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The 3 P’s of Successful Performance

Pressure

We all experience having an enormous amount of obligations, responsibilities & tasks on a daily basis with little time to accomplish them all. Do you ever feel like you are an octopus with skates on, constantly moving but not going anywhere? If that is the case, use pressure to your advantage. Think about it, I bet at some point in your business or career you had a deadline or an unexpected project that needed to be completed yesterday and somehow with all your other obligations you pulled it off! It was completed and you wondered, how did I do it? Have you ever realized that a project can be completed in the time allowed? For example, it is a given that you typically have 12 months to prepare for your taxes and you just have not found time to accumulate, print, file receipts, track mileage or document business expenses in an orderly fashion for your accountant in 12 months; now it is 3 days before “the big tax day” & miraculously you have prepared & sent all documents required to your accountant in just two days to meet the three day deadline. Remember this is a task that had been on your “to-do” list for 12 months!

Why? How?

Because when we are pressured to complete a task, project, or meet a deadline, we become focused, avoid interruptions, use our time wisely, have a clear vision on what needs to be accomplished and prioritize tasks. We kick up our success performance about 10 notches!

Don’t feel overwhelmed or stressed out when pressured, welcome the opportunity to operate from your highest performance level and adopt those traits to your daily routine.

Prioritize

Among the life of numerous tasks, projects, to-do list, family responsibilities & other obligations, take a step out of overwhelm by simply setting priorities. You will never be able to do everything at once, so quit trying! You must decide which task, project or responsibility needs your immediate attention or has the soonest deadline and that is the task that gets worked on first, put the others in a tickler file according to priority. But what if there are projects that share the same deadlines?

Get started with the most difficult ones first. For example: a business owner needs to prepare for an upcoming federal contract audit, a speaking engagement and an advisory board meeting: all scheduled for the same day.

Which is priority? The audit will require the gathering of specific information from the past year, a financial fiscal report with supporting documents and the audit will determine if the business owner will receive additional funding. The speaking engagement speech will be 20 min. in length and can be recycled from a previous speaking engagement or article, just a little rehearsal is needed. The advisory board meeting will require an agenda, previous meeting minutes, and a meeting place to hold a meeting of 10 members.

The audit is the most difficult and will require a little more time than the others, so the business owner should start with the audit and give it the most blocked time during the day, the other projects can be worked on throughout the day as well, but priority is the audit.

Prioritizing brings clarity, gives direction and streamlines your process for completing tasks and projects. When you are juggling multiple tasks, prioritize them from most to least difficult and get the difficult out of the way. Establish a hierarchy for completing tasks and take action.

Present

Be fully present in the moment. Yes, this sounds so simplistic but in an era where multi-tasking is queen, we must remember to capture complete genuine focus, we must give undivided attention to a task. Maximize your performance by avoiding external distractions (TV, telephone, email,) as well as internal distractions (sabotaging thoughts, thinking about the past, and wondering about the future) concentrate only on the task at hand. After you have worked on a particular task, put it aside and remember that you gave it your full attention, don’t fret over it anymore. When you are ready to continue to work on the task, concentrate on it only and you will began to see success. Be present with your clients/customers, don’t worry if they will purchase your product or services, be present with their needs and know that you have produced the best product or service that will meet their needs. Be present in all your endeavors.

Now you know the three P’s of successful performance:

Pressure, Prioritize, Present – incorporate them into your daily routines and your performance level will soar.

Top 10 Tips to Create A Business Plan! (For People Who Hate Business Plans)

One of the key challenges for any business is to remain focused and invest resources for maximum pay-off. It’s said that 80% of a business’s activity accounts for only 20% of total profits. In plain language, most of the work we do is unfocused, poorly designed and ineffective. In today’s competitive world, no business, whether it’s an individual professional or a large manufacturing operation, can survive with that much lost time and wasted effort. A business plan can help, but most small business owners (and some managers/supervisors) hate doing them! In the spirit that any map is better than no map, here are my top ten keys to creating your own map to success:

1. Have a dream. This sounds simple and obvious, but answering the questions: “Why am I doing this? What’s the big picture?” can lead to profound changes in many organizations. Too often in the daily grind, we forget to think about where we want to go, or why we started the business or took the job in the first place.

