Happy Holidays!

From TTN

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season with family and friends

TTN TIDBITS

Start By Making Some Hot Calls -by Joel Arnold, TTNLearning

My wife, Melissa, runs her own graphic design business and was lamenting the fact that she had to start making cold calls to bring her client list back up to what it used to be. My eight-year-old daughter, Paige, overheard her and asked, “What’s a cold call?”

Melissa responded with, “It’s when you call strangers and try to get them to buy your services.”

Paige’s face scrunched up as she thought for a moment, and then asked, “Well, why not make hot calls?”

“Hot calls?” Melissa asked.

“You know,” said Paige. “When you call people you already know.”

Calling on clients you already have a relationship with is a great way to increase your business, whether it’s by up-selling them on a new product or release, or suggesting other ways their needs may be met. In the TTN course Upside-Down Selling, George Walther emphasizes how important it is to keep people on the ‘conveyor belt’ – in other words, once someone becomes your customer, it’s important to keep them as a customer. He shows how 68% of customers that leave don’t do so because anything’s necessarily wrong, but merely because of a feeling of indifference. Their relationship with the company hasn’t been nurtured.

So why not warm up your winter by making some ‘hot calls’ – you never know what kind of business the extra heat can bring!

ZigOn: Improving Your Quality of Life

A Gallup Poll revealed that by a count of ten to one Americans prefer a good relationship with their loved ones above financial gain or corporate position. The reality is, most time is spent earning money and building careers. Fact: If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves.

Conclusion: Success starts at home with those we love. Here are a few thoughts and processes that have worked wonderfully well for us.

We are blessed to have four children--three daughters and a son. The good news is we were able to raise all of them with none of them feeling that we had a favorite. One of the things we did was give all of our children and grandchildren nicknames. For example, we called our oldest daughter, Suzan, "Doll." Our next daughter, Cindy, "Sweetnin'." Our youngest daughter, Julie, we call "The Little One." Now our son carries his given name, Tom, but I fondly call him "Son" when we're together.

One of our two oldest grandchildren, Amey, is called "Sunshine." The other, Katherine, is "Keeper." When I talk to my wife, whose name is Jean, I call her "Sugar Baby," or when I'm talking about her I call her "The Red Head." In private conversation it's "Sweetheart" or "my love."

I believe it's important that we use names of endearment that reflect a special feeling for the individual involved. Apparently part of what we've done has worked. I say that because after 59 honeymoons my wife and I are more in love than ever. I also hasten to add that one of our greatest joys is the fact that all of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren live within an hour and a half's easy drive from us.

We spend a lot of time together as a family. For example, my son is the president of our company, my son-in-law is the Chief Operating Officer, and "Keeper" is the executive assistant to both of them. My youngest daughter is the editor of my books and Cindy, our other daughter, has a therapy dog and loves to go into nursing homes and hospitals where she is able to encourage people. It's amazing the response of those who have been injured or are critically ill when they have the privilege of seeing a friendly dog and get to stroke, pet and talk to that dog. There have been a number of miracle stories result from Cindy's ministry.

In addition, there is something else we do that is important. My wife and our two daughters (our oldest daughter, Suzan, is in Heaven) every year go to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and spend the three-day Memorial Day weekend overdosing on good Southern Gospel music. My son and one of my sons-in-law have a four-day golf outing with me in the mountains of the far west every year.

When we have family visits we frequently play a dominoes game we call "Mexican Train." We will spend several hours playing that game and enjoying one another. Since my family is cut-throat when it comes to competition, no one shows mercy to the others. We kibbutz with each other, laugh at and with each other, and just have a hilarious time together, sometimes playing for several hours.

Now I'll be the first to admit that what works beautifully for us might not work as well for you, but the binding factor in all of this is that we truly love each other, enjoy each other and respect each other. When you put all of these things together it means that in our professional lives we are free to concentrate on whatever we are doing at the moment because we don't have to worry about what's going on at home with our mate or with our children. This enables us to perform at a high level in our profession and have complete freedom and enjoyment with our families. That makes for a good, balanced combination.

Organization Helps Avoid Procrastination  by Shep Hyken

Dr. Seuss once wrote: “How did it get so late so soon? December is here before it’s June. It’s night before it’s afternoon. My goodness, how that time has flewn.”

I interpret Dr. Seuss’s words two ways...

                        Click here for the full article.

New Year's Eve Traditions from Around the World

Austria: New Year's Eve is called Sylverterabend, which is the Eve of Saint Sylvester. they make a spiced punch in honor of the saint. Decorations and champagne are part of the celebration. Evil spirits of the old year are chased away by the firing of moroars, called boller. Midnight mass is attended and trumpets are blown from church towers at midnight, when people kiss each other.

Great Britain: the custom of first footing is practiced. the first male visitor to the house, after midnight ,is supposed to bring good luck. The man brings a gift like money, bread, or coal, to ensure the family will have plenty of these in the year to come. The first person must not be blond, red-haired, or a women, as these are supposed to be bad luck.

Germany: People drop molten lead into cold water to tell the future from the shape it makes. A bit of food eaten on New Year's Eve is left on their plate until after Midnight, as a way on ensuring a well stocked larder in the coming year.
 

Indian: The Indian New Year's is started with a festival of lights called Diwali. Cards and gifts are exchanged and people finish off any uncompleted work.

Portugal: The Portuguese pick and eat twelve grapes from a bunch as the clock strikes twelve on New Year's Eve. The twelve grapes ensure twelve happy months in the coming year.
 

Scotland: Night of the Candle. People prepare for New Year by cleaning their home and purifying it with a ritual or burning juniper branches carried through the home. The First Footer says that whoever the first person to set foot into your home on New Year's Day decides the luck of the family for the coming year.
 

Eat That Frog

                                                                   -by Brain Tracy

Eat That Frog! Is a fast read that is rich in practical advice that will help you stop procrastinating and get more done in less time. Brian Tracy synthesizes and distills the very best ideas and insights on time management into twenty-one logical, immediately applicable steps. Each chapter provides specific exercises you can use to implement Tracy's advice immediately and see the results for yourself. A business book best seller.


 

Click here to place your order while supplies last!