You are not always selling, but you are always prospecting

You can have everything in life if you'll ever want

if you help enough other people get what they want.

Zig Ziglar

In the '70s I first heard this claim Zig Ziglar made and I'm realizing now that I likely misunderstood his audience. Nevermind, for now, what I thought he was talking about but consentrate on what he definitely meant.

Zig was referring to professional sales people selling their products and services to people who have a desire and need; help enough of those people get what they want and you'll get yours.

Now, to another contradiction; you are not always selling, but you are always prospecting. I know I'll get a couple of emails about "well, where's your EVERYONE IS A SALESPERSON, EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SELLING?"

I just want to deal with the prospecting thing for now, though we are selling when we prospect, but let's keep it in context.

How big is your prospect list? Are you thinking "prospect" when you make calls, go to networking luncheons, etc?

Bryan Flanagan in his book "So You're New to Sales" states the following as the simplified version of prospecting:

You understand your products and services. You believe you have something to offer the prospect. You have a firm conviction your solution is better than what is being used at the present time. You believe your advantages are valuable to the prospect. You want ot share these advantages with your prospect.

Flanagan goes on to say "that's really all that prospecting is. Yet we tend to complicate it. Don't complicate it...keep it simple. It is as simple as this: you believe that you have a solution to a problem and you want to communicate that solution to a person you've never met."

So, do you know what you're selling? Do you know who your customer is?

It's Monday! Let's prospect well today.

Blessings,

Danny

Right People in
the Right Place
thru Consulting,
Equipping, and
Coaching

                                                  



Click on image for a great deal on a great book 

 
 



Pain, Perseverance, Character, Hope

Thanks to guest blogger Gary Seale for this article. 

He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,

but whoever ignors correction leads others astray.

Proverbs 10:17

Pain

No matter what you prefer to call it, we all experience difficulty in life. From the most simple and mundane such as struggling to full alertness in the morning to trauma induced by unexpected tragedy. Yes, terrorists do fly airplanes into buildings and kill innocent people. Strife, hate and murder lead to conflict and war. Frustrated goals and delays lead to internal strife that boils over into external anger.

And it seems no matter how mature we are, or no matter what mechanism we use to cope with pain, it creeps up and grabs us periodically without asking. Make no doubt that a great deal of personal pain is self-induced by our failure to see the world as it actually is. In each and every human lies the capacity for great good and charity as well as self-centered bias and hurtful acts of violence. The pain of unmet expectations and unexpected situations demands that we find a solution or capitulate.

Perseverance

So how do we handle the inevitable adversity that is destined to crop up on our road of life?

Turning to God with your problems is the essential element in Godly dependence. The first step is prayer coupled with perseverance. And the first step in perseverance is understanding that pain and adversity rarely last for a long period of time. There is light at the end of the tunnel that spells relief. However, the pain that is current must be not only endured, but capitalized upon to produce strength for the future. Just as a weight-lifter must press himself beyond the level of his current capacity, you must walk through the adversity rather than around it to gain the benefits. This means addressing every issue with diligence and attention to detail, understanding that repetition builds expertise.

To have the strength to push on through the current adversity requires that you have a vision of the future. The future holds more promise, challenge and reward as a result of your existing pain. This vision of rewards is one of the key aspects of perseverance that must be grasped by the individual. Without a prospect for the future, we all eventually wither on the vine and no longer put forth the effort necessary to weather the current storm. For the believer, the ultimate hope for the future lies in the confident expectation of a grace filled eternity with God. In the rare circumstance that earthy pain will not pass with time, allow those circumstances to drive you to a deeper dependence on God.

Character

As part of the reward for persevering through the pain caused by adversity we gain character. The character that is gained has several different elements. One of these elements is wisdom. In this particular context, wisdom should be defined as the knowledge to make Godly decisions today that will produce excellent results over the long term.

The other aspect of character is the knowledge that you have not simply survived trials in the past, but you’ve successfully persevered through those difficult times. This knowledge will serve to bolster your confidence when it begins to wane in the heat of battle. Character also means that you do not compromise your principles to achieve relief during a difficult time.

Hope

And finally we reach a state of character produced by pain and perseverance that allows us to have a genuine hope for the future. This definition of hope is not one of wishful thinking, but one of confident expectation that our perseverance and character will pay off in a peace during times of adversity and deep joy in times of prosperity. This level of hope provides the energy to tackle the difficult issues and find creative ways to solve problems.

Finally, the hope that comes through perseverance and character comes. Realizing that some daily set backs are inevitable and do not spell disaster is a big part of hope. It is also important to come to an awareness that there are few earthly guarantees, only opportunities. Hard work and focus are critical to an ongoing successful undertaking.

Gary D. Seale

Commercial Agent
512-529-7045
trucon@sbcglobal.net
Howe Insurance Group
Austin, TX

Thanks Gary for an excellent article. Gary is a commercial insurance agent, public speaker and author of Business Principles from Proverbs.

What Are You Selling? Who's Your Customer?

The purpose of a company is to create a customer

Peter Drucker

Being distinctly aware of "what you are selling" and "who is your customer" is extremely important to your success. Yet, I know from experience that it can sometimes be hard to pinpoint. That's due in part to the overflow of information and messages that permeate around us.

We're told to have a vision, mission and/or purpose. Seminars on best practices tell us to create something bigger than ourselves, and I agree. But bring it home. Bring it down to the grassroots; you have to pay very specific attention to knowing, being sure about "what" you're selling and "who" is your customer.

Ronald Skelton posted on Twitter (@RonaldKSkelton) that marketing raises awareness but selling is getting the check. That's specific and a salesman needs to know that difference.

If you are in the mortgage loan officer, do you make dreams happen? Or do you sell mortgage loans? Did you take a application yesterday? Insurance agents-do you give peace of mind, or sell policies? Did you write a policy yesterday? Social media consultants, attorneys, executive coaches, accountants, IT businesses, financial planners; what do you sell? Who is your customer?

Everyone, every team, every company, every manager, every executive and every board must do a better job of understanding who the customer is and how to create sales. The revision of Drucker's book The Five Most Important Questions You'll Ever Ask About Your Organization states that if Drucker were alive today he would say "a company's most important purpose is to create fans." Maybe so, but it is right along side creating a customer and a customer is the one writing a check. I know, you want to customer fans writing the check and you can't have fans without first writing a check. Or maybe you can.

Just be sure you're getting checks and keep this out in front, right along with your mission statement. Know your mission, know what you're selling and know who your customer is.