2. Make the dream bigger. What if the whole world bought your products or loved your service? What would it mean if your profits, or your personal income were 10 times greater? How about 100, or 1000 times greater? What shifts in focus would that require? Would your daily routine change? Would you spend your time and energy on different problems, attend to different priorities? Why wait?

3. Make the dream clearer. Have a precise description of exactly what you want and hang it in your office, in the employee lunch room, in the restrooms, and on the dash of your car. Use key words, phrases, a photograph of your future office building or whatever symbol will crystallize the dream and make it real for you and for every member of your team

4. List 100 obstacles that will get in your way. Enlist staff, friends, competitors to help. Ask your customers to join with you in looking for the roadblocks, blindspots and bottlenecks that prevent you from growing. Make it a matter of personal pride to never have a problem pop up that you haven’t already considered.

5. List 1000 solutions, 10 for each potential problem. The key here is creativity, flexibility, and responding instantly when the unexpected happens. Expect the unexpected, and have a file of alternative solutions at your finger tips. It’s called contingency planning. Do it!

6. Get tons of advice. Have your accountant, your attorney, your insurance agent, your spouse and your cousin take a look at this. If you can’t explain it to them, will you be able to explain it to your staff? If these people don’t understand and support your plan, will you be able to maintain your own enthusiasm over the long haul?

7. Get GOOD advice. After explaining your dream and your plan to lots of people, sit down with a handful of those you trust the most, and pay them to give you their best feedback. Lots of people can give you technical advice, expert advice, and even friendly advice. Wisdom is more important, and harder to find.

8. Create the path of least resistance. Using the dream as your goal, and knowing the obstacles that could get in your way, begin mapping your way through the wilderness to your destination. What’s the easiest, most direct, route? What’s the safest route? Which combination of activities and priorities makes the most sense?

9. Take action. Once you know where you want to go and have a path to get there, start walking! Too many managers put their business plan into a nice file folder that is never looked at because they are too busy working “hard.” Instead, use your efforts and your plan together so that your effort is focused, productive and smart!

10. Re-assess often. Just as someone hiking across barren territory needs to periodically stop and check their map and compass to avoid walking in circles, business owners and managers need to check their direction and their priorities. Conditions change. Opportunities pop up or disappear, new problems arrive or the nature of the dream changes. All of these things will happen. Plan for it! Regularly step outside your business to re-assess and redefine your most important tasks. You can’t afford to spend 80% of your effort in busywork and unprofitable distractions. Re-assess and stay on course.

4 Daily Habits Of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship is hard. It needs unswerving discipline, and confidence in yourself and your business. Lots of people lack the opportunity to enjoy it. But for the few who are determined and ready to put in the hard work, entrepreneurship is the most fulfilling job, identity and lifestyle in the world.

Let’s look at 4 daily habits of successful entrepreneurs.

1. They stick to a routine

A day has 24 hours only and as an entrepreneur, time is the most valuable thing in the world. To get the maximum potential out of every day, successful entrepreneurs follow a strict schedule.

For instance, Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, schedules his whole day in five-minute blocks and he breaks up his week, where on Mondays and Thursdays he focuses on SpaceX and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays he pays attention to Tesla. He splits Fridays between both companies.

2. They read a lot

Most successful entrepreneurs make learning a regular daily habit. For instance, Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder, reads 50 books a year. As an entrepreneur, you need to learn as the world is continually changing, and the most impactful entrepreneurs create their profiles by improving their knowledge.

If your background is in design and strategy, as an entrepreneur you must have engineering and computer science knowledge to contribute meaningfully to your ventures. Examine your future goals and establish what skills and capabilities may hinder you, then start learning today to be ready for those roadblocks. For engineers and designers, that obstacle may be management, finance or project planning. Yours may surprise you!

3. They exercise daily

Yes, exercise keeps your body fit and the mind sharp, and it has a great impact on an entrepreneur’s long-term achievement. The reason is that it relieves stress and helps maintain a healthy work-life balance. Many successful entrepreneurs attribute their success to exercising and keeping fit. Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, increases his productivity with daily exercise.

