Stop Networking!

Okay, I’ll admit, the headline is a little misleading, but I wanted to get your attention. What I meant to say was stop networking the wrong way and wasting time and money.

If you’re like many salespeople you’ve been to networking events and had some success. But are you having as much success as you can? Let’s take a look these six quick and easy things you can do to make networking a sure-fire way to fill your pipeline.

Go to the right places – There are hundreds of places to network in Richmond, so how do you know where to go? The simple answer is that you go were your prospects are likely to be. The best answer is that you go where your best prospects are likely to be. A general networking event might have a few good people for you to meet but an industry association or event will be attended by people who would be great prospects for you. If you only have a few hours per week to network, doesn’t it make sense to go where you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck?

Have a goal – If you’re heading out to a networking event, doesn’t it make sense to know what you want to accomplish there? After all, time is your most precious resource and as a salesperson, you can’t afford to waste any of it. Before you set foot in an event, know exactly what you want to get done. Do you want to meet five new prospects or meet a particular person? Do you want to reconnect with three existing clients or meet the speaker? Write your plan down on an index card and take it with you. As you accomplish your goals, check them off. Just looking at the card will remind you why you are there.

Have a positioning statement – Otherwise known as an elevator pitch, a positioning statement is your answer to “what do you do?” It should be concise and interesting but not cheesy at all. A good positioning doesn’t tell people what your job title is, it tells them who your best prospects are and what you do for them.  For example, if you sell printing a positioning statement might be, “I work with marketing managers to make sure their prospective clients know how good they are.” Notice there is no mention of printing or sales in that sentence, but it does tell the listener whom they should introduce you to and why. Practice your positioning statement at least 25 times before you go to an event. It should roll off your tongue easily and confidently.

Sit down late – Most networking events have some sit-down component whether it is for a meal or a speaker. That means you should be strategic about where you sit. Wait until most of the rest of the room has been seated before you take your seat. That way you’ll know who is at your table before you commit. There is nothing worse than being stuck at a table with competitors or boors. While you’re networking you might even meet someone you’d like to sit next to, so keep your options open when you arrive at the event.
I once sat next to a world famous golfer at dinner because I waited to be seated and the only chair left was next to her.

Eat first – If the event you are attending is a stand up event that involves eating and drinking, eat before you come to the event and forego the food. It’s hard to make good connections and impress people when you are juggling a plate, glass, fork and business cards. Remember, you’re there to work, not eat so put your priorities in line.

Ignore your friends – Once you’ve been networking for a while, you’re likely to run into the same people at different events. It can be tempting to stop and chat with them on the way to meet someone new but resist the temptation. A quick, “let’s talk after the event,” should be sufficient to acknowledge them without slowing you down on your goals. You can always stay after the event and catch up on their news after you’ve met the people you came to meet. Your friends may love you but they aren’t buying from you so they’ll have to wait until after the work is done to get attention.

Of course, there is a lot more to networking than just these six tips so spend 30 minutes this week finding a book, article or webcast on how to use this incredibly powerful business tool. You can always check out http://www.bniva.com for some great networking ideas.

Elephant Sized Changes at Dancing Elephants!

2007 is here and with it has come a number of exciting changes at Dancing Elephants! We’ve changed physically and psychologically and we want you to be able to learn from our experience. It’s been an interesting few weeks around our office and we’re excited to share the changes with you.

To start the New Year, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work on the office itself. Will and I have successfully transformed Lynn’s office from a storage closet to a real office (see pictures at http://smallbusinessadvice.typepad.com/my_weblog/), ala While You Were Out. We then did a Clean Sweep, purged the clutter and swapped offices with each other.

Finally, while we were in the midst of all that change we decided to institute a whole new culture at Dancing Elephants!

Why all the change, you might ask? If you’ve spent any time with us at all, you know that we deeply believe that humans are creatures of habit. It is those habits that drive us towards, or away from, our goals.

As we looked at our own personal goals for the upcoming year and beyond, we realized that we had two kinds of habits that were keeping us from reaching our wildest dreams.

Our physical habits of work, including piling and filing, getting distracted by visitors and not creating a sense of urgency in our office were holding us back. These habits were preventing us from moving forward. We decided the best way to change those habits was to change our external environment and force ourselves to consciously create new, better ways of getting our work done.

Based on just the first two weeks, I’d say it is working fabulously.

The biggest change, however, has been our cultural shift. After coming back from a conference a few weeks ago, we realized that we had wandered off the path of our mission of having fun in our work. We had become or were becoming stodgy drones, more concerned with appearing professional than enjoying our work and our clients.

