Can you believe what's happening at Turnberry in Scotland? In case you haven't heard, 59 year old Tom Watson is tied for the lead at the halfway point of the British Open. Amazing!
What about Tiger Woods. Oh, he missed the cut.
This thing about 60 being the new 40 must have something to it. Last year a 53 year old Greg Norman lead the British Open after 3 rounds. Greg missed the cut this year, too.
Why am I talking about this? Well, you know I love golf, but there is another reason. There are big lessons that can be learned here.
When asked if he was surprised at being tied for the lead, Tom Watson said, "No, I would not have entered if I didn't think I could win". Think about that. We should not be in business if we don't think we can succeed - at any age.
This segues nicely into the Tele-Seminar about time management and productivity that I conducted on July 16th. To win at business you have to manage your time well to be productive.
To hear a replay of my webcast click HERE now.
Chuck Trautman
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Prepared For Time Mgmt Teleseminar By Playing Golf?
Hi Folks,
Yes that's right - I prepared for the teleseminar I am giving tonight by playing golf this morning. You see I really do manage my own time and productivity well so my prep work was done yesterday.
For the golfers amongst you, I shot 82 at Legend Trail Golf Club in North Scottsdale. It should been a 79 but I got excuses!
One of the guys I was paired with, started talking in my back swing on 17 and I hit my tee shot in the desert and made double. Then I bogeyed 18 from the middle of fairway by thinning my approach off the back of the green and short sided myself for the chip. Breaking 80 is always great, but, oh well...
Below is the info about my Teleseminar tonight. It will be fun.
Here is the subject matter:
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 16th at 6:30 PM Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=8254479
Yes that's right - I prepared for the teleseminar I am giving tonight by playing golf this morning. You see I really do manage my own time and productivity well so my prep work was done yesterday.
For the golfers amongst you, I shot 82 at Legend Trail Golf Club in North Scottsdale. It should been a 79 but I got excuses!
One of the guys I was paired with, started talking in my back swing on 17 and I hit my tee shot in the desert and made double. Then I bogeyed 18 from the middle of fairway by thinning my approach off the back of the green and short sided myself for the chip. Breaking 80 is always great, but, oh well...
Below is the info about my Teleseminar tonight. It will be fun.
Here is the subject matter:
- Why Do You Want to Manage Your Time Better?
- How Much Are You Worth?
- Managing Your Telephone -
- Cell Phones
- E-Mail
- Use of "To Do" Lists
- Working in Time Blocks
- Dealing With Interruptions
- Meetings
- Linking Time Management to Your Goals
Click the link below to register. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions in advance.
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 16th at 6:30 PM Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=8254479
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Time Management And Productivity Teleseminar
Hi Folks,
One of the questions I get from clients all the time is "How do I get everything done" or "I never seem to have the time I need. What can I do". These questions have come up enough that I am doing a teleseminar / webinar about this topic on Thursday, July 16th at 6:30 PM Pacific time.
I promise to make this fun AND educational!
Here is the subject matter:
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=8254479
One of the questions I get from clients all the time is "How do I get everything done" or "I never seem to have the time I need. What can I do". These questions have come up enough that I am doing a teleseminar / webinar about this topic on Thursday, July 16th at 6:30 PM Pacific time.
I promise to make this fun AND educational!
Here is the subject matter:
- Why Do You Want to Manage Your Time Better?
- How Much Are You Worth?
- Managing Your Telephone -
- Cell Phones
- E-Mail
- Use of "To Do" Lists
- Working in Time Blocks
- Dealing With Interruptions
- Meetings
- Linking Time Management to Your Goals
Click the link below to register. You will have the opportunity to ask your questions in advance.
DATE & TIME: Thursday, July 16th at 6:30pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...http://instantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=8254479
Monday, May 11, 2009
Recession Rescue Strategies
Hi Folks,
Over the May 1st weekend I attended the Glazer-Kennedy Super Conference in Chicago. It was an incredible event where I added more tools to my formidable marketing arsenal.
Bill Glazer, president of Glazer-Kennedy's Insider's Circle spoke at a session where he revealed his Top 9 Recession Rescue Strategies.
Here they are:
1. Identify top 5% and top 20% of your customers & design products, services, programs and pricing for them (invest 80% of your energy in top 20%).
2. Insure that every lead opportunity is handled and accounted for properly (this can double your business).
3. Devise a strategy to offer your customers more service, special offers, or other incentives to do business with you because of your relationship with OTHER businesses.