Don’t make excuses! Fitness and mental calmness are essential for a happy lifestyle. They’re the building blocks to your productivity for days, weeks and months. Find a sport, activity, or practice suitable for you and make it habitual by being responsible.

4. They stay positive

As an entrepreneur, you’ll face many challenges, but what makes you succeed is a positive and creative mindset. Every day. Being able to see things from a positive dimension means you can see interesting and unique opportunities others can’t see.

If you can’t remain positive, it’s time for a change. For instance, Steve Jobs started his mornings by repeating a simple mantra: “If today was the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?” If he answered this question with a “No,” then he knew it was time to make a change.

Write It, Then Nail It – Easy Step for Planning Your Success

“A goal without a plan is just a wish”- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Great business tycoons like Dhiru Bhai Ambani, Ratan Tata, Warren Buffet used to get up early at 4 or 5am just to plan and make a diary entry of their day. Even celebrities like Shahrukh Khan, former president Barack Obama and our PM Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasized importance of making a note of things to be done in a day. What is common in these people is they just don’t settle by planning; they make an effort to write it somewhere or tell their secretaries to make a journal and accordingly they work whole day.

We often whine about things not going as we dreamt. This is because of the lack of proper planning, jotting down essential steps and implementation of the plan at designated time. It is believed that a good plan should have the essential ingredients that can make it successful. Many successful business people haven’t made to this stature with just a cup of tea or by sitting and giving a thought towards building the business, but made a long term plan right in the initial stage of business. Planning isn’t restricted to business, but also to our daily routine. What we are going to do tomorrow? Things that are essential to be done at the first how to do them? Even if you’re planning for a movie on a weekend, you need to plan accordingly to avoid clash with your other work.

What is planning?

Planning is a future-oriented and systematic method of creating goals for a better future. Not restricted to business or long term goal, planning is also related to managing things for the daily routine. Every individual, be it the kid completing his academic year, a young guy who just finished his college year and looking for a career or an adult who plans to start a business, planning is required at every stage of life. Even a housewife has to plan on organizing things at home to make the daily activities go smoothly.

For some people, planning is a daunting task and go with the belief of destiny. However, if we go with the words said by Alan Lakein who said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail“, we set our failure with our own hands. Considering the long term thought, a set plan will certainly help in saving time and energy. Furthermore, it is always advised to not down your plans for future reference. However, the big question that arises is how to plan?

How to Plan?

Planning includes a set of terms that should be covered during the process. This set of terms possibly can be changed during the course period, depending on the situation.

Goals to Accomplish: Goals are certain accomplishments that must be attained at a certain level. This is to achieve larger aspect of the result.
Strategies: It is the process to combine different things that can help in achieving the goal.
Task: In any organization, employees are assigned certain tasks that need to be implemented. The size of the task depends on the scope of plan.
Resources: Meeting the plan without any resources is difficult. Materials, people, money etc., are required to complete the set plan.

Importance of Writing down Plan

Why do leading politicians document their plans? This is because it makes them acquainted for the betterment of people and themselves to keep up the promise. Writing down the plan gives you a chance to review and think upon additional scenario that can be added to make the plan work perfectly. It may also relight the passion on you to do something concrete if lost in midway.

Creating Blueprints for the Event: People find it hard to take certain steps in making life plans. They look for a guidance that can help in creating a life plan blueprint. Whether you’re creating a life plan or building your business, writing down the plan in a proper structure is like creating a blueprint. You’re mature enough to know where and how to reach your goal. The blueprint gives an exact view of your planning you’ve thought of. It does work for many who have a long term projection of shaping up the life.
A Purpose to your Goal: Whether you’re creating a plan for a wedding, vacation or for your career, writing down the plan helps in setting up the purpose. It makes you reminded of things you need to do. Attach some objectives in connection with the plan that will certainly give a purpose to your goal.
To Present Others: Whether it’s a business plan or vacation plan, you can present it to others to give them a brief of your thoughts and how it can be achieved. It includes the role of the members has to play and a clear picture of the entire event.
A Guide to Reach the Goal: A properly executed and written plan helps the individual in reaching goals. You check the list and prioritize each role and steps to reach the goal. Yes, there can be changes in the near future depending on the situation followed. But a written plan is always a great way to take steps cautiously.

