“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” ~Abraham Lincoln
Today is my son’s 21st birthday. Ryan is a U.S. Marine serving as an Air Traffic Controller. He’s been in Japan for the last two years. He’ll be returning to Texas on February 23rd for a month. I can’t wait.
My son has a great sense of humor, and a keen understanding (usually) of how people with half a brain should behave out in the business world. So in honor of his birthday, here is a 21 “FUN” Salute, with business lessons from the light side of life and kids and stuff like that, and making fun of whatever I can.
So Here Goes:
1. When I was a kid, I used to think there were little plastic army guys inside the radio playing the music. Lesson: PERCEPTION is EVERYTHING, and it often helps to communicate a product, service, or idea as if the audience knew NOTHING about it.
2. When I went to wash my hands in the kitchen today, I noticed that my honey had watered down the dish soap (again). I told him, “stop watering down the soap or I’m gonna blog about you”. He said, “go ahead, and also tell them I’ve been doing it since I was knee-high to a grasshopper”. Lesson: If you do something ridiculous, people will blog about you.
3. I had three kids in four years. When I potty trained my youngest, Sarah, I would reward ALL three kids with a few M&M’s whenever she used the potty. Understandably, the other two encouraged her BIG TIME. My son even snuck in and pee’d in the potty for her a few times. Sarah was effortlessly trained in short order, with plenty of praise and approval from her brother and sister. Lesson: You’ll reach your goals faster by rallying the team. Everyone will feel important, and team members will connect better with one another.
4. After a year in Japan, my hormonal son was missing the familiar comfort of American girls. I put together a “HOT CHICK KIT” for him by going to the mall near the holidays, and recruited single young ladies who were willing to, 1) have their picture taken, 2) sign a little note card to my son on the spot—which I tied to a mini-chocolate bar and their photo, and 3) Give up their Facebook or Myspace address. The girls were flattered and more than willing to contribute. They wrote wonderful messages thanking my son for his service and asking him to stay in touch. My son was pleasantly annoyed when I sent him the kit. Lesson: Create a product or service where there is a need and desire, no matter how crazy it seems. It will likely be a huge hit.
5. Recently, my honey and I signed up for a taste-test for Schlotzsky’s Deli. They were testing a new whole-grain bread. We got a free lunch for doing so, a date together, plus a $25.00 gift certificate each. Lesson: Save gobs of research money by going right to the horse’s mouth. You’ll solidify loyalty by rewarding your customers for giving you important product and service information.
6. My sister-in-law and I got kicked out of Harrods in London for taking photos of their beautiful displays, AFTER they told us to stop taking photos of their beautiful displays. Lesson: Don’t get pissy about FREE publicity (and, don’t push your luck).
7. I have asked my husband (not my HONEY this time) for weeks to buy ROASTED SALSA from the grocery store (he does the shopping). Twice already, even after my numerous requests, he bought the regular kind instead. Lesson: Don’t assume your customers will stay if you continue to ignore them (even though I’m staying).
8. One time I delivered a custom home fashions order to a client. I installed all the items and politely requested final payment. The client asked if she could pay me later, as she was expecting company and in a hurry! Lesson: Collect the balance on the day of install or delivery, BEFORE the install (P.S. I did get full payment that day).
9. Another time (before I finally changed my payment policy) I delivered a custom order to a client. I installed the treatments and I asked for final payment. The client, who knew the installation date in advance, said she did not own a checkbook or credit card and she did not have cash (I think that’s amazingly funny)! Lesson: Drop the bottom 20 percent of your clientele.
10. Once when I was five, my aunt cut my sandwich into four triangles because I asked for “corner to corner”. I went ballistic, flailing and crying with intense protest, demanding “I said corner to corner, NOT corner to corner to corner to corner.” Lesson: Don’t ASSUME you know what the customer wants just because you “sort of” know.
11. A friend and I visited a run-of-the-mill, not at all inspiring (why even be in business?) variety store. I saw signs posted and repeated on every wall, informing me that “if you break it, you buy it” (no, if I break it, YOU have to clean it up), that my “kids must stay with an adult at all times” (you had to tell me that through a stupid sign? How about if I make the kid stay with you while I shop, you’re an adult, aren’t you?), and that “a $2.00 charge will be added to all credit card purchases” (isn’t that illegal? If not, it should be). I’ve seen many stores play the sign game. My favorite was on the entrance of a popular hobby store. It read “upon entering this store you agree that we have the right to check your purse”. I am not kidding! I went into the store just HOPING someone tried to look in my purse! (By the way, just because you post a sign that reads, “upon entering this store, you agree to give us your car” doesn’t make it so.) Lesson: Don’t talk to your customers through negative signage. It makes you look really foolish and it turns people off. Totally ditch the “you’re a bad girl and we don’t trust you, and we really don’t even like you all that much” types of signs and attitudes.
12. Not long ago, at an otherwise upscale establishment, I saw another sign that read, “$30 fee on all returned checks”. Lesson: Drop the ridiculous HOT CHECK FEE (because then you have to have a stupid sign). If you must have it, make it just a few bucks, not 30. Someone who writes a hot check on purpose won’t be stopped because of a fee threat, and they probably won’t be coming back anyway, and a valued customer who writes one accidentally should be shown mercy so they WILL come back. NEVER shame your customers, and NEVER post their check on a wall for all to see (I can’t believe people do this).
13. I recently saw a T.V. commercial for Proactive where Avril Lavigne said, “I literally tried EVERYTHING”. The poor girl must be completely exhausted. Lesson: Don’t publicize that you are an idiot (yes, grammatical mistakes happen all the time, but this choice of wording was scripted, planned, reviewed by a slew of people, and continues to air). HINT: look up the word literally.
