For years, I read the books, but didn’t act on what they told me to do.

I’m not sure why.

Part of the reason was because I didn’t really believe it was that simple.  There must be something far more complicated I hadn’t yet discovered.

Part of it was mental junk about “Why should I be rich and successful while others around me were struggling?”  And “I’m too young.  I’m still a kid.”  That was in my 20s – when I already had a few kids of my own.

Part of it was because I couldn’t see the HOW.  Yeah, you need to set goals.  I get that.  But  I couldn’t see how I’d reach them.  So it always felt like a fantasy and never affected what I did.

Part of it was because the few things I thought I was doing right were misguided. In retrospect, I was building castles on quicksand.

Part of it was too much worrying about what other people think.

Part of it was that on many days I felt like a fraud.  I didn’t have all my ducks in a row, so who am I to be telling others what to do?  (As if any of us will ever get all our ducks in a row.)

Part of it was that I thought there was a right way to do things.  I thought that the people on TV and in the news must know something I don’t.  So I kept studying and learning.  Then one day I realized that in many cases I knew more than them.  And often they were wrong.

Part of it was our natural tendency to overcomplicate things.

And I can go on and on…

But one day I saw a video from a ‘guru’ whose work I admired.  He talked about how he’d followed the advice in a certain book.  I’d read that book 15 years earlier.  I’d thought it was nice advice.  He’d acted on it.

He was getting hundreds of thousands of views on his videos.  I was just another viewer.

It was a turning point for me. Something finally clicked.

I realized that there really is no secret other than this:  

• You need to know what you want.  This requires some thought.

• You need a plan, or system to get to where you want.  Or you get overwhelmed and you never know what to do first.  A simple, proven plan that makes sense to you, gives you the confidence and motivation to implement.

• And you need feedback.  From someone who has already done what you want to do.  Because the steps are simple, but there are a thousand little nuances you only learn by doing.

We each have a choice:  To spend the years reinventing the wheel.  Or to find a mentor who, in a five minute conversation, can save you 5 days, weeks, months or even years of figuring it out for yourself.

Each month I give away five free “Consistent Flow of Customers” Strategy Sessions to small business entrepreneurs who know they should be able to add $100,000 or more in income in the coming year.  They just don’t know how.

If that’s you, keep your eye open for when I make the February slots available.

Please share your reactions in the comments section below.

Dov Gordon

You’d think we humans would find this easy. But it’s HARD.

I’m talking about a simple thinking skill: Knowing what you want.

Nearly everyone who grabs one of the five free “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy sessions I do each month makes the following mistake.

I’ll ask: “If you could have it any way you want it and didn’t have to worry about how to make it happen, how much do you want to be earning a year from now?”

And I’ll get an answer like “$150,000.”

“Why $150,000?”

“Because if I can get up to 30 billable hours per week, then I should be able to reach $150,000.”

Okay. Let’s analyze what’s wrong with this THINKing.  And why it’s keeping him and millions of others stuck.

Also, I’ll teach you a simple thinking skill you’ll start using every day – and your life will never be the same.

What this guy just did was confuse WHAT he wants with HOW he’ll get it.

The question was “If you could have it any way you want it and didn’t have to worry about how to make it happen, how much do you want to be earning a year from now?”

To answer this question, he began by looking at where he is today and extrapolating forward. But that’s what he thinks is POSSIBLE. Not what he WANTS.

Before letting himself dream, he asked “Well, HOW will I get there?”

It’s saying “I don’t know HOW I can get what I really want, so I’m going to settle and aim for something less.” Got it?

So now his target is something he doesn’t really want. But he figures it’s the best he can hope for.

So now he’ll lack the passion. And he won’t be willing to take the risks because who wants to take risks for something you don’t really want?

When passion is out, fear steps in to lead. And our friend the entrepreneur, who has so much to offer to so many people will stay stuck.

Remember I told you that it’s not enough to learn techniques and tactics – and that you need to learn how to THINK?

Well master this WHAT / HOW thinking skill. Practice separating the two.  When you’re talking about WHAT you want, don’t talk about HOW.  And when you’re talking about HOW, make sure you first know exactly WHAT.

