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.

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

We know “You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince” and “Duds Lead to Studs”, so we often justify time wasted with losers, posers, wannabes, has-beens, and conmen, justify pearls cast before swine, and are consequently tempted to kill more often than is healthy. Throwing them up against the wall and hoping some with stick gives you a sore back and dirties the wall. I have learned in the past few months to become an obsessive compulsive QUALIFIER to avoid killing someone out of pure frustration.

In the past, I would believe the lies or losers and arrogantly and idealistically convince myself that I could change a duck into an eagle. Then I learned that it is better to pre-qualify people. The more selective I become, the more rewarding my relationships have become. “Some will, some won’t, so what? NEXT!” is fine, but why spend so much time shouting, “Next”? Learning to say “No” will save more time, since by the time you get to “Next” the blood pressure has risen, the hands on the clock have moved, and you have wasted time that could have been spent with a more deserving character. Spend more time with less people.

And so, to provide you with a few clues to con-men, here are Six Red Flags that can save your precious resources:

1. Victims - look out for self-pity, blaming of parents, excuses, or self-absorption.
2. Track Record - People seldom change and they need to demonstrate this ability before you vest to much in them. Give them a few small tests to make sure they are even able to change.
3. Back Doors - if they insist on back doors, escape routes, Plan B’s, “money-back guarantees”, and other revelations of their inadequacy, weakness, and putrid self-esteem, you know they have failed again, before they even begin.
4. Hesitation - Second-guessing, analyzing, and questioning your guidance and instructions right at the outset - find a cattle brand and put that “L” on their foreheads to protect others from them in the future.
5. Entitlement - Any signs of socialism, greed, arrogance, or being cheap should instantly disqualify them.
6. ‘Paper’ Proof - Anyone touting a resume is really waving a bright, red flag.

Make people qualify for your attention. Raise the barrier. Increase the price. Reserve the right to reject. Qualify and select, and remember that you’ll only accept 3% of the applicants. Don’t confuse peasants and laborers with entrepreneurs. Have them do a personality assessment at their own cost. Make them earn the right to your guidance. And at any time, do not hesitate to terminate the relationship. Spend more money on royal banquets than you do on wart ointment.

Robin J. Elliott
www.jvwisdom.com

Easy money, Honey! There are thousands of goldmines out there just WAITING for you. This is an untapped source of serious money. Want to know more? Settle down with a cup of tea and a ginger biscuit - this information could radically change your financial situation forever. I’m serious.

A very large percentage of small and medium-sized businesses have no website, no e-commerce, no up-to-date database of customers, no back-end income sources or Joint Ventures in place, no referral systems, no upsells or bundling, and no regular, effective communication with their customers. Many of them see forty or fifty new customers a day, and yet they don’t get them into a database. All that money is left on the table - for you to share in!

If you approached a business that had forty or more new customers and regulars coming in every day, you could make them the following offer, and you would have a lot of takers lining up to make you money:

“I can offer you a new, complete, professional, e-commerce website with links to ten Joint Venture partners, (that’s ten additional, pure profit income streams that I will set up for you) plus a number of back-ends, and build you a database and weekly ezine, plus put upsells and bundling in place. I will set up a lucrative referral system for you and manage the entire project, update it, and make it work. It will cost you not one dime, take none of your time, entail no risk whatsoever, and seriously enhance your image with your customers. It will seriously increase your sales and profits. At the same time, it will reduce your customer attrition rate and increase customer loyalty, purchase frequency, and transaction amounts. Most important, it will differentiate you from your competitors and add massive additional value. And it won’t cost you a cent.

I will own the URL (domain name) and the passwords, and I will take 40% of the resulting profits (that’s money you wouldn’t have had, anyway!) Now this might not be for you, of course, and that’s OK with me - I just wanted to make you this offer before going across the road to your competition.”

You use their existing reputation, customer flow, resources, and infrastructure to make money. You piggyback on an existing business. And you can do this with ten businesses simultaneously!
Oh, the website. You will be amazed to hear that a website like that is available for $997 and $50 per month, with full, total support, and you can sell banners and advertising to cover the initial investment. See http://www.youarethewebmaster.com/ and use this idea to make a lot of money.

Want to learn more? Attend our Toronto Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp April 19!

Robin J. Elliott
www.jvwisdom.com

There seem to be few men who have the courage to speak up in our gutless, weak, compromised society. When they do, I like to promote their words, if for no other reason than to strengthen and encourage others to be real. Sadly, one of the strongest has died. Thankfully, people like Glenn Beck is letting people know who Charlton Heston really was - a giant among men. I urge you to listen to (and read) this wonderful speech he delivered in 1999. If you have a smidgen of a backbone, you will love it.

Jeffrey Ressner writes, “And Heston has never shied away from controversy. In 1992, he condemned the infamous Ice-T rap song “Cop Killer,” then released by a Time Warner-distributed music label. Biting the hand that had fed him, Heston showed up at a Time Warner shareholders’ meeting at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel covered by this reporter. He lashed out against the giant corporation whose studio had cast him in so many movies.

He harshly admonished its top executives for releasing the song, then simply, eloquently read the lyrics. Few there had ever heard the actual words before, and as Heston recited the homicidal, anti-police rant inspired by the Rodney King assault, the room filled with his booming baritone. When he finished, the place was so stunned you could hear a pin drop.”

There’s another real man with a real brain out there. Christopher Hitchins is a beacon of hope and freedom. Read some of  his thoughts here. He pulls no punches, thank goodness. He addresses real issues of great importance with courage and panache. He contributes significantly to freedom, reason, sanity, and Capitalism through his great teachings and writings.