Killing Marketing's Most Dangerous Enemy

Procrastination is marketing’s most dangerous enemy

- Jay Conrad Levinson


One of the most common characteristics of a procrastinator is the procrastinator’s ability to rationalize why he or she procrastinates. Certain personality types could possibly tend to procrastinate more than others but even the most driven “D” will put things off because of fear, pain or over commitment.

People procrastinate for many reasons:
• Lack of competencies
• Task is too complex
• Can’t get everything done
• Want it to be “perfect”
• Lack of motivation
• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Distractions
• Can’t prioritize

What do you say when you talk to yourself? Here are some common conversations with procrastinators –

Success

When we decide not to give-up, put-up, or shut-up...when we decide to persist, not to quit...when we keep-on-keeping-on, hanging in there, trying it again and again and again...no matter what mistakes, wrong turns and bad decisions...whether we're treated good, bad or indifferent...when we keep moving towards what God's called us to do......it's during the trying and difficult times that we develop the characteristics that make for

SUCCESS.

repost from Practicing Christianity blog

Thinking In The Box

My struggle with goal setting

I've said "I hate setting goals" and I do....long-term goals.

Oh, I've taken the classes, read the books and practiced the disciplines. 

Here's my problem, two problems....

1. somewhere along the line I got stuck in the S.M.A.R.T. Goal setting model. Yet, all goals CAN'T be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic AND timely. Seriously. Think about it. 

2. What about getting out-in-front of God? I tend to start running down a path and then begin asking God to bless it. That doesn't work.

Thus, I have goals but they're short term. Today, tomorrow, this week. When I'm not out-in-front too far, the slow down isn't as painful and the smart stuff works. 

And I spend less time licking my wounds of failure and more time growing ahead of where I'm presently at...."I'm increasing what I can presently increase, my present."

And THAT increases the overall impact of the short term goals, which feeds the growth that fuels my dreams and the vision becomes clearer and clearer.
 

To that end....


Danny L. Smith, (512) 773-6528 

SWH; Is it Marketing, or Leadership. Both?

Staying in contact with people you meet, is that good leadership, or a marketing tactic? Can it be both?

There are more questions than answers...the answers are in the questions!

I have to ask...what is your mission? Your purpose?

My mission statement includes "....make a difference." To make a positive difference one must connect well and connecting well takes time and effort.

Building relationships can be difficult, even down-right hard.

I meet a fair amount of people; what difference am I trying to make? What's the depth of the relationship I trying to create?

Lot's of questions.......short time to write this post.

Comments?


ps...this stems from a Facebook post by Kary Oberbrunner that encouraged me to not confuse people with my marketing message - to have one frequency.

Stop-Wasting-Handshakes....is that marketing, or leading? Both? Confusing?

Worth working through?

Danny
www.StopWastingHandshakes.com



 

Stop Wasting Handshakes - Part 2, in the present

I ended the previous Wasted Handshakes post with a simple process of sending emails to people I've met.

The post also mentioned I input their name into a database. The buzz-word for a database of contact information is CRM (contact relationship manager). I've written about CRMs in other posts and will come back to that in the near future, but remember this....

......you really should keep some sort of database.

It doesn't have to be fancy...for years I used nothing but business cards glued or stapled to a worksheet in a 3-ring binder (I'll come back to that 3-ring binder and the worksheet also).

This is email simply let's them know it was good to meet them...you're NOT selling anything.

It normally simply says..."It was good to meet you and hope to see you again soon."

The signature lines include

- my name

- my job title

- my phone number

- at least one link that lands on the platform/website I want them to land on. LinkedIn is perfect for this purpose.

At this point, if you're making choices to stop wasting handshakes, you've sent an email, input the basic info into a database and have a process to follow-up in the next couple of weeks.

Now....have you received any emails from people you've met in the past week? If so, be sure you've responded to those emails. You don't need to say anything more than "you're welcome" or "thank you," whichever is appropriate. This isn't the time to start selling just because someone has reached out to you.

My experience is that only 3 in 10 people will actually respond to an email I've sent to a new person I've met.

Warning!! Don't get your feelings hurt if you don't get

any responses back. Remember....this is a process

YOU control and you can't control others!

