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Understanding ME

Who Are You Really?

The value of accurate personality assessment

Swallowing the bitter pill

Get over it – allow the “hit” to your ego

Who Are You Profiler – Private Session

Read Group 1 – Which describes you best?

Read Group 2 – Which describes you best?

Understanding ME

Who Are You Profiler – Partner Session

Discuss your results with your partner.

What was your immediate reaction to the

profiler results?

What was one of the most revealing parts of

the results?

What did you learn about yourself?

Understanding ME

Time to Get on the SWOT Team

SWOT = Strengths, Weaknesses,

Opportunities, Threats

This is a great tool for helping you be realistic

about what you can really achieve.

Your SWOT analysis needs to be focused on

a particular “Life Aspect.”

Understanding ME

What Is A “Life Aspect?”

Examples of Life Aspects are:

Family, Career, Finance, Health, Recreation,

Personal, Friendship, Community, Household,

and Spiritual

Entrepreneurial Focus Life Aspect =

Career and Finance

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Career Life Aspect

Career is “what you do” and is likely the most

time consuming aspect of your life.

Career is usually at the top of the list of

importance in the “big picture” of life.

Career aspect includes career satisfaction

and development.

Balance is the key – try not to let Career get

ahead of other important aspects in life.

Understanding ME

Finance Life Aspect

Unfortunately, money is essential to

sustaining life in modern society.

By necessity, the Finance Life Aspect is fairly

high on the list when you are determining

what is important.

DO NOT LET IT RULE YOUR LIFE!!!

Understanding ME

Finance Life Aspect

The Finance Life Aspect can pertain to

making the most of what you have today,

investing correctly, as well as earning more.

Again, balance is the key – DO NOT over

emphasize the Finance Life Aspect.

Assignment: Read Think and Grow Rich

Understanding ME

Undertake a personal SWOT analysis for

the LIFE ASPECTS you’re considering

Write down everything you can think of in

each category – Strengths | Weaknesses |

Opportunities | Threats – whether you think

it’s really relevant or not.

Understanding ME

Strengths - Identify key strengths that will

pertain DIRECTLY to achieving your goals

The Strengths that you identify MUST apply

to the Life Aspect focus of your SWOT.

For Example: You may be able to throw a

football 50 yards, but if you are looking to be a

successful real estate investor, this would

NOT be applicable.

Understanding ME

Strengths - Identify key strengths that will

ultimately help you achieve your goals

Don’t confuse Strengths with necessity. If

there is a skill that you possess, but so does

everyone around you… it is a necessity!

To uncover your Strengths, ask yourself,

“What do I find easy that others find difficult to

do?”

Understanding ME

Did You Know .…Part of Albert Einstein’s

brain was abnormally large while another

part of his brain was unusually small?

Which part was larger than normal?

The area used for math and spatial intelligence.

Which part was smaller than normal?

The area used for linguistics.

Understanding ME

Did You Know .… Most children start

talking between the ages of one and two.

Einstein, who is generally regarded as one

of the smartest people ever, didn’t start

talking until he was three.

Einstein failed a language exam when he

was 16. He was known to be a terrible

lecturer and was not a cunning linguist.

Understanding ME

Einstein’s Brain Size Story: What’s the

Moral of the Story?

“Be thankful for your WEAKNESSES

because they may be the source of

your STRENGTHS!” - Anonymous

Understanding ME

Weaknesses - Identify Weaknesses that

pertain DIRECTLY to getting in the way of

your goals and expected achievements

The Weaknesses that you identify MUST

apply to the Life Aspect focus of your SWOT.

For Example: You may be a horrible cook, but

will that stop you from being a successful

businessperson?

Understanding ME

Opportunities – Identify positive external

conditions that you can use to your

advantage The Opportunities that you might identify could be

TREND-driven, or TIMING-driven, or TECHNOLOGY-

driven, or RELATIONSHIP-driven.

Examine all of your resources. Drill down through the

layers of personal relationships. There are always

people who want to get involved in a great deal.

