A week or so ago, I received a hard copy book in the mail from Harvey MacKay’s office. It was Harvey’s new book, “The Harvey MacKay MBA Of Selling In The Real World,” along with a personal note from Harvey asking if I would be interesting in supporting him by recommending his book to people I know possibly in an article or interview. Well, having read all of Harvey’s previous books, having interviewed him in the past, having appeared on the same speaking platform with him, and knowing the value his books, articles and quotes have provided us over the years, I had no hesitation. But in EVERY case – Harvey being no exception – I have to read what I’m going to recommend or endorse.

In Harvey’s letter, he said that Cathy, his business manager, would be in touch with me in the coming weeks. So knowing Cathy from previous interviews and having an idea of what she would be asking me, I dug in and began to read Harvey’s book. A few days later when I spoke to Cathy, I told her that I couldn’t read Harvey’s book… at least not the way it was laid out… from beginning to end. There are 82 chapters in the 335 pages… most of which are 2 to 3 pages long, and each chapter contains a unique idea, quotes or concept that can be easily implemented. The chapters were so interesting that I found myself flipping forward and backward through the book, reading whatever chapter title caught my interest.

I also told Cathy that I thought the book had as much to do about life as it does about selling, and that anyone can use the principles in just about any aspect of their life or business. So, Cathy got me hooked up with Harvey and we scheduled a time for me to, once again, go to his beautiful home and ask him some questions about his book so I could put together this article.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Harvey about his previous book, ”Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell you,” so I knew it would be a great time being with him once again.  When I walked in the door, Harvey told me that it had been 20 months since I was last in his home and asked me several questions about what we discussed during our last visit. This blew me away. What I saw in action – first hand – was Harvey using his own system for what he calls humanizing the experience so that it endears your customers to you. The system I’m referring to, he calls “The MacKay 66″… something everyone who has any contact with other people should be familiar with and use. You can find it in Harvey’s best selling book “Swim With The Sharks”.

So back to Harvey’s new book. As I mentioned, this book is difficult to read front to finish. The chapter titles jump out and grab you, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself skipping around to the chapters and articles that catch your interest at the time. Take a look at the video interview I did with Harvey, then get this book. It’s one of the best I’ve read, and I have no hesitation in referring or endorsing it. And if you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ll know that I don’t make a penny for any endorsement I give for any product, service, or person. I simply (and only) endorse things that I firmly believe in and use myself.

Now… a couple of very nice bonuses from Harvey. First, in the back of the book is Harvey’s unheard of (for a book) Money-Back Guarantee.

And, if you order Harvey’s book he’ll send you, free of charge, a hard copy of his goldmine book, The Harvey Mackay Network Builder. It’s filled with an article from Harvard Business Review and other excellent ideas, and is not available in stores.

Please let me know if you buy this book and what your thought are regarding it and the value you receive from it. As always, I’m very interested in your success!

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

Aee fter returning home after several days in the San Francisco area spending time with a consultant who is putting together an awesome program that I know will help a number of people in some very significant ways (more about this in another post), the first thing I opened in the large stack of mail on my desk was a package from Nina Hershberger, another consultant who attended our training several years ago.

Nina has been a wonderful friend for a long time, and is one of the brightest marketers I know… always coming up with new ideas, but more importantly, putting the ideas into action. (I’ll share more about what she does and how it works for her in future writings.)

One of the things that immediately jumped out at me in Nina’s package was a copy of her new book, “30 Minute Marketing: 101 Ways To Wow Clients, Customers, And Patients In Less Than 30 Minutes.”

I thumbed through the book’s pages and found a treasure trove of ideas that any business can use to increase their lead flow, improve their conversion rates, and keep their customers and clients happy, buying more, and referring their friends, colleagues, and associates to them.

Each tip is short, to the point, and readily implementable with very little time, effort or money involved.

As I filed through the pages and got to the front of the book, I saw the note that Nina wrote to me giving me credit for helping her get the idea to get her book written. (Very nice, Nina… thank you!)

This is Nina’s own, original book… not a rewrite of the book that our consultants get in their TopLine training. I immediately called Nina to thank her and learn more about how she came up with the idea for the book, how she put it together, and how she got it printed. 

To Nina’s credit, she did the whole thing on her own, inspired somewhat by our conversations and what she learned from working with me, but in actuality, I had nothing to do with the creation of the book.

That’s what I mean by Nina taking action and getting things done. No extensive research, no trying to figure it out, no reinventing the wheel, no excuses; Nina just gets an idea and goes to work on that ONE idea (not a dozen ideas at the same time), gets it done, and moves on to the next idea. She’s a real inspiration to me and to the consultants who know her and work with her.

You can learn more about Nina and some the services she offers by visiting her website at www.MegaBucksMarketing.com. (This is not an affiliate link, and I do not receive any compensation or payment from anything Nina does or sells. I am merely providing this information so you can get ideas from what other consultants are doing, and if you are interested in learning more, how to get in touch with them.)

So what about you? How are you doing? Do you have your book done yet? If you’ve been through the TopLine training, you have gotten a book that has been ghostwritten for you.

All you have to do is make a few changes to it, rewrite part of it or add your own examples to it if you like, and get it printed. It’s so easy, and is one of the best positioning tools you can have to establish your credibility with your prospects and clients.

If you need help with your book (or with any of your other marketing or client development processes), please let me know. I’ll personally work with you to help you get things on a path that will produce quick results for you and enable you to start bringing in newfound revenue and profits for your clients, and personal income for you.

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

The other day I was watching, with interest, a video by a colleague who teaches people how to get more clients for their business. They had attended a seminar where the Dali Lama was one of the presenters.

This marketer, whom I both respect and admire, quoted the Dali Lama as saying, “The western woman will save the world.” Then the marketer said that she thought that the Dali Lama was “off” in his comment, and said that she thought he should have said, “The western entrepreneurial woman will save the world”… that it was women in business who would turn things around.

Understanding that that marketer’s main market… the people she sells to… are mostly women entrepreneurs, it makes sense that she might think that way. There’s a good argument for positioning yourself to be in alignment with a “higher” or established authority. I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with, however, is what so many people do… and what this marketer did… insert her personal opinion into what that “authority” said and then make it appear that her new statement is the “gospel truth.” Personally, when it comes to marketing and business advice, I believe that personal opinion should be kept to oneself, and not mistaken with fact. And there is no evidence or factual basis that it’s “entrepreneurial women,” or as the Dali Lama said “women” in general, who will “save the world.”

I have absolutely nothing against women being in business. Many of them contribute much value to business and society in general. In fact, TopLine Business Solutions has several women consultants who do very well… and I’m very proud of them. That’s not the point.

Another, contradictory point can be made to what the marketer said and that would support the Dali Lama’s statement, perhaps even more accurately. And that is, that women (moms) have a greater influence on young children than dads do. In the “traditional” family, moms spend more time with their children (getting them up, fed, and off to school in the mornings; being there when they come home, helping with homework, etc.) while the (again, “traditional”) dad goes off to work during the day.

Of course, we all know that what we refer to as the “traditional” family is not necessarily the norm any longer, but the fact is, that moms… both stay at home moms, and working moms… have a great influence on their children, and if those children are taught correct principles (about life, relationships, community involvement, etc.) either through specific teachings or example, the Dali Lama is right… “women”… not just entrepreneurial women can have a major impact on the world.

I believe, and this is my personal opinion (I’m violating my own principle here), that it is wrong to hijack what a perceived authority said, then insert one’s personal opinion into their statement to make it fit your needs. If there was incontrovertible evidence or proof that it was, indeed, “entrepreneurial” women who would “save the world,” that’s one thing. But to change what someone said to benefit your position is, (again, in my opinion) not the right thing to do.

Let me again state that I have nothing against working women (or moms). Many of them bring much value to the marketplace and to society. And many of them do a good job of raising their children while being involved in the working world. But I also know several working women (marketers included) who have full-time (or nearly full-time) nannys who pretty much take care of the kids so mom can go off to work and “save the world.”

Raising and positively influencing children so they can be well-adjusted and valuable, contributing members of society is not an easy thing to do… it’s serious business. Just look around and see how many maladjusted young people are walking around looking for a handout or a place to plug their umbilical cords into to receive what they think they’re “entitled” too. The Occupy Wall Street movement is just one example.

Giving business advice should be based on fact… not on someone’s personal opinion. If we as consultants do anything less than provide time-tested, in-the-trenches proven strategies and systems to our clients, we are doing them a disservice no matter what our intent is. To maintain your credibility, you have to deal in truths, which oftentimes, differs from opinions.

The TopLine program has been tested over nearly 46 years on hundreds of people in more than three dozen countries. It’s stood the test of time. It produces measurable, quantifiable, and predictable results, and can generate some very significant incomes for those who use the program as outlined.

If there is anything I can do to help you move forward in your business and achieve even better results than you’re now getting, please let me know. I’m very interested in your success!

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

In the Los Angeles airport a couple of days ago waiting to return home from a weekend seminar I attended, I observed people and wondered about their lives, what they did, where they were going, and what they spent their time on and what their possible concerns, problems, or worries might be. Everyone has a story to tell. Some are more interesting than others; some are downright sad. But for each person, their story is their own and has meaning.

Several years ago, Earl Nightingale wrote an article titled, “The Fog of Worry (Only 8% of Worries are Worth It).” It resonated with me when I first read it, and it does even more today, some 40 years later. Here’s what Earl wrote:

According to the Bureau of Standards, “A dense fog covering seven city blocks, to a depth of 100 feet, is composed of something less than one glass of water.” So, if all the fog covering seven city blocks, 100 feet deep, were collected and held in a single drinking glass, it would not even fill it. And this could be compared to our worries.

If we can see into the future and if we could see our problems in their true light, they wouldn’t tend to blind us to the world, to living itself, but instead could be relegated to their true size and place. And if all the things most people worry about were reduced to their true size, you could probably put them all into a drinking glass, too.

It’s a well-established fact that as we get older, we worry less. With the passing of the years and the problems each of them yields, we learn that most of our worries are not really worth bothering ourselves about too much and that we can manage to solve the important ones.

But to younger people, they often find their lives obscured by the fog of worry. Yet, here’s an authoritative estimate of what most people worry about.

1. Things that never happen: 40 percent. That is, 40 percent of the things you worry about will never occur anyway.
2. Things over and past that can’t be changed by all the worry in the world: 30 percent.
3. Needless worries about our health: 12 percent.
4. Petty, miscellaneous worries: 10 percent.
5. Real, legitimate worries: 8 percent. Only 8 percent of your worries are worth concerning yourself about. Ninety-two percent are pure fog with no substance at all.

As the article mentions, and as I’ve experienced in my personal life, as I’ve gotten older I worry a lot less than I used to. I’ve learned that there are things that are “controllable” and things that are not. There’s not a lot (if anything) we can do about the economy, the weather, gas prices, what Congress or the president does, or what our neighbors do. For the most part, those things are beyone our personal abilities to control; they’re what we might call the “uncontrollables.”

What we do have control over, however, are things like our diet, our exercise, our attitude, the way we treat others, the value we provide the marketplace, and our faith; those are the “controllables.”

Far too many people spend way too much time worrying about the uncontrollables… the things they can’t change. But what about those things we do have control over?  Is their any benefit to worrying about them? According to point five in Earl’s list, only 8 percent of our worries are real and legitimate and worth being concerned about. But personally, I’m not convinced that worrying about the controllables is a profitable or wise use of our time or our energy. There are things we can do to get and maintain control… and a little planning can make it much easier and less stressful.

Some time ago, I attended a workshop that walked the attendees through a planning process that helped us identify what is most important to us so we could get more focused on how to spend our time and energy. I thought you might like to see the process yourself.

Step 1: What are three physical or material things that are REALLY important to you?

    1. ______________________________________________

    2. ______________________________________________

    3. ______________________________________________

Step 2: What three experiences would you want to feel if you possessed those three things?

    1. ______________________________________________

    2. ______________________________________________

    3. ______________________________________________

Step 3: Using the three experiences from above, construct what you would consider to be an “ideal” day. Use the following as guidelines:

    If I lived _________________________________________

    ….with a home (or family) like _________________________

    ….with a schedule like _______________________________

    ….and a business like ________________________________

    ….then I would (describe your ideal day) _________________

        ________________________________________________

        ________________________________________________

This exercise is very simple, but working through it helps you get clear on what is and what isn’t important to you, and enables you to think about what an ideal day would be like for you. String seven ideal days together and you have an ideal week. Put four of those together and you have an ideal month. Continue doing that and (ideally) you’d end up with an ideal life. Of course, there will always be interruptions or disruptions… things that aren’t in your plan. But having a vision, a plan and a focus can make dealing with the unexpected much easier when they do arise.

So what about you? How are you doing? What do you worry about? Are you happy with the results you’re getting from your consulting practice? If you haven’t transitioned into full time consulting yet, why not? Are you doing well with your current job? What about the future? Are you secure with it? Is your company providing you with a guarantee of a position? What about your retirement, or your children’s educations… are you secure with how you’re doing there?

Right now, in this very economy with so many businesses hurting, our consultants are doing better than ever before. If there is anything I can do to help you move closer to your goals, please let me know. As always, I’m very interested in your succes!

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

I was on the phone the other day with John Davis, a friend and associate from Dallas, Texas. John runs a couple of very successful companies and is one of the brightest people I know when it comes to marketing and business development.

In our discussion we talked about the economy and how it was impacting businesses in nearly every industry across the board. John got me laughing when he said how he got his entire staff together in a meeting and actually took a vote on whether or not they would participate in the recession. Not surprisingly, they all voted not to participate.

Last year John’s business was up 14 percent over the previous year, and this year he’s up 20 percent over that. Why? Because John and his staff have decided to continue to act as if there is no recession. They’re pushing ahead with full steam, marketing as they’ve always done, and continuing to get results.

But the results they’re getting are not the same as they’ve always gotten… they’re better. And here’s why.

Let’s say there are 4 companies in a certain area that are competing for the same customers to buy their products or services. And let’s say that three of those companies read the papers and heard that the economy is in a recession. So they cut back on their advertising and promotions. They discontinue sending mailings and offers to their customers and clients. And they act like they’re “supposed to” act when times get slow.

But the fourth company pays no attention to the recession. They just keep on doing what they’ve done previously. Will they get the same results as there were getting? Probably not. In fact, they will most likely get even better results than they were getting even in the recessionary times.

How can this be? Because they’re the only ones advertising, marketing, promoting and keeping in touch with their customers, clients, and those who could become their customers and clients.

When everyone else minimizes their presence and in effect pull out of the market, those who remain command a much more visible presence and increase their chances of being seen by those who are in the market for what the company sells. In a very real sense, they get a bigger bang for their advertising and marketing dollar. And as a result, they’ll likely capture a bigger share of the market.

Now a note of clarification. A recession can be real… very real. And I don’t want to minimize that. Recessionary times can cause havoc on businesses, on the economy and on people’s lives. I understand that and I acknowledge that.

My point is, how a business manages their attitudes and activities in down times can have a major impact on the success of that business. In a recession, business may be down for all businesses. But the business that acts to the best of their ability and as if there is no recession stands to gain more (in terms of customer retention, new customer acquisition, public presence, etc.) than those who throw in the towel and give in.

I lead a Mastermind Group of 12 top marketing and business development consultants that meet every two weeks to discuss some of the top challenges businesses are having, how to best solve those challenges, and how to market our services to others who can benefit from them.

The subject of recessions came up on last night’s call. It was interesting to hear the comments from the consultants as they talked about the economy, the President’s comments about the jobless rate, company layoff’s, and the like.

After listening for awhile, I reminded them that I live in Phoenix, Arizona, and a couple of years ago we hosted the Super Bowl. I mentioned that our newspaper had several articles about the happenings that surrounded this event, and that while the recession may be a reality for some it’s not even a thought for others. Here are a few examples.

Super Bowl Parties

Hosted by: Pamela Anderson and Phoenix Suns player Shawn Marion
Price: $1,000 – $5,500

Hosted by: ESPN’s Chris Berman and Jay Leno
Price: $1,250 – $10,000

Hosted by: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens
Price: $550 – $850

Hosted by: P. Diddy, Nick Lachey, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, with guests; Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Charles Barkley, Steve Nash, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Justin Timberlake, Ashlee Simpson, Carmen Electra, and Brooke Burke
Price: $200 – $1,000

Those were just 4 out of the 35 parties that were listed. The headliners or hosts of those parties read like a Who’s Who in the entertainment, sports, and celebrity world, and several were priced higher than those I mentioned. I’m sure there were more parties that didn’t find their way into the article.

Travel

Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport was reported to be jammed, and more than 1,000 charter flights and executive jets, along with the regularly scheduled full flights were expected to make it an absolute madhouse.

There were 73,000 seats in the stadium, but “tens of thousands more were to come to the Valley to help stage the extravaganza and the dozens of happenings and parties preceding the main event,” the paper said, “and thousands more ticketless fans will come just to be part of the excitement.”

Tickets

How much did it cost to attend? “In a typical year, the price of Super Bowl tickets will fall as it gets closer to game, say ticket brokers. But a spokesman for StubHub, the largest online ticket reseller had tickets going for $4,190 on average on Tuesday.”

According to Google, ”A luxury suite of your own at Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Ariz., went $224,825.”

How Does This Relate To You?

What does all this Super Bowl stuff of a few years ago have to do with you, and why would I spend considerable time on it?

Simply this. Times are in the same basic economic shape as they were when the Super Bowl was here. Still rough. Still undecided. And still problematic. But while some people were (and are) talking (and living) “recession”, others were (and are) living their lives as though times were never so plenty. Some people are spending money like crazy and others are cutting back.

I attended a two-day seminar last weekend. There were 360 people in attendance from as far away as Australia, the U.K., Switzerland, and Canada. The price to attend was $2,497, and a $15,000 upsell was offered. Revenues from the upsell only (not counting the admission fee) amounted to $840,000… and we’re in a “recession”!

Businesses in every profession, industry and niche are cutting back, putting a hold on advertising, marketing, promotional, and business growth efforts, and even laying off key employees.

And others are moving ahead with full speed, not only on their business growth and expansion plans, but the owners living life on their own terms and spending tons of money on non business-related things like plane tickets, expensive parties, concerts and game tickets… none of which contribute in any way to the growth or preservation of their business. Yes, some will write off their expenses, and others may even take a client or potential client along as a business expense. But for the most part, a lot of the money they spend is out of pocket and not directly related to the person’s business.

Now more than ever, business owners need what our TopLine Consultants have to offer. With nearly 1,200 consultants in 36 countries around the world, we are bringing solutions to the every day problems business owners are facing in these tough times.

By helping businesses be more successful and more profitable, we are preserving jobs and in many cases creating new jobs. We’re bringing messages of hope to business owners by showing them that like John Davis and his crew, they really don’t have to participate in the recession… at least not like others are.

Yes, these slow times may and in many cases, will affect certain businesses. But to the extent they are affected is largely dependent on how the owners and employees deal with it. Job creation and job preservation… two key and very fundamental byproducts of what TopLine Business Solutions Consultants are involved with.

Now is the time to be using your hard-earned business experience to help other business owners realize and capitalize on the untapped and overlooked potential of their businesses, and help them grow their bottom line profits in these “recessionary” times, and get paid huge sums of money for nothing more than providing them with ideas, concepts and strategies, many of which they’ve never thought of.

