Monthly Archives: May 2014

What Does It Take To Be Successful Today?

17 Saturday May 2014

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Success

Good Fortune is the most elusive part of Success

First, realize that people do not care about you as much as you think they might and that the people who truly care about you are not interested in your accomplishments and possessions. They are interested in you. When you find people who really care about you, do everything you can to hold onto them; they are your most precious assets, they will be your foundation.

Arranging your life around money will never bring you success. Focus on people who you care about, people who care about you, on your passion. Figure out what elicits certain responses from people, and you will be better able to favorably influence others in your favor. When you know how to speak to change someone’s mind, to instill confidence in someone, to quiet the fears of a child, then you will know firsthand what real power is all about.

Prepare for the unexpected and whatever your passion is, always make sure to fully understand the way things are working. While doing this, always keep up in mind that no amount of knowledge can prepare you for chaos that will inevitably hit you one day. Just always make sure to have a Plan B; you cannot let events and others define or tell you who you are.

Today, to become successful, there is no shortcut; you have to outperform the other guy, you have to outperform the competition. Always go beyond what is required and, when you will reach the top, start competing compete with yourself. Meantime, be self-aware. If you can see yourself the way others see you, you will be able to work with and get along with others more easily.

You want to move along and differentiate yourself from others, just remember that biases always affect everything you do. Your worldview works its way into every decision you make. If you know your biases, you can minimize acting selfishly and do what is right for the situation. Living in the present will keep you focused. Accept that the past cannot be changed, and everyday that goes by, make the most of what is in front of you.

Except for errands and petty tasks, do not surround yourself with “yes-men”; avoid them as much as possible. Only people who are very different from you can benefit you and enrich your life by providing new perspectives and learning experiences. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people will not only limit your creativity, it will impair it by denying you of all form of possible challenges.

Keep an open mind and if possible, travel and travel even more. Not only will it expose you to other ways of thinking, of living or doing things, it will also provide you with new perspectives on life, it will take you out of your comfort zone and allow you to challenge your own personal beliefs. Never take anything for granted. It is important to keep taking risks to investigate all possibilities until you find your passion.

Take care of your health and protect your reputation. You cannot focus on being successful if you are continually indulging your vices or ignoring health problems that are the potential cause of all your possible setbacks. Above everything else, your reputation must be protected. Guard your reputation; make it your first priority to be honest, reliable, and kind, and others will notice and reward you with their trust.

Control yourself; always stay in control of your emotions. Anger or panic should never impair decision-making process; a knee-jerk reaction can destroy a lifetime of efforts and work in one moment. Forgive others and forgive yourself. Strangers and loved ones alike will always hurt and disappoint you in some way; this is a fact of life. React accordingly, react appropriately but never hold grudges.

Life is short and we live in a world much bigger than ourselves. There is a lot we do not know, a lot you do not know. Nobody knows everything. Always seek the greater purpose. Think strategically. Think systemically. Use a sense of urgency to make the most of your time. If there is a task you can delegate to someone better suited for it, then do it. If there is a discussion about something you are not sufficiently knowledgeable about, resist the urge to jump in. Be honest with yourself. If you are to grow as a person, it is important to see unpleasant things for what they are.

Success is a choice; your choice. Success is a decision; your decision. Choosing to be successful and optimistic, regardless of the situation, yields more happiness than negativity. Everyone is afraid of failing; everyone hurts somehow. Nothing is perfect in this world and truthfully enough, unlike in the movies, the good guys do not always win.The successful ones know how to accept their fears and keep anxiety from restraining them.

Good fortune is the most elusive aspect of success; only confidence in yourself will take you places. Believe in yourself and be kind to everyone. People will believe and trust you; they will reward you with their trust.

Moving forward is the key to success.

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

Content Marketing and Media Exposure

16 Friday May 2014

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Content Marketing

Expand your credibility: Syndicate your content!

Media generally does not generally pick up content and content never goes viral on its own.

You are already involved in content marketing; here is what to do next.

Your first critical step is to build your media network. Seek out all what you can about the people who write about the topics you are interested in. Get to know these people. Share their content. Bring them story ideas even when you have nothing to gain personally from them. Most journalists and bloggers use Twitter to find their stories. You absolutely have to be connecting with them on Twitter. Journalists and bloggers can help spread the word especially when your story is relevant and interesting to their audience.

A picture is worth a thousand words; optimize your visual assets. For every article, find a picture, an illustration that delivers the message that you want to convey, an illustration that speaks to the reader, that drives the nail down. Use descriptive filenames for your illustrations, optimize your alt tags, and use image site maps to ensure your visual assets are findable.

Over and above everything else, think strategically, think systemically; think of your content as being a part of a greater project: Getting the Maximum, the Greatest Exposure Possible and never let a story die. Always come up with at least three follow-up articles referring back to the original story and syndicate your content. If you’re putting time and effort into developing your own stories, syndicate your blog content.

It definitely helps expand your reach and credibility with media when you are appearing in mainstream media outlets. Target International Press, media outlets that translate articles from one language to another, like AP, AFP, Thompson Reuters, Dow Jones, and IDG. If you’re appearing in these massive publications, you will have no trouble attracting smaller, international local news outlets. Finally, Do not neglect Traditional Media. Coverage by the traditional medias always turns out to be a great driver for more press pickups. Today, all television and radio stations also have digital outlets and are still incredibly effective for authority building.

Make sure you know everywhere the content will end up so you can promote it through your own social and email marketing channels.

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

The Ultimate Negotiation Weapon: The First Offer!

15 Thursday May 2014

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First Move

Do not be a wimp: The Anchoring Principle, Focalism

Here is why you should always make the first offer

Contrary to popular belief, common sense and common wisdom, people who make the opening offer in a negotiation have the upper hand. This is a corollary of this psychological heuristic known as “Anchoring” or “Focalism”, a cognitive bias describing the common human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered [The Anchor] when making decisions. In any negotiation, whoever makes the first offer establishes the range of possible variation from that anchor. If you start with high expectations, the “adverse” party may adjust down slightly. For any skilled negotiator, this is a stronger position than starting low and trying to negotiate uphill.

In a negotiation, whoever makes the first offer drops an anchor on the table. It might be a ridiculous opening offer,  nevertheless, unconsciously, an anchor has been dropped on the table influencing the overall negotiation process. An aggressive opening offer makes people consider the seriousness of your approach, the positive qualities and value of your proposal. On the other hand, a low opening offer or proposal makes people dubious and reconsider twice what might go wrong or be wrong on your side of the negotiation table.

Many negotiators fear that an aggressive first offer will scare or annoy the other side; this is a common false and exaggerated belief. Act as a winner, not a “Wimp” and “Shoot to Kill”. Start the negotiation with a high but not overly aggressive offer. Rather than explicitly ask for it, introduce a relevant number or offer and, wait! Stop talking and wait; from this point on, whoever talks first loses.

The next time you enter a negotiation, put your offer on the table first. Do not give yourself away. Just do not be shy and learn to keep your mouth shut!

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

Thinking Without Action is not Strategic Thinking

14 Wednesday May 2014

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Not thinker

Spending too much time thinking without taking action! That is definitely not strategic thinking.

“Strategic thinking is about prioritizing tasks and decisions and executing on them well. Unfortunately, too many business leaders often have the wrong idea about the concept.”

Strategic thinking is about managing what to do and, what not to do. Usually, it simply means deciding to move some initiatives to the back burner to concentrate the bulk of your resources in a single key area or issue. While productivity is about “getting things done”, strategic thinking is about “getting the right things done” and this, as well as possible. This implies and, most than often, requires that some things will necessary have to be left undone. Productivity is everything about volume while strategic thinking is anything and everything about excellence. Without appropriate strategic thinking, productivity is meaningless.

For a manager, “labeling” things that are important and not important is essentially and nearly an impossible task. Every project that people are working on, this project is somehow “important” to them. For every one of their promoters, in some vague way, these projects all add some kind of value to the enterprise. The strategic leaders must consciously table some important projects or ignore some important opportunities to focus on the relevant issue at hand. Being strategic is to be able to decide which project will contribute most to the company’s mission, and focus on that project. Completing “important” projects on a first-come, first-served basis is not what we call being strategic.

