With all the hype about The Secret and the Laws of Attraction, there have been many people jumping on the bandwagon to make a quick buck. All of a sudden there are experts in abundance thinking appearing everywhere. I like to consider myself as one of those people except I am not foolish enough to talk about something I have not experienced results with – and I am talking about in the real world, not some massive internet marketing expert.

In 1987 my late brother told me about affirmations “everything you think becomes your reality” he said. I noticed at the time that when I concentrated my thoughts on happy positive things, I was happy and people smiled at me constantly. I have also experienced the Law of Attraction working its magic in the reverse i.e. whenever I have had doubts about myself and worried, I got more of the things I worried about. If you were to sit back and think about this with regards to your own life, I am sure you would find the same thing.

Let me explain how the Law of Attraction really works. Firstly, words alone won’t change things for you but they will help you feel better, if you constantly think happier and more positive thoughts. Feeling happy is what attracts more into your life of what you want. Feeling bad attracts into your life what you don’t want. Put simply if you concentrate on your doubts, insecurities and your problems you will FEEL terrible, hence you will get more of what you don’t want because that is where your thoughts are focused. Like attracts Like.

Try this experiment for just two weeks. Every time you worry about your business or something that you are not happy about, concentrate on something you would like. Erase all doubts and worry from your mind just concentrate on something you would really like. It’s not easy to do this, you have to make a commitment to yourself and believe in yourself. Whenever you start to feel a doubt you have to erase it immediately and think and visualize of what it feels like to be in the place you really want to be.

What happens when you apply these laws of attraction is; that you start to meet the right people, you start to have creative ideas, you are in the right place at the right time and hence you start to grow your business, your career improves or some other great positive change happens.

I have been to the edge of despair and back many times. Firstly with my brother committing suicide, my marriage failing, being diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, finding out one of my other brother’s baby isn’t really his and struggling to build my business which was far harder than I had ever anticipated. There were times I just wanted to walk away from it, when I didn’t want to wake up in the morning, but once I really started using the laws of attraction, things changed dramatically.

I will put this to you in a nutshell. What you worry about makes you feel bad, the bad vibrations attract more of what you don’t want. If you are worrying try and change your thoughts to feeling what it would be like to experience your desire. Maybe you are in business and want it to take off. How does it feel when it has taken off? What do you see? Where are you? How many staff do you employ? Who do you meet with? How many customers do you have?

Please do not be fooled into thinking that you will win the lottery or some miracle will just appear. If you really use these laws, things will happen to you and at first you will think it is coincidence, but you will soon learn that the things are happening because of your own positive mental attitude. This is not some New Age waffle either, it is a proven science.

Some tips to help you stay in an abundance way of thinking:

(1) Write out I AM statements. This is very powerful. For example, I am driving my brand new Peugeot 207cc, green in colour with a black leather interior. I feel the sun’s rays on my face as I drive with the top down. I AM feeling exhilarated and happy, feeling and hearing the wind rush by as I drive up the coastal road, on my way for a week-end in the vineyards . Statements like this are descriptive, and you can FEEL what it is like in your vision.
(2) Have a vision board – get a board and stick pictures of all the things you want and look at it whenever you can. Every time you look, make sure you feel like you already have it.
(3) Jump at opportunity. Once you start using these laws opportunities will be given to you all the time – seize and act on them.
(4) You still have to work at it – $1,000,000 isn’t going to magically appear whilst you are sipping cocktails in the hammock.
(5) Read! Every day, read everything you can on these laws. Try this free e-book to start with As A Man Thinketh
(6) Don’t give up! It’s hard going to keep your thoughts on what you want when the chips are down. Don’t stop.

If you would like to learn more about these laws of attraction visit www.coyote.com.au and go to the motivational products page.

How do I know these Laws work? Here is just one example how it has worked for me. How much do you value your health? If you were diagnosed with a debilitating, incurable disease what would you do? Would you say to yourself “Oh woe is me, I am sick, I can’t work any more, I have an incurable disease”. Or would you, like I did, say “Oh, well I will keep really fit and that disease won’t bother me”. Now you can see how powerful the law of attraction is. I chose the first option.

