How To Get A Raise on Your Job!

Employee: Excuse me sir, may I talk to you?  

Boss: Sure, come on in.   What can I do for you?

Employee:  Well sir, as you know, I have been an employee of this prestigious firm for over ten years.

Boss:  Yes. 

Employee:  I won't beat around the bush.   Sir, I would like a raise. I currently have four companies after me and so I decided to talk to you first.

Boss:  A raise?   I would love to give you a raise, but this is just not the right time. 

Employee:  I understand your position, and I know that the current economic down turn has had a negative impact on sales, but you must also take into consideration my hard work, pro- activeness and loyalty to this company for over a decade.

Boss:  Taking into account these factors, and considering I don't want to start a brain drain, I'm willing to offer you a ten percent raise and an extra five days of vacation time.  How does that sound? 

Employee:  Great!   It's a deal!   Thank you, sir!

Boss:  Before you go, just out of curiosity, what companies were after you? 

Employee:  Oh, the Electric Company, Gas Company, Water Company and the Mortgage Company!

Sometimes you just have to ask for what you want and stop thinking that they don't want to do it. I thought this was a funny but realistic look at a simple problem being resolved quickly.

5 Ways to Sell You To Others

1. Start With A Compelling Profile

Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  Pick one of those 3 as your home and get really good at it.  Don’t waste your time (or others) by pinging hundreds of social networks that you never frequent.  I started out on all of them then realized that without focusing on one network I was spreading myself too thin to be an authority on ANY of them.

2.  Hook Up With Other Up n’ Comers:

Get to know others in your field or niche that have the same goal as you.  I’m not saying give them all your secrets, but be willing to share ideas and experiences that you have learned from and they will do the same.

Have you ever had a friend that made it big before you did?  How did you take it? We can either get jealous and angry that it wasn’t us that made it, or we can put all that silliness behind, celebrate with them and learn from their experience.  Chances are they may take you right along the success pathway with them!

3.  Hook Up With The Influencers:

Borrow the influence of others if you don’t have much of your own yet. You will be glad that you made friends with a few fire starters when you have them start tweeting out your blog posts and then your product launches for you.  Just remember, the big names in Social Media are being pitched all the time, so be real with them.

Try to find conversations that you can fit into and add value to.  If you can’t, then start a topic of conversation of your own.  Comment on their blogs, meet them at conferences and MeetUps, spend time getting to know who they are before you start telling them who YOU are.

4.  Be Unique:

When I buy something for myself I tend to look for things that are a little different than what everyone else is buying.  I may like the main idea behind a trending product, but generally I don’t want to be just like everyone else.  I’m weird that way.

I’m that way about my writing too.  I like the ideas that many people are talking about in social media, but I don’t say it the same way.  That’s another thing that’s cool about social media…it allows everyone to be themselves.  You can build your own community of people that like you because you don’t follow the crowds or you’re not afraid to say when something really sucks.

You’re selling yourself and YOUR personality, so be different.  Be liked, or be hated, but be the best you can be at either! 

5.   Choose Who/What You Promote Wisely:

Another old saying to remember is, you are who your friends are. Like it or not, who you associate with or the products you promote all affect the perception people have of you.

I have worked with some top names in MLM business opportunities. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly side of network marketing.  Because of that, I deliberately separated my blog and my name from any association with that niche.  When it comes to business opportunities, I am very hesitant to promote to my community.

I would still talk to any of these MLM leaders and I appreciate their personalities, but the image I want to display is one of authenticity and professionalism. And by professionalism I mean knowing my stuff and calling things as they really are.

If you don’t get anything else out of this article, I hope you walk away with this one concept: 

"You will never get people to really like you for who you are if you are never really YOU in front of them." - 

Market yourself as authentic you.  Like people.  Smile.  Care.  Listen. Learn.  Share.  In the process you’ll find that opportunity to promote your products but what people will remember is YOU.