4. Implement upsells (at least 14% take them)
5. Riches in niches (become a specialist).
6. Communicate more with existing customers (existing customers are easier to sell).
7. Don’t emotionally “throw in the towel”. When the recession ends there will be less competition.
8. Implement the “pain of disconnect” in your marketing.
9. Most important – WORK! “Most people don’t work” – Mark Victor Hansen
Our monthly marketing seminar is this Thursday at 6:30 PM at the Chaparral Resorts Suites in Scottsdale. Details can be found at:
http://www.nobsphx.com/Local_Chapter_Info.html
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Unique Approach - "The Bonus Plan to Save America"
I have a very intelligent friend in Portland by the the name of Matt Samwick. Matt is an original thinker. Because I love incentive plans, I think he is onto something, here. Below is Matt's blog post from March 4th. His posts can be found at dontes.blogspot.com . My advice is to subscribe to his posts, because he does not post often (yet). You will always be entertained and enlightened by Matt's takes.
Until next time,
Chuck
The Bonus Plan to Save America
Stop Criticizing Big Bank Bonuses
Well if you can’t beat’em, join them. The issuing of big bonuses in the face of not being able to afford them is not always a bad idea. Here is the plan in a nutshell:
Well if you can’t beat’em, join them. The issuing of big bonuses in the face of not being able to afford them is not always a bad idea. Here is the plan in a nutshell:
Essentially, America’s decisions, material or not, are being made in Washington by persons who are susceptible to lobbying. Those lobbyists create incentives for Senators and Representatives to vote according to the narrow agenda set by those who the lobbyists represent rather than for the good of America as a whole. Over the past decades or longer, the American people have suffered greatly and now America is financially crippled. For example, how did unregulated Credit Default Swaps become acceptable in the minds of the public stewards in Washington? Notwithstanding how or why, the reason we are here today is that we do not pay our Congress people near enough.
No lobbying firm, however, can match the power of the US Treasury. The people should demand that Congress be put on a very simple bonus plan. Every Congress person who serves during a legislative session which actually passes a budget that cuts spending 10% or more from the prior year should be eligible for a $5 million dollar bonus, payable immediately after the budget is passed. We spend less than $2 billion dollars in bonuses to ensure we cut spending hundreds of billions of dollars. Those unspent billions can then be used to pay down the national debt while the people who voted to reduce America’s spending are handsomely rewarded.
Year over year hundreds of billions will go to pay down the national debt. America could amortize anything with that kind of payment each year. Also, with this new incentive plan, the most talented people will run for office. Finally, the lobbyists would have to work harder and harder for less and less of the budget pie. It is all good.
If the greed of recent day demonstrates anything, it demonstrates that this plan is infallible. Let's get America going again by issuing these giant bonuses. We can thank the bankers later.
545 vs 300,000,000 - I Could Not Have Said It Better
Hi Folks,
This was sent to me via email. Charlie Reese, a former Orlando Sentinel reporter, wrote this piece. Tomorrow I will share the thoughts of a friend, Matt Samwick, who is a great thinker.
Until next time,
Chuck
545 vs 300,000,000
EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.
Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.
545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, theFederal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.
She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... Is up to you.
This was sent to me via email. Charlie Reese, a former Orlando Sentinel reporter, wrote this piece. Tomorrow I will share the thoughts of a friend, Matt Samwick, who is a great thinker.
Until next time,
Chuck
545 vs 300,000,000
EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.
Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.
545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, theFederal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.
The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.
She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... Is up to you.
Friday, February 27, 2009
What is Great Customer Service Worth to You?
Hi Folks,
The following content is from my friend Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring fame. I am a customer service fanatic. I expect to receive it and when I don't, I remember and look for opportunities to find a new place to buy.
I also preach it to my clients and demanded it in my former brick and mortar businesses. Mike talks about a positive customer service experience.
Here is Mike Dillard's story:
Was that reasonable, or even possible?
I needed some advice from a pro, so we approached the storeowner.
The following conversation was an experience I’ll appreciate for a very long time, and within minutes, this gentleman had turned me into a raving fan of his store.
Why?
Because this guy has been in the fish business for 25 years.
He knew his stuff, and throughout our entire conversation, he had one goal…
At one point, he mentioned a woman who had recently set up a salt water tank.
He told her that she needed to wait another 3 months before the water in her tank would be ready to support a fish like that, but she wouldn’t listen. “I don’t want to hear anything negative”, she said. “Let’s be positive. Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll buy these fish right now.”
He walked to the door and kindly asked her to leave.
“Ma’am, if I sell you these fish, they’re just going to die. I don’t want that to happen and I don’t want you to throw your money away. I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and if you’re not willing to listen, I can’t help you.”