Understanding ME

Opportunities – Identify positive external

conditions that you can use to your

advantage

Examine any and all previous Opportunities. You

would be shocked at how much more can be

harvested from a previous win.

“Opportunity is often missed because we

are broadcasting when we should be tuning

in.” - Anonymous

Understanding ME

Opportunities – Identify positive external

conditions that you can use to your

advantage The Opportunities that you might identify could be

TREND-driven, or TIMING-driven, or TECHNOLOGY-

driven, or RELATIONSHIP-driven.

Examine all of your resources. Drill down through the

layers of personal relationships. There are always

people who want to get involved in a great deal.

Understanding ME

“Opportunities always look bigger going

than coming.” - Anonymous

“When one door closes, another opens; but

we often look so long and so regretfully

upon the closed door that we do not see the

one which has opened for us.” - Helen Keller

Understanding ME

Threats - These are the negative External

Conditions that you cannot control but their

effects can lessen your potential success

Threats can be simply an extension of your

weaknesses.

Threats can come from: Competition,

Personality Conflict, Industry Change,

Technology Change, Government Regulation

Understanding ME

Threats - These are the negative External

Conditions that you cannot control but their

effects can lessen your potential success

Threats can be changed in Market Conditions,

Economic Conditions, Skill Set Requirements,

Supply and Demand, Personal Situation,

Professional Standards, Licensing

Requirements, etc.

Understanding ME

Performing the SWOT Analysis

Draw a two-by-two grid on a sheet of paper.

Label the upper two quadrants “Strengths” and

“Weaknesses”.

Label the lower two quadrants “Opportunities”

and “Threats”.

“Strengths” should be directly above

“Opportunities”; “Weaknesses” should be

directly above “Threats”.

Understanding ME

Performing the SWOT Analysis

In each quadrant, write out ideas in bullet-point

form. Be as specific as possible.

Stretch to come up with true insights.

Take a break if you have to, and revisit your

analysis when you are fresh.

Edit. Delete repetitive ideas and sharpen less

specific ones.

Analyze what it all means.

Understanding ME

Performing the SWOT Analysis

Validate your current position.

Understand the skills, attributes and

experiences you should emphasize and the

ones you should downplay.

Brainstorm possible directions.

Be creative - there is no such thing as a

STUPID idea, just ideas that you might not

utilize.

Understanding ME

Performing the SWOT Analysis

Highlight opportunities you can use to your

advantage.

Flag possible threats.

Determine Possible Actions. There are Four

Types of Actions You Could Take:

Strengthen a specific skill or add something to

your strengths quadrant.

Minimize or eliminate a weakness.

Understanding ME

Determine Possible Actions. There are Four

Types of Actions You Could Take:

Pursue or exploit an opportunity.

Protect yourself from threats.

Revisit and Update Your SWOT Chart

Periodically to Add a Level of Sophistication

and Effectiveness to Your Planning.

Understanding ME

IT IS TIME

TO DO

YOUR SWOT

ANALYSIS!

Understanding ME

What Did

YOU

Learn?

Understanding ME

A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:

Never complain about your challenges,

because 95% of the people don’t care, and

the other 5% are glad that they happened to

you.

You are the same today as you will be in five

years, except for two things: the PEOPLE that

you MEET and the BOOKS that you READ.

Understanding ME

A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:

You are a product of your environment. I truly

believe that “you can’t soar with eagles if you

hang around with turkeys.”

The most common cause of failure is

QUITTING.

Understanding ME

A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:

“Success is a journey and not a destination.

Success is a way of life that you will continue

as long as you live. It is about discovering your

ultimate purpose and pursuing it with

everything that you have and everything that

you do.” - Ben Sweetland

R. U. Darby and his Uncle Story: Three Feet

from Gold

Understanding ME

A Lifetime of Lessons Has Taught Me:

Before great success comes, you will surely

meet with temporary defeat.

Select your path and then: ONE - Seek the

counsel of those who have expertise and

educate yourself. TWO – Never, NEVER,

Never Quit. THREE – When you find success,

seek others to mentor and share with them the

valuable lessons that you have learned.

