Hello Marvelous People!
 
None of us are exempt from periods of sadness or bad moods. Next time you get "the blues", focus your efforts on the following tips that will get you back to "Happy, Happy, Happy!"

1. Turn off the sad music.
2. Turn out the negative people.
3. Make time to do nothing. Then do it.
4. Read hilarious stories. 
5. Watch youtubes of your top 3 comedians. Daily.
6. Say "no" more and schedule less events that drain your energy.
7. Spend time with friends that you authentically connect with.
8. Sing louder in the shower!
9. Focus on living congruently with your beliefs.
10.You will be happier if you live full and die empty.
 
Make Marvelous Happen!!

An Excerpt from Every Day is a Gift
by Barry Gottlieb
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be
happy, practice compassion."- The Dalai Lama



​What does "True Abundance" mean to you?

According to Wikipedia, the definition of abundance is "the opposite of scarcity." I believe true abundance is not measured by what you have; rather, it is measured by what you give.
In our culture, it seems that most people are caught up in their "need for greed." Perhaps this is why so many people struggle to find their happiness, and why over 25% of the people in our country suffer from anxiety. We live in a culture where we are taught to judge a person based on what they have, rather than on who they are and what they contribute to society.
I was very fortunate to have met a professor that changed my whole way of thinking. I was one of those people with a, "What's in it for me" attitude when I started his class. By the end of the semester though, my philosophy and my attitude had changed. Forever! This is what I learned:
"You can have anything you want in life, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." -Zig Ziglar
I challenge you to focus on this philosophy for an entire month! Here are some action steps that will help you stay focused on this incredible gift:
ACTION STEPS
Gratitude. Every night before you go to sleep, recite aloud at least ten things for which you are grateful.
Forgive. Let go of the past. Forgive those who have hurt or angered you. Stop carrying this poison around with you every day.
Love. Be sure to tell those people in your life who mean so much to you that you love them and appreciate them.
Donate. Go through your closets. Anything you haven't worn or used in the past year, box it or bag it and take it to a place where those who are less fortunate will benefit from your donation. Get your children involved!
Praise. Make time to praise. Look for and recognize the good in others.

Peace, Love and Gumbo!
Marvin LeBlanc, LUTCF, CNP

Hello Marvelous People:
Let’s examine a recent selling dilemma that recently occurred with one of our students in our Sales Performance School.
Scenario: A hard working, excited salesperson has put a bunch of quotes/offers out in the marketplace since the beginning of the year.
Problem: While it is guaranteed that there can be no consistent, reliable results without “Activity” - “Activity” does not guarantee results, especially, if it’s the wrong activity.
Bigger Problem: if you are sincerely generating the right activities and you are not getting the desired result you want,(a sale) then your confidence will be destroyed.
No confidence = No fun. 

Possible Solutions:
“Now when you gave your prospect/client that quote/offer, was it over the phone or via email/fax?”
“When you shared your quote/offer, did you and the prospect/client agree to the next day/date you will see them or the next day & time you will call them?”
I mention this because so frequently, those new to the sales profession give up too early. And one of the reasons they are subjected to unnecessary rejection is because they don’t position themselves properly in the minds of the prospect from the very beginning.
I’m trying to help you avoid the emotional roller coaster one goes through when he/she really believes that a prospect/client is going to move forward with their quote/offer and the prospect/client was NEVER EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE to moving forward with the quote/offer.
Please understand - if someone is nice, respectful, courteous or amiable. That’s all it means. BUYING SIGNALS ARE SOMETHING entirely different. Don’t mistake the two. Know the difference.

Important Takeaways:
1. Maintain control of the dialog. Not because you are a control freak; but because your job is to deliver WORTHWHILE PRODUCTS/SERVICES to those that need them.
2. If you’re in an industry that allows you to see them face-to-face, then this appointment will yield more results than a phone appointment.
3. Don’t over talk "product"
4. Do talk in terms of the BENEFITS that your product/service will offer. Your clients only care about what’s in it for THEM! Would you please make it about them? It isn’t about you!!]
5. The more time passes, the faster they go from hot to lukewarm to cold.
6. Create the sense of urgency now or risk spending too much time making follow up calls to prospects that will never buy.
Your Homework:
Marvelous People, we need you to leave a comment  or drop me your comments at [email protected]

What we are looking for are:
1. The actual things your prospects/clients say to you that indicate they are interested
2. The last 3 sales you made, what were the verbal or non-verbal buying signals you observed
3. Future topics that you would like to see us discuss

The best gift is a referral!  If you or someone you know would like to know how to SELL smarter, work LESS and sell MORE have them get in touch with me! 