I liked this guy’s style. He cared more about his store’s integrity and the long-term success of his customers than making a sale, and was even willing to ask his customers to leave in order to demonstrate this fact.
And you know what…
If needed, I’d gladly pay twice the price just for the privilege to shop at his store because I know that I’ll end up saving money in the long run with a trusted resource like him at my side.
You see, there are only two ways to “get good” at things in life, whether it’s owning your own business, or a brand new fish tank…
And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, “buying” someone else's life experiences in the form of a book or consulting is ALWAYS 100’s or even 1000’s of times cheaper than trying to figure it out on your own.
That is the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it. I sure enjoyed reading it! If you want to hear more from Mike Dillard sign up for his free, 7 lesson video course at MagneticDuplication.com .
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
The following content is from my friend Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring fame. I am a customer service fanatic. I expect to receive it and when I don't, I remember and look for opportunities to find a new place to buy.
I also preach it to my clients and demanded it in my former brick and mortar businesses. Mike talks about a positive customer service experience.
Here is Mike Dillard's story:
My Trip To The Pet Store...
I had an interesting trip to a local pet story yesterday afternoon.
(I had been playing with the idea of getting a fish tank for the living room).
On one hand, it sounds like it would be a really cool addition because I love fishing, scuba-diving, etc… But on the other hand, I’m aware that fish tanks require a lot of
work.
work.So I walked into this local shop called Rivers N Reefs on South Congress here in Austin. It’s a tiny place that’s probably been there for decades, and the isles are crammed from the floor to the ceiling with every kind of pet related product you can think of.
I eventually made our way to the back of the store where the fish tanks were located.
Personally, I was interested in getting a large,
100+ gallon salt-water tank that could house a few sizable Lion Fish.
100+ gallon salt-water tank that could house a few sizable Lion Fish.
(The fluffy, and very poisonous little guys you see here...)
Was that reasonable, or even possible? I had no idea. I was completely lost.
To be honest, I don’t know a single thing about developing or maintaining a fish tank, and the questions that started racing through my mind were numbing.
I needed some advice from a pro, so we approached the storeowner.
The following conversation was an experience I’ll appreciate for a very long time, and within minutes, this gentleman had turned me into a raving fan of his store.
Yes… Their selection is smaller than the large chains, their isles are cramped and dirty, and their prices higher, but I’ll gladly pay double the price if necessary in order to do business with them.
Why?
Because this guy has been in the fish business for 25 years.
He knew his stuff, and throughout our entire conversation, he had one goal…
To ensure everything was done correctly so that our fish would survive and thrive for years to come.
We talked about species compatibility, bacteria development, and coral. He told me why he only caries certain fish and holds them for 2 weeks before selling them, while other stores rush them out the door.
At one point, he mentioned a woman who had recently set up a salt water tank.
She was buying fish from another store and they kept dying. She wanted to try the same species again from his stock, but he wouldn’t do it.
He told her that she needed to wait another 3 months before the water in her tank would be ready to support a fish like that, but she wouldn’t listen. “I don’t want to hear anything negative”, she said. “Let’s be positive. Just tell me what I need to do and I’ll buy these fish right now.”
He walked to the door and kindly asked her to leave.
“Ma’am, if I sell you these fish, they’re just going to die. I don’t want that to happen and I don’t want you to throw your money away. I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and if you’re not willing to listen, I can’t help you.”
It was a story I related to immediately.
I liked this guy’s style. He cared more about his store’s integrity and the long-term success of his customers than making a sale, and was even willing to ask his customers to leave in order to demonstrate this fact.
This was a guy who’s willing to tell it like it is, even when it’s not what you want to hear.
And you know what…
He may have lost a sale that day, but he gained a new life-long
customer named Mike Dillard at that moment...
customer named Mike Dillard at that moment...
If needed, I’d gladly pay twice the price just for the privilege to shop at his store because I know that I’ll end up saving money in the long run with a trusted resource like him at my side.
You see, there are only two ways to “get good” at things in life, whether it’s owning your own business, or a brand new fish tank…
You can learn on your own through trial and error like the woman in the story above insists on doing, or you can learn from someone else who’s already paid that price which is what I like to do.
And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, “buying” someone else's life experiences in the form of a book or consulting is ALWAYS 100’s or even 1000’s of times cheaper than trying to figure it out on your own.
That is the end of the story. I hope you enjoyed it. I sure enjoyed reading it! If you want to hear more from Mike Dillard sign up for his free, 7 lesson video course at MagneticDuplication.com .
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
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