The Power of Giving to Get

Never underestimate this power because it can be one of the most important things you learn. Learning how to give takes discipline and a unselfish attitude. Sometimes I think the competitive nature in all of us is to win at a "whatever it takes mentality" therefore someone must lose. The problem with that is no one will ever want to be around you. You will not have any loyal followers or friends which in the end can truly hurt you. I recently learned that if you show people you care and give a little bit, your return can be much much larger than what you invested. I was taught this by one of my mentors and it has consistently worked for me in many cases. The golden rule of giving to get is you have to be genuine and want the other person to win as well. There has to be a certain value associated with what you are giving in order for this method to work. Isn't it sad that it is so rare for someone to give out a helping hand and show their concern for your success. I personally think there should be more givers out there in the world but that is just my personal opinion. I for one have always been afraid to give because I always feared loss but it is so far from the truth. This law is used in the most effective sense in selling or even in offering a product or service. Look at selling you have to give enthusiasm, energy, and a great offer in order for you to make a commission. The same goes for businesses, the most succssful ones in the world are the ones that keep giving their customers the best products and services. This power can be applied in anything never forget that. It's all relative.

Seizing the Opportunity

When an opportunity shows up are you ready to seize it? Have you done all of the things that you can do to prepare you for your big break? Opportunities always seem to come when things are going tough and it seems like there is no break coming your way. It's funny how life works. Everything always works out but during the trials and tribulations they seem like they will never end. It's about having that faith to go through no matter what, just keep going forward is all that matters. Think progress and all of the people you can inspire while taking the actions towards your goal. I know that is my personal goal is to inspire to have people push their limits higher and higher. A friend of mine once told me there is no limit that you put in place with any goal you seek but the limit in your own mind, anything is possible. When you doubt yourself is usually when it is time to make that scary decision of saying yes to the uncertainty and doing the very thing you fear. Always look for the opportunities in everything you do because more often than not there are many of them waiting to be seized. Thank you

Accepting Status Quo ?

A question you can ask yourself today and everyday is are you accepting the staus quo? Be brutally honest with yourself and ask in what ways am I holding myself back? A lot of times I have learned that the only limits we put on ourselves are by things that we have heard from others and what has been done. Just because someone else has not done it does not mean that it cannot be done. Everyone has a brilliance inside that sometimes including myself does not let out, out of fear of rejection or not being accepted. Write down what your goals are and ask what are some other creative ways I can go about solving some of the obstacles that are in my way. Do not let ANYTHING stand in your way to allow you to accept the staus quo. If we are not moving forward we are moving backwards. This can be applied to soo many different aspects of our life not just business. Are you accepting status quo in your relationship/marriage? Are you accepting status quo in your workouts? Are you accepting status quo in your career/business? Are you accepting status quo in your spirituality? I know one thing that I do not ever want to do is accept where I am at as my final destination because that is an illusion. There is no destination only the journey and I know one thing I am becoming a better person because of it. Do not be afraid to be different or challenge the "facts" to push the limits. You may be the person who finds the breakthrough for something that changes the world and that may be a lofty goal or maybe that is your limited thinking that is talking to you, get rid of it and gooooo for it.

Greg Marshall

Showing Appreciation in Business and Life

Showing appreciation in business and life are so very much the same. There are so many things and times that you can take for granted. A lesson I have learned while studying some very interesting philosophies are that taking a step back to realize all of the great things that are happening in your life. There is a plethora of things right now either teaching you a lesson and/or guiding you through your life. Appreciate the hard times just as much as the glorious times because without the hard times you could not possibly be where you are at right now. They shape and mold you to be the best person you were meant to be. Do not forget to appreciate all of the people that were put in your life at the exact moment to teach you and give you support. Memories of coaches, parents, strangers, and friends all come to my mind especially when I face a challenge that I am unsure of and they guide me through. Appreciation is very much underrated and it is not shown enough in our society because we are all sooo busy doing things that seem so important yet, we don't stop to thank. Thanking someone for helping you or loving you or believing in you can truly make the receiver feel great. It reminds me of a song that Kanye West sang where he quotes "no one gets the flowers while they can still smell them". Always always always thank and show appreciation to people because none of us could do the great things we want to do alone. And when I say no one I mean even the most powerful figures in the world could not do what they do alone. They too have felt insecure, vulnerable, not good enough but still made it through because of someone or something believed in them. Today and for the rest of your life show appreciation tell people you value them and most of all enjoy it because it is what life is all about. THANK YOU

80/20 Add More Time In Your Day.

