How can I make you smile today?

I called a local company the other day to make an appointment… The woman that answered had a smile on her face… even over the phone, I could just tell. She made me smile by not only her friendly pattern, but what she said, “Thanks for call ‘X’. This is Linda, how can I make you smile today?”

Those real, authentic, natural smiles are infectious, whether you see them or not…

Remember, it’s often the smallest of things that change the rest of someone’s day. Make it a habit to smile. Did you know that smiling alters not only the brain chemistry to those who receive our smile, but us–the smile-sender too? Imagine what can happen the next time you choose to smile? I think we could all use a little extra happiness these days.

With cell phones, texting, social networking, email, and more, many of us don’t interact face-to-face much anymore, so how do you “virtually” smile?

It’s easy if you are on the phone – smile. A real smile changes the shape of your face and throat which in turn changes the voice… The easiest way to know if it’s a true smile — are your eyes crinkling? Crinkly eyes = true smile. No crinkles? Phony (or too much botox.)

To send smiles online takes a little light-heartedness. Write your copy with a little twinkle. Having trouble writing with a twinkle? Move. Change your perspective, write from a different location or just move some things in your office. Try decluttering. Go for a walk with a voice-recorder…

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~Joseph Addison~

I attended a big local event the other day. By using the Book Yourself Solid Networking Strategy, I had stellar success meeting new people. 

BYS Networking is not about getting business. It’s about sharing your intangibles; e.g. your network, your knowledge, your compassion. The most successful way to share your intangibles is by encouraging others. The easy steps to encourage others is:

1. Show genuine interest.  “Genuine” is the key word here. If you are faking, your non-verbals will give you away…  Just met them and you aren’t sure how to express genuine interest? Ask thoughtful questions.

2. Acknowledge what they say. Listen to their answers. Acknowledge what’s important to them. This is not a time to argue or do the typically, “I know what you mean…now listen to my story….”

Acknowledge or paraphrase what they said. If necessary, perhaps offer a reframe. E.g.; If you hear “ Fifty pounds is alot, I let myself get so heavy…I still have to lose 30 pounds,” offer a reframe “Losing 20 is such an accomplishment, sounds like you are on a roll. Way-to-go!” A well-placed, congrats or way-to-go can be just the ticket to boost confidence.

Once you acknowledge, share your intangibles.
Sharing your intangibles is not about being a “know-it-all.” Don’t charge in with “What you need is…. Here again, genuine is the key.

Your network: Offer to lend a hand. Gently, yet proactively refer someone from your network. This doesn’t have to be business related, perhaps they mentioned golf and you have a great golf shop contact… 

Your knowledge: Give of your accumulated knowledge. Here is where the “know-it-all” can emerge. Use language that moves the knowledge away from you as the expert, such as “I was reading the other day…” or “I heard ‘X’ on the radio and maybe that might work in your situation.”

Your compassion: Respond with something unexpected.  It can be genuine compassion or empathy in the moment, or if more appropriate as a follow-up. It’s unfortunate, yet compassion may startle people these days…  One easy way to show your compassion is this cool, new keep-in-touch tool we use—Best Impression Cards from SendOutCards.com.

We think it is so cool, we have set-up a webpage where you can send out a free card—just to see for yourself… Send someone, even yourself, a card and learn more about all the ways you can use Best Impression Cards from SendOutCards.com. 

Imagine the impact. Out of the blue, a couple of days after this event I attended, someone you just met gets a personalized “Nice to Meet You” card. This is a real card, not an e-card. I just sent one so personalized that I mentioned the event and where we met “…it is so funny, you never know who you will meet in the ladies room…” I closed with wishing her all the best with the impeding birth of her new son. By being genuine, showing up in the world with who we are and what we stand for, is how we can have maximum impact.

Imagine with the holidays coming up being able to send real cards to all your clients, friends and family for 63 cents each + postage. (With the holidays being so “PC” now-a-days,) consider sending a Thanksgiving card to all your family, friends and  clients thanking them—you can even upload your logo or photos and make personalized cards. Too cool!

