Nourish Your Network!

Nourish Your Network!

by | May 2, 2013 | Featured, Relationships

No matter what you “sell” you’re in the PEOPLE business.

Learning to build and nourish relationships is at the core of your success in the home and success in your career & business life.

Many times we’ve all heard the phrase, “it’s not what you know, but WHO you know that matters.” And the reason it’s said so often is because at some level it’s true.

Relationships are everything to your sales, income, and business success. You likely already know that on some level so I’d like to share with you today 5 tips to help you nourish, rekindle, or grow your existing or desired networks.

1. Appreciation. Take time to appreciate people in your life and network. Human beings crave appreciation, acknowledgement, and recognition. Send an email, give a call, or post on social media your gratitude for the people in your life who you appreciate. A wise mentor of mine had me get into the habit of appreciating 5 to 10 people every day. That could be verbal, email, handwritten, etc. but to express appreciation to those in our networks. Many times we think those thoughts, yet to ACT on them and express them.

“Spread love wherever you go. Let no one come to you without leaving happier.”
– Mother Theresa

2. The WOW Factor. People who invest in the WOW factor stand out in business. The WOW Factor is doing something for your network, clients, prospects that they’re not expecting – it could be a gift, a product, a card, or an extra bonus they receive that they’re not expecting. The “Just Because” experience that has significant impact in relationships. For example, every event I host, participants come into the seminar room with a free product on each chair. This product isn’t advertised or told to them in sales copy – it’s a surprise when they arrive. It costs me a little amount of money (or even sponsored on occasion) that helps my guests feel special or appreciated. You could do something similar – send a gift, offer a free bonus, or treat them to lunch. It’s wise not to give a gift and then ask for something in return at the same time. Give gifts or offers as stand alone to have the greatest impact. I’ve seen others gift a gift, yet in the next sentence ask for something in return. That often leaves the person feeling like it’s a trade with you versus an investment in them.

3. Promote. A great way to nourish your relationships is to promote them to other people. You may post on social media endorsing their product or service. You may create an email introduction of two people that could possibly do business together. By promoting other people and helping them grow their business, you grow your relationship with them. You’re becoming a valued resource who is helping others succeed.

4. Be Present. A great gift in any relationship is to be present with the person you’re with – whether at home, in a meeting, or connecting one on one. Put your cell phone away and really focus on what the person is saying and communicating. We can all tell if someone is paying attention to us or not by many non verbal cues. If you want someone to feel important when with you act as if they are the only person in the room. Learning to listen is a highly prized and very rare skill, yet an incredible deposit in your relationships.

5. Stay Connected. If we only go to our networks when we need something, we’ll likely drain that network pretty quickly. Others will learn that you only call or reach out when you need something. It’s important to focus on being someone who is connected and actively making relationship deposits. Deposits demonstrate that we are invested in the relationship and deposits come in many forms. When we make the effort to stay connected and in touch with our networks, we have real, thriving relationships versus just acquaintances.

Wayne Dyer has said, “It’s never crowded along the extra mile.” If you want to thrive in life and in business, nourish your relationships and go the extra mile. Become a master at connection, listening, follow up, and supporting others. Give value to get valued as Danielle LaPorte has said. Your results will improve along side of having relationships that are rich and meaningful.

Coaching Assignment:

  • Appreciate 3 people in your life and/or business networks within the next 24 hours.
  • Send a card, gift, or bonus to someone in your network or to your list. “Just because” gifts go a long way!
  • Identify 3 people that you want to have a better relationship with or get to know altogether. Reach out, promote them, ask them to lunch or a Skype chat. Take action to nourish your network!

Will you go the extra mile?

Cheering you on,

Tiffany

What’s love got to do with it?

What’s love got to do with it?

by | Jan 31, 2013 | Money, Sales

LOVE + MONEY

Make Money by Making a DIFFERENCE

So what does love have to do with making money?

In most cases, everything.

Sure there are times you order a product online with no interaction or you may even buy something from a rude or checked out sales rep, but more often than not, our experience and therefore our feelings have everything to do with our purchases. And love being the positive emotion, it is at the core.

Let’s imagine that you would like to make more money and/or close more sales.

