The Rise of the Dragon

How many times have you heard a friend, family member, vendor, etc. say “I’ll call you tomorrow” and they don’t; or, “I’ll meet you at 3pm” and they don’t show until 3:10 or later? If this happens over and over, then what does this do to your reputation? Others are going to think you are always late or will not take you seriously with what you say.

This is not a reputation that breeds success for any entrepreneur. Image, no matter the size of the organization or title of the person, is EVERYTHING. It is extremely important to create an image where those you work with will have confidence in you and your abilities. Nothing drives me more crazy as when a vendor tells me they will do something within a certain time frame and then they don’t. It does not matter how good a job they do I will most likely not ask them to do anything for me again.

For example, I recently had my company website redone. It has turned out to be a million times better than what we had previously. We are extremely happy with the website; however, it came 3 weeks after we asked for it and email responses took days to receive. What is the image this creates for a client when you are late with everything? You may be really busy and unable to respond to your client’s email, but the client doesn’t care! When they contact you or if you say you will do something for them, they expect it completed within that time. This is the easiest way to lose business, if that is what you want to do.

The next time you receive an email from a client or potential client, it is extremely important to respond within a couple of hours. Even if you give a short reply that you are busy in a meeting at the doctor, etc. your client will appreciate the quick response and know you are not ignoring them. If you say to a friend, family member, client, or vendor you will do something, make sure you do it! It is never too late to breed the reputation of integrity. Remember, people are more willing to do business with those they trust and can rely on. If too many clients is hindering your ability to promptly deal with all your clients, then get some help or learn to say no.

This morning, I was driving to an appointment about 20 minutes away from my office. As I was turning onto the on-ramp of the freeway, the left turn lane of the opposite side of traffic had come to a stop; however, there was a truck second in line in the turn lane with stickers plastered all over the vehicle identified it as “Jump On It” made a quick left turn onto the ramp before oncoming traffic came driving through the intersection.

As we entered the freeway, before the on-ramp lane had ended, the truck had pulled into two lanes, ready to make a lane change as soon as we had merged with the freeway. This truck continued to weave back and forth between cars traveling well above the speed limit.

You may think that this is not that big of a deal. WRONG! Not only is this not dangerous and illegal, but what does that do to your image? You cut off traffic, speed, weave in and out of lanes. The driver may have got to work on-time, but at the expense of the image of the company. People and organizations spend thousands of dollars and hours on trying to build an image where potential and current customers will feel confident in them. However, it only takes one… ONE stupid act and this entire image can be destroyed.

I may never purchase anything from this company, but do you think the next time my friend is looking for a service similar to “Jump On It” I going to recommend them? Probably not.

As entrepreneurs, one of the important jobs you have is to create an image where potential and current customers will have confidence in you. It is difficult to always be mindful of your image, but remember it only takes one careless act to destroy it.  A study conducted in Texas found that on average one dissatisfied customers tells 11 people about their experience and those 11 go on to tell 5 others.  That’s 66 people for every one dissatisfied customer.

Take a look at all the successful people in the world.  How many of these people talk about thinking positive and enduring?  How many of these people made it in the face of opposition?  I have never heard of any successful person not mention the power of positive thinking.

When a person thinks positively, they are:

X – Happier.  Negative thoughts are what block these negative thoughts from entering the mind, which makes you happier.

Y – More Productive.  When we are happy, we have more energy to get things done.  When we get things done, we become more productive. 

Z – More Capable.  When we think positively about ourselves, situations, or others, we become more capable of accomplishing objectives we previously thought impossible.  Capability is 20% ability and 80% believing you can.

Positive thinking is a matter of self control and overcoming our natural selves.  Here are a few recommendations to being harnessing the power of positive thinking:

W – 7-day Challenge. In T. Harv Eker’s Secrets of a Millionaire Mind, he challenges the reader to go one week without a negative thought.  I give you the same challenge here.  You may not make it the entire week without a negative thought, but by making a conscious effort there will be a noticeable difference.

X – Recognize and Eliminate. When a negative thought does come, immediate recognize it and say to yourself: “cancel that!”  This will help you eliminate this thought and continue on your way.

Y – Stay away from complacency.  When a person becomes complacent, they begin to think, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  However, when this deep contemplation goes on too long, a person tends to over analyze and blow things out of proportion.  Think and contemplate, but do not meddle in this thought too long.  Make a list of things you need to do, whether it be work, personal, or spiritual, it does not matter.  Don’t tell me there is nothing to do, because I would call you a LIAR!  If you need something to do, let me know and I can find plenty of work for you.  Make it a goal to accomplish something from this list each day.  You will quickly begin to feel better about your self and also be more productive; a dual benefit.

Z – Smile, Sincerely.  When we smile, sincerely, it is difficult to think negatively about someone or something.  A sincere smile brings a certain positive feeling to us, a glow that no other action can bring.  People who smile are happier and look at life in a more positive way.  If you believe science, when we smile there is something called endorphins released into your brain which are responsible for positive moods.