Conclusion:

Planning and writing down them can be a painful task that many avoid to do. However, giving practical thoughts towards it can help you to be a perfectionist in taking things forward in a right direction.

Sales Prospecting Technique – Generate Sales Leads With The OXO Routine

Sales prospecting techniques that generate sales leads should be effective and easy to incorporate into your daily routine. The OXO routine is a tried and tested lead generator that most sales people can add to their daily actions.

This technique works best for sales people who sell a product or service which is targeted at a wide range of B2B prospects. The OXO routine is most effective when you have a good number of potential prospects close to each other. For example: When you are visiting an industrial estate or business park and what you sell could be bought by many of the businesses in the area.

We call this sales prospecting technique the OXO routine because the X is the customer you have a sales appointment with and the O’s are the prospects either side of your arranged meeting. When you have completed your sales appointment you call on the two closest prospects either side. The idea is that you make the best use of your time by prospecting close to where you are. They may not be right next door to the business you are visiting, but they should be close enough to walk to or drive there in a matter of minutes.

This prospecting technique will give you many benefits as well as making good use of your selling time. It gets you into a routine of cold calling after every appointment. That means you no longer put off prospecting until the end of the week or until you really need to do it because you have run out of leads. Setting yourself the action of doing the OXO routine after every sales visit will quickly build into a habit.

Use it after every sales appointment whether you make a great sale, or come up against a really difficult prospect and come out feeling down and rejected. After a positive meeting where you have made a sale you will be on a buzzing motivational high. What a great state to be in as you cold-call the businesses either side of your new customer. You may even want to use the fact that you have a new local customer in your introduction pitch to your potential customers.

When your sales appointment hasn’t gone so well you should still OXO the neighbours. You, like me, are only human. We feel the effects of an appointment where we don’t close the sale. As you come out of a bad appointment force yourself to do the OXO. Shake off any negative feelings or self-doubt, and head for the nearest potential customers either side of where you are. Generating sales leads in this way will get you back into a positive selling state and focus your mind on achieving your targets.

Adding the OXO sales prospecting technique to your daily routine will help you to constantly bring in sales leads and keep your prospect bank topped up. It cuts down the time you have to dedicate to collecting leads and makes your time management far more effective.

Aruba – The ‘Island of Aloe’

Whenever you visit the grocery store or pharmacy, it is probably hard to miss the scores of products featuring Aloe Vera. Known as one of the world’s wonder plants, Aloe Vera has been incorporated into many everyday products in recent decades because of its healing properties. As the plant is used most often as a skin moisturizer, it perhaps comes as no surprise that world’s best Aloe Vera comes from one of the sunniest and most exotic destinations. Today, over a century after the first plants were harvested, the island of Aruba remains one of the world’s top growers of Aloe Vera. When visiting Aruba, tourists can see the influence of the plant in many facets of Aruban culture, purchase the some of most luxurious Aloe Vera products ever created and even tour the plantation where the modern world’s fascination with this wonder plant took root.

Though some might believe that Aloe Vera was native to the Caribbean, the plant actually found its way to Aruba and other islands during colonial times. In fact, Aloe Vera was completely unknown in Aruba until the mid-19th century when numerous trade vessels from Africa visited colonial Caribbean islands. Aruba’s own Aloe Vera industry started with a modest 150-acre plantation near Hato and, within just a few decades, came to dominate the island. By the end of the 19th century, Aruba had become the world’s largest exporter of Aloe. Today, with nearly two-thirds of the island’s surface now supporting both naturally growing and harvested Aloe Vera, it is no wonder that Aruba is commonly referred to as the ‘Island of Aloe.’

The Aloe Vera crops in Aruba are helped by the same thing that draws visitors to the island from throughout the world each year – the weather. After the initial crops were planted, it was realized that Aloe Vera grows incredibly well in Aruba because of the arid conditions and consistently sunny Caribbean environment. As time went on, researchers and growers found that the climate of Aruba also enhances the healing capabilities of the plant, allowing the island to produce some of the most potent Aloe Vera gel in the world.