14. I tried to return a ham (by the way, that’s the title of my next book). We’d just bought it, and when I opened it I saw the expiration date had long expired. My honey had thrown away the receipt. “So what” I said, “I’m taking it back, they should never have sold this”. At the store, I politely explained that I didn’t have a receipt, that we shop there every week, and that the ham was long expired the day we bought it. The clerk made a phone call sharing all the details (including that I had no receipt). The person on the other end O.K.’d the return with no problem. The clerk then snobbishly handed me a gift card for the amount of the ham, and proceeded to tell me, “The next time you return something like this, don’t throw away your receipt”. Well, no sh_ _ Sherlock (I kept that to myself), that’s why I told you from the beginning that I didn’t have a receipt. But, she just HAD to have power over SOMEBODY! Lesson: Don’t SCOLD or LECTURE your customers (especially not me. Don’t worry, I was nice)!
15. I love Triscuit crackers, but rarely buy them and wasn’t sure why. Then Nabisco came out with Triscuit Thin Crisps, a thinner triangle version of the original, with the same taste. Now we buy them to eat with everything from eggs to chicken salad. They’re like my new bread. I now realize the original crackers were tasty, but just too thick and filling. Lesson: Don’t throw the cracker out with the kitchen-sink water—don’t totally replace an idea. Simply TWEAK a product or service just a bit, and you could have tremendous success. See, I am now eating more Triscuits AND sharing the product with you, and THAT’s how it works!
16. When I was about 7, I bet my older brother $5.00 that he couldn’t ride down the stairs on his bicycle. He took the bait. He landed at the bottom with a bang, a bent up bike, and his handlebars shot into the wall. My parents came running only to scream and holler at him (that’s what they did in the old days). He later asked me for the money. I said, “No, ‘cause you didn’t do it right”. Lesson: Get it in writing.
17. I served on a national Board of Directors for several years (I’ve served on several boards so don’t try to figure it out), volunteering a lot of time and traveling long distances to many meetings and think sessions. The leadership did not value or capitalize on the diversity of exceptional thinkers they had at their disposal. They embraced only ideas that were in line with their repertoire’ of knowledge and their current way of doing things. They quickly denounced ideas that involved knowledge that was new to them (I think because it made them uncomfortable, and allowed someone else to have authority or influence in the meetings). They also quickly stopped any type of back-and-forth passionate discussions among the 12 board members (but they would throw a hissy-fit if you disagreed with THEM). They didn’t facilitate the negotiations and friendly hashing out of a group of innovative thinkers who were willing to synthesize concepts and ideas, and bring innovation to an entire industry. That organization is still in just about the same place they were two, five, and even ten years ago. Lesson: Diversity of thinking, controlled tension from different ideas, and strategic conflict are where growth, change, innovation, and incredible ideas and products come from.
18. Today my honey, who is quite generous and always kind (but who LOVES to save money), turned away two adorable girl scouts selling cookies from a wagon. When he told me, I gave him a four second mini-lecture on the importance of their efforts, and then I ran down the road after them. They returned, and Joe and I, standing side-by-side, proudly bought a box of Caramel DeLites (he paid, and later he actually thanked me). As they left, one little girl said to me “isn’t your husband the man who rides his bike around”? Lesson: Don’t be too quick to blow an opportunity to invest into the lives of others, besides, someone might recognize you and always remember your kindness.
19. I once worked on a joint venture with a particular feisty, NO-BULL East Coast woman (no, not me). When someone harshly voiced a problem or issue through email, she was swift to shoot off a reply blasting them right back. I quickly took over the emails so as not to tick people off. I was able to turn every one of the critics full-heartedly towards our efforts through first respectfully acknowledging their concerns, and then offering greater understanding or solutions that worked for them. Lesson: Take a deep breath, then take the high road when responding to email messages containing sharp or tactless complaints. Don’t put it out there if you don’t want it to come back at ya’. Kind replies to ill-communicated concerns can win the virtual hearts (and real cash) of customers for years to come.
20. Type into Google (O.K., O.K., Bing, too) any term that relates to “bad customer service”, “rude store”, or “great places to shop”, and see what the universe brings. Lesson: Today, the little guy has power, and the supposedly insignificant people of the world are talking and blogging, and maybe about YOU! Behind the screen, everyone’s voice has just about equal authority and volume. If the nerdy nobody from OklaNowhere shares her experience online, she can direct droves of customers towards or away from you. Lesson: Be amazing and always give your very best. Help make the conversation one you can be proud of.
21. Today is my son’s 21st birthday. It has gone by so very fast. I remember him when he was just one day old (pictured), and I called him “mommy’s salami” because he was all wrapped up in a meaty little bundle. I have enjoyed every moment and every year that he was my son, and I look forward to many more. Lesson: Put your time, your efforts, your priorities, and your business concerns into perspective. Celebrate your life, your kids, your loved ones, and enjoy every minute of it.
“When the customer comes first, the customer will last” ~ Robert Half
Over the weekend, my honey, my Dad, my daughter, and I went to an early dinner at a local BBQ house since we told ourselves that we were all craving steak. I think I started the rumor. I really wanted a steak.
Shortly after we entered the not-yet crowded restaurant, we stood in line (with no other customers in sight), and bent our necks way back, Texas BBQ style, positioning our heads so we could look up towards the big menu on the wall near the ceiling, and there we all stood!
There we all stood—looking, thinking, figuring, trying not only to decide what to order, but to make sense of a menu that was totally lacking in information and completely confusing if you were not a “regular”. It was obvious that the four of us were lost in BBQ space.
Straight across from us and to the left, stood at least five brawny apron-clad male meat-slicers, with fidgeting knives in hand and no one yet to wait on. Not one member of the he-man group even attempted to acknowledge or engage us, even though they could clearly see by the looks on our faces, by our quiet and embarrassed whisperings back and forth to one another, and by our lack of movement towards the ordering station that we were stuck, puzzled, and frustrated about how and what to order.
