January 30, 2009

Creating Endless Opportunities... How to Use "The Velvet
Sledgehammer," Part 3... When Disaster Strikes, Rebound for
Success... How to Make High-Stakes Decisions... and More.

** Creating Endless Opportunities
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily

The next time you meet a very successful person, you could ask them how they made it to the top.

The answers you receive will be completely different. One may have worked long hours for someone else before finally branching out on their own. Another may have followed a hunch early on and put in the work to make their plans a success.

However, one answer you'll rarely hear is that they got to be so successful on a one-shot deal. Do you want to know why? That's because one-shot deals are a fantasy. They are Hollywood legends that make for great movies and happy endings.

What these movies often ignore are the long nights spent figuring out details and the minor roadblocks that pop up almost every day.

You see, very successful people know that part of their success has been created by their own sweat and effort. The other part is created through making endless opportunities for themselves.Let me explain what I mean.

An opportunity to make a lot of money in just one deal may sound great. But, even if that deal works out, what's next? You're going to want to make more money and, if you put all your effort into just one thing, well, there you are left high and dry with nowhere else to go.

However, by thinking beyond the next big deal, you are already positioning yourself for making another deal. You know that your first success is only a stepping stone, so you become aware of new opportunities even before the first one has been completed.

This is the principle of success. It's not finding just making one big deal and walking away rich. No; it's seeing every deal as a door towards another successful venture.

So, the next time someone tells you about a big, one-shot deal, consider what they have to tell you and then look for a second opportunity that could result after this deal. If there isn't one, tread forward with caution, because any opportunity that leads nowhere could be too much for anyone to risk.

** How to Use "The Velvet Sledgehammer," Part 3
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"

The past few days, I've talked about "The Velvet Sledgehammer" technique I use to overcome resistance.

Today, I'll conclude by showing you some common resistance keywords and how the "Three Fs" can help you deal with them.

Over the years, I have developed and refined some powerful verbal techniques that have helped me win people over to my way of thinking. You may be familiar with some, while others you might only be learning about for the first time.

Either way, combined with the thoughts I have already shared with you, and by making them a part of your day-to-day life, nothing should ever stand in the way of you getting what you want and deserve again.

This is especially true when you consider that, no matter what you come up against, the barriers to resistance are always the same:

"No."

"Not interested."

"I'll think about."

Or in the case of selling, the arguments are usually:

"I can't afford it."

"I don't need it."

"I already have somebody else I buy this from."

So what is the best way to deal with this resistance?

One of my favorite methods involves the use of what I call the "Three Fs:" Feel, Felt and Found.

Remember what I said earlier about the importance of understanding exactly what the resistance is that you are coming up against? The key to turning the tables is to first understand the resistance and then to use that understanding to get what you want.

Simply telling someone that you are on their side is key. Just stating, "I understand how you feel," could work wonders for breaking down resistance. Remember the power of appreciation? People appreciate that you understand their positions and that you see where they are coming from. By meeting resistance with this understanding, you begin to diffuse it and you start to win the other person over. It is inevitable. We always want to please the people that we like. If you are patient and understanding with someone, if you treat them with respect, inevitably they will grow to like you and will therefore want to help you out.

Remember in the past what I said about Judo? I mentioned how it teaches you from the beginning how to deal with resistance. So, instead of using your power to combat their resistance, you use their resistance to overpower them.

When you tell someone, for example, that, "Bill Smith felt the same way at first," you have done just that. You have noticed the resistance barrier you are facing. People like to know they are not the only ones that felt a certain way about something.

Take, for example, your own situation. If you are out shopping and someone is trying to sell you an item, you do not want to be pressured. But, you would like to know that other people were perhaps trying to decide between two models of computers that you are looking at and that they went with the recommended one. Even better, you would love to know how happy they were with the choice they made.

Here is where The Velvet Sledgehammer comes in. By simply adding that "found" element, you could be quite effective at dissolving any resistance.

Put it all together and here is what you get:

"I understand how you feel about using this simple technique to counter resistance. Bill Smith felt the same way before he tried it. But, now that he is enjoying great results, he has found that he would not do it any other way. I am certain that you, too, will find that you achieve the same results."

Of course, what makes a strategy like this work is that it all starts when you win someone over and they come to your side.

Remember: it is normal for resistance to follow persuasion in much the same way that it is normal for day to follow night. However, unlike this unchanging process, you could counteract the resistance and win people over, thereby easily overcoming any challenge in life.