That’s all changing at Dancing Elephants. We have made a commitment to having fun together; celebrating our successes and the amazing people we get to work with each day. When you visit, you’ll likely hear more music, see more high-fives and big smiles. You might just hear a whoop and a holler every now and then. Feel free to add your own joyous noise to mix!

In addition, you’re going to see some changes in our programs. We’re adding more fun to them as well. We’ll be featuring “Hot Seats” in some of our seminars and teleseminars, where attendees will have the opportunity to get mini-makeovers right in the session.

In Elephant University look for more fun, interactive classes, games being added to teach concepts and just plain old humor and amusement. We’ll still be guaranteeing results, we’re just gonna have a bigger blast getting them.

I hope you’ll join us in the fun this year and please feel free to add suggestions for ways we can help you grow financially, professionally, personally and educationally. We’re listening with big elephant ears!

Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

Four Words Can Make You a Millionaire

When you walk into my office, you’ll notice a few things right away. I’ve got huge floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with business books of all types. There is a beautiful painting done by one of my dear friends. Of course, there is an enormous collection of elephants in all shapes, sizes and colors.

But there is one thing in my office that will make you more money than anything else. It’s just four simple words on my white board.

Those four words are “Profit hides many mistakes” and they are some of the most profound words ever uttered.

Many times over my career in sales, management, and consulting I’ve heard people say things like, “We’re making lots of money; we don’t need to change anything.” Sadly, that is almost never true.

The people who continuously increase not only their income, but their enjoyment of their income, are those whose minds are open to new ideas. They are ready and willing to see their sales in a new light and find ways to improve their old systems.

Even multi-billionaires, like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, understand the value of looking closely at the way their businesses operate and being open to changing things that aren’t working optimally.

Microsoft is realizing that selling software isn’t as profitable as selling software licenses so they are changing their business models. Buffet’s GEICO was making plenty of money selling insurance over the phone when they realized they could make even more selling online also.

So often, as successful salespeople and business owners, we fall into the comfort trap. We’re doing well, the bills are getting paid and we even have some money left over for fun. But are we really getting all that we can out of our work?

Are we maximizing our profits? If we’re making $100,000 a year why aren’t we making $200,000? If we can generate a half million, why not a million?

All of us have absolutely unlimited potential. Yet we may be making mistakes in our sales that are covered up by the profit we’re showing on the bottom line.

As you go forward this year, I encourage you to keep your mind open to new ways of doing business and new ways of selling. You just may find that you can make a few small changes that dramatically increase your income. Identify the mistakes and uncover the hidden profit in your business!

Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

Get The Best Out Of Your Business

Have you ever wondered why some weeks are just better than others? Did you ever think that maybe each one could be better than the last one, on and on, forever? Here’s a tool for making that happen.

Get out a piece of paper and do the following:

1.  Write down a description of your absolute best sales experience this past week. It doesn’t have to be a closed sale; your best experience can be a phone call, a meeting or even just an idea you had.

2.  Dream for a few minutes and think about what your life would feel like and look like if that same thing happened every single week. What would your business look like if you repeated that great experience every week? Write down your vision of that business.

3.  Start thinking of how you created that moment and jot down the things that went into making that special thing happen. What opportunities did you seize, what actions did you take to create that experience?

4.  List a few things that you can do next week to make that great experience happen yet again. Write out how you can repeat those actions that led to that best sales moment.

Each week, spend a little time doing this exercise. I do mine on Friday afternoon. It takes only three or four minutes and creates a system in which you constantly repeat and build on all the best things in your business.

Do this regularly and watch your sales soar, your customer satisfaction skyrocket and your employees’ morale take off. It’s a quick and easy way to emphasize what’s best in your business and multiply it. (If you have any stories to share, I would love to hear them.)

Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

A Little Mistake That Could Cost You A Fortune

There you are, across the table from a prospect. It’s been a very good meeting so far and he seems to like you, your company and your product. You’ve asked some insightful questions and he’s given you frank answers. In response to his answers you’ve laid out an attractive solution to his problem and he seems interested. After you finish speaking, the prospect pauses a moment and then asks you the magic question. “So,” he says, “How much does the solution you’re proposing cost?”

What do you say? Do you swallow hard and croak out a number, hoping he doesn’t hit the roof? Or do you sit up straight, look the prospect square in the eye and confidently give him an even higher number?

Discussing price with prospects can be one of the hardest things for salespeople to do. As a result, it is an area that dramatically limits their personal income potential. The ability to sell high margin and often high priced products separates the top notch salespeople from the rest of the pack. There are very few extraordinarily rich salespeople who rely on high volume, low margin selling.