Being great at sales is synonymous with being great at service. And from my perspective, I like to focus first and last on service and then the sales and money are a natural byproduct.

Adding value to others, seeking to understand & meet their needs, and coming to all your business relationships with the intentions of serving your clients, is the sign of a true leader, a top performer in sustaining sales success.

Oftentimes when money may feel scarce or may be tight, it’s easy to move into fear and anxieties about money…which may push us to want to “sell” more to others. We may get pushy or desperate (a future newsletter in the making) and we ultimately disconnect ourselves from love, trust of life, and the Universe as Marianne would say in her teachings as well.

If making more money is one of your goals this year, then get focused and get centered in love, service, and adding value.

Ask yourself,

  • How can I make a bigger impact for my existing clients?
  • How can I go the extra mile in my customer service?
  • Who and how can I serve today?

When we show up to serve others, when we focus on making a difference in others lives and in solving their problems, we create value in us and in the relationship. Which in turn, will put money in your pocket.

Now sometimes I may serve someone and they don’t choose to move forward – that’s okay – I know that if I’m doing my part to serve, add value, and CONTRIBUTE to the planet, then I’m always depositing in my “karma bank account” and I always trust that for me God (you may label your higher power differently) will always provide for me – and He does.

Just today I had a coaching session with a successful gentleman who has recently gotten “stuck” in his sales process and ultimately no recent sales transactions. His stress level high, his brain trying to figure out what was “wrong”, and he was agitated that the work he was doing wasn’t paying off. As I probed and asked several questions, it became clear to us both that his energy was off in his business. He was stressed, frustrated, and resentful – all repellents for sales and money. His assignments – reconnect to fun, service, and his spiritual core to realign.

Does that sound like some woo wow advice or what?

We did address his sales funnel and price points too for skillset – yet when one’s mindset and energy is thrown off, skill becomes irrelevant.

Think about it – no one is buying more stress, frustration and resentment, right? (Imagine that for a moment and you’ll laugh).

So if that is where you are at and that is what your prospects are picking up – they aren’t buying.
One of my mentors, Jack Canfield, use to tell us, “You can’t put nail polish over poop.” Now that’s quite the image, but the teaching is so true. Putting a smile over your disconnected, stress emotions won’t hide the energetic truth of how you’re feeling.

So take your power back. Reconnect to SERVICE in your business, life and sales. Focus on adding value and making a difference. Money follows difference makers – have you noticed?

A thought I really enjoy by Earl Nightengale…
“We get rich by enriching others”

How can you serve more?
Add more value?
Stand out by going the extra mile?

One of the most poignant teachings I heard last weekend from Marianne comes directly from her book.

“Purity of heart is the engine of wealth creation.”

Think on that one.
Meditate about it.
Let it sink in.

That’s what I call a soul stopper. (hee hee I couldn’t resist!).
But indeed true.

Our hearts and ultimately our love is what fuels our creative processes and governs how we show up in this life – in business, sales, and in our money.

And the good news is that no matter what the economy is doing, trends are predicting, our successes, our struggles – we can choose to show up and add value wherever we go, in every sales conversation, and in all of our relationships and create an abundant life for ourselves.

Cheering you on!

Tiffany

What is Your Legacy?

What is Your Legacy?

by | Aug 5, 2012 | Goals, Success

This summer for me has held a lot of time in what I’d classify as “soul searching.” I don’t know if it’s the slower, lazy days of summer that help invites it or the world events taking place, or perhaps a combination of things, yet I find myself really looking at my life purpose, my work, ultimately my legacy. Is this just me or is this up for you too?

I had the grand pleasure of working for and learning from Franklin Covey Coaching for a number of years in my corporate days. I was daily involved with selling and teaching from the classic work of Stephen Covey, famously known, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I believe for many of us this book, this work had a profound effect upon our lives, our thinking, our relationships, and our legacy. As you likely know, Stephen Covey passed away this July. His passing prompted me to leaf through my own 7 Habits well worn copy and found myself smiling at the many truths I first learned from him. He has left a profound effect upon my life and upon the planet.

