Going to the top

Going to the top

Dave Longaberger graduated from high school at age 20. He repeated first grade and three-peated fifth grade. He reads at the eighth-grade level, stutters, and has epilepsy. In 1996, his company, The Longaberger Company sold more than $525 million in handmade baskets, pottery, fabric, and other home decor items through 36,000 independent sales consultants. How did it happen? Dave possesses an entrepreneurial spirit. As a child working in a grocery store, he learned that the way to please the boss was to figure out what the boss wanted and get it done. He studied people and learned that work could be fun and he did a better job when he enjoyed his work. In the army Dave learned about uniformity, control, consistency and Central Headquarters. He also learned to be a risk taker and not a gambler. Eventually Dave bought a grocery store and ran it very successfully. All the time he was preparing for bigger and better things. His optimism, patience and hard work enabled him to overcome many difficulties. We all can learn from the lessons that Dave learned on the way to the top.

Challenging times

The Indian banking sector which demonstrated a high degree of resilience during the global economic crisis is facing the challenges of meeting the financial needs of a fast growing economy. Inevitably, there have been stresses and strains. According to the Reserve Bank of India's annual report on ‘Trends and Progress of Banking in India,' the performance of commercial banks during 2009-10 was subdued.

A slowdown in deposit growth caused a deceleration in the disbursement of credit. Consequently, their combined balance sheets expanded at a slower rate. Their net profits have been growing but at a slower rate. All other parameters, such as the return on assets and on equity, corroborate the point that their profitability is under stress. At the aggregate level, non-performing assets (NPAs) have been increasing. Although not alarming, the deterioration in asset quality underlines the need for banks to step up the provisions, especially at a time when the enhanced Basel II capital norms take effect.

While Indian banks are comfortably placed for now, they will have to shore up their capital base in the future. On the positive side, banks have been extending their geographical coverage through their branches and ATMs, thereby bringing about financial inclusion across the country.

The RBI has been gradually shifting its policy focus from crisis management to recovery management. In fact, some of its more recent measures aim at preventing the creation of an asset bubble in the residential property markets in big cities. Over the past year, there has been a renewed policy emphasis on customer service, promoting the free flow of credit to small and medium enterprises, and adopting the latest technology. Outside India, and especially in the West, concerns have remained over downside risks, especially those relating to profitability and quality of assets. Major banks that were rescued with public money need to regain their standing and identity by ending their dependence on emergency support measures from the exchequer.

As the RBI points out, there are important lessons from the global economic crisis for banking policies. The need for regulation to stay ahead of innovation has been well understood, as evidenced by the central bank's cautious approach to the introduction of new products, such as credit default swaps and certain types of derivatives. Having shielded the financial sector from the worst consequences of the economic crisis, the RBI is preparing the ground for new policy initiatives, including the licensing of new banks.

Focusing on your results is dangerous, How to build momentum and stay motivated every day

Focusing on your results is dangerous

How to build momentum and stay motivated every day!

I'm so mad at myself!" she said as we began our coaching call. "I made a goal to get ten new clients last week and I only got three," she lamented. The frustration in her voice was something I used to experience as well - until I came to a profound realization:  Focusing on your results is dangerous.

I used to keep charts all over my office to fill in the names of the people who signed up for my Coaching Program and Retreats.  Even after hours of marketing efforts, I would feel defeated if I wasn't able to fill in all of those spaces at the end of the week.  My definition of success was only based on results. I was placing all my focus and energy on something I had very little control over. Think about it; you really can't make your prospect buy your product or say yes to your opportunity. 

So why give so much power to an element that you cannot control?

What you can do is show your prospect enough intriguing information, in a passionate way, on a consistent basis, that will touch, move, and inspire them to make their own choice.  The only factor you have complete control over is your efforts!  So let's talk today about how you can shift your mindset, release the control the results, and focus on your efforts.

First, decide how many people you are willing to share your product or opportunity with. Again, the only part of the sales process you have control over is your efforts and the quantity of prospecting attempts you will make. What is that number for you?  Powerfully choose how many people you are willing to prospect and be fiercely committed to it.

