If there were no limitations or consequences, what would your perfect average day look like?

I learned an interesting visualization technique after watching a video taped speech from the uber internet marketer, Frank Kern. He shared what worked for him to help him realize his ideal future. His words were so impactful to me, that it encouraged me to do exactly as he did.

The key is every day – you could do this stuff every day and not die or get sick of it. Many people visualize their future in order to help it come true. However, in order to fully realize that future, it’s important that you don’t just visualize the physical things like that fancy car you want to drive, but also how driving it makes you feel, what you’re thinking about as you’re driving it, what music you listen to while you’re driving, who’s in the car with you, etc. The more detailed you can get, the more your mind’s eye can begin to piece it all together and realize how possible it is.

I’ve been visualizing my perfect, average day in great detail, from waking up in the morning to going to bed at night. I’ve been writing it all down in detail on a sketch pad about 36″ x 18″. I never expected to write as much as I have so far. In fact, I’ve been working on it for weeks and am only up to 12:30pm. It’s a very surprisingly difficult process, actually.

Photo 1 – Here’s a photo of me working on it while I was in my backyard on my picnic table. This is after having just started, so I haven’t filled up that much space.

Photo 2 – A close up – it reads, “in the future…a day in the life of davidhwalker, if i had to live this day over and over again, what day would make me happy”:

Photo 3 – I moved inside and wrote quite a bit more. I just kept going and going…was an immense amount of fun, actually! :

Note: what you see at the bottom is the word “SLEEP.” Before I had started, I had assumed that I would be able to do the entire visualize from “AWAKE” to sleep on that one page. In fact, at the point that I’ve finished writing in this photo, I’m only up to 10:30am. Didn’t realize how detailed I was going to get, but the more detailed I got, the more real it became, and the more my mind’s eye was beginning to accurately take a grasp of what my future can be.

Photo 3: This is where I am currently–page 2 (I was able to fill up the entire first page before going to page 2). I’m a bit stuck and find myself writing a new sentence every few days. But at this time I’ve having a hard time visualizing what my perfect, average day will be like after 12:30pm. I know what it will begin to look like around 6pm, but for some reason, I’m having a hard time filling that gap.

Here’s a list of some of the questions that guided me along the way. Remember, the key is don’t think about stuff—think about experience. our experiences help shape our identity.

1. Where would you live?
2. What would your house look like?
3. What time would you wake up?
4. What would I do in the morning? Think about? First words of the day?
5. what would i have for breakfast
6. what does the mundane stuff look like – what you’re thinking about, etc
7. what would you spend the first half of your day doing
8. what would you have for lunch
9. who eat with
10. what would your friends be like
11. what would you do for personal fulfillment
12. what life purpose would i strive for
13. what would your business be
14. what time would you start work
15. what would actually do at work?
16. what is your relationship like
17. what would you do for family time
18. what would you have for dinner
19. where would you eat
20. who would you eat with
21. what would you talk about
22. what would you do at night
23. who would you do it with
24. what would your thoughts be as you went to sleep
25. etc

For older entrepreneurs, the vastness of the Internet may seem daunting, and rightfully so. Since almost anybody can disseminate anything to an audience, monitoring your online reputation is more important than ever.

Online reputation management means keeping close watch of public commentary and opinion regarding your product, services and brand. Mitigating negative reviews or slanderous commentaries can seem like an overwhelming task. But it’s simpler than you might expect when approached with a few basic steps.

Without ORM, someone is sure to wrongfully ridicule you or your company. Because of the anonymous nature of the Internet, anybody can have a voice without real consequence. Sadly, that means vengeful customers and disgruntled employees have a way to criticize you, no matter how irrational or mundane the reason.

At the same time, the Internet gives you the chance to check yourself and respond to malicious content. Follow these steps and you’re sure to maintain a good online reputation.

Search Thyself. Don’t think typing your name into Google search is good enough either. Google doesn’t encompass the entire Internet, only its servers. Try other search engines, such as Dogpile, Yahoo! and even AskJeeves. However, it’s a good idea to set up Google Alerts for your name, its derivatives and your company name. Go to Yelp and find out if there are more bad reviews than good ones about you. The purpose of searching for content about you is to find anything that disparages you. Though you cannot delete that content, you can counter it with positive content, such as a blog of testimonials for your company.

Think prevention. To keep from always being on the defensive and having to produce new content, stop reputation-destroying web users before they start. A common practice is to buy domain names that are similar to your business’ site. For instance, buy different extensions (mybiz.net, mybiz.org), any abbreviation of your company name, several domains with your name in it and maybe unflattering site names (yourcompanysucks.net) by doing this you’re stopping some content from ever existing. You can also purchase and build simple customer review sites to help counteract potentially damaging online postings.

