Yesterday, I heard one of Michael Jackson's old songs, "Man in the Mirror".  (I miss the musical contributions of his younger days.) The particular lyrics that touched me were... If you wanna  make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.' How true is that?!?!

With all of the negativity in the world these days, there is a lot of blaming and finger-pointing going on.  It's everywhere and I hate it.  I learned decades ago in a college economics class that recessions are self-fulfilling prophesies.  We think they're coming and so we change our behavior and voila! We're in a recession.  This one is more complicated than that, but the underlying principle still holds true.

We need to change that and rise above that dynamic.  I don't want to sound too Pollyanna-ish, but what happened to all the hope and optimism we embraced just last month?  (OK, I wrote this article before the Presidential address Tuesday night.  I'm feeling more optimistic again.)

We need to mentally get back to that.  Rather than wait for the bailouts and new programs (which I understand we need), let's start with the person in the mirror. 

What can you do with your own mindset to counteract the negativity around you?  How are you contributing to the economic recovery?  Are you waiting for things to get better before you take action?  Gosh, I hope not! 

Last issue I mentioned my new program, Marketing Magic Mastery: The Information, Resources & Tools You Need to Retool Your Business & Thrive Today! I'm starting to line up speakers and topics.  I think you'll really like what we're putting together.  I know some brilliant marketers.  I've learned a lot from them over the past years and want to share their wisdom with you. 

Stay tuned.  You're gonna love it.

While you're waiting for Marketing Magic Mastery though, take a look in the mirror and make a change!

Follow me:

 on <-- Click

One of the most effective ways to increase sales is by increasing the amount of business that comes to you by referral. It's a known fact that referred sales close faster, with less effort and for more money than non-referred business.

I've pulled together concepts, tips and tricks I've learned & discovered along the way and produced a 2-hour program that will leave you empowered, confident, skilled and ready to ask for AND GET more referrals.

Buy it now!  Only $97

Leadership without Limits: Inspiring the Best in Yourself, Your People and Your Organization, The Awakening Conference: A Voice for Change, May 15- 17.  Call 602.347.7799 or visit: TheAwakeningConference.com to register. 

I Want More Clients, Get Clients Now!, Power Women's Conference Luncheon Series, Thursday, September 24. Stay tuned for registration details.

Keeping your pipeline full is one of the best ways to build and maintain a thriving business. The problem is that people are often clueless about how to stuff their pipeline and keep it that way.

Quite often, they alternate between heavy periods of marketing followed by having tons of work to do during which time, they stop marketing.  Then when the client work is all done and they can breathe again, they gasp because there's no one waiting in the wings ready to do business.

Sound familiar?

1. Attend networking events

This may seem like a simple thing that you're already doing.  But are you networking in the right way?  Be selective here because you could literally spend all day, everyday driving from one event to the next.  Ask for recommendations from people whose opinion you trust.  But decide for yourself if a group is a good fit for you.  The key is to attend events filled with people in your target market but resist the urge to try to sell them on the spot.  Build relationships and over time, your sales will grow.

Click here to read the rest of this article on my blog

4.x