Some of the best Aloe Vera products are manufactured by Aruba Aloe, a company that still utilizes the island’s first 150-acre plantation. Six days a week, this legendary facility opens its doors to travelers for informative tours that shed light not only on Aruba’s fascinating Aloe Vera history, but on the entire world’s historic fascination with the plant. In tracing the legend of Aloe Vera from Ancient Egypt to Aruba’s colonial period and documenting the many historical uses of the plant, Aruba Aloe offers curious travelers a rare glimpse into the world of a wonder plant. During the daily tours, visitors will also have a chance to see the harvesting of the Aloe Vera plants and the production involved in converting the raw gel of the plant into some of the world’s finest medicinal and health care products.

With the original 150-acre field as the company’s centerpiece, Aruba Aloe produces a full line of products incorporating the island’s purest, most potent Aloe Vera gel. Known internationally as some of the finest Aloe-based products available, Aruba Aloe has spent years crafting everything from hair care products to specialized lotions and moisturizers. Meanwhile, the company has also been on the cutting edge of botanical research, developing new uses for the plant and perfecting the art of harvesting the world’s best Aloe Vera. If you visit the Aruba Aloe factory when on the island, you will have an opportunity to sample and purchase all of the diverse products crafted from this simple, but remarkable plant.

Just as it is hard to miss the name Aloe Vera at your local store, you will notice the impact this plant has had on Aruban culture as soon as you reach the island. From the large plants dotting the Aruban countryside to the scores of products and images filling local galleries and stores, Aloe Vera tells one of Aruba’s most important stories. Though you may visit the ‘Island of Aloe’ to enjoy the beaches and luxurious resorts, this wonder plant can add an exciting element to your Caribbean vacation. After spending a few days in the vibrant Caribbean sunshine, Aruba’s Aloe Vera will probably come in handy for your sunburn, too!

How to Handle a Courtesy Job Interview

During the job search, applicants need to be aware of the courtesy interview. A courtesy job interview is one in which the company recruiter has no intent of hiring the candidate, but conducts the interview anyway. The courtesy interview is known to human resource departments, and is a practice carried out by every level of the hiring process.

There are also interviews which are ceremonial. The reviewer has already made up his or her mind to hire the candidate, and the meeting is perfunctory. The courtesy interview on the other hand, is a pretense of interest. There are some professionals who believe it exhibits a lack of respect toward the job applicant. At the least, it leans to an incredible disservice to the applicant, and a waste of time for both parties. If conducted carelessly, it can leave the candidate with a bad taste in the mouth. Why then, do recruiters, headhunters, former colleagues, Fortune 500 companies, etc. conduct courtesy interviews?

The answer is found in two types of courtesy interviews:

• After about ten minutes or so, it is clear to the interviewer that you are not the right fit for the company. But he or she wants to be polite, and will continue the interview for another twenty to thirty minutes before thanking you for your visit;

• The interviewer is only seeing you out of an obligation or human resource policy. Whether or not the interviewer is interested in you, he or she will proceed anyway out of courtesy and/or respect.

How then, do you know you are in a courtesy interview? Here are some samples:

• The first sentence may be, “I just wanted to see where you are in your career search”. This is a fishing expedition. The interviewer is curious about what you have done since your last job, which companies you have talked to so far, or to pump you for information not relevant to your job hunt;

• “We had already finished final interviews when we received your resume. After looking at your impressive cover letter and resume, we thought we should talk to you before making a final decision”. This means a person higher up in the company asked the candidate to apply. That information was in the cover letter. For the interviewer, he or she is only doing it out of respect for, or fear of, the company executive.

• “As you know, we are an equal employment opportunity firm. We take that seriously and under consideration when we interview applicants”. This is done to avoid discrimination lawsuits. Some firms who accept government funds are required to conduct at least 3 interviews with applicants of diverse backgrounds. On a positive note, it could also mean the company is sincere in hiring a diversity of applicants, you included.

