Increase Sales

Here is the cheapest and most effective way to increase sales that I know of in today's uncertainty.

Today write every customer you have a hand written note that says something like this:

In today's chaos and uncertainty in the marketplace, is there anything I can do to help you?

Some will
Some won't
So what...

The return on this small investment is incredible. Plus, doesn't it beat sitting at your desk doing nothing but thinking negative and doom/gloom? I would think so....

Part of the solution in today's business world is DOING STUFF...but yet so many are stuck in ruts doing absolutely nothing but focusing on the negative. That won't fix anything. Start with your customers and help them. In return, they will help you....by a multiplier of at least 5!

Never forget!

Yesterday was truly a remarkable, historic event, when these words were said: "I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear ..." Regardless of your political views, there can be no argument that yesterday the landscape of America changed for the better and forever.

But in the middle of all this history, I took a step back and thought about the fact that yesterday we changed Presidents from rivalry political parties. And throughout this amazing process, not once single ounce of blood was shed. I teared up.

Even with all the uncertainty and chaos, let us never forget or take for granted that we live in the best country ever created. I thank you Jesus for that.

Martin Luther King

Happy 80th Birthday Dr. King! Thank you for changing the world.

Note To Self

This feels like me speaking to me.

Today's 10

1. Do It Now Mindset. Why wait? Top producers, Top Companies have a can-do spirit and everything is in the NOW....I love that type of thinking and action. In fact, I am so inspired to write our companies Do It Now Items today.
2. The "secret sauce" to American Idol and this legacy of domination....we all think we could be the judges! We all sit on our couches and judge the contestants and we think we could be and even should be on the panel along side Simon.
3. I learn more from my kids than nearly all other sources....my 4 year old Teddy to his Dad: "Stop hurrying all the time"...can I get an Amen? PROFOUND! How many of you need this same masterpiece of advice?
4. Austin TX...Haven't worn a winter coat yet! Enough said...
5. I don't get big monster square footage homes. Why? Really when you think about it...why? Anything over 5K square feet to me is totally insane. Just more to mess up and have to clean up. Even if you have the cash...why?
6. There are people setting records in the marketplace today! Always keep that in the front part of your mind...It's all about Attitude!
7. DVR is like owning a time machine. Great invention!
8. I love to dream about, think about, pray about, write about these two words: What's Next? Those two words get my so jacked up about my life and my life's work (potential)
9. Meet some great folks today at a speech for Prudential. I love meeting people that just flat out "get it".
10. Live in the Now...Live in the is and not the was....Look at the windshield and not the rear-view mirror of your life.

Objectiveness

Look...the closer we are to something the more objectiveness we lose. The things closest to us in our life, we lose all sense of being objective. Example: If the neighbor kid messes up, then he is just a bad kid. But if it's our kid that does the exact same mess up, then it's just a phase or isolated incident. We lose all objectiveness.

I do this all the time; especially with my kids. I can't see things objectively with my kids. Just can't do it. With my sons:

• I ignore
• I turn my head
• I rationalize
• I justify
• I excuse
• I make excuses

I love them so much that I really can't see objectively the issues (especially their faults). That is why I have to seek outside opinions. We ask others all the time to help us in objectively looking at our kids. We ask teachers, the church, our family, friends to help us objectively look at our kids and how we are raising them.

Well, the same is true with your businesses and life. You can't see the things I can because you are too close to them. We like to say that our clients are in the bottle and as such, they can't read the label of their own bottle. But we, not being as close, can objectively and very clearly read the label on the bottle. We provide this objectiveness that is so needed to be successful in the marketplace.

Every successful person or company has this objectiveness. You just can't improve without it. So make sure you have some solid objectiveness on your business.

I don't get it....

