Category Archives: sales

Success Tips To Help You Build Your Business and Pace Yourself

business, daily routine, Health & Wellness, Home Based Business, make money from home, network marketing, personal development, productivity, sales, starting a business, the law of attraction, time management, , , , , , , ,

If you have ever started a business or you are thinking about it just remember, it takes time and sometimes or should I say it will usually take longer than you think.  One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in business is that you must pace yourself.  I hear so many stories of entrepreneurs working crazy hours (sometimes twice as much as a full-time employee) when starting a business and truthfully, it will take an obscene amount of work at times, but what you have got to do is learn to pace yourself.  You would never run a marathon at full speed and building a business is a marathon.  It’s not so much how fast you finish, but that you actually finish the race as so many don’t.  In the tips below I share ways to pace yourself, so you not only don’t burn out, but you won’t quit.

“The hare can get you going, but the tortoise will finish the race.” author unknown

So here are some tips to build your business and help you stay in the race long enough to succeed.

  1. Set monthly, quarterly, and annual goals (write them down, something happens to the subconscious when you write your goals down.  Don’t type them, get out a pad and paper and write them down.)
  2. Set daily tasks and always give attention to the most important ones first (80/20 rule).
  3. If your business requires that you prospect or cold call, set aside an hour or two per day to do some calls.  Honestly, you’re probably only good for 2 to 3 hours a day of cold calling or following up on leads at the very most.
  4. Always look at your calendar to see who you need to follow up with.  Very rarely will anyone do anything without follow up (the fortune is in the follow up as they say).
  5. Exercise regularly (you must take care of your health if you are going to stay in the game.  Set aside 30 minutes to an hour per day to walk, hike, surf, hit the gym.)
  6. Eat right (your diet is so important and will give you more energy and focus throughout the day).
  7. Sleep (get plenty of rest, rest is important and you will need it for focus and stamina.)
  8. Pray daily – If you don’t believe in God try and find faith in something other than yourself because that faith is going to keep you going strong when you feel like quitting the race, which will happen a lot more than you think.
  9. Meditate daily.  Set aside 15 to 20 minutes per day to meditate, your mind & spirit need to calm themselves.  This will gets you in a good vibration and with good feelings, you will repel negativity and connect with better quality people which you need to be successful in business.)  If you’re constantly worried, anxious, and rushed those are the type of people you will attract.  Learn to be calm cool and collected.  It will take practice, but you really want to get this one.
  10. Read.  Set aside a few minutes per day to read.  I personally like to read first thing in the morning as I notice it helps me stay focus.  Discipline yourself to read 10 pages per day.
  11. Set aside a time of day to do emails and social media.  I recently took Facebook off of my mobile phone and don’t have my business emails on my mobile phone either.  This forces me not to look at Facebook or emails when I’m away from my computer.
  12. Consistent activity.  Be consistent and don’t waste time with your activities.
  13. Slow & deliberate – be slow and deliberate in everything you do.  If you move too fast you will make costly mistakes and truthfully in business, you are trying to control your losses while increasing your profits.

Hope these tips help you while you build your business, many of these tips aren’t even business related, but will apply to most any business if you plan on being around in 2, 3, or even 5 years.  Think of it like charging your phone battery every night before you go to bed.  Your body and your mind needs these things and so does your business.  I have personally been completely self-employed for 8 of the past 10 years and don’t know too many who are still in the game.  I know a few who have hit the big time, but most of the people I know who were self-employed at one time are back at their jobs, bankrupt, or have dropped off the face of the earth.

If you’d like to create some additional income or would like to start your own home based business feel free to visit  http://workwithjohn.biz


Skype: jtlmusic
Email: john@johnlowery.biz
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More Resources For You:

How To Get Financially FREE.

Pick up a copy of John’s book

The Social Media Puzzle & How To Profit From it available on Amazon.

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The Benefits of Having A Daily Routine

daily routine, Health & Wellness, personal development, productivity, sales, time management, , , , , ,

Having a daily routine is important not just for your well being, but also for your business.  I honestly, never used to have a daily routine or at least wasn’t aware of it until after I read Tim Ferriss’ book, “The 4 Hour Work Week”, it made me think more about how to manage my time.  I have never gotten down to 4 hour work week and I doubt that most people do, but many of us waste time on things that really aren’t all that productive.  We mistake being busy for being productive – there is a big difference.