It's Friday, I pray that you wrap your week up well.

To that end.....

Danny



Right People in
the Right Place
thru Consulting,
Equipping, and
Coaching


Busy, but Not Having Fun - Part 2

Leaders need to learn the capacity to not add to their

anxiety but rather to channel it into adaptive responses.

Ira Chaleff, author of Courageous Follower

Continued from Part 1

Over the next week I had two more meetings with Tom's team and observed calls from Susan and her assistants as well as interaction with other clients. During this time we ran assessments to further understand strengths and weaknesses in Tom's team. I also found out that Susan's business, while 50% of Tom's volume today, had been only 30% six months ago. Two previous employees had left Tom because of the climate in the office and had taken a good portion of the business with them.

Tom was making money but he nor his team was having fun. His passion and desire to not only get the job done, but get it done right and treat everyone well in the process was to be commended. As I shared with Tom what I "felt" to be the cause of the problem (my Déjà vu was surreal), I proposed a process that would give him a detailed and objective analysis. The process itself would show his team and clients his commitment to their business; the results would give us a road map as to how to improve his office climate and allow Tom to broaden his client base.

Tom engaged me in 20 additional hours over a three week period. The process I'd proposed included additional interviews and online surveys/evaluations with everyone connected to his office:  clients (including Susan), past borrowers, support people at his home office and title companies. Sometimes people just think things will never change. But hopefully, the fact that Tom recognized this was a real problem and was spending money to correct it would calm down Tom's team and we would not have any more undesired exodus of employees and business.

To be continued......

Problems or Challenges?

Houston, we've had a problem....

James A. Lovell, Captain, US Navy, Astronaut

I need to revisit the example I've used as the basis for much of my teaching; not learning new things as much as uncovering what you already know, and who you are, and putting that to the best use first.


That example is a scene from the movie Apollo 13, after the infamous Houston - we've had a problem!, when the group of scientists and techs were rushed into room with a very large table. Remember that scene where a bunch of stuff was dumped from a box onto the table and they were told to figure out how to FIX the problem up there (pointing up), with this (pointing at the mess of random objects).

That's all they had to fix the oxygen leak and get them crew back to earth; the contects of the box. Of course, the scientists and techs couldn't actually fix the problem, only figure out how to fix it and then communicate that "how" back to the astronauts and hope the crew could duplicate it and the fix was actually right.


Good management and leadership is similar in many ways; identifying what you have to work with and making it work over and over again. This is accomplished by really knowing your people and what they are truly capable of doing, That and having a good evaluation and correction process.


Implement, practice, evaluate, correct and start the process all over again. Good followership and leadership is about having these four things in a never ending circle.

And the issue on Apollo 13....that was a problem.


To that end....




Right People/Right Place thru

Consulting, Coaching and Equipping

Busy, but Not Having Fun - Part 1

There is a compelling business case for trust
and you can get good, or better, at it.

Stephen M.R. Covey

Tom was having a hard time keeping his staff calmed down about their top producing client. The staff, a processor and 2 assistants, had about all they could stand of the Realtor, Susan, and her assistants' daily badgering. Yet, Susan's team of Realtors did send them 6 - 8 loans per month (1/2 their business) and had for over 2 years.

The phone call to me seemed to be a last-ditch effort to try anything. After an hour of listening, asking questions and listening some more,  I asked everyone "what causes you to want to keep this relationship?"

The uncomfortable look on everyone's face told me more than the stammering answers. I had to finally ask "does at least one someone get laid off without this business?" Of course the answer was yes, yet it took everyone's effort to be ready for the multiple calls every day and there was no time to go out and develop new accounts.

More questions helped me to understand that Tom and his team sent regular (had even tried daily) updates to the team of Realtors. Still the calls came asking about every minute detail of every file. The Reatlors' assistants had even said "it is my job to call you on every loan every day and verify what is going on."

Quick calls by me to underwriters, title companies and other Realtors using Tom revealed his team's reputation to be excellent. I had little doubt that this was not a lack of talent, attitude, skills or knowledge on the part of Tom and his team but a lack of trust on  Susan's part and the fact that she believed her team's constant follow-up was why they were getting good service.

Over the next 2-3 weeks, I'll periodically tell the story of how Tom and his team turned the situation around, stopped the phone calls, decreased Susan's expenses while increasing his overall business and profits.

To that end.....

Danny

8 Step Marketing and Action Plan

While every business needs a big picture Marketing Plan, I call this a DAILY marketing and action plan because it is daily that you get things done. Actually, it is moment by moment we get things done, but that's too tightly wound for some of us and just might cause me to go back to bed some days.

On a daily basis, answer these questions (in writing helps) -

1. what is the purpose of today's plan? What is it I'm attempting to accomplish?

2. what are the benefits of the service and product I'm selling? How does the customer benefit by buying from me?

3. who is my targeted audience today?

4. where/what is my niche? How am I going to set myself apart from my competition today?

5. what marketing weapons am I going to use today? What weapons do I use and need to sharpen and be more focuses with?

6. what is my "identity" today? What 3 or 4 adjectives best describe you? (this needs to be consistent, but you should be improving)

7. what is my budget today?

And finally, the 8th step to ask at the end of the day -

8. Can I carry put action to this plan? (evaluate forward) How well did I carry out my marketing plan yesterday? Last week? Last month?

Identify what you are doing well. Identify what you aren't doing well. How can you improve? Use TASKS Based Goal Setting disciplines to help you learn, improve and change.

This marketing plan/list is best used if treated as a circle of 8 things to come back to everyday as you work towards short and long-term goals.

To that end...make something great happen today.

The Pictures in Our Head

Doug Sherman, in his Bible Study, Your Work Matters to God, states "we believe that the workplace is today the most strategic arena for Christian thinking and influence. Moreover, until we become godly workers, we have little hope of becoming godly husbands, wives, parents, or church members. For unless Christlikeness characterizes the 60-80 percent of our lives spent at work, we simply are not living Christlike lives."

The most strategic arena for Christian thinking......hmmm. Have you ever thought much about your thinking being strategic? How about your thinking, do you think about your thinking? Thinking about thinking is not something most of us today think about. Think about it for a minute or two.........hard to do isn't it? How about talking about your thinking, or another's thinking?

How dramatically is your thinking influenced by what's going on around you? Think about how much your thinking is influenced by the thoughts of others, because the mind is hungry for more information and is looking to be influenced. Are you aware of how your thinking is changed? How critical is your thinking?

