People judge others and that is their downfall.

Three years into running my own business, I realised that there was a group of people that I easily related to and did business with.

Simultaneously, there was another group of people that I didn't understand or got along with.

Because I was spinning my wheels with the latter, I called them "tire kickers", "time wasters", "bean counters", etc.

What I didn't realise at the time was that I was setting myself up for failure in advance. I shut my heart to them, which caused a disconnect. 

Think of two people being on different radio frequencies. They aren't tuning in with one another.

I wasn't getting anywhere with them and made them wrong for it.

What a coward I was.

We fail to relate to someone and blame them for our inability and lack of skills.

It is the easy way out to make someone else be "the bad one" so that we can feel better about ourselves.

How often do you point a finger at someone else like I did?

Every time you do,...

If you live in an Anglo Saxon country, would you start speaking French in a store and expect people to understand?

Equally, imagine going into an Anglo Saxon boardroom to pitch your "grand idea" or solution and do it in Japanese?

My point of the analogy is this: people speak 4 different languages in terms of DISC and yet we keep forcing our native language (D, I, S or C) on others even though we get push back, misunderstandings, fallouts and resistance. 

Even worse: we all heard about the definition of madness, which is doing the same old thing and expect a different result.

Is that smart?

Let's bring it back to business now.

Closing ratios depend on our ability to speak the 4 DISC languages fluently. 

Moreover, our sales process is not a simple "one size fits all approach" as so many gurus wrongfully claim. 

In fact, you want to cater for the differences as you read into each situation.

Here are three proven ways to do so:

1. Adapt your approach by matching their...

My grandpa (may he RIP) used to say that we always pay our tuition fees.

There are 3 ways we do so:

• Through mistakes we make while doing something new,
• By not taking action and thus missing out, OR
• By investing in shortcuts.

In terms of the first one, it takes courage to undertake something new and failure is inevitably part of the journey to success.

Seen this way, 'failure' really is testing and improving until we succeed. It can take years.

The second one is a hefty price to pay though. The one of regret.

Not taking action because of analysis paralysis, fear of making a mistake, a scarcity mindset, etc.

We can surrender to our logical, analytical mind where the ego lives, OR fuel our intuitive voice of inspiration, passion and purpose.  

Which one rules in your world when push comes to shove?

I ask because the more I study the science and art of success in any field, the more evident it is that success follows a predictable pathway.

A pathway that harmoniously links...

It's relevant when you seek new employment and try to land the dream job with the right pay.

It's equally relevant when you trade time for money as a consultant, coach, freelancer or business advisor. Your hourly rate shows how much (or little) you value yourself.

It's applicable for business owners who are ready to exit their business and communicate with interested parties for the right exit fee.

And finally, it definitely is relevant when you are in BD or sales and negotiate favourable terms, volume and profit margins.

The point is: almost everything can be captured with a financial number, which then begs the question:

How comfortable are you in asking for and receiving the number you want, time and time again?

If you are 100% comfortable talking about money, terrific! Well done  

There still is one golden gate which is potentially locked for you.

I call this gate the science and art of effective communication.

The word that matters most is "effective". It means that you...

Do you prefer straightforward, no fluff, direct talk?

Chances are that you can come across as intimidating, competitive, egotistical, demanding and even aggressive to other people.

This is what we call the high "D" communication style of a "Director".

While it helps to be persistent, goal oriented and fast on taking action, it's a knife that cuts two ways.

Knowing that a country like Australia has roughly 18% of "Directors", it means that your communication style backfires 82% of the time with the general population - assuming that you don't cause friction with other "Directors".

When it cuts that deep that it hurts, it's time to do something differently.

As a leader, you might experience the revolving door with staff coming and going... Costing the business greatly in recruitment fees, marketing and training and development...

In sales, clients will be quick to sign up but take up the cooling off period a lot of the times too because they felt pressured or sold to...

In teams, you will get...

"There is not enough time in the day"

"I'm working long hours"

"I don't get to spend as much time with my kids as I would like"

"I feel like drowning in tasks"

 "Many things that I am doing are not even enjoyable, but they have to be done"

Does any of this sound familiar?

Busy people often share such comments with me.

It lead me to knock the door of an expert in overcoming "the breaking point" when it comes to time efficiencies.

Meet Julian Robins who helps business leaders create space to breathe.

Watch my latest interview with Julian here

Early in my career, I worked for a global organisation and travelled the world.

Some years, I spent over 200 nights in hotels to do my market research, meet retailers, deliver training and support clients, and put a list together of the people I wanted to do business with. 

An opportunity popped up that caught my attention. Up until then, I had mainly travelled throughout Europe, the USA, South America and Canada. 

An exciting role was up for grabs in a tropical place called "Hamilton Island" near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The land down under!

You might recall the famous Island Caretaker campaign that was on the news all around the world. 

A pay check of $180K for six months of 'work' which consisted of lying on the beach, sleeping in a 5-star hotel, diving, flying in a helicopter, and posting daily on social media.

1 job.

Over 50,000 applicants.

Seriously.

And my 59-second video got me shortlisted!

The next step in the application process was a...

How much goodness can you handle in business and life?

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing 2 members in our Success Community.

Both bring incredible value to the table.

Let me start with Alexi Broikos from Refined Real Estate, a multi-award winning agent that consistently goes above and beyond for his clients.

Put all his accolades aside, and you will find him to be a highly likeable, energetic, caring, authentic and inspiring person. 

His team is on fire and going places too.

With good reason.

Learn first hand how Alexi thinks and operates as a leader. Pick up the countless nuggets of gold, because he delivers a "Bucket of Brilliance" to us.

Watch or listen to the episode with Alexi here

Next is Nancy Hoobergs, Senior European Sales Manager of Watkins Wellness. A graduate of our Business Development Accelerator, she shared how the 10-week course has been "game changing" for the entire global sales team. 

For easy reference: Watkins is a manufacturer of premium...

If an angel knocked your door today to give you the key to unlimited abundance, happiness and ease in your life and business - would you accept it and trust the process?

The reason I ask is because we have the potential to discover something that is of EPIC proportions in terms of the impact it brings.

While many people have heard about DISC, have done an assessment or even attended some training on it before, the reality is that most people scratch the surface with it.

It's like having a $1,400 smart phone and only use it to make calls. 

They don't do the tool justice because it remains heavily under-utilised. 

Therefore, they don't experience the significant benefits it brings to them as

• an inspiring leader of people
• a trusted advisor to clients
• a highly respected BDM or sales professional
• a team player that excels
• a loving spouse, parent, family member, or friend
• a happy human being that isn't phased by what others say or do

Some of the best work we have done...

Do people ever compliment you on your energy?

Do you find it easy to hold your ground and stand up for yourself without becoming rude or aggressive?

What about negotiating... Do you do so with confidence and a positive outcome most of the time?

There is one thing that underpins all of them: personal power.

You either have it or you give your power away.

I remember this occasion where I shaped my destiny with one personal choice I made.

It goes back many years. I was in the car with my uncle. He was grooming me to take over the family business from him. 

The problem was...

I didn't like how he treated people, especially my mother (his sister). He  was full of contempt. 

In addition, he was extremely manipulative. I knew that I would become a puppet of his so that he could still keep control. 

That day in the car, I said to him "Uncle Jan, I will create my own future. I won't take over the family business."

There. I said it.

In some respect, it pained me to say so...