Obama nor McCain Can Save You

Neither of the candidates running for the 2008 US Presidency can save you, your family, or your business during these current economic waters. Only YOU and YOUR TEAM can get you to "success" side of this economic contraction. The recent pullback in the market and any pain you may be experiencing is only an indication that you underestimated what it takes to create success for yourself and your company. If you think the outcome of the 2008 election is going to resolve your situation you will be sadly disappointed regardless of which party wins.

I have been telling business owners for years, do not rest on your laurels just because things are good. Any problems you are experiencing today was because you didn't properly prepare yourself yesterday. The reality is the problem existed years ago, but because the economic wind was at your back you didn't know it, until now.

Now it is back to basics; hard work, daily training, everyone pulling together and a relentless persistence t0 get the job done. Your daily efforts need to be a laser focus on moving you toward your destination, everyone KNOWING the destination you strive for, and the entire team pulling together! You have to knock off all foolishness, playtime, negative talk/think and pull together like it is a life or death matter!

1) Know where you want to go.
2) Know what it takes to get there.
3) Know how to do what it takes to get there.
4) Know through inspection that you are doing what it takes each day.

Neither a Democrat, a Republican, or anyone else can help you more than your daily effort to KNOW more and DO more. The more you know, the more you can do. The more you can do the more you will do! And more is critical during times where there appears to be less.

Grant Cardone, Author Selling the Secret to Success and Business Coach

TREAT ECONOMY AS TERMINAL DISEASE!

You need to treat the current economic climate as you would a terminal disease! If you were told you had a terminal disease what would you do? Unless you are ready to surrender and die, you would seek every possible solution? You would spend your last dollars in order to find a cure? You would travel to every corner of the planet seeking a solution? You would learn everything you could about the disease so you could find a solution to it!

This is exactly how individuals and businesses need to respond to the current economic situation. The economy is sick and it is no longer important that it is sick or how it got sick or who is to blame! The only thing that is important is what are YOU going to to find your cure!

There are only three possible actions to take and only one is correct:
1) Ignore- (that is what got us here- unwilling to confront the problem)
2) Retreat- (cut back, contract and get smaller- ultimately cease to exist)
3) Attack- (do everything possible to expand and live- survival)

Individuals, businesses and entire governments have already been through the stage of ignoring. (See foreclosures as one example of ignoring). This article is for those that are beyond ignoring and who are deciding whether to retreat or attack.

(SHOW THIS TO EXECUTIVES WHERE YOU WORK)

Most will incorrectly elect actions to retreat as a way to survive. Retreating shows up in management electing to cut spending, reduce payroll, stop hiring, eliminate advertising and quit training. While retreating may seem like the logical thing to do, you would never do this if you knew you had a terminal illness.

While it may seem counter intuitive to expand and attack the market at this time this is the only solution that will ensure you are a winner on the other side of the current scene.

Wilma Rudolph was the 20th of 22 children. She was born prematurely and her survival was doubtful. When she was 4 years old, she contacted double pneumonia and scarlet fever, which left her with a paralyzed left leg. At age 9, she removed the metal leg brace she had been dependent on and began to walk without it. By 13 she had developed rhythmic walk, which doctors said was a miracle. That same year she decided to become a runner and for the next few years she came in last in every race she entered. Everyone told her to quit, but she kept on running. One day she actually won a race and from then went on to win every race she entered. Eventually this little girl, who was told she would never walk again, went on to win three Olympic gold medals.

You can't win the race by not running. You can't hit the ball without swinging. You can't win in life by quitting and you will never find a cure by ignoring or retreating. "Approach your business challenges the same way you would a terminal disease- attack with all your resources, never retreat and never ignore!"

Grant Cardone, Author and Business Coach

Call 800-368-5771 to discuss your business strategies.

Market Place Rewards the UNREASONABLE

Now is the time to get UNREASONABLE and EXTREME with your business!  You must get unreasonable with how many calls you make, how many clients you contact and how you insist on getting business in today's market.  Management must get unreasonable, even extreme, in their expectations,  in order to keep production at levels necessary to keep those same people employed!  

"YOU MUST GET UNREASONABLE, EVEN EXTREME AT TIMES LIKE THESE TO INSURE SURVIVAL."

Reasonable is defined as, having sound judgement, fair and sensible,  

Unreasonable would then be defined as, NOT having sound judgement, NOT fair, NOT sensible. Now is the time to NOT have sound judgement. Now is the time to NOT be, what you consider, fair. Now is the time to throw sensible out the window.   That is right I am telling you to not be sensible as sensible will not get the job done as the marketplace contracts!   You have to get unreasonable in every regards now in order to survive!  

"You must get unreasonable in the market place or the marketplace will punish you." 

Most people only take enough action to get by and when the marketplace contracts they start paying painfully in the forms of reduced production. The marketplace punishes those that are reasonable in times of contraction!  The marketplace punishes those that only take enough action as they never reach the level of action necessary to survive and prosper.  These people get punished because they are still taking the same amount of action as when the marketplace was expanding and are not compensating for the change in the market!   

There are three sets of people exerting different levels of action in the workforce and each group will suffer in different ways.

1) Weak employee's that has never exerted enough effort- the first to lose his job.

2) Good dependable trustworthy employee's that only exert reasonable amounts of effort- (this represents most of the workforce). They are at risk and will probably lose current pay plan unless they become unreasonable.

3) Those willing to do whatever it takes.  These people will not get cut, not be at risk and become even more valuable to the company.  They will actually be better off when contraction ends!

These three levels can also relate to management and entire companies.   The difference in these three levels comes down to creating enough action to get the job done regardless of the obstacles!   

So what is enough effort? This is the first thing NASA gets the answer to when figuring out what it take to get a rocket to launch, how much effort is necessary.  In business enough effort is when you create new problems for yourself!  Not enough action or effort yields familiar or the same problems.  

Example of familiar problems- (not desirable)

1. not enough production, results or income
   
2. appointments cancelled 
   
3. customers satisfied but not enough of them.

Examples of New Problems (desirable)

1. too much production and can't deliver it
   
2. too many appointments showing up all at the same time, 
3. customers angry because you called them too much
   

You will have created enough action through your efforts when you get new problems.  Most people and businesses have the same problems over and over and never seek new problems. 

GET UNREASONABLE WITH THE AMOUNT OF ACTION YOU ARE TAKING IN THE MARKET PLACE AND THE MARKET PLACE WILL REWARD YOU.  BE REASONABLE AND YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!   

Grant Cardone, Author  Selling the Secret to Success

More on Grant Cardone

Survive Recession

I recently did a book signing to a packed house at the historical Book Soup in Los Angeles and I told the audience that while the great business schools of America will tell you that one of the top reasons for business failure is undercapitalization, I believe that the number one reason a business or for that fact an individual fails in accomplishing its endeavors (regardless of the endeavor) is "it’s inability to sell products in quantities great enough, at prices high enough and at speeds fast enough to capitalize the business, the idea or whatever it is the company or individual’s survival depends on."

Take any failure you have had in your lifetime or any business failure that you have witnessed and you will see the individual or company was unable to gets its products into the marketplace at quantities great enough, fast enough and at prices high enough. While cash is necessary to fund any business it cannot be the determining factor! No matter how much cash the business or individual has, sooner or later you have to get your products and services funded by others through selling or you will burn through your cash. (See my article at Huffington Post where I am now blogging weekly.)

Consider the fact that selling is not even taught at these business schools and that alone would suggest that this is the great weakness of individuals and companies. Apple sits on 15 billion in cash because it sells its products in quantities great enough. Other companies, like UA, burn through cash due to it's inability to sell product at prices great enough. (See Price Myth Article).

This formula also proves true for individuals and households, and is not limited to just business. Every person has products and services that they either exchange or don't exchange with the market! Regardless of how superior your product, service or idea may be, your survival depends on your ability to get your products, services or ideas into the marketplace and funded. If you wanted to get a promotion, an idea, then you would have to sell someone on that. And if you can't sell the idea you will not be assured of the promotion!

Selling is not an activity of the business but the life-blood of it! Selling is not something you have a choice to do, anymore than you have a choice to breathe or eat. If you have any disdain or dislike for this thing called, selling, it is only because don’t know how important it is to your survival and/or don’t understand how to successfully get the job done.

Long time oil man, J. C. Walter, III – President of Walter Oil & Gas Corporation wrote me after reading my book, “No matter where you fall in the “food chain of life”, you need to be able to sell yourself to others.”

Kerri Kasem, radio personality says after reading the book, “Selling the Secret to Success should be put in the hands of anyone who wants to run a successful company and should be the "Bible" for anyone in sales. This book is so amazing, YOU HAVE TO READ IT.“

If you haven’t read it ,Selling the Secret to Success get it. If you have read it, read it again and then make sure your spouse reads it. The book that is being described at The Think and Grow Rich of the 21st Century will be released on audio at the end of July.

Order yours now so you can listen to it in your car as Grant expounds on each of the seventeen chapters! Call 800-368-5771 or by clicking on the title above.

Grant Cardone, Author and CEO

Also see Grant on Fox Business