Ten to fifteen minutes should be long enough to know whether or not you are in a serious interview or talking to a person just going through the paces. It is clear that he or she has no desire to hire you. What then, should you do once you realize you are in a courtesy interview?

• Ignore the interviewer’s irrelevant questions, and do the interview of a lifetime. Dazzle and impress. Why? He or she may decide to refer you to another firm who would love to hire you. Or, the recruiter may think you are not right for the current job, but is perfect for another open position at the company;

• Using great tact, end the interview. Say you do not believe you are the right fit for the job, and do not wish to waste either of your time;

• No matter how you feel, do not be rude or show how angry you feel. You may see this person again;

• Always thank the interviewer for talking with you. Depending on how you and the interviewer clicked, ask for a referral so you don’t feel it has been a waste

• Do an assessment of the interview. Take note of the positive parts. When did your conversation seem to excite the recruiter? What topics made him or her ask you follow up questions?

It is always tough to go through one interview after another, not knowing whether or not you are wasting your time and energy. Do not take it personally. The job hunting market is extremely competitive. Look at the courtesy interview as one piece of several that an unemployed person will experience during the job search.

Job applicants should look for employment like a daily duty. You must be diligent, consistent, and determined to find work that fits your skills, experience, education, and temperament. Your task is to convince a company that you are the right person for the job.

A positive attitude will go far toward putting a negative meeting in the past. Don’t let one bad interview experience kill your spirit. Look forward; maintain your daily job searching routine, and work on getting an interview with the next company you like.

Objectives of Property Management

Managing a property should have the goals and objectives. There are two types of organizational objectives which are the short time objective and the long term objective. The short time objectives is considered to be within one year and the long term objectives is more than one year.

The short term objective is also called as operational objectives as it will continue to be daily operation. Property management activities which are daily are such as garbage disposal, housekeeping or gardening. The manpower who been appointed to carry out the work such as repairing pipes should be someone who have the skills and knowledge. The manpower should be the qualified person. Besides, the management structure should have been organised and always updated. Necessary information for example contract or service needs to check to ensure that the service is always available for the owner or need to be terminated. Property information such as taxes needs to be paid and financial information such as rental payment should be recorded. The daily monitoring on work of the employee is required to make sure the performance measurement is good and have the quality. All the things that have been mentioned above are under the short time objective.

The long term objective is also called as strategic management. It is more on the policy making and interpretation. It is also about programmed formulation, implementation and activation. The owner seeks for the outcomes. For example, the mission of a hotel owner is to upgrade a 3 star hotel to 5 star hotels in 5 years time. Hence, the property manager will ensure and monitors all the essential works to make sure the mission will be achieved within the time.

The organizational objective is applicable for the life of the organization. It is included in the strategic plan, long term of five year plan and tactical plan. The organization should have the annual objectives. The short term objective in the operational plans should have the specific time horizon.

How To Write An Ebook – The Conclusion Page

In this article, you’ll learn some tips of what you can do when crafting your conclusion to your ebook.

It’s important to have a conclusion for your eBook so you can summarize what you’ve just covered. The summary should be short, it should be concise, it should highlight the main points of the eBook and it should be like a ‘cliff notes’ version of the entire ebook. For the flow of the ebook, a conclusion is just a good way to wrap up your ideas.

However, there’s a bigger reason to have a conclusion in your ebook. When a reader has gotten this far, you have their attention. You’ve obviously done your job providing valuable content or else the reader would have stopped long ago. This is a great thing, and you’d be a fool to not take advantage of your captive reader.

With that in mind, here’s a few more things you can do with your conclusion.

1. You can offer them a chance to get more ‘advanced’ trainings from one of your paid products. The idea here is if they liked what they just read, then they’ll most certainly love your advanced trainings that really teach them ‘the goods’.

2. You can put links that promote more of your websites or products that are relevant to the content in the ebook. Once again, you’ve built rapport with your reader and more times than not, your reader will be more than happy to read or learn more about what you have to teach. Keep the links relevant and watch your business grow.

3. You can move them to another step in your sales funnel. If reading the eBook was part of your sales funnel, then you can move them on to the next natural step in your sales funnel. I would recommend the next step definitely be a paid product.