Go right now to SEND MY F*R*E*E Card to send a card and see what I mean…

After you send out your free card, email me and let me show you all the neat features, including gifts… One of my favorites is sending a gift card to a well-known coffee shop. Just the other day, I had exceptional service and I immediately sent not only the fellow that gave me the service a card, but his boss too. I think I have a friend for life.

Enjoy the Adventure!

To Success! To Life!

Sharon

Just like real estate’s saying: location, location, location… business is relationship, relationship, relationship. Actually, everything in life is based on relationships.

Relationships need to be built on a solid foundation of trust. People buy from people they like and trust. If you don’t have trust, it doesn’t matter how well you’ve drafted your plan, or what you’re offering. If a potential client doesn’t trust you, your foundation is built on shifting sands.

Many times "sales-leads" might consider you for the job if your price is the same as your competitors’. If your price is higher, you might get a chance if you get your price" in-line." Is that really what you want? Properly positioned companies don’t play the low-price game. They don’t have to. Their prospects see them as having something different. So, where do you start? By using one of the most effective marketing strategies on the planet; the "Always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer."

Don’t waste months trying to cajole one prospect at a time into throwing you a bone.

Proactively invite them to get to know why doing business with you is the solution they are looking for. The "Always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer" is a "low barrier to entry / low-risk" opportunity for them to get to know you. And for you to build trust over time. Create a schedule that you know you will do each and every time. Our next "Always…" event is next Thursday, November 6th at 9am Pacific. It’s every first Thursday of the month at 9am… notice that if the prospect can’t make it this time, they know when and where to find you when they are ready. If you would like to join us, register free at http://www.impressionengineers.com

As you develop an "always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer," consider how you are positioned in the marketplace. What is your niche? Are you the only one (or at least, one of the leading suppliers) of your specific solutions? If not, what benefits can you add to the client experience that will make sure there are no credible substitutes in the market? How can you enhance the customer experience ? Distinguish yourself in the marketplace.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
Sharon
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Sharon

p.s. Remember, the first Thursday of each month is "Beyond Lip Service" A conversation on simple and effective success strategies. Looking forward to the sharing and learning that happens on first Thursdays! Register free at http://www.impressionengineers.com

We just got some amazing news here at Impression Engineers and wanted to share it with you, as you have all been so supportive and encouraging as we take our message of “Choose your business and life,” to a larger audience. 

I will be a guest along with Megan McKenzie on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bookyourselfsolid this Friday, October 31st at 11am Pacific (2pm Eastern.) It is a Q and A format and we will stream live, so nothing like jumping into radio both feet first!

If you would like to listen in, or even call in and put me or the other panelists on the hotseat, this Friday is your time.  To listen in, go to http://wwwblogtalkradio.com/bookyourselfsolid. When the show is live, there is a flashing, orange “Click to Listen” button. Just turn up your speakers!

If you want to ask a question or comment via live chat or call in, it will be necessary to sign-in to Blog Talk Radio. It is easy and free to join. On the home page of http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ in the top-middle above the Nav bar is the small link to register. 

If you can’t be there live and grill me Friday, the show is made into a podcast feed that will allow you to listen when it works for you.

Thanks again for all your support and good thoughts as we share with others the abundance we all have to offer each other. Talk to you again at our regular time on Thursday.
Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

Have you noticed how much "text-talk" is becoming part of our unconscious response… does it bug you as much as it bugs me?

Then again, I can’t wag my finger…

I received an email that ended in "LMK if you want to discuss further."

I had to go to my son and ask, "What is LMK?"

Response: "LMK = Let me know"

Fair enough-makes sense.

From my iPhone I replied "TY. I wish people would spend two seconds and just write it out."

His response back, "So was your "TY" meant to be ironic?"

I could only respond with "LOL touche…"

Life Lesson 12,308, 923 (but whose counting)…You better be careful what you rant about.

Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!