Prior to the invention of radio, tv, internet, and even the mass production of newspapers, the spoils and triumphs of what flowed from another's thinking a much more celebrated event. In reality, the recepient was much more aware of the absorbtion and how his thinking might be changing. He or she had time to be critical about it.

Thinking about thinking - talking about what we think - arguing about thinking is something philosophers have done for thousands of years. It wasn't that many years ago when people would travel for miles and miles to hear a simple speech and then stay to discuss their thoughts in local bars and meeting houses. Today, we get our information in bits and pieces, yet, as if from a fire hose; there is more information coming in one week's worth of the New York Times than the average 19th century American had available to him/her in a lifetime.

Thinking, critical thinking, and getting one's message across to others has always been an important part of those intent upon critical thinking. Ben Franklin would write letters to his own newspaper under fictitious names just so he could express his thoughts about what he thought and he would then write the rebuttals to further spin the thinking. He claimed years later that he did this in part to develop opinions within his readers' thoughts.

So what does this have to do with life, work and being the right person in the right place? Everything. Everyone is bombarded with news and information they don't ask to receive; from emails randomly read to story lines of favorite tv shows, but received and processe it is. How you handle that information, purposeful or otherwise, helps determine the thinking that leads ultimately to who you are in the future. What do you say when you talk to yourself? What you take in will mold what you say to yourself and that comes out in your behavior to others.

Close your eyes, right now and think about the pictures in your head.

Writer, journalist, and progressive thinker Walter Lippmann, in the mid 1900's, wrote extensively about the tendency of journalists to generalize about other people based on fixed ideas. He argued that people—including journalists—are more apt to believe "the pictures in their heads" than come to judgment by critical thinking.

The pictures in our heads is what we tend to believe and these pictures are formed from what we watch, hear, and read. And what most of us watch, hear, and read, is accidental; not purposeful.

So, what does this have to do with our influence, Christian or otherwise? Everything. If we are not purposeful about what we watch, read, and hear, our thinking will not lead to practicing Christianity and if we aren't practicing Christianity, we aren't influencing others towards God's glory.

And if we aren't influencing others towards God's glory, then what are we influencing them towards?

What do the pictures in your head look like today, and what are they going to look like in 5 years, in 10 years? Are you purposefully drawing those pictures or letting others?

To that end....

Note: this is a edited re-post from http://godandworkmatters.blogspot.com/ on 11/06/2010

"Communication Connection" by Guest Blogger Gary Seale.

Welcome Guest Blogger, Gary Seale. Gary provides sales outsourcing services and is the author of the book Business Principles from Proverbs.

Recently I have been reading a John Maxwell book called “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect.” One of Maxwell’s premises is that we have to know our audience and their level of understanding to truly communicate. It is all too easy to deliver information on our level of comfort and miss the intended audience all together.

I first learned this concept in a Toastmaster’s International program in the early 1990’s. The impact of their philosophy and receiving feedback on my speeches made this an important concept to keep in mind. This is true no matter what level or size of audience you speak to. From a six year old to a Phd from MIT, we all need to position our choice of words and illustrations to truly communicate.

Mastering Mondays

I said on Monday that I would be writing on Tuesday about Mastering Mondays. Ha. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went; I'm still trying to get through my Monday's dailies.

John Beckett in his book of this same title, Mastering Mondays, sums it up:

In my short lifetime, man has spit the atom, conquered polio, walked on the moon and shrunk the globe through the Internet. But millions of us have yet to master Monday.

A few years ago, in pursuit of a woodworking hobby, I read an article about different men's ventures into their full-time woodworking (career!). One question the interviewer asked was, "what do you like most about your job?" One guy's answer intrigued me:

I love the fact that every morning, with coffee in hand, I go out to my workshop, open that door knowing that I have some things to accomplish, but also know that there is no telling what I'll work on that day. I just let what interests me the most be my guide.

It must have intrigued me, and I still remember it 10 years later, because of how it really screws with my head. I'm that way all the time, EXCEPT for the "knowing" and "loving" parts. I start the day typically knowing that is likely to happen, but with blind determination that I'm going to get certain things done.

Cathy and I (my bride of almost 25 years) were discussing some things yesterday that led to my Workforce Readiness assessment. This thing tests you against the DOL database and gives you an idea of what careers you could possibly succeed in based upon multiple characteristics. The image below depicts part of the report and shows that I'm what I'd like to say "balanced."

Cathy simply looked at it and commented well, you can either do almost anything, or nothing. What are your thoughts?

My look told her my thoughts and the fact I'm still trying to master Monday on Thursday should tell me something.

Hmmm. Let's see....my highest is realistic. Let's go with that one for today.

Blessings, Danny

Bad Weather Processes - How Well Did You Perform?

One of the 4Ps for finding the right company to work for is Processes. How a company plans and executes that plan for bad weather conditions is important and likely an idea of how well they handle other problems.

No doubt there are problems in the plan that comes out when "living" the process. But the companies that can claim their processes as a competitive advantage are the ones that evaluate and correct very well.

What processes did you see work well during the recent bad weather? How well do you think you'll perform tomorrow?

I love to hear your stories; click on the 4ps tab above and add comment at the bottom or email me at danny@rp2development.com.

Ronald Reagan, the Packers and the Interview

"He who introduces into public office the principles of primitive

Christianity will change the face of the world."

- Ronald Reagan, first inaugural address as

governor (1967), quoting Benjamin Franklin

Yesterday was an eventful day; Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday (or would have been..not sure how to properly couch such), a GREAT Super Bowl, and a live interview between Bill O'Reilly and President Obama. Quite a bit one can ponder and reflect on.

We'll go with Ronald Reagan for now. I watched the televised celebration of his birthday, listened to the speeches and a bit on his library/museum renovation. (Seeing his library is on my non-existent bucket-list)

It was interesting to watch the different networks and how they handled this event; I'm not sure CNN really knew what to do. Their choice of commentators was very interesting and I guess they just felt they needed to make a big deal of the celebration, but not sure what really to say. Or how to act. It came across flat and unemotional.

Not like President Reagan at all. I've read 4 books about him so far and expect to read a few more. My favorite is God and Ronald Reagan by Paul Kengor, Ph.D. This book came about when Dr Kengor began research for a chapter in another book he was writing, found the material too overwhelming for a simple chapter and thus put the first book down to write this one.

Dr. Kengor wrote an excellent read. And for the critics and melancholies he supplied lots (LOTs) of endnotes.

"There is a purpose to this...This has happened to you at this time

because your country and the world need you."

- Mother Teresa, to Reagan on his surviving

near-assassination, June 4, 1981

To that end....