There are just some things in this world that I don't get. I just don't understand:

• owning an exotic snake
• rice cakes
• all sci-fi
• mullets
• Marilyn Manson or anything Gothic
• monster trucks
• bull riding
• bubble baths

One of the other things I just don't get is staying in a job you hate. Now in real life; how much sense does that really make? Statistically, we spend more time at work than we do our homes but yet so many people I talk to actually hate their jobs. I don't get it. It's like saying: You know, I love being miserable so I am going to stay in a place that really fulfills my need for misery. Stupid. Example: I was talking to a realtor the other day that needed some help. Her results were suffering so I asked her to tell me what she liked most about her job. Her reply: I really don't like real estate and I hate selling. Hmmm. And I wonder why her results are suffering?

I know it's a tough economy but still; that's no reason to stay in a job you hate. There are many wonderful jobs out there. And even better, there are many super jobs out there working for great companies that treat the employees awesome. Where are those companies and how do I get those jobs? Those great companies don't advertise for employees....they don't have to. Everyone wants to work for them so they are constantly getting great applications without even advertising. You get those jobs by networking! Ask people; pay attention; read; listen for those types of jobs.

Bottom line: Get out of the job you hate today. Find a job you love. Find a company you love. And when you do this, you will never work another day in your life. And that is something I do get!

Limitations are healthy

One of the most dangerous things on the planet is a lack of limitations. Having no limitations is an absolute receipt for destruction. Most of us know this but yet we don't practice setting limits in our life. In real life, we hate having limits set. Look at professional athletes; many of them don't set limits and the results are stinky.

• TO...not limits on his mouth
• Mike Tyson...no limits on his money
• Chad Johnson...no limits on his ego part II
• MLB and steroids...no limits on discipline

Since I am a new parent, let me look at my two sons. I set limits on my kids all the time. Without limits, can you imagine the results? We limit:

• Hours awake (my son Teddy has a high motor and if up to him, this 4 year old may never go to bed)
• TV (Thankfully we don't watch much TV...in fact if up to Teddy; he would be outside or playing 24/7). But we are mindful of how much TV they get.
• Junk Food (we are not as good as we should be but we do watch this...again thankfully, my sons would rather have corn in a can than ice cream...weird I know)
• Toys...we simply need to clean house and drop the hammer in this area!

Setting Limits: This is hard work and I am knee deep right now but I know the payoff is going to be huge. I am going through all areas of my life and business and setting limits (or recognizing that in the future I need to address it). Why am I doing this? Because setting limits forces me to make choices! It's these choices that we make that make us. Without limits, a person doesn't need to make any choices. And that is dangerous. Life is choices.

• Good choices = Good life
• Sloppy choices = Sloppy life
• Lazy choices = Lazy life

I am working on setting these limits that forces me to make choices. And by going through these "push-ups" the next step is to identify the critical things. Identifying the critical things or what I call Master Targets, allows us to accomplish the meaningful things in life. Things I am addressing:

1. Limit emails (and checking emails)
2. Limit computer time
3. Limit clutter (home and office)
4. Limit distractions...focus on one priority at a time
5. Limit "noise" in work and home

More to come on this but the key is to recognize the importance of limitations and how healthy they are....and then start identifying the areas where you need limitations.

Today we can really see character defined

You know...I am a firm believer that people really define themselves in times of adversity. It's in the tough times that you truly find out what a person has in terms of guts. In today's marketplace, with all this uncertainty, you find out exactly what's under-the-hood of the leaders and businesses.

Today, we can really see character defined.

Heck, when times are good, of course; everyone is a pleasure to be around, people are generous; people are kind; smiles and laughter all over the place. But what about when times are tough? Here is what I am seeing (not always but far too much):

• Panic
• Paralysis and no action (zero execution)
• Rudeness
• Stingy
• Unmotivated

Sad. Really sad.

