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Have you ever experienced a flat battery in your car? The more you try to start the car, the worse it gets, as the power drains away. The lights dim, the engine battles to turn over. That’s exactly what happens when you procrastinate on taking action. When you’re thrilled about a new project, that’s the time to jump into enthusiastic action: take advantage of the full battery of creativity, energy and insight that you have.

Get Your Butt In Gear By Ignoring Those Around You

By waiting, analyzing, talking to other broke, negative people, and allowing your battery to slowly run down, you ensure your failure and mediocrity. Eventually, you go ahead just because you said you would, but without the fire and power you had when you first saw the opportunity.

The longer it takes to take action, the less your possibility of success. As time passes, you start thinking of all the ways it won’t work. Your faith slowly gives way to fear, and you creep back into your shell of mediocrity.

The Window of Opportunity is Small - Go For It Immediately

When building a team, a downline, or a business, remember this: The window of opportunity is small, and those who make quicker decisions and get on board with excitement and action are the people you want on board. They will attract other winners like a magnet with their positive energy.

The others will suck your energy as they try to regain the optimism and eager expectancy they had when they first heard of the opportunity. “Paralysis of Analysis” is a character trait that spells doom and gloom for the rest of your team, and you don’t need that cancerous contamination.

Reward ‘The Walk’ and not ‘The Talk’

Lead by example, and be an action taker. Expect your people to do the same, and reward the walk, not the talk. If people don’t step up within a reasonable period of time, my suggestion is that you cut them loose as their battery dwindles. Invest your time and energy in strong, fired-up, action-oriented people.

Yesterday, I received this encouraging note from a friend of mine who is a very successful entrepreneur:

“Hi Robin, I just read your Eagle Attitude article and you are right on. I always make asset vs. liability calls. Recently one of my staff did considerable damage to our main computer and database by going to inappropriate places on the internet. Certainly grounds for firing, not too mention suing for damages. Instead we are reworking his job description to take advantage of some obvious talents. There are some penalties he is working through, but there should be some substantial benefit to the company long term. Its nice to read that a risky decision is sometimes the best decision.”

That reminds me of the time I was a manager in a large, resort hotel and we learned that one of the staff members was secretly running his own little room service business inside the hotel. He diverted all the orders to his cousin’s café on the corner. The thing was that he gave excellent service and guests were delighted with the quality (that’s how we caught him – compliments from guests about dishes that weren’t on the room service menu!) So instead of firing him, we created a joint venture: we saved his salary, cut overhead substantially and continued to provide the service to our guest, while his own business flourished. Win/Win!

Successful Entrepreneurs Capitalize on the Strengths of their Staff

Savvy entrepreneurs look for ways to capitalize on the strengths and resources of their partners, associates, employees and vendors. They focus on what does work instead of what doesn’t work and, most importantly, keep their egos in check. Take the time to listen carefully and discover hidden assets like skills, connections, resources and information. Sometimes, opportunities take a little while to appear and options take time to become apparent. Patience and good communication skills, as well as being prepared to generously share the profits, are essential. Think outside the box and keep your eyes on your common goals. Be flexible and open to new ideas. Good people are hard to find.

The #1 Sales Tip

The better you know your salespeople, the better you can channel their energy, interests, skills and time. Don’t make the salesperson fit the job; rather, make the job fit the salesperson. Take time to listen to their opinions and suggestions, encourage sharing and reward innovation and risk.

The #1 Management Tip

By clearly defining the parameters of your employees’ jobs, you remove fear. Show them what they have to do to get fired, and you reduce any reticence to innovation. Fear stunts creativity and openness. People who feel secure will be more productive and honest with you. Spend more time developing relationship with your staff than you do with your customers.

On the news this morning I heard about a Cuban man who has tried to get into the US twenty-eight times , risking his life every time . He has seen many others die in the process. This is nothing new .  Mexicans die every day trying to reach their objective of starting a new life in the US. These brave people literally risk their lives to achieve their goals. They are fully aware of the risk. How motivated are YOU to reach your goals?

Six years ago, a woman sent me an e mail from South Africa (the situation there is far worse than either Mexico or Cuba, and it deteriorates daily.) Her husband had lost his job and couldn’t get another one due to affirmative action, she had been mugged three times, and their teenage daughters were being harassed and exposed to the risk of rape every day on their way to school. They saw their community falling to pieces around them as violence and crime escalated out of control, and they were in financial difficulties. They decided to immigrate to Canada, but they didn’t have enough money, so they were declined. The only way out was more money, so her husband left her a suicide note and blew his head off with a shotgun so that there would be enough life insurance money for them to immigrate to Canada and save themselves. The ultimate sacrifice.