The number one reason salespeople don’t sell high priced products is fear. The larger the sale, the harder it is for them to maintain their self confidence and project certainty. If they can’t hold the line and be sure in their price quoting, the big fish will get away.

Let me share a personal example with you. Years ago when I sold insurance I could sell auto and homeowners policies in my sleep. I was so good at it that I often sold 50 a week. The average price of the policies was $400. However, when it came time to sell life insurance, where average policies were $5000, my closing ratio was much lower. To make matters worse, I was usually selling the life insurance to my existing customers, whereas the auto insurance sales were from cold calls! What was the difference?

The difference was my personal perspective. At that time in my career, if someone had asked me to spend $400 of my own money on a purchase I wouldn’t have batted an eye. But if they asked for $5000 I would have balked, because that was a lot of money to me. I didn’t have that kind of money lying around, so I couldn’t imagine that other people might.

The mistake was seeing my client’s problems through my eyes instead of theirs. Have you ever thought to yourself, “Wow, my product is expensive?” If so, you’ve been seeing it through your eyes rather than your client’s. When you do that you are applying your perspective to their problem. If you aren’t in their position, don’t use your view to determine the value to them.

Here is another example to illustrate. A consulting friend of mine recently told me that her average contract is over $500,000. My eyes jumped out of my head and I asked her who paid that kind of money for consulting? Her answer was simply people who have $10 million problems. Her typical client is a large corporation that has major hiring and turnover problems. By the time she is done asking them questions about the true bottom line cost of their hiring issues, her fee seems like a bargain.

My friend understands her value to the client. Value is simply what they get divided by what you charge. In my friend’s case, the value to the client was 10,000,000/500,000 or a value of 20. Any value over “one” means the client is getting more than they are paying for. It turns a cost into an investment. It also means you can charge higher fees for your product than you are now.

When you discover the secret of understanding value from your client’s perspective, you will begin to realize your true potential in sales. You’ll graduate to larger sales, higher margins and bigger commissions. You’ll enter the realm of the six-figure salesperson. The fact is, when you master the art of value you’ll soar into the rarified space of the million dollar salesperson and write your own ticket to success.

Give it shot this month. Before giving anyone a price for your product or service, ask them questions to determine the economic benefits of buying from you. If the benefits are high enough, your price will seem very reasonable and the sale will close itself.

Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

Let The Trapeze Go

Well here we are; it’s June already. So what have you done with your first six months? Given vacations, holidays, heat waves and other days off, most people only actually work about 10 out of the 12 months of the year. That means you should be at 60% of your total sales goal by now. Are you at 60% and moving forward daily?

Most salespeople I meet are already off target at this time of year. In fact, many of them have even started adjusting those lofty goals they set in January (remember those?) down a bit.  Why does that happen to so many of us? And how do we change it? Let’s use a little analogy to clear things up.

Imagine you’re at the circus watching the trapeze artists. The first one climbs up the long ladder to that tiny platform, reaches over carefully, and grabs the trapeze bar. Then he looks longingly across the tent to the other platform where the pretty girl stands, raises up on his tippy toes and- whoosh- off the platform he jumps, falling gracefully through the bottom of his arc and pushing back up again on the other side. As he reaches the pinnacle of his swing he pauses for a moment, seeming to hang in mid-air before beginning his backward decent, only to repeat it all over again.

Doesn’t that sort of seem like your job? Every January you stand perched on the edge of the platform, a brand new year stretched out ahead of you. Somewhere far on the other side on the other platform is your goal, waiting for you to swing over and claim it. But instead of moving forward to the next trapeze and the next one and the next, you end up swinging back and forth on the same one you started with, waiting to build enough courage to let go of the sure thing in your hand and reach out to the next trapeze waiting in the air for you.

Sometimes you do muster enough courage to let go of the trapeze you’re on- with one hand. You reach out, grab the new bar and…. you get stuck in the middle. Now you’re hanging high over the crowd, the old trapeze in one hand, the new one in the other. And you’ve lost all of your momentum. In order to move forward at all you’ll have to let go of the old swing and work like crazy to get the new one started.

Have you picked out the point of this metaphor? It is about change. Most of us are afraid to really change the way we do things, to break with the old style of selling and embrace new ways of connecting with prospects. We spend our days swinging on the same old trapeze, comfortably close to our well-known platform. We’re moving and we feel like we’re making progress but in reality we are just going through the motions. Sure, we’re somewhat successful; we are on the trapeze in the first place, not down on the floor with the clowns. But are we really getting where we want? Are we really making progress toward our big life goals?

