Bad news is good news for the news media. It gets them viewers, listeners or readers. Then, advertisers spend more money with them.

But why do we tune in to the bad news? Is it a productive use of our time?

Of course, you have to stay informed. BIGG success is life on your own terms. It’s about entrepreneuring your life.

Whether you ever plan to be an entrepreneur in the traditional sense of the word, you own your life. So yes, you are an entrepreneur.

And contrary to popular lore, entrepreneurs are excellent risk managers. You have to know the bad news so you can assess your risks. But you can’t stop there.

If you want to be a BIGG success, you must take control to design and build the life that fits you perfectly. It’s your life; you and you alone are in charge!

You can’t control everything that happens to you. But you can control how you respond.

And you have to learn to see the world differently than most people. In a world of scarcity, you have to find abundance.

A while back, we did a series of posts on abundance. With news of a possible double dip recession, we thought it was a good time for a double dip of abundance.

So here are the five steps to find abundance in your life:

Step 1: Create a fortune by feeling fortunate

Step 2: Build in reserve capacity

Step 3: Conquer clutter

Step 4: Eliminate zero-sum thinking

Step 5: Share more and you’ll have more

How have you created abundance in your life?

Image in this post by gilsworth

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There are a lot of ways to waste time. We want to focus on the single biggest one of all time. It might surprise you when you hear what it is.

It’s not reading this post! At least we hope you don’t think that.

It’s not watching TV.

It’s not surfing the internet.

It’s not forwarding silly e-mails to your friends.

It’s not texting.

It’s not social networking.

It’s not useless conversations.

It’s not even inane meetings. 

So what is the single biggest time waster of all time?

It’s doing the wrong thing.

The wrong thing is anything that doesn't move you closer to your dream life.

A lot of the productivity literature focuses on efficiency. That’s great if you’re doing the right thing. So here are 5-steps to moving in the right direction:

Decide on your destination. Where are you going? What’s your bigg dream?

Plot your course. How do you plan to get there? Determine how your journey is expected to progress.

Gather the necessary resources and provisions. Fuel up by getting the knowledge you need. Pick the vehicle that will take you to your destination. Get the help you need – be it a coach, a mentor, a partner, or a virtual assistant.

Go! At some point, you have to take off. You can expect to run into some detours along the way. That’s alright. Keep going. Focus on the road right in front of you.

Don’t forget to rest & replenish. Take care of your physical self by getting needed sleep, food and exercise. Also feed your mind & soul. We hope Bigg Success is one way you do that every day.

Performing the wrong task, no matter how well you do it, is a complete waste of time. The right tasks move you closer to life on your own terms. That’s bigg success!

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Thanks so much for the gift of your time today. Please join us next time when we ask, “Are you the lead wolf or a lone wolf?” Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

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Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00407-060209.mp3

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(Image in today's post from woodsy)

No questioning. No prodding. No poking. No cold stethoscope.

How much confidence would you have with your doctor’s diagnosis?

None at all, right?

Yet time and time again, we see this in the business world. Prescriptions are offered without a thorough diagnosis. So many times, we treat the symptoms of the problem, rather than solving the problem itself because we don’t take the time to discover the real problem.

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Ad hoc diagnosis cost this salesperson a client

We have a friend who sells television commercials. Recently, he told us about one of his new clients. This client had been running radio ads for his high-end grills. They didn’t work. So the radio salesperson put him on another station. That still didn’t work. So the guy switched to television.

Our friend produced a great ad showing people having fun around his client’s grills. Sales are booming! His client is thrilled!

But the radio salesperson missed an opportunity. By thoroughly diagnosing the situation, it could have been determined that the problem wasn’t the station, it was the message. Couldn’t you use sound effects to create a picture in the listeners mind? If you hear the sound of food on the grill, can you put yourself there? If you hear people having fun, do you want to join in?

The radio sales representative could have kept the client by thoroughly diagnosing the problem to come up with the right solution, instead of just trying something else (i.e. changing stations).

5 steps to diagnose the problem

With everybody looking for cost-effective solutions today, diagnostics are increasingly important. If you don’t get to the root of the problem when you prescribe a solution, you’ll damage relationships. So follow this simple five-step process to thoroughly diagnose the problem:

1. Ask probing questions

2. Listen
This is really part of the first step, but it’s so important that we felt it should be listed separately. Listen actively and attentively.

3. Clarify
Keep asking follow-up questions and making clarifying statements until you fully understand the issue. If your client offers a vague answer to your question, ask a question that digs deeper. Or repeat your client’s answer back in your own words. Now you’re ready to …

4. Define the problem

5. Offer the prescription
Now, and only now, are you ready to offer your solution to the underlying problem.

If you care about your clients, you will seek to build the relationship even if it’s not in your best interest today. Without question, it is in your best interest long-term.
 

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Next time, we’ll talk about tapping into your creativity this Halloween to have some bigg fun. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Related posts

Relationship Building Blocks

Do Your Customers Trust You?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00249-102208.mp3

(Image by DawnAllynn)

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Rule #1: The customer is always right.

Rule #2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread Rule #1.

These two rules are sufficient most of the time. However, sometimes we must realize:

Rule #3: The customer may not always reasonable.

You must know your boundaries in dealing with an unreasonable customer. If you’re a leader, you must communicate these boundaries to your people so they are effective when customers complain.

5 steps to make an unhappy customer happy again

Step #1 – Let the customer vent.
Before you can attempt to resolve the situation, you must understand it. Find out exactly what is troubling your customer. 

Step #2 – Listen attentively.
While this is really part of Step #1, it is so important that it bears special emphasis. Pay attention to what your customer is and isn’t saying. What are his or her specific objections?

#3 – Restate the complaint or complaints.
Wait until he or she has completely “unloaded”. Then, repeat back to your customer the complaints he or she has registered.

You may say, “Please let me make sure I completely understand your concerns.”  Then restate the complaint.

Step #4 – Assure them.
This is not to say that you agree with him or her. It simply lets your customer know that you recognize how they feel.  There is a difference!    You may say things like:

* “I can understand why you might feel that way.”
* “I can see your point.”
* “I can appreciate that.”

#5 – Find out what they want.
Everything has led to this point.  Simply ask the customer this question: “What would you like me to do?”

If you have handled yourself correctly up to now, you will find they will usually ask for less than you would expect.  If so, give it to them! If not, offer them a reasonable option to resolve the issue. 

Let them decide how they can be happy again.  It will be rare when you can’t find a good solution that makes both of you happy.

Complaints are an opportunity

Good things can come from a customer complaint. You can learn how to improve your procedures.

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I once owned a carpet cleaning business. I remember a customer complained because we didn’t get the furniture put back exactly where she had it. We had a chair misplaced by about an eighth of an inch. From that day on, we asked every customer to look at the room before we left to make sure we had everything in the right place. Our customers were thrilled at this simple change in process!

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Remember this, if a customer is unhappy, they’ll usually do one of two things:

Take their business elsewhere or complain. Which do you prefer?

Research shows that customers, who have had problems resolved to their satisfaction, produce three times the revenue of a customer without a problem. On top of that, they are much more likely to recommend you to their friends and family.

Sounds like a good reason to try to make unhappy customers happy again!
 

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Next time, we’ll discuss what you have to do BEFORE you hire an employee. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Related posts

Relationship Building Blocks

Do Your Customers Trust You?

(Image by APatterson)