** When Disaster Strikes, Rebound for Success
By John Hurd, Chief Wealth Researcher

Here in the Northeast, we're having one of the snowiest winters that I can remember.

It feels like every morning there's a new dump of heavy, wet snow and getting anywhere takes at least an extra 20 or 30 minutes. Now, I'm not griping about the weather, I chose to live up here and I knew that winter came with the location.

And, for the most part, my friends and colleagues all expect delays and unexpected cancellations due to the weather.

Often, it may feel like you're going to get just one big break towards getting your business up and running. There's one big meeting with a financer or that one open time slot with the head of a company you've been waiting to meet with for months.

In your mind, you see that one date as an absolute, as if this one date were carved in stone and there may never be another opportunity like this again. And then, disaster strikes. You're car is snowed in or there's a flash flood or something even smaller happens that sets you back and unable to make this appointment.

Well, my advice is not to panic. It will be easy to feel as though all is lost and just let your opportunity slip through your fingers. Your first step is to tell yourself that you are wrong.

You see; nothing is set in stone. Remember that. Sure, some meetings may be difficult to reschedule, but that's where your creativity needs to come into play.

If you find you're in a position where you can't make it to a meeting or other important event, you need to contact the other people as soon as possible. No one likes to wait and, while you may get a second chance to redeem yourself, you never get to make another first impression. By carrying your contact's number with you (even if you don't have a cell phone), you can alert them to your delay.

It is also important to have a back-up plan ready. Don't leave anything open-ended. Set exact dates; so rather than asking for one day next week, ask for an exact day and time. Show that you are serious and apologize for having to reschedule.

After your first contact, be sure to follow up before your rescheduled meeting. A quick phone call or e-mail will often do. Simply restate the date and time you are meeting and what it is you will be discussing and be sure to give your contact information one more time.

Dealing with unforeseen delays can be nerve-wracking; however, once you have a back-up plan and remember to stay calm, you'll never miss out on an opportunity again.

** How to Make High-Stakes Decisions
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire

I was just thinking about an event that happened a couple of weeks ago, just alongside of the bustling metropolis of mid-town, Manhattan, New York City. As I'm sure you're well aware, a pilot was forced to land his plane in the frigid waters of the Hudson River. Fortunately, all the passengers were rescued and brought to safety.

When the plane's engine malfunctioned, it was clear to the pilot that they were going down. He was faced with making the life or death decision of how to land his aircraft as safely as possible. To many of us, this is a decision that may have been nearly impossible to make.

At that point, the pilot executed great decision-making abilities by staying calm and doing what he believed to be the best option for crashing the aircraft. He had two choices: the first was to let the plane crash into one of the most crowded areas of America's busiest city. He would have surely killed himself, everyone on board and countless citizens as they went about their daily business. Or, he could maintain his cool, lead the plane to an unobstructed landing in the river and hope that he and his passengers would live to see another day.

What may seem like an easy decision when looking from afar may not be so straightforward when the time comes to act. After all, we're talking about a high-stakes, high-intensity decision that requires confidence, clear mindedness and a calm demeanor. The fact is that, if the pilot was not confident or panicked in his decision, the results could have been devastating.

Now, as an individual or entrepreneur, it's unlikely that you've ever had to make a life or death decision like the pilot of US Airways flight 1549. You have, however, probably been forced to make tough decisions either in your personal life or for the life of your business. If you have trouble doing so, you can use this pilot's heroics as a way to help you make the right decisions. Here are some of the tactics he likely employed to make sure he did the right thing.

Carefully weigh your options: Every important decision you make, you will be doing one of two things: selecting the lesser of two evils or the better of two deals. Sometimes, however, you will be forced to make big sacrifices depending on how you choose. If you've got the time, think about which option truly makes the most sense for you, impacting you the best in the long term.

Don't teeter-totter: Once you've made your decision, stick with it. Do your best to erase what you rejected from your memory, and don't think about "what could have been." Focus on reality and what you have control over.

Be confident and believe in yourself: Trust that you have made the right decision. If you're constantly second-guessing yourself, you'll never have a good night's sleep and you'll never have the confidence you need to succeed. If you've made some bad decisions in the past, know that you can still work to improve the situation it may have left you in.

Approach your tough decisions with this formula and hopefully you will begin to experience the success you deserve.