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I learned from another businessperson recently that this is above and beyond what most people do. Come to think of it, when I think about my own vendor relationships — people from whom I buy, regularly — I can see where they don’t work too hard to keep me as a customer.

Not that I’m taking my business elsewhere, necessarily, but I recognize how loyalty can be a funny thing. I mean, for the moment, I’m loyal to one person’s products. I buy from time to time, I like the products, and I support that person’s business.

Enter another person who’s selling similar products. For cheaper. And she’s talking to me regularly. Suggesting products that I might try. Keeping in touch. I’m starting to feel swayed towards the new vendor — see what I mean?

So the importance of follow up and real customer care and attention cannot be underestimated. What are YOU doing to keep the ones you have?

The book was inspiration for the movie “The Secret” and in it, Wattles speaks of bringing intention to our interactions. So often he says, we have this goal or vision in mind of what we want. Then when we go about the activities or behaviors to try to have that, we become less focused, less intentional.

So for example, when I call people up to ask for referrals, rather than just saying what I say without really connecting my whole body, heart and mind to what I want the result to be, is not as powerful.

If I make those same requests, with my INTENTIONS in mind as I’m speaking, it’s a much more engaging way of speaking and things are more likely to line up for me more quickly.

So figure out what you want, exactly. Do the actions, thoroughly. And do them with INTENTION, always.

One of the main critiques we received was regarding our level of commitment to the project. Our business plan reflected a lack of commitment that was pointed out to us by the reviewer. It was a wake-up call for all of us as we have our own businesses and personal goals we’re striving towards — yet we all have this project we’re interested in doing.

What we discovered for ourselves is that anything we’re up to in our lives, we’d better be 100% committed. Otherwise we’re wasting time and spinning our wheels. Or one or the other of the things we’re involved in is going to suffer.

I have realized for myself that I cannot be 100% focused on more than one thing at a time. I just cannot do all the things I want to do, and do them well, all of the time.

To really achieve success on the massive scale I am striving for, I have to re-align myself with that ultimate goal, daily. And if my actions reflect a striving towards something other than my ultimate goal, then my efforts are diluted.

I may be getting one step further from — rather than closer to — what I want to accomplish.

To realign myself tonight I’m off to read Wallace Wattles’ “The Science of Getting Rich” — for the third time this week.

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He observed that sometimes we do all these “actions” but if they’re not the actions that are going to give us the direct results, we’re just creating more activity.

So I started looking at what would really create the results, directly. What would it require of me?

I realized that it would require me to be BOLD. DIRECT. SLIGHTLY UNCOMFORTABLE. What do I mean by all that?

Well, I went into my database of 400+ names and started calling people in my network. First I told them about a new program I had launched and would like to bring into their workplaces. Next I told them about my business expansion and what I was looking for around that.

What was stopping me in the first place? Well at first I found myself being very tentative and selective, only contacting people with whom I had some sort of close relationship.

Then I realized, why have these hundreds of people in my network if I don’t maximize my relationship with them? They will support me. They will understand that I am a professional and am trying to grow my business. Just call them — ALL OF THEM!

So now I have hundreds more calls to make. And if that’s the case, my goals are as good as done for July

Wattle talks about not speaking a single discouraging word about oneself or one’s business – EVER. Nor about anything discouraging in the world.

He talks, as many authors do, about committing your mind to what it is you want and having an unwavering gratitude and certitude about it. The gratitude isn’t just for what you already have but what you KNOW IS COMING.

So I am off to read the entire book for the second time in the first few days of this month.I will read it over and again all month long. It is a prescription for wealth and I am committed to following his advice exactly (which means reading the book repeatedly).

We all have doubts and fears about ourselves, our businesses, our lives. The question is, how long do we let those thoughts linger and possibly sabotage what good could be coming to us?

She talks about dancing close to the revenue line, meaning make the first hour or two of your day really count. Commit that hour to doing the one or two activities that will actually generate income for your business.

Then, if the rest of your day goes to pot at 10 a.m. — which it might and often does with crises to attend to and loose ends that insist on being tied up — you’ve already done the most valuable work at the start of the day.

In my case, I spent the past two mornings dancing close to the revenue line. Cold calls and prospecting, where it always counts.