In order to move forward towards the sales we want to make and the lives we want to lead we have to learn to let go of our old trapeze with both hands. We have to be willing to do things differently, sometimes dramatically differently, if we want to move forward. We have to be willing to swing with all our might, take a deep breath and fly through the air towards the new trapeze.

What changes can you make that will propel you towards that new trapeze? Do you need to network more or get more referrals so you rely less on cold calling? Would becoming a better master of your time help? Should you take the leap and finally learn to focus your prospecting efforts rather than scatter your resources over a broad area? Or could you once and for all learn to discipline yourself to accomplish all those things on your task list every single day?

As we move into summer and you’re surrounded by vacations and fun and sun, think about the trapeze you might be stuck on. Look deep inside yourself and see if you can find the courage to let go of your old, worn out swing and leap bravely onto a brand new trapeze that is closer to your dreams. I promise you, the first one is the hardest but the most rewarding.

Two New Signs In My Office

If you’ve been to my office, you know that I periodically post motivational/inspirational/butt-kicking signs to keep me focused on hitting my goals. I recently finished reading “The Four-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss and found two great new sayings to add to my collection.

The first one says simply, “Are you inventing thing to do to avoid the important?” Man, does that ever keep me on task? If you’re like me, you may have found yourself performing some mundane task rather than picking up the phone to call a prospect. Perhaps you got stuck checking email, surfing the web or even just poking your head into your colleague’s office to tell him something that wasn’t going to make either of you any money.

It is easy to get sidetracked and the one simple phrase keeps me focused on money-making work first. If I get all the money things done, then I can go do the fun stuff if I want to stick around the office that long.

The second sign in my office says, “Luxury is the reward for those who are willing to risk discomfort.” If you’ve read Ferriss’ book, you’ll know he is a big fan of doing things that push the envelope. I am, too, but sometimes I forget and fall back into my comfort zone. What is it that makes you uncomfortable but that could change your business or life? Step up tomorrow and do it, even if it just one time. Have that difficult conversation or approach that big whale of a prospect. Chances are it will change your life in a very positive way.

I shared my two current favorite sayings with you. What do you have hanging in your office? Share with me and I’ll post a list of what I collect in next month’s newsletter.

Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

The Art Of Change

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about change lately. As you may, know I teach classes in selling. Most of what I really do is not giving people new information, but rather getting them to use the things they already know. For example, many students come to me wanting to become better time managers. Their problem isn’t that they don’t know how to create a to-do list or plan using their calendars; it is that they don’t DO those things they know how to. They don’t write out and prioritize their tasks and they don’t plan each and every day. It’s not a question of knowing, it’s a question of doing.

The question then becomes, “How do I get myself to DO things differently?” The answer is easy – change.

Okay, I know that change isn’t easy. In fact, it’s a very difficult things for most people. Psychological research tells us that at least 88% of what we do on a daily basis is done by habit. That is, the majority of our actions are done on auto-pilot. Whether it’s getting ready for work, answering the phone, driving home or a million other tasks, we simply don’t pay attention to the details of what we’re doing. We let our subconscious take over and we think about other things.

That’s all well and good if our habits, our autopilot, are pointing us in the right direction, towards our life goals. If not, then we’re in trouble. We either have to be mentally alright with missing our goals or we have to, you guessed it, change.

Let’s assume for the sake of argument that you’re willing to change. How do you do it? Why isn’t it as simple as deciding and then acting on it? Why do we backslide into our old habits?

It’s a matter of mental habits. We have to tap into our psychological drives and find ways to create situations to allow us to get what we really want.

There are two primary drives that make people change. The first is getting more of something they want. We call this type of people “benefit seekers” and they are driven by increasing the amount of emotional satisfaction in their lives. Some of them want more time, more money, more freedom, more choices, more consumer goods, or any number of other things. They are on an endless quest for “more”.

When faced with change, if a benefit seeker can figure out what they will get more of, they will push through the pain of changing in order to satisfy their need. As an example, suppose you are a salesperson and you want to improve your income. In order to improve your money you’ll have to start making more calls, spend more time prospecting, change the way you run your appointments and maybe even give up other activities to make time for more selling time. If you are a benefit seeker, you’ll do those things because improving your income is important enough to you.

The other drive that makes people change is avoiding bad things happening to them. We call these people “consequence avoiders”. They aren’t moved to change because of getting more of something but rather by avoiding the loss of something valuable. They might want to avoid losing income, affection, freedom, etc. These folks may talk about wanting to change but unless something threatens the things they value, they won’t actually make the change.