The store manager, also oblivious to good customer service (and the behavioral leader of the man-clan), stood among them preparing for the soon to come evening rush. To the right of them all, and straight across from us, were two cashiers. The one closest to us was standing dope-faced and under-enthused at her register, watching us like we were lunatics, foreigners, or possibly even vegetarians. Another cashier— likely the owner because of her over-exaggerated expression of self-importance— had just come up to the second register while on the phone, pretending to be super busy, getting something from the cash drawer, and purposely ignoring us (because if she acknowledged that she saw us, she’d have to wait on us).
Now, the four of us steak-cravers stood there for at least eight minutes, huddling and sighing, and trying not to look too much like idiots who couldn’t order a simple BBQ plate or steak. The real idiots, however, were the staff members, and particularly the main cashier (I always blame the management), who allowed us to remain confused and unattended for such a long period of time (an eternity in the land of customers) without ever offering us assistance, asking if we had any questions, or helping us understand their “void-of-pertinent information” menu.
We stepped up to the register. We began asking questions to the numb, bland, expressionless and barely voiceless cashier who had been motionlessly watching us since we walked into the place. I think her name was Bambi, or Clueless, or something.
Her answers to our “what’s on the seniors BBQ plate”, “what’s the difference between a side and a side-order”, “what comes with the FREE buffet and what does not”, and “what comes with the 8 oz. steak dinner” confused us even more, and when we (mainly me) tried to clarify, she made things a lot worse, and a lot more confusing, and if that weren’t bad enough, she could utterly care less.
I finally ordered myself a simple burger instead of a steak because I was exhausted from being confused. She did manage to ask me if I wanted mayo or mustard, but she added a wide-eyed sarcastic expression as she asked (I guess she was getting annoyed at us being annoyed). “MAYO, not mustard” I said clearly, slinging my own version of her “Pissy Face” right back at her. She blatantly and confidently pressed a spot on her cash register and from there I walked off in utter frustration, leaving my husband, daughter, and dad to finish the rest of the ordering. At that point, it was every man for himself.
I’m a nice lady, but as I’ve said before, I am incapable of B_ _ _ S _ _ _! Just after I left the register, I politely but firmly spoke over the meat-slicing counter to the manager, “you’d probably have a nice restaurant here if your customer service was good”. Then I walked to my table without waiting for his response. I find when you confront people nicely but clearly, with a definitive statement, they respond, and they usually respond well. (A fantasy of mine is to some day be one of those secret shoppers who spies on businesses and then goes around informing management of all the wonderful things they can do in regard to customer care to turn their businesses around (you should watch Tabatha Coffey on the Bravo channel sometime)).
Not to be outdone by a measly former-New Yorker, the manager came to my table within two short minutes. He asked me my beef (I just had to say that) and I told him. He assured me this NEVER happens. He apologized and went on his way.
We got our meal and the food looked delicious. No complaints there at all, until I bit into my burger to discover that the passive-aggressive cashier had laid a double dose of mustard on me. I walked straight up to the manager for a fix (I was nice about it, I wasn’t going to give that woman the satisfaction of showing I was ticked). I even offered to let them just replace the bun so I could eat dinner with my family. I got my “new” burger, with mayo, in about 6 minutes. From that point on the meal was great and my husband gave me a big bite of his steak (it costs me half a cheeseburger).
Before we were half-way through with the meal, the manager visited us again with an offer for a FREE after-dinner fruit cobbler and ice-cream for each of us. I felt a bit on the spot—I was not looking for free anything, just decent service and help with the confusing menu. I started to say “no, that is not necessary”, but I knew the manager was trying to recover, and I KNEW my honey wanted that cobbler, so I obliged him. My skinny, type II diabetic father was also thrilled.
On our way out we kindly thanked the manager and said our warm good-byes. Maybe this was an “off” night for them all. Maybe the workers were treated by the management and by the owner the same way WE were treated by the workers and by the owner (the lady on the phone). Perhaps that’s why the workers had no enthusiasm or sense of customer connection.
This was an experience for sure, and easy material for today’s message, but really it’s a sad commentary relating to many of America’s small businesses. The country lacks customer service, business common sense, and sometimes basic brains.
The disturbing part about this scenario was that the food was really good, the restaurant was clean, the décor was fitting (if you like the county-rustic theme common to a BBQ place), and the prices were fair, but that was NOT enough. People want you and your establishment to be EXCEPTIONAL, to be AMAZING, particularly in the department of customer service. No one wants to pay for a bad experience. They may purchase it the first time through ignorance, but you can bet your 10-gallon hat they won’t come back.
The cheapest steak that night at our local BBQ place ran around 15 bucks, the most expensive around 30. The cheeseburgers were around 8. I went out to dinner looking for a steak, but in frustration and desperation, I ordered a cheeseburger instead. That restaurant lost at least 20 dollars on my sale alone, and my daughter opted for a salad, resulting in another loss in sales for BBQ HEAVEN (the name has been changed to protect the possibility of an innocent party). How many times a day, a weekend, a month does this happen at this establishment? Could their sales increase by 20, 30, 40 percent or more if they simply cared about each and every customer that walked through their doors?
Your Lesson and Mine
What about you. I know you may not sell BBQ, but how are you doing in the furniture department, the color consultation field, or in the wellness industry? It doesn’t matter if you are selling food, fabrics, furniture, or fitness. Your customers must be KING.
Don’t be an example of poor customer care that shows up on somebody’s blog. Be that sensational business that everyone wants to talk to everyone else about, in a good way. When they want cheeseburgers, let them eat steak!
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”~Anthony Robbins
“The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don’t define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them.” ~ Denis Watle
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he had imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau – Walden, or Life in the Woods
“By recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be. Put your future in good hands — your own.” ~ Mark Victor Hansen
I hope you enjoyed the audio I sent you last week.
This week I promised you a very powerful goal-setting exercise, and here it is.