A good source tool is John Maxwell's, "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect." Following John's suggestions is a great way to Stop-Wasting-Handshakes.

To that end........stay tuned for the next part of what I do to stop-wasting-handshakes.

Wasted Handshakes, looking backwards - Part 1

A question poised to the group by Michael Hunter at a Netstorming event was something like "why do people come to networking meetings to just meet, shake hands and there's no follow-up"

My experience shows most people network to sell. Let's say I meet you, an IT guy, and I don't need IT right now, nor do you need a mortgage loan, nor a home listed, nor a.........right now. Thus, we both move on around the room shaking hands, collecting cards, smiling, nodding and wondering "what's the use." And it all starts over again tomorrow at yet another networking meeting. Yes, there might be a one-to-meeting scheduled.......might, probably not. Even then, there's very little relationship building. I'll resist the urge to compare the way most people attempt to network the same way many men go to bars; each are trying to pick up a sure thing (I resist the complete analogy..LOL).

Successful networking is based upon marketing, NOT selling. The basics are this -

1. I come to a networking event with a marketing mindset. My purpose is to start developing relationships through a series of events (processes I control) to draw attention to the benefits I offer, and I know this is going to take a long time.

2. When I meet someone, I begin asking them questions about their industry, what product or services they offer, what brought them to Austin, etc. My purpose is to start a relationship and if the original questions lead into discussions about Family and Hobbies, we have more to talk about. Many times the questions lead to assistance I can offer in terms of information or other needs.....but they probably won't even know that, at-that-time.

I don't have to tell them right now because I trust my process.

3. I have a process I control. That process includes how I handle business cards; mine are in my shirt pocket (not in my hand), theirs go into my right. I write notes, in front of them, on the back of their card.
 

Many times, I don't even give a card because the other person didn't even ask for it. Again, I'm ok with that because I trust my process. My business card, along with all the others they have shoved at them will be dropped aimlessly in the trash...I'm sorry, in a desk drawer anyway.

4. These cards stay in my right pocket, even changing pants, until I get to my desk. They are then put in a SPECIAL spot on my desk.

5. At some point in the next 2 to 3 days....NEVER the same day, I will -

a. put their name in my database and
b. send an email thanking the person for the visit.


This is part One. In the next post I will go deeper into my process and experience and what I will continue to do to try and NOT have wasted the handshake.


To that end....

Danny

512-773-6528

www.StopWastingHandshakes.com

Don't just habit your day away

Motivation gets you going, discipline keeps you growing  (from the Law of Consistency). I looked this morning to see what I'd be covering in a Lunch & Learn today, and you know.....things happen for a purpose and I don't believe in coincidences.

Before I read the lesson, I was in a blah blah mood. Going through the motions, not motivated. Dragging. And then, just reading that title (and having read/taught this chapter 8-10 times), and in a heartbeat, the thoughts about goals vs growth, motivation vs discipline came on and BAM!!
 
Great chapter. My favorite.

Discipline keeps you growing (and going I guess?). Discipline...choices....discipline is about making choices to off-set habits; choices of hope, growth, widening my SOI, thinking into my results.....choices. Make choices, stepping out of my comfort zone....understanding that the fear of change isn't real, but only a product of my conditioning..

Discipline, making choices, understanding, stepping out.

To that end....make choices, don't just habit your day away.

I love these kind of calls....

I love these kind of calls..

“Danny, I just signed a contract that I would not have gotten if I hadn’t been in your program and decided I was tired of wasting handshakes.

Heck, until I took your program I wasn’t even aware that I was wasting them!”

Choice #10 - Hope

Choice #11 - Clarity and Simplicity

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Posted in Reading Blog: Click here

Hope and tasks; a strong combination.

What causes me to miss goals?

You're correct if you said 1. Not putting In the Time, bad Attitude, lack of Skill, not enough Knowlwdge and/or a Style problem.

Or, if I have these T.A.S.K.S. in order and just didn't have HOPE. 

Hope overcomes the real obstacles. With hope I have a sense of victory and will drive through the doubts and that subconscious gremlin that's doing everything it can to shut me down.

With HOPE I can

- find the Time

- improve my Attitude

- develop the Skill

- improve my Knowledge

Thinking before circumstances

So much truth in this.....