People Risk Their Lives for What We Have.

These are perhaps extreme examples, but they are happening every day. If you live in North America or the UK, you have absolutely no reason not to get rich and make all your dreams come true. We are surrounded by freedom, abundance, safety, opportunity, and ease. Perhaps that’s why so many are obese, lazy, pathetic, weak, smoking complainers. Recently an American toddler was CRUSHED by an obese relative. Our biggest challenge is the Starbucks lineup or finding a parking space at the mall. Other people risk their lives for what we have.

Do you suppose someone who has risked their lives to immigrate will be a hard worker and highly motivated? Better than some loser who is only interested in benefits and smoke breaks, methinks. If we want to seriously stimulate the economies in Canada and the US, we should open the borders to South Africans, Mexicans, and Cubans. They know how to work. But that would be a major threat to the lazy majority, so it won’t happen. The only people complaining about outsourcing to foreign countries and begging to seal the borders are those who don’t see the wonderful entrepreneurial opportunities all around them. Why work in a factory or a job when you can get rich and enjoy the best in the world? But then you would have to risk, take responsibility, and work, like those Mexicans that some so easily mock.

Give yourself a check-up from the neck up. How motivated are YOU? You will succeed in direct proportion to your level of motivation. Or perhaps things have to get a lot worse before you realize your predicament? Crisis brings opportunity. It might kick some people out of their lethargy and wake them up. That could happen, so it’s perhaps wise to be prepared…

Robin J. Elliott

This morning, as we enjoyed a delicious breakfast (including black pudding!) in an Edwardian Bed and Breakfast in Worthing, Sussex (we’re here for my JV Bootcamp), prior to our visit to Arundel Castle, someone asked what I do. We got onto the subject of investments and I told him how he could earn 12% on his money.

Naturally, he was skeptical, and I did what I usually do - I briefly compared the opportunity with the stock market and other equally crazy investment choices, and then I said, "But you know, this is probably not
for you…" The "Take-Away".

When you’re trying to sell, persuade, and convince, you’re begging people to look for a way to escape. Instead, make it obvious that you don’t need them (because you don’t), and you will relieve the pressure and have them relaxed enough to make an objective, reasoned decision which they won’t regret later .

That’s why we don’t whip vulnerable, desperate people into emotional frenzies at our events and have them running like sheep to the slaughter to the back of the room to buy overpriced products, "investments", and "opportunities" that they will never use and often can’t afford.

Give people the facts , give them time to make a decision, take the pressure off, and don’t manipulate them. In the long run, you will retain your reputation and build your wealth. Use the Take-Away and be prepared to withdraw, and you’ll be surprised at the result. Also, you will waste a lot less of your time (and theirs!).

Successful people are very careful how they spend their time, and even more careful about WHOM they spend their time with.

The most successful salespeople I have ever met were all very cautious to PRE-QUALIFY people before they wasted any time with them, by asking them very specific questions. If you decide to only spend your time with great, qualified prospects, you will make better presentations, work less, and make a lot more money. Qualify them on their interest level and qualify them on the money (can they afford it?) before you spend any more time with them.

It’s senseless to fish in a lake without fish. It’s stupid to fish in a lake where the fish are not hungry. It’s crazy to use the wrong bait. And you can’t force the fish onto the hook.

Remember, you already have the information and the business. You’re in control. You don’t need everyone in the world - you only want only a few good ones out of the millions out there. Spend your time very selectively.

Some will, some won’t, so what? NEXT!

YAHOO! You Always Have Other Options.

How do you qualify someone? BEFORE doing the presentation or arranging the meeting, ask, “If I could show you a way to reach the goals/solve the problems you have told me about, and you were comfortable that the system would work for you, would you take immediate action?”

If they say, “NO”, respond:

“I’m curious - may I ask why?” Determine their level of hunger before you try to sell them food. “The investment required for you to participate in this system is $1,000. If you feel this is the right solution / vehicle for you, is that something you can afford?” If they tell you they definitely can’t afford the program, even if they agree that it’s the best thing since sliced bread, MOVE ON. Someone’s Waiting! NEXT!

Seek Out The Producers And the Winners (That’s Only 3% of the Population!)