It WILL take a little bit of time, but the PAYOFF will be TREMENDOUS! If you take it seriously and look at it as a potentially life-changing session, it will put you light years ahead in your life and business. It will guide you step-by-step through a process where you will create MEANINGFUL life and business goals, prioritize them with incredible clarity, and determine with ease the action steps you should take to accomplish what you desire in a realistic amount of time!
This strategic plan puts YOU in control and allows you to continually move toward your most important personal and professional goals, accomplish them quickly, and bring what you say you want into reality.
Following is the EXACT TEXT and PLAN that I share each year with my coaching clients and my network of professionals. I have also personally guided individuals through this process, to see them realize amazing professional growth and success (at the very end of this message is a testimonial from a client).
PLEASE, invest the time in yourself to do it. You will save YEARS of wasted effort for the hour or so you take to do this exercise!
GOAL PLANNING that ACTUALLY WORKS!
Prioritizing your goals and the specific tasks you invest your time in can make a tremendous difference in the way you experience your life and in the success of your business. Skillful goal setting can free you up to spend more time doing the things you personally want to do—the things that are the most meaningful to you.
I encourage you to start this year off with a strategic plan to focus on what is most important to you and to make room and time for the business goals and activities that will catapult you into financial freedom, leaving you a lot of valuable time for family, friends, new business ventures, and many fun adventures.
You are going to learn how to leave behind all of the unprofitable “busywork” that gets you nowhere, and you will in turn become a Master of your own life and destiny.
You may have just left behind a year of dissatisfaction and frustration. You may have often felt overwhelmed which probably kept you from taking the actions you MOST needed to take. You may have thought about time management. The truth is though, that many of the time management principles that are “out there” would simply tell you how to do more things in less time, or more things in the same amount of time. This approach can pose a HUGE problem if the “things” you work on are not the right things to begin with! You need a TIME MASTERY APPROACH, where the tasks you spend your effort and energy on or even complete are totally in line with your values and especially your most meaningful business and personal goals.
In a nutshell, you need to:
• Establish meaningful business (and personal) goals
• Prioritize these goals
• Create a list of tasks to accomplish each goal
• Prioritize these tasks based on which are the MOST IMPORTANT
• Concentrate the majority of your daily efforts on those important tasks
Begin with a Goal Planning Session
Mastering your time begins with finding the right direction for your business and for your life in general. You have to know where you are going but more important than that, you have to choose where you want to go! This will require an initial small amount of planning on your part. Let’s call this your “goals planning session” (this can be a “business goals planning session” or a “life goals planning session” or both wrapped up into one). Either way, you should do one of these goals planning sessions about every 6 months since business goals and life priorities do change, and short term goals get accomplished quickly.
Your time mastery session will involve establishing and prioritizing meaningful business and personal goals, and prioritizing projects and specifically tasks in terms of how they fit into your long-term goals, your mid-term goals, and your short-term goals.
Once your goals are set, each day you will take a few minutes out to plan and you will decide DAILY which activities and tasks are most valuable for you to work on to help get you closer to accomplishing your targeted goals and dreams.
With this approach, every day you will inch a little closer to realizing your goals and dreams, even when part of your day is spent on menial tasks and routine items that most of us must do. A time mastery approach will help you to best use some of the prime hours of each day.
Following is THE exercise in goal planning that will change the direction of your life and business for the better. Please don’t make the mistake of believing you do not have the time to do the following exercises. You simply cannot afford not to.
TIME MASTERY Business Goal Planning Session exercise:
• Get out three sheets of paper, one each for your list of your long-term business (where you want to be in 4-5 years), your mid-term goals (where you want to be in 1-3 years), and your short-term goals (things you want to accomplish in the next 6 months). You can adjust the time frames to best suit yourself and your life, but make your short term goals within a few months. Put the labels at the top of each page.
• Take about 3 minutes for each sheet, and write your goals very quickly. Do not stop and think about it. If something comes to your mind, do not judge the thought, just write it down. When you are through with each page of goals, spend an additional minute or two adding to the page or fine-tuning it. Do this exercise for each page.
• It may help to know that a goal is not “something you do”. A task is something you do. A goal describes where you want to be or what you want to accomplish, for example, “I want to my yearly sales revenues to be $300,000.00 within 2 years, or, “I want to write a book on interior lighting”.
• Next, take the sheet of your long-term goals, and circle the 3 most important. Now label them A, B, and C, with A representing the long-term goal you want to focus on first or that you find to be most important to you at this time in your life, and B and C representing the long-term goals you will work on after long-term goal A is accomplished. Do this same activity for the other two pages (mid-term goals and short-term goals).
• You will now have 9 goals circled; 3 long-term, 3 mid-term, and 3 short-term goals. Each of these goals has an A, B, or C next to it. Now, Take out a clean piece of paper, and transfer the A goal from each sheet onto the new sheet.
• The new sheet will now have 3 top priority goals—-one from each category (a top priority long-term goal, a top priority mid-term goal, and a top priority short-term goal). This is your Focused Goals Target.
• The final step in this goal planning session is to make a list of all of the possible tasks and activities you could do that would help you towards accomplishing each of the three goals on your Focused Goals Target sheet.
• Create a page for each of these three goals (your top priority long-term goal, mid-term goal, and short-term goal) and list everything you can think of that would help you to attain this goal. This is another brainstorming session so you should just write and not make judgments. Take several minutes to do this for each goal. Then revise this list, adding more activities and crossing out others that will not work.
• Now it is time to prioritize tasks to ensure that you will make the best use of your time each day. Go through the list of tasks (do this for each page) and circle the ones you feel will give you the most result for your effort. You may end up circling 6 or 8 of them. Then draw a star next to the ones that you would like to work on first.
• Schedule these tasks into your daily to do’s, focusing on the ones with the stars first. Daily, when you plan your business activities, try to schedule in at least one or two tasks from e ach list to accomplish that day. Before you know it, you will be checking goals off of your Focused Goals Target because you will be accomplishing your business dreams and life goals in record time!