I remember years ago my brother was running a telemarketing room and he called me up and said, “Hey you’re not going to believe this, but they ran a marketing study at my company and found out that each of my employees is only really productive for 4 hours per day”.  These employees were telemarketing reps for a fortune 500 company and working around 8 to 10 hours per day on average.

You see, most people don’t really have a daily routine and the reasons you want to have one is that when you complete tasks on time and with more efficiency.  How would it feel to run your job or business more effectively in less time every day?  I believe by creating a daily routine you can do this.

There are many things you may do on a daily basis that has nothing to do with work too.  On my calendar, I include prayer & mediation and exercise.  These are things I do daily no matter what and they pop up on my calendar every day.  In fact, I will rarely let my head hit the pillow without completing my prayer or exercise time.

Here are some benefits to having a daily routine.

  • You’ll check more things off your to-do list.  Running errands, work, going to the gym.  When you complete things daily you’ll automatically feel better.
  • You’ll feel less stress & anxiety.  Have you ever noticed how anxiety & stress goes through the roof when you’re not getting anything done?  By having a daily routine, you’ll simply accomplish more in less time and feel better about it.
  • You’ll be able to get more done which will give you more free time to relax or do the things that you enjoy.  In fact, its crucial that you take time every day or week to do the things that you enjoy (hobbies, exercise, etc..)
  • You can create good habits and get rid of bad habits.  Maybe you like to spend your free time watching the news and you don’t like the negativity it’s filling your head with, so you simply do the opposite and watch something positive.  This will shift your bad habit to a better one.
  • Having a regular routine or schedule gives you more control over your day and by having more control you’ll begin to discover that life won’t just happen so often.  You’ll know pretty much how your day is going to go and you will benefit greatly from it.
  • You will no longer procrastinate.  I put things on my calendar that I need to do and if they don’t get done they get moved to the next day.  Sometimes I will just get sick of looking at this thing that is stuck on my calendar that I know needs to get done and I do it.  Getting the things off of our to-do list feels great.

These are some reasons of why you should have a daily routine and in my opinion, create a daily task list as well.   These tips will not only help you become a better employee, entrepreneur, or business owner but will also allow you to free up more time in your schedule to do more of the things you love.

More Resources For You:

How To Get Paid Daily With Bitcoin

5 Things You Must Do Daily To Have Success In Your Home Based Business

 

 

My Top 10 Favorite Books on Success & Self Improvement

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I recently made a goal this year to sit down in apply myself to reading 10 pages per day.  I figured if I could get in the habit of reading just 10 pages per day (20 to 30 minutes or less), by the end of the year I would have read over 3500 pages of something.  Most books are around 200 pages in length, so by doing this, I could read at least 10 new books this year.

In the past up until now I have read some pretty amazing books and for any of you that just aren’t satisfied or would like to continue to grow in this journey called life; I want to share with you just 10 books that I have had a profound affect on my life.  So here it goes, my top 10 list of books that have changed the way I look at things and had a deep impact on my life.

  1. The Bible – The inspired word of god is made up some amazing stories of men that struggled in life and were able to overcome great obstacles with God on their side.  Whether you believe in the stories or not, The Bible has definitely had an impact in my life.
  2. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki– When I had first picked up this book about 10 years ago I had all but given up on the idea of being my own boss.  I was quite content just making a living working for someone else and really had never examined some of the ideas that were laid out in this book.  I highly recommend you read it if you have any interest in investing or becoming an entrepreneur.
  3. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen – This book was originally published in 1903, but holds some great ideas to how our minds and thoughts can affect our futures.  This book really made me aware of how I thought about things and looked at the world.
  4. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne –  I had never heard of The Law of Attraction before reading this book.  In fact, I was under the assumption that most everything happened for a reason and where I ended up was based more on my own destiny.  This book helped me to realize that I could change my future by changing my thoughts.  A longer more in depth version of As a Man Thinketh.
  5. The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris – This book is awesome as most of us have been programmed that being busy equates to being productive.  Most tasks can be done in only a few minutes per day and most of the time we spend is wasted when it comes to work and business.  This book will help you become way more productive and recognize when you are wasting your time and get you off of auto pilot.
  6. How To Win Friends and Influence People  by Dale Carnegie – This book will help you to understand people and how building a network is so important to achieving success.  This will also give you tools to become a better listener, a better person, and help you gain friends much faster.  It will also help you persuade others to your way of thinking or influencing others with your ideas.  A must-read for anyone in sales, network marketing, or business.
  7. Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray – I loved this book.  Unlike so many books on business or success, it talked about the 5 Pillars of Success – Financial, relational, mental, physical, and spiritual.  It basically said you aren’t truly successful until you find success in all five areas.
  8. The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer – Wayne is no longer with us in the physical reality, but he had some great ideas and certainly had made an impact on my life through his books and lectures.  This book really stands out as my most favorite of all The Wayne Dyer Books I have read and would say it’s a must read for everyone regardless of their pursuits.  This book will help you become a co-creator with the universe and understand that our intentions will ultimately create our reality.
  9. The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson – This book is based on the idea that all great things whether it be money saved, success on the football field, or a successful business owner all have one thing in common – an accumulation of good daily habits that compound over a period of time.  The Slight Edge shows you how to get powerful results from the simple daily activities of your life, by using tools that are already within you and will help you recognize and become aware of your activities for the better.  This book is a must read and I am so glad that I read it.
  10. The Four Year Career: How to Make Your Dreams of Fun and Financial Freedom Come True Or Not by Richard Bliss Brook – This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in building a career or a 2nd income in network marketing.  This will help you understand the business and why it works, how it works, and how so many have found above average income in this industry.  I was honored to have given a testimonial on this book in the past.