Some people are men and women of few words. To work in an office with such people is truly a blessing. Most workers, however, are stuck in a workplace where they hear about everything from a co-worker’s baby-making plans to his/her estranged relationship with their father or mother. Talking about such topics might be OK to share over cocktails with your best friend — they are not OK for the workplace.
 
Why? Because people spend more time at the office with co-workers than anywhere (or anyone) else. Some workers have trouble drawing the line between business and friendship, says Susan Solovic, co-founder and CEO of SBTV.com, and author of three books, including Reinvent Your Career: Attain the Success You Desire and Deserve. “It’s a social environment as well as a work environment. However, you must remember: While you can be friendly and develop a good rapport, business is business and friendship is friendship.”
 
These days, your job security is unstable enough as it is. The last thing you need is to make an off-the-cuff remark that gets you fired (or shunned from the likes of your co-workers). To help keep your career on track, here are 6 things you should never say (or discuss) in the workplace:

1. “That’s not my job.”
When you boil things down, everyone does things that “aren’t their job.” If everyone complained that a certain task wasn’t in the offer they signed, the labor force would be in more trouble than it already is. If someone asks for your help, take it as a compliment. He or she obviously values your input or thinks your skills would be good fit for the task. Not only will it help earn good office karma (you never know when you’ll need help from other colleagues), but it never looks good to only do the bare minimum. And no boss wants to hear those four words!
 
2. “I don’t mind helping you with that.” (With a fake smile pasted on your face.)
There’s nothing worse than someone who offers to help and then complains about it later. If you take on a task with a smile but don’t really want to do it, your help is as good as no help at all. When you work without enthusiasm, it’s never your best effort. Plus, don’t say you’ll do something if you have no intention of actually completing the task or you’ll earn a reputation as an unreliable person. Your colleagues are relying on you, so your decision not to follow through impacts their jobs, too.
 
3. “Don’t tell anyone I said this, but … ”
Anytime you start a sentence with that phrase, you’re asking for one thing: The recipient of your knowledge to, indeed, tell someone you said that. If it’s really a secret, keep it to yourself. Whether you know someone in the office got pregnant by the mail guy or you found out what the boss makes, you’re going to get credit for spreading the news. Plus, if a co-worker is gossiping with you, most likely he or she will gossip about you.
 
4. “I haven’t gotten a raise, EVER.”
Since most employers base salary increase on productivity (not longevity), asking for a raise based on how long you’ve been with the company or how long it’s been since your last one will tell your boss only that you want more money — not that you deserve it. Instead, prove the raise is merited.
 
5. “I’m so … stressed out/busy/sick of working here.”
Constant complaints about your workload, stress levels or the company will quickly make you the kind of person who never gets invited to lunch. If you don’t agree with company policies and procedures, address it through official channels or move on.
 
6. “I have (insert weird, gross or inappropriate medical condition) here .”
Nobody cares about your aches and pains, the weird fungus on your foot, your infertility woes or the bad gas you got from eating Chinese food last night. To your employer, your constant medical issues make you seem like an expensive, high-risk employee. And to your co-workers, you seem like an attention-seeking hypochondriac.

Be mindful, be respectful and be professional in your conversations with co-workers and you will find a much better work environment. 

Peace, Love and Gumbo!
Have you grabbed your free chapter of the 13 Rules for Solid Business Growth?  If not click here to get it today! 

​For all businesses, employee performance is the integral factor and perhaps the building block that leads to their success. Employee performance can be greatly improved with the right kind of leadership.

Here are the 5 fundamentals I believe are essential for building performance.
All leaders must practice the following fundamentals with unyielding determination:



​• Commitment to showing others their due respect. Leaders always value the opinions of their teams and followers. Why? The answer is that it gives them a sense of contribution and a feeling that they are important members of any team.
• All successful leaders put in hard work and long hours more so than everybody else because they have a greater calling i.e. a responsibility to make sure everyone is on the right path and working towards goal achievement. The leadership goals to effectively manage a team like, planning, organizing, directing, controlling, and administration take a lot of perseverance.
• Individual goals take a backseat in relevance with the goals of the team because it is only through teamwork i.e. cooperation and co-ordination can organizational goals be achieved. The basic goal of a leader is to ensure that everyone is working in harmony towards the achievement of the organizational goals rather than individual tasks.
• A leader never slacks off. Leaders never make excuses not to do a work or for not having to fulfill an objective. They work relentlessly day in day out until they have achieved what they had set out to do. And that is the key to successful leadership. Not giving up and ascertaining goal achievement is bred into the minds of leaders.
• Leaders take full responsibility of whatever they direct their teams to do and however they plan to carry out tasks for goal achievement. They are willing to be held accountable for any consequence of the actions that they prompt, and that in fact is what inspires their team to follow them unquestioningly.

​Peace, Love and Gumbo, 
Marvin LeBLanc, LUTCF, CNP