Not all apples are the same

If you go to a supermarket or green grocer you will notice that not all apples are the same. There are apples for eating and apples for stewing. Of the eating apples you will notice that there are different types with different tastes. Some apples are of a better quality than others while there are also a few rotten ones & the odd one with a worm or two in them.

So when we try & compare “apples with apples”, we shouldn’t just compare them on price.

Many other products are similar. When comparing products it’s important to understand the benefits and not just compare products on price, because (like apples) some are better than others.

Next time you compare "apples with apples", make sure your clients know about the quality of what they are getting.

I got wowed!

Today I received a package that I had ordered from Kirsty Dunphey.

It cost nothing to address it to me with the title as "The Awesome..." but it made me feel like a million dollars (is that how she got her first million by the time she was 23?).

They also included a mobile phone sock & a CD, but it was the title that made this package memorable.

It made me think how I can make my clients feel extra special ...

The stress of it all

I set my self a goal with a reward & a consequence.

Now that I've achieved the goal, reflecting on what motivated me, it was definitely the thought of having to deal with the consequence of burning a rugby jersey I loved.

Sure I could've reneged on my deal with myself, but living with the fact that I didn't stay true to my word would be worse.

I can recommend this strategy for goal setting & will definitely use it again.

Carrot or stick

Listening to a speaker recently, he suggested that we don't just set SMART goals - but also have a reward & a consequence.

This idea resonated with me - and scares me a little.

We had to set a goal to achieve by 2 July.

I going to write a book that I've been putting off for ages.

If I send it to a publisher by then I will buy myself a nice pen. If I don't I will burn a favourite rugby jersey (which I definitely don't want to do). Yes, I am motivated to get the book to the publisher!

If you are serious about your goals, I recommend rewarding yourself & giving yourself a consequence to encourage you to achieve the things you want.

Peanut butter sandwiches

At a meeting recently, a business speaker told this story...

A workman sat down for lunch with his workmates and open his lunch box. "Peanut butter sandwiches again" he announced.

"Why don't you tell your wife you want something different" offered a workmate.

"I make them myself" said the workman.

This story made the room laugh, until the speaker suggested that we are often like the workman who want to change but never make the effort of changing.

MDRT - Wellington - 24 April 2008

The Million Dollar Round Table is an organisation committed to the sharing of information and ideas. Our meeting in Wellington was full of excellent ways to improve business.

Walton Rogers - First Vice President MDRT

• Learn by teaching.
• Customise every customers solution.
• Learn to listen.
• Develop an agenda for every meeting including 3 blank items at the start.

Neil Kendall - Tupicoffs

• Make a meaningful positive difference for clients.
• Make sure business cards have a clear name, number & e-mail address.
• If you're not in your client's mobile phone you're not in their lives.

John Shackleton

• Focus on motivators (rewards & consequences).
• Use visualisation.
• Manage self-esteem.
• Set precise & SMART goals.
• Work towards your goals minute after minute, hour after hour.

Don't lose weight

That was the advice of John Shackleton at a session I attended today.

His advice was to focus on the desired outcome, not the negative process.

For instance, he suggested that losing weight was the process that people needed to go through that resulted in them looking slim, and that looking slim or fitting a certain clothing size should be the goal.

In other words, focus on the gain, not the pain.