Have you ever felt like you do not have enough time in the day? I am here to tell you that you do have enough time it's just your priorities are not in line. Well something that I have studied and stumbled upon was the pareto principle which is the 80/20 rule. Now what this rule states is that a small percentage of activities yield extremely highly desirable results. It all stemmed from research stating in many different aspects of life and wealth accumulation that 20 percent of the activities you do give you 80 percent of the results. This is astonishing because it is sooo true. Make a list of the things that you do throughout the day (especially you too busy people out there) and do a test. The test is find what activities are actually inching you closer to your goals and which activities are time fillers. Now obviously the first thing you have to define is what are your goals? Most people do not even know what their goals are in the first place. But once you know what your goals are then you can start to become proactive and actually gain more time. Yes I said it add more time in your day. How is that possible? Because I can guarantee you, you waste a lot of time just like the rest of us in the world. There is plenty of time it's just that you are too busy "going with the flow" with no definition. Start valuing yourself and your time and completely eliminate all non essential things you do so you can live your life.

Greg Marshall

Entrepreneur's Journey

There are many things that go on in the life of an entrepreneur. Taking the jump is not an easy task and it is full of risks and insecurities. So many things go on in your mind when you are going through the path of running your own business. Everything you see on tv makes you believe that being the owner and boss of your own company is all glitz and glamour. There are sacrifices to be made and feelings of doubt and not knowing what is going to happen next can certainly creep in at any time. The desire to be successful and to be free is what drives me. There is nothing more important to me in the world than to be able to push your limits and see just how far you can actually go. So many times in my life I have wanted to do something great to be recognized as someone of great value to the world. To bring value and change people's lives can be quite a lofty goal but it is something that I deeply desire. Everyday presents a new challenge and I am growing and you know that uncomfortable feeling you feel when you are going to present a speech or play that big game? I am feeling that daily and its because I have faith. I have faith that with all of the life lessons I have learned and continuously learn I will arrive at my goals of success and peace. Peace of mind knowing that everything that happened in my journey was the perfect thing to happen to me at the right time. A higher meaning is out there for me to achieve and it can be now or ten years from now I know I will achieve it.

Greg Marshall

Hollywood, California Hustling Lesson

The funny thing about life is you can literally learn a lesson from anywhere. I was in Hollywood, California last night and I was watching some break dancers do their thing. The funny part about it was there was a group of five of them and although they were pretty talented there was one guy who was the leader. He was the one that was asking for all of the money and got it most of the time. He was by far the least talented but since he was not afraid to ask for the money and he was exceptionally confident, people had no choice but to pay him. That is a PHENOMENAL lesson to be learned there which is, all the rewards in life do not always go to the most talented, but to the one who is the most bold and confident. This guy has no idea that he has motivated me and taught me a very valuable lesson. We should all take a page out of his book and push more to have that boldness and confidence because we should always remember, what do we have to lose?

Sales Reality!!

Sales is all about the reality of the situation and how to solve problems. Think about it selling is purely about asking and understanding the situation as it is and making a point to find the real world solution. Often times we can get caught up in a sugar coating of handling an objection or concern when what the person really needs is a caring dose of reality. Think of a situation where you were unsure of a solution and a friend or mentor gave you the answer and it was not necessarily what you wanted to hear but you knew you needed it. You were thankful for the honest advice and it could have solved your problem or even changed your life. You have to remember it is natural for human beings to want to take the easy road and avoid change. Everyone is guilty of it including myself and as salespeople remember we are doing people a disservice by sugar coating a problem or pretending that it is not very urgent. Keep in mind that in the selling situation you are the doctor and you must make the prescription. Do the right thing and sell people in the reality state.

Selling Benefits

The way most people buy is they see a product or service and they think what will that do for me? Most people do not buy features they buy benefits. If you want to be more successful in selling then find out what is important to the person and show them how you can get the end result the person is looking for. There is nothing more annoying then going through a sales pitch and the salesman is telling you about all of the features a product or service does and you are not interested in any of those. In a way that is disrepectful to the person because it shows you have no interest in them and only one interest which is to sell them something. People are extremely scared to be around salespeople because most salespeople have absolutely no concept of how to bring about their offering. The usual way that people are sold are they get an offering and then get it shoved down their throat and then put in a situation where everyone feels uncomfortable. This is not selling! Ask them great creative questions see where the want or need is and provide that for them.
Look for the reasons why you bought many of your possessions and it is because they fulfill something for you. Whether it be emotional or just a plain need you bought it because you felt it would make you happier and your life more important. The values people have say alot to what's important in what people buy so find out what people charish the most and you will know exactly what they are looking for.

A.I.D.A Principle

A ttention - are you unique enough to grab the clients attention.

I nterest- does the product spark enough interest to benefit the client.

D esire- does the client want it bad enough to do anything to have it.

A ction- have you done your job well enough and asked a closing question.

In every sales situation you must evaluate if you have done your job thoroughly and hit all of these points. These are the sales basics that many people get away from. There will always be the latest close and the "new" way to sell but remember just like anything else in life remember the basics. Get really good at the basics and know this principle inside and out and you will be successful.