A Shocking Study

Psychologists put four monkeys into a cage. In the cage, they erected a pole with a platform on top of it. They put a huge bunch of tantalizing, ripe, yellow bananas on the platform. Soon the monkeys smelt the bananas and eagerly started to climb nimbly up the pole to get at them. Immediately, the psychologists started squirting the monkeys with strong jets of icy cold water from fire hoses. They did this every time the monkeys tried to get to the bananas, and, naturally, soon the monkeys gave up trying. They sat around getting hungry.

Then the psychologists removed one of the monkeys and replaced him with a new monkey who had never experienced the wrath of the fire hoses. Soon the enticing aroma of bananas assailed nostrils and he started climbing up the pole towards them.

What do you think the other furry fellows did?

That’s right, they grabbed the newcomer and pulled him down from the pole, preventing him from getting at the bananas. At this point no fire hoses were used.

Well, they removed another the monkey and brought in a new one. Now, even the monkey who had never been squirted by the fire hoses, joined in to stop the latest addition from climbing up the pole!

One by one they removed the monkeys and replaced them with new monkeys, each of which was stopped from climbing the pole by the other monkeys, all of which, eventually, had never even been squirted with water!

That’s how belief systems and rumors work.

We start to believe the myths and urban legends. We become the victims of the limiting beliefs of others and accept those lies as our own, and then we, in turn, impose them on others, believing that we are helping them!

Why are We Doing This Again?

You’ve heard the story of the woman who regularly cut off the ends of a ham before putting it into the oven, haven’t you?

Well, eventually the husband asked why she cut the ends off and she said she was taught to do so by her mother, who was a great cook. The husband asked his mother in law why she taught her daughter to cut the ends off hams. She didn’t know - HER mother had taught her to do so.

Eventually, the husband found out that the grandmother’s oven was too small – that why the ends had to be cut off. And even though his wife’s oven was quite spacious enough to accommodate three hams, she continued to cut the ends off.

Perception is reality.

We tend to make the reality of others, our own. We say we want to learn from their mistakes, but we often learn to limit ourselves with their false restrictions. We allow fear instead of faith to guide us.

Duck vs. Eagles

Ducks fly in flocks and stay close to the ground. Eagles fly alone and high. Eagles don’t fly around with ducks, or they might start quacking before too long. When the mob runs south, Eagles stroll northwards.

What’s Holding You Back?

Small elephants are tied up with a strong chain until they realize they can’t escape. When they’re grown, a thin rope that they could snap very easily will enslave them to the extent that they have staved to death and burnt to death because they believed a meager rope was a powerful chain. What is your rope? What beliefs do we have that are preventing us from happiness, health and hilarity?

Are we monkeys or monarchs? Minions or miracle workers? Let’s dare to dream. Easy is not an option. Quitting is also not an option. Let’s have goals that are bigger than our fears.

Do you want to know whether or not you will achieve your goals? Just look at your life, and you’ll know! What you consistently do in your life is a very clear prediction of where you will be in two years’ time. Your level of self discipline is a crystal ball – there is a definite link between discipline, self esteem and accomplishment. Look how many hours you spend dedicated to the accomplishment of your goals, and your future will reveal itself to you.

“We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

- John F. Kennedy

Successful people are “Outcome Driven”.

• They know exactly what they want.
• They focus on the reward, not the process.
• They highly respect, protect and prize their time.
• They do things in the order of their importance.
• Their time is prioritized.

Frank Lloyd Wright said, “I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.”

Mike Litman says, “You don’t have to get it right; you just have to get it going. Take action NOW. In life, you’re either consistent or you’re non-existent.”

Which are You?

• Do you prepare your day with a Do List of the six things you absolutely have to accomplish the next day? Is your vision so clear, so compelling, so exciting, that you can’t go back to sleep again after thinking of it?
• Or do you drift along, side tracked and buffeted by every new quick buck scheme and MLM dream, grabbing here and there and never sticking to anything?

• Are you an unstoppable machine, up early and rearing to go? How worn is the snooze button on your alarm clock? Do you even NEED an alarm clock?

And please check your philosophy. Your entire life and business is a reflection of your philosophy.

“The heights by great men reached and kept

Were not attained by sudden flight,

But they, while their companions slept,

Were toiling upward in the night.”

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Action Steps

How many hours a day do you dedicate to your magnificent obsession? If you see a need for change, CHANGE NOW. Take charge. It’s not too late! Make it happen. Align yourself with Eagles, cut the ducks out of your life and kick any money making scam that isn’t working to the curb. Get a new telephone number and only give it to winners. You can do it.