"Men are anxious to improve circumstances yet unwilling to improve themselves, they therefore remain bound." - James Allen in "As A Man Thinketh" 

I see a lot of new processes, systems, techniques and gadgets (circumstances)...but as another wise man said.., 

"If we don't spend at least as much time improving our thinking as those processes, systems, techniques and gadgets, we'll wonder about our lack." 


#ChooseAheadOfOpportunities

Why do businesses fail?

When we start are business, we're excited, we have dreams...we're at a certain place. And we start running. 

And our business is behind us. 

We're out in front, leading. 

Over time, the natural tendency is for our business to catch up with us. 

Eventually, if we let it, it will surpass us and we will struggle to keep up. If we even can.

But our business needs us to lead. It needs us to run out in front. Without the leadership, both will fail. But we can't lead if we aren't growing, building.

To lead well...to truly lead, we must build our selves out in front. We must grow at a faster pace than our business. The business person's success is dependent on his or her personal development being in a constant state of increase.

Our PERSONAL development must stay ahead of our business in order for it to be successful.

To that end....

Danny

512-773-6528

www.ImpactInnerCircleMastermind.com

Laying it all down...thinking about September's paycheck

I know, it's not all about money, but some things are.

1.      How much are you going to make on your September paycheck?

2.      Where do you “think” that business is going to come from? 

Think about that…what RESULTS do you want?

Think into those results with I.M.P.A.C.T....

What IDEAS do you have about getting those results?

MEDITATE (pray) on your ideas, the results you want.

PROPOSE QUESTIONS to yourself about the choices, behaviors, actions, causes and circumstances that could bring about those results.

ANALYZE/ACT - how it’s work for you in the past. What did you do right? Wrong? What needs to change? Do something even if it’s wrong (anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you can learn to do it right!)

CONQUER the gremlins! We all have them. What negative talk to you have going on in your head? What are you saying when you talk to yourself? Fight the demons..the gremlins!

TRANSCRIBE (journal) your thoughts…your ideas…the results you want.

To that end....

Excuses are like....

Excerpts from Jim Collins' small booklet Good to Great and The Social Sectors...page 28-29

The # 1 best-performing investment in the universe of American public companies (according to Money Magazine) over a 30 year period, 1972 to 2002 was Southwest Airlines. A $10,000 investment in 1972 would have returned more that $10 million in 2007.

Yet, the airline industry remained one of the worst imaginable....Airline executives have habitually blamed industry circumstances.

What if the people at Southwest had said, "Hey, we can't do anything great until we fix the systemic constraints facing the airline industry."?

Think about that...

- the airline industry was thought to be in shambles

- Southwest Airlines literally SOARED during the same period.

Why?

The executives at Southwest had different thoughts.

That's it.

To that end..........


Danny
512-773-6528
www.ImpactInnerCircleMastermind.com

What drives me to be more productive?

Michael Hyatt asked that question on his blog this morning. 

Great question....What drives me to be more productive?

- promises. I've committed to getting something done. 

- deadlines. 

- desires, wants, dreams (I'm barely tempted to say goals....which might be another ponder - why don't goals drive me?)

- innate drive to just do something, even if it's wrong. Mostly start something.

At 59 years old, I'm more aware of finishing and that this starting thing can be a distraction, but not always. 

Michael also asked.....Did you start this week running toward the goal or away from the wolf? 

As I've become more dependent on God, not so much the wolf these days. And, that's something I'm praying, studying and thinking into....to get out of the way and depend on Him. 

To that end.....

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Taking small bites

My "focus choice" this week has been #13 - "to take small bites."

- stay engaged in the 6 things

- look for small things to do

- be quick, be bright, be gone

- sweat the small stuff

- think into the results in ways that matter RIGHT NOW

Reflecting back into the week and it's all good. I'm surprised how calm and relaxed I was (am) considering the way some things played out. 

That's not to say that a bit of choice #3, evaluation & correction, won't show some needs, but this was a week I'm glad I wasn't trying some really big things. 

To that end..... 

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Everything needs a platform

A good study of marketing will bring about the use of "platforms" in your processes.

The best, the very best, platform is a blog. When people come into your internet world, it's your blog they eventually land on. When someone clicks on your profile in Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest or any other social media, they should land on your very purposeful thought-out platform - your BLOG.

