Online Detective Work

Ever try to find a company name when the ad only gives a phone number?

Use a reverse phone directory such as www.ReversePhoneDirectory.com www.BigBook.com, or search on www.Google.com and type in “Reverse phone directory"

Guest Article: Creating a Blueprint for Your Success

By Joanne Victoria
Reprinted with Permission

Having a strong foundation enables you to build a thriving, profitable life and business. A simple method to create this foundation is with Discovery, Vision, Planning, and Benchmarking, the four cornerstones of your life as well as your business.

Discovery is defined as examining where are you now and where are you going. It helps to look at everything as if you were a beginner. Always know why you are in the business of your choice. If your strategy is not clear, you won't recognize the destination when you get there. This is the time to bring in your outside Vision Team.

Vision is who you are about and what your life is about. This is where you determine values you need to experience on a continuing basis. Vision is also where you become the expert in your field and decide the purpose of your business. Remember, the smaller the niche, the larger the reward. Abandon any preconceived beliefs you have about this or any other business. They can restrict your thinking. Live out of this new vision, not your past comfort.

Planning creates the strategies that help you arrive at your destination. A simple system is to - Show Up, Be on Time, Keep Your Word, and Tell The Truth. It's like riding on that train, sometimes there are hills to climb; sometimes there are curves and other times you're flying rapidly down the mountain to your destination. In any instance, you must remain focused on what you want and where you are going.

Benchmarking helps you stay on track without comparisons. This is where you can create goals or optimum wants that may be on the outer edge of possibilities or a goal that is far bigger than you think is attainable. Going into new territory can unlock your potential and increase your development. When goals or optimum results are achieved, you can acknowledge success and learn to be satisfied. Again, put it in writing; the goals, the results and the acknowledgement.

Rules require exceptions, so even if you follow the above. And create a strong foundation, you must be prepared for chaos. Chaos can aid in your personal and business development if you have eliminated all toxic people or commitments from your life.

Chaos can then become the opportunity to progress rapidly into new territory. You can be the architect of your own life.

Build a strong foundation and you can always remodel.

© 2002 Joanne Victoria. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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Joanne Victoria works with independent professionals and professional practice owners who want to simplify their lives and streamline their operations in order to achieve more.

Reach her at 415-491-1344
joanne@joannevictoria.com
http://www.JoanneVictoria.com

Find the Pain and Offer a Band-Aid

As marketing guru Robert Middleton notes, "People always act in their own self-interest and will respond to marketing appeals that offer solutions to their problems, predicaments, and pains."

Some common sources of pain include:
• They've just been laid off;
• They are relocating becaues of a spouse or significant other;
• They've been looking for a job but aren't getting interviews;
• They just graduated from college and are looking for their first job; or
• They've been asked to apply for a promotion and need a resume.

Identify those areas of pain and position your services around them.

Time is More Valuable Than Money

One of my favorite productivity experts, Dr. Donald Wetmore, said:
"Time is more valuable than money -- because money comes from time."

That is particularly true for resume writers. A lot of resume writers I know underestimate our ability to manage our time. We think it will take us 2 hours to write the resume ... but it takes us three. We think we can keep up with our billing and administrative details while writing 3 resumes... but we can't.

What kinds of things are keeping you from achieving what you want? Procrastination? Disorganization? Getting bored? Frequent interruptions?

Dr. Wetmore also said, "Time management is not doing the wrong things faster -- it's doing the right things."

If you work from home, you know how challenging it can be. We work 15% more hours in a day than we did 10 years ago. In a home office environment, it can be 20-25% or more. I know that sometimes I go down to my home office in the basement to do "just one thing" and four hours later, my husband comes looking for me.

Another interesting comment Dr. Wetmore made was, "There is very little correlation between the quantity of time we sepnd and what we get as an output."

Those who make billions of dollars aren't "billions of times smarter" than the rest of us ... they just use their time differently.

Budget some self-improvement time for yourself -- most everything you know today will be obsolete in five years.