Management by Bumper Sticker

Simple Ways to Manage Your Career and Business One (Potential) Bumper Sticker at a Time

Always Anticipate Actions
Be Believable and Best
Create Camaraderie
Communicate Concisely
Diligently Deliver
Dream Dreams
Excel
Find Faults and Fix
Give then Get
Golden Rule Rules
Go for Your Dreams
Go for Your Goals
Have a Heart
Imagine Incredible Impacts
Justly Judge
Keep Confidences
Lifetime Learning
Make Magic
Management Meticulously
No Nonsense
Open Other Options
Passionately Pursue Perfection
Relish Relationships
Sell Succinct Solutions
Tell the Truth
Understand Unselfishly
Verify
Win with Wisdom
eXit with eXcellence

You Make a Difference!

Who have you recognized today?

My week started with a fabulous, unexpected note from a friend (and former colleague) complimenting me and my blog. Made my day!

What a perfect reminder that we should not let a day end without letting at least one family member, friend, colleague and/or associate know that what they do matters to us.

I had the chance to visit later in the day with my dear friend who is struggling with a family member who is fighting to stay sober/clean and be a good parent/role model for her three precious, young children. A well-meaning friend of the afflicted wants to know what she can do to help. Given my happy start to my day, I was able to provide the hopefully constructive advice to call the afflicted friend once mid-week and ask her to share what positive things she’s experienced during the week. I think assumptive closes about successes yield positive results.

We all need positive feedback and reinforcement. You never know what positive ripple effects your constructive acknowledgements may yield.

It’s not too late today to let someone know that they make a difference.

Confidence

I don't remember why I agreed to participate. I remember everything else very clearly.

A small town beauty pageant and loving mother changed my perspective.

It was the day before the pageant. My dress was beautiful. This was no big deal. I'd walk across the stage and it would be over quickly. Whatever happened, I'd be okay.

My wonderful mother issued a most important condition to my participation. Unless I learned to walk slowly with poise and confidence, I couldn't be in the pageant.

Until that moment, it never occurred to me how important posture and carriage are to others' perception of us. Nor did I fully realize that when we agree to do something, we need to do it to the best of our ability.

My mother's imitation of my quick, slumping walk vibrantly contrasted with her slow, elegant and confident pace got my attention.

Confidence won the crown that evening. Thank you, Mama!

Exhilaration

It's amazing that a few seconds can change terror to exhilaration.

Professionals always make tasks look simple. Watching the instructors rappel from the cliff was no exception.

At the top of the cliff we were asked who would be #1. An experienced team member volunteered. After a second experienced colleague said that she'd be #2, we'd reached a position I felt okay claiming, #3. The self assignment of order continued. I was feeling a bit less nervous as I thought "after I see Bill and Nancy do this it won't be so intimidating." Surprise! Numbers 1 and 2 were holding the lines. Number 3 was the first to rappel. Either of my brave, experienced friends would have traded positions with me, but I kept my commitment to be the first off the cliff.

I still remember the fear I felt as I stood facing my colleagues and took that big step backward into the unknown. Seconds later, everyone in our entire group stopped what they were doing as my exhuberant yelp of glee pierced the air. Though I recall the fear, I much more clearly remember the exhilaration. Had I not overcome my fear, I wouldn't have the more meaningful, motivating experience and memory.

Doing different things and simply doing things differently may bring temporary discomfort. But you may be one step closer to exhilarating success.

Zipping to Success

"Meet you at the other end of the zip line!" I spoke these words in the group to motivate myself to successfully tackle the high ropes course. And it worked! I'd made a public commitment to complete the task ahead. It's important to me to do what I say I will do. Though I didn't know precisely what was ahead, the goal was clear: complete the ropes course and zip to success across the stream.

The confidence in my words masked the nervousness that I felt, and many others voiced. It changed the group dynamics. The comments of other first-timers prior to my turn to share my thoughts before we began had mostly expressed fear, uncertainty and tentative commitments to try.

