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Part of being successful is being likable. And part of being likable is making other people feel important. One way to do that is by remembering who they are and, even better, some details about them that they shared with you. In an nutshell, remembering names and people everywhere you go has a big effect on your success.

Here are five simple ways to remember names: [Read more →]

I just got a new laptop computer and decided it was time to get my computing life in order. It would be easy (well, relatively) to just move everything from the old laptop to the new one, but that would mean transferring a lot of out-of-date and unneeded programs, documents and other files. Instead, I am looking at this as a chance to make a fresh start. I am taking my time setting up the new machine. I am asking questions about what programs I need, how my data should be organized and more. The idea is to keep the new computer working faster and better for as long as possible.

The same principle applies to other areas of life and business, too. Is it time to clear out your email inbox, uncover your desk, or rethink your to-do list? Here are some steps that will help you to make a fresh start.
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We are all familiar with performance goals:

• Lose 10 pounds.
• Earn $100,000 this year.
• Make 20 sales this month.

Those goals have to do with specific accomplishments, and they can be motivating. They can also be frustrating. When you lose just nine pounds or make 17 sales, you feel like a failure.

On the other hand, learning goals are about taking the steps that will get us to our other goals. [Read more →]

What makes you uncomfortable? Perhaps it’s cold calling or speaking in front of a group. Maybe you find it hard to talk with strangers at networking events, or you don’t like to write, or … whatever. If you never venture out of your comfort zone, you’re missing lots of opportunities to get new customers. [Read more →]

How can we conquer fears and worries without prescription drugs or years of therapy? Here are some methods that have proved helpful to almost everyone who has tried them.

1 Analyze exactly what you are afraid of

Any fear that is faced honestly and truthfully may be conquered, if the source of the fear can be determined. But fear wears many masks. [Read more →]

People do business with those they trust. That trust can be developed in many ways. If they can visit your place of business, see you face to face, get comfortable with you, and know they can come to you if they have a problem, they will be more likely to trust you and to buy from you.

But what if you do business with people over the web, or by phone or mail? How can you build trust?

Of course, it is important to provide excellent products and services. Whenever customers decide to do business with you, they will know their trust was well-placed.

Here are some ways you can encourage them to make that first purchase:
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Many of our worries arise from our postponement of decisions. Don’t vacillate. It is better to make a wrong choice than to tear yourself apart making and unmaking the same decision.

Where there is indecision, there are doubts. Where there are doubts, you have conflict. Where you have conflict, you have symptoms. The longer your indecisiveness lasts, the more difficult the problem seems to become. If you vacillate long enough, your state of anxiety can become chronic.

There is no recipe for infallibility. The trouble with most of us is that we want some sure-fire recipe for being right 100 per cent of the time. There is no such recipe. [Read more →]

One of the mistakes many content producers make is trying to cover too many topics in one product, article, blog post, teleseminar or other piece of content. As Tim Carter of AskTheBuilder.com said in his Cash Content Formula interview:

The key in [my] ebooks is, I am solving a very precise problem. In other words, if someone wants to know how to put crown molding up, I have the step by step photographs, and I have the supporting text to show you how to complete the job. That is it.

They are not interested in door trim. They are not interested in cutting the grass. They are not interested in laying a brick wall. If they are, then fine. Write a separate e book for that.

Tim gets it. [Read more →]

What do you want to accomplish? Here are eight simple steps to setting and achieving your goals.

Find out what your unconscious goal is by studying what you have accomplished so far.

The choices you have made led you to where you are today. Even if you say you are not happy with the way your life is today, you made those choices for a reason.

[Read more →]

What happens when you take 20 randomly selected people from your contact database, introduce them and ask them to help each other? According to Phil Morabito, CEO of Pierpont Communications, you create friendships and lasting client relationships.

Pierpont, one of the largest public relations and marketing firms in Texas, regularly brings clients and others together for a variety of events. Each is an opportunity to create connections among some of the 10,000 people in their contact database, and to strengthen Pierpont’s relationships with these people. [Read more →]