PS...tomorrow - Mastering Monday

Twitter....errrrrr Text Dialog

In a late night exchange of texts (w/@BrandonDady) - edited.....

Brandon - I'd be interested to know why you choose the assessments you choose, and why you prefer assessments for different positions

Me - The key is much like a hammer or wrench, or any tool, it's how the tool is used

Brandon - "so I took an assessment, now what?!

Me - Most are pretty worthless past the first 10 minutes. You have to learn to use it to change something

Brandon - There's a thousand assessments out there. You'll gain more interest if you educate people on how an where, since it is so saturated. I bet you there is a massive amount of companies that either force it, or never understood value

Me - there's 3,000 companies with multiple assessments each. But, in most cases, the assessment is really just a diagnostic tool

Brandon - ok. But it'd be interesting to poll how many companies actually use them, follow through with them

Me - very few because they haven't been trained how to use them past the hiring stage

Brandon - I say this because from what i've heard you say, most have never used them properly

Me - most don't understand how to use assessments correctly, nor have they been trained. Assessments are considered to be static tool by most people

Brandon - k. Let me sleep on all that, but I have more questions and want to brainstorm.

Me-Night/night--------


This dialog has three distinct parts; why assessments, what assessments, how to use assessments.

Why? Assessments, used correctly, will get better results.

What? There are some that are job dependent, others job specific.

How? This is BY FAR the most important aspect of assessments. Most companies have not been trained on how to use an assessment past the initial review; in a drawer never to be used again.

This is like buying a router (tool type), studying it enough to make a decent cove around the top of a table and then putting it up. The assessment is a diagnostic tool that can be used to help not only in the hiring, but more importantly after the hire, when the company is spending money.

Using the assessment tool correctly will help an employer turn the W-2s in to stock certificates.


To that end.....

A Testimony to Teamwork

The President and CEO of DHI Financial Services, Randy Present, spoke at the Austin Mortgage Bankers monthly meeting/luncheon on Wednesday.

Randy's humbleness, humility and appreciation for his team/co-workers is striking. DHI is the financial (mortgage and title) arm of the largest homebuilder in the US and he could have talked about a lot of things, but he chose to focus his attention towards his team and the overall good people in the mortgage industry.

Taking questions from the one hundred plus attendees, you could tell from his answers that he is very well read and his knowledge base is extensive about relevant data about the industry, our country and the times we live in.

Yet, he kept coming back to his team of people.

The message was about the people, and he left you wanting to hear a bit more.

Excellent luncheon and thanks to AMBA President Mike Carroll for inviting Randy to speak.

To that end...

What is a Collabortive Focus Group?

I've been in various types of groups, for many different reasons and when I think of "groups" I don't get that excited. But then, I'm not a group type person and besides, there sure seems to be a lot of wasted energy in groups; some groups are called "meetings."

Lincioni wrote the excellent book Death by Meeting a few years ago and I might right one someday called Death by Group.

Two groups I'm involved in right now are BNI-360 and CBLG. They are both referral type lead groups and while the CBLG group is just getting off the ground, if it can come close to being as effective as the BNI-360 group, I'll have hit two homeruns. The weekly 1 1/2 hour meeting, along with some follow-ups, is time and money well spent; amazing energy and group of individuals....no death, all living.

So, what does this have to do with Collaborative Focus Groups? EVERYTHING. A Collaborative Focus Group is designed to be engaging and results driven. Participants will gain life changing information (though parts of it is "back-to-the-basics) , collaborate with others on that application, and robustly evaluate and correct their results.

The group IS NOT a peer-to-peer group in the typical peer-to-peer sort of way. The group will be made up of individuals at various stages of their careers, multi-generational, and in varying positions within different types of companies.

As a CEO of a 700+ organization I've learned as much from those way down the org chart as I have from peers; probably more. I'll take anyone with an interest and heart in getting better and talking straight; no matter his/her age or rank.

Blindspots? We all have them and a Collaborative Focus Group, with its multi generational/positional make-up is ideal for exposure and learning how to work around or through them.

For more about RP2's Collaborative Focus Groups see the tab above.

To that end....

T.A.S.K.S. Based Goal Setting

Less that one generation ago, we were a society that feared and resisted change. We’ve now morphed into one that accepts change not just as unavoidable, but most do little to prepare for the consequences.


How about you….how do you engage in the changes in your business? Do you plan, set goals and prepare for changes? Or, are you in the more common camp of “go-with-the-flow.” I call this the “ready-shoot-aim” method and actually know a few people who seem to do well in spite of themselves. That doesn’t work for most of us though. To be effective, we know we need goals and a plan of action, but we’ve set and missed so many goals that it’s gotten us down and we’re scared to set them again. In default we’ve taken to the go-with-the-flow or ready-shoot-aim methods and we’ve failed.

So, how does one properly set and stay engaged in achieving goals?

Is Educating My Client Good For My Business?

My initial is Yes....if, if, they want to be educated. @RonaldSkelton posted on Twitter recently "Work with clients that appreciate your product or service."

So, I start thinking up ways to find out if someone wants to be educated, or do they just not know they want to be educated. How do I know if they will appreciate my coaching if I don't try and educate them a bit first?

That sends me down my mental flow chart to what questions do I ask to see if they are interested? Is this a good approach at all?

Did I mention something yesterday about not liking selling?

This cold Northern wind that blew in around 2am this morning is about to blow my house down the hill and into the Pedernales.....I hate selling and my warm bed is calling me back.

I hate selling. But I love educating.

Still going back to bed.

To that end...

Danny

Right People
-   Right Place

Educating is a Required Marketing Technique

Note...this blog was originally labeled "In-th-Box," thus, the reference to that name in this video. Also, you likely got to this post/blog via www.DannyLSmith.com. That address transfers to this blogs original URL (www.RP2Development.com). I considered moving all this under the dannylsmith name, with no forward, but!...I get over 100 hits per day the way it is.

Why mess up a good thing? Ego? Ouch...now, about Educating as a marketing technique.



Thanks to Donny Hunter and goSmallBiz.com for the information I've shared here. Donny can be reached at 254-230-3495 or donny@poctllc.com.

(If you like..please share below)

"The Talent Masters" by Bill Conaty and Ram Charan

My familiarity with Ram Charan's writings and work was the second thing that caught my attention about this book. The first was the title; "The Talent Masters."

The third connection was the opening sentence of Chapter 1, Page 1.....

"If business managed their money as carelessly as they manage their people, most would be bankrupt."