Understanding ME

A Lifetime of Lessons has Taught Me:

There is a difference between being interested

and being committed.

To succeed you must have “STICKABILITY.”

READ: Three Feet from Gold

by Sharon L. Lechter and Gregg S. ReidPresented by: The Napoleon Hill Foundation

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Understanding THEM

Relationship Building is your single most

important entrepreneurial skill.

Relationships must be mutually energizing.

Relationships must accommodate feelings

and meet needs.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building is the Key to Personal

Success as an Entrepreneur. Are You A

“People Person?” If not, become one.

Relationship building must be sincere and

genuine. It’s easy to spot a “phony.”

Relationship building requires the building of

mutual trust.

Understanding THEM

No Man Is An Island.

Name a business where you do not have to

deal with another human being.

As a Business Professional, You Should

Ask Yourself: "What Business am I in?"

The answer is quite simple. If your business

has anything to do with people - and ALL

businesses do - you are in the business of

building relationships.

Understanding THEM

Some People Think That If They Sell

Things, They are in the Business of Selling.

They aren't. They are in the business of

building relationships – because that is how

you sell things.

The more people that you are comfortable

building a relationship with, the greater your

network will be, and the more success you

will have in business.

Understanding THEM

Your NET WORTH is in direct Proportion to

Your NETWORK.

Personal relationship-building skills are

essential to cement and bind customer

friendship, trust, credibility, rapport

building, and to make the buyer look and

perform well in the association.

Understanding THEM

Remember your SWOT Analysis?

Use your NETWORK to minimize or delegate

away your weaknesses. Leverage your

strengths to assist others and build

relationships.

Exercise: SWOT Mart

Break up into groups of 10 – form 2 lines

opposite of each other. Get ready to swap

strengths and weaknesses.

Understanding THEM

What Did

YOU

Learn?

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Send notes of congratulations for all occasions.

The smaller the event, the bigger the impact of

the card.

Send holiday gifts. When possible, try to make

the gift personal or at least choose something

you think the individual would like.

Ask about their spouse and children. If you

happen to be in their office, ask if the pictures

on the walls are their kids.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Plan an activity with your children (if they have

children who are around the same age).

Offer to help with any volunteer work that they

do and ask if you can invite others to help, too.

Offer to share your material possessions with

them, if it would help them. Lending a

wheelbarrow or a lawn mower can build a lot of

trust in a new relationship.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Establish a common connection. Same school,

town, common professional or personal

contacts, hobbies, sports teams – anything –

then NEVER FORGET IT and refer to it often.

Let them know about your significant life

events.

Make the time to go to their functions when

they invite you.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Find out what organizations they are involved

in and join one that interests you.

Attend a presentation that the contact makes

and send a note or a comment about the

presentation.

Invite them to a sporting event. Make sure it is

a sport that you both like.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Participate in a charitable cause that they are

involved in and donate.

Refer business to them. One of the best ways

to generate business referrals is to make

referrals yourself. Be sure that the referrals you

make are "quality" referrals.

Lend them an uplifting book that you really

enjoyed. Tell them that you were thinking about

them while you were reading it.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Introduce them to someone who can solve a

problem they have. Perhaps they need a good

computer consultant to help set up an office

network or a good plumber to unclog their

sewage line at home. Either way, referring

good vendors to your contacts shows that you

are resourceful.

Always follow up on the referral to make sure

that the new relationship is a happy one.

Understanding THEM

Relationship Building Blocks

Recommend a good movie, book, play, or other

cultural activity.

Introduce them to a hobby or activity that you

are passionate about.

Send them a brochure for a seminar that might

interest them.

Tell them about a Web site that might be

helpful or interesting to them.

Understanding THEM

Professional relationship-building skills

consist of adding significant value to the

customer's business

Contribute toward reduced costs of their

business.

Contribute toward the increased profitability of

their business.

Work to guarantee their business success

through shared resources, relationships or

ideas.

Understanding THEM

“People are insecure; give them confidence.

People want to feel special; compliment them.

People want a better tomorrow; show them hope.

People need to be understood; listen to them.

People are selfish; speak to their needs first.