4. You can do just about anything, as long as it’s relevant. You don’t want your next step to be a site about Twitter advertising if you just gave them information about how to dominate Facebook advertising.

After your summary of the content, you can use a phrase like “By the way, if you want to get more in-depth information about…, visit my website to get a complete training and understanding about…”, or something to that affect.

Give them a call to action! You’ve earned the right to ask for a sale.

Bottom line is you are in business to make money. If you don’t ask someone to buy something from you, you will never make any money.

Now I didn’t talk about the option of not having a conclusion because honestly I think you are hurting yourself more than helping yourself if you leave the conclusion out. Now in some eBook instances it might make sense to not have a conclusion, but in my experience, it’s always a good idea to have a conclusion in your eBook inviting people to take the next step with you and to spend money with you.

Female Entrepreneurs – Stop Negotiating Your True Value!

As conscious entrepreneurs, we artistically combine our expertise with a focus on service to humankind. In an attempt to “help” our clients, we can find ourselves in the position of negotiating our prices.

Let me ask you: How many $10K business events can you afford to attend right now? If you say, “None,” you’d be joining with the majority of entrepreneurs in the same position.

Do you think the speaker at one of these events is concerned that you cannot afford it? Nope. Enough can, and will pay the admittance fee because the content promised is worth every penny… and probably more.

Is your financial situation the concern of the speaker? Nope.

Should s/he even care that you perceive you’re being excluded? Nope.

There are tons of experiences you may not be able to afford. That’s simply not anyone else’s concern. And it shouldn’t be.

Let’s look at this from another angle: It’s very likely your products or services are not accessible to a portion of the worldwide population. Should you make special accommodations so they are accessible to everyone? Nope. Why not? Because that’s probably not the reason you started your business.

The bottom line is: You’re in business to make money.

When we provide a cost quote and our client says, “I just cannot afford it,” the natural thing to do – especially as female entrepreneurs – is respond by making accommodations. We reduce our prices, throw in additional hours or products, or offer payment options.

If we are willing to sell off and negotiate rates, we’re essentially saying,

“My (products or) services are worth the value YOU place on them.” Yikes and holy, moly. You will be back into corporate chaos in no time if that’s how you truly approach business.

I heard it said recently that negotiating does two things:

It reinforces my lack consciousness
It reinforces my clients’ lack consciousness

Whew! That’s harsh. Take a deep breath and read it again. If you see yourself in this discussion, it’s never too late to begin honoring your value.

Let’s explore each of these points.

How does negotiating reinforce my lack consciousness?

Entering into negotiations is an activity that places you in a disempowered position. It leaves you explaining your rates. It forces you to invest precious time for which you will not be able to bill. It dishonors the thousands of hours you’ve invested in becoming a professional who has a valuable service to offer.

When it comes to your value and your business, the last place you want to find yourself is tied up in the trunk! That’s where negotiating leaves you. Instead you need to be in the driver’s seat.

Lack consciousness is the perpetual lie you tell yourself with your words, thoughts and actions. It is you telling you – in the most subtle and damaging way – somehow you don’t deserve the rates you charge because you’re just not worth it.

Who determines our worth?

We do.

Before you sigh in resignation and think we have to delve into your childhood to find the answers of why you’re where you are in life and think the way you do, relax. We don’t have to dredge up anything. We are going to start right here, right now.

I’m going to share something with you that contains the secret to unlocking a completely new approach… one that leaves you newly empowered and clear on the FACT that you are worth every bit of your fee. As soon as you encompass this, I want you to expand this concept and double your rates!

Bold?

Yes, that’s why we’re here… to continually push the edge of self-comfort and familiarity to explore what lies beyond.

The secret? It’s so simple. Every time you find yourself hesitating when someone asks you your rates, wanting to make special accommodations because your client “cannot afford it,” or beginning to think of ways to make it work for your client, say aloud: “I destroy and uncreate everything I believe I was and am. I destroy and uncreate myself today.” How does this set you on a new path of declaring your worth?

Tell me yourself after you’ve said this AT LEAST twice daily (upon waking and upon retiring, and as circumstances arise during the day) for a mere 30 days.