Yes indeed, strategic thinking is something of an incongruity, because the term is missing the most important part of the concept: “Strategic Action.” Strategic thinking involves that thinking always must be followed by a decision that can be executed. “Strategic Thinking” must always yield and lead to “Strategic Action.” In spite of the uncertainty, the complexity or even the ever-present possibility of failure, a strategic leader and thinker must eventually step up to the plate and make the call about what is to be or not to be focus on.

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

Get a Customer First!

13 Tuesday May 2014

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Customer

Slow down: Get a customer first!

If you build it, they may not come.

While you are focusing all your resources on product development, looking for the perfect product or service, just remember that it is really hard to get a thousand customers without getting the first one. Your product or proposed service just does not matter, at least not at the level you think it must. Think thinking strategically and spend at least as much time on customer development as you do on your product or service development.

You want to succeed? You want to penetrate the market? Force the discipline of spending brain time on this issue. Bake customer development into your planning sessions. As a leader, make your actions speak loudly: “GO GET A CUSTOMER!” Get out of the office and go get a customer. Now that you have a customer, develop the perfect product or service for that customer and keep on doing the same thing for all the other customers to come.

Whatever you do, whatever service you provide, make finding your first fifty, your first one hundred customers your primary goal!

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

 

Trust, Personal Contacts and Relationships

12 Monday May 2014

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trust_script

Trust is everything

Being trusted and knowing whom to trust is the killer skill of life. No other attribute and ability so clearly delineates the difference between success and failure.

Today, trust is playing an increasingly pivotal role in all possible endeavors of humanity, either the business, personal or professional world. You want to make it! Do not do the right thing, the proper thing, and the ethical thing to be done only when someone is watching. Whatever you do, whatever you say, always do or say what is right to be done or said. Be proper and ethical in everything you say or do and above everything else, always make sure to never fudge the truth.

Always do the right things and do them right

When interacting with people, focus all of your attention on the other person; don’t peck away on a digital device. Turn off your phone and tell that person that you are meeting with: “I don’t want to be interrupted while we are talking.” Doing so distinguishes you from this ever-increasing mass of people who, without any kind of respect for their interlocutors, listen with one ear and either talk, or do anything else when they should be listening.

Learn to value true relationships

True relationships are everything! Learn to differentiate between people you can count on, people you can trust and people who only pretend to be reliable and trustworthy. Not everyone is worthy of your trust and not everyone is worthy of being one of your friends. Be trustworthy and reliable, deal only with the reliable and trustworthy and over and above everything else, avoid people who only pretend to be reliable and trustworthy.

You do not have to help or to be friend with everyone

If necessary, put your friend or wannabe friend to the test. There is a time in life where you have to decide who, without any expectation of getting something in return, is worthy to be your friend. There is a time in life, where you have to decide who you are willing to share with and confide in without having to fear, people that you can trust. Those are the only relationships that should matter to you. If you have no such relationships, it is about time to re-evaluate your life. There is no greater warning sign of danger ahead than to be utterly self-sufficient and self-absorbed.

Alone, you are not getting anywhere.

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD [jmdlive.com] is a Public Affairs & Communications Strategist, a miracle worker for entrepreneurs, executives and social innovators.

The Local Café: The Only Office One Needs

09 Friday May 2014

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DV-00147797-001

Business in the cafe

Why pay for an over expensively designed and expensively rented offices spaces when you can spend most of your time meeting with clients at Starbucks, Second Cup or any other similar meeting place which offers free Wi-Fi, a place to park your laptop, and a never-ending supply of caffeine?

The low level of noise and casual movement of people in a Coffee Shop or a similar atmosphere is actually a driver for increased productivity and creativity. People need to feel inspired and motivated. Working from cafes places gives you both every day.

They can also provide you with the most interesting scenery

JMD

jmdlive@live.ca

Michel Ouellette JMD is a talented keynote and motivational speaker, public affairs & communications Strategist.