The words of a champion become his deeds and his legacy.  Enjoy the words of someone who believed in himself and made his dreams come true, namely Muhammad Ali:

• “I’ve seen George Foreman shadow boxing and the shadow won.”
• “The fight is won or lost far away from the witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road; long before I dance under those lights.”
• “Silence is golden when you can’t think of a good answer.”
• “I’m so fast that, last night, I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.”
• “Inside of a ring or out, ain’t nothing wrong with going down. It’s staying down that’s wrong.”
• “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
• “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

These are LOSER sayings:

• “I’ll TRY”
• “IF I can”
• “I HOPE so.”
• “More or less”
• “I GUESS”
• “I’ll do my best”
• “It wasn’t my fault - I couldn’t help it”

5 Step Recipe for Success

Winners take responsibility and make their dreams come true. Here is Paul J. Meyer’s recipe for success:

#1 — Crystallize Your Thinking
Determine what specific goals you want to achieve: short range, long range, tangible and intangible. Writing crystallizes thought, and thought motivates action. When your goals are clear and vivid, they act as a magnet that draws you to them.
#2 — Develop Your Plan
Develop a working plan for achieving your goal and a deadline for its attainment.
#3 — Create Sincere Desire
Create within yourself a sincere desire for the things you want in life. A burning desire is unquestionably the greatest motivator of every human action.
#4 — Develop Supreme Confidence
Develop supreme confidence in yourself and your abilities. Confidence helps you deal honestly with your shortcomings and compels you to make needed corrections. Successful people never give mental recognition to the possibility of failure.
#5 — Choose Dogged Determination
Dogged determination is a choice, so choose to follow through on your plan regardless of circumstances, obstacles, criticism, or what other people say, think, or do. It matters little what the past has been except for the lessons we have learned from it. Our prime concern should be the necessary changes we must make to create a happy and successful future. Change brings with it a compelling motivation to create something new, to reach for a shining star, no matter how elusive it may be. In addition to a willingness to change, develop an “I will not be denied” philosophy.

Someone says, “I’ll get back to you.” You should immediately ask, “When, exactly, will you get back to me?” If they don’t get back to you on that day, follow up right away. Don’t sit around waiting for people.

Appointments

Someone shows up late for an appointment. If they don’t call to say they’ll be late, LEAVE after 15 minutes. If they do call, and they’re going to be more than twenty minutes late, cancel the appointment.

Returning Communication

Someone doesn’t return your e mails or phone calls promptly, but you have established that they did receive the voice mail, message or e mail. The longer you wait, the less control and respect you have.

Decision Making

Someone refuses to make a decision, makes you wait, puts you off. They are controlling and manipulating you, or they are simply too gutless and politically correct to say “No.” Walk away. If they do come back, renegotiate, increase your fee, and punish them for making you wait, in order to re-establish your authority and positioning.

Production

Someone doesn’t produce on time, on a regular basis. You find that you’re always waiting and listening to their lies an excuses. Find a replacement for them, or suffer as they repeat the pattern. Meanwhile, reduce contact, remove as much business and control from them as possible, and create negative consequences for non-performance.

Control your time, business, relationships, and choices carefully. Be in control, and spread your risk.

Joint Venture Brokers are not glorified salespeople; they’re middlemen, or catalysts.

Know Who You’re Talking To

Recently, we endured the usual frustration when approached by a character in Ireland who wished to “Joint Venture” with DollarMakers. Before I got onto the conference call, I did due diligence on him, Googled him and his company, and had a good look at his websites. He had a large, successful business.

Recognize and Heed Red Flags

When he got on the call, he admitted that he had “briefly scanned” our website. Big red flag waving wildly, right there. As the call continued (I hesitate to say, “progressed”), it became obvious that this rascal wanted us to promote his services to all the world, and he even grudgingly agreed to pay us a commission, however when it came to promoting DollarMakers, he got stuck. He was unfamiliar with the proverbial “two-way street”. He was not convinced that “reciprocity” was a good thing. Why in the world would I promote, introduce, or even acknowledge another business service, even though they could undoubtably contribute value to our database, without his reciprocal promotion of my business? The call ended fast.

Insist on a Mutually Supporting Deal

This is where it actually gets dangerous to play this one-sided and arrogant game: this man in fact insulted me and my business, and I will never, under any circumstances, do business any with him in future, or in any way endorse his business. Instead of creating an ally and a Joint Venture partner, he succeed only in creating an enemy. As DollarMakers continues to grow and flourish, we become more and more attractive to potential Joint Venture partners. This weasel has effectively excluded us from his selfish an limited little world.

A True Win/Win

Every Joint Venture has to be WIN/WIN, not win/lose

…and remember that it’s not about what you do now, or how big you are now, but WHO you are, because that determines how big you WILL be. Pride come before the fall. Seek to reciprocate fairly and honorably in your Joint Ventures, and be very selective when choosing your Joint Venture partners, and your success is ensured.

Sometimes, ego, laziness, and fear will interrupt and skew our reasoning when prioritizing our profits.

The reason we’re in business is to create the maximum amount of after tax profit in the shortest amount of time, with the least cost and risk.

While we all want to do what we enjoy and avoid conflict and work, we can use Joint Ventures, subcontracting, effective delegation, and leverage to create the results we want, if we set things up correctly.

#1 Strategize Objectively

Remaining objective and rational when prioritizing and planning our progress is essential. Clearly defining what will create the greatest return on investment, where the optimal back-end is to be found, and the real marginal net value of a customer or Joint Venture demands careful analysis and communication with your team and mentors. Like a jigsaw puzzle, we want all the pieces to fit seamlessly, so that the flow of business is smooth and natural, not forced and stop-start.