Not only did I conquer the ropes course. Another benefit of my declaration of expected success was the impact on a macho colleague. It motivated him to overcome
his fear of heights and also zip to success.

There's more at risk when we publicly declare our intentions, but there's also increased probability of success. We're suddenly accountable to others. When we silently commit to try to achieve a goal and obstacles arise, we can make excuses and quietly accept failure. The stakes rise when we've shared the goal with others. We want to succeed for ourselves and to honor the commitment we've made to them. And, if it spurs a little healthy competition more winners will emerge.

Meet you at the other end of the zip line!

Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

The Five Barriers to Asking for What We Want:
1. Ignorance – We don’t know what to ask for. We don’t know what is available and possible. We don’t know how to ask.
2. Limiting and Inaccurate Beliefs – We are programmed by parents, schools, media, religious training and doctors. Most common limiting beliefs – If you loved me, I wouldn’t have to ask; the world is not a responsive place; my success will deprive someone else; if I get what I want, it will make me unhappy.
3. Fear – of rejection, looking stupid, being powerless, of humiliation, of punishment, of abandonment, of endless obligation.
4. Low self-esteem.
5. Pride.

The Benefits of Asking (for anything) include better business and personal relationships.

Seven Characteristics of the Masters of the Lamp
1. They know what they want.
2. They believe they are worthy of receiving it.
3. They believe they can get it.
4. They are passionate about it.
5. They take action in the face of fear.
6. They learn from their experience.
7. They are persistent.

A key is knowing what to wish for. Clarify your vision. What do you truly desire in each of the following arenas:
1. Marriage and love relationships
2. Family and friends
3. Home
4. Furnishings and other possessions
5. Car and other forms of transportation
6. Clothes, jewelry, etc.
7. Job and career
8. Money and finances
9. Achievements
10. Health and physical fitness
11. Recreation and free time
12. Personal and spiritual growth
13. Things you would like to contribute to your community.

Overcome Fear (Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real)
Imagine the desired outcome.
Use positive self-talk. The Little Engine that Could.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment.
Focus on the other person’s needs.

Ask as if you expect to get it.
Ask someone who can give it to you.
Get the other person’s full attention.
Be very specific in all of your requests.
Ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want.
Have unbridled passion for your purpose, project or goal.
Ask with eye contact.
Give something to get something.
Explain what’s in it for them.
Ask the same people again and again. 46% of all salespeople ask for business one time. 24% ask for business two times. 14% ask for business three times. Only 4% of all salespeople ask the same person for their business five times (which represents 60% of all business sold).
A no may be a blessing in disguise.
Be gracious in accepting no and don’t burn bridges.

At home, make sure you are asking rather than telling.

At work, ask for excellence.
Explain the consequences clearly.
Ask for an appointment.
Ask for referrals.

Ask yourself "How would the person I’d like to be do the things I’m about to do?"

Cast Again

Try doing something different. You’ll remember how important preparation, practice, patience and persistence are to success.

I recently had a most remarkable time accompanying my husband and son on a fishing trip. They are both accomplished anglers. I am not. As I tried ineptly to process their instructions, I was vividly reminded that just because steps have been delivered by an expert, they have not necessarily been processed by a novice. When something is easy for us, we often incorrectly assume that we can tell someone how to do it and our job is finished. Reality proves that practice is the only way to improve a skill. My casting improved dramatically as I tried time after time.

They caught and released many fish during our two day trip. I caught a single fish each day. Casting, choosing baits, rigging lines, setting hooks and reeling in the catch were very natural for them. Each step was a new and awkward process for me. Fishing is an endeavor that clearly demonstrates that practice yields improved performance.

I’ve always considered myself an eternal optimist. As I caught a bit of their fishing fever, I realized that fishermen are truly optimists. Cast after cast, they always believe that the next fish may be a record.


All great fishermen know the importance of preparation, practice, patience and persistence. So do great business people.