No introduction, no forward. Just straight to that point - "If business managed their money as carelessly as they manage their people, most would be bankrupt."

To that end....

Learning about Good Results from Networking, Leads, and/or Referrals

I'm learning a great deal about getting good results from networking; meeting with people (new and renew) asking about their business and what is their ideal referral, and then telling the same about my own. Then, taking that to the next level..."do they have other needs I can collaborate within my network wit?"

More on that from the streets as the path continues.

Blessings

Rhythms

Reviewing old posts this week is reminding me of habits, good habits, I need to keep in my routine.....a rhythm if you will.

Here's one of those rhythms that should be more routine than it is, but needed to achieve those goals and practice the values.


---------------------------------------

Original post 12/06/2011


I have a list of things that try to do everyday. Over the years there have been items on this list that I do even on days I forget to look at the list. I supposed those items have become habits.

Others though, I have to be reminded to do, especially those items new to the list. New items show up and taken off the list based upon the fields I'm preparing, seeds I'm planting, and the harvest that comes from that work and prayer.

I call this list My Daylies; things I need to do everyday. My Daylies are general in nature that drives the "to-do-list."

My Daylies include things like:

1. look at yesterday's calendar,read emails, a couple of websites I need to stay tuned into...
2. make notes from meetings about yesterday's work
3. make a list of follow-up needs on yesterday's work
4. make a list of things to do today
5. prioritize
6. add followers to social media...

Actually, the list is more of a circle that sometimes rolls throughout the day and I'll even start it over on the same day; Collin's hedgehog comes to mind.

This is a weakpoint for me; coaching has helped and I use technology to keep the list in front of me.

I just need to remember to look at the list everyday; it's amazing how I can ignore those calendar/task pop-ups on my phone.

To that end.....

Blessings

Circling Back to Goals

We're three weeks into the new year and I'd bet good money that few people you ask have thought much, if anything, about their goals.

Here's my post on Goals and Values from 12/06/2010 -


Setting goals is one part of achieving good results. Achieving good results is about aligning values, setting good goals, establishing plan and strategies, determining measure points, putting forth the work and having a robust evaluation and correction process.

Goals are rarely achieved because of numerous reasons and the #1 cause is a lack of alignment to a persons T.A.S.K.S. (see below) and #2 an understanding of what it takes to properly setting goals to begin with.

Working through and clarifying your values is the first stage of a solid foundation for goal setting. To properly set a goal, the goal must be reasonable and must be set in accordance with a person’s talents, attitude, skill, knowledge and style (TASKS); a goal can be set to increase or strengthen any of these TASKS points.

Goals can and should build upon each other to achieve results that today one doesn’t have the TASKS to achieve. More about that in another session.

A key component to that solid foundation is recognizing your Core Ideology; comprised of your mission and your values. During life’s triumphs, struggles and day-to-day living your Core Ideology is what helps ground your behaviors and thoughts so that no matter what path you find yourself engaged on, you stand true.

It’s vitally important to not only define your mission and values but to put them both in writing, commit to these statements, and recognize when you find yourself detouring.

RP2 has developed a worksheet designed to help define your values and we'll be glad to share it with you.

Just ask; danny@dannylsmith.com or 512-773-6528.

To that end.....

This week I'm off-site quite a bit and will revisit some old, but relevant to my path; sales, the importance of sales and who should be selling; hint (everyone).

Originally posted 30 July, 2010

The key salespeople in a professional services environment are those who actually perform the services; they are the key that completes the sales force.

I've spent most of my career in the mortgage industry and have had an active hands-on roll in all aspects except payment servicing. Some people say I'm a good sales-person, yet I've failed the most at being a loan officer. Or, I should say, I've failed the most at the traditional sales side of being a loan officer.

As long as I've got an active audience, I've done well. Whether delivering the goods as a loan officer or processor with borrowers, or with underwriters or closers or title companies, I've had great results. Talking to the back shops with investors, or with warehouse lines....done well.

Give me a product and connect me with the person I need to deliver it to...that's my sweet spot. Or put me in a room of people, or one-on-one, to train or coach and I'll develop a relationship and get results through that format. But don't send me out on the streets or put me on the phone to "just sell." Almost guaranteed failure.

But, all those years I wasn't "out selling" I still thought of myself as a salesperson. When I had someone on the phone or face-to-face, I was still selling. We all sell something every time we talk to someone and hopefully it is with good results in relationship to the product or service our company is attempting to deliver through us. We might pose it a communicating or discussing or some other aspect, but generally we are selling.

Mortgage lending's traditional sales people are loan officers and a good loan officer gets the loans in the door. But then, what happens? Most don't even know that the sales process must continue. The loan officer has to "sell" to get the loan application in most cases, and the processor, underwriter, closer, and funder MUST continue what the LO started.

Most companies have a tremendous amount of assets sitting in their box, but many of those assets don't even know they should be selling.

To that end.....

Experience, Not Opinions

RP2 is about being the right person and in the right place; about helping companies hire the right people, train them well, and move those that do not fit a job into another position or out of the company.

RP2 is about doing this the right way; doing it well. An example of tools we would use to help achieve these results include -

1. SMARTS assessment: every position in your company is important to sales. The report produced as a result of an individual taking the SMARTS will help us determine how a person will perform in a sales role.

2. ABC (Assessment of Behavioral Characteristics): identifies a person's primary behavioral tendencies when working with others and the way in which a person will respond to stress, conflict, leadership, and followership.

3. Employee Climate Survey
Identifies the attitudes and values of the workforce.
Discovers areas of need for targeted training.
Develops specific action steps to improve in each of 9 critical areas.

RP2, using experience and technology to help the right people get the right results from the right place.

Book: Everyone Communicates, Few Connect

Update on original post in 2009 on my reading blog; The book has been published and I was listed as one of a couple hunderd contributors. My daughter, Sunne, is getting me the book for my birthday (hint, hint).

-----------------------------------

From original post -

This is going to be an interesting read. John Maxwell is writing a new book titled "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect" and is posting his manuscript, one chapter every other week or so, on the web for review and comments.

Now, about the book; what a great title! Personally, I can't imagine a better idea for a book in such a culture as we have today. Personally, I feel, much of the time, like a talking-head and have recognized for years that I communicate my head and fingers off, yet..... it's often to deaf ears, skipped emails, and other agendas.

To that end.... http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/

Points to Ponder on the Right People

Surround yourself with great people, set the proper expectations and be able to let go long enough for them to do their job.