Be a social (networking) butterfly. You can’t expect to have one website with sufficient traffic anymore. Make use of the free social networking sites (SNS) to attract potential customers. Having tons of usernames and passwords can be difficult to manage, but free programs like HootSuite let you juggle all of your SNS accounts from one place. At the very least, you’ll need Twitter, Facebook and blog accounts. Don’t just use SNSs to manage your reputation because they’re great places to show off your personable side. You’re allowed to be more casual with your SNS interactions.

Embrace it all. Technology has come a long way, and as an older entrepreneur you might remember the days when computer towers filled a room and car phones’ one function was to make calls. No matter how scary, it’s time to make use of everything, especially the internet to manage your reputation. Regularly check what’s out there that might hurt your cash flow. Stay educated on your industry and post stories, your reactions or questions on your blog. Use SNSs to put a face with your name. Customers need reminders that you’re a person, too. Given your experience and wisdom that you’ve acquired for years, they won’t mind seeing a gray hair or two.

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This is a guest post from Chris Birk.

Willie, a delivery guy from Dean Foods, comes to Mozarts Coffee in Austin TX every day at 12noon and goes through the same process. With a huge cart on wheels stacked with gallons of milk, he clumsily navigates his way down 7 stairs and then up 3 stairs. I wonder if anyone has ever thought of giving him an easier way to deal with this. It’s got to hurt his back. He looks to be in his mid 50s.

Companies have got to listen to their workers on the front line. But more importantly, the workers must know that their opinion matters that way they’ll be thinking about making things more efficient.

by: Ann Preston
article reprinted with permission

One day when I was doing some research on-line I discovered a statistic that was so shocking I felt compelled to share it with other entrepreneurs. I was reading a study posted on the website of a very reputable marketing source. Being in the business of helping others market their businesses more effectively, this information was most unsettling to me.

The research proves that the average salesperson, business owner or entrepreneur lost out on 75% of their potential income last year due to one thing and one thing alone – poor marketing skills. Based upon this fact, I would like each reader to think about what he or she earned in 2005. Jot that figure down. Now multiply that figure by 4 and record the result. This is what you could have earned, should have earned and deserved to earn last year. The only problem is that you did not possess the proper skills to generate four times more business.

Over the years, I have worked with thousands of sales people and entrepreneurs from coast to coast and around the world. I have found that they are all in the same boat. That’s why it is my passion to empower them with the skills they need to earn what they deserve. In an effort to empower entrepreneurs worldwide, I have created a free weekly newsletter and free 60 minute CD containing valuable tips and strategies that can be used to help people market more effectively. Sign up by visiting http://www.PowerfulProspectingTips.com.

I would like to share one simple strategy that you can implement right away to increase their sales. Did you know that people do business with people they know, like and trust? Yet most often when we meet a new prospect, we talk about our business. Let me ask you, can people get to know you when all you talk about is your widget and all of its bells and whistles? Can they get to like you at all? And most importantly, can they begin to trust you? The answer is no, certainly not.

It doesn’t matter if you are speaking with someone one-on-one or giving a presentation in front of a group. The key is to build rapport instantly with your audience. So the next time you approach a new contact, talk a little bit about yourself, not your product or service.

Here’s an easy template to follow to help you build instant rapport:

1. Introduce yourself with energy and enthusiasm.

2. Talk about where you are from (country, state) and how long you’ve lived there.

3. Next, narrow it down to things like what part of town you live in, your spouse, children, family, etc.

4. Now speak briefly about what you do – the key here is to intrigue the prospect so they want to learn more.

5. Lighten things up and give an opportunity to build rapport by sharing what you enjoy doing in your free time.

6. Ensure you set a follow-up appointment by using the five magic words: “How Can I Help You?”

By using this one strategy alone, soon you will be on the road to earning the income you could have earned, should have earned and deserved to earn last year. When I do this exercise at my free seminars, it is wonderful to see how people bond within minutes and learn things about each other that they never would have had they just presented their business. This instant rapport creates a powerful connection which often leads to floods of referrals and new business.

The #1 key to more business is this simple: They are really buying you, not your product or service. So take off your shield of armor and let people get to know YOU.

To receive my free weekly sales and prospecting tips newsletter and free 60 minute CD which features 7 key non-traditional marketing tips to help you grow from local to global in six months or less, please visit http://www.PowerfulProspectingTips.com.

Freedom Builders Ann Preston 770-452-3324

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