Read This If You're Not Sure You're On The Right Track
What are the steps you've taken so far?
Are they working?
If you're not sure, have you been specific about what needs to happen for a "success?"
Here are 3 things you need to define:
- What specifically are you trying to accomplish?
- What changes might you try and why?
- How will you know that a change is an improvement?
It's easy to get caught up in how huge an idea or vision is.
It's a lot harder to define it, consider how to make it more achievable, and measure results.
Once you're finished thinking big, remember to think small.
2 Minute Action
Ask yourself this question and answer it in 2 minutes.
Is what you're doing 1) helping you understand the problem or 2) helping you take action?
Do this and you'll have direction.
The 2 Underlying (And Overlooked) Components of Motivation
Your motivation changes with 2 critical things.When something is scarce or rare, we tend to want it more.When something is urgent, we tend to take action more.Combined, these are a marketing force to be reckoned with.
This information can either be interesting or it can also be useful.
You can use this understanding to avoid feeling pressured into buy those widgets when there are only 6 left and the sale ends tonight.You can use this understanding to prepare for the inevitable internal battle with eating junk food or exercising.Now that you know this information, what will you do?
2 Minute Action
If you’ve been trying to do something for a long time and have been failing, ask yourself: what will be different about it, this time?You should be able to come up with an answer in 2 minutes.Even just one new idea will set up your path and help give you the motivation to follow through.
The Core Of A Win/Win Negotiation
I needed the store to stay open for another hour.The lady at the desk wasn’t having it. She needed to close the store’s doors at 6pm and that was that.
So, I asked “what would have to happen for you to stay open for another hour?”
She thought about it.I offered a few extra bucks.She declined.I offered more.
She said she wasn’t going to take my money.
I asked her again if she had a magic wand, what would she “poof” away or “poof” into existence.Was there something I could do to help her make her job easier in exchange for some extra time.She took some time to think about it.After a while she said “you know what would help? If you wrote me a review on Yelp and told my boss that I helped you out.”Boom.Deal.It wasn’t about the money.It cost me 3 seconds to write a sterling review about how she bent over backwards to help me, her customer and share with her boss.She valued recognition—not cash.With some open ended questions and empathy we were able to get to a solution that the store manager was happy with and that also let me in after hours.
2 Minute Action
Before you negotiate anything or with anyone . . .. . . it could be a used car, with a pre-teen, or the Shah of Iran . . .. . . take an extra 2 minutes to ask a few probing, open ended questions that get at the heart of the problem.Genuine empathy and effort to understand will often result in a solid win/win.