At the time of his passing, my mind, heart, and soul had already begun the dance of really doing a life introspection – am I happy? Am I progressing? Is my work meaningful? Am I contributing to the planet in a positive way? All of these thoughts combined with a few tear jearker episodes of ABC’s “Secret Millionaire”, I was primed and ready, already seeking after these thoughts of leaving a legacy. One of the things that Covey so eloquently teaches is to be living our legacy NOW. Not when we die and leave behind money or possessions. But to have our lives be a living legacy of goodness, of service in this present moment.

So consider this – what is your legacy? What do you want it to be? What do I want it to be for me? How do I/we want to contribute to the planet?

These are deep questions and we may not know the answers right now. Yet, I do believe they are so very valuable to ponder and consider for ourselves. We often hear that life is short. We are reminded of that as we read or hear of someone’s passing. It’s that little reminder each time that there will be a day for all of us to leave this life and begin a new adventure known as death. When we are in the daily grind, just keeping up with all the life stuff – laundry, school work, television, our careers – it’s easy to forget the preciousness of life. But indeed it is precious – YOU are precious – and there will never be another YOU on this planet ever.

So what will you choose to contribute while you’re here? What makes your heart sing? What brings you joy? Those are great starting points to being on purpose and therefore, contributing to a living legacy.

Here are two thoughts that I especially love and believe in my heart to be true guiding principles in discovering your life purpose and ultimately your legacy:

“Your life purpose will be found in service.” – Wayne Dyer

“When what brings you joy meets the need of humanity is where you will find your calling.” – Parker Palmer 

I do believe that our purpose and our legacy will bring us joy – this is tip #1.

I do believe that our purpose and ultimately our joy will be rooted in service of others – this is tip #2.

Think about it.

Your list of what you’re drawn to, truly passionate about is bigger than making the bills, keeping up with the laundry, or losing those last stubborn 10 pounds. I would guess that as a fellow spiritual traveler on this path in a skin suit, I know that under the distractions and stressors of life, your heart and your soul know this to be true.

I believe Tagore was so divinely inspired when he penned,

“I dreamt and I saw that life was joy.

 I awoke and saw that life was service.

I acted, and behold, service was joy.”

I personally love this quote also found in the 7 Habits,

“Service is the rent we pay for living upon the earth.” – N. Eldon Tanner

I too have seen that service is joy in my own life. I know that when I’m stressed out or in challenging times that when I focus on serving someone else, it always brings me higher too. I know that when I show up in sales conversation focused on serving the prospect or client, that I have joy in that process – when I don’t and it’s all about the sale, it’s stressful and lacking joy.

Service is a way of living our legacy in all that we do. And I also know that it shows up in a variety of shapes and forms. It may be that your service is working at a soup kitchen once a week. It may be a humanitarian trip to Africa or abroad. It’s also in many simple things like praying or sending kind thoughts to someone we know or a complete stranger. It may be buying someone’s coffee in the car line behind you. It could be opening a door for someone with full hands. It may be choosing to offer a compliment. It could also be choosing to give someone else the benefit of the doubt within our own home or office team when they show up grumpy, late, or seemed to be “thoughtless” of us. When I speak to service, there isn’t one particular way of what that means. For some of you, you are called to serve in medicine. For others, you are meant to teach children. And for others, you have the gift of making others laugh, or have hope, or confidence or whatever it may be. It’s the same principle manifested in different ways. All are of great value.

My point in writing this post to you today is because first of all, it’s been on my brain for three weeks straight and it hasn’t gone away until now when I’ve sat down to write it. Funny how that intuition just keeps knocking until you answer the call! And secondly, I think that for myself I’ve learned it’s valuable to our lives and our happiness to do the life inventory from time to time and ask of ourselves really good questions. These questions create discovery, insight, and importantly to our highest self, our soul, connecting us to our purpose – the juicy of the juicy that gives life meaning, value, courage, strength, and HOPE.

You have a purpose.

You have great value.

You are the only you on this planet equipped with thoughts, and skills, and experiences that are solely yours.

You have gifts to contribute. Please do so.

So what brings you joy?

What lights up your heart and soul?

In what ways does service speak to you?

How do you want to contribute in your life?

Let us be about the call to be a living legacy in the here and now.

Much love & gratitude,

Tiffany Peterson

www.TheLighthousePrinciples.com