By the way, if you don’t find fulfillment or happiness in what you do, you might as well go back to having a job working for someone else because you will never be happy until you are happy doing what you do everyday. Just sayin…

What makes you decide to buy from someone?  What quality or perception did you pick up that made you say yes to that person?  How can you adapt the same qualities into your own personal branding plan of action?  Can you see where you can do things differently now?  Please share your comments below.

Pick this up from somone, cant remember where I got it from but it does work.

Avoiding And Resolving Conflict

The effects of conflict in our lives can be widespread and costly. Studies have shown that 24% to 60 % of our time and energy is spent dealing with with anger. Anger is the number one cause of conflicts. Anger leads to decreased productivity on our jobs, in our businesses and in our relationships. anger also leads to increased stress, hampered performance, absenteeism, and its most extreme result is violence and death.

Conflicts can manifest from a number of factors and can be individual or group focused. Competition is a sore spot for conflicts to fester. Whether it is in your relationships, on the job, or business owners of the same niche. the easiest way to resolve conflict quickly is to avoid it in the first place, here are some steps to help you do just that:

1. Communicate: Conflict happens when communication breaks down. People are not on the same page and each side has strong opinions. Leaders should also communicate the goals of the organization, group or assignment and work with individuals to help them feel significant in each step. this is not to say hold their hands but take a moment to hear them out and help them see the bigger picture. Most important treat every one the same.

2. Listen: You have one mouth and two hears. that is not a mistake. You should do twice as much listen as you do talking. make sure you hear what the people are saying. Acknowledge and clarify what you have heard without drawing your own conclusions. Make sure that you support their feeling and provide them with the resources to accomplish their goals.

3.Set boundaries: You can be professional, empathetic, and compassionate toward  individuals without crossing the line of giving away your power. Adapt to the environment you are in but DO not give away your power to choose.

4. Nip it in the bud: If you notice a situation becoming heated, tempers or voices are rising, address the situation as soon as possible. Speak about teh elephant in the room as it were. Listen carefully and then offer a solution based on what you heard. Resolve it in a matter that this cannot repeat itself.

Be Empowered
Coach Linda Hillman
Copyright 2012 Destined 2 B U Empowerment Group

It Is Your Business Or Is This Just Your Hobby?

I remember a song sang by Billy Preston in the seventies called, "Nothing From Nothing". Do you? I remember singing along with this song and in my heart agreeing with every word. Even as I write this, the melody is bouncing in my head and I still agree.

"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing
You gotta have something if you wanna be with me."

What does this have to do with your business, your life or even your destiny. Well, I am glad that you asked that question. many go into business but what they really have is a hobby. They want to make money but they are not willing to invest. they believe that something great, fabulous and awesome should come from nothing.

Let's look at this way, If you invested in the stock market you expect to get a return and you understand that based on the amount of invest that is how your return will be measured. So it is in life. If you are not willing to invest in your business, then why should your clients. Meaning if you can't pay for the website, get a business card, get some paid advertising, and brand yourself, why should your clients believe anything you say you can deliver to them. You have not even delivered a professional looking brand.

In your life if you are not willing to go the distance and pay the price for what you say you want, then you cant get made when your family and friends cant seem to get behind you. People love to follow a leader. In order to lead you have to be going somewhere. I can not lead you where I have not gone. Meaning I must first make the investment in time and energy to know the path that is best to take. then I can lead someone else.

More importantly for business owners, we must understand that our business deserves our investment. We can spend money on shoes, hair, nails, clothes, cars, and houses but when it comes to investing in our future we all seem to be caught up in the here and now. However, there are a few of us understanding that in order for tomorrow to be better than today I must do something today to ensure it.

So let the words sung over 30 years ago, ring in your heart whether it be for business, life or your destiny...
"Nothing from nothing leaves nothing. You gotta have something if you wanna be with me." More importantly, you gotta invest in you if you want others to do the same.

Dare 2 B U NOW.

Be Empowered
Coach Linda Hillman
Copyright 2012 Destined 2 B U Empowerment Group