So how do you keep one step ahead and offer something entirely different with your website?  Video Email! 

Recently I discovered the benefits of a very easy system to use.  Within 3 days, and with no experience at all, I had created video streaming for my website and was producing emails with video embedded in them – not as an attachment. It is quick to download and in its own customised template.

The ezine I publish, Coyote’s Featured Article is one of my most successful marketing tools.  Producing a regular publication like this keeps you in constant contact with your clients and prospects.  Now Coyote’s Featured Article is one step ahead of the other millions of ezines – it has video streaming embedded in it as well.

Am I right in guessing that you are thinking it must be ‘too techo’ or hard or way too expensive? Believe me it’s as simple as using Word – if not easier. 

As a result of the personalised video messages I have been creating, other businesses have asked me to produce a video email for them (another source of income thank you very much).

“OK Debbie, what are the benefits?” You ask. 

Personalised Video Message

You can send your clients or prospects a video email, in a customised template that includes embedded links to your website and webpages.  Doing this brings the ‘emotion’ into it.  For example if you are trying to sell something, and let’s face it, we are all salespeople – then you bring in emotion and you are building a relationship.  The recipient gets to ‘know’ you.  Every good salesperson knows that selling is about building relationships and emotion.

For example, you can even make a mini advertisement.  Say you own a restaurant.  By using your video camera, you can showcase the restaurant, the food, the menu and even the staff.  You could even send out video email of the  Chef’s latest specials or the Chef in action!  You could produce a video email of the Chef preparing one of his favourite dishes and have the instructions typed on template that the video is embedded in! 

In my business, the professional speaking industry, I am soon to produce a Monday morning motivational video, quoting some inspirational thoughts for the week. 

Video Teleconference

Many of you will have joined a teleconference at some time or another. Now, with video email you can set up video teleseminars on the internet and charge people to join in as guests.  Or just run them as a promotion for your business as a value added. Another example, with regards to my own business, is that I will be setting up video teleseminars to have some of my professional speakers do a live keynote on the internet – again charging people to enter the conference.  Or create online video training seminars. The guests do not need a webcam by the way, they will just watch the teleconference from their computer.

Video Conference Rooms

The days of only the big corporations being able to afford video conference rooms are over!  Move over boys for the small business!  I use the video conference rooms to chat and meet with my colleagues all over the world. In fact, the UK and I are in constant video communication.

Video Ezine

As mentioned before, sending out an ezine is a popular marketing tool but I see many very poor publications.  The number one rule is to give the recipient something useful - not a hard sell of your product or services.  The next rule is to use the ezine to build a friendship with your reader – as if they know you personally.  Now, with the latest technology you can really make it personal, with a happy, witty video stream embedded in the ezine. 

To learn more about video email message . Click Here

To ensure you gain the maximum benefit from your investment when hiring a speaker you should consider the following:

• What is the purpose of the event; Is it to motivate staff, build up a team spirit, launch a  new product, customer service training, are your sales team in need of some serious motivation?
• Is there a theme to your event which the speaker can tailor to?
• Who is your audience; age range, percentage of females and males, their roles in the company or organisation?
• What are the challenges in your organisation that need some expert advice?
• What do you want your delegates to walk away with after hearing the speaker?
• What message does your speaker need to convey to the audience?
• What is the most important thing you want the audience to remember?
• What don’t you want the speaker to say?  This is very important and needs to be made very clear to the speaker.
• Will the speaker be permitted to sell his/her products?

Always ask the speaker or bureau for a contract. Our bureau has a standard practice of issuing the contract between the client and the speaker. Ensure that the following clauses are included in the contract.

• Material Costs – if workbooks are being provided who is paying for them? Is it included in the speaker’s fee? Also, stipulate who will distribute the workbooks, will this be the responsibility of the speaker or will the meeting planner organise to have them distributed?
• Travel Expenses - is the airfare business or economy? Many Australian professional speakers fly business class although sometimes trainers may fly economy. The meeting planner/client are not responsible for paying for fares other than the speaker, e.g. spouse, unless that is part of the contractual arrangement.
• Speaker transportation- it is standard practice for the meeting planner/event organise to arrange for transfers to and from airport and venue.
• Props - what equipment is needed, i.e. projector, whiteboard, what type of microphone? etc. Stipulate this in the contract.
• Assistants/Staff - will the speaker be bringing an assistant; is this necessary, and if so, is it included in the speaker’s fee?
• Transport of Materials - costs should be arranged between the event organiser and the speaker.
• Recording - always obtain permission in writing from the speaker before the recording of any of the session.
• Promotion & Publicity -is the responsibility of the event organiser.
• Seating Arrangements - ensure that you have discussed the layout of the meeting room with the speaker and put this in the contract.
• Audio-Visual Needs -discuss with speaker and have requirements stipulated in the contract.
• Lectern, Podium -discuss with speaker and have requirements stipulated in the contract.
• Venue Check - stipulate in the contract what time you want the speaker to arrive and whom to contact on arrival with phone number.
• Meals - appropriate meals are required as part of the accommodation expenses.
• Contact Details – always have both speaker and client mobile phone numbers in the contract.
• Date of Meeting -ensure this is written in the contract.
• Duration of the Presentation - ensure this is written in the contract.
• Guarantee - is there a guarantee from the speaker if the conference organizers are not happy with the outcome?
• Fee - always stipulate the fee and include any other costs, ie. accommodation, meals etc.
• Cancellation Fee – have this stipulated in the contract. Most speakers will charge a 50% cancellation fee if the engagement is cancelled.

My brother and I were very close.  I helped him to cope with his depression as best I could, I was his rock. I knew he had attempted suicide twice before and failed. I ‘ suspected’ he would die of his own hand one day and thought I was prepared for it. I wasn’t! I was not prepared for the phone call.  I did not think I would lose control like I did, running and screaming up the hallway, out the front door and throwing myself on the grass, pounding it and sobbing  No! No! No!

I never wanted my three year old daughter to see something like this, her mother totally out of control, devastated and inconsolable beyond words. I didn’t want my neighbours to come running over and drag me inside the house screaming.  This was not in the plan of my perfect life. I didn’t plan to be a pallbearer at my brother’s funeral or read his Eulogy in perfect composure to make him proud of me.  Change hit me hard. There was no turning back.

You, too, will have change in your life.  Something, one day, will hit you so hard that you will have two choices, you will either choose to sink, or you will choose to swim.  Change can happen in many ways, it could happen dramatically like my family had to deal with. It could be a change in management, change in health, a disaster may hit the country, you may lose your job, your marriage may fail. My question to you is “how will you cope?”
I am not an expert in change management, I do however represent speaking experts who are.  What I am, is a survivor of drastic change and that gives me some authority to write about it.

When my brother Gary died, my whole life changed dramatically.  My marriage failed and I had to go back to full time work.  I was dealt another blow to test me that little bit further.  I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease a few months after his death.  So how did I cope with these changes? At first with his death, not very well.  But once I accepted that this change was forever, I then slowly started to build back my life.  His death caused many more changes in my life. If he had not died I doubt that I would be writing articles, own a speaking bureau and be training in Taekwondo.  Nor would I be writing my first book or grooming myself for the speaking circuit.  Most probably, I would still be living in the Blue Mountains making jam and volunteering to help teach art at my children’s school.

When change hits your life you have to acknowledge and accept it.  You can’t deny it has happened because it has.  Secondly, you have to assess the situation and come up with a plan to help you cope.  I grieved heavily for my brother, my weight plummeted to 47kg and I became very depressed.  One day I was walking the dog and one of my neighbours said to me “Deb, you look dreadful.  Don’t put your brother behind you but put him beside you and walk on.”  Those few words changed everything and to this day, I am sure Patrick does not know the impact those words had on my life.

I made a decision that I had to accept that Gary was no longer with me.  I had to adjust to this and I had to gather some inner strength from somewhere.  Then came the second blow, Crohn’s Disease.  When my doctor told me I had this disease, I immediately turned a switch on inside my head and told myself that if I kept fit it would not affect me.  I keep fit and I believe, with all my heart, that my fitness keeps me healthy.  I don’t look sick and people are amazed when I tell them I have this disease.  I am not saying that I am in perfect health, I am not, I have my days where I don’t feel so good but mostly I feel great. I accept that I have this disease, I don’t accept that it will control me.

I could have easily gone into ‘victim mode’ when my doctor told me I had it.  If I did that, I would have talked myself into believing I was sick and I would not be this woman I am today, fit and as I mentioned before training in Taekwondo.  I could have easily allowed myself self pity. I chose not to.

I had a wonderful relationship with this doctor.  He didn’t really approve of my own ‘mind techniques’ of keeping well, but he supported me with it and would monitor me every month, do the blood tests and keep a very careful eye on me.  I was due to see him one day when I got a phone call.  “I am sorry to inform you that Dr (name withheld) was killed this morning riding his pushbike”.  That hurt me bad.

I would give up everything I have today to have Gary back.  I admit without his death I would not be who and where I am today.  I accepted the change and today I am doing things that I would never have thought I was capable of.  You see, as drastic as it is, I gathered strength that I never knew I had and that’s why you are reading these words now.

How will you cope when change hits you? Will you sink or swim?

Deadlines, time thieves and balancing work and family are causing many of us to suffer stress and unhappiness.  By planning each day and setting yourself goals, you will find that life becomes a little less hectic and your stress levels will decrease.  It takes 15 minutes each morning to plan your day.  Use this checklist frequently. EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE. Good time management means being organized having the ability to locate things quickly. Ensure that everything has a place and always return the item to its home as soon as you have finished with it. A clear environment will help your head to be free of clutter as well. COPING WITHE EMAIL. Email was once seen as the best thing since sliced bread. How many of us used to wait in anticipation for an email to arrive? These days most of us dread it and email itself has become increasingly stressful to deal with. So how do we deal with it? Deal with it in the morning and late afternoon only Ensure you answer every single email at that time Allow yourself enough time for dealing with Email Deal, Delegate or Dump it. Don’t keep it in your inbox to deal with later. Aim to keep your inbox clear Ensure you have personal folders for different items Set up email so it gets automatically sent to your folders i.e. if you have regular emails from the same person, set up a rule to have it filed Have an efficient Spam filter Please visit our website to find out more on our professional speaker, Debbie Mayo-Smith who is an expert on marketing with email and coping with email overload. PLAN YOUR DAY Spend at least 15 minutes each morning planning your day. Complete your diary, your task list, prioritise and allow a certain amount of time for interruptions. FILE DAILY. Spend the time to organize a filing system. After you have read something, decide whether you will keep it and file it immediately, or if it is to be discarded do so. Use a pending file and ensure it is checked and worked on daily. Train your mind to remember that each piece of paper gets handled once then it is either filed, reassigned and filed, delegated or dumped. SIMPLIFY. Hoarding creates chaos and time wasting. Have a look at your environment and take stock regularly. If you have items that you have not looked at for some time, consider if you really need to hold on to these. DUE DATE. Ensure that tasks are assigned a due date and complete the task by the date specified. PRIORITISE. Ensure that you give all tasks a priority rating i.e. Priority 1 Urgent Week Month Ongoing Keep folders with these titles and file appropriately. Mark in your diary the date you need to revisit any of the folders. This way you can clear your mind of clutter because you know you will not forget about it. CLEAR DESK POLICY. Try keeping your desk clear. You only need one tray for work in progress (in) and one for (out). Keeping a clear desk will help you to feel less overwhelmed and more in control. When not in use put it away. DO IT NOW! Don’t delay tasks and projects. If you can’t do it straight away add the item to your task planner and assign a due date. Ensure you complete the task by the date given. DELEGATE OR SAY NO. Don’t be afraid to delegate tasks to others if possible. Some people believe only they are reliable to complete certain tasks, don’t fall into this trap. It’s OK to say no sometimes. Don’t take on extra tasks if you don’t have the time. ALWAYS CARRY A NOTEPAD. Keep a notepad with you at all times and write down any thoughts that you  to remember. Once you have written these down you can forget about it until you action it or write it into your diary. LIMIT TIME ON THE TELEPHONE. If you are taking a call from someone you know will keep you busy for longer than you can spare (I call these people Time Thieves), you could say that you only have 5 minutes because you have a deadline to complete. NO TIME IS WASTED. No one likes being kept waiting with train delays, medical appointments etc change these frustrating times into opportunities for catching up on that reading you have been putting off, planning the next week and visualising your goals. TIME OUT FOR SELF. Always schedule time out for yourself. If you would like a copy of Debbie’s ebook visit www.coyote.com.au to download your complimentary copy and whilst you are there why not download your free desktop organiser as well.

 

Time management, for example, is a popular subject and great if your employees are not utilising their time correctly, but it is not appropriate if staff are driving your clients away due to sub-standard customer service. It is far better to engage a training specialist in this field.

Staff retention is a major concern for many companies. Keeping staff motivated and happy should be a high priority. The amount of money invested in recruiting and training is phenomenal so don’t let it go down the drain. Ensure your employees have the skills to balance their home and work life, have access to inspirational speakers and rewarded with fun team building activities.

Many companies do not understand that customer service should be a major part of their marketing. Consider this yourself  – how many advertisements did you see today and how many can you actually recall? Not many I’m sure but I bet if I asked you to recall a bad customer service experience you could tell me exactly what happened and who the company was and you are probably not shy about speaking about it to others either. Here is another scenario, your corporation probably spends months in planning an advertising campaign and thousands of dollars. Yet, when it’s time for a senior executive to speak at a media interview or present at a conference can they really keep the attention of the audience? Maybe presentation skills or executive coaching needs to be considered.

It is important to carefully assess the areas of your business that can be improved and why employees are struggling in those functions. Once you have established your training objectives, choose a reputable specialist in that field. The easiest way to do this is to use a bureau. The bureau has already done the research and knows which speaker or trainer can really deliver results.

The results can pay for the training many times over. Many companies are amazed at the increase in revenue and production after having brought in a training specialist. One of our speakers at Coyote Management International has a testimonial that reads “virtually all our mobile sales force have not only achieved their targets, but they have exceeded these targets, some by as much as 200%”.

The return on investment can be astonishing
It is essential to follow up after the training and evaluate the results. This will not only show you how effective the training was, but can then help identify other areas that may need to be assessed.

Effective but Fun
Training should be an enjoyable experience for the participants and incorporate some fun and activities.

Some professional speakers are also experts in training and often just one keynote can make a real impact. The better the presentation and impact, the more it will inspire the participants to action. Some keynote speakers also offer follow-up online courses.

The  lesson I have learnt through my own experience is that if you move through the fear, acknowledge it’s there, but just do what you want to do anyway, it gets easier and easier until the fear no longer exists. I remember the first cold call I had to make.  I kept putting it off and putting it off, until eventually I picked up the phone shaking with fear and made my call.  To my delight, the lady on the other end was very pleasant.  It took a lot more calls before I got to the stage where I can happily pick up the phone and cold call anyone without even thinking about what I’m going to say, it is such a natural thing for me to do now.

I am a risk taker. I take calculated risks. Taking risks is good, I’m not talking about anything that could physically harm you, end your life, investing in Acme’s latest Road Runner Extinguisher shares without proper investigation, or God forbid, riding on a roller-coaster! (My friends and family will find that very amusing). I am still working on my roller-coaster fear!

