a business.

So my blog posts have taken many shapes over the years.  At the time I’m writing this one, I’ve written well over 300 posts.  It’s not as much as the serious bloggers, but I’m definitely not a lightweight.


There is one thing I started doing a while ago that, I think, makes a big difference.

Monday, April 10, 2017

Video: Michael Bernoff - Goal Setting Might Not be That Important



Michael Bernoff - Goal Setting - 3 Stages of Goals

Goal setting is something we hear often enough.  It’s something we know… or at least we think we do.  Maybe goal setting isn’t as important as we think it is.  Many people set goals, but maybe there’s more to it?
According to Michael Bernoff, the speaker in this video, the key to success isn’t setting goals as it is something else that’s even more important.

If you’d rather watch it on YouTube, here is the link:

Here are some of my notes from this video clip:

What is a goal?
A goal, simply put, is to “get somewhere” (different than where we are now).

Sunday, April 9, 2017

Video: Dan Coughlin: Example: Nordstrom: Equity in Branding via Premium Customer Service



Here is an awesome example of customer service by the speaker Dan Coughlin.

Key Statement: There is equity in branding.

Most of know that we “should” give good customer service, but in crunch time, some of us are willing to sacrifice this when we’re in a tight spot and “don’t have time.”  This is probably because (in the moment) we don’t see what we’re really sacrificing.

See Also: This 1 Simple Idea Will Get You More Business

Here’s a great story about exceptional customer service that outdoes most of us…. and it’s from a pretty big company… Nordstrom.

If you’d rather watch the video on YouTube, here is the link:

How can Nordstrom teach us about the VALUE of customer service?  More importantly, what are we MISSING by NOT providing it?

Thursday, April 6, 2017

4 Simple Ways to Increase Your Income



Whenever I’m wearing my “sales hat,” I notice that when I do these four (4) things, my business does much better:

1. Take Calls
2. Return Calls
3. Leave Text Messages
4. Call Back People (Follow-up)

These seem simple, but it amazes me how few people actually do them.  They're easy to do, but they're also easy to ignore and overlook the impact they have on the bottom line.

See Also: Having trouble making the calls you should?

They're things that an average person can do to get above-average results.

Let’s take a look how each of these makes me more money… and will make you more money, too.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Video: Sam Glenn: 6 Key Principles about Attitude



Attitude Lessons: Sam Glenn: Rejecting Negativity, Raising Enthusiasm & Improving Your Attitude

Most of us have heard things about attitude, even from the time we were little kids. Many of our parents, teachers, and coaches screamed at us about our bad attitudes or that we need to “get a good attitude.” Learning how to get a good attitude is one of the best lessons we can learn… even if it means we have to teach ourselves.  Sam Glenn does a pretty good job of outlining ways that attitude creates our foundation.

See Also: 3 Ways to Motivate Yourself

This video clip is an excerpt of a longer talk, but Sam Glenn offers 6 different lessons on attitude that can benefit each of us.

If you’d rather watch the video on YouTube, here is the link:

6 Primary Things about Attitude