This little skill will change your life because it frees to finally focus on what you really, really want. That unleashes your passion. Helps you overcome fear. And keeps you focused on only what matters.  (Which helps you stay out of the grip of the well meaning but dangerous marketing plumbers.)

My advice to you – learn simple, practical THINKing skills.   It will change your life and brings you customers.

What do you think? Let me know below.

There was this guy standing in synagogue doing a Rubik’s Cube during services yesterday.

I’d been looking around the room when I noticed him and realized what he was doing.  And where.

Turns out it wasn’t his cube.  He’d found it on the table and wanted to leave things better than he’d found them.

“Tell me,” I asked later, “There must be a system for solving those, isn’t there?”

“Sure,” he said.  “There are pattens. You need to learn to recognize the patterns.  It’s math.  You just need to memorize some algorithms.”

He lost me at math.  And my eyes glazed over when he said logarithms.  But PATTERNS – THAT I get.  Because it’s the same in building a consistent flow of customers.  And that’s an area where I’ve paid my dues.  I’ve learned to see the patterns – and it changed my life.

You’ve probably done your own twisting the Marketing Cube this way and that, hoping to get the thing solved.  You may get lucky and solve one side.  But to solve the whole puzzle, you need to learn to see the  patterns, the structure that makes it work.

In any area of human excellence, many pick up a cube, spin it this way and that, and put it down with a chuckle.  “This can’t be done.”   They quit before they started.

There are also those who, like my nine year old, take the cube apart and put it back the way he wants it. These are the marketing plumbers and the wide-eyed techno-zealots.  They discover you can peel the stickers and put them where you want them – and no one will know!  Imagine that!

I beg you – don’t be like them.  There’s no pride in that work.  And not much money, either. Unless you’re the cult leader.

Finally, there are those who stand there twisting and hoping and turning and hoping until one of two things happen:

• They’re forced to get a job.
• Or they realize someone out there must know the pattern.  And they go learn it.

1.  You’re eyes will be opened to the patterns that make your marketing work.  You’ll learn how to THINK – a skill that keeps you ahead, whatever the technology.

3.  Hands on help from me  via my private Oasis Forums.  Do the worksheet and post your work in the Oasis for feedback and help.

1. Lots and lots of information to keep you stuck in the illusion that you don’t know enough.  Because the truth is you know more than enough to get moving.  What you’re lacking is someone to simplify it and help you focus only on the critical 10% that will make you look brilliant 90% of the time.

3.  No fluff.  No padding.  No math. And no algorithms. You get only what you need to know to create a system that brings you a consistent flow of customers – within weeks.

Dov Gordon

When you finally ‘get’ that there is a process for creating a consistent flow of customers, and it starts to work for you – you feel like a different person.

You feel like you can actually trust yourself to make things happen in your life.

Like my client Dr. Reuven Rosenberg, who helps people with irritable bowel syndrome.  He shared this in The Oasis, my private clients-only:

I just signed up another client! I have two treatment packages, one at the 3,000 level and one at the 5,000 level. He chose the 5,000 level but got flak from his wife about it once he got home. He asked if he could try the 3,000 level and then add on later to soften it a bit for his wife. I suggested sticking with the 5,000 level and breaking it into 3 payments of 1700 each with a post dated check. This made it easier for him and we got started.

After the first treatment he said he felt better than he can remember in 40 years and was able to “perform” in the bathroom without the use of a laxative. I haven’t even started him on the nutritional aspect of the program.

At first I was afraid to tell clients how much my program costs and would say that I would let them know in a few days. For most I ended up never calling due to embarrassment over letting it go so long. Now I show them the price and some say there’s no way, some gulp and say they need to discuss it and think about, and some say they’re ready to get started. Now I see there is a difference! The ones who want to get started are the ones I want to work with. They have the correct attitude. That’s critical to any interaction. If the client starts out suspicious and full of mind games or makes ridiculous requests then just smile and say thanks for spending the time on the consult with me, but I don’t think I can be of help to you. Sometimes the rejection actually sends them back to you. The key is discerning those who genuinely have sincere questions or concerns. It’s your job to answer those as best you can.

I’ve found that people respond the most to my enthusiasm and my ability to demonstrate that I’m an expert in the area where they need help the most. What I hear most is, “I trust you” right away. It’s very gratifying to be able to help people.