(Testimonial follows)
Congratulations! Have a Wildly Successful Week,
Margo
TESTIMONIAL:
I have spent my life in pursuit of a clearer understanding of the life I was searching for. Having many interests and many responsibilities, I often stayed overwhelmed with too many choices and not enough progress to suit my desires. Then, I met Margarett (Margo).
In just a few short meetings Margarett was able to assist me in the organizing of the clutter in my mind as she helped me define the basic personality aspects of my individual self. We skipped labeling and belief-driven needs to get, quickly, to the core of the 3 most important things I needed to achieve in my life in order to have personal, soulful fulfillment. The process was fast, clear and powerful.
I am happy to say that when I got very clear about what mattered and could articulate it and focus on it with action and intent, EVERY desire came into my life greater than I could have imagined. Far, far greater. And fast, too.
Within 30 short, committed days I had created situations that allowed me to call into my life, the clear goals I’d determined were the most important. I am overjoyed at the results. Pinching myself, actually. Smiling, lifting my face to the sun and pinching myself. This life is real and I am enchanted, clear and on track.
Carol Conlee,
Business Owner and Playwright
Central Texas
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~Confucius
Links to special recordings follow this message.
Today I am sick in bed. I have been down since New Year’s day, and I feel just terrible (tomorrow I’ll see the doctor). I am also in between bootcamps right now (the fitness program I told you about).
I had a plan to walk/run 4 miles a day for the 3 or 4 weeks in between bootcamp sessions. This was a reasonable goal to me since I had worked up to it. Then, on about the third day of this plan, I re-injured (slightly) my calf muscle that I had injured more seriously about 6 weeks ago. Then a week or so later, I got really sick (and here I am in bed).
We set goals, and sometimes things happen that prevent us from reaching them in the time frame we alloted. If we are serious about accomplishing what is important to us, we will make the needed adjustments and then get back on track, after all, this is REAL LIFE! The steps toward our goals can be adjusted, and on occasion, they should be. We are in charge of the goals, not the other way around.
I am big on having a few meaningful, well-thought-out goals, and taking specific actions to reach them. I have spoken on this topic to many different types of career professionals. I believe that how we use our time can either help us create a great life, or lead us to frustration and lives of mediocrity and, as Emerson puts it, “quiet desperation”.
Although I am goal oriented, I am NOT one of these people who thinks good time management is making important calls while waiting in line at the grocery store, or cramming in some work on the laptop during a short taxi-cab ride. That is NOT effective or efficient time management. Cramming lots of things into a day is not necessarily a surefire way to reach your goals. (I have worked with people like this, and it’s annoying in my opinion. I personally love my “mini-vacations”, be it in a line at the store or in a taxi cab just “chillin’ ”. It makes me a more effective executive when I AM working.)
Last week I promised you some audio on goal planning and goal setting and on working on the RIGHT kinds of activities in order to make a huge impact in your life and business over time. Since I am sick in bed right now, and I can barely talk, I will not record a new audio, instead, I have two previously recorded audios that I created last year for a group of Interior Decorating Professionals, and I would like you to hear them. They are spot on! No matter which occupation you are in, these recordings will shed light on three different types of ACTIONS—the types you should be taking, and the types to avoid each day, week, and month so that you can reach your goals.
Then, next week, I will share with you (NOT on audio) a very specific, precise, POWERFUL, life-changing goal setting plan that will enable you to create and then set new and MEANINGFUL goals for yourself and for your business. The plan will then help you to prioritize these goals, decide which action steps to take, and find the motivation and tenacity to take those steps one by one, to actually accomplish what you desire!
The entire time you work the plan, you will be moving with definitive force toward your most important personal and professional goals. Next week’s plan is something you should look forward to getting. You may even want to carve some time in advance—make an appointment with yourself for next week to read the Monday Message and work the plan it contains, which is GOAL PLANNING that ACTUALLY WORKS!
In the meantime, today, just take some time to listen to these two audio messages about action. Give them a moment to load. Ignore the greeting at the beginning to “decorators” and apply the entire session personally to you and your business. Then next week we will be on our way to planning and creating new and better lives.
One of my students emailed me this morning about a business plan. One of the assignments from our 12-week online decorating program is to create a simple business plan (we guide you through it). So many people skip this exercise when going into business. I think a creating even a simple business plan really helps you to think straight and helps you get very clear about what you want and where you want to go.
My student was concerned than her business plan was not perfect-that she may have “messed it up”. This is what I told her:
Just the very act of doing the plan, even if it is not perfect, will put you light years ahead.
Having your own business is so much different from working for someone else. The effort of getting your own leads is the difference. It is easier to sell (for many people) than to get leads.
You are doing fine. The main thing is to always do marketing–even when times are slow and you have few customers (especially then) because that is when most people quit. When the economy turns a bit, you will be ready, and when more customers start spending again, they will turn to you because you kept in touch and kept your name out there.
You should also be looking for free publicity, which is a big blessing when you are short on funds for advertising. Free publicity is like a third party endorsing you–more believable to customers–since it is someone else heralding your services and not you.
You can get free publicity by creating reports, white papers, and FYI articles in your field that educate and inform people, and then letting media outlets know about them. You should also do a simple press release every time you go to a show or training session. The public is always interested in such things.
Another idea is to do a few free informational seminars. One example , if you are a decorator, would be to do one on color in the home, and ask a local paint company to sponsor it (i.e. provide the place to have it). The media would be interested in that. Create a catchy headline.
Focus on marketing always, and look for ways to get free publicity when times are slow. The main thing is to stay in the heart and mind of potential customers and their friends.
Becoming aware not only of what you want, but also of what sabotages what you want (those deep, hidden thoughts you often think to yourself that wreck it all) can put you in a much more powerful place where your dreams begin to happen. Expose the thought patterns that hinder you, and they will dissipate, because they no longer have a place where they can remain solid. Being aware puts you closer to being “there” (where you want to be)!
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” ~Hans Hofmann
Here’s your New Year’s KISS: Keep It Simple, Sweetie!
It is nearing the new year, and as anyone who knows me knows, this is when I get on my soapbox about going forward in a positive way. At the end of this message I have a 5 minute audio for you to listen to that will help you keep it simple and successful as you venture into a new year and decade. In the week’s to come, I have a wonderful goal setting plan for you so you can be in a fabulous place by this time next year!
We all embrace the new year like a brand new beginning. We love starting fresh, with a clean canvas. Perhaps we won’t mess up this time (not likely by the way, because this is REAL life).
What we should be focusing on though, are ways to create step-by-step, incremental measures of improvement and balance, rather than the overnight success sensations we wish we could be.
Success is something we all say we want, but many of us are mistaken about what success really is. I know success is something each of us has to define for ourselves, but any definition that includes just one part of our lives (fitness, business, relationships, personal development) is not a healthy or true definition.
Success is holistic. Real success involves the concepts of unity and completeness (and not perfection by the way). It means that there is attention, improvement, satisfaction, and even excellence in many, if not all, areas of our lives.
You may only find MASTERY in one or two of your many life facets, but you will at the very least seek to be a balanced person within the other facets, and a person who walks towards excellence in all ways, bringing harmony and clarity to your life as a whole.
This is NOT something you do at a weekend retreat, or even in the course of one short year. It is a WAY OF LIFE, a LIFESTYLE. New things crop up all the time to throw you off center and pull you off course, and sabotage a portion of your success, but you keep going.
In each moment of your life, you do what you know to do that is best. You treat yourself and those around you with respect and goodness, you stop to be aware and NOTICE life, you try not to be rigid or too hard on yourself or others, and you require YOUR personal best from YOU. It’s really that simple.
So go ahead and forge on to great success in the coming year, and hey, in the NEW DECADE! I have very high hopes for you, and for myself as well.
Here is the Link I promised you (Simplify for Success ). In this audio I share (for around 5 minutes) 3 easy ways to simplify your life in the new year and beyond. Capturing our own success requires that you simplify life where you can so you are not too confused, busy, or overwhelmed to plan, take action, and enjoy life.
Oh, and by the way, I want 2010 to be a turning point year for you, I really do. In the weeks to come (starting next week), I will be sharing with you in both text and on audio (through the Monday Messages) some POWERFUL ways to set new and MEANINGFUL goals, prioritize them, decipher which action steps to take, and find the strength and vigor to take those steps. The entire time you work the plan, you will be moving with definitive force toward your most important and life changing goals, and if you stick with the plan you will reach them. So, we have a LOT to look forward to in January 2010!
Have a Wildly Blessed New Year,
Your Friend,
Margo
P.S. (what is it with me and the P.S’s lately?)
Do you want a better business? Treat your customers better.
Do you want a better marriage? Treat your spouse better.
Do you want a better physique? Treat your body better.
Do you want better relationships? Treat your friends and loved ones better.
Do you want a better bank account? Treat your money better.
Giving is the new getting. For some, it has always been that way. For others, it will NEVER be that way.
In this new media economy, and in the immensely growing and changing but intensely social landscape, non-givers will be left behind, both in business and in finding and enjoying a satisfying life.
Giving is actually something you do for yourself first (that sounds kind of selfish), but if you want to really reach out and connect with others, you have to love yourself first, and loving self means being a giver.
It does feel better to give than to get. Giving means you are in a position of positive power and not a victim. The power is not about being “better” than anyone, it is about being YOUR BEST and using your personal force to help others.
You can be dirt poor and still give, because it has NOTHING to do with money!
This FREE 20 page Fun and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas booklet is my gift to you for a Happy Holiday. It is great to look through for snappy ideas to decorate and entertain, even last minute! Print it or save it, but whatever you do, enjoy it!
Enjoy this booklet for yourself, or email it to your friends and family. Just keep it “as is” without any changes to the document or copyright and you can share to your heart’s content! You may even place it on your website or blog.
“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart…pursue those.” ~Michael Nolan
Pursue the Thing You Most Want to Possess!
My mother was a hilarious women, a sweet lady, and a shoot-straight-from-the-hip kinda gal. She had so many funny and unusual sayings. Some she made up herself and others she snagged along the way on life’s journey. She spouted them off to us often. Each one told it like it was in just a few words. My brothers and sisters and I will likely write a book filled with them (if we can stop reminiscing and falling on the floor long enough to recapture them all). A favorite of mine was, “If the dog didn’t stop to take a bathroom break (a nice way of saying it), he would have caught the rabbit.”
The poor dog. He couldn’t even stop to relieve himself without my mother’s generation seriously picking on him. But, who is to say that he REALLY had to go to the bathroom? Maybe, just maybe the dog stopped because he was afraid, insecure, not certain, or numb with routine. His excursion from the chase could have been nothing more than a sly form of procrastination. We can be fairly confident that the dog did WANT the rabbit, after all, isn’t that what dogs are SUPPOSED to enjoy? For some reason though, the poor hound stopped at the wrong time or for the wrong reasons.
Could this dog be you?
Are you happy in your business and in your life?
I want to be happy, don’t you? But ARE you happy? I didn’t ask if you were appreciative or thankful. You can be thankful in any situation and in any stage of life or during any step of reaching a personal or business goal. I also did not ask if you were content (at ease). You can be content in the expected, the common, the mundane or the monotonous, but not challenged or invigorated. Further, I didn’t ask if you were satisfied (comfortable). You can be satisfied after a bowl of warm porridge, but maybe you were destined to taste sushi or steak.
Many years ago I used to tell my husband, “I don’t want a mediocre marriage, I want more”. We had a good marriage, but I wanted a great marriage. I think one of the biggest and many times one of the saddest misconceptions people have is that mediocre is good enough. After all, it is safe and somewhat effortless, and why seek after something you may not attain to or something you have never experienced when you already know, understand, and have control over what you have now? Fear of the unknown (and a dash of laziness) holds us back.
You can be in the midst of satisfaction and still seek more. Your business can be thriving while your heart holds many more dreams. What if seeking more and actually gaining it could put you in a place of living your life the way it was meant to be experienced? We are born with the capacity and the ability to do great things, even if just within our own circle of influence.
Don’t you know what Emerson said about men of quiet desperation? Look it up. If you listen to your heart—really listen—you will find that it is your God given birthright to not be o.k. with mediocrity. Mediocrity is the slow and deadly poison of a great and richly fulfilling life. Your family, your associates, and your customers deserve the best you have to offer, and you deserve that too!
What are you holding to that holds you back?
Is your business living in the past (and your relationships for that matter)? Are you surviving off of the heavenly manna of yesteryear? It’s probably going bad by now—it could be moldy. Are you holding on to old dreams that may not fit your lifestyle today, or dreams you have already lost? Don’t. It is honestly time to let go.
Let go of what may have worked for you at one time, but does not anymore. Not everything, but those activities, ideas, relationships, business pursuits, or business offerings that have no real shelf life left. Let go of the old and open your arms to embrace the new.
This is a new day. Muster up the strength and the tenacity to envision for yourself what could be—those things that are in line with where you WANT to go, and those goals that are actually somewhat within your reach, or even better, just outside of it. So what if you have to stretch a little or gain some new flexibility in order to acquire them? Anything worth having is worth the effort to gain it.
What do you REALLY want?
Do you want the rabbit, or is that what other people say you should want? Not all dogs prefer rabbit over other meats. Surely there is an elaborate fantasy, a crazy hallucination, or an intriguing story you envision for your life and business when you really let yourself go. What is YOUR CORE DESIRE? Ask yourself what you unmistakably want. The first thing that pops up may NOT be your core desire. Stay with yourself long enough to get to that core desire. You may have to dig a little, and this can sometimes be painful. Simply admitting you do not already have what you deeply desire can bring pain. Let that longing or desire for your business (or life) be one that fits you going forward, not one that came from the past. Redesign it somewhat if you must. Think about creating a NEW future.
You have the answers you need within you. Let your dreams speak to you. That new idea, that new line of products, that new and exciting direction you want to take will excite you once again. Your most meaningful and satisfying dreams will always be the ones you create and plan, rather than the old ones you fearfully or desperately cling to. The one thing that will drive you forward most forcefully in your action and pursuit of what you want now is definiteness of purpose. Be bold, be audacious. Have fun with it. What do YOU WANT NOW?
What are you waiting for in order to make even a single change?
If you want to possess it, you must pursue it.
Wayne Dyer once said, “Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” I’ll ad that the past is long gone. Think back to five years ago? Is your business pretty much the same? How about your relationships (I’m just saying—since there could actually be a pattern in your action level here)? Has anything amazing transpired, or at the very least, have you grown substantially in any of these areas? For many people, weeks, months, and years pass, and things look exactly as they had before, or perhaps there are slight variations, some of which happened in spite of us. But is there a specific thought, plan, or dream you had that was actually realized—something truly significant to you? Another week, month, and year will surely travel by. Are you ready for something better, something even profound?
If you want to acquire it, you must identify it, acknowledge it and then advance toward it. You have to pursue it. Don’t wait. Start NOW. Take action immediately. DECIDE what you want. Decide that you will simply BEGIN to START creating it (see how subtle that is). The moment you decide, you enter into creating it, because your subconscious thinking, your intentions, and even your resources become focused towards what you want.
I can’t— someone already thought of that
Not the first? GREAT! Being second means someone helped pave the road for you, and it means there is information out there that can help you. It also means you can one-up the competition with added features or benefits that can save the client time, money, hassle, or solve additional problems for them. No excuses here.
Maybe it’s just too hard
Maybe it is hard, so what’s your point? Anything worth anything is a matter of effort. Hard is only for a season, and the payoff for focused effort towards the right goal yields results that feel a hundred times better than the hard ever hurt.
Recognizing that you can have more, deciding to procure it, and moving with directed action takes courage, because you must leave a space of knowing, and willingly transition through the unknown to a potential place where you know you need to be. It takes guts. You’ll never see the payoff without them.
A chunk at a time
Just how do you get from here to there, from idea to reality? Do you wait until everything is perfect to even make a step?
The way is a chunk at a time. It may very well be time to re-pattern, to break old, useless, or fruitless habits one at a time, to do something a little different, to slowly begin to make subtle adjustments and mild but certain changes in direction.
Innovation is the gift you give yourself when you lay down old patterns and tweak them with new twists.
A little more to the left or a tad more to the right can ultimately bring you to a completely different destination.
Follow your wholesome desires for improvement, fulfillment, and success
A core desire brought to your conscious mind and acknowledged by your active thoughts and actions drives you. It encompasses your thinking to the point where you cannot and will not entertain what you don’t want. You stay easily focused even in the face of obstacles, major issues, and roadblocks. You are on fire with desire and nothing can stop you. Your core desires become your priorities.
This week, find a core desire and give it a lot of thought—a lot! Mull over it, and consider how actualizing that desire will put you in a completely different place in life. Then, play with those thoughts even further. Reshape them, rearrange them, and use them to form your plan of attack.
Select a simple task, project, or goal associated with that core desire that will advance you in your career (or in whatever area you need to advance in). Make it a point to just do it, no excuses, no looking back.
Let this action step be the first of many more action steps to follow going into a new decade, 2010. The old is gone and the new is being ushered in. It is REALLY time to stop wasting your own precious time, and start solidifying once and for all the life you know you want, and most importantly, the life you KNOW you most certainly can have.
ONLY for Decorators and Designers, from Margo 12-12-09
This blog is for ALL entrepreneurs and business people. However, I do train a lot of decorators, so the ONLY for DECORATORS and DECORATORS posts can be skipped over if you are in a different industry.
A Tip About Yardage for Euro Shams:
When calculating yardage for the body of a 26″ European sham, allow more than just 3/4 per yard of fabric for the body of each sham, here’s why:
A European (or Euro) sham is 26″ square finished (some may be a tad bigger or smaller).
Your cut measurement for the front of the sham is 27″, which is 26″ plus an allowance of 1/2 inch per side for seams (FYI: some people go with 26″, since they do not add a seam allowance on pillows or shams because it gives a tighter fit when the product is complete).
Each Euro sham has a front and a back, and the back is made of two pieces (unless it is a zippered sham) that are overlapped to make a slit where the pillow goes in.
If the back was made out of just one piece of fabric, then both the front and the back of the sham could possibly be cut from one width of fabric (if the fabric were a solid), but the fabric would have to be at least 54″ wide to allow for seams (and some fabrics are only 52″ even though they say 54″).
Fabrics that are not a solid have a pattern repeat, so you need additional fabric to match the patterns.
A regular Euro sham is not zippered (unless you request it), so to make the back of the sham takes two pieces of fabric that are folded over each other and hemmed to make the opening. Each of the 2 back portions (for the same sgam) takes a piece of fabric that is about 26″ long by at least 16″ wide, so you cannot get the front of the sham AND both back sections from one cut of fabric, even if the fabric were a solid.
So technically, we could do a solid fabric Euro sham without cording in just over 1.5 yards (without the cording), so we round it to 2 yards.
We would definitely need the full 2 if we had a large repeat. Then we add 1/2 yard for cording (even though the extra cutoff scrap might be enough for the cording).
ONLY for Decorators and Designers, from Margo 12-11-09
This blog is for ALL entrepreneurs and business people. However, I do train a lot of decorators, so the ONLY for DECORATORS and DECORATORS posts can be skipped over if you are in a different industry.
A Tip About Workroom Yardage Charts:
If you are sewing things yourself, you would almost always use less fabric for just about everything than your workroom person or the workroom yardage books ask for.
The workrooms always want a tad more yardage so they are not short in case of flaws, or in case a fabric is supposed to be 54″ and ends up being 51″ or so. Workrooms create standard amounts that they request for each piece, and list these amounts in their charts.
As you become very skilled at measuring and figuring yardage, you can order less fabric on some things, but most designers do not study cutting and calculating yardage, so they just use the workroom’s fabric charts.
This saves you (and the customer too), a lot of time and headache. Even though occasionally you may purchase extra fabric for the client, you can look at it as part of the designers fee. You just can’t let yourself get caught in a web where you try to get the yardage to the “T”. This is VERY time consuming and leaves no wiggle room in case of flaws or minor errors at the workroom. Besides, if you did take the time to do this you would have to allow for that time in the price of the item.
Clients who want to nit-pick about yardage amounts will drive you crazy. Order what the workroom requires and you can request that the extra fabric be sent back to you with the order.
If you charge people for the product as a whole without separating labor and fabric charges (i.e. without “itemizing”), then you will not have to return their extra fabric. I think this is good practice, as it can save them (the client) getting angry on the occasion there are 2 or 3 yards extra of an expensive fabric, for instance.
March 13, 2010 1855 Percival Lowell 1860 Hugo Wolf 1884 Sir Hugh Walpole 1933 Mike Stoller 1939 Neil Sedaka 1939 Terence Brady 1947 Lesley Collier 1952 Trevor Sorbie 1960 Adam Clayton
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Monday Message from Margo 1-25-2010 
last two years. He’ll be returning to Texas on February 23rd for a month. I can’t wait.
Understandably, the other two encouraged her BIG TIME. My son even snuck in and pee’d in the potty for her a few times. Sarah was effortlessly trained in short order, with plenty of praise and approval from her brother and sister. Lesson: You’ll reach your goals faster by rallying the team. Everyone will feel important, and team members will connect better with one another.
of their beautiful displays. Lesson: Don’t get pissy about FREE publicity (and, don’t push your luck).
that read, “$30 fee on all returned checks”. Lesson: Drop the ridiculous HOT CHECK FEE (because then you have to have a stupid sign). If you must have it, make it just a few bucks, not 30. Someone who writes a hot check on purpose won’t be stopped because of a fee threat, and they probably won’t be coming back anyway, and a valued customer who writes one accidentally should be shown mercy so they WILL come back. NEVER shame your customers, and NEVER post their check on a wall for all to see (I can’t believe people do this).
him when he was just one day old (pictured), and I called him “mommy’s salami” because he was all wrapped up in a meaty little bundle. I have enjoyed every moment and every year that he was my son, and I look forward to many more. Lesson: Put your time, your efforts, your priorities, and your business concerns into perspective. Celebrate your life, your kids, your loved ones, and enjoy every minute of it.
Giving is the new getting. For some, it has always been that way. For others, it will NEVER be that way.
My mother was a hilarious women, a sweet lady, and a shoot-straight-from-the-hip kinda gal. She had so many funny and unusual sayings. Some she made up herself and others she snagged along the way on life’s journey. She spouted them off to us often. Each one told it like it was in just a few words. My brothers and sisters and I will likely write a book filled with them (if we can stop reminiscing and falling on the floor long enough to recapture them all). A favorite of mine was, “If the dog didn’t stop to take a bathroom break (a nice way of saying it), he would have caught the rabbit.”
What are you holding to that holds you back?
advance toward it. You have to pursue it. Don’t wait. Start NOW. Take action immediately. DECIDE what you want. Decide that you will simply BEGIN to START creating it (see how subtle that is). The moment you decide, you enter into creating it, because your subconscious thinking, your intentions, and even your resources become focused towards what you want.