Click to continue reading....

5 years from today

I've mentioned this Ziglar quotes hundreds of times....

"You'll be the same 5 years from today, as you are today, except for what you listen to - who you associate with - what you read."

I don't care who you are....we're all growing in some direction. 

Looking back, I can tell I'm growing well because of where and with whom I'm spending my time. 

With who and what are you spending your time? 

It matters. 

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Margins for problems

Margins are the space needed to stay sane.

Sometimes it's not enough to just not add something else to your plate. Sometimes what's already there grows and you have to stop doing something you're already doing.

Confusion, frustration and quit will set in otherwise. Margins. Evaluation. Correction.

Seize the DAY! Go-get-it. PERIOD

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some level of failure is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failure unless you live so cautiously that you might not have lived at all. It which case you've failed by default.

- Best selling author of "Harry Potter" Mrs. J.K. Rowling


...what is most important is that you have to dig deep down, deep deep down, and decide who you want to be. Not what, but WHO.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

What's my purpose of using a CRM?

The people in my SOI (sphere of influence) is my BIGGEST asset. Thus, the PURPOSE of my CRM is manage my biggest asset.

To clarify....a CRM is a Contact Management System and I personally don't like the term CRM, but it is the most common term for a Contract Relationship Management "system." Maybe I need to coin the term CRMS, or CMS.....I do like to start things.

God's Concern

Two great thoughts shared with me the past few days -

"I contend George Washington's greatest leadership moment was the time he spent on his knees praying." - shared by John P Griffin in his speech at CBLG last week. 

"The key to Jesus' leadership was the relationship he had with his Father." - Blackaby, in his book "Spiritual Leadership"

Two fantastic thoughts, and then I come to this....

"God's concern is not to advance leaders' dreams and goals or to build their kingdoms." page 30, Spiritual Leadership

repost from Practicing Christianity blog

Thinking In The Box

Perceived Threats

I hear some things and they just CLICK. They fall instantly in place. Click - A perfect fit.

That's the sound I heard when mentor Ed DeCosta talked recently about selling and "perceived threats."

Click. Wow. Powerful.

He pointed out that when we're selling people have their defenses up. They know we're trying to get money and that in itself is reason to feel the threat. But there are other factors going on.

Practice what you preach

What, trouble practicing what you preach?

- Cathy Smith

That was her response to something I said. I don't remember what she was answering, but I do remember thinking "huh?"

This morning though, in a bit of frustration, I remembered her comment and then what I'd taught (preached?) in a class

When you're frustrated, stop and back-up into confusion

E-Myth Mastermind Group

I apologize for the redirect. We sent out the wrong link in the announcement this morning. 

You can find the mastermind information at www.impactinnercirclemastermind.com

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people build themselves ahead of their business."

Staying on Purpose (a past post that still applies)

        Do you think back? A bit of reflecting and I came across this July, 2010, post. 

It still applies.....

Staying on purpose is hard to do in this age of emails, blogs, Google and Wikipedia. I remember when the fax machine relieved stress, but now, we all want what we want and we want it....NOW.

Critical Choice #5

You've got to choose to have the right support and higher expertise

- Choice #2

Having the right support includes being accountable to the right person. Accountability is a strange discipline. Having the RIGHT accountability is a matter of respect and trust in the accountability "role." The role is held by someone that cares for you and is truly interested in helping you raise your lid.

Critical Choice #4

You've got to choose to have a Robust Evaluation and Correction System

- Critical Choice #3

Every morning, this is the robust part (every morning), I spend 2-5 minutes looking back through yesterday's emails, phone history, calendar and 6 thing list (part of the system). The purpose is to think about what I did, didn't do and the results.

I always intend this to be a quick and painless process, but it's not always.

Regurgitation is still good

Reminded of this from 2012. A few bumps in the road lately and it does me good to to reflect on past problems and they're eventually triumphs...........

Sometimes you just can't be original, and that's OK. Today, I'm hung up in Swindol's commentary on Nehemiah, Hand Me Another Brick and Maxwell's Law of Navigation.

Same subject. Recognition of a problem, praying, reflecting, planning, re-purposing, pursuing.

There are some problems we just take a deep breath and FIDO (forget it drive on). Other problems seem too familiar and we know we've been here before. These are times we don't need to waste the struggle.

Instead, don't just sail the ship....chart a better course.

To that end.......

John Maxwell on "Relentless"

Thank you John for a perfect word for me today.

To that end.....!

Do I know why I want to do what I want to do?

Do you know why you want to do what you would like to do?

This is the motives question - John C. Maxwell in

The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth

I enjoy repeating some things. A good book is one of them. A discussion about a good book is like adding a creamy frosting to an already delicious cake. A discussion with a really engaging individual is like adding Blue Bell Moolinium ice cream.

Coming back to clutter

Maybe I'm moving from discliplines to habits?

I've been moving pretty fast and hard the past few weeks and this morning I noticed that I'm much more organized! Meaning, there's less clutter all around me.

That's much better than back in 2012 when I wrote the following post -

The Power of Procrastination, part 3 of 5

Procrastination Self-Assessment

Indicate the degree to which YOU agree with the statement by entering the number that best describes you; 4-Stongly Agree, 3-Agree, 2-Disagree, 1-Strongly Disagree

__________  I work best when I am under pressure.

__________  I get a lot of things done when I'm up against a deadline.

__________  I don't start things well.

__________  I'm easily distracted.

The Power of Procrastination, part 2 of 5

In part 1 I talked about some of the reasons people procrastinate. Here's a tip to STOP procrastinating -

Tell yourself good stories.

Be aware of what you're saying to yourself. Procrastination is a learned behavior and is reinforced by what we say to our self and our environment. We create our environment.

More Quick tips -

1. Go through the list in part 1 and identify the real reason for procrastinating

2. Find the right accountability partner (Achieving Great Results Choice #5)

2/22/2014 - Be World Famous

The Power of Procrastination, part 1 of 5

We all procrastinate. Fundamentally, procrastination is a decision one makes, consciously or unconsciously, to delay getting into action due to some underlying roadblock, diversion, fear or concern.

Some people are naturally starters while others are finishers. In either case, procrastination can cause problems. Persistent procrastination can drain one’s energy and result in nagging feelings of guilt, diminished self-confidence, missed opportunities and anxiety. 

Reality, thinking, changing

I've come across some interesting numbers the past few months (you can Google for many references)...

- we receive 20,000 bits of data per day through what we see and hear. That's more in one week than someone in 1900 received in a lifetime.

- we have 60,000 thoughts per day.

- 90% of our thoughts are repetitive.

Whether you ask for it or not, who gives you advice?

Your potential is determined by those closest to you - John Maxwell

We all have an inner circle of people who impact us (good or bad). 

We also have "spheres of influence" and we should be very careful about how we allow them to blend together. 

I've learned to be intentional and mindful of who I let impact me on a continuous basis (inner circle). I'm influenced regularly by things that go on around me, but I want to limit that impact as much as possible. 

How do you look?

When you change the way you look at people, 

the people you look at change - Wayne Dyer

That's an incredible statement "When you change the way you look at people, the people you look at change."

Think about it....I change the way I look at people and they change! Isn't that GREAT.

If I want people to change, I just need to change the way I look at them.

What a great lesson.

To that end....start looking at people differently.

Potential

1. Write the word on a piece of paper
2. Put a question mark after it
3. Leave it laying where you can see it every day

What is your potential?

What self-limiting belief is keeping you from moving towards your potential?

What to do when goal setting doesn't work - Part 3

Putting my thoughts and practices about goal setting into writing hasn't been easy! Especially since I really can't stand "goal-setting." 

But, as we all (should) know, goal-setting works. For me, it's the small goals, the things-I-get-done-today that is the most important. Not tomorrow (there's a Bible verse about that). Not yesterday (other than a quick review, evaluation and correction). 

Three questions people are asking about you

You can't make the other fellow feel important in

your presence if you secretly feel that he is a nobody.

- Les Giblin, former National Salesman of the Year

In the critical read Everyone Communicates, Few Connect author and leadership expert John Maxwell tells the reader (pages 37 to 42)...

"You must be able to communicate that attitude of selflessness. How do you do that? I believe you do it by answering three questions that people always ask themselves when interacting with others.....