• Diversifying incomes streams and creating additional back ends with long-term potential is the result of Planning, not Panic.
• Compromise and quick fixes will undermine your progress, your reputation, and your balance sheet.
• Remember the 80/20 rules and fearlessly remove the 80% while conscientiously building the 20%. Getting rid of one rat in your organization guarantees that he will takes his rat friends with him.

#2 Reevaluate Regularly

Reevaluate, change your mind, terminate non-productive activities, Joint Ventures, and people, and constantly adjust. You’re in business to make a profit, not to accommodate parasites and create protected employment for losers. Play the “What If?” game, build in Plan B’s, and have contingency plans in place, including Key Man Insurance and alternative suppliers. Things change. See the Big Picture.

#3 Invest in Education

Invest heavily in training and education, but only if you use it.  Look for the return on investment. The greatest ROI I ever get is when I invest in training and education, but then I always apply what I learn.

#4 Optimize Your Time

If you only have 24 hours a day, it’s because you’re not leveraged or you’re not delegating. Paying someone $100 to make $1,000 is good business. Don’t do minimum wage tasks and only deal with winners who have a proven track record.

#5 Take an Honest Look

Finally, stand back and take a good, hard look at your business, your time, your profits, and the future of your business. If this was someone else’s business, what advice would you give them?

The waitress called me “Mr. Elliott” and “Sir” instead of “Robin”.  In place if the usual plebeian, vulgar “you guys” we were referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Elliott.”  And she crumbed the table down and  removed the cruet set and utensils before serving the dessert. How refreshing! Walt Disney said,

“Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends.”

Differentiate Yourself at Zero Cost

We tend to think that huge discounts or flamboyant packaging will add value and differentiate us from our competition, whereas small things that usually don’t cost anything can make a huge difference. The drivers of the shuttle service buses to and from the Long Term Parking at Vancouver International Airport used to be the most obnoxious, sullen swine I ever met, certainly not a reflection of what I consider the best airport in the world. Last week, Rika and I were very pleasantly surprised when we received cheerful greetings and sincere smiles from the new drivers, along with help with our bags. It costs nothing to train your employees and get rid of the scumbags, and the return on investment is most attractive.

Fabulous Examples!

WestJet crew members tell jokes, sing songs, smile, help, and obviously receive excellent training. They thank us for choosing WestJet; to me, there is no alternative, unless you want obese, unionized flight attendants who treat you like a smelly interruption. When I left my laptop on the plane recently, the WestJet flight attendant came running after me with it right into the Abbotsford terminal. Great attitude. A Thank You note in the mail, the Sears appliance salesman who shows up at my house the night before delivery, on his own time,  to make sure all the pipes are properly prepared. Nelson Boswell said,

“Here is a simple but powerful rule - always give people more than what they expect to get.”

We went to movies last week. Every employee was friendly and said, “Enjoy the show, folks!”

Here’s the thing: when you give great service, you feel good about yourself, you attract more business, you sleep better, and leave your competition choking in the dust.

People notice the small things, the compliments, the helping hand, the kind gestures, the extra mile, the sincere smiles and eye contact, a little extra care. What goes around comes around. Macy’s motto is,

“Be everywhere, do everything, and never fail to astonish the customer.”

The world hasn’t changed that much.

A wise man once said,

“If you had a hundred lazy, ineffective, needy, and unprofessional people working for you, you might realize that you would spend your time more wisely if you had ten good men who were driven, disciplined, and determined to accomplish their goals.”

Your time is your most valuable resource, and it should be treated as such.

• Only do what only you can do.  Delegate, buy the time of others, avoid duplication and other unnecessary tasks, and demand a fair return on your investment.
• When your working partners regularly do not produce that which they agreed to produce, replace them.
• Use the technology available, make people come to you for meetings, and avoid a physical meeting unless it is absolutely necessary.
• Travel less, think more, and insist on results.
• Hold others accountable or withdraw your time.

De-fang Time Vampires

Time vampires abound. Those with the biggest mouths usually produce the least.

• Look at your time investments carefully before committing.
• Learn that most important word, “NO.” You don’t need to provide explanations.
• Limit meetings to thirty minutes and train your staff to intervene when necessary.
• Put a sign above your desk: “My Time Is Worth More than $1,000 per Hour. Waste It At Your Own Peril.”
• End phone calls as soon as possible; scarcity is valued. “You have exactly ten minutes.” At the end of ten minutes, end the call.

“We had a meeting. I spent my irreplaceable time on you. You didn’t deliver what you promised. Why should I waste more time with you?” Get serious, get tough, and you’ll get rich. The losers that you feel sorry for won’t thank you or help you when you’re losing money. Time IS money. It’s YOUR time; you own it, and you’re not obliged to give it away anymore than you are obliged to give away thousands of dollars. People have to EARN your time by producing results - on time.

Where Time REALLY Matters

Finally, time with your family, a good book, at a lake or beach, or on the ski slopes, is time well spent, and never wasted. When you look back on your life, you will remember how fast it went, how much you missed, and how impossible it is to get back. Spend it wisely - you only have one life. Time IS life.