Got to go cast/call again…

ABCs of Success

Always
Be
Credible

Don’t
Ever
Forget
Good
Happenings

Intelligently
Judge

Keep
Loving and Laughing

Make
New
Opportunities

Practice
Quiet
Reflection

Stick
To
Unstoppable
Values

Wisely
Excel

Yearn
Zealously

Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe

In Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe, the author poses 10 questions to help you decide if you have what it takes to become a high achiever:
1. Do you really want to become a high achiever? (A key to self-discipline is desire.)
2. Do you have a strong inner urge to reach out? (The urge to create, to achieve, to reach out is like a compressed spring inside the high achiever.)
3. What matters most to you?
4. What are you willing to invest? (High achievement requires an enormous amount of energy, time, effort and commitment.)
5. How much are you willing to endure?
6. What are you willing to give up?
7. How much responsibility are you willing to assume?
8. Are you willing to start where you are?
9. Are you willing to think for yourself?
10. Are you willing to settle for nothing less than your full potential?

If you have the raw material, John Noe shares the six basic attitudes that you must adopt to realize your ultimate potential:
1. High achievers make no small plans.
2. High achievers are willing to do what they fear.
3. High achievers are willing to prepare.
4. High achievers are willing to risk failure.
5. High achievers are teachable.
6. High achievers have heart.

He says it is this simple: If you want to become a successful salesperson, you must make the daily calls necessary for making sales. Most successful salespeople, he says, have learned that it takes a lot more than simply having a good product to be successful. They know it requires working long hours, carefully planning everything they do, and preparing themselves to be the best salesperson they can possibly be. Then, with a good product, they can become successful.

Sterling Sales Attributes

Successful selling requires belief. You must believe in yourself, in your company and in your unique value proposition.

Embrace and consistently demonstrate the following characteristics and you will succeed:

Sincerity, Skills
Timeliness, Tenacity
Enthusiasm, Energy
Responsibility, Responsiveness
Listening (Let the Prospect Talk), Learning (Continuous)
Inquisitiveness (Ask Great Questions), Informed
Needs (Address Benefits v. Features), Nice
Goal Driven, Golden Rule

The 7 Triggers to Yes – The New Science behind Influencing People’s Decisions by Russell Granger

In his book, The 7 Triggers to Yes, Russell Granger emphasizes that people respond to emotional cues rather than rational ones.

His seven triggers to yes are:
1. Friendship trigger – likeability, trust, similar interests, dependability, fairness, compatibility, teamwork, collaboration
2. Authority trigger – authority, credibility and expertise
3. Consistency trigger – acting in a way that reflects one’s past experiences, values, feelings and perceptions - Automatic or analytic mode; Big spender or cheapskate; Joiner or loner; Social status; Risk tolerance; Peer group values
4. Reciprocity trigger – giving and receiving – physical gifts, entertainment, information, compliments
5. Contrast trigger – cost comparisons, time comparisons, energy comparisons
6. Reasons why trigger – limited time offers, exclusivity or rarity, cost
7. Hope trigger – the Revlon factory makes cosmetics and in the store they sell hope - happiness, more time, health, independence, goals and ambitions, fears, profit

He reminds us to obtain closure as 63% of all persuasive presentations end without a request for a specific action.

Life's a Game of Cards

Flexibility, positive attitude, knowledge, strategy, interpersonal skills, persistence and achievement are keys to a happy and successful life. It’s a lot like a game of cards.

In life, just like in a card game:

Winning’s not everything. Playing the game is a lot of fun.
You can change the hand you are dealt.
The outcome of the game is dependant not only on your decisions, but also the decisions of your opponent and/or the way the cards are dealt.
The determination of which cards are best varies hand by hand.
You don’t have to keep a running score.
The mission is constant – winning.
The tactics change depending upon which cards you are dealt.
People prefer to deal with good sports.
You need to know the rules of the game.
The players change.
You can’t win every hand.
It’s not over, until the last card is played.