But there is good news. There are some leaders, businesses and people out there that even in the darkest moments, raise above and just make a huge positive difference. Those folks just get it done in this life (no matter what the environment looks like). I love being around those folks! Here is some bullet points of how leaders in times of crisis think and behave:

• Positive. Always.
• Do it now mindset
• Why not? thinking.
• Fully understanding they learn more in tough times rather than good times
• Embrace adversity
• Be more generous
• Treat others even better
• Serve others even more

What to do? Find those positive people and surround yourself with them. If negative, get yourself fixed by intentionally getting a check up from the neck up. Understand that in today's tough times, you really are defined. Define yourself today. You can make the choice: Go Positive and make a huge impact and difference or Go Negative and be just like the many and the media.

But understand you have to make the choice. And the choice you make defines you. It's just that simple.

Mind blowing to me

20 years!

It's been twenty years since I graduated from high school. It really doesn't seem possible. When I think about how fast time goes by, I am reminded of the awesome advice of Marie Wagner (Kelly's Grandma) who says: It's later than you think! This is profound in it's simplicity and deep wisdom.

It is really hard for me to grasp the fact that I have been on earth for 38 years. But I got to tell you this; I can't wait for the next 20 years! I really feel I am just getting started. I have huge plans and things I need to contribute by the time I hit 58.

Time goes by fast; we all know that. And the way I look at this is I have one shot at this thing called Life....I need to make a difference and have an impact. I can't wait and procrastinate. I need to make sure every single day I am improving, advancing, and making a difference. Why such the urgency? Because the next thing I will know, I will be 58 and 20 more years will have flown by.

Time goes by and the clock goes tick tock..tick tock...tick tock and I have no say in that. I have no Life time outs. Given that, my choice is to let my life and time go by and just sort of "live" without paying much attention....or I can grasp every day and intentionally make a difference (or try to) and live with a purpose.

My decision is to live intentionally and try to make a huge positive impact. I have been working hard on this (intentional and purposeful living) for the last 5 years. And still, I am not even close to where I want to be; I have so much work left. But I do see progress and that keeps me going and fired up!

Someone the other day asked me about living from a vision and how all that works. Here are some bullet points I offered:

• It's hard work. It's painful at times
• You must deeply understand Time (how to use it, what it means, never take for granted)
• Every single day is an opportunity and a gift that can not be wasted
• Simply: Pay Attention! There are so many awesome things and people but you have to pay attention in life to find them
• Get used to being on the Road Less Traveled (or sometimes in my case the Road Never Traveled)
• Your decisions will not make sense to most people. You will not have many people thinking you are making good choices
• Huge sacrifices need to be made (we have come to love Mac and Cheese!)
• It takes some time to see progress (but that doesn't mean it's not there)
• Once you see progress, there is some serious adrenaline that kicks in
• There is absolutely NO BETTER WAY TO LIVE!

I can't wait for the next 20 years!

Are you ready for 2009?

“Are you ready for 2009?”

I my line of work, I find nearly all businesses are using the “Hope Plan” as their core strategy. The hope plan goes something like this:

I hope will have a profit this year
I hope traffic increases
I hope the good employees will stay
I hope the new product sells
I hope this year will be better
I hope the economy gets better and we can survive

The Hope Plan does not work. Instead, you need a solid strategy that is well thought out and has a high probability of success. The best NFL football teams don’t just go out on Sunday and hope a series of plays work. Instead they study for hours and hours each week and develop a game plan that has a high probability for success. Then they go out and execute the plan!

So if you are serious this year and want to make progress, then here are some tips on how you can start this progress.


1. Quantification! You need to define what the KRA (Key Result Areas) are. Once you define the KRA, the next step is to TRACK the performance in those areas. It is a absolute must to know where you are actually at; and what you actually did last month, last quarter and last year. With a consistent accuracy you must know your averages and trends in the key result areas. In key results areas, you need your total for the year, your totals each month and your current average (current average = last 90 days). This will give you a good baseline to then build a solid strategy. But if you don’t know where you are and you don’t have any quantification, then it is impossible to build a plan to improve. So here are some examples of KRA’s you need to track:

• Income
• Retention both in customers and employees
• Closing Ratio
• Selling/Variable/Fixed Expenses
• Turnover
• Inventory (by category, obsolescence, turns)
• Gross Profit


Now that you have these numbers, we can move on to the second step: Goal Setting. You see, without knowing exactly what your numbers are in these key results areas, you have no idea how to even duplicate your production/results from the last 12 months, much less how to improve it. So tracking is the key first step.



