Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com

Fight for Your Business

The two teenage boys wore cargo shorts and t-shirts.
Their sneakers looked worn. They were just average kids-
except that they stood at attention – every morning.

I was perhaps the only spectator who watched them each
day at the high school.

I found them extraordinary, riveting really.

Why?

Because of the way they stood together.
One clutched the perfectly folded American Flag to his
chest as they marched succinctly towards the pole.
Methodically and carefully they unfolded and raised
the Red, White and Blue.
They were not an army – they were a simple color guard
of  two or sometimes three.

With never an audience, they presented the colors
flawlessly. As the flag went up, they saluted.
When they exited, they did so in equally crisp unison.

On certain days they wore their ROTC uniforms but
even in plain clothes, they inspired me.

They demonstrated honor. They demonstrated doing
things correctly – even when surrounded by those who
could care less.

They made me proud. They made me want to excel
in the details. They made me want to win the battles
that I am called to fight.

And fight I will…

I told you before that I am personally donating a hundred
thousand dollars to stop child trafficking.

Okay, maybe I didn’t tell you. I may have just mentioned
that I was raising money for a charity. This is a tough
charity – one that employs Navy Seals to stop predators.
Sickening predators -the worst of the worst. (In case
you don’t know, selling children up to 20 times a day
for sex is BIG BUSINESS. – right here in the USA. It’s
more lucrative to sickos than drugs or arms trafficking.)

However, just getting one predator off the street is equal
to rescuing 200 victims. We are committed to this.

How am I raising money? I am connecting people,
solving problems, bringing hope and
helping life-giving entrepreneurs build their businesses
upon proven systems.

On this memorial week, I would like to offer you a chance
to take my free online mini-business xray.

If you have a business, or are in business, it would be

my honor to help you prosper the most in it.
I have invested heavily in a team of experts
with  systems to help you truly get a breakthrough in
your business and life.

Together we can accomplish so much more.

Just click this link and you will be taken to an online
assessment which takes about 10 minutes to complete.
(and yes, your answers are safe and confidential)

I am passionate about seeing your business flourish
in every way – as I fight against business built on evil.

I am convinced that we can create something beautiful
to end something hideous.

Join me. I plan to WIN!

As always, I’m in your corner,

Gina

Free online Mini-business X-ray:
http://bit.ly/minixray

After that, learn more about my cause by visiting
http://www.SCTnow.org

Again – check out this free Mini-Business X-ray
and share it with all the professionals you know.
http://bit.ly/minixray

P.S. I am heading to California in a few days
with my  business partners to see how we can
make a huge difference in the lives of thousands
of people.

I will keep you posted!

“No gold-digging for me… I take diamonds! We may be off the gold standard someday.” -Mae West

Gold-digging

There is a word we are taught in sales and marketing and it is a word I can’t STAND. That word is “prospecting.”

Technically, prospecting is defined as simply searching for potential buyers or customers. Of course doing this correctly requires a whole different vocabulary and mindset in my book – but for now, we’ll stick with this “P” word.

“Prospecting” creates the image in my mind of a gold-rusher. I think of Disney’s character, Stinky Pete from Toy Story 2, who turned out to be  greedy and conniving and full of fear.  Just think of the term “gold-digger,” it refers to people who are after another person’s money, usually referring to women who seduce certain men to access their wealth.

Is this any way to think about your own life and livelihood? Of course not. Yuck!

You may be certain that this train of thought is a million miles from you in your business dealings,  but if you are trying to build any of your life or livelihood from a place of fear, you can’t help but operate from a gold-digging place.

Solution – be a Well-Digger instead.

In contrast to the gold-digger, I’d like you to meet Isaac the Well-Digger.

Isaac was the son of Abraham, and the father of Jacob. In Judeo-Christian circles, these three guys are the big patriarchs.  Here’s what we know about Isaac. He did not try to manipulate anybody in order to prosper when times were tough. In fact, one time during a severe famine, God specifically told Isaac to stay right where he was and plant a crop. Although this made no sense in the natural, Isaac did it and his obedience was rewarded with a 100 fold return.

The next thing Isaac did was go dig open some wells that his father had dug, which the enemies had stopped up.

Wherever you and I go, there are people who are dealing with heartache caused by an enemy. They have been crushed by enemies of doubt and fear. They have been robbed by sickness and worry. They have been beaten down with failure and disappointment.   They are aching for solutions to their problems.  When you are a well-digger, you know that your job is to bring rest and refreshing. You are a purveyor of hope, a carrier of solutions.

St. Francis said it this way,

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

Did you know that supernatural peace is a force that leaves everything whole? True peace means that nothing is broken, crushed, missing.  Can you be an instrument of that kind of peace wherever you go?   Of course!

When you do, you have no fear of your own life manifesting brokenness. Your harvest comes as you sow.

Instead of going out digging for gold, you are going out – looking for who you can help. Who needs you? You’re on your way.

Inside your invisible backpack, you carry the belief, “I’ve got something. I’m going somewhere, and things change when I get there!”  There will always be a reward for you with that attitude.

Are you a gold-digger or a well-digger?

It doesn’t matter what you were yesterday. Today you can choose to dig wells of refreshing – and in return find a surprising reward of true gold. Believe for seed to sow. Believe that you are worthy of the harvest.

Now, get out there!

I’m in your corner,

Gina Parris

P.S. One way to definitely succeed as a well-digger is to hang around other well-diggers who are wildly successful.  For this reason, I recommend joining me as I hang out with Dr. Mollie Marti at the Best Life Design Community. You can have lifetime access for just ONE DOLLAR! $1.00  Please come on over! http://bit.ly/BestLife and let me know what you think!

Photo credit: charmaineswart from morguefile.com

The Ministry of Marketing – Getting Over the Aversion

“Hark the herald angels sing…”

Many marketplace believers truly struggle with actually marketing their business. They see marketing as human manipulation. They fear it is a display of self-promotion when it may be “holier,” to rely on God to bring promotion on His own.  Although it is certainly possible to drift into manipulation or self-promotion, like all two edged swords, there is a beautiful, life giving side to marketing that I hope you will embrace. I call it, “The Ministry of Marketing.”

Why we love marketing

Marketing is simply taking our message to those who need to hear it, rather than waiting for them to find us. Just as the Lord came to “seek and to save those who were lost,” so the marketer goes to seek and to “save” (solve a problem or provide pleasure) those who need our product or service. It’s called “doing business,” and it is every bit as sacred as coming to church and praying. Everything the believer does can be an act of worship, including being ourselves in the marketplace. We love marketing because we will always touch more people with our marketing than with our service or product itself. Therefore, it is worthwhile to discover a Biblical model for getting our message to as many people as possible.

Biblical Model for Marketing

Habakkuk 2:2 “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets that a herald may run with it.”

It is not my goal to take this verse out of its beautiful context, but rather to apply the principles of it to our every-day business life.

1. Write down the revelation (Vision)

In recent decades there has been a great deal of talk about vision statements, and mission statements. These start with revelation. As believers it is our privilege to be led by the Spirit of God. When heading into the marketplace, it is best to be very clear about who we serve and what we bring. In the marketplace people give money in exchange for having a problem solved or a pleasure gained. It’s a beautiful thing. We should be able to answer the questions, “What benefits do we bring with this product or service, to whom, and why?” Hopefully the answer includes the idea that it’s “because we care, and we bring something special to the consumer.”  These are elements of our Marketing Message.

1. Make it plain on tablets

The clarity with which we communicate our message has everything to do with our success in business. After all, “How can they believe except they hear?” is just as applicable to business as it is to the message of the gospel.  In Habakkuk the prophet was told to write his message on tablets of stone because that was how messages were carried back then. Today we could say, make the message clear in print, on t-shirts, on telephone, on radio, on TV, on the internet, on Youtube, on Facebook, on Twitter… because that is how we carry messages now. These are elements of our marketing Media.

1. That a herald may run with it

My favorite part – the human element, or is this the angelic element? The marketer is simply a herald, as in “Hark the herald angels sing.” Let’s look at the Bible.

Luke 2:8-14 …and suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

That was quite a message originally shared with a very “niche market” – a few shepherds. But it was strategic, clear and effective enough to send the shepherds running to the newborn king.

As believers in business, we get to herald our message to our precious market – those who are called to work with us. In the process, we get to touch, educate, empower, and bless many, many more than those who actually give us money. Knowing the pains and problems of our target clients and customers is part of our Marketing Calling. So, the ministry of marketing is a noble thing indeed, and as believers we should be hungry to excel at it, lest those who are called to our circle become seduced instead, by those who could do them harm.

Gina Parris is a professional speaker and the founder of Built to Win Coaching where she helps entrepreneurs around the world to fulfill their God-given potential – joyfully. Sign up for her free Mental Mastery Mini-course at www.GinaParris.com

Karen sniffed as she pondered one of the questions. She felt
the tears rise up and finally she wept. There were so many people
whom she loved dearly; so many people who loved her back. But
they all had differing opinions about the areas that touched her
life – especially about finances.

Around some loved ones, she felt guilty for making money. Around
others she felt ashamed for not making more.

These feelings were subtle too -something she’d never really thought
about, but they had a direct affect on her results.

Can you relate?

Within a few months however, Karen was able to completely shift
the way she saw herself, her career and her contribution. Among
other results, she more than TRIPLED HER INCOME even though
she is a real estate agent in the so-called worst housing market
in decades.

Here’s part of a letter she wrote me.

Imagine yourself writing a joyful letter in the months to come…

“Gina,

Wow, I just had my annual performance review with my Broker
today, going over last year’s goals and achievements as well as
setting goals for 2009.

It was amazing to see everything in black and white:
I tripled the number of closings that I had in 2007, tripled
my sales volume and more than tripled my income this year! I also
added 50 people to my sphere of influence.

Considering the state of the economy and the media portrayal of
the housing market, this is truly astonishing.

You really helped me to clarify my “real values” in order to help me set
meaningful goals for myself. My outlook is so much more positive, and
I know at least three things that I didn’t know before working with you:

1) It’s not “what” I do that matters it’s “why” I do it.
2) I truly can do anything I set my “heart” on. There are no physical
limitations, it’s all energy!
3)”A rising tide lifts all boats”.

Thank you for an amazing turn around in my career and personal life.
You are uniquely gifted to do what you do.

Sincerely,

Karen Tibbals
Century 21 Mid-State Realty, LLC “

Great job Karen!!

So today may you remember those same lessons can lift you up
as well!

-Find Your “WHY!”

-Remember it’s all energy – there are no limits!

-Your success brings MORE success to everybody around you,
so go for it!

As you do, I’ll be here – CHEERING YOU ON!

In your corner,

P.S. -
STRATEGY SESSION FOR FREE? Yes – for one more
week. Here’s how:

Go to this link
http://www.builttowincoaching.com/promo.html
and when you order, there will be a place for
a coupon code: NEW YEAR

When you type NEW YEAR in the coupon code, it will take
off the $79 dollars and you can meet with me and take steps
towards your own success story.

You are worth it!

P.P.S.

I am creating a wonderful new product which is distinctly
FEMININE in its target. (Yes, it’s all about S-E-X and

Bless you!

Note: I will be hosting a complimentary
telephone seminar on this topic: Here’s the
details:
Date: Tuesday Dec 9
Time: 7 PM Central Time

(5 PM Pacific / 6 PM Mountain / 8 PM Eastern)

Here’s the phone number:
1 (712) 451-6000 access code: 664899#

GET MORE CLIENTS – Faster than Ever

Have you ever looked at your schedule and thought,
“I really wish I had some more clients right now?”

Well, let me share with you one of my favorite ways
to pick up new high paying clients and to grow my
list of subscribers:

GO SERVE SOMEONE ELSE’S CLIENTS WHO
DON’T CURRENTLY HAVE ACCESS TO WHAT
YOU OFFER.

Connect with a friend who already serves your same
ideal client in a non-competing way, and offer to serve
those people as a gift from your friend. That’s called
a Joint Venture.

Here’s How I like to do it:

I put on some high value seminars such as my favorite-
“Repack Your Backpack -for a Business Breakthrough” or
or “The Ultimate Marketing Makeover to Get Clients Now“

I also have friends in different cities through different
circles who have relationships with my ideal clients.
Some of these friends are financial planners, some are
bankers, some are other small business owners.

What we do is create an event for their list. This event
is a generous gift from my Joint Venture partner, because
when I’m hired by bigger corporations for these talks
they are pretty pricey. It is a way for my venture partner
to show their clients that they care about their success.

Here’s some steps to make it work:

-Venue: Hold it in as lovely a place as possible. Your
country club, city club, or if you or your partner has
your own beautiful office suite with conference
room, that ‘s good too.
Snacks?
Yes.

-Marketing: Invest in high quality direct response flyers,
invitations, and letters that you prepare for your partner.
You may want to put a price on the tickets, to show that
its a valuable gift from your partner. Also, create press
releases for them to give their newspaper.

-Title: Make sure that your event is about something that
matters to the audience – not just to you. Use all the rules
that apply to creating great headlines.

-Outcome: Plan your desired outcome first and design your
presentation around that. Aim for a special offer for the
audience that the every day person can’t get from you. I.E:
“To thank so-and-so for inviting you here today, I am throwing
in all these valuable bonuses
for free.” (and make it truly special – be authentic here.)

-Content: This goes back to the Title – make it truly valuable
information that they can use right away.

In the end, your J.V. partners may reactivate their best prospects
(past clients), and also create a way to stand out from their
competition, and you will grow your platform and probably
pick up new clients as well. Your relationship with those partners
gives you instant credibility.

Assignment: Create a list of people you know who could benefit
from you serving their community. Then start calling them up
saying, “How would you like to give something of great value to
your clients that costs you very little?” and go from there.

If you would like more lessons in how to get more clients
quickly, than make a note of our COMPLIMENTARY
tele-seminar:
The Ultimate Marketing Makeover to Get Clients Now

Date: Tuesday Dec 9
Time: 7 PM Central Time

(5 PM Pacific / 6 PM Mountain / 8 PM Eastern)

Here’s the phone number:
1 (712) 451-6000 access code: 664899#

Looking forward to it,

Gina

P.S. If you are reading this, thinking you would
like to host a seminar for your clients, let me know.
We can probably work it out.

P.P.S. – What is your favorite way to get new
clients?