Trust, but verify in as rapid a process as you can; have a good evaluation and correction process. The evaluation needs to be a combination of passive and responsive.

Be a mentor, but don't hover over your employees. IF you feel you have to hover, you have the wrong employees....or they have the wrong boss.

Be a boss and not a buddy; know the difference and seperation. If you haven't had training in being a boss, get it. You'll pay for it one way or another and the classroom and coaching is cheaper than trial and error.

Empower employees to solve the problems. Give everyone boundaries they can go up to in solving money problems with a customer/client.

Everyone that interacts with clients needs to be considered in sales...even those that aren't "salespeople." The person delivering the product or service at any given moment is the true sales person.

Surround yourself with the best people possible and be able to let go when you have someone that is not putting forth the right stuff.

Get advice and help on hiring and training people; this is going to cost money, but it is worth it.

Hiring people is the most important decision a business owner or manager makes 99% of the time.

If you don't have the ability to relinquish responsibility and give up and trust people you will never be able to grow your business.

Train yourself and your people; not just on the technical aspects of the job, but on how to be better people.
Your people need to have your core values and the attitude to go along with skills and the willingness to get better.

Whoa Whoa Whoa..What Did You Just Say?

Have you taken the online test for Adult ADD? I've decided to pay attention after a recent disussion with Sunne (my daughter) in which she made a statement and I immediately (or so I thought) replied "whoa whoa whoa, what did you just say?" She repeated what she thought I was referring to (what she had just said) only for us both to realize I was more than a few words behind in the conversation.

Work with me here.

She had made a comment, I locked on to that comment and tried for at least 60 seconds to rationalize/comprehend/get-a-grip-on it, and when I finally asked "whoa....," she was way down the road into her story, which I still have no idea what it was about because I...never mind.

The comment that locked me up, and out of what else she was saying was -

"....well, my Adult ADD kicked in and like the guy teaching the calm marriage class at church said 'many adults with ADD want, but don't demand, organization. And when they don't have it they tend to become overwhelmed which leads to a form of depression and then they just go through the motions and let the world pass them by."

Do you think you have blind spots? I've learned, through some serious trial and error, that I have big ones. And I know this because I've been blindsided so many times and whether it is blind trust, or just being naive, well, they're there. For me anyway.

I'm looking into this Adult ADD thing; assessment, test, this has got to be more than just a personality problem!

Blessings,

Danny

Points to Ponder - "What Are Our Results?"

More on Peter Drucker's book The Five Most Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About Your Organization.


Question 4: What Are Our Results?

In a business, results can be measured in sales, profits, and market share. You can debate whether profit is really an adequate measure, but, as Drucker pointed out many times, without profit there is no business in the long term.

Progress and achievement can be measured in both qualitative and quantitative terms; interwoven and both necessary.

Results changes the customers' lives.

Qualitative measures address how deep and broad the change is while quantitative measures tell an objective story be starting with categories and expectations. In the end the quantitative offers hard data.

Drucker was emphatic that leadership is accountable to determine what must be appraised and judged, to protect the organization from squandering resources, and to enusre meaningful results.

The marketplace is to a metropolis what the heart is to the human body

Ending this first week of 2011 and reflecting on my results, or lack of, I've realized that I've gotten a more done that I first thought. This reflection has led me to review my goals, values, mission and measurements of them all. That, in turn, led me to notes I took on this book beginning in 2007 and reread in early 2010.

Over the past 20 years (that just brought up another realization) I've read over 4,000 pages about God and the workplace and was likely a bit lathargic when I first read Annointed for Business. Silvoso's book has become a more important read than I originally thought.
The Introduction puts a good perspective on being Annointed for Business -

The marketplace.....is to a metropolis what the heart is to the human body. Yet millions of men and women who have been called to ministry in the marketplace feel like second-class citizens when compared to those who serve in a church or missionary context, and they often fail to rise to their God-appointed position. It is time to give marketplace people their rightful validation as full-fledged ministers, because the last revival - the one prophsied by Joel and quoted by Peter in Acts 2:17-21 - will take place all over the city and not just inside a church building.

To that end.....

Goals and the Matter of Values

I originally posted this back in November but felt the end of the first week of a new year was a good time to reflect back on the subject.

Setting goals is one part of achieving good results. Achieving good results is about aligning values, setting good goals, establishing plan and strategies, determining measure points, putting forth the work and having a robust evaluation and correction process.

Goals are rarely achieved because of numerous reasons and the #1 cause is a lack of alignment to a persons T.A.S.K.S. (see below) and #2 an understanding of what it takes to properly setting goals to begin with.

Working through and clarifying your values is the first stage of a solid foundation for goal setting. To properly set a goal, the goal must be reasonable and must be set in accordance with a person’s time, attitude, skill, knowledge and style (TASKS); a goal can be set to increase or strengthen any of these TASKS points.

Goals can and should build upon each other to achieve results that today one doesn’t have the TASKS to achieve. More about that in another session.

A key component to that solid foundation is recognizing your Core Ideology; comprised of your mission and your values. During life’s triumphs, struggles and day-to-day living your Core Ideology is what helps ground your behaviors and thoughts so that no matter what path you find yourself engaged on, you stand true.

It’s vitally important to not only define your mission and values but to put them both in writing, commit to these statements, and recognize when you find yourself detouring.

We have a worksheet designed to help define your values and we'll be glad to share it with you.

Just ask; danny@dannylsmith.com or 512-773-6528.

To that end.....

Three Feet from Gold

This is a great book to start off the new year with. I actually read this book back in late 2009 but I know it is a great book because I regularly think about don't quit...you might be close.

If you read Think and Grow Rich, you'll enjoy this read, and if you haven't read Think and Grow Rich, you'll enjoy this read.


The book starts off with a true story of about a miner who had worked his tail off looking for gold, gave up and sold his mine. The new owner found the mother load 3 feet in a different direction.

The authors have tied facts, real people, fiction and time tested principles of perseverance into a well done story about changed lives.

Those of us who don't know when to quit will love this book because it will fuel our fires, those who don't persevere so well can gain some insight.

In any event, the book reads well and has a great story line.

To that end.....

Drinking from a fire hydrant

Bryan Anderson (@BryanKAnderson, ReMAX Realtor) sent me this picture and commented "When I saw this I thought of you. I don't know why."

Ha! Obviously, he knows me well.

I wonder if it's just the idea of drinking from a fire hydrant, or the extra work that went into fixing this thing up?

Bryan was probably just referring to the overall drinking from a fire hydrant part because the work to get that thing to fit would have been way too much work; my tendancy is to try and manage the flow with the normal valve.