2. Goal Setting: Set your goals for the year.

Setting goals is a process and there are right ways to set goals and there are wrong ways to set goals. We want to follow the system that is the right way. There are 4 elements to effective goal setting and you must have all four:

Measurable Action
Time Element
Track the performance
Written Down

Along with those 4 elements, there are two other words you must understand in goal setting: realistic and achievable. If you set “pie in the sky” goals, the system does not work and you will give up. Example: If you sold 2000 units last year, and your goal for this year is 5000, is that realistic? No. So don’t set goals that are too lofty and not achievable. Make sure your goals are real and you can accomplish them. That also does not mean they should be a push over either. Challenge yourself and follow those four elements.

How do you set goals? Take your numbers from the tracking in section one and use them as a starting point. Once you have a specific number in place, you then develop a plan of action on how you are going to achieve those desired results. The plan of action and execution is as important as the number. This is your map on how you get to the destination. The goals and action plans must be written on paper and very specific. Example: My goal is to sell 2000 units this year. To accomplish this goal by December 31, 2009, I am going to:

Set 3 appointments every working day
Meet 1 new person every working day
A closing ratio of 60%
Send thank you notes after every sale
Get 1 referral from every existing customer


After you have a number and action plan, the next step is to review and track. These are essential functions in an effective marketplace strategy. Now a question: how often should you review your goals daily? This is not a trick question. But stop and really think about this for a second. Don’t you agree that if you set a firm specific goal and you read it every single day and it becomes part of you? Don’t you agree that every single important thing in your life is written down (contracts, business plans, wills, estates)? And don’t you agree that if you read your goal every single day that you are passionate about that you will have a high probability to hit that goal? Of course you will hit the goal! Bottom line is the more often you read your goals, the more likely you are to reach your goals. It’s really that simple.

If you think you can or if you think you can not; either way you are correct. Attitude is the 2009 key to success in the marketplace. Look at how many companies and people are running around being nothing but negative. They have no chance of success. You can be different. You can set the pace. You can trail blaze. You can be a WOW Experience and totally separate yourself in the marketplace. Listen, 2009 should be viewed as a Huge Opportunity! It’s really hard to separate yourself in the marketplace when times are good. In good times, everyone is doing well and it’s hard to stand out. But in 2009, when everyone else is down and out, you can raise above and totally stand out. This year is a year of separation and you can dominate if you have the right attitude! Simply have a great CAN DO attitude and success will follow in 2009. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish this year with a CAN DO attitude.

Most businesses will miss the target and goals this year and the reason is minor errors. Don’t let this year slip by and not reach ultimate goals because you don’t know something or missing a coach. I can help so call us today to schedule your time!

Have a great year!

Chris Tapken
www.christapken.com
chris@christapken.com

Think....

I keep this thought in the front of my mind every single day:

Today, I can affect the life of another human being!

That is HUGE!

My life is not an emergency

I have learned to submit and admit that my life is not some huge emergency. This was very hard to do. A few years ago, I got all wrapped up in myself trying to get everything accomplished in a day.