Sharon

I am so tired of the hand-wringing and the "sky is falling" in the media—creating "brick walls" that are really only of thought and flesh… We can stand at that wall and give our time, our energy, and in turn, our power away in worry or we can look through it with open curiosity to discover solutions. Those that stay staring at the wall dwell on the failure, the winner visualizes through, around, over, and under the wall to discover the solutions. This may sound trite, but it is true — winning begins with the thought, the belief that you will win.
Do not give your power away.

Thoughts are real–they have energy and power behind them. Thoughts move us, for better or worse. Preoccupying your thoughts with solutions and the "happily ever-after" endings is a do-it-yourself project. There are people who can instruct, encourage, and coach you, but the success depends on you.

This rant started this morning when I read (in addition to my live coaching I do email coaching) from a highly competent, qualified, intelligent person…“Oh, I do embrace this intention and I want it…” Not to be rude, but how can you “want” something you already have? JUST CLAIM IT! Coaches, friends, and family can give you ideas, pointers, and tips on being more effective in what to do. How you do it, when you do it and if you do it is up to you…

As I finish writing this to you, I reflect on my dear friend Wil Hart’s wisdom (www.CraigHartCosulting.com) I’m paraphrasing, so forgive me Wil… When you are a business owner, there is no difference between your business and your life. You’re right Wil… You better love what you do. You better believe in what you do. You better stand for what you do. (If those last 3 sentences don’t resonate, consider: Am I doing the right thing for me?)

I refuse to relinquish my power over myself and my outcomes.
Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!

Sharon

p.s. Not long ago, I received a voice mail from someone that recognized themselves in one of my writings… It went something like: “Hello Sharon, I wonder, just wonder… who you could have written about today…” They were a good sport about it especially since I never mention names or anything else to identify individuals… To all my friends and clients, I know you sometimes recognize yourself, thanks for being a great sport and being the beacon for growth we all can reflect and learn with.

Sometimes a character from a movie just utters a great line that makes you stop and think…

"There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

Who are you? What do you stand for? More importantly, how do you show what you stand for to the world? I had to answer those questions while in Philly last week for my certification in the Book Yourself Solid Coaching Program. One of the basic premises of the Book Yourself Solid System is to know who you are, what you do and why you do it.

So, why is this important to know about yourself?

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Standing for something takes action. Agreeing with something and standing for it is not the same thing. "Standing for" requires a choice and action, sometimes a difficult choice. Yet knowing who you are, what you do and why you stand for it makes all other choices easier (but not always easy to live by….)

"Bruce, deep down you may still be that same great kid you used to be.  But it’s not who you are underneath… it’s what you do that defines you."

It can take time to sort out our beliefs, needs and desires to get to know what we stand for–but once you do put into action what you stand for, your goals align. Reflect out into the world what you know is true. Be the beacon for others. Commit fully to the adventure of life. Coach others how to share their brilliance with the world.

Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

p.s. There are 4 movie quotes above. Name the 4 characters and the 4 movies. The first 3 people to email me at support@livepassionatelysociety.com with the correct answers will receive a copy of my new book "Life’s Short. Live Passionately."  Have fun!

I shouldn’t watch the news anymore… I was watching the hearing on what will be done to fix the current state of sad affairs and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing… to paraphrase, because I don’t write word for word notes while livid…

“We’ve done a lot of thinking about it and that seems like the best number.”
Yeah, seven hundred billion has always sounded like a good number to go after for me too… I’ll put that on my "to-do" list.

“It’s got to work, it’s too big to fail.” Come-on… give me a break, nothing is too big to fail… It might be too important to fail, but nothing is never "too big to fail!" I found myself screaming at the TV “OMG, these people that we’ve put in charge don’t know what the hell they are doing!”  Okay, enough ranting, back to us down here in the trenches…

I think we all know people that are experiencing difficult times these days. People are mad, sad, worried about work and life… so I want to start a brainstorm-type of conversation with you today. I pose two vital and serious questions that we can all learn from each other with. Please feel free to answer one or both or pose another question for us to ponder…

• What is the one thing that you are most afraid of that could put you out of business before the end of 2009? (Do you realize that is only 462 days away.)