Would you rather spend ten hours with ten losers who never do anything, don’t show up at meetings, forget (or refuse) to return calls, and are always late, or with one real go-getter who is reliable, responsive, proactive, hard-working, eager, and positive? You may LIKE someone, but that’s never a reason to do business with them. Remember that. Seek out the producers and the winners. That’s 3% of the population: 9.9 million people in North America (out of 330 million.)

Walk away from losers and to winners. When the eagle mask slips and you see a loser underneath, hit the road, Jack. Talk is cheap - look for action. Forgive them twice, then kick them to the curb where they belong and go looking for a champion. Working with winners is very rewarding and satisfying. It’s stimulating to work with creative, positive people who take the initiative and motive you. You look forward to their calls and enjoy your time with them, and you all make lots of money in the process.

Robin J. Elliott

Are you a Spoon or a Tongue? You know, you’re really only one or the other.

Listen to this: “Does the spoon taste the soup? A fool may live all his life in the company of a master and still miss the way. The tongue tastes the soup. If you are awake in the presence of a master, one moment will show you the way.” - the Buddha. Some people start off as spoons and then one day they become a tongue. One can spend hours and hours with a great teacher and not get it, then suddenly, somehow, there’s an epiphany, and that is your moment of understanding, your breakthrough, and everything suddenly becomes clear. And you’re never the same again.

The stronger one’s conditioning, the more spoonlike we are, and it takes longer to arrive at that defining moment. So hang in there - it takes time to break through that wall of cynicism, but eventually the sunlight peeks through, the scales drop from one’s eyes, and VOILA! You GET IT. “Egad! I never realized, Fotherington! It’s as plain as the nose of your face!”

Sad thing is, when dozing in spoon mode, one could become a little jealous of those tongues out there, reveling in the revelation and raking in the old cash, “licking their chops”, as it were. One feels a little out of place, as though surrounded by dozens of Kiss fans, tongues lolling about like damn dogs, so one tends to get a little nasty, and probably flounce out and miss out on that life-giving broth. Cutting off one’s tongue to spite one’s face…. Not smart. It takes some of us a little longer, is all. Don’t give up - come on in, the soup’s great!

Be Hungry!

Actually, the Buddha hit the nail on the head when he used the word, “Awake”. You have to be awake, and I translate that as “Hungry”. If you are hungry enough, you’ll see through that veil of pessimism and doubt, and your motivation will burn through the fog of fear. A spot of faith and a dollop of trust do wonders to help the medicine go down. And nothing tastes sweeter than the realization that you can actually have all the money you want, faster, easier, and with more fun than you ever believed possible, using Joint Ventures.

So when the information is not penetrating, don’t shoot the messenger, break the mirror, or decide that you can’t do it. Just remember the old spoon and tongue analogy - a “spoon” becomes a “tongue” when it spends enough time in the soup, especially if it’s thirsty. Personally, I’m a slow learner and a slow reader. I sound each word in my mind when I read, and I need to hear things a few time before I understand the context completely, but I have learned to be patient with myself, because I know from experience that when I get it, I REALLY get it, and then I’m unstoppable. Release your inner tongue!

Now I’m peckish - tea and a ginger biscuit sounds good.

Robin J. Elliott

I watched a movie the other night in which the two characters are more interested in drinking and carousing than working, so one, who’s wife is supporting him financially, takes a sheaf of resumes with him every morning and gets his friends to call his house and leave messages asking him to attend employment interviews. That keeps his wife / mother happy until she discovers the lies. Many men are like little boys, supported by their hard working and long-suffering wives, who actually believe their useless, weak husbands are businessmen. They’re not even real men; a real man supports his family.

‘Busy’ or ‘Working’ Does Not Mean Productive

Many entrepreneurs drag the old employee mentality with them into the world of business. They feel they have to prove to everyone that they’re busy, as though that equates with “productive”. “Busy” or “Working” does not mean productive at all. We feel we have to justify our time, and so you see people attending meetings for the sake of attending meetings. They create ridiculous business plans that only fool bank managers (say no more) and will fly across the country at the drop of a hat so that they can tell their wives, who pay for the flights and the hookers on the other end, that they had a business appointment. If you’re not making money, you’re wasting time. Might as well watch a movie.

