What do you do when you make a mistake and it
has named you? Other people talk and you have
allowed it to enter into your head as part of your identity.

That is a serious problem that will cost you in your 
career and it's also a lie.. Everybody makes mistakes
even stupid ones and you'll probably make two or three more this year.

It's a bigger mistake to let it define you. What to do?
Here's the answer from Victor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning.
He says to redeem that mistake..

Which means, ask yourself 'what did I learn?'
You may have lost money, relationship etc..
You already know the negative, you just never
took time to see the positive.

Our minds love problems and mistakes, but you
can sit down and ask 'how did this make me better?'
Perhaps you hired a manager because you wanted
more free time, but he did things differently than
you and was spending more money than you would.

So, you had to let him go. Bad thing? Not at all 
because you learned that future managers need 
a set of guidelines to follow that meet your standards.

Mistakes are not bad.. not learning from them is.
​
Source: Donald Miller

Lots of companies have a mission statement.. but
It should be a counter-attack to some injustice that
is going on in the workplace.

Typically we think of a mission as somewhere we want 
to go. But what motivates human energy? We react
to life, so if you want to make an impression, then
make it a counter-attack.

What terrible thing are you counter-attacking?
hi prices in plumbing industry? 

One flower shop sees people as not being 
loved enough and she counter-attacks
with her flowers this way.

You work just as hard as your competition, yet
they get phone calls that should go to you.
That's where our mission came from.. helping
small business owners get back in the game.

Figure out your counter-attack and you
will get more energy and response from people.

Source: Donald Miller

​Key Statistic: 90% of consumers read 10 reviews or less before they feel they can trust a business.
A quality review system within your review plan helps maximize your positive reviews.
And data shows this can pay quick dividends.
How?
Because 90% of consumers read just 10 reviews or less before trusting (or not trusting) a business.
In decision-making terms, this is an extremely short amount of time.
It’s also a testament to just how much consumers trust the information they gain from local business reviews.
You want to make sure as many of those 1-10 reviews are positive.
If most are negative, consumers will make a quick decision which will most likely lead to them researching your competitors.
If most are positive, consumers will make a quick decision which will most likely end up in increased business and revenue.
It’s that simple.
The quicker you ramp up your reviews (especially Google)
and maximize those positive reviews, the faster you will reap these rewards.

How to get people to pay attention to you at a cocktail party?
or open emails? or stand up to give a speech?

People are distracted, thinking of other stuff..
people don't pay attention until you..

Start talking about a problem..

Our minds are wired, problem - solution and
many times we just say.. 'here's our solution'
but we don't define the problem.
If you sell scooters, you don't mention 
how cool they are, etc..

You say 'no one likes to be stuck in traffic'
I sell scooters.. and now it makes more sense.

Suppose you are an at home chef..

What do you do?
You know how people are just to busy
to cook healthy meals these days..
and eat together as a family anymore?
I'm am at home chef.

** Everything You Sell Is Medicine

Because if its not solving a problem.. no one wants it
and they won't listen to you until you define it.

So, remember to define the problem first.
Source: Donald Miller

When your customers win, you win. But sometimes you need to challenge their perspective to set them up for the win.

Upending someone’s belief -- especially when it’s in the way of progress -- proves to be a delicate task. Do it wrong, and you alienate them.

We all like to cling to our beliefs.. we don't like to discover we
were 'wrong' at something because it threatens who we 
think we are.

Normally you do not what to challenge your customers
perspective.. unless their pain is keeping them from something.

Show them how much easier it is this way...
If you position yourself as the one helping
them to overcome an old belief, while showing
how it solves their problem.. you will succeed.

Don't challenge them by making them feel wrong.
Challenge them to see how this (new belief) will
help them.

Source: Donald Miller

Why should you never tell people what your going to tell them?
Imagine someone getting on stage and saying.. ''Today I'm going
to tell you why the SF 49ers are the best football
team in the country''

Telling me what you're going to tell me in a sign of insecurity.
Not a good way to start, especially emails.
'Today I'm going to tell you about a sale we're having on Thursday'
vs 'We are having a blowout sale this Thursday'
One is weak, one is strong
and you feel the difference..

''The SF 49ers are the best team in the country and here's why''

Much stonger, agree? So, be strong in stating your points vs stumbling along
and you'll get a better response.

Source: Donald Miller

How to close more sales? Lots of ways..
you can ask for the close, but just like marketing..
sales is an exercise in memorization.

If you can get people to really understand your offer
and the value you bring, then you are much
more likely to close that sale.

A lot of times we build relationships, but
we don't communicate clearly the problem
that you solve and what they need to do to solve it.

There's more of course, but you need to write down
the problem you solve in one sentence and then write 
down in one sentence what they need to do to get started.

Repeat that over and over throughout your presentation
These 2 things are what
you want your customer to know and you 
have to repeat it so they can memorize it as it takes
our brain hearing something about 8 times
before it starts to sink in.

If you can get to the point where a customer can
repeat back your offer and what it takes to start,
then your odds go way up of making that sale

Source: Donald Miller

How to create a good tagline?
That line below the header?

A good tagline will make you money.
If you try to get too sophisticated or try
something that makes you look smart or clever,
it won't work. Why? It's too confusing.

One company is called Local Honey.
I would think it's about a company
selling honey, maybe they even have a bee farm..
But their tagline is 'we do hair'

And that was smart.. Now I get it.
The tagline is clear and that's what makes money.

Now if your company name is obvious like Joe's Plumbing
instead of saying 'we do plumbing' you can say
'we're always on time' because that's important to customers
waiting for plumbers to show up. And that separates
you from your competition. You become known as reliable.

** Clarity Wins The Day
Your tagline should clearly say how you service customers.

Source: Donald Miller

The big difference between 'respect' and 'like' is that you can
trust those people you respect with big things. It's more
about strength vs likeability. Because you only trust people
with things who are competent to handle them.

There are many things that go into respect, but a big one is this..
They know how to de-escalate drama and tension.
If you can calm down during tense moments, you will
earn respect from your boss and fellow employees.

How do you reduce drama? Here's one simple trick...
Step away from the drama (physically if you have to)
and just imagine 'what is the least dramatic solution to this problem?'

And then attempt to execute that solution while keeping your calm.
Drama ends relationships and causes wars.. it's not fun unless it's
on stage and you paid to see it. Practice the 'easy solution' and
you will earn the respect of others.

Source: Donald Miller