Tonight I realized tomorrow morning is booked solid with appointments, which means I won’t be getting much done and I won’t be dancing anywhere near the revenue line. But because I spent the last TWO mornings doing the actions that really matter, I’m feeling pretty good about tomorrow morning.

Peace and freedom are the first breakthroughs I’m experiencing with Morganstern’s approach. Check her out. She’s good.

home business secrets 2 set you apart

Allow your personality to shine.
Yes, I really do have to tell you this. Because believe it or not, some people seem to equate being professional with being an uptight, lacking in humor, automaton who’s afraid to say or do the wrong thing in social settings. Or maybe I just hung out with the wrong crowd. See what I mean in this article.

Ask more questions.
Not just for the sake of your business but for the sake of building rapport with your clients and customers. They will remember you above others because you let THEM do the talking.

Be a problem-solver.
Sure, anyone can be an entrepreneur. Just go around solving major problems for people. But seriously, we are in the business of providing answers and solutions to people’s problems, regardless of what we sell, per se.

Become a referral source.
Be that go-to person. Get in the habit of thinking of how you can help others and to whom you can introduce them to help their businesses. You build strong networks this way and enhance your own reputation to boot.

Don’t mention names — unless they’re worth mentioning.
I live in the fifth largest city in the country yet it seems everyone knows everyone. Which means a lot of people have a lot to say about one another — good and bad. When I hear negative things about people, it affects the way I perceive who’s being talked about AND how I perceive who’s doing the talking. I say just don’t mention names.

Follow-up, period.
Another “obvious” practice but if you’re skipping this article it means you’re among the 5% who actually DO follow up. The rest of you, well, there may be something in here you’re not aware of.

Learn to love sales (and it’s all sales!)
Your business will FAIL if you don’t get good at selling — selling your skills, your talents, your experience, your personality, your products and services. There is absolutely nothing wrong with selling — and if you don’t sell, you don’t make money, whatever it is you’re peddling. These are home business hints everyone can use!

Send hand-written notes.
While you’re following up, you may as well follow up with the most heartfelt, genuine expression — a hand-written card. Rarely seen these days of digital dizziness, a real hand-written card speaks volumes about who you are and what your business is about.

Top 5 time-saving resources.
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how 2 weather the storms

Acknowledge your successes.

One of the secrets of home business is reminding yourself of the things that have gone well, especially during the leaner days (or months or years). Hard as it may be to keep going when things are tough, you have to remember the entrepreneurial path is the one you have chosen for yourself.

Learning to love sales is one of the home business hints you’ll need from the very start.

I often hear small business people say, “I hate sales” or “I’m not a good salesperson.” I inwardly cringe when I hear this because what they’re really saying is, “I hate making money” and “I’m not good at making money.”

The reason people say they hate sales is often based on some negative past experience of a pushy salesperson or perhaps of having been a salesperson who had to meet strict quotas every month.

But here are some home business hints your business can’t survive without. Your business will FAIL if you don’t get good at selling — selling your skills, your talents, your experience, your personality, your products and services. There is absolutely nothing wrong with selling — and if you don’t sell, you don’t make money, whatever it is you’re peddling. These are home business hints everyone can use!

So, remove the “I hate” and “I’m not good at” from your vocabulary. Just stop saying those things, period. Open yourself up to sales training techniques such as what you’d find through Sandler Sales Institute. (I have found their methodologies completely freeing and I’ve actually learned to come at sales from a whole different and very refreshing angle.)

To get a taste of what Sandler is about, I recommend David Sandler’s You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar : The Sandler Sales Institute’s 7-Step System for Successful Selling.

Also refer to the classic sales bible The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino.

Become a master at discovering what people need — by listening and asking questions — and detaching from the outcome of your sales interactions. Make it your intention to leave every interaction having left the customer or prospect with a feeling of respect and admiration for you and your company — regardless of whether they buy from you or not.

Also devour T. Harv Eker’s Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth to see why you might be struggling with sales and money. Harv Eker teaches you how to stop resenting people who pitch their businesses and actually admire people who are good at talking up themselves and their enterprises.

Do anything you can to improve your understanding of sales and remember — you, as an individual — are your own greatest company asset. Learn how to position and pitch yourself. Acknowledge your years of experience (in whatever industry, however many years ago) and what you have to offer. And when you do make a sale, indulge yourself in the feeling of success and mastery.