This morning I had a spot of breakfast, returned e-mail for 30 minutes and then went skiing on Mystery Peak for few hours. It was wonderful, powder snow, flying down a mountain in a snowstorm, then driving down into the sunshine afterwards to stop for a hot cup of coffee. At home I lazed in the Jacuzzi for a while, watching a few snowflakes fall on the spring cherry blossoms outside (only in Vancouver) before eating the delicious lunch Rika had prepared for me. Then I spent two hours working, and that’s it for today. Two and a half hours of effective, focused work that will make good money and keep my Joint Ventures on track. Much better than attending unproductive meetings with other broke people where we all convince each other how well we’re doing, so that we can continue the illusion that we actually have businesses. I’m writing this on the patio, sipping a cup of Tetleys and enjoying my life.

Business is about Results.

I once called one of my salesmen after a meeting, and his mother/wife reported that he was having a bath. When he called me back, he apologized profusely for lying in the bath instead of making sales calls. I replied, “Hey, Jonathan, I don’t care if you lie in the bath all day, as long as you make sales. You don’t work for me - you work for yourself! Anyway, you’re on commission, so if you’re not producing, you’re not earning, and you know that if your sales drop too low you’ll get fired. I’m not your mother.” I’m not interested in your stories, excuses, what you do with your time, or how long you work - I’m interested in results. Business is about results, not lies and smokescreens - that’s for employees.

Shed the Employee Mentality and Spend More Time with Your Loved Ones.

Joint Venture Brokers can spend all day skiing or kayaking or hiking or reading a book, make one or two phone calls and a few e-mails, and get rich. We choose whom we work with, when we work, what we do, and when we do it. My personal schedule comes first and business comes second. I call the shots. Most entrepreneurs work too hard for too little. They spend a lot of time wearing the mask of success and going through the motions, when they should be relaxing by the pool with their loved ones. They’re almost worse than employees. Shed that employee mentality and focus on net, after tax profit. Concentrate on results, and be very selective. Joint Ventures provide that exciting and lucrative opportunity. Joint Ventures are about making dollars, not excuses. Do what you love with people you respect, and you’ll be good at it and make money.

Robin J. Elliott

Let’s define a regular business - I’m not talking about being a self-employed salesman, like a financial planner, handyman, gift basket creator, consultant, coach, craftsman, website designer - someone who sells their own time. That is simply stupid, since you have limited time and it’s your most valuable resource, so you should NEVER sell it unless there is a significant back-end with huge leverage, and 99% of these people don’t have that in place. I’m talking about a business like a lube joint, a printing business, painting business, fencing business, restaurant, hotel, retail store, dry cleaner, hair salon.

Most regular businesses involve taking up a lot of your time, huge risk, limited income potential, “Feast or Famine” income cycles, employees, inventory, competition, and silly little profit margins. Most owners of these businesses make little money, or they make great money, but they have too little time to enjoy it. After dealing with thousands of business owners in different industries over many years, I think I have a pretty good idea of their challenges, limitations, and risk.

I Never Met a Dollar I Didn’t Like

I don’t want to deal with employees in a socialistic society where they have more legal protection than I do. I don’t want to deal with the increasing cost of overheads and advertising. I don’t want to deal with customers I don’t like or respect, just because I need their money. I don’t like risk, period. And I never met a dollar I didn’t like, so high profit is important to me. And at 55, living in beautiful British Columbia with a wonderful wife of 22 years, my time is too valuable to spend with anyone I don’t like and respect.

But if I HAD a regular business, I would use Joint Ventures to duplicate and leverage that business through the roof. Then I would sell it, and simply broker Joint Ventures, as I do now. I don’t want a franchisor who is really my boss, to tell me what to do and how to do it. I don’t want to deal with unscrupulous suppliers, off-shore competitors, difficult, brain dead  customers, or be at risk from changes in local laws, environment, buildings, politics, or weather that I can’t control. The world is changing, as you might have noticed. Conventional business has become extremely risky.

Even if you GAVE Me a Business - I Would Turn It Down.

If you GAVE me a business, ANY business, I would simply give it back. Don’t need it, don’t want it. Keep it. Over the years, I have been offered shares in businesses, pieces of business, you name it. Never made any sense to me. I have been that self-employed salesman, too, and I simply had too much self-respect to continue as a mercenary prostitute. I was quite ready to shoot a few of my esteemed “Consulting Clients” and swore I would never be desperate enough (or crazy enough) to debase myself like that again.

The reason why most people get into conventional small businesses is usually because they don’t know that they have an option - that’s why I’m a Joint Venture Broker. I do what I like, when I like, where I like, with whom I like, IF I like. My freedom is simply too important to me.