Blessings as you think about how this fits in your life; are you the type that would instal the fountain, or just adjust the flow

Danny
 

Right People-
    Right Place





Prepare1's Eight Trends for "Business and Social Media"

Prepare1 has noticed the following 8 social media trends and business:

1. Businesses are still new to Social Media

2. Businesses focus on the top 5 Social Media Platforms

3. Businesses are Broadcasting vs. Connecting

4. The confidence Mark is around 2-Years

5. Social Media Adoption Obstacles

6. Businesses Turn to Internal Sources for Social Media Support

7. Lack of Social Media Measurement

8. Businesses Lack Confidence in Their Social Media Strategy.

This matter of social media is becoming more and more prevailant and important. Almost two years ago a Richard Balius with Sales Management Academy and Brandon Dady told me I needed to get going on Twitter and LinkedIn. I wasn't even sure what they had just said, but trusting both, I began exploring and dipping the preverbial toe in new waters. Without a doubt it has and will continue to be a very important part of my marketing.

Blair Ball writes and practices extensively about social media strategies to increase business sales. For more about this important subject, go to and following http://www.prepare1.com/.


Blesssings,

Danny

Elvis Presley - If Everyday Were Like Christmas

I've always enjoyed Elvis' Christmas songs and found myself recently pondering the lyrics to If Everyday Were Like Christmas.

"..what if everyday were like Christmas,
why can't that feeling go on everyday?
Yes...what a wonderful world that would be!..."

Many around the world don't know what this feeling is like, but it's likely that those reading this do know......some of us even get the meaning of the season mixed up, or not. But the season, Christmas-time, has a certain feeling. Everyday would be something like this; Listening to special songs that bring back special memories, traditions for shopping (all on Christmas Eve!), special foods (chocolate covered cherries, candied yams!), a season of music that brings back certain memories (hopefully good ones), just having a glow (that you can't explain) that fills your heart, the sound of singing, opening gifts, gift wrapped packages (of candy) talking to you from across your desk..., saying thanks for gifts we don't need..or even want, everyday; and lights...the lights are amazing...even the gaudy ones; excited about getting up every morning; people trying to get along for the sake of keeping the peace; more gifts, more cheer, food, and naps! everyday.

And, everyday most of the free world would celebrate the birth of God who became man. Everyday.

What if everyday were like Christmas...what a wonderful world this would be!



I pray that you have a wonderful Christmas free of family quarrels, anxieties, and uncertainties; that your Christmas be one of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.


God Bless,

Danny and Cathy

Continue to Follow Well, Staying Naked

At a training class a few months ago I was asked "have you read Getting Naked." Ha! While others in the room were a bit shocked at the title, being the Patrick Lencionni follower that I am, I knew it was the title of his new book. My answer was no, but I've been keeping up with Lencionni on web and carry around a white paper he's written on the subject.

I have since read the book and it is a great read for many reasons; it's filed under my "about following" category. Those that know me know that I believe we need to be excellent followers in order to EVER get close to being a good, much less, great leader.

Getting Naked was an easy book for me to digest because it fits my style of work. I'll regularly start doing work for someone before we ever get into a financial engagement; normally that works out well.

A current client recently stopped the use of my services because he did not feel he had gotten the full benefit of the money he had paid me; the market is a bit different than what he'd thought and much of the work was research, the research itself he thought would bring about some different results. I was notified of this in an email response to my request to get with him to discuss the status of the project. Besides stating he had not gotten the results he had expected, he did let me know half way through the month in which he had already paid for services and I did appreciate that.

Hopefully, he is happy with my response, which included a quick note of understanding, plus the fact that I would continue to complete the work we'd agree on (though I don't believe he expected me to) plus I would forward results of that work to him as long as it continued to come in.

That's being a good follower, that's staying naked.

To that end.....


Right People,
  Right Place



Intro or Extro Verts: Which Makes the Best Salesperson?

If you're an Extrovert, you just laughed and thought "you've got to be kidding?"

Introverted sales types.....you're shaking your head because you know you are but also know the extrovert believes he is.

Tanveer Naseer writes "Are You Fitting Employee Personality Into Your Leadership Puzzle?" and I add "and your sales type puzzle?"

In Good-to-Great, Jim Collins gave us very tangible evidence that a Level 5 leader was very rarely a charismatic person and many of us think of introverts as charismatic. At an off-site meeting of some 18 company leaders I showed a film where Collins talked in depth about Level 5 leaders and at least one person in the room needed counseling afterwards. A very charismatic leader, he had built his career, sparadic at best, on that strength and was at first appalled that someone was saying such, but came to the realization of its truth. At my encouragement, he tried to overcome his weaknesses, through coaching, teamwork, and technolgy. That was difficult for him and we stopped working together a couple of years ago; progress had not been good. Many of his charismatice ways kept rising to the surface and wore others out; lots of start, not near enough finish.

But is that normal? Yes, it very well can be if your personality doesn't fit with the job. This person was a great starter and connector. He was not a good finisher. Naseer points to a recent study by Adam Grant, Francesca Gino and David Hoffman and "where the researchers pointed to particular situations (I say jobs) where certain personality types can help leaders better manage the collective efforts their teams."

This is where my everyone that connects with a client is a salesperson, or should be.

The Austin American Statement ran a series of articles back in the early '90s with the results of the interiews with numerous sales managers. The reporter asked the managers "what type person makes the best sales person? Introvert or Extrovert?" The article was heavily favored towards the driven introvert.

By-the-way, Naseer's article is very good. You can read it on his blog at http://www.tanveernaseer.com/.

Remember, pay attention to what your selling, because you are.

To that end.

Danny

Patrick Lencioni - THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM

I stepped into a mess of problems recently and have had all but said "no" to working with them. The players are three different entities looking at how they might combine their resources and work together. Yet, they aren't communicating. There is undoubtedly differences of opinions and processes that need to be discussed and reconciled, but.....!


Lencionni's Five Dysfunctions of a Team come to mind and they aren't even a team yet. Here's Patrick telling a bit about these dysfunctions. I'm recommending these parties watch this and read the book.




These are really good people and they want to do well. Hopefully they'll pay attention to what it takes to become a team.

Hidden Agendas

I received an email yesterday morning from our Neighborhood Group; not an association because it is an informal entity. There is an issue with a piece of property being sold and will be used for what appears to be non-allowable purposes (according to deed restrictions).