People are emotionally low; encourage them.

People want to be associated with success; help

them win.” - Pete Vossler

Understanding THEM

Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a

Long-Term Successful Business

Relationship.

Create WIN-WIN only transactions

Give & Take – stay in balance

Know what is important to you in a business

relationship.

Do not compromise your value system –

EVER!

Understanding THEM

Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a

Long-Term Successful Business

Relationship.

Learn the truth about your business

associate.

Turn the other cheek - we all make mistakes,

but DO NOT turn a blind eye.

Compassion in action.

If you are angry, count to 10. If you are really

mad, count to 1000.

Understanding THEM

Synergistic Relationships are Critical to a

Long-Term Successful Business

Relationship.

It takes a lifetime to build trust and a split

second to take it away.

Learn to walk away from temptation that

would destroy trust.

The grass is always greener, or so it appears

until you hop the fence.

Understanding THEM

Learn the Weapons of Influence

Assignment - Please read:

INFLUENCE - The Psychology of Persuasion.

By Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D.

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Understanding IT

What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in

My Life?

Work within your PASSION.

Keep grounded and remember your goals.

Don’t lose FOCUS – chase two rabbits, catch

none.

Leverage your SWOT analysis.

Maintain Success-Able expectations. Dreams

are GREAT; reality is ESSENTIAL.

Understanding IT

What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in

My Life?

Does the “IT” have potential? Are other

people succeeding at “IT”?

Do you see yourself doing “IT”?

Do you see yourself growing personally and

professionally over the long term doing “IT”?

Where do you see yourself in five years or 10

years, if you become successful at doing “IT”?

Understanding IT

What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in

My Life?

Do you enjoy the people who you meet who

are professionals at doing “IT”? Or are they

people who you would rather not associate

with?

Does the industry that “IT” resides in have

long-term potential or is it a fad?

What would be your exit strategy if you

developed your business around “IT”?

Understanding IT

What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in

My Life?

What difference can you make in the world as

you become good at “IT”?

Does the thought of doing “IT” EXCITE you?

Do you DREAM of “IT” at night and constantly

think of things that you can improve while you

are doing “IT”?

Understanding IT

What is Your “IT” and How Do I Find “IT” in

My Life?

Is doing “IT” something that you can be proud

of as a vocation or career?

Is “IT” something that you are proud to speak

about in social settings?

Is “IT” something that you want your children

to tell their friends Mommy or Daddy does for

a living?

Understanding IT

The Process of Evaluation – Critical to

Success of ALL Ventures in the

Entrepreneurial World

Gather all information that you can about the

opportunity.

Do your homework on the opportunity -

investigation and due diligence is an art.

Validate the information as reliable and

accurate.

Understanding IT

The Process of Evaluation – Critical to

Success of ALL Ventures in the

Entrepreneurial World

Gain the assistance of a group of SMEs.

Understand the Business Model completely

and develop an “elevator pitch”; then test your

pitch on some friends whose opinions you

respect.

You build an economic model that makes

sense from your own due diligence.

Understanding IT

The Process of Evaluation – Critical to

Success of ALL Ventures in the

Entrepreneurial World

You build a marketing model that makes

sense and then “test” market it before

committing to a large amount of Human

Capital, Time, or Monetary Investment.

Never access your business relationships

until you can answer all anticipated questions

they might have.

Understanding IT

The Process of Evaluation – Critical to

Success of ALL Ventures in the

Entrepreneurial World

Put together a “think tank” of people who you

believe would have great suggestions. You

want people who would understand the

opportunity and have interest in it.

Limit the time for brainstorming – lack of time

limit creates lack of urgency for creativity and

turns it into a committee.

Understanding IT

Exercise: Finger Weights, LLC

Break out into groups of 10

Read Executive Summary

Discuss in your group

Report on: findings, processes, solutions,

plans, next steps, possibilities,

recommendations, suggestions, etc.

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TEST

Exercise: I thought this was going to be FUN

– what happened?

Take the TEST – you have five minutes.

Exercise: OH – it IS going to be FUN!

Take the test as a group – you have five

minutes.