• What is one thing you are or can do to get through these times? Big or little, doesn’t matter, share with us. My friend Jim told me yesterday, he was having fun (and saving money) making his own peanut butter.

Please share in the comments section of our blog! I really want to get a movement going here. Think Big on sharing what you know! It’s time we pitch in together. Less competition, more collaboration!

To get our conversation going I offer 3 free things we can all do.

1. Talk to someone. We are not alone in this. Share your concerns and success. Encourage others, a little known fact is while you are encouraging others you are actually changing your mood as well.

2. Try not to dwell on the negatives, instead use that time to get a back up plan going.

3. Laugh. Watch a funny movie. Look through old family photos and wonder whatever was I thinking when I wore my hair that way or picked that outfit. Share fun memories.

I will always remember when Adam was about 14, he announced he was joining the downhill ski-racing team (having little skiing experience.) Over my gasps of WHAT!  I heard “Yeah mom… Life sometimes sucks. Buy a helmet. Adapt and Overcome! (Four years later he placed in the state championship finals… )

Hang in there everyone. It will get better.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

Grab a copy of Sharon’s latest book…

Written straight from the heart, Sharon Sayler’s Life’s Short Live Passionately invites us to know that within each of us is a life full of joy, success and passion. Your passion can change the world—but only when you make the choice to take action.

Late for life?
Seems as if everything is going faster and faster today. Many don’t even have the time to write a complete sentence anymore… What’s your relationship with time?

Sometimes, we get going so fast towards what we want, that we forget about the most important parts of our life, our loved ones. It is easy to fall into saying, “just as soon as…” and know that our loved ones will understand. A passionate life doesn’t work that way. It is the combination—the balance—of our work and our person.

Work-life balance is not an oxymoron. Demands on your time change as your family, purposes and work life change. Balance doesn’t mean doing everything. It means the continually rearrangement of priorities and appropriate boundaries. Be firm with what you want and can and cannot do. Only you can create harmony and happiness in your life.

Research has found that most happy people have strong ties to family and friends and that happy people live about nine years longer than unhappy people. Make time for friendships.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure
To Success! To Life!

p.s. Thank you so much for the great response to Life’s Short. Live Passionately. If you haven’t grabbed your free excerpt yet it’s available on the IE site at http://www.impressionengineers.com/excerpt/

Big WOO! HOO! Everybody!

The book “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” is finally in my hot little hands! Amazing. I’ve been working on it so long, I began to think it would never be complete… always many lessons learned when you do anything—from this project I learned (or re-learned):

1. Even if you plan that it will take longer than you think, it always takes longer than you planned and think…
2. When you see the finish line at about 98% finished, you really are only about 50% done.
3. There is no perfection. No matter how perfect it is when it leaves your hands, there will always be something you will want to add, delete or change…

I’ve already taken the plunge into my next book, about better communication in the workplace. This time, I think I will try the aim and fire approach. Planning is important, and patience is a virtue but living life is the perfect teacher.  You’ll probably read how that idea of plan less is going soon…

So, “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” is finally ready. It’s an easy read. No “chapter” is over 2 pages long… since you already read our newsletters you probably know I like to write short and to the heart of the matter… Life’s too short to spend your time turning too many pages for the author to get to the point…

In “Life’s Short. Live Passionately.” you’ll discover life lessons that make a difference.

• Understand the dynamics of why fear stops people.
• The presuppositions of Living Passionately and how to embrace them.
• The ways that get to the heart of the matter faster, easier and without blame! 
• The 4 most important steps to take when setting goals. Set goals that will succeed.
• The 5 keys to know when enough is enough.
• The simple steps to not be disappointed again. And much, much more…

Whether you are 10 years old or 100, this book will help you create your life, your way.

An excerpt is available at Excerpt

As a little official launch celebration and a special thank you to you—I’ve got it at a special super secret price for the next 5 days. It’s almost a give away, so let’s not let Adam know that I put it on sale… If you are interested, grab a copy right now.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon