Personal Note From Anne:

Is your job performance worthy of an encore?

An encore is something we only ask for if the performance we have seen or experienced overwhelms us, moves us, and we want more of it. In Mark Sanborn's book, the Encore Effect he asks, is your job performance worthy of an encore?

In other words, do people come back and only want you? Does your boss think you do such a great job that she gives you new challenging projects? Do your clients love you so much and feel your quality that price is not an issue?

No matter what you do in life you should do it with passion, gusto, and to the best of your ability. You should be constantly stretching what you do and how you do it.

I have a friend, Nido Qubein, who says that "excellence is what you strive for; it is the base from which you work." In other words give your all at all times.

When someone, whether it is an athlete, a grocery store clerk, a traffic cop or a co-worker, does that we stop and notice. It is the one ingredient that makes people unstoppable.

Take Action: Take time today to excel. With each thing you do make it just 5% better. If you do that every day you will improve significantly by the end of the year. If you struggle with this, stop and list all the objections and then take each one and resolve it. You will find that the vast majority of objections are things we hide behind rather than being real blockers.

Go forth and get your Encore Performance today!

-Anne

Anne's Outcome Insights

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Outcome Focus^® Solution

How should I deal with the argumentative "turf protector" type of person?

Situation:

Anne, I was recently promoted and have found myself in the middle of a "turf" style tug-of-war. I realize I am the new kid on the block, so I was hoping for some tips to help me move toward making our working relationship successful.

Outcome Desired:

With this type of person, you need to listen behind their words to determine what they are trying to protect. Most argumentative or negative people are not trying to attack you as much as they are trying to protect their world as they know it.

Other Person's Perspective:

Because they desire so strongly to protect their own world, they will gladly argue or defend their point of view. So the first thing you should do with an argumentative or negative person is to try to figure out if this a habit or paranoia.

How to Handle:

Here's the difference between the two. If it is a habit, a person will often fluctuate between being argumentative and being agreeable. You will notice that even in their daily conversations, they will focus more on the negative aspects. Ask them how their golf game was, they say it was lousy. If you ask how they enjoyed the movie, they tell you that they've seen better. Even in friendly conversation, they react in a negative manner.

This differs from the individual who's paranoid. This person has a tendency to look for the evil, twisted, or hidden meaning behind what anyone says. If you run into this type of individual, run as fast as you can. It won't matter how you say things, they will always find the twisted side and turn your words against you.

The first individual, who tends to be argumentative or negative out of habit, can be brought around in a very positive fashion. What you need to do is ask him only questions that can be answered positively. For example, "Share with me three features about XYZ that you really liked." or "What did you do for fun this weekend?" By directing them with proactive questions, you will start helping them to socialize in a more productive manner.

Deal of the Month!

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Outcome Focus^® Guest Column
Lighting your way with new perspectives!

Now is the perfect time to step up, if you're willing to risk it.

by Jeffrey Gitomer

Everyone is climbing a ladder.

The only question is which rung are you on?

Ever thought about it? It's a way bigger thought than, "Is my job safe?" But if that's what you're thinking, it's probably not. Asking yourself "Is my job safe?" is an indication that you're thinking in the wrong direction - diving in a hole instead of crawling out of a rut.

At the moment, many people are falling off the ladder, or being pushed off the ladder. There have been more than a million people fired, laid off, or put out of a job because of the state of the economy, and with government trying to "fix" the situation, I doubt the present condition will be better any time soon. I hope I'm wrong, but I've read Atlas Shrugged.

You may be one of the unfortunate. Or are you? You may be one of the FORTUNATE.

To hear our leaders and the spoken media talk of the present situation, you might believe there's little hope. They paint gloom. "We're in a deep recession," they say.

The word is not recession – the word is opportunity. You and I are at the crossroads of that opportunity. The only question is who will take advantage of it?

Now is not the time to worry, or wait. Now is the time to self-evaluate. Take stock. Do an inventory. Total your assets. And come to grips with who you are, and who you want to be. Then take action.

I have written that turmoil is the best time to make change, and accept change. Yes, we're in the crapper, but it's way better to focus on the opportunity, your opportunity, that this downturn presents. There's a big question you need to ask yourself. Is now the best time to climb a few steps?

To help answer that question, here are some "take inventory" questions you must ask yourself to gain a realistic view of who you are, where you are, and what you have achieved:

• What have you done?
• What are your achievements?
• What is your strength of character?
• What is your reputation?
• Do you have a web presence?
• What are your career skills?
• What are your personal skills?
• What are your strengths?
• What expertise have you gained?
• Are you using your abilities and expertise to their full potential?
• What is your passion?
• What have you always wanted to do?
• What is your present financial condition?
• What are your financial obligations?
• What is your tolerance for risk?
• On a 10-step ladder, which rung are you on?
• How high can you climb in your present position?
• How high do you want to climb?
• What's the gap?
• How much do you love where you are?
• Are you and your efforts appreciated?
• How much do you love what you do?

These are tough questions. And I recommend that as you read them, and think about them, that you take 30 minutes out of your life to write down the answers. Writing leads to clarity and allows you to think of the questions individually rather than as a group.

These questions transcend, "Is my job safe?" And let me give you a clue Sparky, nothing is safe. People who took a job at a bank to be "safe" are now on the street. One hundred thousand of them. All rules of the game are off. It's like Manhattan in a snowstorm; anything goes, and every man is for himself.

The answers to the "take inventory" questions will give you the most realistic picture of yourself you have ever had. They will also clarify where you have the potential to go. Or should I say grow.

Now that your assets are defined and you present situation is clear, write down what you (really) want to do or become – and assess the path you're on now. Are the paths aligned? Are you on the right road?

OPPORTUNITY IS KNOCKING BABY: Whether it's moving up your present ladder, finding a new ladder, or even buying your own ladder, now is the time to do it.

Or you can wallow in "what is" until someone else makes it happen.

If you want to print out my list of "take inventory" questions, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you're a first-time visitor, and enter the words TAKE STOCK in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and eight other business books on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development at www.trainone.com. Jeffrey conducts more than 100 personalized, customized seminars and keynotes a year. To find out more, visit www.gitomer.com. Jeffrey can be reached at 704.333.1112 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it