If there’s anything I can do to help you achieve this… or any of your financial goals, please let me know. I’m very interested in your success!

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Success

The other day I got an email from Skip Weisman, President of Weisman Success Resources, Inc., letting me know what he has been up to lately. A number of years ago, Skip attended the TopLine Consultant’s training and has been actively engaged in working with a number of clients, producing measureable and quantifiable results for them.

After a lengthy phone conversation, I asked Skip if he would be willing to do a recorded phone interview with me outlining what he was doing so other consultants could have another model for another income source. Skip was more than willing, so we set up a call and discussed his area of specialty.

A lot of people look at TopLine and think that we focus on marketing… helping our clients generate more customers or clients. It’s true that we do that a lot… for the clients who need it. But we also do a lot of other things that help our clients’ businesses run more effectively, more efficiently, and more profitably. 

Different consultants specialize in different areas… whatever “lights their fire.” Some love consulting one on one with clients, others prefer holding seminars and workshops for a number of varied clients, some hold “CEO Roundtables,” and there are those who do a combination of these. Some consultants focus on marketing, some spend their time on sales training, and others work the internal operations of their clients’ businesses… whatever their clients need, or whatever the consultant has an interest in at the moment.

In Skip’s case, he loves helping business leaders improve their bottom line by creating a highly engaged workforce that cares about their job and the company they work for. Getting people to do their job better, more efficiently, and with the attitude of “doing it because it’s the right thing to do” as opposed to “doing it because it’s my job” is a skill that Skip has developed and honed over the years.

In our interview, Skip explains how he does it and gives some very valuable pointers for those who would like to add this profit stream to their consulting practices. Take a listen and see what you think. And if you have questions, comments, or would like more information on this subject, let me know and I’ll get you in touch with Skip.

And as always… please let me know what I can do to help you achieve any goals you have.

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

No matter how you know David (or even if you don’t know him), there’s one thing that you SHOULD know, and beneath his gentle and unassuming ways, the guy absolutely ROCKS as a marketer! As you probably know, I’ve been in this business for nearly 46 years, and I’ve  become friends with, and hang around, some of who we often refer to as “legends” in the speaking, training, consulting, and book author worlds.

But few people have it together like David. If you ever have the chance to watch, listen to, or learn from David, jump at it with both feet as fast as you can.

So why all the hype about David Frey? Why make such a big deal about this guy?

(I can tell you, he’d kill me if he knew I was writing this stuff about him, so please don’t let him know!)

Here’s why… I mentioned that we were talking about our business plans, and he told me that he has got to make a decision. David has several irons in the fire, and he’s working harder than he wants to. One of his websites (www.MarketingBestPractices.com) has over 71,000 members. If you haven’t visited it, you should… especially if you’re a consultant or business owner looking for ideas you can use in your business, or with your clients’ businesses. Great stuff there!

David wants to really blow this already incredible website into something that is the absolute best it can possibly be. Heck, it has already been recognized as the #1 authority site for the “Top 50 Business Sites that accept Guest Blog Posts.” Not bad, huh?

So in our conversation, we threw out a number of ideas on how to do it… like getting more people to become regular article contributors to the site. I didn’t think much about it, after all, we were just a couple of good friends throwing ideas around.

But (and knowing David, I should have expected this), the next day David sends out an email with this message:

“If you’re interested in guest posting or becoming a regular writer for our site, you can get more information at… http://www.marketingbestpractices.com/write-for-us.

So I click the link and check it out. The guy put up an ENTIRE new web page that outlines the…

• 6 Benefits of Writing For Us
• 8 Requirements, and
• How To Submit An Article

Talk about taking an idea and running with it… David did it, and he did it very quickly. If you have some writing talent and want exposure to over 71,000 contacts, check out David’s web page. Sounds like a great deal to me.

So… what can we all learn from David and his latest email and offer?

Well, how about the importance of discussing your plans with someone else? You may have heard it said that when two minds come together, a third mind emerges. That is, ideas flow to you that couldn’t or wouldn’t if you were trying to brainstorm alone. That’s what happened when David and I discussed our plans for next year. Something was said, and that triggered another thought; someone picked up on it and added to it, and so it went until a solid idea resonated with David.

Your Future and Your Success is In Your Hands

How are you doing in this department? Do you have someone that you regularly get together with and discuss your plans or where you want your business to go? Do you belong to a mastermind group or coaching group of some kind? If you answered “no” to either of these questions, you might want to rethink what you’re doing (or not doing). Some of the greatest breakthroughs and most profitable ideas I’ve had have come from these kinds of associations. Same with nearly every other successful entrepreneur I know.

In the case we’re discussing, I just picked up the phone and called David’s cell number, and we chatted about “stuff” for awhile. Nothing of particular importance. Then, as it always happens, our discussion turned to family, business, and eventually where we wanted our businesses to look like next year. Before we even knew what was happening, we were throwing ideas and thoughts back and forth, and David had a significant ah-ha.

Next, David didn’t waste any time putting the plan together. He created a separate web page, wrote the content, then sent an email (I’m assuming to his entire list) with an offer to become a contributor.

How about you? When you get a new idea or thought, do you think about it? Sleep on it? Discuss it with your family or friends (who may not know anything about your business)? Talk it over with other knowledgeable and respected people who are supportive of you and your business? I don’t mean that they always agree with you; it could be that they question you enough to force you to think about all sides of the situation and eventually come up with the decision that you’re totally sold on and that’s right for you.

When it comes to your consulting practice (or your current job or career, if you’re not a consultant), how do you make decisions? Do you have a systematic process? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants hoping that things will turn out the way you want them to?

You are in charge of your own destiny, your financial future, and whether or not you’ll be able to provide the lifestyle you want for your family, the education you want for your children to have, the kinds of vacations you’ll give them, and the quality of retirement you’ll enjoy (or be forced into living).

Life gets by you very quickly. This morning I was talking to Jeremiah Cundiff, one of our consultants. He told me his oldest boy just turned 12, and he can’t believe how quickly time is passing. I know. All my kids are grown and I have 26 grandchildren… and one of them is getting married next month!

The Time You Have With Your Family Is Limited And Goes By Quickly.

My friend, Joel Weldon, told me that while he was raising his kids he thought of the years as “vacations.” So in Jeremiah’s case, he has a 12 year old boy. If his son leaves home for college or a mission for his church at say, 19, Jeremiah has seven more years (or seven more vacations) with him.