Well, there are my 10 favorite books of all time and I hope that you find a few or add a few to your list to read in the near future.  You will not be sorry.

The Fortune is In The Follow Up

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I remember years ago hearing that, The fortune was in the follow-up.  At first thought, I wasn’t sure what that really meant, but now many years later, I can contest that if you are involved in sales or network marketing that your ability to follow up will be the difference between being a superstar or barely making a living.

Here is why you definitely want to follow up and why you will be ahead of most people if you do.  First of all, following up takes time and good time management and you must be on your game.  You see, most people simply need to have their hand held to make a decision even if they are super interested.  It’s just human nature.  There is a reason today that companies still rely on salespeople to introduce their products to the marketplace because they know that people typically will have a difficult time making a decision without someone there to help them make a decision.

Did you get the word help in the previous paragraph?  I hope so because as professional networkers and salespeople our job isn’t to push people into something they don’t need or want – that’s very ignorant behavior.  I call that “Bible Belt Selling” (Beating people over the head with a bible).  The best way to follow-up is to uncover needs with your prospect initially and see if they even have a NEED for your product or service.  If they don’t have a need and you keep following up you are an Ass.  You must do your uncovering initially to see if your prospect even needs what you have to offer.  I don’t care what you’re selling not everyone is going to need your product or service.  The best salespeople I have ever met aren’t the pushiest, they are the best listeners and they know how to put their products in the marketplace by understanding their customer’s needs first and foremost.

Now to the follow up.  It’s actually very simple, once you find out that a prospect needs your product or service your job is to make an appointment.  Find out what they need prior to the meeting to help make their decision.  Set a day and time for you to see them in person or on the phone and simply uncover their quesitons and help guide them along to make a decision to either buy or die.  What you don’t want to do is spend days, weeks, or months following up to find that your prospect cannot make a decision.  I personally, try and get prospects to tell me NO right away if they are not interested.  In fact, in the past I have told people ahead of time exactly how the sales process is going to work and that its ok for them to tell me NO.  I actually would much rather have a NO than someone stroking me along for weeks or months because they are afraid to tell me NO.  You want to get to NO or YES as quickly as possible when you are dealing with prospects.

So there is truth to the saying, The fortune is in the follow-up, but more importantly you want to get really good at recognizing a buyer and a tire kicker.  Most of your prospects will be tire kickers and that’s what you want to eliminate right away.  Follow up with your best prospects and get your tire kickers to jump in or jump off quickly.  So treat your prospecting or cold calling like you are simply hunting not so much for sales, but for qualified prospects,

So treat your prospecting or cold calling like you are simply hunting not so much for sales, but for qualified prospects, set appointments, and get your prospects to a Yes or No as quickly as you can.  If you qualify on the front end before you even start the follow up you will save yourself a ton of time and energy.  You may be following up with a lot less people, but you will ultimately find that if you get really good on your listening skills that you will have alot less work following up and your closing percentage will go way up as its much easier to persuade a qualified prospect to become a customer than it is an unqualified prospect.  So unless you are selling watches, or meat door to door.  Get good at qualifying your prospects and get to an appointment and follow up until your prospects buy or die.