I’ve figured out how to meld Dov’s system with my expertise, knowledge, intuition, and personality. That makes for a powerful combination that gets easier with practice. I know that I have a long way to go as far as conducting a 5r star consult but I feel like a different person as compared to last year. Now I can honestly say I expect the “yes”. Thanks Dov!

As you can see, there’s a process here. And when you learn it and apply it, it’ll change your life.

If you believe you should be able to add $100,000 or more to your income - you just need the right coach or mentor –  click here to apply for a free “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy session.

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If you’re selling a service of any kind, or even many products, you’re going to come across the person who asks “But do you have any experience in MY industry?” Or “We’re looking for someone who has at least five years experience in scarecrow design and construction.”

You KNOW that you can get the result.  But you don’t have the particular experience they insist on.  How do you elegantly move to a closed deal?

Listen to this 4 minute podcast for the answer.

Click here to download the .mp3

When you’re in a sales conversation with someone, you MUST be able to spot what REALLY lurks beneath your prospect’s questions.

There’s only one way to do that:  A sales conversation has an underlying structure.  Learn to see that structure, and you’ll never lose control again.

Join me on Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at 1pm eastern for a live teleseminar on “How to Elegantly Control Your Next Sales Conversation. Register here.

And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on Facebook and Twitter.

Dov Gordon

Leave your thoughts and questions below.

UPDATE: 2011-11-21 : At the time of this video, Tom had just begun using the system we developed.  Since then, the results reported have become more or less consistent.   The most significant point is that Tom now has a simple, repeatable process that works where before he was shooting from the hip.  And you can learn to do the same thing.

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Tom Z. and Dov Gordon talk about how they built a marketing and selling system to enroll clients in Tom’s
$25,000 coaching program.

If you also have an excellent product or service, but you don’t have a consistent, predictable flow of new customers and clients, watch this for inspiration.

To apply for a free “Consistent Flow of Customers” strategy session with Dov Gordon, go to: http://DovGordon.net/freesession

To get a free recording of “How to Build A Step-by-Step Selling System that Brings You All the Customers You Want” go to http://DovGordon.net/free

Now, click here because when you have plenty of customers, your business becomes fun again.

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Liked this video?  Please share it on Facebook, Twitter and via sandwich board.

Dov

When you expect yourself to do more in a day than is humanly possible, you expect more of yourself than even God expects of you.  When you are upset by your poor performance in an area where you haven’t done the hard foundation work, you’re expecting yourself to do miracles.

Doing the impossible is God’s work.  Naturally, when you take a stab at it you’re setting yourself up for failure, frustration and overwhelm.  And then you don’t have time to do YOUR work.

So what is your work?

A.   Know what you want.  This is more difficult that it first seems. Most people need some help  clarifying what they really, really want.  We’re too often disoriented by what others say we should want, by fears and worries about what’s actually possible, and other mental fog.

B.   Design a business model that enables you to have what you want. A business model is essentially a flow of activities, each designed to achieve a specific result.  When those results are achieved, you have what you want.

The problem most people run into here is overcomplicating what really is simple.  That, and  trying to do too much too quickly.  As a result you get so caught up in the day-to-day pressures that you forget what you really want.  (See A above.)

C.   Make your top priorities clear.  The problem here is that most people flit from one activity to another because their priorities are not clear.  And the reason they’re not clear is because A above isn’t clear and B is too complicated.  So they flit.

D.   If you manage to get to D, now you need to flout Life’s obsessive efforts to derail you. That’s Life’s job:  to gently and persistently nudge you off track.  Some days it’s like walking a narrow mountain path, just over a cliff with mighty winds all around you.

This usually boils down to people and events.  But it’s really about how you “explain” those people and events.  The “story” you tell yourself.  You need a mentor or coach who has mastered the ways of thinking and being that you want to master.

E.   Finally, build system as you go. Otherwise you’re always reinventing the wheel.  And what’s more frustrating than building towers on quicksand.

All this, it appears to me, is your work.  And my work.  And if you’re struggling to stop doing God’s work and stick to your own, do make sure you get some help.

If my style and and way of thinking appeals to you, then you may want to take advantage of one of the 5  free  Consistent Flow of Customers Strategy Sessions I give away each month.

Either way, I invite you share your opinion below.  And if reading this gave you an insight or two, please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter.