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'USELETTER' for May 2013 below:
I have re-written this month's 'Useletter' 5 times!
The first 4 attempts were admittedly a little negative, due to the global events that took place in May, and me trying to make sense of it all. Then I stumbled across one of my favourite sayings by an unknown author:
Do not wait for ideal circumstances nor for the best opportunities; they will never come. Go look for them!
So simple, yet so powerful! Hence this month's 'Useletter' has now found a new direction. I am tired of waiting for the world to change! I am tired of everyone waiting for the right circumstances! Screw that! I am going to make it happen, I am going to stand up and be heard. I am going to be that change!
It all starts with me/you! Are you going to continually let yourself be manipulated and conditioned to be negative, or are you going to take responsibility for your life and take the first step yourself?
It's not that difficult! Really! Many of us have heard opportunity knocking at our door, but by the time we have dressed, combed our hair, unhooked the chain, pushed back the bolt, turned two locks, and shut off the burglar alarm - it was gone. Stop waiting! Stop making excuses! Make that positive change now!
Wow... that was a mouthful and in reality, all much easier said than done! Or is it? Firstly, check out my Free Quick Tip video on Patience by clicking here, as I believe patience is a big part of thinking straight and keeping a positive mind-set. In fact there are so many topics I can cover, that this 'Useletter' could become a book. Thus in the interest of keeping it short, positive and effective, I will spend the next few months covering individual topics to help you find the strength and skills to take action and live the life you deserve.
Is there really an economic recession - or is this just another lie that governments and the media are shoving down our throats to keep everyone in check? No I am not a conspiracy theorist! I am a realist! The most awesome part of my job is that I travel and often end up speaking in countries and places that aren't affected by the negative media that most of us are burdened with on a daily basis. In fact I also end up in places where people have nothing, yet they smile and they have passion for life and go out of their way to close a deal. They don't have complex corporate policy directives on how to sell, or how to make bottom line profits – they just go by their gut and they have passion!
I applaud such people. Look at our lives; look at your colleagues, family and friends - how many have passion? As a speaker, my focus is always on storytelling, as I believe through stories and experiences we can all learn and grow. Hence I would like this first lesson to come from a true story that my wife and I experienced back in the 80's. To this day, no matter what anyone throws at us, no matter how tough they say the economy is, we both always remind ourselves of this one story; and it's amazing how the passion flourishes.
This is a story on selling. You may not think you are a sales person, but in reality, each and every one of us is. In everything we do in our daily lives, we are selling. Whether it is to seek favour with our partner, or whether we want our kids to do the dishes, we are forever going through a sales and negotiation process in order to achieve an outcome that makes us happy. Part of being unhappy is losing that skill to do this properly, and hence not achieving all the outcomes we desire.
The best sales skills I ever learnt were in Turkey, in Kusadesi. My wife and I were working on a Cunard cruise ship called the Vistafjord. It had docked in Kusadesi and we were doing the typical tourist thing of window shopping. As we entered the main street, a young chap asked us where we were from. I wasn't going to say Germany, USA or England, as these were the majority of tourists that made up the passengers on the ship. So I said that we were from Cape Town. I must add that at the time, very few South African's travelled, so it was a curve ball I had thrown to put him off bothering us.
Guess what? He replied, “Wow, what a great place, I was there last year and have photos, plus I have a bottle of Zonnebloem Gewurztraminer from the Cape Winelands.” I didn't expect that answer! Having lived in the UK for many years and yearning for some Cape wine I took him up on the challenge and replied, “Prove it!”
He took us into a leather store, and pulled out a photo album of himself in Cape Town. We started chatting, relaxed and a connection started forming. His name was Apollo. Then he brought out the bottle of Zonnebloem Gewurztraminer and there we were, in Turkey, drinking South African wine and reminiscing about Cape Town with a perfect stranger. At the time there was no Internet. In fact fax machines had just become the rage. Working on a ship, communication with home was infrequent and expensive. At one point Apollo even insisted we send a fax home from his office, for free!
As I took the last sip of wine, Apollo looked at me and said, “I have a great leather jacket to show you.” How's that for timing? To cut a long story short, both my wife and I ordered a tailor made leather suit each which we picked up 2 weeks later. Apollo became a good friend and to this day, Benny's Leather shop will always hold a special memory for me in Kusadesi.
What's the moral of the story?
Apollo could have sat inside the store and waited for his customers to come inside. How much business would he have done? Instead, he stood out in the street and spoke to potential customers walking past the store. Furthermore he informed himself about different people and cultures and could say, “Hello, how are you?” in about 20 languages! As part of his training he visited differed cultures and countries with the aim of understanding how they think. He genuinely was a people's person.
When we were (for want of a better word) enticed into his shop and started connecting with him, what had he achieved? Trust! He made us feel comfortable. He questioned us about our needs. He knew enough about us to realise we worked on a ship and didn't have much contact with home - hence the free fax. He found out we had been away from home for many years - hence the free wine! He also knew that leather was expensive in our country and hence he focused on offering us a good deal.
Today many people complain of tough times. Why? Here's my answer... people stopped taking responsibility for their own lives! Everything revolves around them! It's only once you start opening your eyes and ears and finding out what other people need and want, that you realise how much opportunity exists out there. Back to my original quote: Do not wait for ideal circumstances nor for the best opportunities; they will never come. Go look for them!
That's why I have huge respect for the Turkish. Everywhere I went in Turkey, people stood outside their shops and tried to pull me in. I never once saw someone sitting inside with a sad face saying, “Feel sorry for me, come support me!”
They took responsibility, went out and looked for the best opportunities. They did NOT sit on their butts and complain about life and everything around them! They found out about other people and cultures. They made an effort to connect and build trust.
There are 3 types of people in the world today:
1.) those that make things happen,
2.) those that watch things happen
3.) those that have no idea anything happened at all!
Which are you! Get up and start making a difference!
FREE seminar 27 May Cape Town Durbanville Golf Club 19h00 - 20h00. Due to an unprecedented demand I have decided to offer another free seminar at the end of the month as part of my commitment to follow by example and practice what I preach. The theme will be, 'Potato Wedges for the Heart' (which is also the title of my new book!) and consists of various anecdotes and stories to bring across life changing messages and skills. It's a first come basis and seats are limited. RSVP by 22.05. Click here to email your reservation.
Free Magic Tricks: On a completely different note. I launched a website for adults and children alike on learning easy magic tricks. It's a work in progress and more tricks will be added over the next few weeks. It's funky – it's fun – check it out at www.wizardsrus.com.
Entrepreneur 'X' Factor: Some of you know that I am a Sage with Rock Your Life and they will be presenting their X-Factor in Johannesburg http://xfactor2013jburg.eventbrite.com on 27 May and in Cape Town http://xfactor2013ctown.eventbrite.com on 31 May. If you visit the links and want to book, quote xfactor010.