You will not be the same person. You will sit up straighter. Your voice will not falter when you speak truth to your value in the form of your rates. You will be deeply empathetic when fellow entrepreneurs express their woes in not being able to afford you, but still, your rates stand as-is. Doesn’t that sound profoundly freeing and powerful? Isn’t it worth a try?

(A natural question surfaces: “When I destroy and uncreate, with what do I full the vacuum?” Answer: Nothing. Spiritually speaking, you cannot destroy or uncreate the truest essence of you, so you don’t have to worry about undoing and end up as nothing. This exercise can only deliver a more aligned version of you; a version that knows innately you’re worth even more than you’re currently charging! And when you’re ready, you”ll increase your rates yet again to match the ever-growing confidence to be compensated based on a value YOU assign.)

How does negotiating reinforce my clients’ lack consciousness?

As business owners, we are (hopefully) modeling good business practices. With our words, thoughts and actions, we must convey resolute confidence in our talents.. and service rates.

If I negotiate my rates, I enable, or reinforce, my clients’ false beliefs (that they cannot manifest adequate funds to hire me, as an example)… beliefs I don’t even hold to be true. I become the last link in a very long chain of life experiences that reinforces their “truths” – beliefs founded in limitation (the inability to manifest funds to pay for professional services).

I do them no favors by engaging or entertaining this notion. It is the essence of a co-dependent collaboration and in the words of one friend, “You will only see asses and elbows!” (Interpretation: I will run away as fast as I can from this scenario.)

There are plenty of writers who will negotiate rates. I’m not one of them. I know my value and it is my intent to show you yours.

Our clients need to know we are 100% confident in the value of our contribution to their success.

You see,

our confidence and silent resolve instills a level of confidence in our clients Perceived value is everything. If you are sure about your rates, it makes clients think, “Wow, Charlon must be really good if she charges $495 for an hour-long consultation. One way or another, I must find a way to work with her!”

Now, no single negotiation is inherently catastrophic to our businesses. But, over time these actions serve to erode our sense of self-value. Don’t even set this pattern in motion!

As appropriate and inspired, we can occasionally barter, negotiate or even donate our time, but these practices cannot be the foundation of our business.

How do you maintain a sense of service to others AND a commitment to maintaining the value of your time?

Begin today. If this is an issue with which you struggle, it’s simply an unexercised muscle. The Marines have a saying, “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” There’s no need to be pained any longer by the subtle and ever-eroding impact of negotiating. You will never grow a solid business on a weak foundation of changing the rules every time a client cannot afford you.

If you’re willing to trade your vast and precious life knowledge as if it has no value, it won’t… for you or anyone else. Remember: We teach people how to treat us.

How do you respond when clients cannot afford your rates or want to negotiate?

The answer is obvious and simple. Without saying, “No,” you plant seeds of thought and leave the future client (I’m being highly optimistic here!) with several options. Here are sample responses to give you some ideas:

“My clients benefit from expert copywriting in too many ways to count. I know when you have the funds, you’ll make this a priority. Based on the experience of former clients, professional copywriting dramatically increases exposure and sales. In the mean time, here are some referrals to learn more about copywriting so when we begin working together, you’ll already have insider knowledge of the process.”
“I completely understand the challenges of delegating funds for copywriting. When I started my first company, I did everything myself. I thought I had to learn and know how to do it all and that left me frustrated and exhausted. It was such a key to learn to delegate tasks to professionals. When I did that, I noticed a huge energy boost and increased profits! I see so much potential in your vision and would love to help you with expert copywriting when the time is right. Until then, feel free to download my free report, Exclusively For Entrepreneurs: Expert Copywriter Reveals Easy 9-Facet Formula to Proof-Perfect Copy… Every Time”
“When you hire me, my efforts are laser-focused on achieving measurable results. If I negotiate rates, I would be doing a disservice to myself and those entrepreneurs who know the value of a wise business investment… like professional copywriting. I would love to work with you based on the original proposal amount emailed to you.”

As you can see, the details of this topic are manageable 100 different ways. The bottom line is: Stop negotiating. Your personal and professional values are at stake! Treat them as the treasures they are.