Question: How are you spending your precious time? You know, the limited remaining time you have with your family? Are you enjoying the success you want and that you deserve? Are you earning the kind of money you want and need to provide the things for your family that they want and deserve? If not, maybe now is a good time to get in a dark room with your self and ask some very introspective questions and not come out until you have some answers.

David Frey is providing a very unique opportunity to get exposure to over 71,000 people who, if they like what you write, may be candidates for the services you offer. This is not an invitation to solicit those people… it’s an opportunity to get your name and expertise in front of them, and if it resonates with them, they’ll contact you for more information.

I’m passing on David’s information to you because David is a class act. He’s brilliant. He knows how to market. We can all learn a LOT from him. And I can recommend him without reservation.

So if you’re interested in becoming a writer or article contributor and getting in front of a LOT of very targeted prospects, check out David’s offer.

And… as always, please let me know your comments and what I can do to help you move closer to your personal and financial goals.

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

Martin, 

I eagerly await and read every email/article from you and once again  not only do I not regret taking the time allotted for this task, I found it very succinctly expressed and particularly elucidating this time.  (wow what $5 words are these, I usually don’t talk like this).  Your bringing together the wisdom of Disney, Nightingale, et al. is like nothing I have read before, (apart from some bit and pieces you wrote about before). You put into words my misgivings regarding “The Secret” and the song is priceless.

Anyway, I am in the middle of your book Achieving Breakthrough Business Success, and I said to myself, if I can turn my business around, I’ll sell it and take up your line of work, with your help, of course.  My fear is that I will be like the guy who, once he detailed his car to get it ready for selling, doesn’t want to sell it anymore, and I will want to keep my business afterwards.  Why, because I have been in this business since 1993 and like you, I love what I do and it will likely be the more comfortable thing to do.  At 59, is it too late to change horses in midstream?

Well, I’ll worry about that when it happens.

Take care.

Sincerely,

(Name withheld)

Interesting, huh? I hear these kinds of things quite often… people attending our consultant’s training workshops and applying what they learned to their own businesses with the idea of building it up and selling it, and then when they see how much easier the business is running and how much more money they’re making from it, decide to keep it and not go into the consulting business. Nothing wrong with that.

We also see people attending our training to learn how to be a “consultant” for their own business… never wanting to consult for others at all. They just want to know how to increase their business on their own without having to pay a consultant. Nothing wrong with that either.

But this person’s last sentence in the last full paragraph is one I hear a lot… “At 59, is it too late to change horses in midstream?” My answer? “Man, I hope not. At 59, you’re still young and have lots to give and lots to live for.

Personally, I’m 67, I just endured a year-long battle with Stage IV cancer where the doctors gave me 6 to 12 months to live. I had daily chemotherapy and radiation treatments, six surgical procedures, and spent three weeks in the hospital, and I feel younger and more full of energy than I ever have. I’m back at the gym lifting weights and doing cardio five days a week, and I’ll get back into training for triathlons in another two weeks. I have no thoughts at all of retiring.

So 59 years old is, in my view, just a kid, and there’s no reason why that should stop anyone. Life is what you make it. Here’s an interview I had with one of our consultants. Take a look and see what he was able to do. Pretty impressive!

 An exclusive interview with Bill Froehlich…

“How ONE Simple ‘Cut and Paste’ Idea Landed Me Two Paying Clients in My First 30 Days as a TopLine Business Development Consultant… and I’ve got a couple more ready to
meet with me next week!”

Bill Froehlich is an amazing guy!

As he was reading “Gravitational Marketing,” a book written by Jimmy Vee, Travis Miller, and Joel Bauer, he came across this quote…

“Martin Howey, a man we like to call a friend, is a genius. He is responsible for helping thousands of people realize the full potential of their skills and talents by becoming business consultants. His consultants help small business owners take their companies to the next level and create uncommon success. He is the trainer’s trainer. His wisdom and experience is unparalleled. Martin is the author of several books including “How to Start, Run, and Profit from Your Own 7-Figure Consulting Practice.”

Bill was intrigued with what he read, so he looked my name up online, saw the TopLine program, and because he couldn’t attend our live training, bought the materials, had them shipped to him and worked with me via conference call and webinar.

More Than “Just a Box ‘o Stuff”

When Bill’s box arrived in the mail he was a little overwhelmed. That’s understandable… thirty-five pounds of manuals… nearly 2,500 pages crammed into 8 huge 3-ring binders. And then there were the marathon (sometimes 4-hour) teleconferences we had going through each of the manuals and dissecting each section until he “got it” and felt comfortable enough to manage that section on his own.

Note: We no longer offer a home-study course. We’ve completely rewritten all the manuals and course materials, and have added a lot of new information and interactivity to our training so each attendee gets the attention they need to get all their questions and concerns answered, and help to ensure a quick start.

The connectivity each person has with the rest of the attendees ends up being one of the most valuable parts of the training, and close friendships develop that last for years.

One day, after we completed the training, Bill called me and expressed his concern that he might have made the wrong decision… that perhaps this was not the business for him… a 59 year old truck driver with no business experience. So we talked about what he did, where he was, and what he wanted to accomplish, and after a good discussion he decided to give it a try and follow the system that we have so carefully put together and that has worked so well for so many others.

Then one day Bill called me… just a week after our discussion. He had landed two clients, has another one to meet with the next week, and has introductions to two more within another week. How’d he do it? He did EXACTLY what I told him to do… and it worked.

Hey, no surprises here for me. I knew it would work. After all, I’ve done it for nearly 1,200 consultants in 36 different countries, so why wouldn’t it work for Bill, too? On the flip side (and this is verifiable), the ONLY reason someone won’t make it with the TopLine system is if they don’t follow the system.

Why Some People Can’t Make it Work

If they try to reinvent the system, if they work the system half-heartedly, or if they do nothing at all, of course it won’t work. (I probably didn’t have to write that, huh?) It should be obvious, yet some people just don’t get it. I mean, they spend the money for a proven system, all the training and support, and then try to reinvent it or do their own thing and not follow the steps that have worked so well for others.

Anyway, Bill followed the steps we outlined and found himself well on his way to creating a very nice business for himself. He even recovered his entire investment in the TopLine system in his first 30 days. (Try that with a Starbuck’s, Subway, McDonald’s (or any other franchise!)

Now, if a 59 year old former truck driver with no business experience can make this thing work, and do it so quickly, there’s no reason why anyone else can’t make it work for them. This isn’t taking anything away from Bill… he’s a great guy and I have the utmost respect for him. My point is, Bill had no previous consulting experience and came from a completely unrelated – maybe even “foreign” background.