Next, realize that the other aspect of selling you have control over is the number of no's you are willing to take without giving up; or better said, how many no's you're willing to take and still stay motivated, excited, and inspired. The most effective way to do this is to embrace the Law of Average (LOA). Think of it scientifically. How many prospects do you need to share your opportunity with to get a yes? In other words... How many no's do you have to receive to get a yes? 

For most sales people that number is 10. When I realized this truth, I got freed up of the frustrations that come for 'getting a no'. Getting a no is just a part of selling.  The more yes's you get and the bigger you want to grow your business, the more no's you've got to be willing to receive!

When I was in Network Marketing I did an interesting experiment that helped me focus on my efforts and stay motivated. First, I knew that, on average, I made $500 on each sale. Then I divided that amount by 10, the number of no's I had to received in order to get a yes (L.O.A.). That meant I made $50 every time I got a no! I actually taped a $50 bill to my phone and every time I got a no, I'd hang up the phone and say, "Thanks for the fifty bucks!"

Free yourself up from trying so hard to convince, persuade, and control your prospects. Let go of the results. Put your energy and power into your efforts and you will be an incredible force. Your prospect will sense your unique and confident posture and will want what you have.  Think of how powerful you will be when you release what you don't have control over and fervently grasp what you do.

The only factor you have complete control over is your efforts!  What this really takes is a shift in your mindset. Evaluate the goals you've set and discern if they depend on your efforts or results. Instead of setting the goal of five new business associates, set the goal to put 50 new prospects in your recruiting pipeline. Instead of setting a goal of selling 100 widgets, set your goal to put your widget in front of 10,000 new prospects.

The incredible success I have experienced since I shifted attention to efforts instead of results has been nothing short of amazing! And it will be the same for you... The only factor you have complete control over is your efforts! And your efforts are all you need to get the incredible results you desire.

KETAN: HAR LAMHA YAAD HAI

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What is the secret we must not forget even as we lead our normal lives?

All things that are seen are transient and unreal. God alone is eternal and real. Attachment with objects ends in grief. God is your own Reality and this Reality, that is, the God in you, has no relationship with the changing transitory objective world. He is only Pure Consciousness. Even if you posit some relationship for it, it can only be the type that exists between the dreamer and the objects seen and experienced in dreams.

What should be the focus of teachers and students in the present times?

Among students today, we do not find the spirit of focus, singleness of purpose and fraternal co-operation. Sadbhava (good feelings) and Sathsanga (good company) have become rare; mutual love and yearning for good company have weakened. “As the ruler (Raja), so the ruled (Praja),” says the proverb. “As the teacher, so the pupil” seems to be equally true. Realizing this, teachers, therefore, have to be interested in high thinking and a life steeped in renunciation.

A PERSONAL OPENION OF A BUSY BODY

I am not a psychologist, neither am I a doctor....I am just another normal person living a very normal life. Experience of living among different communities have taught me a great deal, but there is one subject that really interests me: COMMUNICATION.


To me, a lay person, in order to make a relationship work and successful, the key word here is 'COMMUNICATION'. When two or more people working towards a common objective for the benefit of all concerned, FAIL to relate to each other, the relationship is doomed to fail at one stage or the other. No matter what kind of relationship these people would try to establish, it is going to be difficult, because there is either no or very little communication. To get things done, people need to talk...to relate to each other. And not only just talking.....there are many ways of getting ideas, feelings, disagreement, etc, across.....after all this is the age of technology!


No one can change a person unless he or she wants to be changed. Therefore, it has to start with the person him/herself. For me, perhaps I have been too vocal or too demanding or too suspicious or too gullible, but I will not know this if my working or living partner or anyone does not TELL me about this. TELLING is COMMUNICATING. And the 'silence' or 'playing dumb' syndrome is certainly not helping in building a successful relationship. A student of mine once said to me, " Silence is one way of communicating", and I said, "Yeah....but whatever relationship or friendship you're intent on building is now doomed to fail, because not everyone is a psychic or a mind reader...."


The Almighty gives us the power to communicate.....the ability to relate, so use it (wisely......)
REACH OUT if you need help...SPEAK OUT when you have something to say (right or wrong!)
And don't act dumb if you're not dumb! SILENCE is NOT always 'golden'.


Just a personal opinion of a busy body