In the example of our salesperson, a consequence avoiding person wouldn’t go through the pain of change to improve his income. As long as he was earning enough to pay his bills and not lose his house, his car and other things of value, he won’t actually change. He might think about it and wish for more, but he won’t DO anything about it.

Studies have shown that 85% of Americans are consequence avoiders. They want things to change but they aren’t willing to do what is necessary to make change happen. If you don’t believe me, think about how few people follow politics closely and vote but complain about the government.

The saving grace here is that you can decide to be a benefit seeker instead of a consequence avoider. All you have to do is change one small habit each month to move you in the direction of benefit seeking. Once you begin seeing the positive results of change your brain will crave more and will begin seeking benefits unconsciously. It will become your habit to be a benefit seeker!

So, what habit will you change this month?
Laura Posey brings much passion to her work as Vice President and Co-Founder of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group. She is a “firecracker” who likes to create and get things done. Over the years, she has received numerous awards and recognition for her sales and management contributions to different organizations in an extensive sales career that has covered the gamut from insurance to cars. She is co-author of Six Secrets of Sales Magnets. Laura has completed her work on a second book, But I’m not a Salesperson; the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Generating Sales, and is hard at work on her third. Her driving mission is for each of her clients to earn a healthy six-figure income in less than 40 hours per week. She can be reached at Laura@dancingelephants.net or at 804-254-4122.

The Three Second Miracle

Ever have those days when you are faced with a constant string of challenges, obstacles and set back on the path to your goals? Here’s a quick way to overcome every one of them in just three seconds (or less).

When you’re faced with a roadblock you mind automatically goes into assessment mode. That is, it looks at the situation and says “I can’t get past this.”

When confronted with the words “I can’t,” your brain shuts down. It simply stops thinking about the obstacle and begins looking for something else to do.

To counteract this, whenever you run across a challenge, simply ask yourself “How can I?” This little phrase immediately kicks your brain into problem-solving mode (what it is best at) and gets your creativity flowing.

If you really want to drive this process to its fullest potential, grab a sheet of paper when you ask “How can I?” and make a list of the top 100 ways you can solve the problem.

It’s likely that the answer lies not in the first 20 answers but in the last 20.

For example, if you find that you want to get in touch with a big prospect, ask yourself “How can I meet Mr. X?” and start writing. You’ll be amazed at the creativity that flows from your pen after a few minutes of letting your creative side run wild.

Let me know what creative ideas you come up with and I’ll post them in next month’s newsletter.

How Travel Helps Your Sales

It’s no secret that I’ve been traveling a lot lately. In the past 4 weeks I’ve been in 3 countries and countless cities. In addition to having a great time, I’ve discovered that being away from the office has actually increased my sales.  Here’s why.

Getting out of the office and recharging my batteries is, of course, a wonderful part of travel.  A chance to get away and stop thinking about work is a terrific break for the brain.

The best part, though, is that travel breaks you out of your routines and makes you question why and how you do things.

For example, when I was in London a few weeks ago I almost got run over by cars several times. In England, they drive on the left side of the road, meaning that when you are crossing the street as a pedestrian, oncoming traffic in the near lane is coming from your right, not your left as it is here.

So, I would take a look to my left as I always do, see no traffic and start into the street only to get almost killed by the speeding driver coming from the right.

As my brain worked to keep me from becoming roadkill, it also started to question lots of other habits I have.

• Why do I go into the office at 9am when I have no appointments for the day and could work from home, saving gas and time by doing so?

• Why do I check email first thing in the morning when 90% of what comes in overnight is just spam? The real emails don’t show up until at least 11am.

• Why do we only publish our information in one language when our readership is worldwide?

The answer is that these are just my habits and I’ve never really thought about them. I have done them for so long they are just part of my life.

Since coming back from traveling, I’ve begun not only questioning everything but making changes to some long held habits. For example, I’m writing this article from home today because there is no reason for me to go into the office.

My dog loves it and I can get just as much work done from the couch as I can from an office chair.

Since making a few other changes, my summer sales have gone up 4% over last year. While that’s not a ton, they also went up $15% after a trip I took over the New Year’s holiday this year.

If you get a chance this summer, take a vacation to someplace that is really out of the ordinary for you. Skip Nags Head and take a quick trip to Montreal or Puerto Vallarta. It will give you a chance to hear a different language and experience a different culture.

And it will kick your brain into questioning mode.

Who knows what kind of future you can fashion for yourself just by challenging the status quo and making a few small changes to your routine.

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