The Best of Times, the Worst of Times

Right now… right in these tough economic times, the consultants who are following the steps on the Blueprint and in our proprietary and systematic consulting process are busier and are making more money than ever before. Why? Because businesses all over are struggling and don’t know where to turn. And when the right person comes along with the right answers at the right time… answers that can rescue a business and keep it afloat and even cause it to prosper despite all that’s going on around it, the owners of those businesses will get in line to speak to that consultant and even throw money at them to get the consultant’s attention.

So what about you? How are you doing? Are you satisfied with your results? If you keep doing what you’ve been doing for another 5 to 8 years will you meet your financial goals? If you have children, will you be able to send them to college or provide a higher education for them? How about retire, will you be able to do that?

If you’re not where you want to be in your consulting practice, make the commitment right now to get with the program. And if you need help, let me know. With so many of our consultants doing so well… especially in this economy… if you’re not where you want to be and are not asking for help, then there’s not much we can do for you.

On the other hand, if you’re serious about making your investment in TopLine work, I’ve said over and over again – and I mean it – we stand ready to help you in any way we possibly can. What was Bill’s “secret?” He used one of our most powerful marketing tools… a “Cut and Paste” system that anyone can follow. But enough from me. Let me turn the time over to Bill himself and let him tell you what he did in his own words. He’s a lot more interesting than I am! Just click the play button and you can eavesdrop.

35 minutes, 59 seconds

Bill’s success can be your success. I’ve seen it happen over and over, time and time again. Let’s you and I work together to make it happen for you, too!

NOTE… There’s more to Bill’s story than what you’ll hear on the interview. Much more! And I’ll be happy to share that with you if you’re interested.

As always, please let me know how I can help you move closer to your financial goals. I REALLY am interested in your success and would like to help you.

Martin Howey
CEO and Founder

Oaks talked about how the Sears, Roebuck catalog that came to his home when he was a youth often offered three choices. The example he used was men’s shoes. Some were labeled “good” ($1.84), some “better” ($2.98), and some “best” ($3.45). Oaks went on to say, “…that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.”

As I listened to Paul relate Mr. Oaks’ comments to the choices we make in our daily lives, I thought about how that relates to our consultants and the value they bring to their clients.

TopLine consultants specialize in helping business owners grow their businesses and add additional profit dollars to the bottom lines of their balance sheets. And the way they do it is by carefully analyzing their clients’ businesses and determining what specific things in those businesses can be altered, changed, improved, eliminated or capitalized on to help bring about their goals in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of human effort, the lowest amount of capital invested, and the least amount of risk.

In other words, what very specific things can be done to quickly, easily, inexpensively and risk-free put money in their business owner clients’ pockets. When business owners understand this concept and see how others have achieved the same results for their businesses, it makes doing business with our consultants practically a no-brainer.

But left on their own, many business owners are lost when it comes to growing their business with those concepts. We know that it costs 6 to 8 times more to gain a new customer than it does to sell to an existing one. And it’s 16 times easier to sell to an existing customer than to a new prospect. The easiest sale to make is to someone who is already doing business with you. They know you, they like you, and they trust you enough to give you their money. Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of sending them a postcard to announce a special “preferred customer” sale or to let them know about a particular product or service that might be of interest to them.

The next easiest sale is to a former customer or client. They’ve done business with you before, and hopefully if you’ve done your job right, they’ve had a good experience with you, your company and the products or services they’ve purchased from you. Sometimes it’s a simple matter of contacting that customer to find out what went wrong or why they’re not buying from you any longer, and if they still need or are buying similar products, but from someone else, make them an offer that is difficult for them to refuse.

The third most difficult sale is to a brand new prospect… someone who hasn’t done business with you in the past. It takes considerable time, money and effort to get your message through to them in such a way that they recognize who you are and the value you can be to them and develop the right level of trust and confidence in you that will cause them to give you their money.

That said, most people in business spend an inordinate amount of time, effort and money trying to attract the most costly and time intensive sale there is… brand new prospects… when a far faster, easier and less costly sale would be to current customers or former customers. Not only is what these business owners are doing not efficiently productive, it’s frustrating for them, it adds to the overhead of the business and decreases the business’s profitability, and ultimately costs the customers and potential customers more money.

And this is where Johnson’s and Oak’s comments hit home for me. If a business owner wants to grow their business and provide a better lifestyle for him or herself, they really have a couple of choices… some good, some better, and some best.

For instance, they might consider trying to change or improve their business on their own using the knowledge, expertise and skills that they presently have. That might be considered a “good” choice. But when you get right down to it, it’s that same knowledge, expertise and skills that got them to where they are in the first place. The old adage, “If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got”, is one of the most erroneous mindsets a business owner can have.

Why? Because it’s simply not true. If “Company A” keeps doing what they’ve always done, thinking that they’ll keep getting their share of the market, but “Company B” decided to change things and more aggressively go after a bigger share of the market, it stands to reason that “Company A” is going to have to give up a certain percent of that business to “Company B”. For things to change, things have to change. In other words, if a business wants to grow, they can’t keep doing what they’ve always done. They have to change some things.

So what might be considered a “good” strategy might not be the right choice.

A second strategy might be for the business owner to buy a book, attend a seminar or buy a home-study course of some kind that gives them ideas on how to run a more effective, a more efficient or a more profitable business. That would be a “better” choice than trying to improve things on their own. But a close look at the shelves of most people will reveal several books, courses and seminar notes that were bought or taken with the full intent of applying the information in the business, but the books haven’t been read beyond the first chapter, the courses haven’t been listened to, and the ideas in the notes still t.

A third option for the business owner who wants to grow his or her business is to enlist the help of a qualified consultant who can see the business through unbiased eyes. Someone who can dig into the business and ferret out hidden or untapped profit centers that can produce immediate windfall profits and continuing and ongoing steady streams of recurring income. Someone who has the training, ability and expertise to capitalize on those revenue sources and convert them to profit dollars on the business’s balance statement.

The consultant who can do that for their business owner client frees that owner up so they can concentrate on the things they do best, and in a sense “outsources” the growing of the business to the consultant in much the same way they outsource their tax issues to a CPA, their legal issues to an attorney, their sales calls to their sales staff, and the delivery of their products and services to their delivery department.

Smart business owners don’t get involved in things that they’re not good at or that others can do better, more efficiently, or less expensively than they can. If a consultant is good at what they do, and they follow a proven step-by-step system that produces predictable, measurable and quantifiable results for their clients, and that frees up the business owner to focus on what they do best, that will produce more money for the business owner, more available time away from their business, and more satisfaction because they know they are providing more and better products and services for their customers.

And this certainly qualifies under the “BEST” category.

And this is exactly what TopLine consultants do. They offer the “BEST” option for their clients. And the results they get? Well, when you consider that they get paid based on the results they produce for their clients, and that many of them are earning $80,000, $90,000, $100,000 in personal income in their first 90 to 120 days, I think you’ll agree that the results are pretty impressive.

 But what about you? How does this apply to you?

What are you doing with your training, your experience, your expertise and your time?

Are you living up to your potential? You may be giving your employer good value, but what about you? Are you giving yourself the “BEST” you have? How about your family? Are you providing them the “BEST” lifestyle you can? How much time do you have to spend with your spouse, your children, your church, your political party, your community, or whatever you enjoy doing most? Are you giving those people, things and activities the “BEST”?

Or are you settling for “good”or “better”? Why are you “settling” at all?

Don’t you deserve “best?” What about those you love or who depend on you? What do they deserve? How about the causes you can support and give back to? What do they deserve?

If you’re currently making all the income you want and providing your family and the causes you support the BEST you can, congratulations. You’re one of the fortunate few.

But if you’re not… if you’re a consultant who isn’t where you want to be financially, or if you’re still involved in a job or career working for someone else, and are finally ready to quit living life on their terms and start calling your own shots and living the BEST lifestyle possible, then let’s get together and talk about it.

I am always open to discussing the various options with you, and so desirous of helping you achieve whatever financial goals and lifestyle you want. All it takes is a note and we’ll find a time that will work for both of us. 

We now have nearly 1,200 consultants in 36 countries around the world and our results have been proven over and over. And our unique financing program makes it possible to get started with very little money down.

Right now the opportunities have never been greater. This “down” economy is creating more success stories amongst our consultants than at any time in recent history. Please believe me when I say that this is an awesome opportunity. We are currently filling up our next workshop and I’m sure it will sell out very quickly just as has happened with our previous trainings.

As always, please let me know what I can help you with!

Martin Howey, CEO
TopLine Business Solutions

One of my early mentors as I was getting started as a professional speaker was Joel Weldon. Joel is an outstanding speaker and presenter, who focuses on the corporate market. I’ve known Joel and his family for more than 25 years, and they’re some of our best friends.

A member of the Speakers Hall of Fame, Joel has earned nearly every award and honor in the speaking industry, including Toastmasters Golden Gavel, and Legend of the Speaking Profession. Today, Joel – even though he commands very high fees for his corporate talks, seminars, and workshops – and even in this “down” economy – is booked solid. He spends a considerable amount of his time mentoring and training corporate executives and teaching up and coming speakers how to make effective presentations. Joel and I talk on a pretty regular basis, always exchanging new ideas, sharing family stories, and getting in a few laughs. 

So why am I telling you about this Weldon guy, and what does this have to do with you?  It’s simple. Joel had a TREMENDOUS impact on me when I first started in this business, and he continues to do so even some 25 years later. Over the years, we’ve spent hours and hours together on one of his several boats, either fishing, water skiing, or discussing the speaking business. And the insights and instruction I’ve gotten from him have been priceless.

Specifically, one of the things I learned from Joel (and I’ve never forgotten it to this day) is that “Preparation compensates for a lack of talent.” In other words, you don’t have to be especially talented or be born with a “silver tongue” to be a speaker (or a consultant, or anything else, for that matter). It’s largely a matter of preparation… understanding your market (or audience), what their needs, wants and desires are, specifically how you can help them solve, satisfy, minimize, or eliminate their problems, challenges, or frustrations, and how you can most effectively present your solutions to them so they will not only “get it”, but that they will actually take action on what you gave them. If you’ve done adequate preparation, the rest… the delivery… is easy.

Powerful stuff, huh? When you “get” Joel’s point, it completely removes any excuses you might have for not succeeding in ANY thing that you do… speaking, consulting, or any other kind of job or profession… and places the responsibility for your success (or lack thereof) entirely where it belongs… on your shoulders.

But that’s not all I learned from Joel. There are tons of lessons that I don’t have the time or space to go into in this article. Maybe I’ll talk about some of them in future articles, because I know the profound impact they had on me, I know that the tweaks and adjustments I’ve made to personalize them for me and my unique situation have made them even more meaningful for me, and I know that if I share them with you and show you how to “customize” or personalize them for you that they will have an equally profound effect on you.

One of the most memorable experiences I had with Joel was being introduced to Earl Nightingale. Joel and his wife Judy, and Cheryl and I, spent considerable time with Earl and Diana, and exchanged stories, experiences, and insights. As you may know, Earl had the very first non-musical recording to sell a million copies. It was a record titled, “The Strangest Secret.” And to this day, it is considered a classic and many people (including Joel) credit the message for a big part of their success.

Simply, the “Strangest Secret” is that we become what we think about. The message is scripturally based, and had been promoted by some of the wisest philosophers for centuries, and recently, its principles have resurfaced as what is today referred to as “The Secret”, or “The Law of Attraction.”

Cheryl and Martin Howey with Earl and Diana Nightingale

People everywhere, including Oprah and other public figures, have jumped on The Secret’s bandwagon and have promoted it as the cure or solution for all kinds of life’s challenges, including financial, health, relationships, and just about anything else you can name.

But personally, I think there are problems with “The Secret’ being a cure-all. I think there’s more. I thought it some 25 years ago, and I still think that way today. Thinking can only take you so far. At some point, there has to be some action. And that leads me back into the point of this article.

The other day I was going through some boxes of tapes and books and I ran across an audio tape that my friend, Tony Brigmon, scripted and recorded for me over 20 years ago, and that I had completely forgotten about. It was based on conversations I had with Joel and Earl and Tony.  As I mentioned, Earl, Joel, and I had some interesting discussions about Earl’s “Strangest Secret” recording. They were good discussions and we came to some common ground and understanding in them. Certainly wouldn’t take exception with the scriptures. That’s not my style nor my intent. But I do have issues with the promoters of “The Secret” as it’s been presented.

In our discussions, Tony and I talked a lot about what we called the “Unique Factor”… what it is that separates one person from another; the thing that makes them stand out; the one thing that makes them unique compared to anything or anyone else who does what they do. And the one reason that anyone wanting what that person knows, has, or can provide, would be a fool to consider any other option.

Today, in more current times, it’s referred to as a USP – Unique Selling Proposition, UPS – Unique Positioning Statement, UPB – Unique Perceived Benefit, UCA – Unique Competitive Advantage, and a variety of other names.