1. Do you care for me?

2. Can you help me?

3. Can I trust you?"

Today's Word is Laughter

6 Things, Just 6 Things.

Hello, this is Danny Smith and it's a GREAT DAY. You're listening to the LET's Start Something Podcast.

For months, every Monday morning at 8am sharp this salesman would come to Andrew Carnegie's office asking for an appointment. This was in the 1800s and that's what salesmen did, showed up asking for an appointment. Every time, for months and months, the steel tycoon's secretary would turn him away. 

Using The Law of Process to achieve goals

Why do many goals never come about and others not sustain? 

In our lunch and learn this week we'll begin a series to dig into this matter. Every goal starts with an idea and any idea that's different from what we've accomplished in the past is in conflict with what our subconscious believes to be our reality. And there the trouble begins. 

What to do when goal setting doesn't work - Part 2

I love to start things, to come up with new ideas and think into the results I want from those ideas, these "dreams." 

Finishing. I like finishing also. Finishing gives me a sense of relief and energy and satisfaction. It's all that stuff in the middle that gives me problems. I don't do that well at all and regularly have to start getting things done in the middle.

What to do when goal setting doesn't work - Part 1

If goal setting works well for you, stop reading. If not, maybe I can help you just-a-bit. I don’t like goals. I don’t like them because I don’t do goals well and when I don’t do something well I feel like a failure and I don’t like to feel like a failure. I also don’t like to keep doing something over and over again and goal setting just isn’t something that’s sustainable. For me. But I need to set goals. I know I do, so I set daily goals. Small goals. Nothing past today is called a goal. You might think this is just a play on words, and maybe it is but “what you say to yourself matters.” That’s a take on Shad Helmstetter’s book What To Say When You Talk To Yourself.

Stop it, just STOP IT!

13.5 Million Acorns in Your Hand

By Scott M. Fay

Author, Discover Your Sweet Spot 

In order to build my organizations, I first needed to build myself. And in order to build myself, I needed to create an environment conducive to growth.

Think about it. As humans, space is essential. For starters, we take up space.

But more than that, we also design space, build space, and even maintain space. In landscaping, we intentionally utilize space with a specific purpose in mind. But too often when leading ourselves and those around us, we unintentionally permit a space that sabotages our potential.

Thoughts

What are you saying when you talk to yourself? This morning, how have your conversations with YOU been?

Have good conversations with yourself. Ask questions that are focused on "I," and begin with "what" or "where." Don't asked "they, why and when" questions.

Be purposeful.

Danny L. Smith
512-773-6528

"The top 1% of successful entrepreneurs build themselves ahead of their business."

A baby's hug

A story from an unknown author -

"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.

Anticipation: a word filled with hope, life and excitement

Thanks John. A great word for Christmas Eve.

Bringing HOPE into my thoughts

I used to read a lot of woodworking magazines and remember one story about how this former corporate exec turned woodworker (for profit) prioritized his day.

He wrote, "I always have numerous builds going on, from small repairs to large tables, bookcases, etc. And, I never really know what I'm going to work on that day until I get my 2nd cup of coffee, walk across the yard and open that door to m...y shop. Sometimes the anticipation is overwhelming!"

What an awesome way to start your day. Huh? I don't have "quite" that freedom. Do you?

Maybe we do.

I bet this guy had a lot of HOPE. I bet he intended to win, was always sensing victory.

Go into today with anticipation. Think about the day you have and bring HOPE into your thoughts.

Can HOPE be a discipline?

Follow-through. The energy it takes to work your database can be exhausting for many of us. 

In a lunch and learn yesterday we were discussing the differences in being "victory vs defeated" focused/oriented (the overall subject was "hope").

This morning, thinking about my database, how I haven't been near as diligent in my practice to "never-waste-a-handshake," I realized, in the context of the lesson I taught from Maxwell's book "Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn," that maybe I don't have enough HOPE. 

Treating everyone fairly and justly...

Traditional marketing focuses on the masses, treating everyone the same. 

Guerrilla marketing treats everyone fairly and justly by treating everyone differently. 

Guerrilla marketers come to understand and practice win/win relationships.  

Guerrilla marketers think about their prospect's behavior and how to best relate with them. If you, the marketer, have a High D temperament, but your  prospect is a High C, your marketing "output" is naturally different that your prospects "input." You tend to be direct, to the point. You want to move through the process and get it finished so you can move on. Your High C prospect wants details, details and more details. The High C wants time to think through the details, ask questions and insure he gets good answers. 

If haven't taken a DISC assessment in the past year and would like to learn more about your temperament, email me at Danny@DannyLSmith.com for a link to a free online DISC.  

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"The top 1% of successful entrepreneurs build themselves ahead of their business."

Goal setting; are you willing to dig into the tasks?

Thinking about 2014. Success will be great deal about digging in and through

Time, Attitude, Skill, and Knowledge...with a bit of Style.

What are you willing to do differently to have something different?

Keller on Community & the Millennial Generation

Community is a big thing to the younger generation, but then, I suppose it is to many of us in one way or another. Keller points out how it has to move from the social media to more face-to-face.

Yet, many of us in the older generations can take a lesson on how community is built on-line.

Click below for a bit of Keller's wisdom (love this guy)...



To that end......

7 Essential Behaviors for Leaders

Pondering previous postings....from 8/22/2011 -

Bossidy and Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done is an excellent book for small businesses and teaches fundamentals of GETTING THINGS DONE. This book is one of those I pound out at clients, covertly and otherwise :-), to improve their processes. The authors lay out the argument of 3 Building Blocks and then 3 Core Processes of Execution.

These factors are especially important for the small business* person and his/her intentional focus on results.

Building Block #1: The Leader's Seven Essential behaviors

1. Know your people and your business 
2. Insist on realism
3. Set clear goals and priorities
4. Follow through
5. Reward doers
6. Expand people's capabilities
7. Know yourself

Four core qualities that make up emotional fortitude are authenticity, self-awareness, self-mastery and humility. 

To that end....be purposeful, be intentional.

 *I define small business as any entity (division, branch, company, sales) under 100 people; this includes individual sales people, loan officers, Realtors, etc.

Related Articles 

Marketing's Three Building Blocks of Execution

Missing Link(s)..or Broken?

Thoughts on....

A couple of thoughts have come together this morning, and they haven't, so-to-say, "crashed." But have rather been slow moving burn.

1. I've been thinking more and more about how Potential lies within me and Opportunity lies outside; and without uncovering the potential, opportunities will be missed.

2. Jordan, a loan officer on my sales team, asked for a book I'd recommend him reading; my instant thought was "QBQ; The Question Behind the Question." That was a couple of days ago and I've had thoughts around the content, what to really ask yourself to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination."

I think it's time to revisit the QBQ principles and dig deeper into how asking the right questions (what, how and where...not why and when) will help me be more aware of my potential and be able to fully take advantage of my opportunities!

That's a good burn.


Danny L. Smith
512-773-6528

"The top 1% of successful entrepreneurs build themselves ahead of their business."

Credibility 1st, then Behavior

Trust is a "core competency." In this video Mr. Covey tells us a bit about how trust plays out in the marketplace.



How creditable is your character and your competence? Both matter.

Learn more about ways to speed up your trust, lower your expenses and raise your profits at our weekly Lunch & Learn series: click here for more information.

What I believe about Mission, Vision, Purpose and Calling

Definitions can be confusing. Here's how I use Mission, Vision, Purpose and Calling:

 - Mission is what I'm going to do "period-the-end." It has nothing to do with money or position. Mission doesn't change without a life changing event. Mission, along with values, is one's core ideology.

- Vision is my desires, plans and goals. It is "where I see myself in 'x' days, months or years." Vision can change.

- Purpose is how I am to serve God's plan for me. I serve God's purpose through faith. As a follower of Christ (a Christian) my life has purpose, the work I do has purpose, beyond just being happy and making money. It is with this purpose I serve His plan. I don't always have a good grip on the plan, but I know I'm to serve Him through His purpose.

- Calling is how "I'm called according to God's purpose." Calling is what I do individually to fit into God's purpose.

Pondering these this morning have led me to really realize that two can be easily summerized, two not.

Lord, what other questions do I need to ponder, to clarify? Not necessarily the answers right now, but what questions?

To that end..........I pray I truly come to understand my purpose and my calling, few do.