• Work Work Work
• Stress Stress Stress
• Go Go Go

That was my formula. A formula for disaster by the way. I have since realized what a terrible formula for success this actually was. In my recovery, a really big step for me was to admit that my life is not the center of the world. We all let our ego's get in the way. My was just bigger than most. There is nothing wrong with being confident and successful as long as you submit and admit that those are all just bi-products of something much deeper and much more important. Since then, here are the results for my life:

• More Full
• More Deep
• More Enjoyable
• More Purposeful
• More Contentment
• More Serving
• More Giving
• More Intentional

I am a total work in progress not nearly complete. Not even close. But every single day I improve and take steps to get better. And every day, I remind myself that my life is not some big emergency. Relax, Inhale Deeply, Be Thankful, and take steps forward. I have since shared this with many people and the results are the same: Great! But the key is to intentionally think, admit, and submit that our life is not the center of the universe and not an emergency. When we do this, a ton of pressure is lifted from us and we can then make progress. But if you still think it's "all about you" then you will be on a rough road full of uncomfortable life travels.

Leadership for today

3 points of leadership that never go out of style:

1. Leaders Serve! Other before Self.....Have an abundance of servant mentality!
2. Leaders Dream BIG! Have a big vision and a big purpose (by the way, is your life dreams written down and you can grab it write now? If not, why not?)
3. Leaders Execute! They walk and talk....(most just talk)

Have a great day!
Chris

Friday's Five

Friday's Five for me....5 things I am working on:

1. Updating my vision board. Big Dreams. Picture It. Make it happen (Take Action. Do Stuff.)
2. 2009 finished game plans.
3. Search for 3 cool new ideas. (serious innovation)
4. Get a new book to start. Finished one last night and none in the pipeline.
5. Lunch with Teddy who is helping his Dad at work. Is there anything better than that? Not for me!

Off to South Congress in Austin TX...

Action and Goals

Setting goals are extremely important. If you have been to one of my seminars, you know how I feel about goals and the importance of them. Also you know the 4 steps needed to properly set goals:

1. Measurable Action
2. Time Element
3. Tracked
4. Written Down

But one of the missing elements is the Execution and Action to hit the goals! So many people have goals but then fall short on taking action and DOING STUFF to hit the goals. For example, many teams have a goal to win the championship and that is the focus. But they lack the Action or the Doing Stuff to hit the goals! For that team, every single practice needs to be executed with high performance and passion to give the best chance of winning the game. Win enough games and you win the championship. It's a process. And that process starts with daily execution and DOING STUFF!

We need to Do Stuff....take action every day to make those goals come true!

Take out your calendar and look at the action of last week. What did it tell you? Where do you need improvement? Are you working on the high payoff activities?

Have a Good Weekend!

Recession....or not; you chose

It's all about attitude!

HUGE!

I have been looking at the word HUGE and how I can apply it to my life and business. We have all heard that saying Go Big or Go Home...well I think that is true in many areas of our life and in the marketplace. Here are some of my thoughts personally on the word HUGE:

• Make a HUGE positive impact on others
• Help others in a HUGE way
• Speak to HUGE groups of people
• Have a HUGE positive attitude
• Think HUGE
• Dream HUGE
• Act HUGE
• Give HUGE
• Love HUGE
• Use me in a HUGE way!

Take that word HUGE and how can you apply it to make a monster difference?

When it's all said and done, I want more done than said...in a HUGE Way!

The Art of Joyful Learning

I am in the constant pursuit of "What's Next..." for me in my life. I ran across some great questions in my notes from 2004. I hope you enjoy them and find this useful. I know it was for me.

• What do you want your life to look like and feel like?
• What do you value most?
• What is important to you?
• What would you like to say about your life after it's too late to change?
• What do you hope to be said in your eulogy?
• How do you want to DO LIFE on a daily basis?
• What do you daydream about?
• What do you think about when walking to the refrigerator?
• When you were a kid, what did you want do when you grew up?
• Of all the things you have done, what has given you the most pleasure?
• If money wasn't a factor, what would you do for a career?
• If money wasn't a factor, what would you do in your life?
• What is missing from your life?
• Removing every single obstacle, what are your life dreams?

Have a great Thanksgiving! I love this picture of this kid!