Tony, a very accomplished speaker and song writer, and the Ambassador of Fun for Southwest Airlines, saw some uniqueness in me and asked if he could interview me and create a song about some of the things I taught that were considered controversial at the time (and in light of the recent popularity of The Secret, are still controversial). I agreed.

Here’s the song Tony wrote with the words below if you want to follow along.
===============

Magic Martin

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

It’s magic; Magic Martin. How he does it, come and see.
What appears to be magic can be done by you and me.
You become what you act upon; thinking only goes so far.
Action is the key if you want to be a star.

Be so good at what you do that when you do it, it makes you grin.
And when others see you do it, they want to see you do it again.
And they’ll bring their friends next time to show them what you do.
You can be the best; one of a kind. It’s all up to you.

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

The magic is knowing what you want to do, and then doing what you do best.
What is your “Unique Factor” that separates you from the rest?
If you want to be remembered, then simply go to it.
You can improve what others do, so, hey… do it!

Identify your market; who’s the competition for you?
And what are they not doing that you know would be good to do?
You can talk about what you’re gonna do; and talking can be fun.
But the real thrill is when you can say, “This is what I’ve done!”

The magic is you, the power is there,
With good old preparation you can go anywhere.
Anything is possible, so what would you like to do?
Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else like you.

Be different, be yourself, there’s no one else,
There’s no one else, there’s no one else like you.
===============

In the song, you heard references to “Magic Martin”. That’s because I was the president of IBM – International Brotherhood of Magicians at the time, and was heavily involved in performing magic as entertainment and as part of my speeches, seminars, workshops, and presentations.

You heard Tony say, “How he does it.” That’s a play on my name with a tie-in to magic. People would often say, “I wonder how he does it.” In time, I was referred to as, “Howey Duzzit.”

But right of the bat – in the very first verse, and then repeated two more times throughout the song – it says that the magic is in you, and that with preparation you can go anywhere (reference: Joel Weldon), and the importance of being different, being yourself, and your uniqueness (reference: Joel and Tony).

I really believe that. I believe, and have proven over and over, that anyone can be successful in anything they want to do if they learn the skills, do the necessary preparation and don’t try to copy someone else. That’s the Unique Factor that I mentioned.

Tony wrote, “You become what you act upon; thinking only goes so far. Action is the key if you want to be a star.” That’s what Earl and I discussed in length on more than one occasion, and where I take exception with the promoters of “The Secret.” It’s just not enough to think about something; you have to formulate a plan and then get up and take action.

Tony went on to reference one of the things that I talked about some 20 years ago, and still do in nearly every presentation I make. It’s Walt Disney’s “Law of Unlimited Abundance.” Walt said that you could be successful in anything you do, whether you operated a retail business, a service business, or even a theme park like Disneyland or Disneyworld if you would simply, “Do what you do so well that when others see you do it they will want to see you do it again, and will bring others to see you do it.”

So let’s talk about you. What is it that YOU do? Do you know? Can you identify it exactly, preciously, and specifically? Far too many people shoot from the hip, try to be all things to all people and don’t have a laser focus on something of a specific value for a clearly identified target market. No wonder they have limited success, if any success at all. So the first thing you need to do is identify your specific market or the audience you want to serve, and then determine the quantity and quality of value you can bring to or provide that market.

Next, Walt says that you do what you do “so well.” “So well” doesn’t mean mediocrity. And it doesn’t mean “okay.” It means that you do it (whatever “it” is) with excellence. You do it better than anyone else who can offer anything close to what you do can do it.

So, “You do what you do so well ‘that when others see you do it’…” Who are the “others” that see you do what you do? They’re your customers, your clients, your patients, your policyholders, your patrons, your whatever you call them in your business. In other words, when the people who buy from see what you do, and that you’ve done it with excellence, they “…want to see you do it again…” That’s called “repeat business.” And they “…will bring others to see you do it.” Translated, that means “referral business.”

Your objective then, is to provide such an incredible value to a very specific and targeted market with a uniqueness that no one else can match so they’ll be compelled to come back for more and so they can’t help but be evangelical in telling others about their experience with you.

Tony sings about these very points by saying that you need to identify your market and your competition, and what they’re not doing that you know would be good to do. And then taking action. Thinking only goes so far.

You see, it’s not enough for you to tell others what I can do. It’s not even enough for you to tell them what I can do for them. More importantly, and the only thing that matters, is what you can tell others that I have actually done for you. It’s results, not talk, and it’s not thinking… at least, not by itself. It’s “what I have done”, as Tony sings… not what I say I can do.

So how about you? What are you doing with your life, your career, your experience, your abilities and your potential? Is your job or career giving back to you what you’re giving to it? How about your education and experience? Are you being compensated fairly and adequately for your investment of time and money that you’ve spent to obtain it? What about your financial future? How does that look? Is it secure? Will you have enough money to give your kids the educations they need to compete effectively in today’s world? What about your retirement? How well prepared are you for that? Emergencies? Do you have the funds set aside for unexpected things? How about life? Are you getting everything out of life that you want and that you deserve?

Let me just shoot real straight with you here and have a “here’s what I wish my dad told me” or a “here’s exactly what I’ve told my kids and I’m now telling my grandkids” chat.

What you’re experiencing right now… this thing we call “life”… ain’t no dress rehearsal. This is the real thing. You don’t get “do-overs”. And if you’re letting life pass you by without enjoying all it has to give you, the day will come when you will look back with sorrow, remorse and regret. I know. I have six kids and 26 grandchildren. We have some great times together, but I sacrificed a lot as my kids were growing up… and I can’t turn back the clock. Those times are gone, never to be repeated.

I just turned 67. A couple of years past “normal” retirement age for a lot of people… at least, it’s supposed to be by “standards” set by our society. Unfortunately, far too many people reach that age and can’t retire because they’re not financially able to. This is the time they should be spending enjoying the fruits of 40 or so years of effort; the time they should be spending with their grandchildren, traveling, giving back to their community, going on missions for their church, or whatever THEY choose to do with their time and not what their circumstances or some other person dictates that they have to do.

I look at my own situation. Yes, I’m still working. Why? Because I’ve tried retiring two times before and I was bored out of my mind. I absolutely love doing what I’m doing because I get to see people make quantum changes in their lives, have more free time, more income, more satisfaction from what they do, more enjoyment with their families, and fulfillment from life itself.

If you’re not experiencing these things, it’s time you take yourself aside and have a real in-depth and introspective look at yourself. As the old commercial used to say, “You only go around once, so grab for all the gusto you can get!”.

And if there is any way I can help you get it, let me know. I’d love to help you identify and/or create a meaningful plan or course of action… or at least some things that would cause someone else to write a song about.