Let’s take for example speaking in front of people. The thought used to make me break out into a sweat, and I’m sure many of you will know what I am talking about. Now, I don’t think twice about it, because I made myself get up in front of the mic whenever the opportunity arose and I just got used to it. This is a good thing, because my goal for next year is to be on the speaking circuit. To prepare myself for this professional speaking goal I have taken some other steps. I am writing a book about my very interesting and at times challenging life. Once upon a time I would have been too scared to think of myself as an author. To overcome this fear I started to write articles for others to read. Because I took the step to have some of them published on various online article websites, I have the confidence to keep writing.

The biggest risk I took was leaving my full time job to start the bureau. In hindsight I think I should have kept the full time job for a bit longer, as it was very challenging, now of course, I am glad I did because I am so passionate about what I do. It was terrifying making the decision to leave that paid security but I did it anyway, I figured I could always get another job if things didn’t turn out.

Sometimes in life we miss out on the things we really want because we are too scared to move out of our comfort zone. We won’t ask that person out because we might get rejected. We won’t commit to a relationship because we might get hurt. We won’t write that book because it might not get published. We won’t stand up and do that comedy routine because we might get booed off stage. We won’t leave our job because our new one might be even worse. We won’t spend that money on a holiday because we might need it in an emergency. We won’t ask that question we want to in a seminar because people might think we are stupid. We won’t enter the talent contest because we might not win. We won’t say I love you because they might not love us back. If you are fearful of doing something that you really want to and you try and it doesn’t work out the way you planned, so what? Another chapter of your life closed…next one please!

Love your job or hate it? If you asked your employees the above question how many would say “love it”? For those that answer “hate it” is it because they really are in the wrong job or is it due to environmental factors?
There are strategies that employers can create to foster an enjoyable workplace. Happy, motivated staff are more inclined to stay with the company. Most organizations spend big dollars to recruit their employees and training them.  So what can you do to make sure your employees are happy and motivated to want to stay and grow with the company?

For example, the receptionist has one of the most important roles in the company but how often is she or he recognized for their efforts? Greeting your clients and answering the phone is an essential and important role, but many a disgruntled receptionist can scare your clients away. It is essential to always include all staff from the most junior person upwards in your motivational planning.
Here are some suggestions on making a happier workplace:

• Create a visually appealing and comfortable workplace aim to have an office with light colours. Ensure also the temperature isn’t too hot or cold, this is a tricky one but very important as body temperatures vary. If your budget doesn’t extend to renovating maybe just adding an espresso coffee machine or some plants could be a small way to improve the office space.
• Encourage a team environment “ in today’s training world, team building specialists range from fighter pilots, drummers, Ninjas to Mt Everest climbers. There are many exciting programs to help encourage a team comradeship.
• Thank and praise,  recognize achievements, initiatives and long hours worked.
• Organise in-house training or bring in an expert on Work Life balance at your next conference.
• Many organizations now offer their staff in-house shoulder massages.
• Corporate Responsibility – involve staff in a worthwhile charitable cause. Helping others can be a great way to feel a sense of achievement.
• Be flexible. Children get sick, people get sick. Develop a good relationship with a temporary recruitment agency that can help you fill a gap for a sick employee at short notice. Be flexible with working hours, especially if a staff member is studying, has children or other personal issues. Many people work very well from home, if not better than in the office.
• Ensure that your management is well trained in leadership skills.
• Make sure your employees skills are fully utilized and encourage goal setting.
• Consider rewards like week-ends away for your employees as a bonus instead of cash incentives. Many senior executives do not get the chance or make the time to go away with their spouse or family.
• Ask for feedback and take notice of the suggestions. Value the ideas of your employees and implement the useful ones.
• Keep ongoing professional development. Bring in corporate trainers and use professional speakers to motivate your staff. Don’t be mislead by the title Professional Speaker many speakers offer follow on and online training after their keynotes.
• If changes are happening in the workplace, keep the staff updated. One way to lower morale is to have uncertainty in the office.
• Consider childcare facilities, week-end family picnics and other functions to show that your organization appreciates family.