The first few emails were intended to alert people of the pending sale and the email and phone numbers of the parties involved, along with an urge for all of us (50 or so) to call and email.

Personally, I felt there are some questions that needed to be asked, and answered, about the sale, how it violates the deed restrictions etc. So, I asked those involved to explain some things, including how the deed restrictions would be violated.

I clarified that I was simply asking questions and appreciated the dialog.

Wow. What a bunch of spin. I can only imagine the hidden agendas when people aren't willing to be transparent and just answer questions. I've been ignored, accused of not wanting to follow the deed restrictions myself, and even asked why I moved here 12 years ago if I didn't like the deed restrictions.

Ha. Obviously, some  didn't want to explain anything, only spin a bunch of others up to fight for them.

Trust but verify Mr. Reagan said. Sometimes that's hard to do when others won't answer your questions.

So...don't trust 'em.

K. I can do that.

Sales: Is Math and Logic Important?

Math and logic competence has proven to be an important part in how well a sales and marketing person performs. Individuals who engage in logical and critical thinking recognize patterns and provide a way to use those patterns in order to solve problems or to answer questions perform well in a sales and marketing postion.

Performing well in this category on the MuRF SMARTS assessment has proven to be an important part in a person's likelihood to be successful. He/she will determine what information, preconceptions, biases, and values are irrelevant or extraneous as well as the way in which these affect his or her thinking. Individuals who think logically and critically can usually see that there may be more than one solution or more than one way to solve a problem. These individuals are comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. The top 20% of marketing and sales people tend to approach problems with a high degree of logic and critical thinking.

The person in the example above has scored within the average range of logical math and critical thinking. He will usually approach a problem from more than one point of view. He appears to have a normal ability to solve complex problems through logic, but he may not always use this approach. He appears to possess an average skill level in this area and is somewhat similar to individuals who are usually identified among the top 20% of sales and marketing people.

To learn more about the SMARTS and how you can use this powerful report to achieve better results in your entire organization please contact Danny Smith at 512-773-6528 or danny@DannyLSmith.com.


We'll also send you a sample copy of the entire SMARTS report for the asking.

Sales...Gotta Have 'Em

About 10 years ago that I was preparing to go through a transition and I walked up on a group of employees who were making the transition with me to the new venture. Every one's spirits, or so I remember, were generally pretty good. I know mine were.

While everyone was visiting, rambling, just talking, I must have gotten a far-off look because I suddenly realized they were all looking at me and someone said "wow, he sure looks relaxed."

I'm not sure relaxed was exactly the right word, but I was relieved and my reply told what I was relieved from;

"Well, I don't have to sell any longer. That someone else's job now."

Ha!! How naive.

I was a producing manager for a wholesale organization and we had a good track record; production, processes and profitability were all in great order. It was rare that I got a call from my corporate manager and when I did it was to see if I was still alive. While I was the only real "sales" person, I spread the responsibility out among everyone. My goal was to get the business in the door and then KEEP IT!

And we did a good job of that. Our production was not near the level of the company's other 7 such branches, but profit per unit was highest and we were ranked in top 50% for overall profitability.

Years later I realized what an incredibly stupid statement I had made and somewhere along the way I realized that "sales" had steadily moved away from everyone and focused on "salespeople."

A well run, results getting, professional organization needs people selling. Sales people are our most important asset and we will either live or die based on how well everyone is selling.

To that end; sell and be sure everyone is selling.

Top 20% of Sales People......Empathy

Understanding the other person's point of view is a trait that is found in the top 20% of all marketing and sales people.

The MuRF SMARTS (Sales Marketing and Representative Traits Survey) identifies this trait in an individual. The ability to get along with, to develop trusting relations with, and to communicate effectively with others comprises a set of skills that has long been deemed central to the job of marketing and sales.

Taken as a whole, this set of interpersonal communication competencies deals with the person's ability to establish warm, empathic, nondirective, trusting relations with others and with potential and current clients.

In the scale below, this person appears to be somewhat comfortable in expressing his feelings and in understanding the feelings of others. He seems to have a good understanding of the importance of empathetic communication in the marketing and sales profession. He is comfortable when others come to him with strong feelings and will tend to listen.

To learn more about the SMARTS and how you can use this powerful report to achieve better results in your entire organization please contact Danny Smith at 512-773-6528 or danny@DannyLSmith.com.

We'll also send you a sample copy of the entire SMARTS report for the asking.

A Baby's Hug

From an Anonymous author…..

A Baby's Hug ~

We were the only family with children in the restaurant.

I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly sitting and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, 'Hi.' He pounded his fat baby hands on the high chair tray. His eyes were crinkled in laughter

And his mouth was bared in a toothless grin, as he wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man whose pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists.

'Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster,' the man said to Erik. My husband and I exchanged looks, 'What do we do?'

Erik continued to laugh and answer, 'Hi.' Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The Old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.

Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, 'Do ya patty Cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek- a-boo.' Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed.

We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his Repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments. We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot.

The old man sat poised between me and the door.

'Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik,' I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to sidestep him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's 'pick-me-up' position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes.

His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a Time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms and his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, 'you take care of this baby.' Somehow I managed, 'I will,' from a throat that contained a stone.

He pried Erik from his chest, lovingly and longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, 'God bless you, ma'am, you've given me My Holiday gift.' I said nothing more than a muttered thanks.

With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was Crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, 'My God, my God, Forgive me.' I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny Child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes. I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not.

I felt it was God asking, 'Are you willing to share your son for a moment?'

When He shared His for all eternity.

My Dailies

I have a list of things that try to do everyday. Over the years there have been items on this list that I do even on days I forget to look at the list. I supposed those items have become habits.

Others though, I have to be reminded to do, especially those items new to the list. New items show up and taken off the list based upon the fields I'm preparing, seeds I'm planting, and the harvest that comes from that work and prayer.

I call this list My Daylies; things I need to do everyday. My Daylies are general in nature that drives the "to-do-list."

My Daylies include things like:

1. look at yesterday's calendar,read emails, a couple of websites I need to stay tuned into...
2. make notes from meetings about yesterday's work
3. make a list of follow-up needs on yesterday's work
4. make a list of things to do today
5. prioritize
6. add followers to social media...

Actually, the list is more of a circle that sometimes rolls throughout the day and I'll even start it over on the same day; Collin's hedgehog comes to mind.

This is a weakpoint for me; coaching has helped and I use technology to keep the list in front of me.

I just need to remember to look at the list everyday; it's amazing how I can ignore those calendar/task pop-ups on my phone.

To that end.....

Blessings