When you have a team of people who support each other in getting clear and sharing ideas, great information is produced. This of course has produced tremendous power in our Mind Masters groups. Napoleon Hill commented about it in Think and Grow Rich, when he wrote “Power is essential for success … Gaining power through the … coordination of knowledge and effort. . . .”. I want to share with you some of the knowledge that members have shared, that if used can affect how you show up in your market place for a more powerful brand.

Communication is one of the necessary skills for branding ourselves in the market place. One of our members shared her communication tips which highlights the kind of expertise that members share.

5 Power tips for Communication:

1. The Power of a Story: A compelling story can grab attention the hearts of your audience. What personal story can you tell that connects you to your topic and audience?
2.  The Power of the Pause: Most compelling speakers are masters at the Pause. They know just when to use silence to draw you in. Unfortunately, many business speakers just want to finish their presentations quickly – so they rush through and leave themselves breathless. Don’t be afraid of silence – it’s powerful!
3.  The Power of Inflection: Use vocal variety in your speech. Change up your volume, emphasize key words, see if you can color your speech with your own emotion and passion for your topic.
4. The Power of Animation: Let your body move naturally during your presentations. Get rid of the extra energy that you feel by moving around. Don’t pace or rock back and forth – but do move your feet. Plant your feet and look at the audience when you are making a point. You’ll have a much stronger impact.
5. The Power of Eye Contact – Look at people directly in the eyes. Remember, you can only talk to one person at a time no matter how many people are in your audience. Connect, one to one.

About the author

Dana Bristol-Smith is the founder of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. You can contact Dana  here.

It is easy in any economy to get stuck in a comfort zone. When things are going well, you stop doing the necessary things consistently; prospecting, following up and saying thank you, In a slow economic time, fear sets in, you stop investing in the things that keep you visible; networking, advertising, asking for testimonials. Your Success is built on a variety of choices you make, review the following to tap the potential you have barely scratched the surface of.

1. Redefine your Goals: Get crystal clear about the goals that motivate you to do the work it takes to grow your business. Also know the reason why you want it. If it’s to make a certain amount of money every month, you need to have a reason. No reason or desired reward, no motivation, more complacency.

2. Recognize the effects of not taking action: Get very clear about the cost of not achieving that goal. If you don’t get this goal, there are consequences. Know what they are.

3. Make commitments to others: Use the power of what Napoleon Hill called a driving force- a master mind group helps you be accountable, as you hold your employees/subcontractors accountable. Valuable support is provided by other business leaders who know what it takes to stay focused.

4. Acknowledge your fears: When you acknowledge your feelings of fear it points your awareness to areas where you need to improve and grow. Do something to move you in the direction of growth.

5. Ask for Help: Asking for what you need is the most underutilized tool for unlocking that comfort zone complacency. Whether its money, information, support, assistance, or time, don’t be afraid to ask for what you need in order grow.

6. Learn to say “No”: Do you spend too much of your time on projects and activities that you really don’t want to do simply because you fall into the trap of pleasing others? (an easier comfort zone then focusing on your own goals). You are going to have to create stronger boundaries about what you will and won’t do.

7. Do 1 thing that makes you uncomfortable every day – work toward stretching those “goal achievement muscles”.

8. Create something new for your business: Be open to change. Change is good—it helps you grow. Develop a new product, a better system, redo your work space, makeover your marketing. They can reignite your momentum and your speed at which you succeed at your goals.

9. Set and meet deadlines for yourself: Set reasonable deadlines for all jobs and stick to them. Hold yourself accountable, it’s true that work expands to fill the available time, so set expectations.

10. Invest in Win-Win Relationships: A great way to build the foundation for a relationship with referral partners is to hook them up with others in your network. Invite them to a workshop, seminar or networking function where they can make valuable new contacts themselves. This keeps you alert and aware of others needs.

The Challenge: Identify an area of your work or business that needs some new energy or change and set an intention to update or refresh it, then do it!

Do you know the top three most important, high-payoff

activities that will contribute to achieving your goals?

Which ones need to have specific results set for every day?

Your consistency in those activities grow the business.

Over the winter perhaps it has been easy to slip into the habit of staying in the office and doing business by phone and email. But Spring is here and in these economic times it is important to lock in customer loyalty and make customer satisfaction your number one priority. Drop by or schedule a time to meet with clients. Listen for opportunities where you can offer a solution for their problems.

Not only do you need customer goodwill but you need to understand customer problems. Get as close to your customers as possible. Call and ask your customers how they are doing and what they might need from you.

Customer relationships are often taken for granted, but if you look at how you got referrals in the past and achieved your business goals, I guarantee you the greater percentage came from the relationships you have developed with your clients/customers.

In his book The Referral of a Lifetime, Tim Templeton talks about the fact that “your customers and clients already know every new contact you will ever need to succeed”. If you take those relationships for granted you may lose your market advantage, your customer relationships are something within your control. When you develop and nurture them they eventually cultivate greater fruits over time. How do you grow them?

♦ Send a thank you note to every person that gives you a referral. People love to be appreciated.

♦ Develop an attitude of gratitude in everything you do….and you will be amazed how your business will explode. You don’t want your past clients to forget you when they or their friends need your services.

♦ Be real with those you come in contact with (personal or professional) and you will create a life-long stream of customers to serve.

Wake up! Shake off the winter hibernation, reconnect and bring new life to your business.

The Challenge: What 3 changes can you make immediately in your business that will solidify your relationship with the customers you already have?

I learned that I am already on a good track from what I followed through on from the January session. I learned that what YOU are able to get me to commit to accomplishing is amazing!

You put those seeds there, you encourage me. You put me on the right track over and over. I am so thankful for Barbara Eldridge!!

Janice Sherlock, The Sherlock Group

I learned the value of stopping the madness and making a plan for the month and breaking it down to actionable time lined accountabilities rather than the “trying to remember it all” method which makes me feel insane. I have too many priorities, so it helped to group them in to marketing, or ops, or call lists etc etc then attack each with time bounded actions. I hope to see improvement in my own organization to attack everything that needs doing.

It also helped to remind me to focus on what I am good at and hire or delegate the rest.

Blake Beckcom, Fitness Together

Boost Your Sales and Profits

Today, nothing plays a greater role in the success or failure of your company then execution. And if you are going to succeed in today’s ultra competitive climate, you’ve got to find the gap between what you want to achieve and your ability to deliver. Not simply tactics, but a system of getting things done through questioning, analysis and follow through.

Join me Monday, March 29th 9:30am as small business owners gather to plan their own economic stimulus package at the Mind Masters Second Quarter Planning Session. These are some of the things you’ll need to think about as you enter the second quarter of the business year.

What you must do today to:

• Get comfortable with the speed of technology that is capturing your market
• Look for what new skills will take you to the nest level
• Rethink your business model to answer the changing marketplace
• Get paid what you are worth
• Make a greater impact on your market, give greater value

Take the right steps now to:

• Re-evaluate your goals – are they big enough?
• Transform ideas to reality
• Understand the critical success factors for growth
• See better profits from more focused plans
• Enjoy the experience of learning from others
• Create a contract with yourself that results in immediate action

The planning session will be held at the 7 Seas Best Western, 411 Hotel Circle, So. in Mission Valley.

ONLY $45. Cost includes lunch.

It’s March Madness! When a basketball player is in a slump of getting the ball through the hoop, there is one thing that will change that, practice, practice, practice. Selling has the same requirements. Mind Masters Entrepreneur Association wanted to share another key that when committed to and practiced consistently produce success.